After Bath Aftermath

This is as close as it gets to lookin' at the camera. Guess who didn't scream in the bath this morning! Okay, so she wasn't exactly happy, but in Kambry's words, she wasn't exactly 'gumpy' either :)
Multi-tasking. Signing 'more' while taking a sip. She knows 'more,' 'thank you,' and 'please.'

Two Weeks Home!

I can't believe we've been home two weeks!
It was a great weekend! The boys made breakfast.
Kinley started playing with her sibs. Can you see Kolton?

Puzzle time.

By Sunday night we all felt like Kaeleb...

We had a basketball tournament and a baby shower...and Toby Mac's 'City on Our Knees' was number 1!

Please remember the Hamm and Mueller families as they are awaiting approval to travel for their daughters in Korea and China. Speaking of adoption, I have lots on my heart...but will save it till I can collect my thoughts.

For the coolest thing that happened this weekend, go to the other site!

Three Ring Circus

Somebody has to feed this crew...

Everybody must give thanks ...Somebody has to clean up... And let the games begin! Life is a barrel of laughs!

And the answer to the question, 'how is big brother doing?': He's doing amazingly well! He's waited a L.O.N.G. time for a DADDY and MAMA!

Another Week Down!

We are looking forward to the weekend, even though it will be busy. May yours be blessed! Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am????

This passage has really spoken to me this week so I will share it with you. Sometimes I pray for others, then sit on my hands and wait for the Lord to use someone else to accomplish His work, when all along He may have equipped me for such a thing.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:15-17

Jet Lag ...

... has left the building! Which means one thing: I have to find another excuse for all the dumb things I do :)

I've Done it Again...

Lowered my standard for a clean house. I've gone from 'acceptable appearance of clean' to 'more sanitary than not.' LOL! I'd call that f.l.e.x.i.b.l.e.
Those snacks might be soggy..by they are clean ...
...thanks to my helper!

Sometimes it's just about getting from Point A to B :)

For more detailed 'progress reports' you'll have to check the other site :)

Sisters

Look at my babies! Kinley will ramble some toddlerish-Chinesish gibberish, and Kambry says, "What you say, Tiney Dace?"

Look what Diane gave us while we were in China - too cute!

Ten at the Table!

Ya'll figure out how to line up and let's do this thing.
There's four...but where are the rest?

Six...we're getting closer.

Ah, there we go. Look AT the camera!

It's not perfect, but it's a picture :)

Thank you, Jesus, for everything!

Yes, ten at the table (make it eleven today)

At last!

We praise you, Father! Today another couple stood before the congregation and announced the Lord is leading them to adopt. Scripture coming to life in a small-town church. Thank you, Jesus!

One Week Ago

We were saying goodbye to Rebecca and starting the long journey home!
Now we are all healthy and doing well!

Today we are looking forward to our family gathering. Kuyler is even coming home so for the first time since the airport, all eight of my babies will be together! Praise the Lord!

Runnin' behind

I will post as soon as I can, but as you can imagine, we're a little crazy around here...and my baby girl is sick. Her fever spiked again this morning. Catch ya'll later. Thanks for your sweet comments and for following our journey!

We're Home!

Sorry for the long haitus...but we've been on a very important mission. We are now HOME FROM CHINA with Kooper and Kinley!
GOD IS GOOD!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

My precious Kayden, she's one smart cookie! Last night she said to me, "Mom, I really think you need to change your number because I know you're 44, but you don't look 44, so you should change your number." :) :) :)

Today she was telling me about God speaking to us through His Holy Word and said, "I thought we had to wait to get to Heaven to hear God's Word, but He speaks to us today through His Holy Word. There's even red letters in there that are actually Jesus' words."

Then, this, "We can read the same thing in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John because they are the four Gossips. Then we can read more in Acts and Romance." (I love it!!!)

Counting my blessings

Beautiful weather Saturday. Beautiful children always!
Goofy, gorgeous children!

Ummm ... not great at setting the timer ;-) Someday I will have an amazing camera that takes fantastic pictures ... and I will learn how to use it!

Blessings too many to count!

Truth for Today!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Prov 13:12

I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psa 9:1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psa 19:1

Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf! Psa 66:5

...for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name. Luke 1:49

Is this Yours?

Not the beautiful baby girl - but the dress, is it yours? It could be! My friend Diane is holding an auction to raise travel funds ASAP. Please check it out HERE.

Memorial Box Monday ~ Giving Back

Giving back what is already His!
This is kind of hard to write because it involves a confession – yikes! But in order to share my testimony I need to get real!

Last month as the adoption process progressed and we realized we were going to soon need a LOT of funds to complete the journey we began to put the pencil to the paper. It just wasn’t adding up. We have been trusting God for everything in this process, following as He leads, finding that His plans are far greater than we had imagined. But the cost was escalating, and though we had come up with over half of it, there was still a l.a.r.g.e. balance.

We went to our friend and pastor and shared our hearts. For the previous processes we have been able to borrow the funds, if necessary, to complete the process. I know that debt is not the best option … but we have committed to do what was necessary to bring our children home, even it if means paying on a loan for the rest of our lives. Now, God has never allowed the debt to last very long – He’s always provided for timely repayment!

This time is different. Since starting up a new farming business, we have exhausted all collateral and ability to borrow. In the past we’ve felt we trusted the Lord completely for everything we needed, but this time we were really, really trusting Him. We’ve held fundraisers, giveaways, applied for 6 grants, received anonymous love offerings, cut our budget to bare bones and saved every penny we could, and still we were short – really short.

On September 12 we committed to fasting in order to seek the Lord. We desperately needed to hear from Him. Maybe He would confide His provisional plans to us. Or maybe, better yet, He would change us! We began our first extended fast. And the Lord spoke volumes.

Many times the enemy tried to make us doubt, question our motives, or remind us of our own weaknesses and allow discouragement. We spent a lot of time in the Word and in prayer, and God was faithful to speak. What we really wanted was direction, to know how He was going to provide all we needed, if we were to keep it to ourselves or make it public. We wanted Him to change our circumstances … but we didn’t expect Him to change US so much!

He began to remind us of Truths He had spoken to us months before about following Him with reckless abandon because His plans are so awesome and His power so limitless (Psa 40:5; Eph 3:20), others may forsake us but He never will (Psa 27:10), many may question our calling, but He is faithful to carry us outside the barriers of our comfort (Jer 29:11 ), He wants us to have abundant life here and now (Psa 27:13-14), and all good things come from Him (Psa 16:2).

We didn’t know how long the fast would last, but our prayer was that the Lord would speak the same things to each of us, individually. Throughout the week we shared things He had spoken to us, and then on Friday, were struck with an awful truth: we had become unfaithful in giving. In the previous months the budget had been tight, but there was no excuse. The simple truth is we had stopped recognizing that what we receive is God’s. We k.n.e.w. it was from Him, but we were not living that out by giving back. How He desperately wanted us to understand His abundant provision by trusting Him enough to give back to Him first. No wonder we were at a financial dead end! We lacked faith!

As we talked about it, we realized we needed to repent and start giving immediately no.matter.what! I am also grateful for the way He uses His faithful children to speak and live out His Truth. (Thank you, L, for taking the time to counsel and pray with us as well!)

Suddenly we were free! We still didn’t have the funds we needed, but we had the direction we so desperately sought. Our role is to faithfully give back. On a Friday evening, six days later we broke the fast.

Early Saturday morning a sweet sister from church stopped by, totally unexpected, and gave a gift of $1,000 toward our adoption! We shared our testimony of the previous seven days and told her that only $900 would be applied to our process because the first was for the Lord. That’s my God! We don’t deserve His blessing, but He is so faithful!

The following weeks as long-awaited paychecks began to arrive, we were so excited to set aside the Lord’s portion first, and He began to restore our finances! Still we lacked the amount needed for the adoption. Suddenly we had the idea of a benefit/fundraising dinner. We weren’t really sure how it would go over, but with the encouragement and prayers of our brother/friend/pastor we quickly put it together. We mailed personal invitations, spoke to our ministerial alliance and hung flyers.

Five days later we prepared a pasta feast with expectations of feeding 300 hungry guests. The weather turned cold and illness was rampant. But we had been praying for God’s provision. We had been placing our hope in Him. We knew He was speaking to the hearts of His children and many would respond. We just knew it. We were told over and over again by dear friends that He was surely going to do something big … and we had no idea how big!

We probably served between 150 and 200 people, but we were not discouraged. The cash box was whisked away as we began the massive cleanup effort. In hindsight I’m so glad it happened the way it did. Our pastor (friend!) has been one of our biggest prayer warriors and encouragers over the last six years of adoption blessings, and he was the one who shared what God had miraculously done on a cold Tuesday evening in a small church in a town of 500 citizens. We needed $21,000 to complete our process, and God provided $21,115!!!!

Because so many wish to remain anonymous, we do not know who gave or how much. We apologize that we can’t thank each individual personally, but publicly we say THANK YOU for seeking and responding to our Heavenly Father, and we PRAISE YOU, Father, for knowing and providing exactly what we need! Even when we are not faithful, YOU ARE!

Friend's Giveaway!

Oh my, my friend Kim is hosting a giveaway of an a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. dress! You must check it out here and enter! Thank you, Kim!

Garage Sale Halfway Point :)

I mentioned that Oklahoma Hearts is having our fundraising garage sale this week, so we are swamped. Did I mention the wind chill is 25?!?

Today is the last day. Once we close today, all the stuff gets loaded and hauled to good will. Praying the people come today!

Have a great weekend!

My GOD Supplies ALL!

Praise my Father in Heaven! Even before we ...
chopped a few vegetables ...
... made a little sauce ...

... sliced a few loaves of bread ...

... frosted a little cake ...

BUSTED!

... made a little spaghetti ...

... and added a little more frosting ...

... He was already working in the hearts of His people! We are in a place of total dependency on Him. Through a time of intense prayer, He directed our steps. He spoke many things into our hearts (which really need to be in a Memorial Box Monday post!).

We knew He wanted us to keep trusting Him and not to step out ahead of Him. He reminded us often:

... for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. Psa 50:10

We're not talking pocket change here, or even airfare. We were asking for ... well, what is possible only with God! Clayton and I talked about whether we really should tell you the amount we needed. After all, it's beyond humbling, almost to the point of embarrassing. Beloved, I say it again, we serve a mighty God!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him," 1 Cor 2:9

It was a busy, fun, exhausting day. There were so many unfinished conversations as I tried to sit and chat and then noticed something needed to be done. We saw so many precious people walk through the serving line, and some were missing due to illness or distance. We have so many people to thank, and as I start thinking of names, I realize I am forgetting so many and I don't want to forget anyone. So you know who you are - we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for serving, praying, loving the Lord, giving your time and resources! Thank you, Brother Brian, for believing with us!

At the end of the day, "my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:19

No doubt about it, when God calls His people to a task, He does not expect us to be equipped; He expects us to let Him equip and supply, even when the need is $21,000! In our pastor's words, "I stopped counting at 21!" Praise Him! I have been up many times in the night just offering praise!

I wish we had a list of all the people who came. My friend Lori gets the prize for driving the furthest, 2.5 hours!!

The cheerful clean-up crew sometime after 9:30 p.m.

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. 1 Cor 1:31

Thank you for responding to His call. May He receive the glory and praise!

Dinner Invitation!

It's gonna be a busy day, and I'm so excited! Thank you for your prayers for our fundraiser tonight. It's going to be awesome, and I can't wait to share what the Lord is going to do! Hope to see you there. 5-8 p.m.!

Will you please pray for Kenzie. She hasn't been feeling well and today we're going to the doctor to see what's going on.

Also, Oklahoma Hearts for Adoption is preparing for a huge two-day garage sale this weekend! I haven't been one bit of help marking items (sorry, gals) ... tomorrow I promise to devote my attention to the project. Please pray for good weather and lots of great customers!