Soli Deo Gloria

Check out this cutie being united with his family in November from Ethiopia!

TWLOHA

“We often ask God to show up. We pray prayers of rescue. Perhaps God would ask us to be that rescue, to be His body, to move for things that matter. He is not invisible when we come alive. I might be simple but more and more, I believe God works in love, speaks in love, is revealed in our love. I have seen that this week and honestly, it has been simple: Take a broken girl, treat her like a famous princess, give her the best seats in the house. Buy her coffee and cigarettes for the coming down, books and bathroom things for the days ahead. Tell her something true when all she’s known are lies. Tell her God loves her. Tell her about forgiveness, the possibility of freedom, tell her she was made to dance in white dresses. All these things are true. “

“We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don’t get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won’t solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we’re called home.”

Josh and I have been reminded of the organization “To Write Love on Her Arms.” This is an excerpt from the story that started the movement to present hope and find help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

I am inspired and challenged.

A Long Way from the Theta House

This is my favorite blog. I have been impressed with this family for a long time. . . . let me rephrase that. . . . I have been impressed with the way this family allows God to use them to transform one of the roughest parts of the country with His love.

Check out “Hood Mama Mel’s” blog today. Read about her newest challenge. Pray for them.

a long way from the Theta house

Jadon’s 2nd Homecoming Day!!!

Yesterday was Jadon’s second homecoming day and we had a FABULOUS time!!! It was so much fun because he is starting to understand and get excited about stuff like this. He FULLY understood that the day was all about him, and by the end of the day it was starting to show in his attitude. Never-the-less we enjoyed telling him every moment we could how thankful we were that he is in our lives and how incredibly special he is to us.

We started the day off at IHOP with a BIG waffle loaded with whipped cream and strawberries. (he chose to wear his favorite “Thomeehs” shirt)

Then we went to Home Depot, which has become our Saturday morning tradition, to do their kids construction project. (many Home Depots do this for free on Saturday mornings) We didn’t have anything to shop for this week but Jadon still wanted to ride in the big orange race car. Since we couldn’t say “no” to him on his special day, we took a lap around the store but still didn’t buy anything! Go us!

Then, we went MINI GOLFING!!! Jadon  L O V E S  anything sports related. He’ll hit ANY ball around the house with ANY kind of stick-like thing. The first time he saw golf on TV we are sure he was thinking, “Hey, I invented that!” When we told him he was going to go PLAY GOLF for his special day he couldn’t stop SCREAMING about it! He was SO CUTE and had a BLAST!!!

Here he is stuck in the sand trap.

(Notice the backwards crocs. It’s a battle I don’t fight. I’m just thankful he can put them on himself.)

Eliza tried to play. Or. . . she tried to suck on the handle of the putter. Either one.

Jadon was a little disappointed we were leaving, so he wasn’t interested in cooperating with the family picture. We should know by now to take the picture before it’s time to go.

During nap time I finished the “Tres Leche Cake”. YUM YUM!!! It’s a Central/South American cake that is filled with 3 kinds of milk and “iced” with sugared whip cream. WHOA!

We went to a wonderful Guatemalan Restaurant for dinner that is only a couple miles from our house! Jenni and her new boyfriend, Brant came up from Wichita to celebrate with us! We shared our cake with the restaurant staff, so I hope I made it right.

Jadon opened his 2nd, out of 18 gifts we bought him in Guatemala for this special day. This year it was a “chicken bus” which couldn’t be more perfect for what he is interested in (besides sports), “vroom vroom!” We also got to tell him that he rode in a “chicken bus” like this one with Rosalyn to come be with us!

We ended the day with a successful family picture!

We love you Jadon!

2 Years Ago and the Beginning of Tough Conversations

2 years ago yesterday JADON was given to us for FOREVER! It is an amazing, mind blowing day.

But, at the same time, it was a rough, heartbreaking day. 2 years ago, he also left the arms of his foster mother, Rosalyn, who had cared for him since birth. I knew it was heartbreaking and tragic at the time when he watched her walk out the door with unbelievable strength and when he cried 3 hours in mourning. This year my heart is again sad for Rosalyn and Jadon, but in a deeper way this year.

This year, I have a 6 month old biological daughter who’s been in my arms since birth. She is only 2 weeks younger than Jadon was when his family changed for the 2nd time in his small life. My daughter knows us, wants us, needs us. We are all her heart has ever known. I realize in a new way this year, how my son’s heart was broken 2 years ago. I realize in a new way the heartbreak of a mother who left the child she had bonded to for 6 months.

Adoption IS beautiful, wonderful, glorious, magnificent and special. But it is also tough, heart-wrenching, hard, difficult and traumatizing.

Please pray with me that we can reconnect with Rosalyn. We had email contact with her at first, but have not heard from her since Jadon’s first birthday, when she mailed Jadon a sweet love letter. I want to be able to tell her and show her how INCREDIBLE this little man is!

Please also pray for Jadon’s heart. While I believe he has healed as much as possible in the past 2 years, he has a lifetime of healing to do. Last night we read a book about Guatemala. He’s gained an interest in the word whenever we talk about his first country.  He also smiles when he says “Guatemayah!” in a way that I know his heart is making a connection. When we were praying just before he went to sleep I asked him if he wanted to pray for Rosalyn, who is one of his mamas in Guatemala. The look in his eyes brings tears to mine today. It was a look of complete confusion. I didn’t really expect it at this age, but he definitely knows I am his mama and for me to connect the word to someone else was baffling to him. I caught a glimpse of how difficult the road is before us. To explain to a child the realities and beauties of his adoption is a huge job. A job that I am honored to have but one I do not take lightly.

For those of you that are concerned that I am looking at this “negatively,” I promise the next few days will be FULL of JOY!!! Many families choose to make a celebration of the day their adopted child was put in their arms. Since that day was so difficult for us, we choose to celebrate the day we traveled as a family to the United States together. That day for us is the 22nd of August. All throughout this week we are talking about and celebrating Guatemala, then on Saturday we are going to have a BIG Guatemalan Fiesta! So, stay tuned and I’ll share the celebration with you!

I apologize my blog has been so drab lately! We moved our pictures to an external hard drive which has not been connected since the move. If you stick with me, our blog will once return to the glory days of full color pictures, and maybe I’ll even learn how to download video!!!!

Thanks for walking with us.

The cows have landed in the prairie!

Y E S ! ! !

To those of you not in Atlanta this post may be a little wierd. For those of you who are in Atlanta, better yet, who WERE in Atlanta. . . you’ll TOTALLY understand!

CHICK-FIL-A is now in TWO parts of Kansas City!!! NOW there’s a restaurant up north around my parents!!! Oh why this didn’t happen 1 year ago while I was 7 months pregnant and living with my parents, I don’t know. But, I’ll take it now!!!

Sweet Lord, you do orchestrate every detail of our lives and bring us good things!!! Now my children do not have to grow up without the original chicken sandwich or waffle fries!

AMEN!!!

Live@Buckhead Church

Our church in Atlanta is starting a live service on line at 6pm on Sunday. I am sure it’ll be amazing.

If you aren’t a church person, I think it’ll be a safe place to explore Jesus.

www.northpointonline.tv

sigh, we miss it.

Bunk Beds

We’ve been sleeping basically as a family for a long time now. When we left Atlanta, Jadon was still a baby in his crib. When we lived with my parents he had a difficult time sleeping upstairs in the pack-n-play. We then lived in my sister’s house he physically could never be more than 30 feet away from us while sleeping. Since we’ve been in the house, the kids have been in our room because we haven’t had a big bed for Jadon, therefore freeing up the crib mattress for Eliza.

GG (Josh’s mom) came to visit this weekend and brought with her Josh’s old Bunk Beds!! I expected a HUGE cry/fit fest once GG wasn’t sleeping with Jadon, but I can’t believe it, Jadon just went to bed with NO PROBLEM AT ALL!!! I seriously can’t believe it! We’ve had about every sleeping issue we could with Jadon and now he’s in his own room, across the house from us in a HUGE bed ALL BY HIMSELF?!?

Wait. . . Mama isn’t ready for this!!!!

Drawn from Water

We are moved in (kind of). It is MUCH harder to move into a home with 2 kids than i anticipated it would be. We are slowly settling in. Slowly.

Check out this Orphanage I ran into in Ethiopia.

In rural Ethiopia, parents are forced to kill some of their children due to tribal superstitions. They are rescuing and providing a home for these children.

“Going Dark”

Soon, I’ll be “going dark” like Jack Bauer on 24. -insert stealth, ninja move-

Hopefully we are closing tomorrow on our house! (I am still not counting on anything till the keys are in our hands)

I am not sure when we’ll get internet connection hooked up, water and electricity is higher on the list, along with mopping and bug killing. Blogging will probably come after a lot of things. It’ll be a slow move since we are doing it our selves and don’t have a U-Haul rented till next Sunday.

By the time I get to posting I am sure I’ll have figured out where Josh put the pictures since he added an external hard drive. So hopefully I’ll up the interesting factor on my blog. 

Wish us luck.