Hey MckMama, we call it snow!

When I read this post from MckMama, I had a cold chill run down my spine. You see, I'm one of those girls with "y'all" in her vocabulary who considers cold anything under 40 degrees. So, this morning when we woke up to this, I just couldn't resist the urge to show her what she's missing down here! :) And I should also mention that it crossed my mind that I should have checked the school web-site before I got my kids dressed because there was a chance that we might not be going to school this morning!

And if you think this really isn't snow, then just look at how excited Liam got when he saw that it had "snowed" overnight! :)

I know all you Northern girls are laughing your heads off right now! But seriously, we get real excited down here if we see the first flake. We call it the Kroger alert because sometimes even before the first flake falls (when the weather man PREDICTS snow) everyone will rush to the grocery to buy bread and milk. Seriously, you CANNOT find Milk in the store if you go about five hours after a big snow is predicted. And by big I mean like 2 inches or more.





Okay, now we won't tell MckMama who posted a photo of her car thermometer at -12 degrees (and we won't tell Carol, or Amy, or Kar either for that matter!) that Metro Nashville has CLOSED SCHOOL for tomorrow because our low tonight is 3 degrees with a wind chill in the negatives. I am still not sure why they closed the schools or what they think will happen to children if they sit in a warmed classroom when it's single digits outside, but they are closed nonetheless. So far our school district is open, but I'm not holding my breath here. I think it's a distinct possibility that we will also close, but if they do, I'm walking my kids straight down to the superintendent's house (he lives about four doors down) tomorrow morning at 7AM. I'm ringing the doorbell and shoving them inside and telling him I'll be back to get them about 3:30! :) Seriously though, do you think they would care if I told them that my kiddos were weaned on icicles the size of your leg and snow deeper than your boots are tall? Do you think that this photo would make any difference to them? Yeah, probably not... but seriously, in St. Petersburg the largest winter hazard is not freezing to death... it's death by falling icicles! Seriously!





Oh well, I just had to let all my gal pals north of the Mason Dixon know what we consider snow!

**** UPDATE*******

9:55 PM - We get this message from the school district: Good Evening Parents,The following is a message from the Franklin Special School District:Due to the extreme cold temperature and wind chill factors expected in the morning, the FSSD schools will be closed tomorrow. MAC will be open at the holiday site on Cannon Street from 7:00 until 5:00.Thank you and have a safe night.

Now I ask you, can someone PLEASE make sense of that for me? Seriously? We are closing our school because it's COLD? Okay... so now my kids have a FIVE DAY WEEKEND. If it really would snow, at least we'd have something to do! Got any ideas of how to keep 4 kids from destroying your house when it's too cold to play outside and there is no school? ... FIVE DAYS!!!! Is it "ungreen" to strap them all in the car and drive around watching movies while I drink Starbucks? Anyone up for a road trip tomorrow? My car will hold my clan +3! :) Heather?


Genesis 8:22
"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

What's good for the blog is good for the children!

Well, I guess I've gone to the extreme with "New Year/New Look". I know my friends will be shocked ot hear that I have taken something to the extreme... never one to do something thoroughly when I can do something totally over the top! :) Anyway, I am taking photos of my house before and after, but they aren't ready for posting because, well, it's not "after" yet... let's just say that my house is going through something along the lines of "extreme makeover, poor persons edition." But look at the CUTE haircut our little princess got this week. I have RESISTED cutting her hair because by golly, I'm going to have dog ears tied with ribbons on some child at some point in my life, so this is my one shot. However, I had to come to grips with the fact that her hair was very "fuzzy" and just not making very cute dog ears anyway... "Maybe if I cut it, it will thicken up and be silky," I thought to myself. And darn if it's not so cute that I'm tempted to keep it this way. What do you think?

I know you're probably thinking that you can't tell that much difference, but check out the back of her head photo below... really, it's almost two inches shorter!

Won't you pray with me on this?

I have asked for many prayers from you before, but never for anything more worthy than this. My dear, sweet friend and sister, Melanie, has asked me to journey in prayer with her for a healing for her daughter, Hope. I am going to copy Hope's story here, in Melanie's words, not my own, but before I give way to Melanie's sweet plea for her daughter, I want you to understand the fervency and the urgency with which I ask you this favor.

Melanie and I have been friends since she and her husband, Chappy, adopted their daughter from Russia about 8 years ago. We shared the same precious driver, Vitaly, and shared an immediate love for this wonderful man. We cooperated to bring Vitaly to America a few summers ago, which he had told us was his life's dream. At the time that Vitaly was visiting us, Melanie was pregnant with Hope and had just found out that Hope was facing a heart condition that would most likely take her life before she could be born. But Melanie and Chappy soldiered on, made Vitaly's visit beautiful for him, and faced their own personal demon with strength and grace.

Melanie and Chappy were taken on a life changing (literally) journey of prayer for a miracle for their daughter. As you will hear from Melanie herself, she is a different person today because of the faithfulness of our Father and His healing hand. I saw the transformation in Melanie and couldn't help but be transformed some myself.

Many would say that Melanie and Chappy did not actually receive healing for Hope, because she was not born "perfect" by worldly standards. But I believe she was born perfectly in accordance with God's plan for her life and her families life and I believe Hope did receive a healing in the womb. There were many doctors who told Melanie that her daughter would never live outside the womb and might not even make it to birth. But she did. And anyone who knows Hope can tell you that she is exactly what God intended her to be. She loves unconditionally, she does not know judgment or social status, she loves all creatures equally and she will always approach life much like she does right now, with the innocence of childhood. And isn't that what God asked of all of us, to come to Him as little children? We could all learn alot from the way Hope approaches life and others.

But Hope isn't the only special thing about this family. You see, Melanie and Chappy have two children (a son and daughter) and could have been content with what appeared to most to be the "perfect" family. (You know, 2.2 kids, three car garage, mini-van, etc. etc.) But they weren't content. They knew God was asking more of them and they put their faith into action by adopting their third daughter from Russia. Then Hope was born. After things seemed to settle down somewhat (as much as it can with four kids) they decided to adopt again. In fact, Melanie and I started out on the process together and they applied with CSS when we did to adopt Meg. Anyway, that was not what God was calling them to do. Their family decided to adopt a second child with Down Syndrome. Charlie is now 5 months old and they are thriving as a family of 5 with two "special" children. On top of it all, Melanie home schools her children and they have a family faith life that is like no other I have ever witnessed. All of the children are delightful and love life, love the Lord, and love one another. I realize that there is just no way I can possibly explain to you how wonderful this family is, but I think you can imagine for yourself when you hear and think through all the attacks Satan has brought against them. That they are fighting this battle again, when Satan would rob God of His glory in healing Hope, rob her family of their joy, and rob the world of a child who is such a perfect example of what God asks from each of us... when you think of how badly Satan would desire to strip all of those things, you can imagine the amount of faith this family has. Won't you journey in prayer with me on this one? Won't you please add her to every prayer list you are part of. Won't you please hit your knees at some time today (how about now) and ask God to please exercise his dominion and authority over death, Satan, and the world to heal Hope, yet again. Hope needs you every day!

Here is the story as Melanie wrote it to me:

Like most proud moms, I could write pages about my little Hope. She has big, green, almond shaped eyes, a mischievous giggle, and she spins around to music every time she gets a chance no matter where she is. Hope is eager to experience the world and all of it's inhabitants....both people and animals. She loves everyone she sees and never meets a stranger. In fact, many old ladies in wheelchairs have become fast friends with her in only minutes. This is ironic, because little Hope (at 3 years of age) cannot speak a single word. You see, Hope is one of the special ones: she has Down Syndrome.

Hope's story began just over 3 years ago when she was comfortably resting in my tummy at 16 weeks of age. At a routine ultrasound, I was told she had a heart defect. Only 4 weeks later, at a follow-up ultrasound, my world began to spin crazily out of control as I heard the doctor say these words: "Not only does your baby girl have a heart defect, she also has brain lesions, a stomach defect, and Down Syndrome. Your baby will probably not make it to birth".

After dealing with tremendous shock and asking God loads of questions through unending tears, I came to terms with what was ahead for me. It was at a church service. The hymn was: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.....all other ground is sinking sand". That was a "kairos" moment for me: a moment that was life changing. In that moment, I knew that the Lord was asking me to rely completely on Him, and I made a decision that I would do it.

For the next months, up until Hope's birth, my husband, children and I prayed like we had never prayed before. We committed scripture to memory and prayed God's very own Words back to Him, reminding Him of His precious promises that are forever true. We went into labor on September 13th, 2005 expecting and believing for a miracle.

During the labor process, Hope and I both almost lost our lives. I will always believe that the enemy was trying to steal both of our lives that day in order to destroy the mighty work the Father was to do through Hope's life. Because of the prayers of many, the war for our lives was won. The victory was the Lord's.

At 3 days of age, Hope had her first surgery; it was a stomach surgery. Victory two. Then, only 3 months later, Hope had her first open heart surgery, Praise the Lord for Victory number three. Each of these surgeries were supposed to steal the life of our little one, but through the prayers of many, Hope prevailed.

As time passed, I began to become more and more comfortable as my role of being mom to a special needs child. Having come so close to losing Hope, my bond with her was different than with my other children. It is not that I love her more.....just different.

I didn't get to be settled for long. Only 6 months from her open-heart surgery, at a routine check-up, we were told that Hope only had weeks to live. Something had gone horribly wrong and she was in congestive heart failure. The cardiologist was as shocked as we were! The weight I had just thrown off 6 months earlier, was now back on my back and heavier than ever. The doctor's news was something like this: "The surgery Hope needs is not even done in the Nashville area. We'll have to find a specialist, but understand that she may not make it through this surgery. In fact, she may die before we can find a surgeon".

I was at a loss. I tried to find God in this message, but could not hear Him at all. Again, our family resolved to get a miracle for Hope. We would get as many people to pray as possible and beg God to intervene on Hope's behalf. Amazingly, a Pediatric Heart Surgeon took a job with Vanderbilt Hospital only weeks later. You guessed it: he was a specialist in the surgery Hope needed. "Yahweh Yireh"--"God is our Provider" intervened.

Hope had a second open-heart surgery and literally thousands prayed our little girl through. During the weeks before Hope's surgery, our family adopted the song: "Where Joy and Sorrow Meet" by Avalon. As it turned out, unbeknownst to us, Hope's pediatrician is the one who wrote the song. Amazing. Well, right after Hope's surgery, I received a phone call in the PICU while I was sitting with Hope. She had been placed in a state of coma to keep her from moving, her chest was bloody and had just been sewn together, tubes were coming from every part of her tiny little body---but, Praise Yahweh, my baby was alive. I answered the phone, and on the other end was a voice I didn't know. She said: "I am at a Women's Conference in Idaho. The group,Avalon is here performing. They received a forward of a forwarded email from you requesting prayer for Hope and the email mentioned that you had adopted their song as a prayer for Hope. They just played the song in honor of Hope and 15,000 women knelt with them and prayed in unison for your little girl. We all want an update....how is she?"

It would be impossible for me to describe how I felt at that moment. To think that I had asked God to save little Hopey, He heard me and sent an army....literally! Again, Hope's Provider.

Over the last 2 years, the Father has been using Hope in many amazing ways. She is a tiny little girl, she has huge coke bottle glasses that make her eyes look enormous, she wears pony-tails, and she always has a smile plastered across her face. Wherever we go, people are drawn to Hope. When people come to greet Hope, our family is given the opportunity to share her story. Most times, the listener is brought to tears. One of my favorite stories is when my husband and I took the kids to a fancy restaurant while visiting Chicago. We were typical tourists eating with serious business men and women all around us. Hope, who never meets a stranger, turned around in her high chair and began making indian sounds at the 6 "suit-dressed" men at the table next to us. Immediately, the 6 men turned to Hope and made the indian sounds back to her. She giggled with excitement---the men laughed with her (and so did we). This is common in our lives each day---wherever we go.

Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, we learned Hope will have to undergo a third open-heart surgery. We were not expecting the news, and we are devastated! We had hoped her heart would've been fixed for good this time. We take Hope back to the cardiologist in June to find out just how extensive the issue is----worst case scenario will be a heart valve replacement, and best case scenario is they'll go in and just clean our some debris from her valve. Both cases mean her chest will have to be sawed and opened up again. I can barely even bring myself to think about it.

My 3 years and 4 months with Hope have taught me so much about life and human nature. Literally, I am a totally different person. I no longer complain about waiting in long check-out lines, a rainy vacation, or an unkempt house. In fact, I relish the noise of the children playing and the mess they leave in their play-time wake. Each and every moment is a gift. This is something Hope gave to me. I understand now, more than ever before, that we serve a Sovereign Lord who is in control of all things.....even Hope's length of life on earth. This humbles me daily and brings me to my knees. Hope gave this to me. I yearn for Heaven when my Hope will no longer be "one of the least of these" but will be one of the greatest in the Kingdom, where I will sit as a mere spectator on the golden streets of the city to watch her lead in the magnificent parade of the Lord. Hope gave this to me. When I see someone who is handicapped, either mentally or physically, I no longer avoid contact with that person, but make a point to speak to that person. Hope gave this to me. The list goes on and on.

Every time I am out with Hope, at least once I hear a voice: "I think she has Down Syndrome" or I see the pointing finger and the mouth covering the whisper. Our children see it too, and we talk about it as a family often. You see, most people just don't know or understand what a blessing Hope is. Can you believe 90% of all babies who are diagnosed in the womb with Down Syndrome are aborted----all because people don't understand. Our Hope will never see the bad in anyone. To her, people will always be good. She'll never understand that people are pointing at her or staring at her because she is different; she will just love them. This is something I have learned all because of her. I have often stopped to wonder who is more handicapped? We, who are "normal", or Hope? After all, God is love. Hope is love too.

I do have a purpose behind all of these words as I'm sure you suspected. My hope is that everyone who reads them will feel in a way like they have met our little Hopey. Then, my hope is that you will pray for a miracle for her; I don't want to lose my baby girl. Specifically, we need Hope's aortic valve to open up and to grow with her heart. I believe with all of my heart that the Lord is not only able, but He desires to give good gifts to His children....including Hope. I also believe the prayers of the saints "availeth much" and the Lord is able to do so much more than we could ever ask or imagine. Our prayers do move mountains and cause aortic valves to open and grow. I would love to send a picture of Hope to whoever will join in prayer with me for my daughter. If you will put on your armor and battle alongside me, I know Hope will have victory again. And some day, in the Kingdom to come, a girl with big almond-shaped, green eyes and pony-tails (no coke-bottle glasses in heaven) will find you and hug your neck for going to battle on her behalf. On that day, Hope will be able to speak and will tell of the wonderful works of her precious Savior who used fallible human beings to bring about healing in her life through the humble act of prayer.

"Whatever you have done for the LEAST of these my children, you have done it unto me".

Blessings from weary warrior mom,
Melanie Hollis

How can I ever say?

How can I ever tell you how much adoption means to me? How can you ever understand the burning desire I have in my heart for orphans? Not just orphans that I plan to adopt when we have been "in process" (the adoptive parent word for "pregnant"), but the orphans I know I will never adopt... and neither will anyone else? This care, this consumption, this absolute commitment I have to the fatherless has everything and nothing to do with my own children. The road of adoption led me so far beyond three wonderful children that only God could have orchestrated the journey. Birth mothers made me a Mommy, but God's mercy on the journey made the journey my life.

So how do I help you understand how absolutely burdened I am for these children? And how burdened I am for YOU TOO to be burdened! It would be my wish that everyone in the world could experience the beauty and the miracle of a birth. But it would also be my utmost desire that everyone on earth could experience the humility, grace, mercy, awe, and privilege of walking into an orphanage, especially if there will be one less orphan when you walk out. And it's also my hearts most burning desire that there would never be a need for another orphanage. But how? I am only one person and there are so so many orphans (147,000,000 worldwide to be exact.) But then again, I am one... and Gwen Oatsvall is one, and Melanie Hollis is one, and Katie is one, Carrie is one, Becky is one, Michelle is one, Nicole is one, and YOU are one! Together, we are way more than one! And as the old adage goes, if you think you are too small to have an affect on the world, try sleeping with a mosquito.

So where do I go with this burden? Where do I lay it down? Maybe I don't. Maybe the point is to carry it forever and thereby share the load of it with some other sisters along the way. And the sisters who are already sharing my burden have meant everything to me. There is a quote from The Poisonwood Bible that seems to make sense to everyone who's ever adopted or has a true heart for orphans. It goes like this, "Hunger of the body is altogether different from the shallow, daily hunger of the belly. Those who have known this kind of hunger cannot entirely love, ever again, those who have not." This applies not only to hunger in the physical sense, but hunger of any kind. I find that there are two kinds of people, those who "get" my hunger (my burden) for orphans, and those who can never "get" it.

Today in church Father Sappenfield was talking about the world's definition of "rock star." Do we strive to be like the ones we think have what we want? Or do we strive to be like the ones God wants us to be like? Are we imitating Christ or Madonna? I think the two go hand in hand because God is faithful. We alone cannot do alot as one, but together, with Christ working THROUGH us, we can accomplish anything. So, I am just challenging you tonight, to consider and pray for the orphans in Amazima orphanage. Gwen told me tonight that there are only just over 30 kids who still need sponsorship for this year. THIRTY! 30! Three Zero! Can you imagine a whole orphanage of 191 kids who don't have to worry about a meal for an entire year? $300 will provide two hot meals, a school uniform, shoes, and school tuition for a child in Uganda. Please pray with me that there will be another 30 people who are willing to make this $300 sacrifice in such uncertain financial times for our own country. It's a hard time to be seeking charity, and yet...

"And now these three remain, faith, hope and charity. But the greatest of these is charity."

1 Corinthians 13:13

A new year, a new look...

Thanks Becky, for the links to the blog remodeling! :) I am still hoping to make some more changes, like maybe a header that actually has photos in it, but it's a work in progress, right? And since it's well past midnight and I have to get my kids to church in the AM, I guess I better be happy where I am for now. Anyway, the only bummer is that I lost all my links to all your wonderful blogs when I changed it. I think I can find most of you, but if you know that you were previously linked here, but don't see your name here now, could you do me a favor and drop me a comment so I can add you back in there... I don't want to miss a single day of our adventures together.

"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1

Freedom of Choice Act Looming - Your prayer is needed and requested

If you are opposed to abortion then there is bad news on the horizon.
For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is
set to be signed if congress passes it on January 21-22 of 2009. If passed, it would codify Roe v. Wade and "guarantee the reproductive rights of women for generations to come" according to Pro-Choice America. The bill states in its findings section that Congress has the affirmative power to legislate abortion based, in part, on the crossing of state lines by abortion providers, women seeking abortions, and medical supplies used in abortions. The FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion.

According to the article in Wikipedia, the bill, if passed, will invalidate every restriction on an abortion before the stage of viability, in every state, such as parental notification laws, waiting periods, requirements of full disclosure of the physical and emotional risks inherent in abortion, and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Please stop for one moment and re-read that... yes, it would lift ALL restrictions that require parental consent to abortion for minors who seek one, it would abolish all waiting periods in states that currently require a mother to consider her options before making the final decision, and it would allow far-left leaning organizations like NARAL to offer abortions with NO counseling as to the emotional risks women face when going through with an abortion. My friends, I have dear friends who have aborted children because they were told there was no other choice. Ask them about the emotional cost of this "choice". Opponents further assert that it would challenge the right of religiously-based hospitals or clinics to refuse to perform abortions. In response to this, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is threatening to close all Catholic hospitals, which equates to 30% of US hospitals. If this were to occur, the #1 population that would suffer would be the poor who cannot afford care at private hospitals, but are beneficiaries of Catholic missions. And that it would force the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which restricts the use of Federal funding for abortions. That's right, your tax dollars will now be going to fund abortion. That's hard to swallow for a staunch pro-lifer! In effect, I would be paying for abortion.

Perhaps most importantly the government will now have control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have. I know that this seems like a far jump for many of you, and you might be thinking that this is overstating the case. However, I think if you look at every civilization in history (not only recent history, but history from Babylon to modern day China) you will find that most agregious crimes against humanity, injustice, and even ethnic cleansing, was introduced in a very innocent "that won't apply to me" fashion. Do you think the forced abortions in China as a method of population control was embraced by the Chinese population? Even Hitler knew that you get people to eat an elephant, not by telling them to eat an elephant, but by feeding it to them one bite at a time. It was a very slippery slope from moving Jews into designated areas of town to Aushwitz.

The only way to be sure that we maintain a reasonable level of restriction on the killing of innocent life is to stop the act before it becomes law. It's much easier to stop it than to repeal it. To me, as a parent, the absolute scariest part of this law is that my daughter could choose at the age of 13 to have an abortion without my consent, and forever change her life without the benefit of wise counsel. No worries though, if she needs surgery for an in-grown toenail, I'll still be required to sign off on that!

The Plan:

To say a novena ( 9 days of prayer ) along with fasting
starting on January 11th. Many Catholics have chosen to say the Rosary with intnentions to defeat FOCA. If you are not Catholic, I urge you to say The Lord's Prayer with specific meditation on the defeat of this horrific bill. Or pray from your heart, which we know the Lord always hears with tender heart and open ears. However you pray, please plead with me to the Lord (and your senators and representatives if you feel so inclined) to defeat this act. We know that no authority on earth has dominion over our God and He can wipe this possibility from our country, but we must act fast because there is very little time left.

1) Please link this post to your blogs or forward it to others who you know to be pro-life

2) Pray every day without ceasing that FOCA will not be forced upon us and the unborn

3) Please fast with me for at least two days of the nine days of prayer. Fasting, as defined for Catholics, is two light meals in a 24 hour period to include no meat, sweets or wine. There are many ways and definitions of fasting, I offer this one only as an example, of course, I urge you to abide by your own faith's definition!



Ephesians 1:20-22
"...which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything..."

Six Months Home and a dual Epiphany

I can't believe it's been six months since we walked through these doors with our little angel. WOW! If I look back on the last six months, we have come a very long way in such a short time. I know all of you newly home feel like six months is an eternity away, but it will really fly by. Six months is such a great milestone in an adoption because it's the time when you start to see real rewards for all the hard work. At six months, most kids have truly settled into their homes and you don't feel like you're swimming your way upstream any more. Meg is no different, she is completely at ease here and knows her boundaries and our limits. I think she is pretty secure in our love for her at this point and she adores both of her parents, her brothers, one of our neighbors, and our dog. Meg still gets a little shaken up when she is out of her routine. When we were home this weekend for my grandmother's funeral, she was passed around from one relative to another, slept in two strange beds, and was off her schedule. She was definitely more clingy with me the past two days and I know this is most likely a direct result of her insecurity with new situations. But, it's also a good sign because it means that she is attached to us and "cares" if we leave her with others, etc. To have seen her at the funeral home on Saturday night with my cousin, Archie, you wouldn't know she ever met a stranger. She drug him all over the funeral home and had him singing every song he knew. This is a totally different child from the one we met in May of last year and certainly shows that she is far more secure than she was even three months ago. The little "set-backs" in emotion don't bother me when I see her able to come out of her shell and fear and know that she can run all over the place with my crazy cousin and we will still be right where she left us when she gets back. This is the sign of a child who is gaining security and comfort with the permanence of those she loves.

I looked back at all our referral information and realized that when Meg was born, she weighed over 8 pounds. When Connor was born he weighed less than 7. That's quite a difference in someone so little. It makes me happy to know that she had such a good start in life from a health perspective. She hasn't slowed down either, her growth is still on the high side with her height topping 85th percentile.

Today is also known as the Epiphany. The Epiphany is the day that Russian Orthodox celebrate Christmas. The Epiphany is also a really special day in the Christmas season for Catholics so it fit very nicely for us to make a big celebration out of the holy day. Tomorrow, the kids and I are going to decorate our boxes that we will be using each year going forward to put our "rememberance" memorabilia into. Today, in honor of the three birth mother's who gave life to three of my children, we hosted Katie Davis to share her story. 26 beautiful women (and one awesome man) showed up at my house. We were a little packed in (believe it or not, I don't have seating for 26 for a meal or any other activity.) But I truly believe that everyone who came received a blessing. I don't know how many children were sponsored as a result of Katie's testimony, but I do know that at least 7 children will be educated, fed, clothed and given medical attention this year because these amazing friends of mine were moved to action. What a beautiful way to celebrate these birth mothers, by giving to orphans! Like Karyn, I won't be counting this money on my taxes because I did it to honor the 2 Galinas and Aziza. Yes, two of my children's birth mother's have the same name, but they are NOT the same person, even though my kids do look alike. I always get asked, "Are you sure they aren't related?" But I know they are not, it's just a "red thread" between the two of them and us.

As I sat here today, surrounded by these awesome women of faith, listening to Katie talk about her ministry to orphans, I was awed by the power of it. It was not lost on me that the Spirit was strong and moving in our presence. You see, I was careful to invite people that I knew had a strong faith and who would hear Katie's story and not only receive a blessing from it, but would also "get it." It occurred to me during the video presentation that God could take that group of 25 of my friends and change the whole world with the amount of faith that was in that one room. If faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, then faith the size contained in these special women can surely move the entire world! It was really a palpable presence of God here today. I wasn't the only one to notice it either, my sweet friend Amie said she felt it too. And when everyone left, I just sat down on my couch and wept. I wept mostly because of the power of the presence of God. The Spirit lingered here after everyone was gone. My children were both out of the house and it was quiet, it was just me and the Holy Spirit and I could feel His presence so strongly that I was overcome with emotion. I also wept for how abundantly God has blessed me. Not only with material blessings that far exceed that of 90% of the world population, but with something more priceless, which was all of these fabulous women who came out on this nasty, rainy day, to hear what God would say to them. Really, as I looked around the room, each and every one here meant something special to me and I just realize how blessed I am to know one person that amazing, much less 25! I wept for the Mays family, who lost their son today. He was 4 1/2. I don't know them and I didn't know their beautiful son, but Katie knows them and loves them and I know they must be a special family. And no one should ever have to suffer the loss of a child. I saw my dad go through that when my sister died and I cannot imagine living on after that. I cried for my sweet friend Melanie, who's baby, Hope Hollis, needs open heart surgery. She is only three years old. Melanie and her family have an AMAZING story and I wish it was mine to tell because that alone is enough to drop you to your knees. I won't tell her story, but I will ask you to pray for the Mays family AND for the Hollis family as they are facing two difficult struggles in the months ahead. And last, but not least, I of course mostly wept for the orphans of Uganda, Russia, China, and the world. I wept for every child I couldn't adopt. I wept for the injustice of the fact that there is even a need for someone like Katie or for an orphanage anywhere in the world. I wept for the birth mothers who have died or who have been dealt a life with so few choices that an orphanage was the kinder, safer place for their baby.

I am so thankful for the life God has given me in every aspect and detail of it. There is nothing I want more than to serve Him and follow Him every single day of my life. I came away from today with a renewed spirit, energy, and committment to make the choice each and every day to follow Him, wherever that path may lead.

Baruch 2:18
"He whose soul is deeply grieved, who walks bowed and feeble, with failing eyes and famished soul, will declare your glory and justice, Lord."

Not Me Monday

Confessing all the things you "didn't" do is very freeing. I encourage you to join MckMama's carnival and set yourself free to laugh at all the things we "don't" do in a week... plus reading everyone else's Not Me is just plain fun!

I am not at all thankful for all the comments that you all left me on my blog regarding my precious grandmother's passing. It did not comfort me in the least and I was not at all happy to know that people I have met only via their blogs were lifting my family up to heaven. Thank you all very much, you have no way of knowing what the words meant to me.

My brother actually asked me to post this one, so this is for him. I have not been buying caffeinated drinks for my children over the break as a treat, thinking all along they could drink as much as they wanted because they weren't caffeinated. I did not give them Barg#s Root Beer (which, fyi, IS caffeinated) and Sun Drop (which I mistook for Squirt) and give those to them in massive amounts over the break. First of all, I would never allow my kids to have that much sugar because we all know that's bad for their teeth. Secondly, I would not give them caffeine because, well, that would make MY life harder. SO, that definitely wasn't me! (Thanks G and E for informing me, that actually explains ALOT of our Christmas memories this year! :) By the way, I think A & M is actually caffeine free, but apparently some root beer is not... who knew?)

My brother did NOT get pulled over by the police last night while driving me home from our parents'. And I did NOT take the funeral flowers out of a box and put them in between my brother and sis-in-law so that the officer would notice we'd come from a funeral. They laughed at me, but he didn't get a ticket. My sister-in-law says it was "definitely the flowers". hehehe

Sorry, that's it, short list this week, but then again, there's alot of details of stuff I've been doing that just don't seem to fit on a "Not Me" list. Have a wonderful week. I hope to see alot of you tomorrow at my lunch with Katie.

The Circle of Life

Today my new little nephew came home from the hospital, and my beloved Grandmother got her first hug from Jesus. About 9:00 this morning my grandmother, Mary Reuel Hemphill, drew her last breath on earth and took her next one in heaven. She was 99 years old, shy of 100 by only about 90 days. She lived an amazing life and by all accounts was the holder of the most sure ticket into heaven anyone who knew her can imagine.

She is the Mary in Mary Margaret. She was my rock. She led me to Christ as a young child. She prayed for me every day of my life since before I was even known. She influenced me and led me in every way. I am full of words, but they are all inadequate to tell you what this amazing woman meant to me, what she meant to the small town where she lived and I grew up; what kind of woman she was; and how sorely her passing will be felt by a great deal of very "good folks".

My "Granma" as she was known to me, practically raised me in alot of ways. She picked me up from school every day and kept me until my mom got off work. I never once had a babysitter other than her or my dad's parents when they would go out, which was alot when I was young because they had me young. She was always there for me, always there for First Baptist Church members and many many others throughout her 99 years.

My brother and I drove home together today and we had a great drive reminiscing about things and talking about her life. We realized that she has lived through seven wars in her lifetime. The Great Depression. The Cuban Missile Crisis. The assassination of JFK. The fall of the Berlin wall and the rise and fall of Communism in Russia. She saw the rise of Communism in China. She has seen untold number of US Presidents. There was alot of living and alot of knowing that passed with her today. I'm sorry that you never got the chance to know her.

But in the midst of all that was happening to get ready to come home for her funeral, I went to my sister-in-law's house and decorated the door and mailbox so that she would feel celebrated when she arrived home from the hospital with my new nephew, Brody. I did this and it was so fitting, that I would be celebrating life on the day that I was mourning my precious grandmother. Life goes on. The world mourns it's losses and every mourner immortalizes the deceased by mourning and remembering. And sad though I am for the passing of an entire generation of my family (she was the last living grandparent), I am NOT sad for her. She was reunited today with my Granddaddy, her husband of 57 years before his death. She saw Jesus' face and I bet, no I KNOW, that it was better than anything she or I have ever imagined it would be. She saw her mother and father, her sister, her cousins, and her daughter (my mom's twin) who are all whole and well and happy to see her. There was rejoicing in heaven today, for one of their own has returned home.

I would welcome and ask for all of your prayers over the next couple of days. Not for me as much as for my mom. Even though my Granma was my sweet angel, she was something altogether more for my mom. My mom saw her mother almost every day of her life. She was and is her identity in many ways... my mom is "Reuel's daughter" and that is a huge part of who she is and what drives her in the things she does. And beyond that, my mom has cared for my grandmother for the past 13 years. When she went to live in a nursing home, my mom visited her EVERY day without fail. I grew up in Fulton, KY, and word in a small town spreads quickly. The house has been a revolving door of visitors and devoted church ladies dropping off more food than we could eat in a week. But when all the preparation is done and they lay my grandmother to rest, it's going to be a tremendous loss for my mom.

I want to tell you all that my lunch on Tuesday with Katie Davis is still on. I am looking forward to some good fellowship and just being in the presence of God and my dear friends. Until then, I will most likely be absent from blog world as Fulton, KY, is not the hub of world wide connection and getting onto the internet is somewhat akin to a remote region of Russia. I will update you all when I return to civilization on Monday.

Thanks again for your continued prayers. I leave you with Granma's favorite verse:

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."

Hope and Promise and Blessings

Today is a good day for our family. My nephew, Brody Franklin Moss was born at around 12:30 in the afternoon. He's gorgeous. And I am reminded how sweet and precious newborn babies are, what a miracle new life is, and how blessed I am to be able to have a relationship with my niece and now nephew because they live around the corner from me. Holding that new little life, I couldn't help but thank God for the gift of life, and feel a little twinge of sorrow for the birth mothers of the world. Holding little Brody, I can't imagine having someone else raise him or not getting to watch him grow up. Of course all the emotions of my own child's birth are brought back to me. It's hard to believe that big ol' Connor was ever that tiny, but he was! He was almost exactly they same size as Brody. It's such a privilege and a blessing to be part of new life, especially when it's a child you love!



Also, my little Connor has strep. He is a tough kid. This is the child who NEVER complains that his ears hurt until about an hour before his ear drums burst. I have yet to get him to the doctor before his drums are about to burst because he doesn't ever run a fever with an infection and he never complains. So on Saturday when he told me it felt like there was a thorn in his throat, I gave him some Tylenol and put him to bed. The next day he was totally fine, running, playing, happy. Monday he woke up with a rash over his entire body and I knew immediately that his "thorn" was strep. Sure enough, we went to the doctor and he is now on antibiotics. Which led me to think of Katie and her kiddos. When Katie's kids get sick with something like Strep, are they even able to be seen by a doctor? Are there antibiotics to give them? If so, surely they aren't readily available and it can't be as easy to get them as it is for me. Also, I thought of how hard it would be if we didn't have insurance. For me, there was no thought whatsoever of whether to take him to the doctor, but I know for so many people, it's an agonizing decision on whether or not something is worthy of the money it would take to be seen by a doctor, which means kids get sicker and sicker until it's a must and probably the condition is far worse. And of course, my copay for his medicine was $10. No problem to pay at all, but what about if I didn't have insurance? How much would it have been? And my little nephew was born today in a clean, sterile environment where my sister-in-law had adequate care and pain medication. There was danger, certainly, as there always is, but it was minimal. We never really worried that her life or the life of her baby were in danger. How different our experience today would have been if we were living in most other countries in the world. Tonight, I will go to bed thankful for the privilege of living in this country, for the insurance that allows me to keep my kids healthy without thought of money, and for the medical care that is available to us that makes little illnesses like strep a, well, little illness that can be cured within 24 hours.

And also, Stellan has RSV. Many of you follow MckMama, as I do. And her precious little miracle baby is in the hospital. How blessed their family is that this precious baby, who everyone prayed so hard for and fought such a spiritual war for, doesn't have to suffer and die with something like RSV, but he can be helped and kept comfortable (at least semi-comfortable) and his Mama can be there and know that very capable and smart people are helping him and God has placed him in a place where there are tools to help him. Aren't we all so blessed!

Things that meant alot to me this year....

It's 12:36 on Saturday, December 27 and I am still in my pajamas. So are two of my four kids. What a decadent and freeing end to the hustle and bustle of this week. As I went through my overly gifted week with my children (which, sadly, still has more gifts to come from my side of the family) I couldn't help but think of a few things that are real blessings to me this year:

I couldn't help but think of all the friends I have made on the adoption journey this year. I especially thought of Norm and Karyn, Susan and Randy, Becky and Keith, Carol and Lance, and a few others who are getting to experience Christmas for the first time this year with a child in their arms. I remember so well that first year with Jack. He had been home only three and a half weeks when Christmas rolled around and it was absolutely THRILLING for Brian and I to finally be getting the experience of creating our own Christmas memories and traditions.

I was also thinking of my special friends Michelle and Ian, Nicole and Brett, Barb and Stefan, and Karen and Kerry, who got to celebrate with a little pink this year after many years of ALOT of blue. I could identify with them so much this year and thought of them when I was purchasing things like Meg's play kitchen and tea set, etc.

The other thing that meant alot to me was this idea from Karyn about putting an envelope on the tree to celebrate the birth mothers of my children. Since I didn't see the idea in time for Christmas, I am stealing her idea and gong to do this as a way to commemorate the Russian Christmas, which is in January. I am going to take some of the unused photo boxes I have in my closet and label each one with a child's name on it. Starting this year, I will put a piece of artwork, maybe a Christmas photo, or some other memorable trinket from the year. I am also going to carry on Karyn's idea of making a donation in honor of each of their birth mothers. I love this idea and wanted to pass it to all of you who might be looking for a way to honor a birth mother than you can never reach out to. Thanks for the idea Karyn!

Also this year, our families had decided not to give gifts to each other (parents and siblings did not exchange gifts in our family this year.) When my in-laws came for Christmas with large boxes for each couple, I thought that they had decided to surprise everyone with a special something, but I had no idea how special that something was going to be. They had taken "things" from their attic and closets that had belonged to Brian's granparents and passed them on to each couple. It was a very sweet gift and one that took some creativity, but meant more than anything they could have purchased.

Even though the idea not to exchange gifts was not my idea (it was between my husband and his sister) I think I was credited (or blamed as the case may be) for trying to force people not to do what they wanted to do on Christmas. As grateful as I am for all the gifts we always recieve from all sides of our family, it's such an overkill of what is necessary that I must say that one of the things that meant the very most to me this year was NOT having alot of gifts to open. I couldn't believe how freeing it was not to have piles and piles of stuff to incorporate into my already blessed and overflowing life. Brian and I did exchange, but I really even could have done without that. I just enjoyed having my kids home, seeing their faces as they opened things they were excited to have, and enjoyed the freedom of less "stuff" and more "fellowship" that was created from the lack of trappings. It's so hard to stare into the face of those who have NOTHING and then celebrate the EVERYTHING that I have without a little guilt. I know the poor will always be with us, but I also know there is nothing in my life that I want or need and not having the "stuff" this year freed me, somehow, to honor and dwell on the important things I wanted to feel this Christmas.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, especially those of you who were celebrating a first of any kind in your life this year... there's nothing like it!

Happy New Year!

Psalm 51:17-19

"Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise. For you do not desire sacrifice, a burnt offering you would not accept. My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God do not spurn a broken, humbled heart."

The Thrill of Hope

Did you ever think about that before? How THRILLING hope is. Really, think about what hope looks like and feels like. Anticipation of a child for Christmas morning? Hope of "the call" as an adoptive parent? Hope of "It's a Girl!" or "It's a Boy!" for a pregnant mother? Hope for peace! Hope for change. Hope for healing. The thrill of something greatly anticipated is, well, thrilling!

What thrills me this week? The fact that God chose to come to us via a poor, unwed, teenage mother. The fact that the example He gave us of what a holy family looks like included adoption, poverty, submission to God and government, and above all, trust and obedience. I love that Mary and Joseph were both troubled by the thought of this pregnancy, but that in the end, they did as God asked and they left the details of how it would all work out up to Him. They said "Yes", not "Let me think about it." I love that they didn't try to over-control it or "spin" it. And I love that Jesus came at a pretty inconvenient time too. They were required by their government to be present for something, but life goes on, babies are born, and the world keeps turning, even at the most inconvenient of times.

And yet, it's still thrilling. When a baby comes into your life through birth or adoption (as it did for Mary and for Joseph), the inconveniences, practicalities and doubts all have a way of getting out of the way and making room for the thrill of that new life. You don't worry too much about the college savings on the day of the birth!

I also find it thrilling that God ran out and told the lowest citizens he could find FIRST. When you get THRILLING news, who do you call first? After you dance around in your kitchen laughing and screaming, do you call your mother, your husband, your best friend? God called the shepherds... dirty, smelly, uneducated guys who live outside. Imagine, in God's THRILLING moment that He appeared to the lowly. In today's world, if Jesus were being born tomorrow night instead of 2008 years ago, who would God have appeared to? Would He have shown up under the Woodland Street Bridge in Nashville to the little colony of homeless men who live there? Would He have been in the orphanage with the unknown and unwanted around the world? Where would people be most THRILLED to hear this kind of good news? Your home? Mine?

If you have never REALLY listened to the words of Oh Holy Night, please stop for a moment, scroll down to the playlist and start over to hear Martina McBride belt it out. If you can hear her beg you to "fall on your knees" without actually wanting to, then let me know what moves you. Do you think that song is more applicable today then when it was first played on the radio on 1906? Is our world more weary today than it was then? I don't know, but I am THRILLED that our weary world has a reason to pause and rejoice this week... in the midst of economic crisis, in the midst of unknown job markets, housing markets, a war, and a presidential transition, we can know that none of this is beyond God's reach. He has a plan and all He requires of us is a "yes" to Him.

Merry Christmas!

Luke 1:51-53
"He has shown might with His arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty."

Not Me Monday

Hop on over the MckMama's blog for more Not Me Fun:



I did NOT write this whole post with a very annoyed child on my lap. My kids never get jealous when I am on the computer.

I did not change all my music to different artists versions of Oh Holy Night. It is NOT my favorite Christmas song because it's got no meaning whatsoever.

I did not have a complete pre-Christmas meltdown last night at 9:15 because the kids wouldn't stay in bed, my husband wouldn't quit watching football and help me do the wet chores I couldn't do with my hand (more about that below.) I did NOT raise holy cane to the point that the kids made fun of Brian when he went in to check on them because he got in trouble with Mommy.

I did NOT have carpal tunnel surgery on my hand last Friday. Why would I possibly want to do something so limiting the week before Christmas? I also did not drive to Memphis to have this surgery done by my brother-in-law. I wouldn't need to drive three hours because I have a perfectly good orthopedic clinic and surgery center at the ENTRANCE TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD. And the reason I did NOT drive to Memphis (200 miles) had nothing to do with the fact that I would have two complete nights of sleep and a day of guiltless recovery.

We did NOT start our crazy, never-ending, multiple Christmas celebrations last weekend. My dad and his family were the first up to bat this year.

We did not eat at Famous Dave's AGAIN for our family Christmas dinner. Of course, we don't take them there EVERY year because being the good daughter I am, I always cook a gourmet meal for them.

While we were there, we did not get shafted on the timing of our food all arriving at different times and the manager did not give us three free deserts AND gift certificates for our next visit.... they rock! Wonder how I can get my meal screwed up next time? :)

This weekend as we were entering our neighbors house for a progressive dinner party, my husband did not ask me, "Were we actually invited to this?" Now I ask you, WHY on earth would he think I would drag myself out the night after surgery to an event we weren't invited to? Hmph!

And I am not totally done with my shopping for the Christmas marathon so I can enjoy the entire week of my hubby and kiddos being off from school/work! That would be so unlike me. :)

Happy Monday!

Love that Nativity!

Okay, people, if you don't get a laugh out of this nativity scene, nothing is humorous to you. (Scroll down to the bottom to see the homemade nativity... precious!) Or, maybe it could be that my sense of humor is a little off today. I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that my darling daughter decided YESTERDAY that she was going to potty train herself. I won't go into what a terrible potty trainer I am and how I procrastinate it and how she could NOT have chosen a worse time than the week before Christmas (the week of two school Christmas programs and about 5,329 errands to run.) But back to the point, which is that my sense of humor MUST be in tact if I am laughing about this because the scene that follows could only be accomplished by a seasoned mother. Do not try this at home, it's only for professionals.

Meg says, "I need pee-pee!!!!" We run to the potty as I realize that there is poop actually coming out of her at that very moment and in fact, she has already STEPPED in the poop. I put her on the potty and go to clean up the said accident, when I can't locate the "droppings" I realize that my wonderful dog has eaten the evidence. I start to wipe her foot off and realize it's all down her leg, etc. so I turn to start the bath water at which time, Connor drops the training seat on her foot and she starts howling bloody murder. Being the awesome, experienced, loving mom that I am, I jerk her right up, kiss her foot, and then realize it was the one with the poop on it. Connor proceeds to feed the dog an ENTIRE bag of breath freshening treats and that's enough said about the great poop incident of '08.

Proberbs 17:1
"Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife."

An award for moi????

Thanks to Susan over at "Cheerios in My Shorts" for the Kreativ Blogger Award!

The rules are as follows:
List six things that make you happy. Pass the award along to six more bloggers. Do not give the typical answers and go for the less obvious, as you all know that family, friends, God, etc. would be on the list. So here are my six in no particular order.

1. Change jingling in a man's pocket makes me happy. I love the sound!

2. When any man opens the door for me, that makes me happy. I know I'm old-school and so Southern, but I make no apologies for that.

3. Silence... makes me happy. Of course, the sound of my kids laughing makes me happy, but if I'm going for the less obvious then I have to say silence because it's totally rare (almost extinct) around here.

4. Real wood fires when it's cold outside make me exceedingly happy. There is nothing in the world that's better than a fire crackling and popping in the fireplace, the lights of my Christmas tree burning, a good movie and a snuggle with my hubby on our couch.

5. Newborn babies make me happy. Especially when they belong to someone I love. I can't think of one thing I would rather do than rub a newborn babies head against my cheek!

6. Bookstores make me very happy. Particularly when my husband gives me a gift certificate and watches the kids so I can spend hours and money without guilt.

Now, obviously, clean running water, gainful employment, a warm bed, nice home, family, faith, gifts under my tree, and the love of friends make me happy too. Even though this list was supposed to be about the less obvious things, (and I know why because it would be really boring to hear every single person say the things you don't want to take for granted.) I do want to mention these things because I am so very painfully aware that there are millions of people in the world at this time, 147,000,000 of them children, who don't have these things and I want to acknowledge that I recognize the blessing they are in my life! And I never want to forget that 75% of my children were at one time among them.

Now, I'm passing this award on to:

Gwen
Heather (who hopefully will ACTUALLY do this one! hint hint)
Barb (because she needs an award right about now!)
Kim
Dinia (because she is one interesting and adventurous mama! :)
Katie (I'm completely not expecting her to actually participate, but I do want you to check out her site! :)

We interrupt this regularly scheduled program....

to bring you a "SNOW DAY!"


If my crazy life had a background track, it would sound like this:

Mom

Hey, Liam, wanna play Lego
I want cheese.
Oh, I wish I had some cheese.

Mom

Yeah, okay, I'll be the red dude
Mom have you seen my ______________
Mooooommy

Mom
More random screaming.... VINCE!!!!! Crash! Get him out of here!

Mom, what does this say.
Hey, can someone tie my shoe (someone meaning, of course, Mom)
No, I wanna be the red dude, you were the red dude last time
Liam, take your hands off that! That's mine!
Oh, I wish I could find my other shoe!
Mooommy

MOM!

No I wasn't, Connor you're always the red dude
Mom, I need some scissors, glue, a blow torch, a chain saw, hammer, and some matches.
I want banana

MOOOOOOOM!

Give me that!!!!!!!!
I'm not your friend!
Stoppit Meg!
I don't want banana
Has anyone seen my other glove?
Where's my glove?
Oh, where's my GLOVE!!!! Ugh!

MOOOOOOM MOOOOOOOM MOOOOOOM MOOOOM MOOOOOOOOOM

No, no, in a minute, I don't know where did you have it last and WHAT!!!!!



This concludes the test of our emergency snow day system. Had this been an actual snow day, we would have photos of children building snow men and having snow cream. Since this was NOT an actual snow day, but only a day out of school with alot of very wet clothes, we will now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

"Have pity on me Lord, for I am weak..." Psalm 6:3

Quick note...

Just a very very quick note to say that I hope you all noticed the new button on the sidebar... front and center. PLEASE take a moment to visit Katie's blog, if you haven't already. The work she is doing with orphans is very real and very tangible and you'll be blessed by your visit, I promise! And if you feel so moved, while you are there, please take a moment to add Katie's button to your blog too. The code is right there on her blog, so grab it and spread the word!

Thanks! Ondrea

Katie Davis

Okay, there WILL be more to come on this in the very near future, but for right now, just go here! I have had a link to this blog on my blog for a very long time, but tonight I got the very distinct pleasure of hearing this young woman speak. I came away with a burning desire to DO SOMETHING that can only be attained by hearing a person speak who has a burning passion for what they are doing. I have so many things I want to say to and about this young lady, but my head is swimming right now and I can't get the thoughts to form coherent strings. Let me just say that if anyone ever shared my heart for orphans, it's this girl. In fact, her heart puts my heart to shame. I am humbled by the pitiful state of my heart when viewed in the blinding light of what God has accomplished through Katie in two short years! And I can tell you that the burden I feel for these children is tremendous, but her burden is a bone weary burden that is so obviously of God that it makes others want to just touch a little bit of it.

Katie spoke at the home of a friend tonight and I have her coming to speak at my house on January 6. Any of you blog friends out there who want to make a trip to Nashville to hear her speak, I will make sure you have a bed to sleep in (it may be shared with a 4 year old, but there will be a pillow) and I will welcome you and you WILL be blessed. In fact, there's no way to hear her and not be blessed. You would not believe the story if I relayed it to you, you have to hear it from her lips. I am telling you, I have read the blog, I have told you many times that this girl is amazing, but I believe it in a different way tonight than what I understood before. Please read the blog and please please please continue to pray and don't cease to DO for the orphans of the world. I am more convinced than ever that whatever we are doing that is not purposeful and intentional in the direction of caring for the "least of these" is a total waste of our time!

James 1:27

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

This was the tag line of Meg's adoption blog. But did you ever stop to really consider this verse? Religion (like a denomination) that is PURE and UNDEFILED (meaning, not stained by the mess that humans always make of things) is when we care for the helpless. Not Protestant, not Catholic, not non-denominational, but just purity in the eyes of God is when we get our hands dirty caring for the ones who aren't glamorous and certainly aren't always lovable. Singleness of heart, to care for the orphans!

Happy Birthday!

He may kill me for this photo because it was made this morning before he even had his coffee, but really, he is still so handsome that he looks pretty darn good for having just rolled out of bed! :) Sorry babe!
Today is my amazing, sweet, tolerant, handsome, fun, God-seeking, loving husband's birthday. Proof of how amazing he is? He took the whole fam-damily to Shogun for dinner tonight because that is where the kids like to go. I think it's the first time we've all been out to a "nice" restaurant together and this brought the realization that we have moved from a party of five to the "mandatory gratuity added" category with just our immediate family. Now we're talkin'!


Happy Birthday honey, on the off chance that you would possibly be reading this... hahaha (that's a joke because the only time he EVER reads my blog is if I tell him there's something he needs to read.) Hope you enjoy the book. This was Meg and Connor yesterday in their Christmas gear. They both had on Rudolph so I had to get some snaps.


This Rudolph "mask" was part of a party invitation we received in the mail today... very cute invite and Connor thought it was a good costume too! :) And by the way, Meg has decided that her name is Zizzy... funny girl!

"Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." Ephesians 5:33

The Russian Way

Today I was catching up with my friend Heather's blog and a thought came to me while reading it. The first thought was this, "I hate all you women out there who can just go to the mall and fight the throngs of people for your Christmas shopping without a child (or four or five) hanging from your pant leg." But then I remembered that alot of you women are my friends, so I retracted that statement and realized that there actually IS a better way. :) And hold onto your hats because I NEVER thought I would say this, but I believe the Russian's DO have this one figured out.

Imagine with me now, that you are in Russia (think no anti-smoking laws ANYWHERE!) Now imagine that there are three hundred people trying to check-out (or check-in, or get in, or pay, or whatever) and the space in which to do so is about 10x12. Now, imagine that there is no such thing as personal space, I was here first, or even so much as the CONCEPT of an organized line. Have you ever been to Macy's in New York on Black Friday?
Okay, then you've got a semi-picture of what a "Russian queue" is like (I say semi picture because there's really no such thing as a line in Russia.) So, at this point you get that it's mass chaos (this applies to cars too, but that's another post.) Anyway, so why the heck would I be wishing for that at Christmastime? Because the one thing the Russian's really do have figured out in the line department is that if you have a baby, if you are old, or if you are pregnant, you get to go right up to the front. It's not that people tell you to go ahead of them... no, you don't have to wait to be invited. It's a very accepted and expected cultural norm that you just WALK RIGHT TO THE FRONT!!!! (gasp) if you have a babe in arms. Isn't that AMAZING!??? I mean, seriously, can you imagine?

Now, this brings me to all sorts of conclusions about Russian and American culture. I could make some generalizations about what this says about our country AND their's, but for right now, I am just really wishing that we had this same courtesy in our country because that, my friends, would make shopping with a toddler well worth the time and effort! :)