Nathan is 2 Months Old!

Today Nathan is 2 months old! Time is flying by, though at times it seems like it is dragging. We are so thankful that Nathan is healthy and growing. It is our desire that he comes home to us as soon as possible.

Dear Lord, We pray that Nathan would continue to grow and develop. We ask that he would know that he is loved. Please guard his little heart that as he grows he would be sensitive to things of the Lord and would grow in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man. May you allow him to come home to us soon.
In Jesus Name, Amen

Nesting

Yes, I'm nesting-waaay too early. Keeping busy keeps my mind busy. It also gives me a great sense of accomplishment! While I really can't attribute this sudden burst of energy to Nathan coming home soon, it does help me be prepared if the Lord would see fit to speed his adoption through. :)

More than likely, the real source of my energy comes from the ending of Allison's tennis season (the team finished 2nd in our conference) and Natalie and Molly completing soccer-Natalie's team won the consolation round of the final tournament. It is great to be home in the evenings as a family and to feel that we have some margins in our time!

Tonight for fun at dinner we each answered the question, "How would you spend a million dollars?" Brandon went first. Brandon's reply, "I'd buy a cookie, a funnel cake,and a diet Pepsi(a boy after his mom's heart). He's four. It was fun for everyone to dream for a short time.

We do our family devotions at dinner and end with everyone praying. It encourages my heart to hear our children pray for their little brother far away. It is our prayer that Nathan would know that he is loved and prayed for, that the Lord would shine down upon him, and that he would come home soon!

[The green color seemed more appropriate for a little boy] :)

Waiting...

We are waiting.... Waiting to hear any news regarding Nathan's case, waiting to see what Guatemala will do, and waiting for an appointment for my mom at MD Anderson (we should hear about the last one today). Waiting is okay most days, some things are worth waiting for! Other things we wish weren't even an issue (my mom's cancer).

So while we are waiting, I've been tagged. So...


Jobs I've Had
Wendys
Small Bakery
Mail-order company
Insurance Company
Oncology Nurse
Home Health Nurse
Family Practice Nurse


Places I've Lived
Joliet,IL
Sparland
Peoria
East Peoria
Morton

Foods I Love
Pizza
Chinese
Suzy-Q's
Diet Pepsi
A crisp Jonathan apple on a fall day

Places I'd Rather Be
Guatemala!
Door County,WI
Alaska

Books I Love
Bible
Little Women
Books by Dee Henderson

I'm Tagging
Julie

blip!

There was a blip in our process today as we received word that part of our son's name was missing on his POA. We quickly rectified that and sent it off. I was thinking that I could obsess about this, and try to figure out the time lost in our case, or I could simply choose to trust the Lord for His hand to be upon Nathan.

This next week I am teaching 4th grade Sunday School. The lesson is Matthew 8:5-13, about the faith of the centurion. He told Jesus that He didn't need to go to his home, all He had to do was say so and his servant would be healed (and he was healed). While I do not have the 'astonishing' faith of the centurion-I do know that we worship the Lord of all creation, and that He is able to speak and things happen.

I am trusting the Lord to go before us in this process, knowing that He is in control. The Lord has brought us to a place where we need to trust in Him. He holds Nathan in His hands, and I am so thankful for that. Nathan is the Lord's child and we are asking that we be able to love and care for him. I know that the Lord hears our prayers and that He will answer as He sees fit. My job in this is to trust the Lord with all my heart (Proverbs 3:5-6), and give Him all the praise and the glory He deserves.

Our desire is to delight ourselves in the Lord throughout this adoption.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Praying for all the children of Guatemala, Amy

Always Fun to Get New Pictures

Our entire family looks forward to new pictures, they are barely visible and someone is asking to have a print of them. Nathan Rodolfo is growing and healthy and we are so thankful for that! He weighs 6 pounds, 7 ounces and he is a cutie!

Nathan, we are praying for you and desire for you to come home to us.
You are truly a precious gift from God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Spinning Out of Control?

Sometimes it feels that things are spinning out of control. Yesterday my mom found out that her cancer has returned with a vengeance, requiring a trip to M.D.Anderson for some type of treatment. We got a call last night that Ken's mom had been hospitalized but was doing better. And yesterday Guatemala took a step to put into process a law that, unless amended, may make it difficult to get our little boy and thousands of other "in-process" children home to their forever families. It feels at times like things are spinning out of control.

I find great comfort in knowing that the Lord who created the universe, placing the stars in the sky, is in control of all things. Yes, all things.

"God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day
and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth."
Genesis 1:16-17

Honestly, this could be a discouraging time (that may be an understatement) if I kept my mind on all the difficulties. I am working at trusting the Lord and keeping my focus on Him, taking the days one at a time. Scripture is so good to provide ways for me to keep my mind on Him. I desire the "perfect peace" that I can only find in the Lord.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

My desire through this time is to glorify the Lord, because it is only through Him that we are not close to despair. May my reactions show others my love for the Lord. If you feel so inclined you could pray for our family and the families of the thousands of other children in Guatemala that are waiting. Please pray for me to be the support that my mom and siblings need as we see what lies ahead.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen
is eternal." II Corinthians 4:16-18

So, while I feel a little woozy with all of this, I am assured that nothing has spun out of the Lord's control.

Sometimes Moms Need to Laugh

Sometimes it is good to take a break from the serious things in life and just laugh. (My older sister sent me this.) Enjoy!