A Wonderful Surprise and a 6th Grade Sleepover!

First...the 6th grade sleepover...last night there was a very special event at our church for the junior high girls called "Get Real". It was an awesome program for the girls put on by some women and senior high girls from NCC about friendships, modesty, purity and living a life for God that is counter-culture to our society! We had a blast together...dancing, laughing, eating, talking, hula-hooping, etc. Afterwards, some of the 6th graders came to our house for a slumber party...more laughter, talking...less sleeping:) Who needs sleep anyway? I'm so thankful I could spend time with these girls who I work with on Sunday mornings. Having them in our home was a terrific experience...Sis was loving it! The only people not happy about the whole thing were her brothers:)

Here's the wonderful surprise part...when I got home late last night I found out that our agency, All God's Children, had sent us more recent pictures of our little darling!!! Just when we were filling a bit discouraged yesterday, God sent us hope! Wish I could share the pics with all of you...she is simply adorable:) Her hair is growing back and she has the sweetest smile! Looking at the pictures stirs something deep in my heart and our desire to bring her safely home grows and grows! Thank you to all of you who are praying for our child!

We also learned that 6 families from AGCI are traveling this weekend to Ethiopia and 8 families are traveling in 2 weeks. Hopefully that means we'll get our turn soon! I have to admit that my first thought was why do they get to travel to their child and we don't, but it's all back to that huge matter of trusting God in all of our circumstances. I believe with all of my heart that His timing is perfect:)

Simply Waiting

God's Word says to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). It also says to trust Him with all of our hearts and not to depend on our own understanding...we're to acknowledge Him in all of our ways and He will make our path straight (Proverbs 3:4-5). Right now we're in a long, quiet period of simply waiting for news on how the adoption process is going in Ethiopia. We're longing to hear news about when we can travel to bring home our African princess, but there is only silence. It's a time of trust that God will bring her home to us when He desires to do so.

In the meantime, we're doing the day to day things...trying to live life to the fullest, although sometimes I don't feel that I do that very well. A highlight for me this week has been the chance to read aloud "Johnny Tremain" to the whole family (...Don was a even a little disappointed because I read some to the kids while he was at work). It's a great story and I love to find a book that ALL 3 of the kids enjoy hearing!!! It's a special book to me because it brings back memories of when Bub was in 3rd grade and I read it to him...at that time he said, "Wow! This book has changed my life!" (I'm not making that up!) When I asked him what he meant, he explained that it was a book that gave him a love for history. Now, he's a teen and his favorite genre of book is still historical fiction!

It's a time of wonder as I see the kids growing up around me...what a pleasure to be their mom! Can't wait to bring our newest little daughter into our family circle!

Jumping rope!

Aaaahhh, the fall weather is truly upon us...gray skies, barren trees, cold winds. Doesn't sound good, does it? But to be honest, this time of year thrills my heart. It's something about knowing God's provision, His care and His steadfastness. It's about the hope that I can have when things look bleak. I'm studying early American history with my youngest son and we've been reading books recently about the pilgrims, Squanto and about the hardships of living in the wilderness. It reminds me to be so thankful for all that I have, and it reminds me of God's unending faithfulness!

We were very excited yesterday to get a personal update on our little African princess from a family who were in Ethiopia last week adopting their child! How amazing to think that they were just with her...that they were able to play with her! They told us that she has a musical laugh...can't wait to hear it! We also found out that she loves to jump rope!!! Here's the cool thing...we were just jumping rope as a family 2 nights ago! It's one of the things that we do in the winter when it gets dark at 6p.m. and we can't run around outside! We were laughing last night at dinner, imaging little "B" being able to probably jump rope better than any of us :) Hopefully we'll find out soon! In the meantime, we're praying for our travel dates to be in late December or early January. Thank you for joining with us in prayer for this!

Simple Joys

Simple joys in a crazy world. We're trying to remember to enjoy the simple joys that God gives to us every day. We went hiking with the kids last week on a glorious, fall day...how refreshing to admire the beauty that God has made. Being out in nature fills up something deep inside of me!

We've also started a Monday night family ritual of a campfire & smores after dinner! We laugh together, think of family memories and sometimes, sometimes my husband sings for us:) Then, the kids play on the hammock or trampoline in the dark...usually no one gets hurt! It's just peaceful to be together. I'm so grateful to God for all that He has given us.

We're anxiously waiting for news on "B"...we were hoping for some pics of her from a family who is in Ethiopia now getting their precious baby, but their blog today said they weren't allowed to take pics of the orphans. It's disappointing, but I know that soon, by God's grace, we will be traveling ourselves to get our daughter! Thank you to all of you who are praying for her!