Merry Christmas 2010!!

Time goes too fast

December is quickly slipping away! The weather has been cold, we've had the first snow, attended two Christmas programs, and had two of Jada's birthday parties. Time for a blog post.

Every year it snows during our school Christmas program. This year was the earliest we've had the program and I sure didn't think it'd be snowing on Nov. 30. But, it did! The kids loved it! It takes quite a while to get everyone bundled up to go out, but it sure doesn't take long for the first one to say he's cold. : ) Notice one boy isn't too happy.

Jada saw the boys catching snow and followed right along. She will try/do anything she sees her brothers doing.

And off to the program for Quinn.

Jada enjoying the music. This girl's got rhythym.

Kade's turn. Yes, the pictures are always terrible at these things, but at least we have it documented. :)

The first of 3 parties for Jada's birthday. (That's what happens when your family is spread out.) She was loving her turn at the candles and presents. We got it on video but I can't get it to post. She blew out the candles so fast we lit them again. She started laughing at herself having so much fun and couldn't blow them out again b/c she was laughing. Too cute!

Second party. Again, good video, but can't post it. Here's a pic of the cupcakes. They turned out okay. The picture always looks so good and so easy. These little crowns (made out of laffy taffy) were harder than they appeared!

And Jada got her first American Girl Doll. I've always thought these were overpriced, but this is the Bitty Baby and it really is just so cute. Jada is loving it.

And lastly, I have to show this that I saw on a friends blog. This is an Ethiopian Doll from Target. So cute! Part of the proceeds from the doll goes to World Vision to help girls in Ethiopia! How cool is that?! Thinking Jada might need another doll. ;) Here's the link to buy one yourself.

Sharing God's Heart

This weekend we had the opportunity to spend some time with these great friends.

Three families and 11 kids. An evening God had planned long ago.
What an amazing night. We sat around and shared what God has done in our lives over the past couple years. And it was big. God is big. He is alive and His Spirit is still empowering His people to bring glory to Himself. God doesn't need us, but we are blessed big time when He chooses to use us. I witnessed that again on Sat. night. I love hearing how God can work in each heart so differently and how He reveals himself to us. So thankful for these families!

Finding Pleasure

“If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
C.S. Lewis

I ran across this quote tonight while doing a Bible study. It really struck me. The world makes it so easy to find fulfillment. C.S. Lewis offered sex, ambition, and drinking. Those are still true today but I would add, entertainment, sports, shopping, food, etc, etc. THINGS are so easy to come by. They might offer fulfillment for a while, until they're gone and we're longing for more. I don't want to be easily pleased. I want God to increase my desire for pleasure. Real pleasure that is eternal and won't fade. Real pleasure that offers TOTAL SATISFACTION. Jesus Christ is the only one that guarantees.

John 6:35 I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Gotta love October

Fall is here. I love it. One day it's warm and sunny, still feeling like summer won't ever leave. The next day we're pulling out the long sleeves and coats.

This is one of those nice sunny days. Really not warm enough for swim trunks and water balloons, but of course my boys thought so.

Ready for launching.
After getting wet, I think Cole agrees with Mom. It's not so warm and this isn't so fun anymore.

And here's one of those cooler days. The boys were excited to rake leaves from our tree in the backyard.

They convince Jada that it's fun to get in the leaf pile and play while they throw leaves.

Up they go and down they come.....
...all on Jada's head! She doesn't like this game anymore.

And I don't either. Do you know how long it took me to get all those little pieces of leaves out of her hair? Quinn's trying to "dust" her off, but those leaves are going nowhere. Those darling little curls hold everything!

Happy October!

Girls are fun...and a challenge

This little girl loves her some accessories. Everyone asks how she gets along with four older brothers. I always say she is perfect! (Almost like God knew or something.) She can definitely hold her own, she is loud and roudy, loves balls and trucks, and wrestling on the floor. But, I've been noticing more and more her little girl side. And I'm lovin' it!

Shoes!

Bracelets! (And yes, she's learned how to "say cheese")


Necklaces!

What I love is that she doesn't just put them on to play. She puts them on to wear like part of her outfit. She goes about her day being the little diva with jewels.

Oh, and if she can't find a necklace, don't worry she just makes one. This is a slinky wrapped around her neck! Yes, I left it on long enough to get a picture and then quickly removed it. Safe, no. Cute, yes.

And hairbows. She can now say "bow" and tries to put them in herself.


Yesterday she said her first two word sentence. "Mommy's car". Very appropriate for a car dealer's daughter, don't ya think?

So fun, so full of life, and so ornery!!! She is into everything, but we won't talk about that right now. :) On to something more important.

Orphan Sunday is one month away. Have you heard of it? It's a day dedicated to raise awareness for the 147 million orphans worldwide. Please click here to read/learn more about it. Will you please say a prayer and spread the word on November 7th?

I'm going to step out of my comfort zone here and probably step on some toes. I want to challenge everyone who reads this to pray about adoption. Committ to praying for a week or a month, whatever. Ask God if He can use you in an orphan's life. James 1:27 and several other passages all throughout the old and new testament talk about caring for the fatherless. I don't think that just means adoption, and I don't think you have to adopt to be obedient to those passages! I'm just reflecting on my own life a little and thinking about Orphan Sunday and orphan awareness. I did not understand God's heart for the orphan or see it as something important in my own life until God revealed it. I wish I had learned sooner. I don't know who all reads this but I do know a lot of friends have already asked this question and God has been faithful. Some have adopted and some have not. You all were way ahead of me. :)

Not sure how to close, other than thanks for still reading. :) My desire is not to turn this blog into an adoption soapbox, but more a place where I share the change God has brought in my life because of adoption.

The ripple effect

A couple weeks ago my boys and the neighbor girls wanted to have a garage sale. They were scrounging around the house trying to find something, anything to sell.

They finally decided on some carmels (that I was saving to make carmel apples), parade candy from our local festival, and some rocks from their rock collection. Highly valued stuff here! And the prices were good.

All set up, just waiting on that first customer.

Stalking anyone who walked, drove, or bicycled by.

And would you believe they made $11?!

I was shaking my head at the irony of it all. My kids in America can make 11 dollars in a short time off left over candy so they can go buy something they don't need at Walmart. Meanwhile, people in third world countries are living on the streets starving to death, begging for scraps, and digging through the city dump just trying to survive.

I was sad and disgusted really. Life just isn't fair. But all glory goes to God! As my boys brought their money in, they asked me to send it to Ethiopia! I asked about the neighbor girls and said maybe we should give them 1/2 of the money first. But, they said they already talked to the girls and they wanted to help too.

One adoption, but numerous lives changed! Our four little boys are taking the message and living it out. Praise God.

And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God!
Philippians 1

One year ago

August 31, 2009. We were in Ethiopia, meeting our daughter for the very first time. She was 9 months old. I had only seen her in pictures. I wondered what she would feel like in my arms. I wondered what she did all day. I wondered what temperment she had. I wondered if she would strange with us. I wondered what the rest of our lives would look like with her.

It had been nearly two years since God first began to burden my heart for the orphan. I was reasonably comfortable. We had four biological boys. Life was as easy as it could be w/ four little boys. :) My husband had a good job. We lived in a nice town. Etc, etc. God said I have more for you. God said I want you to adopt. I struggled and prayed "are you serious?" for about 5 months. Then in April 2008, we said yes. Yes to God's plan for our lives, not our own. Yes to adoption. Yes to a new world of people and places. And yes to maybe something not so comfortable.

One year ago today Jada Eyerusalem was placed in my arms.

What a moment of pure joy. The wait was over. She was beautiful and I was already in love. We were familiy forever.

She spent the first 9 months of her life in an orphange. I will forever be sad that I missed out on that time in her life.

But forever grateful for the staff that loved her and for God who had plans to prosper her and not to harm her.

Today her life looks much different. She has everything she needs.

She is an official, official (last piece of paper in this long adoption process!) US Citizen. She will have opportunites that most of the world never has.

She has four older brothers who think she is just about the greatest thing ever.

And she has a family. A mom and dad. A place where she is always safe and loved.

So, it seems that she is blessed. She was an orphan but has been adopted as our daughter. She had nothing to call her own, but now has everything that is ours. Lucky? NOT AT ALL. Chosen by God. Blessed because she is a daughter of the King, not because of anything we have done. We have learned that we are the ones who are blessed to have her. God has used her adoption to grow us. I can't think of anything else that mirrors God's love or the message of the Gospel like adoption. Grateful more than ever for being adopted into God's family and for my family. We love you Jada!! You help make us better!

Soles for Jesus

Hi! We're Carson and Quinn and we need your help! One year ago our family adopted a little girl from Ethiopia. Now, we want to help the people from Ethiopia.

In Africa, kids (and adults) walk everywhere and don't have shoes. Soles for Jesus is a company that collects shoes and ships them to Ethiopia. So, we are working with them and having a shoe drive! We want to collect new and gently used shoes sizes toddler to adult. We'd love for you to bring shoes that you don't wear anymore or buy new shoes and drop them off on our front porch. We will have a box sitting there for three weeks (until Sept. 2nd). If you want you can write a note and stick it in the shoes. Whoever receives your shoes will get to read your note.

Thanks for helping bring shoes to people who don't have any. Please go here to learn more about how they got started.

Love knows no color

Yesterday we had the family over for birthdays, swimming, and supper. As we were all sitting around talking, my sister in law told us about an encounter she had at Walmart recently. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night (hence the blog post). Basically, someone stopped her as she was entering Walmart with her kids and chewed her out. This lady said that she (my sister in law) had no business adopting two black children. I was shocked as I listened. I was glad it was her and not me (she handled it very well and I don't like confrontation). And then as I pondered it more last night I was getting upset.

This is obviously something we thought about before deciding to adopt from Ethiopia. Our daughter would look different than us and we live in a predominately white community. This is something we tried to prepare for (as much as you can). But this type of confrontation is something I hoped wouldn't happen.

Did you know that there are roughly 5 million orphans in Ethiopia??? That is only one country in the whole continent of Africa! These kids need a home, white or black it doesn't matter. They are children and deserve a family and love.

Jada is completely a part of our family. For a while I wondered if she had properly bonded. (This is a big deal if you talk to any adoptive parents). I have no doubt now. She is just one of us. We all love her, and at the same time get frustrated with her. We rejoice over her achievements and mourn over her losses. She is the princess of the house and yet just "one of the boys". We laugh at her and with her and can't imagine our lives without her. I have no doubt that she was meant to be a part of our family. We aren't the perfect family. We make mistakes. We will make mistakes in parenting her. We will teach her about Ethiopia and make her proud of her heritage, but she will be American. We will love her, respect her, discipline her, give her a safe place to come home to, and teach her about Jesus. These are the most important things. Maybe there are things that we won't do as well as someone of her race could do. But when you wash away all the unimportant things, there's no difference.

God has blessed me. Tremendously. I was raised with two parents who loved me and each other. They took me to church every week. I had lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I always had food to eat, clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in, an education and on and on and on. I've been reading Radical by David Platt (post on this coming later....amazing book!!). One statement really jumped out at me. He says that we are blessed for God's glory. In other words, the blessings that God gives to me should be given back to bring him glory. That is why we adopted. He asked. We had to say yes. He said Ethiopia. We said okay. God gets all the glory. It bothers me when people say "you are so good" or "wow, she is really lucky". It's not about either of those things. God gave to us so we could give back to Him. As Christians we should be changing the world, bringing glory to God. He deserves it, we don't.

Adoption isn't easy. Sure, sometimes things go smoothly, but Satan will always try to destroy what is good. This little encounter was a bump in the road. But, I think God has used it for good (at least in my life, maybe not my sister in law's!) :) I am reminded of all I've been given. I've been reminded of all God asks of me. And I'm reminded that Jesus said life would be hard. He said we would be persecuted and hated for His sake. He said anyone who doesn't give up everything cannot be His disciple. He didn't mince words. But God is also love. He became man to die for me. He said do not be afraid of the world for I have overcome it.

Thankful to be adopted into God's family and thankful for how God has changed me through our adoption!

It doesn't get much better

Just got home from our summer vacation. The first half was with Bart's extended family, the Rinkys. Always a great time, lots of laughs and good memories. (Pics coming soon.)

After spending 2 days w/ the Rinks we headed down to Lake Cumberland with my parents. One of my favorite places. I love a lake vacation. Love it. Love it. Love it. It was fun to see my kids enjoy it too. They all did great.




We did a lot of this...
skiing! My dad at 62. He still has it. :)












And this...
swimming! The water was like bath water.















Kade and Quinn loved driving the boat.

Jada thought she'd give it a try too.

My mom helped Carson learn to ski. She's a great teacher.

I couldn't believe how good the kids did in the boat all day. We left the cabin around 9:30 each morning and came back around 6. A long day.
After fighting to stay awake and not miss any fun, Jada finally fell asleep.










She woke up and was ready to go again. She even tubed with Bart. No, the boat's not going now. :) She's just playing.

Cole missed his naps too, but did great. After numerous statements about wanting to learn to ski this year, he decided to stick to swimming and tubing. :)

Carson, Quinn, and Kade tubed and tubed. I got in on the fun too.

I love a lake vacation, especially here. It's usually warm, always good skiing water, great memories of years past, good family together time...and on and on. What I didn't like was the ants we found in our room! I had five suitcases, a bag of dirty laundry, and snack bags (just imagine packing for 7 people for a week) sitting in our room where we discovered ants! Gross. So, this was the scene from our back yard after arriving home.

We took all the bags outside and emptied them out. I carried one load of laundry in at a time to wash. Thankfully I don't think we brought too many ants home with us. Just good memories of a great family vacation!