True Beauty Devotion

This is a quick devotion I put together for my daughters and I to do over breakfast that I adapted from a chapter in the book "Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter" by Vicki Courtney.

1. What does it mean to be beautiful? or What does the world say is beautiful? (I usually ask my youngest first and move up to the oldest.)
2. Read 1 Timothy 4:8
3. What is God's attitude toward physical exercise? Toward godliness?
4. What can we do to be spiritually "healthy"?
5. Which is more important to you, physical health or spiritual health? Why?
6. Talk about exercise for health benefits, staying fit in order to have energy and good health to serve your family and your God!
7. Read 1 Samuel 16:6-7
8. What did God tell Samuel not to look at?
9. By what standard does God judge beauty?
10. Talk about the things we do to make our outer self beautiful vs. the things we do to make our inner selves beautiful.
11. Which do we spend more time on? Why?
12. Read Psalm 139:14
13. Watch Dove Evolution You Tube video and discuss the images the media show us and how they are altered. http://youtu.be/iYhCn0jf46U

Behind, Beside, and Beyond

"It was with good reason God said let the older women teach the younger (Titus 2).

Trial and error is not the best teacher when it comes to marriage and motherhood!"

- Debi Pearl

I agree! I have several "mentor moms" who I call on for wisdom and advice on a fairly regular basis. Women who are ahead of me in this adventure of motherhood. Women whose children are bearing fruit. Women who are like-minded.

I heard it said once that we all need someone who is younger who we are helping along, someone who is ahead of us who helps us, and someone to walk beside us who is in a similar season of life. I think most women are fine in the "alongside" department, but lacking in the other two. Let's not re-invent the wheel, so to speak! Let's learn from each other and avoid some common pitfalls.

Some women ask "how do I find a mentor?" Look around you and find a mom a few steps ahead who is like-minded and is on the road you want to travel and ASK HER! Invite her over for coffee or a lunch date out and pick her brain. Ask if she would be willing to answer some questions for you regarding being a godly wife and mom. I bet she'd be blessed to do it! You may have to meet with a few different ladies before you find a really comfy fit, but it will be worth it! It doesn't have to be anything formal, just a friend you can call on in times of need (and we all have them!)

On the flip-side--are you open to helping someone else? All of us are older than someone! Are you willing to share the wisdom you have gathered thus far?

Our 2011 Ten Day Prayer Kickoff!

I found a short article in a magazine that listed ten different prayer "postures" found in the Bible and we (my 11 year old daughter and I) are going to use it to kick off the new year in prayer!

January 1, 2011 Kneeling 1 Kings 8:54

January 2, 2011 Standing Jeremiah 18:20

January 3, 2011 Sitting 2 Samuel 7:18

January 4, 2011 In Bed Psalm 63:6

January 5, 2011 In Private Matthew 6:6

January 6, 2011 With Others Psalm 35:18

January 7, 2011 Hands Lifted 1 Timothy 2:8

January 8, 2011 Silently 1 Samuel 1:13

January 9, 2011 Aloud Acts 16:25

January 10, 2011 At All Times Luke 18:1

The more we learn about prayer, the more we will think about prayer, the more we will think about our Savior and talk with Him and the better we will know Him and love Him. I want to begin the year pointed at Him in prayer!

We will be recording this in our prayer journals so we can discuss what we are learning. Here is the format (just to give my daughter something to follow):

• Date
• Scripture written out
• Two things I prayed about
• My thoughts (3+ sentences)

Puppies and Toddlers

Maybe you've never noticed how much puppies and toddlers have in common? I think of it often as I parent my 4th toddler. Let's look at some of the similarities...

1. Both respond to simple, clear commands along with tone and facial expression.

When an owner speaks to his pet his language is simple and straightforward. He doesn't speak in long, monotonous speeches because he knows the limitations of the one he speaks to. He is short and to the point - "sit", "come", "lay down". The owner doesn't spend time explaining why or apologizing for asking because he views himself as "in charge" and expects obedience from his pet. The pet is able to "read" the owners mood by his tone and facial expression. He knows if it is play time or time to relax. The same is true of toddlers. They respond best to simple language like "no touch", "come to Mommy", "sit down", "kiss", and they are able to read our mood too. The Bible says

James 5:12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

This is an important principle and one I am reminded of almost daily as I parent. We must say what we mean and mean what we say. Remember the KISS idea? Keep It Simple Stupid. What a great parenting mantra! There's really no need to do a full explanation of why I said "no" when you touched the ornaments on the Christmas tree, your just not allowed to touch them-period-cause I'm the Mom. :) I observe a lot of parents doing a lot of "discussing/explaining/lecturing" with toddlers and find it amusing when a simple "no" will work so much better.

2. Both require clear, consistent boundaries.

When you bring home a new puppy many of the training books will warn you not to let the puppy chew on household items like old socks. The reason is because they do not know the difference between "old socks" and your brand new socks! Then your mad because Fido has eaten every sock in the house! We have found the same principle to be true when training toddlers. All remote controls are off limits, all cell phones are "no-no", no papers, newspapers or books are allowed to be torn or crumpled because we know that little sweet-pea doesn't know the difference between a magazine we've already read and don't care about and the one that is important for Daddy's work. We know that although we may not mind if Jr. tears up our remote, that we may come over to your house and you won't ever invite us back when he tears up yours! The great thing about toddlers and puppies is that these things can be taught in just a few days with clear, consistent boundaries!

3. Both respond to positive feedback.

Puppies and toddlers both really enjoy pleasing their Mom and Dad! Again, they read our tone and facial expression and they know when we are happy and excited. We are teaching Evan to blow kisses right now and every time he does we all erupt in clapping, cheers and laughter! He knows that this is for him, that he did the right thing and he joins in the celebration. It won't take too many training sessions like that to teach him to blow kisses!

4. Both are smart and capable.

Our friends have laughed at us for a long time because each of our children have been trained to stay on the large area rug we have in our family room. From the time they become mobile we have said "stay on the rug" and picked them up and put them back on the rug until they learned that this was their play area. This is great for safety. I know what is within their reach while they are on the rug. There are no small pieces or parts, and they can't fall up or down stairs as long as they remain on the rug. We don't have to search the house to find them if we walk in to answer the phone. I know where they are and that they are safe. When my son began to walk recently many people have commented "I bet your chasing him all over!", I just smile and say "no, it's not that bad." Another benefit to this training is when we are away from home. My in-laws also have an area rug in their family room and our son stays right there in the room with us without wandering off into other parts of the house (into the dogs dishes...etc.). Many people are shocked when they discover this "skill" in our 15 month old which makes me laugh--do we really believe that we can train our dogs and not our children?? Our children are much smarter and more capable than our pets!!

5. Both desire security and leadership.

Toddlers and puppies are happier and more secure when they have discipline, boundaries, and strong leadership. They want to know that we know what we are doing and are confident in our decisions. When we are sure, they feel sure. When we wishy-wash around with a hundred words in an un-clear tone they don't know what to do. When we yell about something today and ignore it tomorrow they are confused and insecure. When we live by a flexible schedule and the rules stay the same, when our moods are predictable and stable, they are relaxed and happy. I had a boss once who said the number one quality he looked for in an employee was stability. He didn't want to deal with any Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde types where your not sure who your going to get today. Predictability was key to him. I think he had a good point.

My Workplace

So I'm reading Charlotte's Web to the girls as part of Paige's first grade curriculum, and it is really good! I had forgotten, since I was probably her age the last time I read it and I haven't seen the updated movie.

In Chapter 9 Charlotte (the wise spider) is explaining to Wilbur (the young, naive pig) why he can't spin a web like she does. She tells him this is a talent unique to spiders and that even men cannot build a web, though they will try. Charlotte tells him about a bridge that men have built that is similar to a spiders web.

Wilbur: "What do people catch in the Queensborough Bridge--bugs?"

Charlotte: "No, they don't catch anything. They just keep trotting back and forth across the bridge thinking there is something better on the other side. If they'd hang head-down at the top of the thing and wait quietly, maybe something good would come along. But no--with men it's rush, rush, rush, every minute. I'm glad I'm a sedentary spider."

Wilbur: "What does sedentary mean?"

Charlotte: "Means I sit still a good part of the time and don't go wandering all over creation. I know a good thing when I see it, and my web is a good thing. I stay put and wait for what comes. Gives me a chance to think."

I know my girls think I am nuts when, in the middle of the story, I have to run to find a highlighter, a bookmark, a post-it--something to mark this AWESOME epiphany moment!! But this conversation between Charlotte and Wilbur fit so beautifully with the previous blog about "My Job"!

These statements are so simple and yet so accurate in todays society.

• We DO trot back and forth always thinking there is something better that we are missing out on!
• We rarely "hang" and wait quietly to see what the Lord would say or bring our way.
• We are rushing constantly which causes us to be short-tempered and stressed out!
• We DO wander all over creation seeking fulfillment, praise, significance.
• We DON'T know a good thing when we see it!

Charlotte's web is her home and she sees it as a "good thing" and she "stays put". My home is my workplace and God has called me to make it a haven for my family. A place where we can relax, learn, have fun, eat together, and show hospitality to others. I need not go elsewhere to find meaning, there is meaning at home where I love my family, teach, train, correct, cook, clean, raise my children to know Jesus, love my husband, and visit with friends.

I think I'm going to adopts Charlotte's philosophy on life--"never hurry and never worry!" If you are not "catching anything" then maybe you should take some time to be sedentary like Psalm 46:10.

My Job

I know a lady who works at Macy's. She hates it when customers take a load of clothes into the dressing room and then leave all of them in there in a heap when they leave the store. She then has to spend a large portion of her day in the dressing room hanging and re-stocking the clothes. My thought is "that's your job!". I mean, isn't that what they pay you for? I understand people are inconsiderate and should be more responsible for cleaning up after themselves, but...this is why they pay her, to hang up and put away the clothes! So when she goes to work-who cares what she does-just stay busy, work hard at whatever needs to be done, and collect your paycheck without complaint.

This is what God brought to my mind this morning as I was complaining in prayer to Him about all the interruptions and corrections I have been dealing with from the kids. We homeschool and as I am trying to teach one child, the other comes over and needs help with something else or needs to be corrected for disobedience...etc. It can be very frustrating to manage the needs and misbehaviors of all 4. I find myself agitated at the "inconvenience" of stopping one lesson/conversation to deal with another. So as I talked to the Lord about my irritation and asked for His help, he brought this lady to mind and made the obvious correlation..."Cristie--that is your JOB!" "You are the Mom and it is your job to help them, to teach them, to correct them and to train them-all day, every day!"

Why am I so surprised that they have to be told something over and over again when I continue to make many of the same mistakes over and over again in spite of the correction God has given me? Why am I acting like I have "other things to do" when being a Mom is my JOB, my #1 priority, my PRIVILEGE! Sometimes I need a change in perspective to get back on track. Just the reminder that this is MY JOB will change the way I view the daily "irritations". I can choose to see them as "training opportunities" instead and be thankful that I am around to witness them and equipped by God to deal with them. After all, what could be more important?

Job 12:13

To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.

"Clean your room!" and other misunderstood instructions

Recently a mother was visiting our house when I asked my 3 daughters to go upstairs and fold a load of laundry. After they left the room she commented "I wish my kids would help out around the house!" She went on to say that when she told her son to "clean his room" she would find him 20 minutes later in his room playing. The best outcome she could expect was for him to pick up the floor and stuff all the items under the bed, in the closet, or in drawers with no order whatsoever.

Here's what I have learned about this dilemma:

1. Kids do not understand broad concepts like "clean your room" (especially kids under 7). They do understand specific instructions like "put the Barbies in the blue bin". Another broad instruction mothers love to give their kids is "be good". Really? What does that look like? We must be more specific with our expectations when we have small children. Speak real directions that are meaningful in their kid-mind.

2. Flowing from #1...do their things have a "home" where they belong? If you tell your child to "put away the Barbies" do they know where the Barbies are supposed to go? If not, you are making "clean up" very difficult for your child. When their toys have "homes" they are much more likely to be willing and able to put them away. This doesn't have to be some HGTV play room makeover where each bin is labeled and embroidered, it just has to be a system known to the child and taught (and followed) by Mom and Dad.

3. Which brings us to #3...work as a team, especially in the beginning. Everyone likes to be part of a team, to laugh and have fun makes the work go by faster! Rather than sending each family member to a separate room to clean/straighten up, why not move as a team from room to room? This also gives each member an opportunity to "serve" the others! Turn on some music and have fun! Working together gives Mom and Dad the chance to show how the work should be done, to offer tips and guidance, and just build relationship too! Too many times we just bark out orders when it would be much more effective and efficient to say "let's go clean up your room" or "let's get this kitchen cleaned up together--why don't we set the timer for 15 minutes and see if we can beat the clock!!" I believe that kids want to spend time with their parents, especially one on one, so take advantage of that and be productive too!

Bracelet, Necklace, Tiara

This awesome necklace was a gift from my sweet Angelia. I have debated on whether to post it or not because I know everyone will love it and run out to buy one and I wanted to be the only one with this great "Momlace" :) But I suppose none of the rest of you will get one with "Morgan, Paige, Carley, and Evan" on it will you? It even has "Rusty 5-7-94" on the back!

She knew I was having trouble with my "Momacelet", which when I added the 4th strand started breaking constantly so she found this! Rusty nearly smacked me when I asked how we could add another disc to this one! Oh well, I suppose if we have a 5th child I will just buy a personalized tiara. You can reasonably wear a tiara if you have 5 kids right? LOL

Feb 6 Baby Shower

On Saturday, February 6, three of my girlfriends got together and hosted a baby shower for Evan. It was a really nice party with beautiful invitations, delicious food, fun, adoption-related games, so many wonderful gifts, and, most of all, an awesome assortment of treasured friends!

Thank you Danielle for hosting the party at your house. Thanks to Angelia for designing, addressing and mailing all the invites! Thanks to Susan for her original, personalized games. And thanks to all three for the delicious food and thoughtfulness.

The funniest moment of the day was when I opened a package that included little boy underwear from Gymboree and exclaimed "are these panties??" and every mother-of-a-boy in the room shouted "NO--THEY ARE NOT PANTIES, THEY ARE UNDERWEAR!!" :) Yet, another vocabulary change for this mom of girls!

Why Adoption?

One of the big questions we are being asked these days is why we have chosen to adopt. Since we have 3 biological or “homegrown” daughters peoples reaction when they find out we are adopting is a little confused. In today’s culture I think they are confused about a few things:

1. Why do we want more than 3 children?

2. If we do, why don’t we just HAVE another child?

3. Why Ethiopia as opposed to domestic?

So when they ask “what made you decide to adopt?” it is really a loaded question with a lot of underlying possibilities. This is not a five minute answer and it is hard to know exactly how much they want to know. Let’s see if I can explain how God brought us to this place.

Some people say they have know all their lives that they wanted to adopt. That wasn’t me. I wanted to have 2 babies. The reason I wanted to have 2 babies is because that seemed “normal” to me and I just wanted to be normal until 11 years ago when the Lord burst onto the scene of my ordinary life!

See, I knew God the way I knew Elvis. I had heard of him, heard about him, seen photographs/artwork of him, heard of some of his music, even read a little bit about him. But I had never MET him or had a real conversation with him. I believed Elvis existed even though I had never seen him but he wasn’t having any effect on my life. Same with the Lord.

I didn’t know the Lord until I began reading His word--straight from the source and He began to turn my world upside down. He changed the way I thought about everything including my marriage and my future family. He continues to do this as we speak. And this is where this story starts.

When we brought our first daughter home from the hospital, I thought having a baby was hard. Not the pregnancy and delivery--I loved that!--but HAVING our first baby at home was a BIG transition. I was working and I know that contributed to my view of the challenge, but the change that occurs when you go from a couple to a family is profound in my opinion. I had to stop being selfish and self-centered and put someone else’s needs first.

So when my second daughter came along I thought the transition was much easier. Plus, by this time, God was doing great things in our lives. I had quit my job, we had downsized our home, and I was beginning to understand God’s purposes for me as a HOMEMAKER. I wanted another child and it surprised me. But I did.

In 2006 our third daughter was born and really and truly I told my girlfriends, “I think I’m finally getting my groove on with this motherhood thing!” For whatever reason, three felt like things were really starting to get good! So again, I was surprised--but I immediately wanted more! My motto became “the more the merrier!” Morgan and Paige knew what to do and were getting more and more self-sufficient and helpful. I had the time to train them and work with them now that I was home and we were a great team! Now I see Carley following right in their footsteps as she prepares to become a big sister too!

God showed me scriptures like:

Psalm 127:3

3Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

And I began to think “why would I turn down a blessing from God?” And we were (and are) experiencing them as a blessing as we seek His guidance in parenting them. But in my mind, the only option for us was to BIRTH another child.

So one day in August of 2008 we walked in to church oblivious to the fact that God would open up our eyes to another option and start us on our journey to adopt on that very day.

God isn’t in a box, He works in creative ways, ways you and I don’t “naturally” think of or consider.

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the LORD.

9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We saw in the bulletin these facts:

There are around 100 million orphans in the world today.

And 2.1 billion professing Christians,

Would Jesus have us ignore their cries?

Why are we not RESCUING these children?

And that word “RESCUE” was so powerful to me and rang over and over in my mind. NEVER had I thought of it as a RESCUE mission, NEVER had I pondered adoption as a Christian responsibility, NEVER had I seen those numbers and thought about how reasonable it was to literally WIPE OUT the orphan crisis just by Jesus followers obeying His command in

James 1:27

27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

God appointed adoption as a means of rescuing orphans. He used it to rescue me and bring me into His family forever and ever. Because He adopted me and did not leave me as an orphan I have a hope, a future and an inheritance in Heaven! If you are a follower of Christ it is because God chose to adopt you! And He has been clear to me

Matthew 10:8b

8b Freely you have received, freely give.

And so this was the beginning. Rusty and I talked after the service and asked “what is God asking us to do?” We agreed to pray about it more.

Was this the way God wanted to grow our family?

When God wants to speak to me about something He comes at me from every angle and this was no exception. We began to see ADOPTION everywhere we looked.

We got an email from a ministry offering a book about adoption, so we ordered it and began to learn more and gain an understanding of the differences between domestic vs. international adoption.

Our pastor asked us to attend a conference called Together 4 Adoption and he had no idea we were considering adoption.

We attended a discussion group on adoption featuring 2 families who had adopted more than one child internationally and they spoke in depth of their experiences. At the close of the lecture the one father looked into the audience and encouraged us “Just do it. It isn’t as difficult or as expensive as people say. Just do it.”

With each of these experiences we were more and more convinced that this was the leading of the Lord for us. Now, rather than asking “should we do this?” we began to ask “why wouldn’t we do this?” Our daughter said it well, “we have a house, we have clothes, we have extra food, we should do it!”

And so we began to request free information from adoption agencies. We watched each agencies promotional DVD and cried with each one as we saw the faces of so many children without mothers and fathers. Then one day in December of 2008 Rusty came home and announced “enough research, enough discussion, tonight we are going to choose an agency and fill out an application!” And so we did. We sat down with all the info and made a list of a few things that were important to us, compared our list with each agency and made a decision. This was also the night we officially chose Ethiopia. Rus had been leaning toward Ethiopia the whole time mainly because this was the country with the greatest need. But it also met some of our other practical needs as well (length of stay in country, a finalized adoption prior to travel…etc.). We filled out an online application that night. And so the journey began.

One of the other special things God did during this time was to connect me with a friend who does Bible Study with me on Wednesday mornings. Someone put us together because we were both home school moms and she told me her family was adopting from Ethiopia. At that time, this was not even on our radar, so my thought was “how neat for them!” Well the next year when we returned for a new year of Bible Study and I saw Karen; God reminded me of that conversation and I immediately ran to her to share that we TOO were going to adopt from Ethiopia! This was the year we were studying the life of Moses. During that first lecture our teaching leader talked about how Moses was “adopted” into the pharaohs family and that it was all part of God’s plan for his life. This family would offer him education and experiences that he would need for the purposes God had for his future. I had never thought of Moses as “adopted” before? I am constantly amazed at how God can and does speak directly to me through His word even when it would seem impossible! And how God is working ahead of time, preparing the way for us. He knew we were going to adopt long before we did and he purposed Karen and I’s friendship in full knowledge of what was to come.

And that’s not all! (infomercial voice) I later discovered that God had sovereignly placed me in a discussion group with 4 other adoptive moms! Two had adopted domestic, one had adopted international, and one had done a snowflake adoption! Unbelievable!

What a mighty God we serve!

But before God could lead our family into adoption He had to change our hearts about family in general. Leading me to quit my job in pharmaceutical sales, sell our dream home and scale down, and lead my husband on a path to start his own business! This was no small thing! It was a lot of change! Our ways of thinking and attitudes had to change. I had to learn to find value and purpose in my home, in being a wife and mother rather than bringing home a paycheck, dressing up, and having intelligent conversations with doctors. (At least their end was intelligent J)

But this is one of the greatest things about walking with God. He never twists our arm or drags us kicking and screaming to places we don’t want to go. Did you know that? If you are just beginning to walk with God or maybe even investigating Christianity for the first time I think it is natural to wonder “will God make me ____” (fill in the blank)? I remember thinking that if I gave me life to the Lord He might make me go to Africa and be a missionary and that didn’t sound good at all to me at that time. That was only one of my many fears of what He might require of me. Now that I have walked with him for 11 years I am pleased to report that He doesn’t work like that at all. He doesn’t force us to obey Him any more after our new birth than He did before. What I mean is, God doesn’t FORCE people to be saved. If He did, everyone would be a born-again Christian because the Bible says clearly “He doesn’t want any to perish”. We have free choice. So God is always good to change our hearts and minds, to bring us into agreement with Him, into His way of thinking about a matter until we WANT to do it as much as He wants us to do it!

I have said before how I thought home schooling was crazy when I first heard about it! But this was what God wanted for our family so He was patient and continued to teach me more about it, introduce me to HS families I could relate to, and show me the benefits. Then I came to a point where I said “ok, I’ll do it for YOU and for the kids”. But God doesn’t want His children moping around in obedience like a child told to clean their room “OOOOKKKKKK”. No! He wants us rejoicing in obedience!! Now, I can honestly say that I praise God each and every day for the PRIVELEGE to home school my children! He took what I thought was nuts and moved me to a place where it is one of my greatest gifts!

What an awesome God we serve!

This is how He handled adoption for us too. Though I have to say, I am much less resistant now that I have seen and experienced what obedience is like. It didn’t take nearly as long to change our hearts for adoption as it did to home school.

But we all have fears about the unknown. Whatever it is that God is leading you into today, don’t hesitate to pour out all of your questions, fears, and misgivings to Him. He is the one with the answers. And though He may not give them all to you, He will offer you the courage and faith to trust His plan. And you will receive the blessings that follow obedience! I can say that with certainty!

So if you think that God is trying to take away all your fun and turn you into a weirdo like me---you’d be surprised how much fun it is!!

Revising my lingo...

My friend left her little boy here for us to watch the other day and it was so neat to have a little man in the house--a little sneak peek of what is to come!! I had to keep correcting myself because I am so used to the female terms of affection like "sissy", or the group call "ladies". So I am trying to come up with a list of male nicknames. Here's what I have so far...

• Buddy
• Son
• Bubba
• Bubby
• Champ
• Slugger

I also need to start transitioning into terms like "the kids" rather than "the girls", or "ladies and gentleman" instead of simply "ladies". :) So much to think about! Please respond with your favorite boy terms so I can increase my repertoire. Thanks.

Prayer for Evan...

My sweet friend Karen, who is also adopting from Ethiopia, wrote this prayer for Evan and gave it to me:

Dear Father,

We pray Baby Evan will have a mind that meditates on what is good and not what is evil. That You will give him eyes that see You working all around him, and ears that listen for Your voice of wisdom and instruction. We pray his tongue will speak the truth and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while his lips sing Your praises before men. May You give him a compassionate heart that loves all kinds of people, and may he have gentle hands that serve You and those around him. We pray his knees will become calloused from persistent praying and his feet will walk in paths of righteousness all the days of his life.

Amen.

Pause and Prepare

Morgan(age 10) said "wouldn't it be great if we could just press PAUSE on Evan until we can get there to get him?" I think it is a GREAT idea!

When I first saw his face on the computer screen I called him "D", his Ethiopian name, the name our CW called him on the phone. We named him Evan a year ago when we began this journey, and found out later that it means "God is good". It was about an hour after THE CALL when I looked at his photo and called him Evan and knew it was really HIM! Something shifted in my brain and I knew this was Evan!

All this last year when we have tried to imagine him it was so difficult because we didn't know if he would be a 4 month old infant, a 6 month old sitting up, a 9 month old crawler, or a 12 month old walker? An expectant mom wants to buy clothes for her sweetie pie but all I could buy were BIBS! That is the only thing I could be sure would fit! Not only didn't I know what size he would need but also what season? So I still don't know exactly when we will get there to pick him up, but I certainly have much more to go on than ever before and I am thrilled! Some friends are planning baby showers which is wonderful since we don't own anything BOY at our house! What is it again? Snips and snails and puppy dog tails? Sounds interesting, I think I'm going to need some help. :)

We talked to our adoption educator on the phone the other night about attachment issues and babies having difficulty bonding to their new parents. I began to think about how our family has been preparing for Evan for almost 13 months now. We have been talking about him, including him in all our "family discussions", decorating a room for him, buying him gifts and toys, and praying constantly for him. We are prepared to receive him. But Evan, on the other hand, is he prepared for us? There is no way for him to know that we are here in Kentucky loving him and longing for him. There is no way to prepare a three month old for his family. And so when we walk in the orphanage on that extra special day and we are already head over heels for him and rush in to shower him with kisses...is he going to be like "hey, who are these people and why are they all up in my space??" It is a very one-sided preparation huh? So I will pray for God to prepare Evan for what is to come. To prepare him for Daddy's hairy arms and for Mommy's constant clapping, for Morgan's piano playing, for Paige's ballet dancing, and for Carley's "peet-a-boo". Sweet Evan--we can't wait to overwhelm you with our pent-up love!

We bought this book at the Cincinnati Homeschool convention and it is the sweetest book ever! It touches on many important questions a little one might have and answers in a simple, loving way.

Evan's bedding

When the agency called and said we were #3 I went into panic mode and immediately had to go out shopping to find his bedding and bed. We had lots of fun shopping and the whole family agreed on this Cotton Tale design called "Barn Dance". We got a black crib and dresser and are painting our glider chair black as well. The room looks great, now all we need is baby Evan!

Why Wouldn't I?

Please take a few minutes to watch this video at the bottom of the page. What a great testimony regarding adoption! I couldn't believe this wife said the EXACT same thing I have said to my husband ever since our youngest was born..."they're not all here!" I would line up the girls and fix their hair and still be waiting for the next one to come in... (though I guess Evan's hair won't need as much upkeep :)

The other thing he says that we have said over and over is "we have a home, extra food, lots of love..." so why wouldn't we?? There isn't a good reason, so we are!!