Lessons in Life

How will you....

2011-02-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

How quickly will you go if He says go?

How quickly will you stop if He says stop?

How long, how patiently, will you wait if He says wait?

How far, how long will you go if He says press on?

How far will you walk away, how long will you leave it, if He says lay it down?

How much will you care when He says care for the least of these?

How hard will you fight when He says free the oppressed?

How much will you love when He says love your enemies?

How peacefully will you rest when He says rest in Me?

An AMAZING week!!

2011-01-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

This has been an AMAZING week in the adoption community!!

I'm SO excited to be a part of it and witness these things that God is doing.

First, Joseph Oatsvall got his hearing aids.

Joseph has hearing loss and developmental delays and was adopted from Uganda in 2009. How cool to watch a child hear for the first time!!

Then, Kristi Johnson got to see Wes's smile for the first time.

Kristi was in Ethiopia before Christmas meeting her daughter's birth mom and helping her sister Kelly (founder of Ordinary Hero) photograph waiting children. While there, Kristi met her son.

Then, a cry went out to the community that Davids needed a family. He is two weeks from aging out of the orphanage and needed a family to step up and commit to him so that he wouldn't be out in the streets on his own. The community rallied and posted his information everywhere. Within 48 hours a family stepped up to adopt him. Now the community is helping to raise the funds needed so that his family can travel to pick him up as soon as possible.

Then, Suzanne announced that Josie Love's HIV is UNDETECTABLE in her last set of blood work.

WOOHOO!

Then, ISAAC STARTED WALKING! As I shared on fb, capturing a child's first steps on camera is cute but it takes on a WHOLE NEW meaning when that child

-was 6 lbs at 6 mos

-has hypotonia (low muscle tone)

-met only ONE developmental milestone at 8 mos

-and was adopted by his wonderful parents even though it was unknown if he would ever make any progress or meet any more milestones

Then, just today I saw that John and Christine are adding to their family bringing the number up to 17!!

PHEW!! What a week!!

To GOD be the GLORY!!

I'm SO excited AGAIN!!

2010-12-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

YAY!! YAY!! YAY!!

Adam HAS A FAMILY!!!!

Adam was my Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree child from last year. He is SUPER special to me.

I'm so excited for him and his family!!

REJOICE with me!!

Giveaway on another blog!

2010-12-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

Check out Devin's giveaway over at Our Very Full House. (Check out her adorable kids here.)

CSN stores have everything. Everything. What do you want??

One year later

2010-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Shh! Don't tell Abigail (yet)!

When I was looking at the Christmas Angel Tree I saw some familiar faces.

Last year I explained to Abigail that there are children in orphanages in other countries waiting for their forever families and that money is the only thing standing in their way. I asked her if she would be willing to give up one of her Christmas gifts in order to help a family bring their child HOME. You can read about her response here.

This is Kathleen last year

And here is her updated picture on the Tree this year

Here is Anna last year

And this year

I was so excited when I realized that we had updated pictures of the girls. I can't wait to show them!

But as the day went on...I realized how sad it is that they are on the tree again this year. That means their forever family was not able to adopt them. That means they are still waiting. They will spend another Christmas in an orphanage. Another holiday without a family. Another cold winter in a very cold orphanage.

And that causes me to fight even harder to spread the word. To educate people about the conditions that these children suffer in. To shine the light on the need. To help families adopt. To speak up for the helpless and the needy.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly;

defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Won't you join me?

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree 2010

2010-11-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to see Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree this year.

Reece's Rainbow is an organization that raises money to help families adopt children with Down Syndrome and other special needs. There is no shortage of families that want to adopt children with special needs...only the money to do so. The Christmas Angel Tree is their biggest fund raiser of the year. Please take some time to look at the faces of the children and consider helping them meet their forever family.

My new nephew

2010-11-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

We are SO excited to welcome

John "Andrew" Wesley Showalter

My first picture with my nieces and nephew. LOVE them!!

We all wore our Africa shirts from Calling Orphans Home.

Well, except for Andrew. Anna was very surprised to find out that he wasn't wearing any clothes at all.

Here is Andrew's Africa shirt. He wore it one day but it was too difficult to get a picture of him in it.

We didn't know the gender before hand. I took both onesies. Isn't this one adorable?? Not sure if you can tell but the fabric matches the girls' shirts. Cute!

Here is Andrew's newborn picture by Heather Blair Photography.

She's got MAD skillz!!

Check her out if you live in central Pennsylvania!!

Oops, I missed it

2010-09-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

So remember when I said that my blog disappoints me?

Two years ago on September 24 Grace, Abigail, Anna and my mom arrived home from Ethiopia. Two years ago I held Anna for the very first time.

Here's Anna wondering who this crazy, crying, giggling woman is.

It was so wonderful to be able to finally hold Anna. I was SO glad to be there on her first day in America. What an incredible blessing she is.

Here is a picture from out visit last year.

And some from our visit this year.

LOVE THAT GIRL!!

Silly girl

2010-09-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

"Ok, girls. Lets all try to sleep on the way to Chicago."

Two little girls tried to fall asleep. One succeeded.

She did end up falling asleep about 20 minutes or so before we landed.

Children's Museum in Baltimore

2010-09-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

We visited the Children's Museum of Baltimore when I was in Pennsylvania. It was tiring but lots of fun.

There was an area set up as a pretend grocery store for shopping and checking out.

And then there was a car for you to take your groceries home. Anna was trying really hard to buckle the belt by herself.

Loved this!

Can you see how wet the girls shirts are in front? They had an awesome water play area.

Bob!

Abigail took a picture of Anna and me at lunch. Pictures are really hard to take with an iPhone.

See?

Poor Anna. She tried and tried and tried and finally got one.

Painted

2010-09-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

One day that I had to work my mom let the girls play with make up. Real make up. Without supervision. Yeah. See her (under) eye shadow? That took two days to wash off completely.

I don't have pictures of Abigail. While she did have the same amount of make up on it didn't show up very well in pictures.

Our kind of funny

2010-09-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, the girls have make up on. Lots of it. That is a whole 'nother post.

Abigail's version

2010-09-16T01:02:00.000-07:00

A few years ago we discovered that Abigail had her own version of the song Here I Am To Worship

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
All together twirly,
All together wonderful to me

It made me smile to hear her sing it the same way when she was here for a visit this summer.

Bowling

2010-09-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

My nieces Abigail (7) and Anna (3) live in Pennsylvania. They visited my mom and me this summer. One of the things we did was take them bowling. It was lots of fun!

I'm not sure what this thing is called but it is generally used for children with special needs. (Perhaps one of my friends that teaches special education can enlighten me:) We got it so that Anna would be able to bowl. She really enjoyed it. She was so excited to bowl that I had to keep her ball from rolling so that we could take a picture.

This is the lightest ball they had and it was just a bit too heavy for her. I ended up helping her carry her ball the whole time. This is much more difficult than I make it look! Haha! (And yes, a normal person would have carried the ball to the contraption for her and then allowed her to push it down the alley. Doting aunties bend all the way over, waddle like a duck and ~~spoil~~ help their nieces so they can "do it by myself")

Jai was able to come bowling with us. He had fun and we enjoyed his company. (My mom is a nanny for his family. She loves him like a grandson.)

Speaking of grandsons...my mom might have one in about month or two. My sister Grace is pregnant. She and John do not know what it is yet but everyone will be excited either way. As Abigail said, "We don't care what it is. We are just hoping for a healthy baby."

My blog disappoints me

2010-09-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

So I was just looking back through my blog to find pictures of a very important anniversary that is coming up and...nothing. No pictures of that day to be found. I didn't even mark that day. How disappointing!
I am hoping to blog here more frequently to record the memories that I am making.

Project Home Children's Foundation

2010-09-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

A few of my friends started a foundation to help underprivileged children.
Their mission: To raise money and support international and domestic adoptions, orphanages, education, and programs that benefit underprivileged children, including those with special needs.

Please check out their facebook page!

A website is in the works and I will be sure to let you know when it is up. Or better yet, "like" them on facebook and you will be kept up to date with the happenings!

Giveaway

2010-05-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Ladies- MB Sprout is having a nursing cover giveaway. Click here to check it out. Also, take a look at the other things they have in the store. (The links are under the top picture.)
Nursing Covers
Carseat Canopys
Aprons
Minky Lovies
Burpies
There are so many fabric choices!

I'm SO excited!!

2009-12-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited for you to meet my Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree child.

TA-DA!!
This is Adam.

Don't ya just love him!

Adam is EXTRA special to me. (I can't share the reasons on the internet but...if you know me in real life, just ask!)

Please join me in praying that a family will committ to adopting him.

Also, please spread the word about these children that need our help!

New grass

2009-12-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show you some pictures of the new grass that is growing in my front yard.
Do you remember what it used to look like?

Pretty pitiful, huh??

Look at all this new grass!

Improve the world

2009-12-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

This is an amazing video!! Please watch it! It is 2 minutes and 40 seconds. If you do not have that long please AT LEAST watch minute 1:18 to minute 1:38. That's 20 seconds. Please watch AT LEAST that much.

Advent Conspiracy Intro - 2008 from Robert Terrell on Vimeo.

“How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
- Anne Frank

Only 6 days left

2009-12-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that December 15th is the deadline to place an order for a Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree ornament to ensure delivery by Christmas. There are only 10 children left without a sponsor. They are the first children on the tree. Will you please consider sponsoring one of them?
(The Angel Tree runs through to the 31st of December so even if you miss the deadline for the ornaments, you can still help the waiting children meet their goal of $1000 per child.)

Twas the night before Christmas

2009-12-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

"Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land

there are parentless children, with no toys in hand..."

To read more please visit this site.

Pick one

2009-12-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's time again for the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree. This is an organization that raises money to help families adopt children with Down Syndrome from other countries.

Andrea Roberts, Executive Director
"By raising money to offer adoption grants on waiting children, we are able to give adoptive families the extra financial help they need to bring a child with Down syndrome home from a miserable existence in overseas orphanages.... These children are viewed as outcasts with no ability to learn or be functional members of society. They languish in mental institutions, hidden away from the world in shame....There is no shortage of families wishing to adopt children with Down syndrome, only a shortage of funds to do so!"

This is the little girl I sponsored last year. This is from when I discovered that her forever family had found her. AMAZING!! I was a (very small) part of that!!

This year I asked Abigail if she would give up a Christmas present and help a family adopt a needy child instead. I told her that she didn't have to decide right away. Withing 30 seconds she was saying, "I want to do that Teta. I really want to."

Meet Kathleen.

This is the little girl that Abigail picked.

After Abigail spent at least 10 minutes looking at all of the children and reading almost all of the names, we asked Anna to pick one. She had a bit of trouble picking just one. "I want this one and this one and this one and this one and this one." (They are all so cute. Who could blame her?)

This is Anna. We picked her for Anna.

Here is the first video I ever saw about Reece's Rainbow.

Won't you take a moment (or as long as you need :) and look at these children. If you are not able to donate this year, won't you please pray for these children.

If you feel so inclined, please spread the word about this organization.

One and a half trees

2009-10-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

So I just realized that I never blogged about what happened with the tree in my front yard.
One week after I bought my house there was a very bad storm and I came home from work to this.

The entire top half of one of the two trees in my front yard fell into the street. THANKFULLY no damage was done.

This picture is looking from the back of the house. Can you see the little bit left on top of the tree?

Improvements

2009-10-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have two large pine trees in my front yard. (Well actually one and a half - did I ever blog about that??) The grass was not growing under the trees so I had someone prepare the area and put down grass seed. Hopefully grass will be growing there soon.

As seen in my garden

2009-10-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Look at what grew in my garden.
Well, I guess I should say - Look at what was growing in the garden when I bought my house. :)
These two little pumpkins were growing on this huge vine right outside my front door. It was a fun surprise. I loved seeing them there. I cut them off today and pulled out the vine. It was so big! It spanned my entire drive way! The pumpkins sure were nice to look at but I am glad to have that thing out of the way of the front walk.

I picked up this pumpkin the other day for the front of the house. I do not decorate for or celebrate Halloween but I do like to have fall decorations.

The pumpkin trio

This is my fall wreath on the front door.

Then I got really inspired and I got out the rest of my fall decorations.

Ok. So that is my only other fall decoration. :) I'm planning on shopping the clearance section when the season is over.

Do you have fall decorations up?

Busy girl

2009-10-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Anna loves running.

Sleeping beauties

2009-10-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

We saw a 3D movie

2009-10-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Fun in the little things

2009-10-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here is Abigail doing a Sudoku puzzle with Gaga.

A rock collection

Funny faces

Abigail's rock art

"It's too cold, shut it."

2009-10-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

This is seriously cute! Anna woke up early one morning in the motel. I took her into my room and we played "It's too cold, shut it." I let her open the window a little and then told her to shut it. (It was cold outside.) At the very beginning of the video she is making faces because she thinks I am going to take a picture. I LOVE how she says "I can't." Towards the middle Abigail surprises us with a BOO. SO so cute.

Giggling girl. I LOVE it! At the very end Abigail asks, "How do you talk like that?" Apparently I have many special talents. :)

Abigail tries to "talk like that." Anna makes a funny joke.

I could watch these all day! I love those girls!

Apple picking / Pumpkin patch

2009-10-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

These are all out of order but here are the pumpkins we came home with.

Red light, green light 1-2-3

2009-10-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

Angelo played a game with Abigail while we shopped at the outlet mall. She could move forward when he wasn't looking but had to stop when he turned around. You wouldn't believe that energy that man has! I wish I had taken a video!

Friends

2009-10-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

These are friends of my mom. They came from New York to visit with us.

Grace and my mom

Mom and Dan (AKA Gaga and Pepa)

waiting for the ladies to get ready to go

Fun times in the car

2009-10-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

They are so cute!

"My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean"

I have no idea why this shot looks so crazy! Watch the video. It's way better.

future singer??

2009-10-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Glow sticks

2009-10-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

A friend of my mom gave the girls some glow sticks. We turned ALL of the lights off and had fun.

Can you tell that these are circular earrings on Abigail?

So much fun!

Shake it

2009-10-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

A friend of my mom gave Anna her own box of bandaids. She LOVED them.

Her back side was wiggly like a puppy until I turned on the camera. Grr, that's a video I would have loved to have. :)

Incredibly FUNNY video of Lily

2009-10-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is SO funny! You MUST watch it!

The Anna show

2009-10-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

So remember when I said I couldn't take pictures or movies of Anna because she would stop what ever she was doing when the camera turned on? Yeah.

She was playing very nicely by herself and I tried to take some footage of normal life. She had just asked for help putting the shoes back on.

At least she said "Thank you" so nicely. I love that she said "Thank you" unprompted so often. I LOVE her! Even if I couldn't get any movies of her.

Random dancing.

Here is a video of me making Anna do something so she could watch it.

She turned her bow to the back. Don't you know that is the newest thing??

For friends and family

2009-10-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

I can't figure out how to turn the movies. If anyone can help me please comment!!

These are movies of Abigail pretending to be the princess.

(take note of her "directing us" at the very end)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...

2009-10-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU...

PRINCESS ABIGAIL

Anna, Gaga and Pepa

2009-10-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

(tickle, tickle,tickle)

Jumping on the motel bed

2009-10-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Our first night in the motel we let the girls jump on the beds.

She was jumping like a crazy woman until I pulled the camera out. (This will become a theme for the week. Anna will do something cute until I pull out the camera. It makes a chime when it is turned on and to her that meant stop what you were previoulsy doing.)

Then she started this falling thing. Goofy girl!

Gaga's purse

2009-10-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

The girls call my mom "Gaga." Anna loved carrying her purse. She's so easy to please! :)

Anna's backpack

2009-10-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Don't ya love it!!!

Anna loves these animals

2009-10-04T08:36:00.001-07:00

Abigail's ballet class

2009-10-04T07:31:00.001-07:00

(Totally blurry but I love it.)

Abigail is at least a half a head taller than the girls her age.

I got to visit Grace, Abigail and Anna

2009-10-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from my visit with Grace and the girls. My mom, Dan and I all went.

Here we are hanging out while...

Abigail had her ballet class.

Um, wow!

2009-07-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

So I just looked at the Feedjit at the bottom of my blog and low and behold, people are coming here. Who knew?? So I guess I should update all 3 of you about my previous Wordless Wednesday post. :)

I bought a house.

Do you remember when I posted about finally starting back to school after disobeying God for a long time?
Well, this is sorta like that.
I always wanted to wait to buy a house until I was married. That was my plan.
I knew for quite a while that God was speaking about me buying a house but I wasn't ready to hear it. Well, that is not true. I was not willing to hear it. It was not in my plan.

Then, a friend of mine, after many months of saying "No" decided to say "YES!" to something that God was asking of her. I saw an immediate change in her. She became a new person. It was a miracle! Previously she was too scared to trust. After putting her trust in God, she was amazed at how light and free she felt. Her heart changed.

That made an incredible impact on me. Incredible. After seeing that amazing miracle, it didn't take long for me to say YES to God about buying a house. I'm not gonna lie. My heart did not change as quickly or as dramatically as my friends did. At first I was obeying strictly for obedience sake. But as days turned into weeks, my heart began to change. I didn't even realize it was changing. My heart changed so much that by the time I was making an offer on the house I was very excited and praying that God would make it possible for me to buy it. Amazing, huh?

And now it is home.

My home.

And even bigger that that...I'm now at home in God's will. Well, you know, at least until He begins to strip away another layer of "my plan" and I have to make the choice to say "YES!" again. Hopefully, prayerfully, I will not take months and months to trust in His plan for my life. Hopefully next time I take a step into my destiny it will be with swift obedience.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

details to follow

I was just thinking...

2009-06-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

A year and a half ago I didn't know where Ethiopia was in Africa. I didn't know the capitol city or how long it takes to get there.

I'm changed.
I think about Ethiopia every day.
I read all the blogs I can find.
I stalk the list.

I know a couple that is leaving a week from tomorrow to pick up their adorable son.
I know two women that will go there this summer for a short term mission trip.

I know how to say thank you. (I had the most difficult time remembering it after Grace got home even though Abigail tried and tried to help me remember.)
I know the word for pretty and I hear Grace saying it to Anna in my head.
I know the word for come here and I remember the feeling of Anna running into my arms.

Ethiopia is a part of me now.

My angel tree child...HAS A FAMILY!!!

2009-05-17T01:44:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my last post about my angel tree child?
Well I just found out that she has a family!!!!!

I am SO excited! I'm thrilled!
Thank you GOD!!!!!
Thank you!!!!!

A must see!!

2009-05-17T01:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to post a video here so I will direct you to where you can find it.

http://chroniclesofhousehold6.blogspot.com/2009/05/imagine.html

It is a minute long and well worth it!

Oh what a beautiful morning

2009-02-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's going my way.

Today was a beautiful day. After many, many freezing cold, snowy days, we were blessed with a wonderful 60 degree and sunny day. It was absolutely beautiful! AND I woke up FULL of energy. That is quite rare. I usually have to drag myself to the shower to wake up.

Such a fantastic day had to be documented.

And then back to the swing of things. It's supposed to be in the 30s on Thursday.

Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'
Music by Richard Rodgers,
lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Copyright © 1943 by Williamson Music

Change of heart

2009-02-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

I want to tell you about a book that God used to change my heart.

Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

This book spoke to me in many, many ways. It really touched me deeply.

"Every woman was once a little girl. And every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the beauty of the story. Those desires are the secret to the feminine heart. Your longings and desires are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman." -John Eldredge

Please pick this book up and allow God to minister to your heart!

And for the men in your life....

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

I did not read this book but I believe I can recommend it based on how much I loved Captivating.

"There is something fierce, passionate, and wild in the heart of every man. That is how he bears the image of God. And the reason most men "live lives of quiet desperation" (Thoreau) is because men have been told that the reason God put them on earth is to be a good boy. To be nice. But every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue." -John Eldredge

Check it out!!

2009-01-31T15:03:00.000-08:00

One of the gifts I got for my birthday was the Fireproof DVD. I loved the movie in the theater and I was so excited for it to come out on DVD. I watched it last night with a few friends, two of them had never seen it before. It was great!!

We also watched the special features. It was very cool to see the cast members behind the scenes. I love that they worked together and prayed together. We laughed so hard at a few of the special features. I can't even tell you how funny it was. I totally recommend them. My favorites were Fireproof in 60 seconds and the part where they mimic a scene from Facing the Giants. SO funny! We were laughing so hard.

My angel tree child

2009-01-23T06:59:00.000-08:00

Remember Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree??

I just wanted to post a picture of the child I sporsered last year. She's such a cutie. Her name is Olive.

I'm going to be watching to see if she finds a family this year. Would you pray with me that she does?

My new shirt

2008-11-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

Oh well...

2008-11-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

As my mom is fond of saying, "God is still on the throne."

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree

2008-11-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's November 1, and that means the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree is BACK! http://reecesrainbow.org/angeltree2008.htm

Reece's Rainbow is a registered 501(c)3 charity which promotes and facilitates the international adoption of children with Down syndrome exclusively.

Our Angel Tree is the perfect gift opportunity for your friends and family, and the GIFT OF A FAMILY for an orphaned child with Down syndrome this Christmas. From today until December 31, you have a very special opportunity to view all of our waiting children and offer them gifts in the form of adoption grants, so families can afford the high cost of rescuing them!

With your sponsorship gift of $35 or more, you will recieve a beautiful porcelain ornament with your child's photo on the back. This is a very meaningful and personal gift, and life-saving at the same time! We have almost 100 children on our Angel Tree this year, all waiting for families and eligible for grant donations.

In only 2 1/2 years, donations from individuals like yourselves have made it possible for 120 children with Down syndrome and other special needs to find a family of their own through Reece's Rainbow. They have been saved from orphanages and mental institutions around the world. Our Christmas Angel Tree is our most important fundraiser of the year, and our goal is to find families for 30+ children between now and December 31! Your donations towards their adoption grants greatly increase the chances of that happening!

The dire need of these children never ceases. Your small gift can literally change the course of their lives, so each of them may be HOME with their own family by NEXT Christmas! The average cost of an international adoption is $25,000, so every penny you can give truly does make a difference. Donations can be made via credit card through Paypal, or you are welcome to send a personal check. International sponsors are also welcome, and we can ship ornaments amd gift cards overseas for you!

Please visit our Waiting Christmas Angels Gallery and sponsor one or more of our orphaned children with Down syndrome today!

Forward this announcement to everyone you know, and share this special opportunity to really make a difference in the life of a child with Down syndrome!

Any questions can be directed to Andrea Roberts at bamaroberts@comcast.net All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of your gift goes to your sponsored child!

Andrea Roberts, Executive DirectorReece's Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry
http://www.reecesrainbow.org/

Eliot

2008-10-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

I just found out something very exciting. Eliot's story {from my previous post} is going to be on the Oprah show. I don't usually watch Oprah but I'm going to make of point of it next Tuesday. I took this from his family's website The Spectacular Vernacular.

Oprah is doing a segment on Eliot on the show coming up on Tuesday, October 28 (this date could change, and we'll let you know if it does). The show is on "Miracle children" and Eliot is the only one not still on this earth. Honestly, at first we were hesitant when approached with the whole idea. However, having already taped the show, we feel honored to tell Eliot's story through this platform. The Oprah crew did a great job throughout of simply telling Eliot's story and nothing else. And we are appreciative to them for the opportunity.

I was so moved by Eliot's story when first I heard it. I am so excited for others to hear it. I pray that hearts will turn to God.

Congratulations

2008-10-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

It's probably been a year now since I saw this movie for the first time. I wish I could remember where and how I found it. If you haven't yet met Eliot through his movie 99 balloons, I hope you do now. If you have seen it but I forgot its impact (as I did) please take 6 minutes to watch it again. If you would like to read about Eliot's life please visit his blog.

Today I came across some fantastic news and I want to send out some congratulations.
Congratulations Eliot on becoming a big brother.
Congratulations Matt and Ginny on becoming parents again.
Welcome baby Hazel Emerson Mooney.
God bless you and your family.

I've been tagged

2008-10-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Grace and Jess.

1. I heart recycling. Seriously! I really get a kick out of it. I have been known to grab things out of my friends garbage cans with an excited, “This can be recycled!”

2. My niece Abigail likes to recycle too. I just found that out when I was recently visiting Grace, Abigail and Anna. Only Abigail’s definition of recycle is a little different than mine. “Oh, I could recycle this,” Abigail exclaimed holding up the bowl shaped piece of packaging from a new toy, “I could use this as a boat in the bathtub!” Umm, not so much dear…that belongs in the recycles bag. This was only one of Abigail’s great recycling ideas.

3. My family used to call me a “lotion-aholic.” I have very dry hands. I was constantly asking my mother for lotion as a child. I remember being tormented by my dry hands. And then I became a nurse. HA! Now I have very, VERY dry hands.

4. Even when I’m not working I wash my hands a lot. I think it has to do with having been to nursing school. My friends think I’m a little crazy. Actually, even Grace thought I was a little crazy when I was visiting her. I guess that rules out my “it’s a nurse thing” excuse.

5. In grade school while pretending to be a dental hygienist, I permanently scratched my front tooth with my protractor. Thankfully my coffee habit made it much less noticeable.

6. I have no fashion sense. Zip, zero. At work I wear hospital provided scrubs. At home I wear jeans and a t-shirt. Any time I have to dress up for a baby shower or wedding my outfit is previewed and OK’d by a friend. Sometimes my friends come over and pick something out of my closet for me to wear. Sometimes I send pictures on the phone. Either way they always make the decisions. And I’m SO thankful for that.

7. Yesterday I picked my outfit out all by myself. Oh, did I mention I had an important meeting yesterday? Why, yes I did. After a year of disobedience, and at the direction of the Lord, I’m going back to school. I’m not totally sure exactly where He is leading me but I know this next step and I know I’m ready to obey. God is a good God.

"…The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin…” Ex. 34:6-7

I'll let you know more when I can! I'm very excited!

I don't know who to tag. Anybody have any fun announcements they want to share? Please consider yourself tagged!

October 15th

2008-10-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today, October 15th is the National Day of Remembrance for pregnancy and infant loss. I found this out from Angie at Bring the Rain. Angie and Todd lost their infant daughter, Audrey Caroline, earlier this year. Angie posted that she would like the chance to pray for any and all who have lost a baby during pregnancy or infancy. Please visit her blog and leave a comment.

If you have not lost a baby please go and pray for those that have. Also, please take a moment to pray for those in your life who have experienced pregnancy and infancy loss.

Today I am remembering all the babies at work that have died. (I'm a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit.) I am remembering the babies of some of some of my friends. Also, I am remembering babies that I have only seen pictures of on a blog but whose story has captured my heart. And finally I am remembering my unnamed siblings and big brother Jesse in heaven. My parents had a few (?) early miscarriages and Jesse born still at six months in 1979.

May God's presence wash over all who are remembering today.

My sentiments exactly

2008-10-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

"They have five kids of their own, three of them adopted from Serbia."

This sentence has been rolling around in my head for days. I read it on some one's blog. I honestly don't remember where. Argh, I really wish I could remember!! I'd love to link them here. (I don't even know if I remembered the numbers and the country correctly. If it sounds like you might have written this would you leave me a comment.)

When I first read that sentence I thought it was a great way to talk about adoption. I then marked that blog as read and moved to the next on my google blog reader. (Which I totally love and think everyone needs!) Even days later I am still thinking about that sentence. I love the way it was written. I want to keep it forefront in my mind. I want to talk about adoption that way. I want people to truly know my heart about adoption. I'm thankful that God adopted us as sons. I'm thankful that we have a picture of that in adoption.

I hope I can remember to always talk about adoption in that way. Won't you join me?

What will you be doing?

2008-10-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

So I know exactly what I'll be doing on October 17th. How about you?
It'll look something like this.

No, I won't be looking at referral pictures of my new niece. Not yet anyway. (Haha! Just kidding ! I don't know anything about Grace adopting again.) This is what that looked like.

July 11, 2008. Looking at pictures of Anna for the very first time.

It won't be as exciting as looking at Anna but I will be very excited. On October 17th I will be on my blue couch in my green living room looking at my computer and smiling. Anybody have a guess why??

A lot of people who are adopting from Grace's agency have court on that day!! I have been following the FBI list for quite a while now. I even put most (not all) of the blogs in my google reader. (Aside - if you don't have one you REALLY need to get one. It's awesome!) I am really excited for those of you who have court next week. I'm praying for favor with the judge. I am praying that many forever families will be made that day. I'm praying that you will be weeks away from meeting your darling (or feisty as the case may be) children. I am also praying for peace for any and all who don't pass court. I am praying now that God's presence will be with you and you will rest in His peace.

Today I also found out what I'll be doing on November 3rd. :)

Congratulations to Christy and family on receiving their referral today.

Reaching out

2008-10-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Awww, isn't she so cute!! First time in a shopping cart, reaching out to be picked up and held. Um, yeah. Anna does reach out to be picked up (or rescued from the cat (check out the video in this post), or to give hugs or to get raspberried) but this is not that.

I pulled out my phone to take a picture of Anna's first shopping trip and this is the reaction I got. This girl LOVES cell phones. She loves to hold them and pretend to "talk." She loves to push all the buttons. The pushing all the buttons part usually interferes with actually talking on the phone. Yesterday she hung up on me!! But one great day last week I was talking to her on the phone and she was listening and even began to do the motions to "The Wheels on the Bus" while I sang it. After the song was over Anna said, "Ney." (Amharic for "come") Awwww...talk about heart breaking! I miss her so much! (sniff, sniff)

Do yourself a favor

2008-10-07T02:39:00.000-07:00

So some of you might know how much I LOVE Facing the Giants. Yes, I do. I probably watch it at least twice a month. (OK so anyone that knows me in person is laughing. That is an incredible underestimation.) anyway.....

This weekend I went to see Fireproof with a few friends. Please do yourself a favor and go see this movie. You will thank me later. (No, really, please comment and thank me after you see it.)

The music is fantastic!! Check out this awesome song, While I'm Waiting by John Waller (scroll to the bottom to see the video). Also, check out Slow Fade by Casting Crowns.

An invitation

2008-10-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

We all have things we need to take to the cross and lay at Jesus' feet. I invite you to take a few moments and listen to the song I added to my play list. Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle.
Join me in laying things down at His feet.

To the cross I look,

to the cross I cling

Of it's suffering I do drink

Of it's work I do sing

For on it my Savior

both bruised and crushed

Showed that God is love

And God is just

Chorus:

At the cross You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees,

and I am

Lost for words, so lost in love,

I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
What a priceless gift, undeserved life

Have I been given

Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death

You’ve called me into life

And I was under Your wrath

Now through the cross I’m reconciled

Chorus:

In awe of the cross I must confess

How wondrous Your redeeming love and

How great is Your faithfulness

Here she is!

2008-08-12T10:36:00.001-07:00

I am so happy to be able to show you pictures of my new niece. This is her referral picture from July 11th. See, didn't I tell you she had great big eyes! She was about 15 months in this picture.

On August 6th this little beauty became

Hosanna "Anna" Misrak Faith Kirk

Here she is in an outfit that my sister sent for her. She is 16 months now. We are so excited for my sister, mom and niece (um..older niece) to be traveling to Ethiopia in mid-September.

You can jump over to my sister adoption blog to find out the origin of her name. Look under the "Named" posts. It really is a good story if I do say so myself.

I'm an aunt again!!!!!

2008-08-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

My sister just found out that she passed Ethiopian court and is a mother again. She will leave in September to pick up her new daughter. I'm away on vacation and I don't have any way to post her picture. Sorry to keep y'all waiting. I'll do it as soon as I get home.
What a great blessing!
Thanks God!
P.S. Check out her blog!

For Kate

2008-07-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

So my friend Kate was telling me how cute and tiny this little guys feet were. For fun I thought I would take a picture of a truly small foot. This is the really small foot of a 1lb. 7oz. baby.

And for even more fun I thought I would take a picture of the baby I was taking care of last night. These are the really big feet of a 10+lb. baby.

Almost aunt again

2008-07-12T10:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my sister received her referral for a 15 month old girl from Ethiopia. What...you didn't know my sister was adopting?? She sure is. Check out the links on the side of my blog!!
You are not allowed to post the children's pictures until they are officially adopted (which should take about 2-4 months) so you will have to believe me when I say that she is very pretty with great big eyes.
Here is a picture of me looking at the pictures of her for the first time. Hopefully, the time will come very fast when I can show you her picture.

Messed up

2008-06-30T02:53:00.000-07:00

You know your days and nights are messed up when you say, "Good morning!" to the security guard when you arrive at the hospital to start your night shift at 11 pm.

Usually I'm pretty good about adjusting my responses to people depending on their day. For example, in the morning when I am ending my shift and headed to bed I say "good night" to the other nurses who are leaving with me. I say "good morning" to those nurses, doctors and therapists who are just coming in to start their day. I usually have no problem with it.
Tonight was somehow different. I walked in with my "morning" coffee and didn't filter my response to the security guard. I immediately began to stumble over my words, "uh, I mean...Hi...uh, good evening....I mean...good day." It did make it better when he laughed at me and said, "No, you're right, it's my morning too. Good morning!"

BTW - What greeting is there for 11pm? Good morning, afternoon and evening all seem to work as a greeting. Good night...not so much. Do you have any ideas??

My favorite

2008-06-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

I can not write a post about cuddly babies without including my most favorite patient in the world. I took care of him from the day he was born and fell head over heels for this little guy. He was the most cuddly baby ever! Most of the nurses loved taking care of him and would run to his bed if he made any peep. We would almost fight over holding him. I spent many, many hours rocking and cuddling this little man.
He did wonderfully in the NICU and didn't have any set backs. I missed him so when he went home. I am thankful for those rocking chair hours.

Rocking chairs and cuddly bears

2008-06-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes at work (I work nights as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit) it is really crazy. Sometimes there is 12 hours of work to do in 8 hours. Sometimes there is so much to do that I feel like I'm more behind at the end of my shift. Sometimes the emotional drain of my shift is overwhelming.
But sometimes...oh sometimes my friends...I have wonderful nights. Sometimes all is well with the NICU world. Sometimes I get to take care of what we call "feeder/growers" - babies who just need to get a little bigger before going home. Babies that I can dress and wash and feed and rock. (Of course we usually have the parents do all of this and my part is very small but...sometimes I'm it.) Sometimes that rare night of rocking and cuddling can make up for and get me through many crazy nights. The other night was one of those.
I rocked and rocked and rocked and cuddled and cuddled. I sat and watched the sun come up. I thanked God for my night and for the things He is showing me. I REALLY enjoyed it.
For those nights I am very grateful.

P.S. See that awesome wall of windows!

For the sake of gratefulness

2008-06-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

I am a complainer. I complain about things all the time. However, this is not the way I was created. I have allowed things to take root and grow in my heart that do not belong there. The fruit of these things it complaint. Among other things, I believe the weed killer is gratefulness. There are things in my life that I pass by and do not appreciate. I want to be thankful for these things.

I am a nurse and I work the night shift. It is not the shift I would pick but I do believe it is where God has me right now. I complain all the time about the hours and my sleep issues. That is a direct complaint against God and His plans for me. Starting now I am choosing gratefulness.

I have seen many sun rises at work. I usually get very excited because that means that I will be going home soon-ish. I begin to get excited about leaving and about getting in bed. I often equate the sunrise with my bed calling my name. I do not hesitate to mention it to the nurses around me. I begin to count down the hours and minutes until I'm in bed. I keep a running total for everyone.

The other day I chose to get excited about the sun rise because if its beauty. These pictures are taken out the wall of windows that we have in my hospital unit. (I am very thankful for those windows!) I am in the new building looking out the window and through the hall to the old building.

This only took about 5 minutes. It was really very cool to watch. I'm glad I took the time to capture it. Thank you God for an amazing sun rise. Thank you for my job and for your provision for me through it. Thank you for everything you are doing in my life.

Baby bird

2008-05-31T14:20:00.001-07:00

Look what I just found! That large ball of fluff under the front of mama is a baby bird. The round thing at the bottom is the head. This is so cool to see. What a blessing!
Congratulations Mama!!

Autism Awareness

2008-05-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends is a special Ed teacher. Actually, about five of my good friends are Special Ed teachers and a few more are currently studying to be. But right now I'm talking about my friend who is a Spec. Ed teacher in a school for children with autism. A few weekends ago we walked with her school to raise awareness for autism in Autism Speaks 2008. Over 17,000 people walked and raised $1.4 million. We walked at Soldier Field. It was really pretty cool. Actually it was cold! The fortcast called for a beautiful, sunny day but at least we had sun.
Prior to the walk we were allowed on the field!! I'm not a huge sports fan but this was pretty cool.

The walk also took us past the Field Museum. I really need to get downtown more. It is a shame that I don't enjoy it more seeing as I live so close.
The majority of the walk was along the lake front. We didn't get any pictures of that at all even though it was beautiful. We were so busy walking and trying to keep warm. Thankfully, we all made it.

Lilacs

2008-05-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

I love lilacs! I only wish I could capture the smell. Thank you God for everything You have created around us. I love You, Lord.

Trust

2008-05-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

This is the window in the hallway of my apartment building.

This is the bird who is nesting in the window in the hallway of my apartment building.

These are the eggs of the bird who is nesting in the window in the hallway of my apartment building.

This is the papa of the eggs of the bird who is nesting in the window in the hallway of my apartment building.

I saw this bird in the window for a few weeks but didn't realize she was sitting on eggs until the other day. This window is right outside the front door of my apartment. Almost every time I leave or return I look at her. She is always sitting there alert looking around. I have never seen her away from her nest. (Until today when I scared her by opening the blinds to take a picture...oops!) I have been thinking about her for a little while now. She just sits there on her nest. Day in and day out. Just sitting. Does she feel lonely? Does she feel bored? How would I ever manage in that situation? I thought of how bored I would be sitting and sitting. How lonely I would feel. After a while I realized that this bird is only doing what she has been made to do. She doesn't know anything else. This is her life. She is where she is supposed to be, doing what she is supposed to be doing.

How have I missed that in my life? I do believe I am where I am supposed to be, doing what I am supposed to be doing, but I don't always feel content with where I am. I am often lonely and bored. I wish for a husband and children. I wish for a different life. But after studying that bird for days I am trying to be more content with where I am. This is what God has created me to do at this time. This is my life and it is only my selfish desires that keep me from being fulfilled in this place.

Today was the first time I saw the papa bird. I wasn't looking for him before. I was focused on the plight of the mama bird. Today as I drove home with my two bags of groceries, I saw him.

Do you see him there? He is on the look out. Mama is in the window near the pole and there he is. Protecting her, watching over her. How could she be lonely? He is there. He is not right there next to her but it is even better. He is watching out over her. She might not even be able to see him at all times but he is there. He has not left her. He is right there to meet her needs. (I know this because guess who showed up when I frightened mama away with the blinds.)

This is the lesson of trust that I learned from the bird in my window. I am very thankful for the reminder.

My sister

2008-05-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

My sister added a link to me on her blog. I thought I'd add her here. I have no idea how to make a list on the side so until then...
My sister Grace is adopting from Ethiopia. (Yes, she has two blogs.)

Stingrays!

2008-05-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

I went to the zoo with some friends of mine yesterday to see the stingrays. We had a lot of fun. It was great weather, quite windy but that helped in keeping cool. I wanted to see the stingrays last summer but never made it. I'm so glad I was able to go and actually had the guts to touch one. They are quite slippery and slimy. Not something that I need to touch again. But it was fun once.

A little about me

2008-05-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

I am 28. I have worked for two years as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse. Prior to that I worked as a nurse in the newborn nursery and on the mother/baby unit. I have liked babies my whole life and I enjoy working with them. There are many things that go wrong in the NICU as I work with babies born prematurely or sick. I try to drink in and enjoy the wonderful times and lean on God for the difficult times.
I am very involved in my church. It is a small, close knit family. I am SO thankful to God for leading me to them. I teach Sunday school and attend bible studies in addition to our weekly services. All of my friends are from church. We do almost everything together. It's a blast and I love it.
I am not married or dating. I believe that if it is in God's will for my life He will make it come to pass.
I have a 5 year old niece, Abigail, whom I love dearly. My sister, her mother, is also adopting from Ethiopia. She has been on the waiting list for a referral for 16 weeks.
That's me in a nut shell. I can't really think of anything else.
Faith

My favorite things

2008-05-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

I was tagged for this by Faith.

#1 My church and church family. I attend a small church where most are like family to me. I am very blessed and thankful for what God has given me in them.

#2 babies/children. I like pretty much everything about them. (I work as a NICU nurse and in the last two days I have been spit up on once and peed on twice. I don't love everything about babies...just most of it.) It may seem funny for a non-mom to be interested in natural childbirth, b*feeding and potty training but that is just the way I am. My favorite children are my niece Abigail and my soon to be niece from Ethiopia.

#3 Lilacs. My favorite color is purple and the smell is divine. I stop often to smell the lilacs. There was a lilac bush in the drive way of my last apartment and I would stop and sniff every day before entering my car. Hurray for May!

The beginning...

2008-05-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

I enjoy reading many blogs and need a "home base." I'm not much of a writer and currently I don't really have anything to write about. Should that change I will post accordingly.
If I have visited your blog please feel free to leave a comment here.