Special Delivery

This sweet girl arrived on the Friday before Christmas sent by my dear friend, Becca.

 Definitely a first for the boys ;)

 

Thank you Becca! I love her!

 This is a sneak peek at Sugarplum's bedding ;) Unless she is still in a crib! 

That following Sunday, Mason and I sat near a little girl who had brought a doll. She brushed the doll's hair the entire time. Not very gently, I might add. I think quite a bit of hair was left there. Mason and I shared a quiet chuckle when I whispered, "remind me to get Sugarplum a soft hair brush for her doll." Oh my heart, he loves Sugarplum! Did I mention he is quite the sales man? Sold 3 pairs of earrings to his teacher and a classmate who doesn't even have her ears pierced has asked to buy some ;)

Some Days

Some days, I panic about adding ONE more to our family.
Other days, ONE out of 143 million isn't enough.

Some days, the wait feels really long.
Other days, I remember the teenage orphans who still wait.

Some days, I want to go to China NOW.
Other days, I remember there is still a lot to do!
  
He KNOWS my days.  
Thankfully He LOVES ME regardless of my mindset or heart.
He never waivers.  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding. 
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:5-7

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds. 
Psalm 36:5 

Constructing

He has been one very busy boy. 3 LEGO sets complete. Was kinda hoping they would keep him busy next week too ;)

Tub Toys

Ryan hit the jack pot in bath toys

Christmas Day night he enjoyed a long leisure soak all by himself

Somehow he ended up downstairs like this ;)
Afraid to miss too much of the party, I suppose.

Christmas Evening

Aunt Lissa and Uncle Alex arrived late afternoon for a third round of gift exchanges and dinner. 

(The second round was done over skype with EJ's dad and grandma)

My parents gave Alex this funny hunting game for the t.v., just so he didn't have to open all practical gifts ;)

 We had a yummy dinner. Not nearly as stressful as the butchering issues we had last year ;)

Silly Alex!

Lissa provided this year's birthday cake. Coconut-Pecan, YUM!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

On Christmas Eve, when I was saying goodnight to the very excited, older two, I asked them a question. I said, "how would you feel if it at your birthday party I handed out such great goodie bags to your guests that they forgot it was YOUR birthday?" They both understood what I was saying and I was thankful the Spirit gave us that moment ;)

Christmas Morning

A few of my favorite pics. We had a fun morning!

We are so incredibly blessed!

Christmas Eve

 

After an early Christmas Eve worship service we headed to my parent's home for dinner.

Afterwards the boys rocked out with my dad, a little karaoke style. We were all quite surprised at how comfortable Owen was with the microphone. Not his typical "goofy b/c he is nervous self."

Staying busy til Christmas

To say the boys were excited for Christmas morning is an understatement. They were almost unbearable to be around. We tried keeping them preoccupied with various activities but they age range makes it tricky. Thankfully there were 3 adults to divide and conquer.

Winter Party

I joined Mason's class for their "winter party" 

He is playing a dice game.

Thankfully Mim could babysit as to not ruin Ryan's nap.

Christmas Eve Eve

All I want for Christmas

Oh Sugar Plum, I am already noticing a lot more gray hairs. I am sure it's merely coincidence! And we can always blame your brothers ;) And of course it's not because I am getting older. Oh well, that's what hair dye is for. 
Wishing you were home for Christmas! You are top on my list.

Counting Down

I am so thankful I still get to experience Christmas with a small child.

I sure am going to miss this.

He doesn't really know lots of presents are coming his way. He can just enjoy the decorations and activities.

It's very different this year with the older two. The Christmas books and toys don't really interest them anymore. I am hoping they will decorate a few sugar cookies this weekend, but I am not holding my breath. Thankfully that is not what Christmas is really about. And it's actually good timing b/c my heart hasn't been into all that either. I am not going all Martha Stewart in my hosting this year. In fact, it's brave that my family is trusting me with Christmas day meals ;) Let's just say I am more scatter brained than ever.
EJ's mom arrives tonight. The boys are excited!! One more day of school.

A Very Different Christmas

Four of my friends are opening their hearts and homes to 4 Ukraine orphans this Christmas season. The girls arrived yesterday and will visit for 3 weeks. It's through a hosting program and it's AMAZING to witness. I am delighted I get to watch and pray and pray!
If you are a mom, I don't have to tell you that the Christmas To-Do list is long! Imagine adding a complete stranger who doesn't speak English ;)
I am humbled by their desire to follow God's prompting as he lead them to this decision.

This will certainly be a Christmas to remember, not only for the host families, but for these precious girls who have left their country, orphanage and all that is familiar to them.

We are praying that they would see Jesus this Christmas. We are praying boldly that their forever families would come forward. Each host family would be happy to answer any questions you have or set up a time to meet.

Please pray for God to do BIG things.

Here are three links, if you'd like to watch their journey's unfold or forward to anyone you know who might be interested in adopting an older child.

Our Christmas Guest 
There's a U and an I in Ukraine
Joy in the Journey (has info on each child)

Early Christmas Present

That's right. Our dossier is logged in and we are officially waiting for a referral (that is when our agency has a picture and medical report a little girl they feel would be a good match for us based on ALL our paperwork).
We are SO excited and SO nervous. My stomach has been in knots all day, even hours before the call that we had our date. Not sure what that is all about!
We do not know how long the wait will be. Not even an estimate. But there is most likely no more than 30 folks ahead of us on the list and not all of them would fall under the perimeters we've set.

So we nestle down and wait in hope for Him...

 

(our Christmas card)

Just recieved #4

Apparently this is the Christmas of online purchase goofs. ARGH!
At this point, 4!

Friday!

Have a great weekend!

Her Stash

We have a random assortment of items collected for Sugar Plum.

1. twin quilt and sham
2. doll house
3. precious hand-me-down dress
4. Chinese painting that Owen made
5. beaded bracelet EJ's mom made
6. tiny bracelet Mason made
7. a board book and a chapter book
8. earrings that match my ring 

...and now this pink pony

 

Mason came home from school the other day with a surprise gift for someone. He had earned a trip to the treat box and chose this for Sugar Plum. Seriously?! This is not the first time he has used the treat box to get gifts for others. But certainly the first time he took a risk and picked a girl toy. Owen had a field day with this one ;) So we have set the pony aside in her stash. He said he did it incase she came home that day. Oh.my.heart. (You know, in case I flew to China and back during the school day)

This verse struck me differently yesterday. Hebrews 11:1.

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." 

I am pondering it and praying it for my entire family. As I look at the lists of waiting children in China, with the potential of seeing my daughter for the first time, I find myself worrying about what the photo and file will not show us. I know we will want more answers. We will spend a lifetime wanting to know more. But I realized after reading Hebrews 11:1 for a 1000th time, that this can apply to our process of accepting a referral. We will naturally want to SEE as much as we can. I am praying not just for us, but our parents as well, that we have faith and confidence in Him, even when we can't see. And that He makes the decision very clear and full of grace.

Each Day

I check in here almost every morning. I don't yet know why they have entered my story, if only for my prayers that it OK with me. I thank God for the opportunity to see HIM in the country where our daughter lives. I pray every day that she is receiving the love and care these kids are. Yes, I have asked how to adopt from there. If it is the Lord's will, it will happen.
Praise God that he does not leave us as orphans! We are His.

Adding Up

I don't love running errands with Ryan. He is SO active and does not enjoy sitting in a cart or stroller for very long. BUT I have been ever so happy and thankful for the many trips we've been making to THE BANK lately! God is providing for us and we are SO THANKFUL FOR YOU!

For a Day

Mason was home yesterday, sick. Well kind of. Not by the looks of these pics ;) He was constantly blowing his nose and coughing. I tried to spare a few.

I finally went to the Dr. for myself. 14 days of junk and I am tired of it. I wish I could have enjoyed him a little more, but I was not feeling well myself. I thought I was getting better over the weekend, but started feeling worse on Sunday night. ugh! Maybe this means we will be well for Christmas?

He is official a school kid. Bored being at home all day. He has stopped playing like he once did :( But I am thankful he is so happy at school.

I fiddled with my camera quite a bit, hence the very different exposures.

12th Anniversary

12 years ago, two very young love birds got married. 

God has been so incredibly good to us. We are so thankful!

Never in a million years did I guess we would have 3 boys and counting. Wow how we have changed and for the better I might add ;) We celebrated with a little over 40 hours alone. It was awesome! My parents, God bless them, watched the boys at their house and we enjoyed a stay-cation!

On Friday night, EJ played soccer in the pouring rain, while I stayed on the couch and watched t.v., without putting anyone to bed first! I slept in until 8:45 on Saturday, didn't know that was possible.

Then, we spent the day together in our garage painting. We are having new exterior doors installed soon and they needed to be painted. At first, I was not excited to spend our anniversary painting, but my perspective quickly changed. First, the fact that we can work together on projects (not all couples can without conflict and aggravation) is a blessing! Second, we had as much time as we needed with no interruptions. Third, we got twice as much done with 2 of us. Lastly, he was trapped in the garage for hours listening to me talk. hee hee!

 

We did call it quits in time for a night out. A yummy dinner at a mexican restaurant with a potent margarita ;) and then we saw Life of Pi. Not in 3D, thank goodness. Our old stomachs can't handle it.

We found a bottle of wine on our side stoop. From my sister, so thoughtful!

After church, we rescued my pour parents ;) We also manged a little more painting, but we still aren't done ;(

Even though we didn't go away and we spent a lot of our time being productive, I did manage to fall more in love with my man. He is pretty awesome and I am so glad he is mine!

Every Once in Awhile

They get along nicely ;)

DTC

I asked our social worker to take a picture for us ;)  

Now we just wait for a log in date (about 3-4 weeks). 

Then we are LID, we are eligible for referals!

Decorating the Tree

Before you get the wrong impression with our lovely decorating the tree photos, I thought I would show the behind the scenes. For some reason I needed to capture this part.

Probably because I am battling a nasty cold and although I am trying to look good on the outside, I feel like crap! Life is messy. Especially around here. I can not keep up. I try and try, but its useless. I struggle each day to keep my priorities straight, but it feels like I am constantly going the wrong direction. The boys seem to be a bit of a disaster too. I know its because my heart is not all here. But I am trying! I am so thankful that Jesus came to dwell in the mess. So thankful that I don't have to have it all together to be acceptable to Him.

 On to the tightly cropped "pretty" pictures ;)

 He was so in awe, so curious, so delighted in every little thing. Precious to watch!

 Mason showed me every ornament he unwrapped as if I had never seen them before!

 This year, Ryan got to do the honors of putting the star on top

 He loved it.

Praying it will be Sugar Plums turn next year!