Happy Anniversary!

Today Ken and I celebrate our 21st Anniversary! I don't think we could have imagined where the Lord would take us in this great adventure. But it has been wonderful!

The Lord has truly blessed us with so very much. I know that the things that Ken and I treasure the most are the relationships that we have. Never imagining that He would fill our home with seven children, or allow us many friends to share our lives with. Then there is the blessing of our extended families which we are so grateful for.

It was during our first Boundary Waters Canoe trip that we started on this path. No running water, no walls around the toilet, no showers surely married life can be easier than that! It has not always been easy, it has had some heart break, but it continues to be a wonderful life.

When I think back to what drew me to Ken I think of his gentle spirit, his faithful walk with the Lord, and his willingness to reach out to everyone. He continues to be that man and more today. I am so very thankful for him and to the Lord for bringing us together.

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

One Year Ago

(Note: If the playlist music is playing you will have to 'pause' it to hear the video, sorry.)

One year ago today we were in Guatemala to meet Nathan. It was a short trip but a wonderful investment. The Lord allowed us a special time with Nathan, meeting him, loving him, cuddling with him. While it was hard to leave him at the end of our trip we wouldn't change a thing. It was four days that we would have missed forever.

We left part of our heart in Guatemala when we left but we would return in June to put the pieces of our heart all together.

Meeting Nathan increased our prayer life as suddenly he was very real. Leaving him behind helped me to understand how completely the Lord loved Nathan and reminded me that while he would be a part of our family He truly belonged to the Lord.

Where's Clifford?

This morning while we were doing school Nathan was busy playing in the sunroom at the play kitchen. The catch is that the dog food and water dish are also in the sunroom. So...when Clifford the Big Red Dog was brought to us as Clifford the Big Red Wet Dog we had a pretty good idea what had happened. Clifford needed a bath! Nathan was all smiles until I put Clifford in the dryer.

He wasn't sure what to do then.

We asked him where Clifford was and this is the look we got.

When we turned on the dryer light and asked him, "Where's Clifford?"; he pointed.

Reunited at last!

Happy Birthday Honey!

Happy Birthday Ken!!

Ken and Brandon enjoying the zoo on a sort of warmer day.


Ken and Nathan going up a hill.

Go Illini!





Happy Birthday Ken!

Young Minds

Not too long ago we were in the van heading out and Molly asked, "Are there really guardian angels?" We told her we would look in the Bible to answer her question. One of us asked her why she asked and she said, "because I think that there is an angel sitting on my lap right now and it is looking all around.

Encouragement

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." I John 4:12

Today was a day of encouragement. It was sunny and almost springlike, which I personally needed. It was fun to drive over to an Adoption Conference in a neighboring city with three other wonderful ladies. Those two things were a blessing on their own but we also attended a great conference on adoption.

It was wonderful to hear like-minded people sharing their hearts for the orphan. Just hearing the excitement, hearing people search for answers about where God is leading them, and hearing stories shared about how the Lord has gone before others to bring orphans into families is delightful. The Lord knew what He was talking about when He told us that we need to be in fellowship with other believers, it's inspiring. It is good to hear about God's faithfulness in others' lives, it spurs us on in our own lives. It was a good day.

"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16

Please Pray

Please be in prayer for Abby. Her little life has touched many and her family has a wonderful testimony for the Lord. They are in a battle for her life. You can follow the link on the side to hear more about Abby. Please pray for her family.

An Ordinary Day

Yesterday was just an ordinary day. Living in the midwest in January can be sort of challenging this time of year. We have had unusually cold temperatures lately and though there is a hint of a bit of a warm-up at the end of the week I am afraid I have a good case of Cabin Fever, so do my kids. We are plugging away.



Even my devotions are feeling a little sluggish. We are in the middle of our small group time at church. We work through daily Bible reading/questions then our pastor preaches on those scriptures the next Sunday and when we meet for our small group we discuss it. Well, we are studying Revelations and while I have done actual Bible studies on this book I still find it a puzzle. So I feel that I am sort of trudging along in my devotions as well.



Recently some dear friends have experienced a very large heartbreaking time in their family. Someone from the outside might look at this family and think they were not raising their children in the right way. But having known them for years we know that is not the case, they do a great job of leading their family in a godly way that honors the Lord. But sometimes the Lord takes us through trials, times of refinement, and ultimately through those times we learn to glorify Him more completely. In speaking to my friend yesterday I heard once again that they are leaning on the Lord for His strength for the day. My heart is heavy for them and they are in my prayers throughout the day, it sort of adds to my January duldrums though.

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields them all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders." Deuteronomy 33:1

So now that I have been a real bummer here are some pictures from our "cabin".

Nathan has decided that he has a nice view from the bricks in front of the fireplace.

How do you balance about 7 stuffed dogs on a doll stroller? Well, Nathan hasn't quite figured it out but he was pretty determined. However, each time one fell off he'd start fussing until he could get it to stay.


Here he is pushing it around and around the house. He was smiling most of the time, but I didn't catch it.


He made a pitstop in the entryway and was hollering into the crack of the closet door, maybe I should have checked to see if someone was in there (just kidding). He would holler at the door and then peak around the corner. After I put my finger up and said, "Shh" the next time he peaked around this is what I saw. (Sorry the picture is so dark, not sure why that happened.)