AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steffany called and they are here in AMERICA!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!! They were driving home from the airport with the babies. It is Diezel and Daizey's first time in car seats and they were doing well. Steffany has an appointment first thing tomorrow morning for them to be looked at. They have had pretty bad diarrhea for the past 36 hours. Their friend is with them, but pretty overwhelmed with everything that is happening. Please keep praying for them now as they start this new chapter in their family. I asked Stef how she was doing and she said, "I am completely relying on God for what going to happen next."

Non-Update...but A Call for Prayer

Ok...I haven't heard again from Steffany, but I wanted to come on to rally all of their prayer warriors to be praying tomorrow--Sunday. We saw the Lord manifest His Faithfulness in getting them released from Africa, now we have to pray them home!! Our work is not done!! They leave midafternoon our time, and the flight is around 16 hours long.

We know how weak and ill the children are. We know how exhausted Steffany and Adam are. We know the danger that the long flight poses to the children getting dehydrated. And I want to also ask you to pray for the friend they are bringing with them. She is ill and they are bringing her over to receive medical care. I can't wait for Steffany to share the story. She couldn't really tell me much over the phone, but I do know the friend is weak and ill. I can not tell you how moving it is to know that this family is willing to take her under their wings and provide her a chance at life. They did not turn and look the other way, but they are obeying the Lord! My heart has been heavy knowing that this woman will be leaving behind her family, her country, everything that is safe and familiar to her and boarding a plane for America. Please join me in praying for her as well. I do not know her name, but God does!

I have felt lead to fast and pray tomorrow for the lives of Diezel, Daizey,Steffany, Adam and their new friend. I will be fasting breakfast and lunch if you would like to join me, please do! We have seen the power in being a unified force for this family!

I feel we are a privileged group here...we are waiting and watching the Lord display Himself. He has lead each of us to this blog to follow their journey. He is asking us to be intercessors for them and to be ministered to in doing so. These are some moments in life that aren't forgotten! To God be the Glory for the great things He is doing! Amazingly below is the question of the week from gotquestions.org

"What is the power of prayer?" Answer: The power of prayer is the power of God, who answers prayer. Consider, 1) the Lord God Almighty can do all things; there is nothing impossible for Him (Luke 1:37). 2) The Lord God Almighty invites His people to pray to Him. Prayer to God should be made persistently (Luke 18:1), with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6), in faith (James 1:5), within the will of God (Matthew 6:10), for the glory of God (John 14:13-14), and from a heart right with God (James 5:16). 3) The Lord God Almighty hears the prayers of His children. He commands us to pray, and He promises to listen when we do. “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears” (Psalm 18:6).4) The Lord God Almighty answers prayer. “I call on you, O God, for you will answer me” (Psalm 17:6). “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17). Sometimes the Lord answers our prayers in spite of our own lack of faith. In Acts 12, the church prays for Peter’s release from prison (v5), and God answers their prayer (v7-11). Peter goes to the door of the prayer meeting and knocks, but those who are praying refuse at first to believe that it is really Peter. They prayed, but they failed to expect an answer to their prayer. The power of prayer does not flow from us—it is not special words we say or the special way we say them or even how often we say them. The power of prayer is not based on a certain direction we face or a certain position of our bodies. The power of prayer does not come from the use of artifacts or icons or candles or beads. The power of prayer is based on Who hears our prayer and answers it. Prayer places us in contact with the Almighty God, and we should expect almighty results. As Oswald Chambers put it, “What happens when saints pray is that the power of the almighty is brought to bear upon the one for whom they are praying." Amen

May tomorrow be a powerful day in your life with the Lord as you hold Daizey, Diezel, Steffany, Adam, and their precious friend up to Him! And may His Power be upon these precious people as we pray for them!

PRAISE JESUS--Update #4

YAY! Just got the phone call...They received Embassy APPROVAL...all three families are coming home with their new children! How Wonderful and Excellent is Our Lord God Almighty! One family is already on their way home, the other leaves tomorrow, and Steffany and Adam will be flying home with their twins on Sunday night. It will be Sunday afternoon our time.

Our next step of action as their faithful prayer warriors is---

*Pray for the health of Diezel and Daizey to endure this very long flight.
*Pray that right now as they begin preparing to come home that the Lord will strengthen the twins.
*Pray that they will not become dehydrated and be protected from any further illness.
*Stregnth for Adam and Steffany for this long flight, protection against illness, and rest before they leave.
*Pray for the siblings anxiously awaiting their arrival home(Jace, McKayley, Faith, and Lukas)may their hearts be prepared by the Lord as Diezel and Daizey join their family.


They will be bringing a friend home with them as well...so we need to pray for the lengthy flight for her as well. I told Stef how many people were up in the night praying for them and she couldn't believe it! She said, "That's so awesome!".

Thank you for being their intercessors and getting them through this appointment. Now we pray them home and to complete health! God has used them to do a mighty thing in bringing so many of us to our knees and to be truly interceding on their behalf. Just as He is revealing Himself to them half way across the world, He is revealing Himself to each of us as we have been seeking His heart on their behalf. Thank you doesn't seem to cover my gratitude for your prayers. I pray God blesses each of you and ministers to your hearts as you stand beside them watching the glory of God displayed in their adoption journey!

Update #3

I just got off the phone with Stef. She called with bad news. None of the families received their visas today at the Embassy appointment. It is 11pm there...they have been waiting all day to see what was going to happen. There is some mass confusion going on right now. They are going to try to go again tomorrow to the Embassy. They will go first thing in the morning (midnight central time). Stef and Adam will be asked some direct questions at this appointment. Please pray for the spirit of God to give them the correct answers for the authorities. Steffany was ill while we were on the phone. She has migraine so she took something to try to help it. It was making her dizzy and she thought she was going to throw up, so we ended the call quickly. Adam was out speaking with the lawyer and facilitator. There has been a lot of finger pointing which adds to the confusion, so he was trying to speak with them in the strength of the Lord.

It is crucial and urgent that we pray!!! They need to get this approval so they can bring the babies home to get on the path of healing.

I know you have been but please pray for--
* God to move in the hearts of the Embassy officials tomorrow (tonight our time).
*Pray for all of the necessary documents to be there.
*Pray for the Lord to push out all of the confusion.
*Pray for the Holy Spirit to flood them with the right words to answer the official's questions
*Together let's claim victory in Jesus Christ over the battle they are engaged in for the lives of Diezel and Daizey.
*Satan is mightily at work so together let's ask Jesus Christ to bind him from attacking them any further. We know that Our God is more Powerful and Reigns Supreme over any dart of evil that can be thrown at them.
*For Steffany's health
*For the Peace of Our Lord and Savior to prevail over all of the confusion, darkness, and anxiety
*These families are growing weary so please pray for the Lord to encourage their hearts in a mighty way.
*Continue praying for the state of health the babies are in

The Lord has called each one of us reading their blog to be warriors in prayer for these children and families. Together let's stand in the gap! I do not remember the names of the two other families that also need approval, but God does. If they can get approval tomorrow they will fly home on their original flight.

Again I ask you to leave them your comment so that their hearts may be ministered to seeing how many people are standing with them in prayer.

Update #2

Hey, Laura here with an update that we've all been desperately waiting for! I spoke with Stef again today...and I once again took notes so I could pass it all on to you with accuracy.

Her voice is weary and exhausted! She has had only approximately 10 hours of sleep in the last 6 days. You can imagine how extremely exhausted she is. Both babies were seen by a doctor but not admitted there.

Despite their lack of sleep I am happy to share with you all that Diezel has made an amazing turn around. She said, "he isn't even the same boy". He was put on an antibiotic and has been making steady improvements. He is now smiling at them and trying to stand up while holding onto something. Stef said, "he is eating like crazy now"...which is such a wonderful improvement. He absolutely ADORES his daddy, she said. He loves being in Adam's arms and doesn't want him to ever put him down.

Daizey however is not making the same type of improvements. She is still incredibly ill. She is very, very weak. The sores in her mouth are getting better, but she isn't eating much. She is only allowing Stef to hold her and will not allow Adam to come near her. She is still very fragile and very much in need of our prayers.

Their embassy appointment is tomorrow which will actually be the middle of the night for us. This is an issue that we need to cover in prayer in a desperate way. There is some great concern about this appointment. One of the issues is the condition in which Daizey is in...she needs to be well. There are two other families that will also be going to the embassy. Stef asked that we all really be praying for these appointments. There is a bit of confusion regarding what time it is at, they have been given a couple of different times. She said they will be getting everyone up early and going together. The two possible appointment times are 8am (which would be 12am central time) or 1pm (5am central time). I am giving you these times because it is crucial that we lift this up before the Lord. Please, please cover their appointment in prayer. There is a possibility that they may not be coming home alone, but this will need to be decided at the appointment. I will allow Stef to share all of the details upon her arrival home. They also can't wait to share all of their photos!

She was able to call their doctor back home to ask about the flight with the children. He explained that it will be critical that they do not get dehydrated on the flight. This is a very real threat to them. He wants them to pass urine a couple of times on the flight home. Depending upon how they do they will bring them to the ER upon arriving home if necessary. This is an area that we will also need to cry out to the Lord for. The Friday flight that they need to get on is pretty full, so we need to pray for the details of that as well.

Even though they are beyond exhausted, they are experiencing the most amazing works of the Lord. He is mightily at work and they are humbled to be joining Him in His work there. She is completely amazed at how beautiful and loving the Ethiopian people are to them. She will have numerous stories to share of the goodness of God on this trip, and I can't wait to read them all!

I shared with her how the Lord is doing a mighty work over here by using them to bring so many of us to our knees. We both began to cry as I shared with her how many brothers and sisters He has brought to their side to pray them through this. I told her that we will not give up praying! She is incredibly grateful and humbled by your prayers!

Let's join together as a unified force and storm the gates of heaven on their behalf! Here are the issues that we can be crying out to the Lord about--

*Daizey's health...she needs to be strong enough for the embassy appointment and the flight home.

*Praise Jesus for Diezel's improvement and prayer for continued strength to his body.

*For the grace of God to surround them at their Embassy appointment. For the authorities to find favor in them and approve everything as in needed for them to be free to travel home.

*For their new friends that they have made in Africa...may the Lord's will be done and may He work in a mighty way on their behalf.

*The details of catching the flight back to America.

*The extended amount of time that they will be on the airplane and the effect it will have on the children. Pray they do not get dehydrated and they will stay strong enough to make it all the way to their home town before needing to be admitted into a hospital.

*Steffany and Adam's exhaustion...may the Lord hold them close to His heart and give the rest and restoration they need. May their hearts be enveloped with His perfect peace regarding all of the details of coming home. For a hedge of protection to be around them so they do not become ill during all of this.

*Please also pray that the Lord will do a complete healing in the precious lives of Diezel and Daizey. May He heal their minds, bodies and souls...so they can proclaim the name of the Lord all the days of their lives for the miracles He is doing with them right now.

*Peaceful hearts for their wonderful brothers and sisters waiting at home. Strength for Adam's sister Leah as she cares for them.

*Pray for all of their hearts to be bonded together for all the days to come...And for the hearts of their amazing siblings waiting at home!! May they fully attach to each other and praise the Lord together forever.

Thank you for your continued prayers for this precious family! If you read this and are praying I humbly ask you to leave a quick comment. Even if you have never left a blog comment in your life. My heart's desire is for them to see what the Lord is doing in bringing brothers and sisters (complete strangers) from across this country to their sides during their time of need. Please let them know you are praying!

Update

Hi everyone, this is Laura, Stef's friend. I just got off the phone with her. She asked me to come on her blog and let everyone know how the babies are doing. I was taking notes as she was talking so I could keep it all straight. So here goes--

Diezel and Daizey would have died within about a week if they had not arrived there. Currently they are wearing newborn diapers which are too big on them. They could not sit up or even move their own bodies as of yesterday, but are making some improvements today. They are starting to move a little on their own today. Daizey is getting better but she has huge sores on the back of her head. They are big open wounds. Her entire mouth all the way down her throat is infected with green sores. She is only weighing about 7 or 8 pounds. Diezel weighs a tiny more at about 9 lbs. However he has terrible diarrhea right now (going every hour), and is not keeping anything in him. They are eating which is good, but not keeping much down. Adam and Steffany are going to be taking them to the hospital tomorrow. It was around 2am there, so in the morning their time they will take them to the hospital.

She said they look like any National Geographic photo we've seen of starving children in Africa...it breaks the heart. Adam and Steffany are holding up and so grateful that they are there in time to get them the help they need. Diezel has a sweet spirit and Daizey won't let Steffany put her down. She gives her a mad look if she tries to and moans/whimpers at Stef to pick her back up.

Their embassy appointment is on Thursday and Stef would like to try to fly out with them early on Friday if their bodies are strong enough to handle the flight. She'd like to get them home to get all the medical attention they need as soon as possible.

We only talked for a brief couple of minutes...she just wanted me to get this on the blog so everyone can be crying out to God for their babies. Please pray that they would continue to gain strength and keep food in their bodies. Pray that they will gain the strength necessary to make the flight to America. And if they are to come home early that all of the details will come together for that. Please also pray for Steffany and Adam's hearts as they care for their precious new babies. Each and every time the Holy Spirit brings them to our minds let's stop what we are doing and pray for them...day and night. Let's keep them completely covered in prayer and wait expectantly for the Lord to work in miraculous ways in the precious little lives of Diezel and Daizey. Thank you for joining together in prayer on their behalf!

Not This Time.

So much has happened today. I woke up today counting down the sleeps until I leave for Africa. It went from 3 more sleeps to 1/2 day in the matter of an hour. I got a call from Ethiopia this morning. I knew in my heart something was wrong. The babies are sick, really sick. As I was praying about what to do a package came. Inside was Marion and Emmanuel's photo albums. (Marion was our baby girl in Liberia who passed away before we could bring her home) Addy's Hope mailed them back with our old dossier. Why Lord? Why did I get these now? It was then that I knew God's direction.
What a gift those albums were to me. So clear. The answer staring right at me. As I looked into Marion and Emmanuel's eyes everything inside of me screamed, "NOT THIS TIME."
I remember getting the call that Marion was sick. I remember the helpless feeling. I'm here she's there. I didn't have a passport, they weren't even legally ours yet. But yet, I was her mommy and she was alone.
But not this time. I will be there. I will be by my babies side. They will not be alone. I have my passport, they are my babies and I am their mommy.
So I leave tomorrow.

In His Peace,
Steffany

Counting Down.....

This was a comment left by my man on the last post. I think it deserves it's own post. Don't you?


Next week tune into the wild quest of Adventure Man & Woman!

Oh yes and their 4 sidekicks soon growing to 6, Noo Noo the caped crusader, The Jokester, Cat Girl, Froo Fighter, and the new addition to the squad, The Wonder Twins!

Quick Adventure Woman, to the extended and upgraded econoline Adventure Bus!!

Up up and away we go!

Be Still

I'm feeling better today. Thanks for all your prayers. I truly never experienced anything like that. I'm still in pain but not nearly as bad. It was weird it didn't itch at all, it just felt like thousands of red fire ants were biting me all over my body every second. It was excruciating. I cried for about 8 hours straight. I'm normally a really tough girl. Okay enough of my pity party, I'm moving on.

We got our Visas to go to Ethiopia two days ago. That was exciting. We purchased our tickets two days ago as well. I was continuing to cross things off my list to do before we go and it felt good. I feel like I came to a stand still though yesterday. And then today our agency called to say the courts lost our adoption decree so we could either keep our original tickets flying out March 22nd and return March 31 in hopes all the paperwork comes together or change it all together and stay until April 6th. I would love to stay longer of course, but I need to think about our kids at home. That's 16 days without mom and dad. Under normal circumstances I don't think it would be a problem, but their dad has been gone already for the greater part of 5 months. I know they'll be well cared for when we're gone. The plan is the first 3-4 days they will stay at Grandma and grandpa's house. Then Aunt Leah will fly from Texas to do an amazing job for 7 days and finally Cousin Candace graciously offered to drive two days from Texas with her two year old daughter to stay until we get back. We are so blessed to have them all. So by the time we get back Adam will be able to stay home for a week before he fly's back to Los Angeles. I have been working incredibly hard on not focusing too much on the details of it all, but to take each day as it comes. It kind of makes me thankful that I have suffered these past two days with the full body rash ( I do mean full body, like everywhere:) It made me slow down and focus on the moment. I think sometimes I get so obsessed with the next moment, the next step, the next detail that I blow past right now and right here. I meditated on BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. So as of right now the plan is we are still leaving in 7 days!!!! and we will either be home on March 31st or April 6th.

Yikes!

After not sleeping at all and having the feeling like 1000's of needles were stabbing me and the rash spreading over ALL my body including my face and in my ears, I ended up at the doctors. So what is it? A severe allergic reaction to the sulfa in my antibiotic. I am miserable beyond expression. I look scary and I'm exhausted, but it will not keep me down. I'm going to Africa in 8 days!!!!.

2 Corinthians 1:4

who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Introducing.........

We Passed!!!!!!!!!! They are officially part of the Boster family. We leave March 22nd. On March 23rd they will be in our arms. Thank you everyone for your prayers. Now if I can only settle on a girl's name......






We are beyond excited to introduce two new Bosters. Many of you have followed our adoption journey over the last 14 months. You prayed for us and encouraged us when God took us down different paths. From the death of our baby in Liberia, the failed domestic adoption and now to Ethiopia, you were there. Thank you. We feel so blessed to be able to call you friends and family.

Adam and I fly to Ethiopia on March 22nd to hold our babies in our arms. Words cannot begin to express the deep gratitude and praise that is over flowing from my heart. Our family will forever be changed and so will the lives of the twins. We are the lucky ones, We are the blessed ones. We are the ones that will get to hear them say,"mommy and daddy I love you". How awesome. How incredible. How humbling.

When we leave for Ethiopia I'm hoping to take donations with me. My original plan was to take a suitcase full of stuff, but then I thought what would be more beneficial- A suitcase filled with stuff that might or might not be needed or money to buy things there. This would be double the benefit. It would support their economy. Many times I feel a desire to help but am unsure if it's legitimate or how much of my money will actually go to the cause.
That is why I'm so excited to actually see first hand where the money goes. Adam and I plan on spending a few days when we are in Ethiopia getting the money/supplies into the hands of the people. If you feel like you want to help, please let us know. Forty cents provides aids medicine for one person. Imagine what $1000 could do. We are already half way to our goal. Thanks Mom and Dad!

We love you all. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we walk forward in faith into the next chapter of our lives.



Blessings,
The Boster Family

News

Nothing to report yet. It is now 5:45 pm in Ethiopia. Still waiting.

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for that which we don't see, we wait for it with patience.

How Can You Tell?

How can you tell if you're feeling emotional?

You cry during family movie night watching Firehouse Dog.

2 Sleeps left

My kids find it easier to count how many days until something happens by sleeps. Two more sleeps or bedtimes until court!

Ethiopia is 9 hours ahead. So by the time I'm up and moving Monday morning, I will know something.

Psalm 37:5-6

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

What Does This Mean?????

I was driving this morning listening to praise music. When I was sitting at a red light , a man in another car was trying to get my attention. I thought maybe he wanted to tell me my tire was low. But NO. He told me and I quote, "Driving like a little huddsy is not attractive to you."
Okay, what in the world is a huddsy? What does this mean?

My first thought was maybe God was using him to bring my bad driving habits to my attention. I didn't know I had any, but you don't know what you don't know.

OR

Maybe he's an idiot and I'm over thinking this way too much.

BTW- this "huddsy" driver has not had a ticket in over 10 years.

This morning did bring up a good point. How many other areas of my life do I need to work on that I'm totally unaware of. What unexposed sins do I have buried? So, whether I'm a "huddsy driver" or not. I am thankful the driver felt compelled to tell me. My prayer today is for the Lord to open the eyes of heart and lead me to recognition and confession of any and all sin I hold in my heart.

Could it Be...

Well, I think my daughters name is going to have to wait until after I meet her. I have a couple of ideas. Thank you everyone from the borderline absurd, incredibly beautiful to the totally unique names you gave me. I loved it!

So much is going on right now. Yesterday at church I became so overwhelmed with emotion during worship that I stood there with tears streaming down my face. I stood in total worship of my creator. I was overcome with joy, and humility. Who am I that God should call me to be mommy to the twins? Many people feel the twins are the lucky ones. If they were "lucky" they would be raised and cared for by their birth family in their country. I am the lucky one. I get to be the mommy to two of God's children. He has entrusted me. I get to be there for them when they learn to talk, tie their shoes, ride a bike, loose a tooth, comfort them when they're hurt, watch them grow into beautiful people and hear them say, "I love you mommy". Wow. Wow. Wow.

I think it finally hit me this past week. We have been in the "waiting" stage forever. Waiting for paperwork, waiting for a referral, waiting to bring kids home, waiting for a new referral, waiting for new paperwork, waiting for a referral. I got really good at waiting, so good that I never planned for this stage. The stage of actually traveling. WAHOOOOo.

Next Monday is our court day. Next Monday is when they officially become a Boster. Then only 13 more days until we are on a plane.

Could it be? Is our waiting actually over?.....

Pinky Promise

I promise I'm not holding out on you all. I still don't know what to name my daughter yet. You know when a name just "clicks". You're like that's it! Well, it hasn't happened yet. I felt close a few times, but then NOTHING. A couple of weeks ago Faith woke up and told me her baby sisters name will be "Addelyn". I like it, I really do. It just hasn't completely clicked yet. So, the problem I'm having is every other name I come up with, my two teamed up daughters quickly make a face and say, "yuck!, No mom her name is Addelyn".

Here are names I came up with but have been rejected by ALL immediate family members:
Willow
Azlynn
Adia
Sevyn
Aubeny

I'm still trying to ask him about all the names that everyone came up with today. So far he liked:

Emy
Avalyn
maybe Azaria. At first he said it sounded like a name from a Conan the Barbarian show. After I told him the meaning he liked it better.
Reese
maybe Daizey

The absolutely no ways were:
Penelope

All the other names were either not mentioned due to time or bad cellphone signal. I'll give you an update tomorrow on all of the other names that were so graciously bestowed upon my comment box.

Thanks everyone. You made my day!

Enough!

Okay! I'm putting an end to this right now:)

He will be called:
Christopher Diezel Eddison Boster! That's right! We will call him Diezel.

Now moving on to my little girl.

Any ideas?

Naming Tradition

Thanks for all the wonderful name suggestions. I was amazed at how many were ones we thought of too. I forgot to mention a couple of things about how we name our kids.
1. We call them by their middle names.
2. All of the boys have Christopher as their first name.
3. They all have a first, middle, another middle and finally a last.

If you want to know why we do this, may I suggest you leave a comment addressed to my dear husband Adam. This naming tradition was started by him:)

So, in our family we have:
Christoper Adam (my dear hubby)
Christopher Jace Isaiah
Rebecca McKayley Lena
Gwendolyn Faith Leytte
Christopher Lukas Lee

With that said
Do you have other ideas?

Names

We were planning on keeping the twins names. Their names are a part of who they are. With that said though... We weren't planning on their names meaning, "My servant" and "God of darkness".
I know their parents did not give them those names knowing what they meant. For instance, I never knew my son Lukas' name meant man from Lucianna?! And McKayley? well we made it up so I don't think it has a meaning. But I still can't bring myself to keep their names knowing what they mean. It would be um..wrong to have an African child that is called, "My servant" you know what I mean.

Let the naming begin. We have a few ideas But I would love to hear more. Do you have any names that come to mind for a gorgeous 22 month old girl and her beyond handsome twin brother?

I need your suggestions!!!!

Just Breathe

Our court date is March 10th and our Visa appt most likely will be March 27th!

Translation:

WE. ARE. GOING. TO. ETHIOPIA!!!!!!!!!!

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Lesson Learned

Never buy clothes for your adopted children based on age and size estimation by looking at a photo.
I scored last month at Old Navy and thought I had the twins covered. I bought based on the photo and thinking a little smaller than average. They will be two in May. So, I bought 18-24 months and a little 12-18 months. I found out on Tues. that they are 15.5 Ibs. and 16.5 Ibs and 26.8 inches tall.
That is 6-12 months!
Guess what I did yesterday? I went shopping. My hubby asked why I'm not waiting until March when we bring them home. My answer? Isn't obvious? The sales rock right now! 80% off! Not to mention that most warm clothes will be off the shelves in March and only spring clothes will be available and it will still be cold here in the Midwest .

De-Caped

This is what a super hero looks like after they have been de-caped. Nu-Nu has worn only Superman, Batman and Spiderman pj's all day everyday for weeks. I thought it might be time for his secret identity to be unmasked.

What a Day!

I started today feeling really down. I hadn't heard about the twins. Every week it seemed like I was told next week we'll have their information. Granted, it's only been a little over a month since we found out about them. I really should keep this in perspective but it's really hard when it's been almost 14 months since we began actively pursuing adoption. 14 months! 5 kids we fell in love with and we were sure they were meant to be with us. So given that. It sometimes is hard to keep things in perspective. I think in the back of my mind I keep looking for something to go wrong with the twins adoption. Stupid. I know. But honest. Two weekends ago we thought God had other plans and we accepted that they were not meant to be ours. We spent the whole weekend making peace with it. Only to find out that things changed again and we (God willing) are going to be their family.
There is so much I want to share with you all and I will when they are at home with us. God is so good. And our agency has been terrific.
The most part of today was spent nursing sick kids and wondering if I would hear about the twins.
Again God is so good! Just when I gave up, I got an email. We got a new picture of our babies. After calling my hubby and Leah, I fell on my knees. They need a mommy so bad! The picture ripped me in two. I finally felt it. The mommy in me kicked in full force. The first picture I got a month ago I felt love, but this one I fell head over heels in love.
After taking another one of my kids to the doctor today, I came home and quickly finished the pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. Thank goodness because now my temp. is rising and the chills are coming on. Adam is home for the week. So, after dinner I'm off to bed.

Cozy

So here we are all cozy in our house. Adam is home . Everyone is feeling a little under the weather. We have the fire going and the chili cooking. It is a cold winter day. The kind of day you just want to stay indoors. Except today is Sunday, the day we have our skateboard outreach at our house. Attendance has been slim to say the least. We were certain only the usual couple of people would come, but no. Not today. The one day we were feeling all cozy or preoccupied with our desires, He brings them out from nowhere. Lots of kids and parents! My first thought was,"oh man there goes our quiet afternoon." Then God quickly reminded me why we are doing this. He did not call us to a life of "cozy" but a life surrendered. Surrendered of our desires and our will. Surrendered at His feet for His purpose. So, bring on the skateboarding kids!

A Love Worth Fighting For

It was 15 years ago today that I finally quit running away. 15 years ago today Adam took a huge chance and asked me to be his wife. He asked knowing I wasn't a Christian. He asked knowing my whole past. He asked knowing the chance was really high that I might run away one day. And Yet He asked. I can only imagine the amount of faith and imagination that took. The imagination to see me how God did and the faith to believe that one day I would become how God saw me. I remember the day he asked me so well. He was acting strange all day. I remember thinking to myself, "Oh please let it NOT be that he's going to propose." I knew if he asked me I would say, "yes." I would say, "yes" because I wouldn't want to break his heart. But I also knew if I said, "yes" that meant the life I knew, the one thing that brought me comfort, the one that let me run away from any situation that asked of me what I was unwilling, or too scared to deal with would be gone. I didn't have God to turn to, so I would run. And I would run far. But I knew that Adam was saving himself, his heart, his body, his life for ONE person. I felt stuck. Unwilling to break his heart upon proposal and scared of breaking his heart in the future. I look back now and realize we were both terrified. He took me to the beach and we stood in the ocean. He looked at me, he was shaking, he was crying, he was laying his heart on my sleeve. He placed a rather large and awkward ring on my finger ( it was his grandfather's class ring that had green yarn wrapped around the back so it would fit on my finger). As he stood there in front of me trembling, strong, courageous, and in love, I knew at that moment that I would fight with everything I had and everything I had yet to know. I would fight myself everyday, every minute and every second. I would fight with all the love I had to become that woman he saw in me.
Adam, my love, my knight. You are my hero. As cliche as that has become, it is true. You rescued me from myself and led me gently to our savior's feet. Through your love and guidance I am closer to becoming the woman God made me to be. Thank you for taking that chance on me 15 years ago. You are my man of Steel and Velvet. You are my one true love story.

What Would You Do?

Here's the scenario:

Your husband is home for the weekend.
You plan a romantic evening.
You get dressed in what you wore your wedding night.
As you're taken back by the fact it actually fits after13+ years,
You lean over to light the candles

AND

POOF, your hair goes up in flames!

What do you do? What do you do?
1. Cry?
2. Laugh?
3. Blog about it?

or
4. After you stop crying from the initial shock, you laugh at how bad it smells, and then think about how to make it into a blog that is still G rated.


Yes, this really happened.

You Know You're an Adoptive Parent or Should Be One If...

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.

2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.

3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.

4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.

5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.

6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.

7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)

8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.

9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.

10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.

11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.

12. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!

13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.

14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.

Author Unknown

I stole this from from Jana who stole it from Lisa and Shawn's Blog

Picking and Singing

I think he's going to be a Rockstar! He does his mama proud:)

I Must Be Crazy!

Do you remember how I posted last week about 8 things. One of my 8 things to do before I die was to run a marathon. Well I just registered to run a half marathon (13+ miles) in Orlando with Brandi.
Did I mention I loathe running? and I'm totally out of shape? And will be over 35 when the marathon happens? But I figure if I don't do this now (Jan 09) then the I probably never will.

I think I'm just as excited to meet Brandi as I am about the marathon. The last time I ran a mile I puked.

So Bring on the puke buckets and play me some Rocky. I start training tomorrow.