Thursday, May 31, 2012

what i wore



IMG_7540


IMG_7654


IMG_7655


IMG_7724


IMG_7723


IMG_7727


IMG_7852


IMG_7856


IMG_7853


IMG_7740


IMG_7908


IMG_7930


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

just one of many examples



there is so much i want to tell you - my bloggy friends.
there are so many ways God is providing for us right about now my heart is overwhelming with gratitude. just a few moments ago i got a text from curtis, saying: "we just got a $300 anonymous donation on {our site}."

micah's taking his morning nap so i don't have a ton of time to write but i wanted to tell you one story of how God's provided for us - in the big AND little things:

Last week a friend at church emailed out to everyone saying that her friend has a crib that she doesn't need and was wondering if she knew anyone who would want it. As soon as i saw the email i responded - "Yes! we do, we do!" Curtis was at work at the time and also responded to the email.
Then i typed a follow-up email wondering if her friend wouldn't mind sending us a pic of the crib first.

From the start i've really wanted another white crib. It sounds shallow and trite, but i'm just being honest here. I was willing to accept whatever, to take the time to paint one, but deep down, i was hoping for a white crib. We have been doing some garage saleing, but nothing seemed right - too ugly, too expensive, too rickety to safely hold our next precious baby.

The next day my friend sent me two photos of the crib - and to my surprise it was a beautiful, white, almost new (ie. safe) crib. my mouth dropped.

"when can we pick it up?"

after the memorial day parade on monday we drove 45 minutes south to this friend of a friend's house to pick up the crib. we offered money, they just laughed and refused. they were a couple in their mid 60's who were planning to foster, but had to make the decision not to due to some health issues.

"Isn't God so good?" she said as we were thanking them.

yup. yup He is.


IMG_7947





IMG_7953







Thursday, May 24, 2012

Happy 30th Birthday!



The day is finally here! I wanted to honor you today Jess, by publicly affirming you - the wife and mother and woman that you are.
            Many have gotten to know you through spending time with you throughout the years whether it was through school, church, missions, or work, but only I have the privilege to know you as husband for this short time that we have on this earth.

So here are just a few things that I love about my wife:
I love that she lives life with no regrets. Each life decision, carefully pored over, prayed over, trusting in the sovereign plan of God. I love that she seeks the wisdom of God through scripture, from books written by Christians much wiser and more experienced in their faith than her, from women in the church who are wiser. I love that she is wise. I love that she considers others better than herself. I admire the fact that she means what she says, and that her commitments are true, and for life. I admire her work ethic, her love for reading and writing; I admire her depth. I love that each day I learn something new about her, not because she is changing, but because there are many layers that I have the privilege of pealing back and discovering more reasons why I am so madly in love with this woman. I respect her because although she could have chosen from a million other men much better looking and with much more money, she chose me; and although she could have chosen a career and all of the luxuries life has to offer, she choses to devote her life to at-home-motherhood, even when it is costly and the rewards require patience and faith. I love she walks the narrow path, which is Jesus Christ, and lives her life to display his glory and to point others to Christ, including myself, as she walks through the narrow gate which leads to life.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Mathew 7:13-14

Happy 30th Birthday my love.

PS- Did I mention she is silly at times? Ya, I love that too :-)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

...and, we're DONE!



me and my 2nd guy





my guys



our social worker left our house this morning at 10:30am.
as she was walking back to her car she said, "have a nice summer, i'll see you soon."

she'll be back, the next time we'll see her she'll be knocking on our door for our first week post-placement visit. she told me at our last visit that those visits are her favorite. i can't wait.

when she left we both exhaled. not because we were nervous but because we were done.
what began, gosh, over two years ago has come to a pinnacle. all the paperwork and appointments and tasks are done. our checklist is completely checked off, scratched out - it's surreal to say the least. the stack of paperwork sitting on my desk has nothing left to be done with it.

and now we wait.

wait and enjoy our last weeks...maybe months spent as a family of three and prepare to add one more sweet little chickadee to our happy little nest.





Sunday, May 13, 2012

to my fellow mothers on mother's day: some words of encouragement

IMG_7008
cuddling my sick boy on vacation

In this often costly job of motherhood, that doesn't pay with dollars and cents, but smiles and giggles and bear hugs i can often forget that what i'm attempting to cultivate in Micah - creativity, thankfulness, generosity, patience, obedience, a love for Jesus, etc. - has eternal value. Between holding a sickie boy in the bathroom on vacation as a cold shower steamed up the room in an effort to clear up his wheezing chest, to watching him wave bye-bye and blow a kiss to me as he says "muah" as i place him in his crib for the night - motherhood is nothing to scoff at. below is some encouragement to my lady friends who, like me, often find themselves scoffing at themselves throughout the day, wondering if the often monotonous motherly tasks that we do day in and out have any lasting value at all. i hope you see, they absolutely do, and the reward is great. happy mother's day mother friends, may you be encouraged and honored today!

***

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."
-unknown



"Who can measure the long-term effects of nurturing helpless infants, supervising wandering toddlers, discipling self-willed children, and counseling self-absorbed adolescents? Of family outings planned, traditions built, memories made, books read, songs sung, Scripture taught? That’s why motherhood belongs under the heading, 'Engage the World'; no one shapes generations or fashions cultures more than mothers."
-Jeff Purswell, Worldliness, (edited by C.J. Mahaney, p. 159).




"A mother…by her planning and industry night and day, by her willfulness of love, by her fidelity, she brings up her children. Do not read to me the campaigns of Caesar and tell me nothing about Napoleon’s wonderful exploits.  For I tell you that, as God and the angels look down upon the silent history of that woman’s administration, and upon those men-building processes which went on in her heart and mind through a score of years;—nothing exterior, no outward development of kingdoms, no empire-building, can compare with what mother has done.  Nothing can compare in beauty, and wonder, and admirableness, and divinity itself, to the silent work in obscure dwellings of faithful women bringing their children to honor and virtue and piety."  
-Henry Ward Beecher





Friday, May 11, 2012

what i wore...lately

diy jean vest


IMG_7327


IMG_7324

IMG_7252


IMG_7066


IMG_6980


IMG_6679


IMG_6497


IMG_6347


IMG_6320


IMG_6208


IMG_6144


I want to try to take more outfit pics because i like looking at them on a few of my favorite blogs. the problem is, i can never get a good picture on my own. maybe i'll teach micah to work my camera one of these days ;)

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

i'm not a crier, but...



this brought me to tears.
it's 8 minutes long and worth your time. 









http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-story-of-ian-larissa

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

guys, seriously!

IMG_7423
This is a big-lipped smooch from me to you!


this has seriously been one of the (if not THE) most awesome surprise ever in the history of husband-awesomeness. It started innocent enough. I didn't feel good, my tonsils were caked with white puss pockets, so after church a couple sundays ago, i took a nap after church. when i woke up two hours later Curtis said, "I have a surprise for you, check facebook." and so i did and i was stunned and excited and admittedly kind of nervous that no one would respond. I didn't want to feel like people would only donate if they liked me, but that's what was going through my head. But, within minutes donations started coming in. It was crazy. I was (and still am) humbled by the generosity of my family and friends, and really, also from some friends i haven't seen in years, coworkers who i don't work alongside anymore. i'm still in that pinch-me phase - guys, we've raised $1,750 from {that site} alone so far! seriously, we are so thankful and so blessed. When this baby joins our family they'll get to grow up knowing that so many from around the country (and world) supported them, prayed for them and loved them before they were even born. Now if that's not a wonderful picture of the beauty of adoption, i don't know what is.

We are nearing the finish line guys! Not just monetarily (we've got a ways to go on that front) but adoption process-wise. The fire chief is coming in about an hour to do our fire inspection, then i'm heading to the post office as soon as he leaves to mail out our profile kit and then, if all goes as planned, a week from today our social worker comes back to our house to finish up our home study - then you know what?! we're done. We'll be on the wait list and then there's nothing we can do but sit back, relax - oh, and finish up the baby's room. right now it's just a bare room with primed walls. After we're officially in wait mode, we'll be hitting up garage sales for some second hand nursery furniture and getting our home (and our hearts) ready for this new bundle of baby!

and you know what?! it totally wouldn't be possible without you. we've felt carried along by your prayers and support. in the midst of the crazy, we've felt peace and in the midst of all of our worries about money and becoming a family of four, we've felt excitement and hope.

so, guys, seriously, thank you!


 
Template by suckmylolly.com - background image by elmer.0