Blogging again! Long overdue post...

Have needed and wanted to share this little bit of info for so long....
For those of you who know us well or read the last blog entry, you know that we were adopting a little girl from Ethiopia with special needs when both my husband and I began to feel God saying "not now"....we stopped things and my heart was broken and full of a million emotions but I just kept trusting in God....
WELL...sometimes God asks us to do hard stuff and we never find out why (until heaven of course) but sometimes....He lets us in on the WHY so that HE GETS THE GLORY! And how glorious HE IS....
So early Feb we said Yes to adopting that sweet little "M"...but by early March heard "No she's not yours" and I didnt understand but followed what I knew God was saying...the next 4 weeks I was crushed spiritually and emotionally and so full of doubt....But on April 1st the orphan advocate (Kristi) who'd told us about her in the first place let me in on some details...
Because we had said Yes and then No, making her available again for adoption, she wrote a small blurb about her on her blog www.weloveourlucy.blogspot.com which caught the attention of a couple who didnt even know Kristi and had already signed with another agency but KNEW she was meant to be theirs!! So long story short- had we not carried her in our hearts for that month and been obedient in saying "Yes" to her and then to saying "Ok not yet"...this couple would have never heard about her and or made it through the hoops they needed to go through in order to get to their precious daughter! Even better...While I was overjoyed about that news I still wondered and prayed for her especially while hearing about hold ups and changes to the Ethiopian system...well in October baby "M" was really on my heart and low and behold if sweet Kristi didnt let me know that she had made it home and is with her forever family now!!!
I've heard it said before "Obedience always trumps worse case scenario" and its so true!!!
WHEW WEE GOD IS GOOD!
OK determining to get back at this blog thing and post pics soon! :)

¡Vamos Let

Where You go, I'll go...

Where you stay, I'll stay....
Sometimes God asks us to GO... to make that step of faith and follow His calling...

Sometimes God asks us to STAY knowing that He has things for us to do right where we are both internally and externally....

In the past few months I have felt God asking me to do both. I was hesitant to share all this, but I feel like God is glorified in it so I should share....

To Go: To say "yes" to a special needs adoption, a precious waiting little girl...My hubby, reluctant at first, who had once said "I definitely can't do special needs" after praying for days said "OK, Lets go ahead with her...our life is not our own". It's not about us, what makes us comfortable, it's about what God wants -
So we began the process to bring her home...check ups at the Dr, gathering documents, notarizing papers, our home study, even put her pictures around the house....
But at some point in those weeks, something shifted in me and later I would find out my hubby too...

TO STAY: It was the week after our home study had been done, we were waiting for our agency contract to arrive, but I wasn't excited. I pushed those feelings aside, praying against what I thought had to be Satan's attempts to steal my joy and instill doubt - but as I continued praying, I felt an inner nudging, a deep whisper "not yet".....HUH?!?!
After avoiding a serious talk with my hubby, the time presented itself to ask him what he had been feeling and praying, and his words were identical to what I'd felt -
So after praying and crying on the couch together, we realized it'd be wrong to keep going knowing where we both stood.
** It is so easy to get caught up in other influences around us, and what others might think, but it is GOD we must seek in ALL things! This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Listening to God isn't always easy and doesn't always seem to make sense But we have peace and I am thankful.
"My Sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" John 10:27

**2 days after our heart wrenching change in plans, we heard about the changes taking place in Ethiopia to the adoption process...Was God sparing us future devastation and further heartbreak by changing our hearts...Did God want to see if we would say "yes" in the first place??? I don't know for sure - But I do know God gives and takes away and it's all for HIS GLORY.
He is growing us and while it wasn't time yet for us, I pray it is for another family very soon! We are praying for baby "M" while she waits and all the other children waiting...
We wait in expectation...
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" Psalms 27:14
And for now in this season, God calls me to mommy the 2 boys I do have and teach them to listen to Him...and to remember that God sees anyone who does not know Him an ORPHAN...

Now just to lighten it up a bit....

Praying

Oh there is so much to be praying for...right now our hearts are aching for the many children and families that will be affected by the changes taking place in Ethiopia.
The Ministry of Womens Affairs in Ethiopia -who along with the courts- have to approve adoption cases, are planning on cutting the number of cases they submit to the courts each day from around 40 to 5.....a 90% drop!! Children will be tied up in the system for years and families will be waiting for so much longer. I don't know specifics but articles say this is to investigate futher the cases that involve corruption and this will be effective March 10th.
The heartbreak and devestation this could bring makes me sick....so many of our friends are waiting for their children to get to come home - Please join me in praying for this country, the waiting children, and the waiting families.
There is so much I don't know, but I do know our GOD is in CONTROL!
I was encourage by this verse in my bible study, hope it encourages you too...
"I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save"
Isaiah 49:25

R-E-A-L

This is real...what my days are really made of!!

In case you haven't learned yet, our Micah has LOTS of ENERGY! LOTS!!! And our Tyler...well not so much!

So my daily challenge is to find ways for Micah to let all that energy out without hurting himself, someone else, breaking something, or finding something that he can do lots of damage to (like my father-in-laws laptop! Sorry Noni & Grand-dad!). I fail miserably often, but there are days when things go smooth - Today however was not one of them......

THis is poor cookie monster covered in baby powder...I left the bathroom open while I went to change for work and those few minutes...well you see.

Since this was the 2nd major mess of the day and wasn't too bad too clean up, I managed a picture of the mess...Micah was unavailable for a picture as you can imagine :)

WELL HAPPY FRIDAY & KEEP IT REAL! :)

*I think satan knows God is stirring around here...so I have a feeling hard-pressed times are just beginning

It's been a while!!

So. since I don't have any words of wisdom or much time before something spills or somebody gets hurt I thought I'd just load a couple pictures from lately...we are doing great...just trying to stay sane in this awful weather that keeps us inside entirely too much!!


Tyler is still sweet and goofy...getting a touch of the "terrible two's" a few months shy of turning 3 - just being rotten and not wanting to share too much! BUT HE STILL HAS HIS PACI (or BeBe as he says)!! (I KNOW! I KNOW!) Oh well...he was destined for braces anyway!
Some of Tyler's quotes lately
"Mommy, Cookie (the dog) told me bubbie hit him!"
"Mommy, you take off my sock and I wuv on you" ( I take off his sock and he gives me a big hug! Ha!)

Here is our new puppy that acts more like a cat! He sits in the window and nips at us alot! Hoping it is just his puppy phase....the boys love him though and the poor dog can't get any peace! He was trying to enjoy some time in the window and here they come!

They got caught cuddling! I was so happy! Now I know they love each other...but usually they are picking on each other and taking toys or whining that the other one is bothering them! But I came in the living room and caught them hanging out like this! :)

And of course....Micah and his mischief....yeah he has discovered he can fit in the dryer! I know it was wrong to take a picture, but really, how could I not?!

And sometime in between all there I started a new craft/painting project...I painted the world on an already pretty blue glass plate from the DOLLAR STORE! I love it and it's out on our kitchen table. Here is Micah displaying it for me :)

"Let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTION and in TRUTH!" 1 John 3:18

Well, that's all for now... I hope to get better about blogging again, but cant make any promises!

God is stirring stuff up around here but not sure exactly WHAT! When I know for sure...yall will too! :)