Joshua James

We cannot tell the exact moment a friendship is formed; as in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses, there is at last one that makes the heart run over.” ~ Author unknown

I cannot pinpoint the exact moment I knew our friendship was forever, but I do remember vividly a phone call that forever changed our story.

We were deep in the throes of preparing to travel for Hannah. We knew that there was potential for Rob to travel alone, so we prayed mightily for God to do something different. Gerry had been my dear friend for several years. She is a confidante, a sister in Christ and a sweet treasure to my days.

One evening, our phone rang and after careful consideration, Jim and Gerry felt God's calling to help our little family. With Gerry's blessing, Jim readied to travel to China, with my husband, a man he had met only once.

We knew immediately there would never be any way we could repay the debt of Jim embracing this journey and, at times, challenge.

__________________________________

Gerry and Jim and their children and spouses and grandchildren are family to us.

So,I am asking you to please pray. Pray for sweet Joshua James, Gerry and Jim's newest family member :)

Joshua James was born September 13 at 8 pounds 15 ounces. His beginning to his precious life has been a bit bumpy...God knows the details. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for doctors, nurses and medical practitioners who will see this beautiful boy during these early days of his life. Please pray for Brie and Josh, Joshua's parents (Gerry and Jim's daughter and son-in-law), pray for Gerry and Jim and Josh's parents, Tammy and Paul. Pray for aunts and uncles and cousins. As moms and dads go, even though this is their first child, Brie and Josh are rock stars...Brie had a very long labor and has leaned heavily on the Lord's strength to heal and transition beautifully into her role as mommy. Josh, a strong man of God, is taking excellent care of his wife and son...

Joshua James is loved beyond measure...Brie has given me permission to post this petition because she wants her amazing son covered in as much prayer as possible.

Please join me in adding Joshua James to your prayer journals, prayer ministries and personal prayers. He is a strong, beautiful child of the Almighty and we rejoice in his arrival! We adore you, sweet boy!

Update: Joshua James is home from the hospital!
Prayers for a seamless transition.

Locks of Love - Love those Locks

Picture snapped by Kate at Max & Mimi Photography this summer

Redheads, I have learned, have an interesting existence. Rarely do we head to the grocery store, a restaurant or a walk around the neighborhood without the telltale comment, "Oooh, I love your hair." Emily has learned to navigate these comments sometimes even ducking away from well meaning hands, anxious to touch her little head. She has learned to thank people graciously for their compliments, and she has learned how to answer probing questions with great integrity.

Her hair is somewhat of a trademark, a vital piece of what makes her "Em".

So many women, mature in years, approach Emily with a certain smile, wistful look or memory knocking heavily at the door of their heart. They carefully extend themselves to her, reaching for the fiery tresses and gently caress her soft locks reclaiming a piece of themselves, now lost in the white mass that has replaced their own crimson coiffe. For just a moment, they are nine or twelve or twenty two or even thirty five...and Em has learned to grant them this joy.

Perhaps, that is why the decision to cut her hair was difficult for her. She knew without doubt that she wanted to send her hair to Locks of Love in hopes of blessing a child suffering, however, when faced with the cape and the chair, she declined the first try, "I am just not ready." Perhaps, Like Samson, she felt her strength would be compromised lacking the length she became used to. I, too, struggled with the permanency of a shorter do. What if we missed it? How would we get that thick hair into a ponytail??? It seems like such a silly thing to be concerned with.

And it was. God's greatest lessons often come in the small things, the things we think are important or the unknown we fail to trust Him in. Emily learned a really great lesson as she stepped away from the scissors the first time and then prayed for the "right time". She woke one morning a few weeks later, "Today is it!"


This summer on the beach - BEFORE

In the chair!

Because her hair was SO long, and SO thick, they formed two ponytails

The new do coming to life...

The final product!

Emily sent a total of 13 and some inches to Locks of Love. They were able send both ponytails. I love that she made the committment to do this and I loved some of the valuable lessons she has learned during these three long years of growing it! We are crazy about her new shorter hairstyle and I will be honest, mornings are a whole lot happier now! :)

'Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

˜Twas the night before kindergarten and as they prepared,
kids were excited and a little bit scared.
They tossed and they turned about in their beds,
while visions of school supplies danced in their heads.
Erasers and crayons and pencils galore
were stuffed in their backpacks and set by the door.
Outfits were hung in closets with care,
knowing that kindergarten soon would be there.
In the morning it came school starts today!
Would the teacher be nice? Would they still get to play?
Faces were washed, and teeth were brushed white;
Kids posed for pictures with eyes sparkling bright.

Parents packed snacks and kids hopped in cars
As if they were boarding a spaceship to Mars.
Some kids brought blankets or their favorite stuffed bear;
in hopes they could nap like they did in day care.
Their parents exclaimed: You're big kids, "WOW!"
Let us hold your bears and blankies for now.
The parents were worried their children would cry
if they left them at school with just a good-bye.
So they told their darlings, "If you want, we can stay
and make sure that everything will be A-okay"
The teacher then greeted each one with a smile,
and invited the students to stay for a while.
The room was all filled with toys, books, and maps,
but where were the beds for midmorning naps?
They colored and painted and played Simon Says,
then tumbled and skipped and stood on their heads.
They sang silly songs from beginning to end.
Within just a minute, each kid had a friend.
The children were happy. They loved Miss Sunrise
It was she who was in for a giant surprise.
When what to her wondering eyes should appear
but sad moms and dads who were holding back tears!
Their noses “ so sniffly!" Their eyes “ red and wet!"
This was the saddest good-bye Miss Sunrise had seen yet!
She gathered the grown-ups on the magical rug,
then sent them away after one final hug.
The children all waved from the door of the school.
"Don't cry, Mom and Dad; kindergarten is cool!"
~Natasha Wing

And so it goes...tomorrow our baby goes to kindergarten! God bless you Hannah, Mommy, Daddy and Emily love you so much!

Not a vacation...

But a great place to visit ~ We are Grafted In is a wonderful resource for truths about life and about adoption. One of our posts is featured there now, feel free to visit and show some love :) Just click here.

Sakes alive...she is FIVE!

Happy Birthday Hannah Leigh.

Hannah had a great year at school this year. She had the same teacher that Emily had when she was four. This was so comforting to me. She is a lovely lady. Her heart is most definitely poised to honor each and every child in her classroom.

When it came time for Hannah's conference earlier this year, I was excited to hear about how she was doing. Her teacher smiled and informed me how wonderfully Hannah was doing, she was a good friend, very sweet, sings a lot, participates and has all of her developmental goals in place. But she added admittedly that at the beginning, she found Hannah "hard to read". Hannah can be quiet, contemplative and even aloof. If you don't know her, chances are you don't see how captivating she can be.

Mrs. H offered, "When I stopped expecting her to be something she is not, that is when we got to know each other." I feel like there was an enormous amount of wisdom in her statement. I am thankful she didn't keep hoping for Hannah to be something different than she is. Hannah is a little girl who takes her time to trust...but once she does, she does it with her whole heart. Hannah is a great sport. She takes disappointment with grace and dignity. She will sit through hours of her sister's activities without complaining or whining. She is honest...sometimes too honest ;) She has an amazing laugh and will try just about anything...I love her spirit of adventure! Hannah LOVES to shop! And she is an unbelievable prayer warrior...not a day goes by that I am not humbled by this precious child.






Hannah, we love you sweetheart, every beautiful part of you. You have always been a beautiful flower...blooming, blossoming, growing...ever changing to allow the sunshine in and to allow your roots to grow. We grow because of you.






Hannah with her sweet friend, Emma and her brother, Matthew and with Nan and Em

As she graduated from preschool last week, I kept wondering how she ever got so big. She chose her own outfit for the day. She selected special earrings and a special necklace. I watched as she carried herself with grace, walking to the front of the room to receive her diploma. Her teacher held her hands and said beautiful things about our little girl. Afterwards, some of her teachers tearily waved goodbye, remembering the "wait" and calling after us that she couldn't possibly be that old already. But, she is. And it is in those moments, those big, milestone moments, that I am overwhelmed by the reality of Hannah. I am thankful to one very special woman, who graciously afforded us the blessing of seeing Hannah grow into the girl God wants her to be. I look forward to all of these miraculous moments with joy and anticipation...happy fifth birthday Hannah! You are Mommy's sweet little ladybug and I adore you!

And then, she was nine...

Blessed be childhood, which brings down something of heaven into the midst of our rough earthliness.
-- Henri Frederic Amiel



Nine years ago, I had just begun labor. I was excited...electrically excited. Having lost Emily's twin early in the pregnancy, I just knew that she was going to be wildly wonderful and a survivor. What I did not bargain for was the way she would radically change absolutely everything. Emily entered this world on May 16th. A bundle of sheer joy with a cap of red hair and a smile she tried out at about five weeks old, Emily stole our hearts readily. She has been God's biggest miracle in our life.

It is no small thing that Emily is here. After the miscarriage of her twin, I was scheduled for a procedure to remove any scar tissue and make my uterus a kinder, happier place. We had no reason to believe there was any life remaining. However, the doctor requested an ultrasound to ensure the procedure was necessary. Part way through the ultrasound, the technician left the room and returned with a radiologist. The wand moved far enough for us to see the strong beating heart...we had lost one child, but God had spared the other. Thank you God!




Emily bound into this world with great joy. I don't think she has stopped smiling since then! Emily is obedient, almost to a fault. She believes in justice and desperately desires for justice to prevail. She is not at all afraid to share the love of Christ with others and she believes the best in people. Loyal and loving is how I would describe her. She adores her friends, and still has trouble naviagting some of the finer nuances of relationships. She gets completely intimidated if she feels something she has done may hurt a friend.

My very favorite Emily story happened when she was five. For Christmas, Emily asked to get her daddy a cross. I honored her request and got him a rather rustic cross. As a contractor, I knew he needed something that could withstand the dust, dirt and roughness he subjects his belongings to. He opened the gift and raved about it, but never wore it. About three months later, she asked him innocently why he never wore his beautiful cross.

His response,
"I am certainly not worthy to wear a cross."
Her response,
"That is exactly the point, dad! None of us are worthy..."

Not only was her daddy saved during this conversation, but his own spiritual journey began and it continues today.



Emily is a huge cheerleader. She lives out God's command to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who mourn. She loves the stage and gets a tremendous amount of joy from singing and dancing. Her favorite Bible story is Noah's Ark and she has many favorite scriptures, which she can recite easily. She and her dear, dear friend, Gabrielle have disciplined themselves to read and study the Bible. This past April we looked on as both girls achieved an Award in Excellence for completing their Awana books and also achieving a perfect completion on their Gold assignments. Of all of Emily's accomplishments, this, by far resonates loudly as the one I pray remains with her always...God's truths are eternal.



Em's funny bone is bigger than she is. She loves a good joke. We call her cute way of saying things her "emmyisms"...she has a ton of them! Before bed, every night Emily loves to snuggle, play a game and do her devotions. She does her homework without us asking and asks hard questions that we can't always answer. There are places in her life where she struggles, but she has always been willing to work hard to get where she needs to go. I remember when she could not figure out riding a bike...now, we can't catch her.

Soon, we will cut those long red locks and donate them to Locks*of*Love. Part of me can't wait...part of me wishes I could bottle her just as she is.



Em has made me see things in myself that I don't want to see. She keeps me humbled and accountable. I love that. With Chrohn's, the doctor advised me my pregnancy with Emily would either kill me or cure me...personally, I think Emily saved me. She is a gift that I desired my whole life and God was gracious enough to grant me the desires of my heart.

Today, her ninth birthday, I give thanks to a great big God who gave me a precious red haired little girl to love....Em, you are my sunshine, now and always.

Happy Birthday Emily Grace!! We love you!!

Tangled

We are HUGE fans of the movie Tangled.

But I have to be honest, the night we saw it in the theater, Rob and I both had a reaction to it. Not the giggly, happy one. No. It was a sadness...a reality and I now know it was God preparing us for something important.

We are in the midst of celebrating four wonderful years with sweet Hannah. Last week we celebrated the day Hannah became formally, fully, no-looking-back, no worries, forever our family member. An extension of us, Hannah is here through the great providence of a God who knew this was where she belonged and she was the child to grow our little family. Those first six months were not easy, they were rich with joy and blessedness, but they were not easy. Hannah struggled to accept an older sister who she perceived to threaten her. She rebuffed Emily's advances for love and many times rejected her,leaving Emily confused and disappointed. In hindsight, I am able to see more clearly how this impacted our family and all of our relationships. The girls would need to grow into one another and Rob and I would be left to navigate some pretty bumpy terrain to ensure we honored both of our children and validated the deep well of emotions stirring about our home.

Needless to say, our growing pains were just that, opportunities for growth...for ALL of us. God answered so many questions during that time and honored ME, the mommy, the imperfect, undeserving mommy of these two amazing children with a heart able to love to depths I did not know existed. Our ability to love unconditionally was paramount to successfully nurturing these precious little people into familial health that might not otherwise have been. Rob and I stood united, despite the years of waiting and preparing, our true journey began the day our family expanded. Even the hard days, when tears outnumbered smiles and impatience gave way to loads of imperfect responses, God showed up, assuring us that the answers to our questions would always be enveloped in His Word and His promises. He has always been near, guiding and marking our steps, that in our obedience, fruit would be seen in our family unit.



More times than not, I forget that Hannah was adopted into our family. Barring the occasional crooked glance or inappropriate grocery line question, we are a normal, loving family. I know each curve and crease of Hannah's face just the same as I know her sister's. I feel her pain deeper, stronger, more intensely than she would like me to. Her contagious, infectious laugh comes straight from her belly, welling up loudly; I would know her laugh anywhere. Her little thumbnails have ridges and her skin becomes ashy if we do not moisturize it. She is bold and courageous and sometimes, she is scared, abandoning the survival skills she has worked so hard to protect.

Tangled. Somewhere in the midst of knowing all these things about Hannah, there is a truth that cannot be changed. My children's stories are different. Emily cringes at the real life answers that are shared with Hannah when she dares to ask the hard questions. Emily knows my knowledge of her differs from my knowledge of her sister. And so, when the movie came out on DVD, and two little people begged and pleaded to add it to their collection, I was torn. I liked the movie, but there was a reservation in my heart about exposing Hannah, yet again, to a storyline about a child being raised by anyone other than birthparents. (Annie, Despicable Me, etc.) Yet, we have always trusted that Hannah is just part of our family and we will handle the hard things as they come...I don't want to plant seeds that accentuate the vast expanse of their differences. So, yes...Flinn and Rapunzel live with us now.

For our first viewing at home, we were munching snacks and dancing around the family room, when Hannah became very quiet, sat in my lap and hugged me as tight as her little body can muster. With just a glance, she whispered, "I don't want to go back to China, ever." At the tender age of four, Hannah had connected the dots well enough to know Rapunzel went back to the parents who had birthed her. I knew God had instinctively given me a heart to prepare for this. Based on our initial feelings, we had prayed and readied for this. Though I thought it may come much later, I was rather shocked at her intuitiveness and quite honestly, it changes my prayer life regarding Hannah. Not all children deal the same, not all adoptions look the same, not a one of us will experience our situation in the same way. I share this here, in transparency and love, because there are truths in adoption that are real. But, joyfully God has prepared us for these moments. If we sustain our children in His truth, there is no subject matter too difficult for Him.

I am so thankful she does not view me as Mother Gothall ;) quite the opposite, Hannah wants to know that this is forever. And so, I assure her, as long as there is breath in my body, she is my daughter. Even if the Lord would choose to take me home, she remains my daughter. I love her and cherish her in the way that God designed parents to love their children. Her daddy feels exactly the same way. We learned that unconditional spirit from the Master himself, and though we'd never profess perfection, we know His plan is perfect.



Our conversations may be tangled as we weave our way through difficult discussions, but they smooth out seamlessly when we commit our children to Him, remembering He trusted us. Ultimately, both of our children are HIS, loaned to us for such a short time. I pray that I serve BOTH of our children well in that all too short time.