My boys playing in the snow! We live on a wonderful sledding hill too. We had our first white Christmas, it was perfect!

Snow days and time to ponder life...

We are in day #3 of "Snow days"! In the Pacific NW, that is pretty rare. In our family it is great fun because we're both educators and it means we all three get to stay home and play in the snow! We've had these insane cold temperatures, 20 and even lower which is also unusual! Right now we have about 5 inches of beautiful white snow and a high of 22 today. Brrrr....thus I am enjoying the fire and catching up on my favorite blogs. My Bug has some sort of kid crud and is stuffy and coughing so he is inside too.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein

I found this quote on a blog I enjoy reading and it really summed up a lot of what I have been pondering lately. I have various friends and loved ones who have weathered some amazing storms this year, losing babies, sick children and spouses, health issues. I pray for them and with them, asking for God's healing touch. The results are good and bad and can only been seen through my human filter, left wondering why some prayers seem to be answered and others feel unheard. This quote helps me to remember that God is bigger than any of these needs and His timing and will are not always to be understood by me. Miracles cannot be custom ordered. Outcomes can only be viewed from our earthly perspective, God has the whole picture in His will. This is so convicting to me to be thankful in all things and wait upon the Lord as I overcome my impatience.

Miracles are a part of me. I was healed of cancer in my adolescence. I grew up to marry my amazing best friend and have a beautiful, healthy, perfect baby boy in spite of doctor's insistence that it couldn't happen. I am being healed of a heart condition that developed from that pregnancy or maybe the chemo in my younger years. The price of course is no more miracle babies, at least not biologically. Geez, who am I to ask for more at this point? What is the quota on miracles? God has been so good to me, faithful beyond compare. I am forever thankful when I sit here in the warmth of my home and look at my sweet hubby and Bug all cuddled at my side holding his kitty.

The epiphany I have come to and wanted to share is that God is answering our prayers every single day. All of these needs we bring to Him matter. We just have to learn to look beyond our own earthly limitations and strive to see the bigger picture. As this year wraps up I have seen miracles performed all around me, babies saved and healed...Mamas rejoicing. On the other hand, I have seen my uncle pass suddenly leaving his soulmate alone for the holidays, a son taken unexpectedly from my best friend last January. My siblings losing sight of their faith, getting mired in the world. The election...Lord help me to see You in these situations, help me to pray without ceasing knowing Your ways are bigger and better. Help me to be faithful to intercede and lift these every day.

Back to the snow and my wonderful little family...my favorite miracle!

Rebel For a Cause!

If you haven't heard about "McMama", you have to go check her out! There is also a great raffle opportunity for a sweet camera package and it benefits 3 great causes. Please check it out! Press the camera button on your right and take a minute to read about the raffle and about the amazing things God has done in the life of a precious new baby boy and his family.

Some pages from our photo profile for a birthmom...

Random ponderings

I am sitting here waiting for CB who is a saint...out helping my parents move into their new home! It has been a crazily busy week and it is only Tuesday. Bug and I were on our own this evening. We made pizza and oatmeal cookies. No worries, we worked in a spinach salad too! Bug cried himself to sleep, trying to hide the tears from me missing his daddy. He's such a little man. CB left for work at 6:15 and neither of us have seen him today. I should be doing report cards, but I am instead adding new backgrounds to my blog and pondering life!

I woke up this morning with a really unsettled feeling. I had this concern about a heart, perhaps a heart attack. I prayed for my parents knowing they would be moving today and hoping they wouldn't over do it until we got off work to help. No sooner had I prayed that prayer and the phone rang. My mom called to tell me that my Uncle had suffered a ruptured heart valve while hiking in the Sierras. He's in critical condition and they are trying hard to stabilize him for surgery. Funny how these things come to mind when God is there. My Uncle is not a believer. Even so, God is watching over him and his family.

I did say random...our adoption files are complete. Even our photo profile is signed and sealed. Now to wait and wonder and answer endless questions as people mean well. I saw a shirt the other day that said, "We're adding to our family through adoption...no, we haven't heard anything yet!" Might not be a bad idea. The annoying thing is they always apologize as they ask! No reason to apologize, we're as impatient and out of control as they are. At this point spring would be ideal since I will have to take unpaid time away from school. No adoption benefits in our district...to say the least!

I'd better return to my Thanksgiving recipes and shopping list. Waiting for my honey and looking in on my sweet Bug...

Happy 5th Birthday to my Bug!

My son, my beloved miracle child turned 5 today. I am not sure where time has gone. Today we went on a Kindergarten field trip with Bug, both of us enjoying a rare "sick" day together. It was to a Pioneer Farm up near the mountain. It was raining sideways...all day! We coffee'd up and donned our best rain gear. The tour was a lot of fun, Bug loved every minute and every experience. He got to milk a real cow, pet a pig "Bacon Bits", and collect eggs from the hen house. There were pioneer chores, a Blacksmith shop and even some time practicing in a real Pioneer school house it was great. The whole time slogging through the mud and trying to convince 15 Kindergartners to "try" to stay dry! ( As IF that was possible!) CB and I could only marvel at how our son has grown and how he savors knowledge. He was mesmerized at every experience eagerly listening. On the way home he told us it was in fact the best field trip he's ever been on!
We dropped him back at school and went to lunch by ourselves. Of course we ended up reminiscing about the past 5 years and marveling at God's gift to us. This will be a big year with our anticipated addition arriving sometime along the way. We prepared a Gingerbread cake and Chicken Marsala with fresh french bread...at Bug's request of course! We even added some Gelato and enjoyed our family celebration. He eagerly opened his presents and was most thrilled with his new Bible and a real watch. He also got a Leapster, which was a much debated decision. The educational value finally won us. The idea he could do something else on longer car rides than play tic tac toe on our iPhones worked for us!
Tonight as we tucked Bug into bed he wanted to hear the story of his birth. It was fun to tell him all about it. My favorite part was laying awake most of that first night with him sleeping softly on my chest. I was too excited to sleep...it was the best feeling, nothing greater. Tonight I smoothed his hair while we listened to lullabies. He's still my baby for now.
God is so good and I am so thankful I can be Bug's momma, it is the best job I could ever have! Happy Birthday my son. I love you more than words can say... Momma.

New pictures of us taken the end of October. We had a great run of weather and the colors were amazing! My sis did a quick photo shoot one day to give us recent pics for our adoption profile. We are at the end of the process now, done with home study and all the hours of classes. Now to wait for God's plan and God's timing.

February 21, 2008 We officially finished our adoption application on Friday with finger printing in Tacoma. Took almost two hours in the same line as gun permits...crazy world we live in! We got a nice lady who even let Bug view his prints on the computer. Kind of a cool new system. Dropped everything in the mail and the adventure began! Now we wait to hear from our agency. As we understand the process...next is an interview and our pastoral call. From there we are accepted or rejected. Will be nice to get beyond this point! Bug is already asking how many days until our baby is here. Wish is was that easy!



March 11, 2008 We have our big adoption interview scheduled for March 19th. They said to allow 2+ hours! Kind of daunting really. We don't know what to expect as this point, I guess ignorance is bliss. Hopefully it will answer some questions we're collecting as far as timing and all. It is a weird experience not know what the future holds and learning to trust in God to guide the outcomes of all of this. Being such a control freak, it is even more challenging. At least when you get pregnant, you know you only have 40 weeks to endure!
As hard as it is for us, it is even more so for Bug! He is so excited to think of having a little sister or brother. He keeps asking how man y more days and we just have no idea at all.
One day at a time...



April 4, 2008 We've moved on to getting certified as a foster family through YFC in Tacoma now. Another lengthy process of paperwork and hoops to jump through! This one, run by the state is a bit ridiculous. We'll be adding fire ladders, first aid kits on every floor and ipecac...whatever! We keep reminding ourselves it is a means to an end. This will enable us to take in an emergency adoption which is something our agency is seeing more and more of. Babies surrendered at the hospital...prepping for our newborn with a few hours notice! Exciting, huh?
Still hard to decide how we feel. It is a little like being pregnant and still a lot surreal. When we're doing paper work and checking off tasks at least it feels like we have some control over the process.
We've given Bug the choice of sharing his room and making a toy room...staying in his room and helping to make over the spare for a nursery or moving there himself and doing an "Extreme Makeover". He's still deciding. Not knowing gender of our addition does make that a little more challenging. Either way you look at it, Auntie has lost her extra bed room here!
We'll keep you posted on progress...