Justin Bieber's in the House!

Well I am just now getting around to posting some fun pics of Maggie's 11 birthday party.

She had a "faux" sleepover(the best kind of sleepover for us moms).  The girls came dressed in pj's and stayed for a couple of hours and then went home to sleep in their own beds.

We made pillowcases, had a campfire, sang songs and had some great entertainment;)

So funny, Nate had a little something special for the girls.....what a sweet brother to do this, they loved it!

Check it out for yourself!

Daddy and his sweet girl

the gang

being silly

Happy 16th Anniversary Babe!

God has incredibly blessed me with a man who loves the Lord with all his heart and one who sacrificially gives of his time to his family and others in serving in many capacities.  From the day that we said "I do" our lives have been knitted together through the ups and downs of this life we live.  God has graciously blessed us beyond what we could have imagined or hoped for.

Through the struggles and trials of our sinfulness and of living in a broken world God has used those very things to cause us to seek Him and to cling to one another.  We can look back and see His imprints in those areas where we needed to be pruned and stripped down in order to see what was ultimately keeping us from glorifying Him.  The lessons we have learned have been and continue to deepen our love with each other as we together seek to grow in Christ as one.

To my husband, I love you so much more today then I did l6 years ago.  Never did I think that I could love someone this much.  Your love for me is an incredible gift that encourages and strengthens me in my walk.  Your example of godliness is a model for me to live out for Christ. I am so thankful for Him who gave you to me!  May we continue to draw closer to the ONE who brought us together and continue to seek His will for our lives as we love our children and show them by example how to love Christ and one another!  I love you with all my heart!!

John Piper shares the following:

The main meaning of marriage is to display the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church.  In other words, marriage was designed by God most deeply, most importantly, to be a parable or a drama of the way Christ loves his church and the way the church loves and follows to Christ.  This is the most important thing for all husbands and wives to know about the meaning of their marriage.

Marriage Portrays the Magnificent

The key passage has been Ephesians 5:23-25: “The husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Don’t be so familiar with this that it doesn’t strike you as amazing. Where in all the world would anyone talk about marriage this way? In three verses, he says it three times:

• Verse 23: marriage: even as Christ is the head of the church.
• Verse 24: marriage: as the church submits to Christ.
• Verse 25: marriage: as Christ loved the church.

What is the most important meaning of marriage? It is found in the words: “as Christ . . . asthe church . . . as Christ.” The ultimate meaning of marriage is not in marriage itself. It is not in the husband and not in the wife and not in the offspring. The ultimate meaning of marriage is in: “as Christ,” “as the church,” “as Christ.” Marriage is a magnificent thing because it is modeled on something magnificent and points to something magnificent. And the love that binds this man and woman in marriage is a magnificent love because it portrays something magnificent—“as Christ loved the church” and “as the church submits to Christ.” The greatness of marriage is not in itself. The greatness of marriage is that it displays something unspeakably great, Christ and the church.

Happy 13th Birthday Nathaniel Thomas!

(Side note: Nate picked this song on the player to go along with his b-day message...a little heavy metal:) but I like it.  Nate, I pray that you always see your need for Christ as this song speaks)

As mothers we can't help but relive every moment possible of the birth of our children.  As Nate's birthday approaches, I take a walk down memory lane.

My thoughts quickly trace back to the birth of my precious little boy.  I was 36 weeks and 6 days when I started with contractions.  I had a fever, some sort of virus in my body which brought on contractions that were coming hard and strong.  Off to the hospital we went.  I was feeling quite miserable.  The nurses started to hook me up to all sorts of I.V.'s  getting me situated in Labor and Delivery with hopes of hydrating me and a little Tylenol and I would be on my way home to wait another three plus weeks to deliver.  As standard, they hooked me up to the baby monitor and this is where things got a little scary.

After several tries, they were having a hard time getting my babies heart rate.  Eventually, the heart rate would show up every once and again but it was extremely high.  It would pop up and then disappear, which was indicative of a unsafe, very high heart rate.  With that, the doctors and nurses began scurrying around.  It very much seemed like a fog, but I remember them questioning me and asking when I started with the fever and how long had I been sick.  I began to slowly take in that we were in a serious situation and our baby was at risk.

I remember seeing my sister come in the room and with a sweet but concerned look on her face say that everything was going to be okay and that I was receiving the best care.  My sister was working in Labor and Delivery at the time.  As the urgency continued, my aunt Barb who was with us for every birth came in and with her reassuring way calmed us down.  Aunt Barb told me that Nana had everyone praying for us and the baby and that people had gathered at her house(which was the family hang-out) to pray for us.  That gave us great comfort.

We did not know the sex of our baby and did not want to find out.  The doctor came in and did an ultrasound which showed, from everything that they could see, that the baby looked okay.  He teased me in saying he knew what we were having and did I want to know.  We passed up the opportunity.  I was then put on a ice bed....yeah, full body ice bed because they wanted to get my fever down and the tylenol wasn't doing the trick.  I laid on the ice bed and my fever did start to come down.  After many hours of the baby's heart rate bouncing around in the very, very, very highs they grew quite concerned and decided to induce me with Pitocin aka fire water which I have a love/hate relationship with.  

Apparently when babies get virus' in the womb it is a very dangerous situation that can take their life or cause numerous complications in their lives.  This I knew.  Right then, in the middle of all this hoopla going on and the scurrying of the doctor and nurses, Bob and I prayed.  Let me just say that I am a worrier.  I can worry about anything and everything.  It's a sin in my life.  But at that moment, I will NEVER forget how the presence of the Lord came over us like nothing I can ever explain or do justice in explaining.  It was almost tangible.  We prayed to Him and begged Him to keep our precious baby safe and alive.  I remember praying no matter what complications this child has Lord let your will be done, I trust you.

It's amazing 13 years later and I sit with streams of tears falling down my cheeks.  Not because of the pain of remembering the struggle but because God drew near to us in that very moment, His presence was upon us and His peace came in to our hearts.  I never want to forget that moment....because our faith, my faith deepened in a whole new way.  A "memorial stone"moment for our family.

Joshua 4:5-7
And Joshua said to them, "Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.  
Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, "What do these stones mean to you?" then you shall say to them, "Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crosse the Jordan, the water of the Jordan were cut off, So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever."

Our Sovereign, Majestic, All-Powerful, God allowed us the privilege of birthing a beautiful little baby boy, who was born healthy.  For the first 24 hours he was kept in the nursery for observation and under the lights because his temperature was very low.  This was the way God wanted Nathaniel's story to begin and we are so thankful and will NEVER forget His grace, His love, His mercy for us and for Nate.

Nate, we love you so very much and are blessed by you. God has a purpose for your life.  Your love and deep conviction in honoring and glorifying God is evident in your walk.  Your love for Him radiates all around you.  I love your beautiful heart.  I love how loyal you are to your friends and family.  I love how sensitive your are to the things that matter in this life.  We pray that you will always seek after what is right and pure and what God calls you to.   You my son, were born for an almighty purpose, to glorify your Lord and Savior.  We love you so very much!  Happy 13th birthday Natey boy!!!

Your favorite verse(and mine too!)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who love me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

cousins:)

cute boy

Nate and Danny on our Joni and Friends Mission trip

goofy

you love the beach and ocean

buddies for life!

the sibs

me and my boy

visiting the pre school in Africa

Africa-the orphanage

best buds and brothers too

Nate, Eliud, Robbie, and Dad in Africa

We love you and can't wait to see what God has in store for your life!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Sadie Bella!

Yes, today is our sweet baby girl's 1st birthday and she is thousands of miles away.  My feelings are so mixed right now.  We so wanted to have her in our arms for her first birthday but yet we trust completely in God's sovereignty and His timing is perfect.

Precious girl, you will soon be home with your family.  We can't wait to hold you, smell you, play with you, love you.  You are missed.  Our world and our family will change forever when you come home.  We are all looking so forward to that day.

I wonder if you are walking yet, I wonder if you suck your thumb, I wonder if you love music, I wonder  what your laugh sounds like, I wonder what makes you sad, I wonder what makes you happy, I wonder if you talk a lot or just a little, I wonder if you feel secure, I wonder...I wonder.... one day very soon I will wonder no more for then I will be holding you in my arms.  I find comfort and peace in knowing that our heavenly Father loves you far more then we could.  He loves all the little children.    He knew his plan for your life before you were born.  You are so special to Him.

Psalms 68:5 " A father to the fatherless.."

I can't help but think on this significant day what your mother, the one that birthed you is feeling today.  One year ago today your mother gave the most selfless gift.  She gave you a life that she felt she couldn't give you.  She loved you so much.  I'm sure she is thinking and reflecting of what it felt like to hold you in her arms.  A mothers love is so special, so incredibly deep.  I am so thankful for your mother for carrying you for 9 months and loving you.

Very soon we will see you and we can't wait!

Happy 1st Birthday sweet girl!

WE GOT OUR REFERRAL!!! IT'S OFFICIAL!!

Praise the Lord!  After two very long months of just waiting for news on our adoption we have received the information we have been praying and waiting on, which means this process is progressing.  Very soon we will be making our trip to the country where she lives to pick up our sweet baby girl!

Our unofficial timeline looks like maybe somewhere in the month of January we (Bob and I) will be traveling to her country to pick up Sadie Bella!  We are just so thrilled and excited!  I wish I had a camera with me when we shared this with the kids...the girls screamed! The boys were hooooting and hollering.  We have been praying that God would move in the "powers to be" in the government to shake things up a bit to get our precious girl home with her family!  And...He did, the referral is the next, very necessary step in getting our girl home.

We now need to work on a video to make for her.  One that is age appropriate, she is almost 1(next week).  We were told to make sure we do something with "London Bridges falling down" because she loves that song.  Brought. tears. to. my. eyes.  We have been praying that her caregivers are loving her well and the fact that she loves that song...well means that somebody is singing to her.

We are completely in awe and humbled by God's graciousness in allowing us to be a part of this beautiful little girl's story.

We love you Sadie-girl and can't wait to get our hands on you and show you off to all of your family and friends who have been praying for you and for us!  God has already used your sweet little life to bring us closer to Him.  We feel so privileged to be your mommy and daddy!

Baby girl....you were "Meant to Be"!

(thank you Liz for sharing this song;))

Happy 11th Birthday Maggie!

I can't believe my little girl is 11 years old today!!!

Oh how I remember that day, when they put her in my arms and said it's a girl, my heart leaped!
I love my boys and was so thankful to now have a little girl.  She made us wait for her...and additional 6 days but it was so incredibly worth it!

I remember looking at her and thinking how beautiful!  She had a head full of brown hair(the nurses put a pink ribbon in it)and big beautiful eyes that looked all around.  Her poppy nicknamed her "bright eyes".  What a joyous memory!

Maggie, here we are 11 years later and you are growing into a young lady right before our very eyes!  You are beautiful!  But your beauty not only comes from your outward appearance but from your heart.


"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
I Peter 3:3-4

You love Jesus and it shines all around you.  I love how you can create anything out of anything lying around the house, your mind is so very creative and artsy.  I'm amazed at the depth of your insight and perceptiveness about life.  You are such a sweet girl who genuinely loves your friends and family and always looking out for them especially your sis!

Daddy and I both pray that you love the Lord always and continue to walk closely with Him.

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:31

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
I Corinthians 15:58

We love you doll!  Happy 11th birthday Magpie!

"Out of Africa"

My guys are in the air on their second plane ride.

Destination: good ol' USA and a home where two little girls got all dressed up today to see their daddy and brothers along with a mom and wife who can't wait to hug and kiss them to pieces!

I had the privilege to talk with them several times while they were away and the stories I heard over the phone brought tears to my eyes and no words could be spoken.

I know they are so excited to come home because they miss us and they miss all the comforts of home, but I do know that their hearts are very torn... between two "homes" that now have captivated their hearts. The farewells were full of tears.  But, this is just the beginning....and I KNOW this will not be their last trip, Lord willing.  Africa is cemented in their hearts...forever.

So my prayer today is one of gratitude for what was and for what is to come.