Two Choices

Ande came home from school yesterday and told us that a boy in her class had taken her "hanitizer" (aka hand sanitizer) out of her backpack.

She apparently confronted him and asked him if he had taken it.

Of course, he denied it....most kids would.

At this point, Ande tells him....
"Well, you have two choices. You can either give it back or I can tell the teacher."

He gave it back.

Ha ha.....wonder where she heard that??

I probably say those same words to Ande & Kaci a couple of times a week.

What....you don't like what we're having for dinner?
Well, you have two choices....eat it or go hungry.

Boy oh boy.....I am really going to have to start watching what I say around them.

Sometimes your words come back to haunt you!

A Lesson in Patience

Have you ever experienced a "God wink"?

Every once in a while....I do.

And one of those days was Tuesday.....Tuesday morning to be exact.

Monday night we had been out with a large group of other adoptive families at a local Chinese restaurant for dinner. The last thing we had before leaving was a fortune cookie. I never even bothered to look at my "fortune".....went straight for the cookie.

Hey....don't judge.

Anyways.....the next morning we were running very behind.

We had been out later than usual the night before and I overslept...by about 40 minutes.

We were rushing....well, I was rushing.

And I was pushing the girls to hurry up.

And I got a little loud and snappy with them.

Just about that time, I walked over to our kitchen table to grab something and noticed a slip of white paper on the table.....the "fortune" from a long gone cookie.

The words jumped out at me......

"A principle part of faith is patience."

God wink.

Okay God....I get it.

Don't have to hit this old gal along side the head....well, at least not twice.

I think God had a nice little chuckle compliments of me.

Ande's Big Day #6

My oh my!

I say it all the time......time seems to fly by faster when you have children!

Why, it just seems like yesterday that Ande was teething and drooling all over the place......that she was grabbing on to furniture and pulling herself up......that she was making that "mommy face" of hers!

Our baby girl turned 6 years old.....6 years old! She has been looking forward to this day for weeks. We'd been planning her party and the food we would have. Planning what kind of cupcakes to make for her classmates at school. It's been so much fun to see her so excited for her special day.

We celebrated on Monday with a small party including my Mom and Ande's closest friend. Sadly, Ande's godparents were sick and unable to be here. We like to keep our celebrations small and personal, but we do our best to make the birthday girl feel extra special.

On her actual birthday, it was Ande's first day back to school after Christmas break. While most kids are bummed at having to return to school.....Ande was stoked! She was excited about hearing her name announced over the intercom at school, getting a birthday ribbon to wear for the day, and getting to share cupcakes and juice boxes with her classmates. Ahhh....the simple enjoyments! I treasure times like these. My prayer for Ande is that she always enjoys and treasures the simple things in life!

As with every passing birthday, my thoughts always turn to the woman who gave birth to our sweet daughter. I pray that her heart is at peace and that she knows how much Ande is loved. Her sacrifice has become one of my greatest joys.

This was Ande's 2nd birhday.....the very first birthday we celebrated together as a family.

Our adorable 6 year old!

Ande's cake....she requested yellow cake with chocolate icing. She even helped make it!

I totally forgot to pick up paper plates for the cake which is why we had to use left-over Elmo plates from Kaci's party.

One of the things Ande got for her birthday was a Barbie make-up kit......this is a result of her handiwork. Not bad at all.

Keith better be getting a stick ready to beat off all those suitors who are sure to be knocking at our door in a few years!

Happy, happy, happy birthday our sweet Ande.

You are loved more than you will ever know!

PLAN B?

This post is sort of a follow-up to my previous post "God Said No" because the story doesn't end there.

All of these thoughts flooded me as I was completing the required seminar for Darci's adoption.

I had chosen a training seminar on talking openly with children about adoption.

There was a story about a parent telling their child they had decided to adopt when they were unable to have children of their own.

That story got me to thinking.


And then worrying.


How would I feel if my parents told me that?

"We adopted you because we couldn't have children of our own."

Children of our own.

It would be like telling them they were Plan B.

A second option

Second best.

Yuck.

Kinda makes me sick to my stomach.

I don't want my girls to EVER think they were Plan B.

They were Plan A.

I just didn't know it.

But God did.

And that's what I plan to tell my girls.

God Said No

Today I was completing an online seminar that is required for our adoption.

Some of the reading material got me to thinking and remembering..........

Years ago, Keith and I were in our early-thirties and married about 10 years or so. We had been trying to start our family for years.....we had been very patient thinking that it would happen...eventually.

But it didn't.

Years passed.

No baby.

Finally we decided to seek professional help for our infertility.

Time continued to pass as we endured test after test, procedure after procedure.

All the while.....all of our close friends were having one child after another.

I vividly recall lying on the couch one evening after we had undergone what would be our last "procedure".

I laid there with my hand across my belly crying out to God......

"Please God, let this work......let us have a baby.

Just one baby.....that's all I ask."

But.....God said no.

And I was angry.

I was angry for a long time after that.

I decided that if God did not see fit to give me a baby it must be because He knew I wouldn't be a good mother.

Done.

End of Story.

Move on with my life.

But then......

Keith and I became born again and Jesus opened our eyes and our hearts to adoption.

What I didn't know then and what I just suddenly realized, is that.......

While God did say no to that prayer all those years ago,

it was not because I would not be a good mother

But because He had other plans for me!

As I look at my adorable daughters today.....oh how I thank God that He said no!

Have I told you lately how much I simply adore these two daughters of ours?

Thank you Lord for making us a family!

Thank you for unanswered prayer.

Charity at Home

Okay....I'm going to get on my soap box again.

You have been warned!

We have noticed something that annoys us.....and hurts us.

A comment.

Perhaps made in ignorance.....perhaps not.

It started back in 2004 when we first began the process to adopt our precious Ande.

It continued with our precious Kaci's adoption.

And....we continue to hear it today.

What is it you ask??

This comment takes many different forms, but the meaning behind it is all the same.

"Charity begins at home."

"I believe we should take care of those in need here in the U.S. first."

"Aren't there any children available for adoption right here int he U.S.?"

We truly believe that we have been called by God to adopt.

We do not know why God has lead us to Chin@.

Why He continues to lead us there.

Believe me.....I do not look forward to all that is involved with an international adoption.

I am truly not looking forward to spending 15 hours cooped up on a cramped airplane.

I truly am not looking forward to being in a strange country for 2 weeks where few people speak english and the food is different.

I truly am not looking forward to the rock hard beds, the stares, and the smoking everywhere.

But I will go.

Out of obedience.

And because that is where our daughter is....that is where Darci is.

We searched God's word for an explanation.

Why us? Why Chin@?

And do you know what??

Not once does His word say.......

"Charity begins at home."

Honest! Not once....nadda.

It does say......

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy."

~ Psalm 82:3

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

~ James 1:27

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." ~Matthew 25:40

We are all children of God.

Right here in the good old U.S. as well as those half way around the world in Russi@, Ugand@, Guatemal@ and Chin@.

What makes us more worthy of charity?

If you truly believe that charity begins at home.....I'd like for you to do me a favor.

You look in the eyes of those lonely, hurting children and you tell them that.

Tell them they are not worthy of our help because they were not fortunate enough to be born in the right country.

Tell them.

I can't.

I won't.

Something I have found to be curious though.......

Of all the people who have made this comment to us.....

Not one of them have ever adopted.

Not one of them have ever even been a foster parent or a mentor.

Not one.

Something that really bothers me.....something that hurts my heart more than anything else is this.....

I used to think the same way.

And probably even said "charity begins at home" more than once in my life time.

But....that was in my previous life... before I was born again.

Before I saw the light.

Before Jesus came in to my life and changed my heart.

Before I knew the enormity of the orphan population around the world.

Before I looked in to the eyes of those hurting children.

Don't get me wrong....I am by no means saying we don't need help right here in the U.S.

We do.

All I am saying is this.....

Open your eyes and your hearts to the plight of all children.....all over the world.

And if you still continue to feel that "charity begins at home"......please keep your opinion to yourself.

Don't condemn those of us who feel differently.

I would never want my children to hear those words and think that they were not worthy just because of the country they happened to be born in.

Darci....Our Starfish

Legend of the Starfish

A vacationing businessman was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy. Along the beach were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned.

The boy slowly walked along the shore and occasionally reached down , picked up a starfish and tossed it back into the ocean.

The businessman hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing son. You have a good heart and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day? Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?"

The boy looked up at the man then looked down at a starfish lying by his feet.

He reached down, picked up the starfish and as he ever so gently tossed it back in to the ocean, he said,

"It makes a difference to that one."