More bowling fun...

Bowling Blips :o)

Bowling Alley Fun...

Today we went bowling. It was the first time bowling for Phoebe, Steven, & Belle. They had lots of fun...and so did the rest of us! :o)

Christmas pictures...

Eleven minute...

mile!!! I ran an eleven minute mile today...which of course may sound like turtle speed to some of you but considering I just started running 19 days ago & my first run was a 15.30 minute run...I think I'm doing pretty good! :o)

In today's paper...

There is a nice article in the Courrier & Press today about Mia, Hope, Steven, Belle, & Glory. This is the video clip from the online article.

Missing them...

Merry Christmas!!!

Praying that you are having a very joy filled & blessed Christmas. Happy Birthday Jesus!!! We ran out of purple decorating gel so that's why the message on the cake is kind of choppy. And the red art work to the right side is suppose to be me when I was six...although Phoebe has no idea what I looked like when I was six other than me telling her that I had long, straight hair :o)

More...

pictures from the Dec. trip! None of Samara because she's hard to "catch" because she likes to hide from the camera :o)

Totally Random...Caleb pictures...

These are pictures from June & July 2007.

Totally Random...Samara pictures...

These are pictures from early 2007 when we first started the adoption process. The top picture is the one that "stole" our hearts as it was the picture posted on the 3A web site as one of the children available for adoption.

New pictures!!!

Here is the first batch of new pictures we got from the December mission team.

Totally Random...Shakira pictures

I decided not to leave the other children out of the "random" picture thing so today is Shakira's turn :o)

Totally Random...

pictures of Phoebe from 2005.

Last year...

This time last year I was returning from Haiti. I knew I had to go see my kids before Christmas in order to celebrate Christmas with a joyful heart. That's where I "was" last year. Since then, there has been a lot of growth in me. Although I really wanted to go back this December, I knew God said, "No, not yet." I did not know why but it didn't matter because I have learned that his ways & timing are far better than mine. Now I know why & I am so thankful that he is blessing me & Phoebe with a trip in February. Go God!!! :o)

Funny people...funny memories :o)

These are pictures from our Christ Care White Elephant gift exchange that we had last Sunday. We always have a blast when we do this but this year was by far the best one we've had so far :o)

Little Lamb...

This is a little video blip of Phoebe during our Children's Christmas program at church tonight. I was a little surprised when she came out as a lamb for the third year in a row because on the card they sent home they said she was going to be an angel...but she didn't seem to care that she was a lamb again...a pretty cute one at that! :o)

RUNNING!!!

Yes, you read right...as of today...I am running! This may not sound like a big deal to most people but believe me it is!!! When I was in high school I ran track for awhile & even after I quit track I kept running because I was obsessed with being "thin." It was nothing for me to run 10 miles a day. My running & exercise in general started to decrease as I started recovering from anoxeria. This was a several year process. My mistake however was in not seeeing "the big picture" of it all & how much "balance" is very necessary with most things in life. So I slowly started going the other way. Eating more & more food & exercising less & less until I finally stopped exercising all together. By the time I reached my heaviest weight wich was 206 pounds I would get winded just going up a few stairs. In July 2004, when Phoebe was 10 months old, I decided I had to do something about my weight. I joined Weight Watchers & lost a total of 41 pounds.

During that time I started exercising again & realized how much I missed it & how much of a "release" it is for me. So for the most part I have exercised regularly since then. Running however had never crossed my mind until about a couple of years ago when I was motivated to try it after watching a Biggest Looser episode. Immediately after I stopped, I had back pain.(For those of you who don't know, I had back surgery in 2002) I tried a couple of times after that but kept having back pain so I decided that I was not meant to run ever again. I would have to stick to fast walking & I was okay with that.

Fast forward to yesterday when I was having lunch with my very good friend & "soul sister" & she's talking about how she's running 6 miles like it's nothing. And this is from someone who didn't have a running history but a few months ago God told her "to run" so she did. I got on the treadmill this morning with the intention of walking 5 miles but as soon as I got on I felt like God said, "You can do this, you can run. You're back will be okay. You need to stop running to food & "literally" run!" So I did, & as I started running I realized that I have had always had a competitive spirit deep inside me but I had never really let it out when I was growing up because I had so many other things to focus on that seemed a lot more important than if I could beat somebody at a race, a game, or whatever.

My goal was to run 2 miles in 30 minutes. I know that is really slow especially when I ran track I could do it in 12 but you have to remember that I haven't run in years & I'm overweight so I thought this was a realistic goal. As I kept an eye on the time I saw that I was really going to have to pick up the pace at the end if I wanted to meet my goal. So I thought about my friend & I thought about challenging her to a two mile race some day...and me winning!!! :o) So I picked up my speed & made the two miles just a little over 30 minutes. Did I make it in 30 minutes? No. Did I fail? No. Failing is when you don't even bother to try. I ran faster & longer today than I did yesterday...which was not at all. So today I broke through a "barrier" in my head as well as my legs, lungs, & back...and I won!

Christmas Trees...

When I was a child I couldn't wait to help put up our Christmas tree. As an adult my enthusiasm for the Christmas tree has diminished somewhat. Partly due to the commercialization of Christmas & the world trying to strip every "true" meaning right out of it & partly due to the work of actually putting one up & then spending lots of time & energy trying to keep my cats out of it.

I really like this devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah about Christmas trees & of course the Lutheran Christian in me is a little biased by it's references :o)

The Green Stuff: Christmas Trees

He came into the world…
Hebrews 10:5

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 10:5-10

In ancient Scandinavia, the evergreen tree was considered a symbol of life amid the bleak darkness of winter. Vikings reportedly cut down evergreens and brought them into their homes as a source of encouragement. In the 600s, Boniface, a British missionary, traveled across Europe using pines as object lessons of eternal life. Even the harsh winter couldn't kill them, said Boniface, who also used their triangular shapes to teach about the Trinity. For centuries afterward, people cut down trees and brought them indoors, creating a celebratory midwinter atmosphere. As an added benefit, the tree's fragrance provided a pleasing aroma during the confining months of winter.

According to tradition, it was Martin Luther who popularized trees as a Christmas symbol of the new life given us by the Christchild, and it was also Luther who wrote a carol that's been sung around Christmas trees for nearly 500 years: "From heaven above to earth I come, / To bear good news to every home."

May all the Christmas trees we encounter this year point our hearts upward toward our blessed Savior!

Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes! Who is it in yon manger lies? Who is this Child so young and fair? The blessed Christchild lieth there.
Martin Luther

We are sooooooo in trouble!!!

I don't want to compete with the previous video clip but I just had to share this. I took this clip the other day when Emily & Audrey was here. Lord, please help us! :o)

Phoebe's solo...

I apologize for you having to do the head tilt thing to watch this but I forgot to tell Bethany that it's very hard to change the direction on the movie files once they are recorded. This was from today at our Advent Tea at church. It was Phoebe's first solo in front of people.

Trust Issue...

Do you have a trust issue? I think all of us do at some point in our lives & some of us always seem to have a trust issue in varying degrees. When God says, "Trust me at all times" He really means it! :o) The following is a devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah which speaks of this topic.

3-Foot Fall
"Trust in Him at all times, you people." Psalm 62:8

Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 1:8-10

A construction worker was welding on top of a water tower outside Chicago when he unhooked his safety gear to reach for some pipes. At the same time, a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding he was on, sending him to the ground in a 110-foot fall where he landed on a pile of dirt. When the paramedics arrived and carried him off on a stretcher, he had one humorous request; "Don't drop me." *

Sometimes we are like that construction worker in our faith; trusting God to save us from the long fall of our sins, yet fretting over the three-foot falls of every-day details. It is easy to trust God with the big things we don't fully understand, but a lot of us have a difficult time putting our trust in Almighty God for the small and personal issues we deal with on a daily basis. The Bible tells us to trust God for everything because He knows our needs even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8).

If you haven't fully put your trust in the Lord, spend some time casting ALL your cares upon Him, for He knows you intimately, loves you perfectly, and is worthy of your trust in every situation.

"It is a glorious thing to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life. It is our glory to trust Him, no matter what." Joni Erickson Tada

Making Progress!!!

I'm so pumped!!! Phoebe got a check in the mail today for $50 toward her trip! Thank you Jesus! This now puts her at $695 of the $1400 she needs for her trip. And on top of that, even though I did not make it public that I also needed $1400 for my trip, I currently have half of that amount. Praise God! Thank you Lord for your generous blessings & provisions! And...Phoebe got her passport yesterday!!! We are really excited around here!!! Even Randy...because he gets the house to himself for a whole week while we're gone :o) Please continue to pray & thank God for providing the rest of the money that we need for this trip. Thank you!

Need I say more???

China, Haiti, it doesn't matter which country...the feelings & emotions are universal.

Thanksgiving Memories...