Our family will be bigger by one!

I know the intent of this blog was to share with you the journey of our family growing through adoption, but I am excited to share with you our family is growing by one---through marriage. My sister Carli and her favorite fella, Robert, have become engaged and we could not be more excited. Robert is very funny and seems to fit in our family perfectly.

Journeys of faith are happening for everyone. Carli's journey has led her to her heart's desire. And that desire is Robert. God has been faithful to bless her with this relationship. It is definitely great to see how God knows the perfect timing.

Congratulations Carli and Robert!! We are so excited for you and we are praying for your marriage to be strong in love and joy and rooted in the great love God has for you.

The Blindside

I am currently reading this book. Given our life circumstances, this book acts as a source to make me furklempt and motivated in one glorious binding of sweet words and footballese. Please note, I am only half way into the book--so I have no idea exactly where the book is going other than the obvious direction of Michael Oher's life story and how it applies to the philosophy of modern football, but I have been thinking--we all have a blindside. It is the place where we need faith to function. And like a quarterback who is looking to get his job done, he must rely that the left tackle is just going to do what needs to be done. He can not worry about if the left tackle is going to do what he is supposed to do, he just focuses on what he can control. I think that I need to be better about having faith in God taking care of me. I don't need to worry just focus on my field and do what I am supposed to do.
Much to think about, much to pray over, much control to let go of.

Dear Self...

In a couple days tell the story of how God covers all the bases. Thanks. Me

Weekend Update

We as a family went to Owensboro on Saturday, my first day out of the house all week...Hallelujah for fresh air....and Target, but I digress. We headed to Owensboro to have lunch with Steve and Melissa Hanvey and their most adorable son--little Steve, I mean Asher. They have lived in Owensboro for the past several years and we have failed to make the opportunity to see them in their new digs. Their home was built in 1942 and was an adorable cape cod, filled with character and great architecture and Melissa has made it feel so warm with her artistic touches. We visited with them for a few hours and then they kept the children while Nate and I went to the Match Day event.

The Match Day event was in a word, heartbreaking. We suspected there would be mainly teenagers...and we were right. There were only two kids who were not teenagers, a little boy who was severely handicapped and a little girl who was probably 10 or so and she was being hovered over by a few Moms. Nate and I decided to make the most of the situation and felt it would be a great time to just love on these kids for a few hours. We played ping pong with a teen named Chris, 14 a shy boy who had great manners. We met a beautiful boy named Justin, who was big and strong enough to be an amazing defensive lineman, but instead was a musician with Hard Rock sensibilities. We met Quincey who wanted to be near by, but did not want to talk, never smiled and could jump in basketball with the ease and flight of a young Jordan.

Nate decided to take the boys on in some Basketball. A competitive game of HORSE was thrown down. In the sport the true nature of the kids began to show. Chris had a quiet confidence and an impressive athletic ability. Nate was behind him in the game of HORSE and not too far into the game said, "Now Chris, it is all your fault I am at HO." Chris with a down turn head said, "I know, everything is my fault." Nathan turned and grabbed him by the shoulders and said "No, no, buddy it is not and hugged him." Chris looked up at him and smiled and returned the hug. How heartbreaking the scars of these hearts. Heartbreaking.

Of course, still convalescing, I could not play basketball, so I decided to be the cheerleader. Quincey was on fire and was tearing up the hoop from all over the floor. With each "Swoosh," I would enthusiastically call his name and cheer. The boy who would not talk, would not smile, would light up and the side of his mouth would curl up despite his best efforts everytime I would yell, "Way to Go Quincey!"

The heartbreaking part was that Nate and I are not in a place in our lives to bring home a bunch of teenage boys. And those teenage boys, as all the teens at that event knew exactly what it was. An event to let parents "shop" for kids. And I wonder if they think, oh, I think they really liked me or if they are defeated when the phone calls don't come in the weeks following such an event. How much rejection can one young heart take before it become calous and defensive? Heartbreaking. Nathan and I wrote a letter to ourselves reminding us how we felt that night. We talked about how we could not take in these teens now, but we in the future will lose that excuse and we will need to remember--give these kids a chance to know love...give them a home!

Sunday was a packed day of happiness. Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year and Elder/Deacon commision day all fell on the 14th of February. Our church family chooses each year the Elders and Deacons who will serve our congregation. Once they are chosen we have a special dedication service for these men and it was so beautiful to realize how extremely blessed our church is to have so many willing men to serve.

We have a large population of Chinese students who visit with our congregation and after our services and our potluck, the Chinese students prepared activities for us to participate in to celebrate the New Year. There was a Chinese Dragon animated by the kids in our congregation, TaiChi demonstrations, gifts, and information galore. So neat!

Valentine's Day ended up low key. I was feeling tired and overdone, so Nate and I grabbed some dinner and a cupcake from GiGi's while Michael Dunn watched the children. It was sweet and fun and just enough.

What a weekend. This Monday morning I am tired, looking forward to news coming on the 18th and still resting up. There is snow outside and much to do inside. I need to get to it!

It has reached the point of embarassing to tell you how many hours I have sat on my bottom and done nothing but eyeball my computer this week. Recovering from my surgery has turned more into a sit and gawk fest for me. Blah. I am ready to leave this house, ready to be in the land of the living. I asked Noah today if he was ready for me to be up and going again,"Nope, I don't want to go back to our regular routine. I would rather do nothing." Translation, lady you have been so busy sitting reading blogs on the computer, you have no idea how many hours of wii and tv and whatever the what computer game I have been playing.

When not reading the whole life story of Ree Drummond or chatting on Facebook IM with friends across the universe, I have been eavesdropping on the conversations of my beautiful daughters. They are the hurricane and tropical storm of our home and while I have been of course busy reading my computer, they have wreaked havoc on their bedroom. I went into their room this morning took two steps in and walked right back out. I told them there was an hour of reprieve on that room, but after the hour was over I was going all trashbag on them and they better get to it. So they went upstairs for the three hour playtime that is cleaning up their room--to be honest it is the 2 hour and 45 minute playtime and 15 minutes of ramming with all their might everything that was in their room into their closet. Whilst they were doing whatever it is they do while in their room supposedly cleaning I tuned in to their conversations. Usually it is them talking as if other people--most likely sophisticated teenagers--but today they were just Macy and Molly 8 and 7. "Molly who is your best friend?" "You are of course." "We were best friends when we were babies and we are best friends now." "I think we will always be best friends." Puddles. That was what I was. Puddles. They are ridiculously sweet together and they played this week as if they were on vacation--they were, I was in a chair, my feet up reading the internet--and they have walked through the house arms laced through arms giggling, speaking a language I, nor anyone else knows, and being sisters. How blessed they are.


Tomorrow we are heading to Owensboro to go to an Adoption Match day program hosted by the Commonwealth. We will be playing with a bunch of kids who are adoptable, getting to know them,they getting to know us. We have a big day coming up on the
18th. There is a court hearing scheduled for that day which could be very impactful to us...or it may not. I will not go into the details just yet, but if you are still praying for us, pray that the 18th will be blessed and God's will for a sibling set be done. I will share with you more details next Friday if I can.

February 9, 2010

I am home looking out the window at the most beautiful snow fall I have seen in some time. The kind of snow fall where the flakes are so big you can almost see the design and the fall so thick and delicious you just want to stick your tongue out to catch them. I am inside because I had surgery yesterday and I am just laying around today. I had my gall bladder removed due to stones and many very unpleasant attacks that were getting more frequent and more disturbing. Nate and I headed to the hospital at 6:00 and I was taken back at about 6:35. Save the children I have not had surgery and this is my first get totally knocked out type. The surgeon, Dr. Daniels came in and prayed with us. I really appreciated is humility and his approach that he could do a procedure, but only God could heal. It was a blessing for sure!

I remember being wheeled into the operating room, but I had been given a dose of "I don't care" medicine and I woke up and was ready to leave the hospital by about 1:30. Sheryl Borders came at 5:45 to stay with the children until they woke, and then Ann Kirkpatrick kept them until we came home. It is such a blessing to have such amazing friends to help us with the children.

I came home and went back to bed. I woke up this morning about 6:00. I am a horrible insomniac. I have not had a full night of sleep in years, so it was very refreshing to sleep so much. I was able to eat some yogurt and eggs for breakfast and I am feeling really good. I have some soreness at my incision sights (there were four incisions) but other than that I am feeling pretty good.

Nathan has taken a few days off and the children and I are enjoying having him here. He is doing school with the children and I think they are enjoying a different voice! He is so amazing to do all the things that need to be done. I am so blessed!

February 4, 2010

It has been almost a month since I have written. There is very little to write about in regards to adoption. I have realized our journey of faith is much bigger than the trip to adoption we are taking now, and there have been so many things to happen lately that have been born from the grace of God. I am going to try and be better about writing an account of our total journey.

First to share is the story of Trevor and Amanda. Trevor and Amanda met and married about 4 years ago. Trevor has always been a special kind of wonderful in my life--my very own little brother (one I never had). He called me on January 6, 2006 and told me he needed to talk to me. He was in love and was going to be getting married and wanted to know how long it would take to put a wedding together. (I remember the date, because when he called me I was an hour away from running the Robison wedding. I sat down for a second, because I was a bit surprised!) I remember telling him, do you think you are ready, are you sure you are in a place where you feel you can be the head of a home, what if like us you have children come into your home quickly, do you think you are ready for that? (Boy did that become a prophecy, Sorry Trev!) I had met Amanda, liked her a ton--she was spunky and smart, but mostly Trevor adored her so she had to be good stuff, right?

Long story short, Trev and Amanda have been on a spiritual journey of faith of their own (Isn't Everyone?) and this past weekend we were able to be with them as they made their commitment to God in baptism. What a beautiful sight. Trev and Amanda have come from very different spiritual backgrounds and it is such an answered prayer they have come together and found a common place of faith where they can grow and serve for the glory of God. Praise God. I pray they grow in faith and God will be the center of their marriage and family. What a joy!

There is an adoption workshop this weekend we have been invited to. I am sure we will make our way there. It is to showcase children in KY who are available for adoption.

We are still patiently waiting on information on the children we have spoken of earlier. Patience seems to be the key!