9 months

Our Natey is 9 months old today! I can't believe it but can definitely see signs of him heading towards the toddler stage. He is a constant source of joy and the happiest baby ever. I have to allow ten extra minutes at each store we go to as so many people stop to talk to him and of course he just smiles and laughs at each of them which means they talk to him some more. :)

Approved

We found out yesterday we are approved to proceed with the adoption so it is official! We are thinking the earliest we can welcome our baby boy home would be in 18 months but we know the timing is in God's hands and we are glad to leave it up to Him.

Our big hunka chunka application part 2 is in the mail to us and it should take quite some time for us to get this completed. Please pray for our diligence in doing what we need to do.

We do know that our child will be at least one year younger than Nate so he is definitely not born yet and also there is strong possibility that he will have special needs as most babies from his country are born premature due to the lack of quality medical care. Please pray for him as he is being knit together in his mother's womb.

Also, the reason most babies are placed for adoption in his country is due to the social stigma of single parenthood or the extreme poverty of a family. I can NOT imagine having to give up a child so I find myself praying for this woman out there who is struggling with this decision and most likely without the counsel of the one true God.

Finally, many of you have asked why we are pursuing adoption when we can have children of our own. Mark explains it way better than I do so here is some of what he wrote in our first application:

"We have been burdened, through the study of Scripture, about God’s heart for the nations, and thus care about presenting the gospel to those who have not heard it. To be able to have a spiritual impact on a child by raising him in the instruction of the Lord would be a blessing from God."

We praise Him for such an opportunity...

Weekend Update

We had a wonderful visit with Grandma & Grandpa this weekend! It was so cold outside so we watched High School Musical 2 a lot. :) It was great to have some relief in the chasing down of Nate as he crawls everywhere and of course Lucy loved all the extra attention and play time!


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Another new project

Just finished this crayon cozy for one of Lucy's friends. I used another blogger's tutorial and am going to pair it with a coloring book and pillowcase for her to give him at his birthday party this weekend! Lucy picked out the fabric!

#3

We are so excited to let y'all know we have started the international adoption process in hopes that God will bless our family with another child! We just sent off our first application this week after attending an informational meeting with the agency.

We would so appreciate your prayers for this child (who could be in utero even right now) - for his health & development and the Lord's protection for he & his birth mom.

We can't post a lot of details online without this site being password protected (which we'll do eventually) but you are more than welcome to email us and we'll be glad to fill you in!

Laughter

One of the things I am most thankful for is laughter! It is a natural boost to the soul that even in the midst of sobbing if someone can make you laugh you instantly feel a little better. I laugh all the time at my kids and my husband (although he would say I used to laugh more at his jokes - but I've kind of heard them all now so they're not as funny!).

Anyways, the time I think I laughed the most was at A&M during a little time called registration. This is before the internet, people, when you had to call, get a busy signal, hang up and hit redial. You could do this for hours trying to get in and choose the classes you wanted for the next semester.

One time our great friend Christian was over at my house using the phone to try to register (I think his roommates were using the phone at his house - this was before cell phones,too). I can still picture this scene so vividly as if it just happened yesterday... He is sitting on the chair in my room and Amanda & I are there talking. Finally I remember my hostess manners and ask him if he wants something to drink, specifically "red stuff" which is another story in itself but means red kool-aid to us. For further understanding, see Genesis 25:30 (NASB).

Well, poor Christian had been going through this phone ritual for so long (dial, hang up, redial), that when I gave him his cup of kool aid, he immediately picked it up and put it up to his ear as if it were the phone. Needless to say, "red stuff" poured down the side of his face and onto his clothes. Meanwhile, Amanda and I hit the floor laughing so hysterically. To this day, I can not tell that story or even think of it without laughing. Not just a little chuckle but I mean a full blown out loud shaking laughter. It is an instant cure for whatever grumpiness I may be enduring.

Thanks, Christian, for that. Today has been rough but I think the Lord brought that memory to mind to give me some relief! Sorry it came at your expense and stained your BUCS sweatshirt, too. :)

Aggie Hoops

We had so much fun going to Mizzou today to watch the Aggies beat the Tigers in Big 12 basketball! Columbia is only about 2 hours from our home in St. Louis and so it was just right for a day trip. We were the only people (with the exception of the few rows behind the A&M bench) wearing maroon (well, not Mark because he was embarrassed and had to be ready to protect his family if things got ugly) but thanks to having cute kids with us, people were tolerant.

New Projects

Here is some fun stuff I've been making while it's been wintry cold outside these past few days. These patterns were all from other blogger's tutorials and so easy to make!

A reversible headband for Lucy (fits me, too!):





And tissue covers for your purse:



Who wants one? :)

Snow!

We had a fabulous snow storm last week! Here are some pictures... we had a blast!

Winner!

Congratulations to Michelle of www.northofthe49.com for winning the pillowcase! Thanks to all who entered. I had my husband pick a number and he chose 24 after his favorite basketball player's jersey number!

Special for February: FREE Shipping off any orders all month long. Think ahead for Easter & Mother's Day gifts... Just email me with the code FREESHIPFEB with your order.

Thank you again!