This Is Why!

"I tell you the truth, whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me." Matthew 25:40

Friday, December 31, 2010

Like Mother Like Daughter!



Well it has finally happened...Iris Anne has her first crush...well the first one she has admitted to....and it is Justin Bieber!!! Yes I admit that back in the day I was crazy in love with Michael Jackson(before he got a little surgery happy) and yes there was a part of me that thought I could possibly be Mrs. Michael Jackson..ha! ha! I had the posters on my wall and the sequence glove, the collector doll(which I still own)...and I do remember camping out with my parents at a mall in Chattanooga to get tickets to his concert in Knoxville. And oh yeah, I did have a Michael Jackson birthday party...I still remember the cake that my sister Cindy made to look like him!

If you listened to my ipod a week ago it would consist of Christian rock music with just a few of my favorite M.J. songs that I had to sneak in there. But now, well lets just say listening to Justin Bieber does help me run a little faster and longer. Some of those songs are just so darn cute...it's hard to resist! I can see why Iris Anne is all dreamy over J.B....lets just hope he doesn't turn into one of those teen stars that goes all crazy! Thank goodness I did have that childhood crush on M.J....it helps me to understand what she is feeling...those first crushes are so fun! Maybe one day I can camp out with her to get those Bieber concert tickets!

We love you Justin!!!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Best Christmas Ever!!!






























































































































































































































I must say this has been one of the best Christmas's I can remember! For one thing..the snow was absolutely beautiful....it just topped off the best day of the year! What better time to be snowed in...the kids got to enjoy all the new stuff Santa brought...toys, puzzles, board games, video games and an air hockey table. Somehow Santa must have known it was going to snow because he also brought us snow sleds....which was a BLAST! Being snowed in for a couple of days together just made this Christmas extra special...I will never forget it!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas Surprises!






















































































































Friday the kids had their last day of school before Christmas Break. We didn't tell the kids but we planned a trip to Gatlinburg. First we went to their parties at school and then we were on the road. Kelly's mom went with us so that was a nice surprise for the kids! We had a great time! We went ice skating and shopping and had some really good food!!! On Saturday we went to a magic show. This was a first for the kids and to be honest I was a little weary about how good it would be...some of the shows in Pigeon Forge are kind of cheesy! Anyway, it was so GREAT! We were very surprised at how good the show was...Kelly's mom loved it too! We were shocked at everything they did...we tried our hardest to figure out how they did the tricks but we just couldn't! The biggest surprise was toward the end of the show the magician told about how magic isn't real...it's only an illusion...the only "real" miracles come from God above. Kelly and I couldn't believe the great story he told about Jesus and faith. All we expected were some magic tricks but we actually got to hear a great lesson with our kids! Oh, and at the end of the show he made it snow on the audience...as Iris said "it was magical!" On Sunday we went to the Christmas Dixie Stampede. Once again we were pleasantly surprised with another great show. The live nativity scene during the show was so beautiful...it actually made you feel like you were there when it all happened. This year has been the most emotional Christmas for me. Going through this adoption over the past year and really growing closer to the Lord...every time I see a nativity scene or hear a song about Jesus' birth I can't help but cry. For some reason I just feel something I've never felt before. I've always known the real meaning of Christmas but this year I just think so much about Jesus being born to Mary and Joseph and what that really must have been like...how His birth should mean everything to us. I will never forget this Christmas! I am filled with so many emotions right now...I am overjoyed at the blessings in my life but I feel a sadness for our waiting child...I can't wait to have them here with us next year(hopefully)!

Being in Gatlinburg this weekend and having the story of Jesus told at the different places we went made the trip extra special...we live in such a crazy world these days and it makes you think if it could be like that everywhere...we would be a much happier world. How do people celebrate without knowing the true meaning?!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

New Shirts!




These are two new shirts we recently did...they are SUPER CUTE! The ones shown are children's sizes but can also be done in adult size....$18(long or short sleeve)

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Christmas Program






















Each year the children in our church do a Christmas play, and every year it is so great! I love seeing the kids sing and act...they are adorable. The ladies in the church that work with the children's choir are so great...I appreciate all of their hard work! Iris and Asa look forward to the play every year and it just gets better and better each time. Knowing that our kids are learning the real meaning of Christmas is such a blessing!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Why Me?

There are days when I ask myself "Why me?"....wondering why God chose to use Kelly and I to adopt an orphan. We are just ordinary people struggling to make ends meet and facing the challenges of raising our two biological children. Most days I feel so inadequate and so NOT capable of caring for another child...but then God always steps in and opens my eyes to the reasons He is using us. We may not have the best of everything to give an orphan but we do have the love...that is one thing that you just don't run out of.... so"Why not me?" There are times when I hear this little voice telling me that we just can't do this...why do we find it so easy to listen to Satan but it's so difficult for us to listen to God...the one who only wants what is best for us. Adopting a child into our family is going to be difficult..it will change everything. But how do you say "No" to God?!! I think about how He sent Jesus to die for me...pathetic little me...so how could I say "No" to whatever He asks of me...well, I can't. I am that person that always has a plan, a schedule...I know pretty much what I am going to be doing each day...so to step out and do something that wasn't on my list of "Things To Do In Life" is pretty scary to me. The only way to get through this is to just know that God knows what is best for me and our family...this adoption is going to change so many lives for the better and I want to stand before God and say that I did what He called me to do. I will always fall short...I will never be able to repay God for all that He has done for me...but I don't want to pass up what I know He is calling us to do.
Usually at Christmas time all I feel is happiness...this year I can't help but think about our other child spending their Christmas in Ethiopia without a family. I pray that someone will love and care for them as much as possible until we can bring them home to be with us. I see my kids getting so excited about Santa and all of the Christmas activities and I can't help but think about our son or daughter in Ethiopia who doesn't get to experience any of that. Watching Iris and Asa in their Christmas program at school this week and singing about Jesus' birth and seeing how they know what the real meaning of Christmas is just touches me so much. No matter how much they love the idea of Santa and all the presents they never forget to talk about it being Jesus' birthday! I can't wait to teach our adopted child all about Jesus and what He did for them!
I feel this empty place in my heart this Christmas....I want so badly to have our child here with us. It's so hard to be patient sometimes...but knowing God has it planned out perfectly gives me hope that it will all be completed at exactly the right time.

I love this verse:

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." Romans 12:2

Saturday, November 27, 2010

"Hoss" Has Arrived!











I am sooooo excited that Christmas is getting closer. It is so wonderful that we get to celebrate the birth of Jesus...the greatest gift ever! I just love listening to the Christmas music on the radio and seeing all of the decorations everywhere....we also have to watch a Christmas movie atleast once a week. My favorite is "Christmas w/ the Kranks", Kelly's fav is "A Christmas Story", and the kids love "The Grinch"! Each year we go out and buy our tree the day after Thanksgiving and then spend the entire weekend decorating. I love it....the kids get so excited! Once our tree is up then it's time for our Elf on the Shelf "Hoss" to return from the North Pole. It is so fun to see how the kids react each morning when he is in a different spot...Asa does get a little carried away the first few days...he will wake up at 3am to go on a search for the elf! This year Hoss came bearing gifts...Christmas PJ's..so that was a nice surprise for Iris and Asa.
We hope everyone has a very blessed holiday and hopefully next year we will have a wonderful addition to our family!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Iris Anne's Skating Party!




















Today we had Iris Anne's birthday party at Hamilton Skate Place. It was such a rainy and dreary day so it was a perfect day to go skating...just not a good day to have to get out and drive to the skating rink. Even with the rain we had almost 40 kids show up...Iris Anne is so blessed to have such special friends!
We had a blast skating...I was proud to see a lot of the parents out there too!
This party was one of our funnest so far...we just might have to do this again next year!