A Pain in the Neck...

It has been a busy week.

Stand Up Dad had neck surgery yesterday to repair a herniated disc. Surgery is one of those times where we stop and focus on how little of our lives is under our control. God reminds us that He alone is the maker and creator of us all.

Our friends and family have been so AMAZING! We feel completely covered in prayer. The peace that comes with knowing God is in control is wonderful.

Yesterday morning we were at the hospital at 5:30am. It was still dark outside and I sat in the chair next to the bed Stand Up Dad was in while each person came in to ask all the pre-op questions. After the fifth person came in to ask if he had any allergies and the like, I started to stare out the window. What I saw overwhelmed me.

Barely visible at first, there was soft orange light on the horizon. It then changed to fire and light that bounced off the sparse clouds that rested just to the left of Mt. Rainier. As I marveled at this beauty I watched as flocks of birds flew through the new morning sky as if in praise to the one who created it.

God seemed to whisper to me. "I created all this for you, just for your pleasure. I am with you and will be with Stand Up Dad through this day."

God is so good. The surgery went well. We are home and Stand Up Dad is recovering. The biggest "pain" is the hard collar he has to wear for the next two weeks. You could say it is a "pain in the neck." Hee hee!

Sweet Momma

Little Feet, Enormous Blessings!

One of my dearest friends gave birth to her sixth child this week. I got the privilege of being the one to sleep over at their house while Mom and Dad were at the hospital. And since this precious little brother was born after all the kids were in bed, I got to be the bearer of the wonderful news in the morning.

Families are such a blessing! God is smiling as He watches the work of this precious family. I feel honored to have known the parents for ten years now and have watched as they brought each of their precious bundles home. Three of their precious children came home through international adoption and the other three, the old fashioned way. I am thrilled to be a part of all of their lives and can't wait to see how God will continue to bless them in the future.

Sweet Momma

Now the WAITING begins...

Today is the day everyone at my house has been waiting for.

WE ARE ON THE WAITING LIST!!!

After all the paperwork and notaries and dossier craziness, we got the email today that told us our agency had just received our dossier from Washington DC after authentication. They have now placed us at the bottom of the list with all the families waiting for children from Ethiopia. We are #102. Wow! That is a lot of families. Our agency is hoping to bring home 200 kiddos this year. The wait for siblings is longer than adopting a single infant, so we expect that we could be waiting at least a year until referral. We are praying for a little brother and sister.

Please continue to pray with us as we wait. Pray that our little ones are safe, fed and loved until we can hold them in our arms.

Sweet Momma

Science anyone?

We are a homeschooling family that is part of a weekly co-op at our church. Each year around this time there is a science fair where your child can present their discoveries to all the other families who might be interested. All the information is taken down and then pasted to one of those tri-fold display boards. When complete, it is a wonder to behold. The process to completion is another story. Moms and Dads, you know what I mean.

This year we answered these two questions: Does weight affect gravity? Does water conduct electricity?

Fun was had by all and we learned some things too.

To find out the answers to these questions, you will have to track down my kids. I want them to use that knowledge gained and work on presentation skills in the process. Thank you for the help with their education.

Sweet Momma

One Little Brother and Sister Please!

Today is the day that this adoption is physically out of our hands and the real waiting begins. I took our completed dossier to the post office to mail to our agency this afternoon. As I walked in the door of the post office holding this very precious bundle I felt a little overwhelmed. This small stack of papers is all that stands between our family and two more precious children that we will love and care for and laugh and cry with. So much begins with this small stack of papers that we have so diligently prepared over the last three months.

Our little ones are out there, somewhere in Ethiopia. Only God knows who they are and under what circumstances they will come to live in our home. Only He knows the precious people that will say goodbye to our children so that we can say hello. It's a lot to take in.

For now our dossier is on it's way to Missouri where it will be bundled and sent to Washington D.C. to be authenticated and then...it will be sent to Ethiopia. Then, we will officially be waiting for a referral.

I have said many times through this process thus far that "They don't even know about us in Ethiopia yet!" We are almost there. That is so exciting!

Please pray for us and these sweet little ones and their family. I stated before, that the dossier is out of our hands now, the truth is it has always been out of our hands. God has this one, and I pray, He will continue to grant His grace over this entire process.

Sweet Momma

Our Growing Girls

We have been very busy at our house over the last couple of weeks. Two of our girls had birthdays over the course of six days. So after the fun of a Veterinarian Party and the beauty of a Victorian Tea Party, they are one year older and I am trying to keep up.

How can this be that my little Sweet Pea is 8 and my wonderful M&M is 11? Time sure flies when you're having fun! I love being their Mom and am so thankful for the privilege of calling them my own. I look forward to all the growth and maturity that will surely follow this year. And I look back at all the wonderful memories with misty eyes. God has been so good to us.

Sweet Momma

Fun at Gramma and Poppa's House

Right after Christmas we had the privilege of traveling to Eastern Washington to visit my parents. There is always lots of fun to be had there.

Sweet Momma