House pics

Sorry for the delay in getting the house pics up. I have had several ask, so here they are.

 

front of the house

back of the house, last summer

 

These are the upstairs pics 

Boys' room



Laina's room



Upstairs full bath room in the hallway



Girls' room



Master bedroom. We do have a master bath that I forgot to take a pic of



These are the main floor pics 

 

Front door entry way

 

Living room

Another view of the living room



Dining room



Kitchen and eat in area



Another view of the kitchen

  

1/2 bath that is in the small hall that leads to the family room

 

Family room
As you can see we need to do some updating at some point

3 season room off of the family room

 

Back yard this past summer

 

We do have a full basement. Half of it is finished (and was finished in the 70's). The kids LOVE the play space, despite the decor. The other half is unfinished with a workshop, laundry room and an additional storage area that we hope to turn into a 5th bedroom...hopefully next year. We still have a few finishing touches to make,like curtains, and some walll art, but they will come in time!

 

God has truly blessed us with a house that we love and an amazing neighborhood too!

 

 

 

 

Pictures anyone?

Hope is in foster care with Grace and Hope for Children. The Ch*na staff of Grace and Hope is run by Christians belonging to a home church in her province. I have heard that they genuinely want what is best for the kids. Not one of their kids with Hope's condition has survived, up until now.

 

Please continue to keep Hope and our adoption process in your prayers.

 

 

Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

 

a BIG announcement!

Most of you that know us, know our passion for adoption. You know how it has changed our family and really just blessed us beyond belief. When we set out to adopt Dane in 2009 we had no idea how much it would change our world view. What we saw, what we heard, what we had learned, rocked our world to it's core, and had created such an ache in our souls.

When we came home last summer with Aliyah, we knew we would be back in Ch*na someday. We just never imagined it would be so soon.

In January, we came across a little girl, "Hope", with a life story that broke our hearts.  The moment we saw her, we knew we had to be a part of  helping her find a forever family. We did not know what that meant, but we knew we had to seek God and ask Him what He wanted us to do. As we received more information on this sweetie, and as we sought God, we knew that we had to pursue trying to bring her home. There were many things that needed to happen before we could see her file, assuming we could find it, and assuming God wanted us to find it.  And in all reality, we needed to know if we were even her family. There were many, many things that had to be directed...and only by God.  As the weeks past, things slowly fell into place.  At the end of February we had received her file...we had 72 hours to make a decision.

As we looked over her file and read her medical reports the reality began to sink in. Her diagnosis was scary. That night, neither Joel nor I slept...and as I laid in bed I literally could not breathe. We begged God for clarity and wisdom and the more we begged the cloudier things got, or so it felt.
 

 It is so incredibly difficult to look at a child's file and know that we can say "yes" or we can say "no"...we have the power to change a child's life forever. That power is such an overwhelming feeling; such a heavy burden. This sweetie needed a family....we knew that. And we did not want to make a mistake- for her sake and for ours.  It really is life or death for her, but at the same time we are not her savior. She already has one. She did not need us to make a decision simply to "save" her. She needed a family to say "yes" to her because they loved her, wanted her, believed and hoped for her...no matter what her file said. She needed a family to simply love her just because.

 

When we woke that Thursday morning, we knew we had to make a decision...our hearts were torn and broken. Where was that clarity we desperately needed?  Little did we know, in the very early hours of the morning, we were emailed an update. The moment we read that update we knew we had to say "yes"

 

Our clarity had come and it brought peace with it. Our God is so, so faithful.

 

Ch*na did not take long to give us pre approval to bring her home.

 So, here she is. Here is our "Hope".

 "Hope" has just turned 2 and has a chronic, hereditary, condition that requires monthly blood transfusions. Her life depends on getting these transfusions. We also have some other concerns, but we love her anyways. We know that she will be a wonderful blessing to our family!! You can read more about her chronic condition here and  here. Due to some medical concerns we are trying to expedite the process to bring her home. Even though we are trying to expedite, we do not, at this point in time, have any idea of when we will be able to bring her home  As we know more we will share. We are, however, hoping to travel to bring her home this summer or fall.

I know some do not understand why we would add yet another child to our family, and that is OK. We do not need you to understand-- we just need you to pray. We know that 6 children may seem like a lot to some. And we know that adding another child to our family, especially one that has some medical concerns, is not so "cut and dry"...we know it can be complicated...and we know the risks. This is not something we took lightly. We have bathed this decision in prayer...and we still are. I assure you we are not crazy, nor are we saints of any  kind...we are just a simple family on a journey with God. And we happen to have room for one more.

 

Mark 9:37

"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."



Aliyah update

WOW! Sorry everyone for not updating on Aliyah in a really long time. Things overall are going great and Aliyah seems to be adjusting well.

The good news is, that we finally have her ear infections under control. She had a tube placed in her left ear as well as it suctioned and cleaned in the operating room in September, and that combined with more antibiotics has so far done the trick! She has been antibiotic and ear infection free since early November.  She also has had a hearing aid since mid November and is hearing at almost normal level now--yaaahoooo! The funding for that was a HUGE answer to prayer as her hearing aid is not a covered insurance benefit and costs about $6000. We thought for sure we would have trouble getting her to keep her hearing aid on, but we don't. She loves it! She doesn't touch it and she even asks to have it on. We hope to have her hearing aid surgically implanted when she is a bit older- closer to 5. We have not talked much about reconstructive surgery for her ear, but we have a long time to think about that. That is not usually done until the teenage years.

Aliyah's first day with her hearing aid.

We have been working hard every week with 2 therapists, one for her hearing loss and one for speech. In October her language/speech skills were very low. She tested at the 0-2 month range. Meaning she had the skills of a 0-2 month old. We tested them again in mid December, one month after getting her hearing aid and she tested at 12-14 months! We knew she had made a TON of progress after she began to hear at almost normal level, but a years worth of progress in one month--amazing!

I have been struggling a bit parenting Dane and Aliyah. There are times where it is very hard to not compare or automatically assume Dane can do something because Aliyah can.  Although Dane is a year older he functions much younger than Aliyah and that has brought some challenges for me as a mom. I sometimes find it hard to balance Aliyah's needs as a new child and Dane's needs developmentally.

Aliyah is a very smart girl. Almost too smart. She continues to amaze us as she is such a sponge! Everything she sees or hears she absorbs. She catches on to things very quickly. All I have to do is show her something once and shes got it. She is a climber and gets into everything! She loves to know how things work and how they come apart. She is queen of throwing tantrums and knows exactly what she wants and doesn't. There is no telling her what to do and she takes absolutely no "guff" from her siblings! She is quite the firecracker! Despite her feisty side she does have a sweet side too. She loves to look pretty and loves hair bows. She is in love with every baby doll we own--You will usually see her toting one around. She LOVES to be hugged and carried. She still prefers her daddy, especially at night, but she has warmed up to me really well too. She adores her siblings, most of the time, and is liking the dog more and more. She is nothing like the quiet, clingy, lethargic girl that would not eat or drink, that we met in Ch*na. She runs and jabbers and eats everything you give her now. So thankful that she feels safe and comfortable enough to show us, a bit more everyday, of who she really is!

Aliyah and Dane- partners in crime!

Overall, she is doing really well. She is a great addition to our family and we are so blessed to have her home!

Our beautful children.

Heartache

This post was a hard one to write. It was hard to hit post for fear that it is just far to personal, and it was also hard because I struggled to get my thoughts together enough to have them make sense. My heart has been so heavy lately and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that  I have been watching my youngest two struggle with what are unfortunately "normal adoption issues". It breaks my heart that they have deal with issues that are the result of a decisioion someone else made ...my children had no say in that decision and the sad reality is that they will carry that forever. Thankfully, their story is a bit different than most, and that is because their birth mothers chose life, --and because my daughter was found. While it is true, having a forever family is a wonderful gift, it does not, however, heal all wounds....

I have been thinking about the day Aliyah was born an awful lot lately. I wish more than anything that I could have been there the moment our sweet girl was born...and it is not just because I would have loved to see her sweet newborn face.

It is because I long to know her birth mother, and father too. I wish more than anything that I could have talked with them...so many things, heavy on my heart, that I wish I could have shared with them. Not hurtful things or words of anger, but words of love, of hope, of encouragement. So many things I pray they know; so many things I want them to know without a doubt... I pray they feel and know a peace that surpasses all of their pain.

I wish that I could have hugged them. Encouraged them. Hoped for them. Prayed for them. I would have done ANYTHING to help them keep their baby girl. I would have offered them money if they were too poor, or food or clothes. If it was her medical needs, I would have done whatever it took to help them meet those needs. If  it was simply because she was a girl- I would have educated them on the beauty of girls and their value...and again, I would have offered them hope for their precious daughter. And if it just wasn't enough, if they had to make the heart wrenching decision, that they simply could not keep her, I would have promised them that I will love and cherish their daughter always...

All of that I would have promised to keep my baby from the pain she feels now. All of that I would have promised to keep a family together...to keep a birth mom from abandoning her baby...to keep a precious child out of an orphanage.

It is sad, really, really sad to think about all of the reasons these treasures are left and abandoned or even killed.

Babies die or are abandoned all over the world because of money.  Because of  physical deformities and medical issues. Because of their gender and policy rules and regulations. Or simply because they are not wanted. Not wanted--- think about that. The sad reality is there are so many reasons these babies suffer and die...and I could go on and on.

All of these things are "man made" ideas. They are evil. Pure evil. And, I am guilty. Guilty of not helping enough. Guilty of not offering more of myself and what I have been blessed with. Guilty of closing my eyes and living in my own little world.

It is written in His word how special we all are, regardless of rules and policies, and money, and  special medical needs.  Or even gender...

Psalm 139:13-14

 

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,I know that full well.

Exodus 4:11

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

 

Isaiah 45:9-11

⁹ “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
those who are nothing but potsherds
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?
¹⁰ Woe to the one who says to a father,
‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
‘What have you brought to birth?’

¹¹ “This is what the Lord says—

the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

Concerning things to come,

do you question me about my children,

or give me orders about the work of my hands?

 

1 Corinthians 1:27-29

²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.

There is no reason for there to be homeless or abandoned children. There is no reason for a child to die simply because of money, or rules, or regulations, or disease, or deformities, or simply because of human desire.

There is no reason a mother should have to put her baby in a box and hope beyond all hope that someone would find her baby.

Mankind has failed. Miserably. We need to step it up. I need to step it up. We need to fight for these sweet children- they are worth it in every way.

.

New house?!

Yes, it is true!

I think we sold our house! EEEEKKKK!! We are scheduled to close on it on the 12th! We will need to be out of our house on the 19th of November. The slight problem we have is that we just finally put in an offer, and had it accepted, on a  house and there is no way we will be closed on that one by the 19th. That means we will be putting our stuff in storage and living in my mom's basement for a month or so. Not the most ideal, but better than trying to rent somewhere short term.

Our new house in not new by any means. It is an older home built in 1973. It is not what we imagined our new house to be, but we really like this house. It needs a bit of "mild" updating- some paint and carpet. An older couple have lived in it since 1976 and they have taken fantastic care of this house! There is such a warm feeling when you walk in. When my mom walked in she started to get tears in her eyes.

Some do not understand why we would by this house, and that has actually taken some of the joy out of buying this house. It has dampened our excitement just a bit.

I know we do not need to explain to anyone, but here it is. I will try to make it brief.

When we walked in, it felt like home! The house is charming and bigger than our current house. It will meet the needs of our family very well. We can see ourselves living in this house. We love the neighborhood. The biggest thing is that the price is well below what our budget is, meaning that we can continue to be involved in and support the the the thing that stirs and breaks our hearts the most, and that is adoption and the orphans of this world.  We would not be us if we stopped being involved. Please know that we are not trying to come across as "righteous" or "holier than thou." Wanting more, and bigger, and better is a daily struggle, and the more we prayed about it, the more we felt like buying this house was the right decision for us and our family.

So here are a few pictures of the outside.

front of the house

 

back of house- 3 season room

 

another view of the back

big fenced in back yard

 

"Can he behave?'

It is no secret that our son Dane struggles e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y.

He tries to keep his impulses under control, at least most of the time, and he usually fails.

Yes, he asks the same thing over and over and over and over...

And, he cries a lot.

He has intense anxiety and worries too much.

To many strangers he looks naughty...not normal.

I wish I could tell them all that he tries.

He struggles.

Everyday we start over.

Everyday we work at over coming.

Everyday we learn.

Sometimes we fail.

Sometimes we succeed.

I wish I could tell them all that he is a normal boy.

He hurts and feels just like the rest of us.

This world just feels a little different to him than to the rest of us.

It is not wrong how he feels, it is just different.

He deserves everything wonderful just like us all.

I wish they could see him like I see him.

I wish they would give him a chance.

They would be surprised- he is wonderful.

He has overcome so much.

He has grown and changed and made so much progress.

If they really knew, they would be so proud of my boy.


Dane has taught me something. I need to see everyone thru the eyes of Jesus and not take behaviors or actions at face value. Sometimes I just need to look a little deeper. I am sure many that I judge, feel like I do about my Dane- they wish I could see them...their hearts. I bet if I looked closely I would be surprised too.

 

 

 

John 7:24

²⁴ Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”