Seasons of Life

When most couples are expecting a new baby, they get busy painting a bedroom, buying a crib, preparing a layette and making sure they have a good car seat!   The good news is that we are adding to our family, and here are part of our preparations -

Yep.  We're putting a good safety net on our trampoline, and you can see the chain link fence in the background that Don has also installed.  No cribs or diapers for us!  Going straight to bigger and better things! :-) We've done lots of paperwork, paperwork and then done some of it over several times!  We're excited to announce that this winter, Xiao Man (Lydia) from China will be joining our family!

Isn't she beautiful?  We already feel like we have a daughter across the world (and it isn't Morgan this time!).  In case you're wondering, Ariana is very excited to be a big sister to Lydia, and we know with her strong nurturing ability, she will do a great job.

Our home study is almost done and then our huge stack of paperwork will go to U.S. Immigration and then to the Chinese government before we get final approval!   Lydia was abandoned by her family 4 years ago near the orphanage for reasons we don't know.   The orphanage guesses her age to be around 11 years old.  

Why are we doing this in this season of life?  Because we CAN and because God has put the desire in our hearts.   When it looked like adopting Lydia could be a possibility for us, we were overwhelmed with what a  tremendous privilege it would be to spend the next couple decades parenting this girl. 

Keep praying for us as we proceed through the steps of this adoption.  Yes, it's expensive, but yet it's SO very reasonable when you consider that this is not just a car we're buying or a new boat or a vacation.....this is a delightful and beautiful child with an eternal soul!   How can you ever put a price on that?  God has assured us He will provide, and He has already begun.  Praise the Lord!  What a blessing to be granted the privilege to be on this journey!

Erasing the Evidence

Erasing Evidence

How long does it take to erase evidence of a year of grandchildren in your home? Going from a total of 7 grandchildren throughout the year living with you to none is quite an adjustment!  But what fun it was!! Our home and our hearts were full.  When I skype with these guys (and girls), I can’t believe I had that houseful of extreme cuteness and sweetness in my home!!

Now, a couple months later,  I’m still cleaning up and putting away.   Our attic has a “Street area” and a “Jake’s area” full of things that they couldn’t take with them.  The process is sad because you feel like you’re packing away memories with it.  Although the memories will never completely fade!!    Not only did we have these 7 live with us for awhile, we were able to see our remaining two grandchildren in Ireland!  Even as I speak of the things I miss, I am thankful God has made a way for them to be where He wants them to be!  But these memories are in honor of that wonderful year.

I miss Rees telling me of his outdoor adventures and seeing him build a birdhouse with his dad.  He liked to help me cook and did a good job!

It was amazing to watch Hadassah and Titus grow up so quickly within that first year!   I loved their special smiles they gave me that lit up the room!!

 I loved seeing Misha sitting on her Papa’s lap while he read her stories!

I loved seeing Andrew fishing in the pond with the boys and catching fish for our dinner.  And Andrew pulling the wagon behind the lawn mower full of boys and neighbor kids!

Swimming in the pond was so much more fun to watch and do with all you grandkids around!  I loved watching and counting the bobbing heads!

Justice learned to ride his bike at our house!

Do you think if I would have left the pile of child size shoes/boots by the back door, it would have made it easier??

Rees and Josiah loved building amazing things with blocks, legos…and showing them off to Nana and Papa!

The downstairs bathroom door was covered with fingerprints.   I told Mikah to leave them there and put a sticky note by them saying, “In memory of a visit from Amos and Justice….”  J

Not sure I can survive without finding my toiletry items in my dirty laundry bin in the basement….memories of Justice having fun throwing things down the laundry shoot!

Do I have to pick up EVERY plastic dinosaur and matchbox car I find in the sofa cushions and under the piano??? Who will return them to those places?

Who’s going to read all those children’s books on the shelves??

Did I really have to repaint the basement stairs and cover up all those scuff marks??  And the bathroom floor?

What to do about all these booster seats and carseats???

Where exactly am I supposed to put all these little boy’s stray socks???  Do you want them shipped, Morgan??  If I store them, will you bring the matches back in a couple years and the next ones wear them? J

This big box of school books that arrived after you left…..sitting in the guest room closet.

The swingset sits unused….

Who says, “Yay for Nana!!” at the supper table when I do the cooking??

Where’s the rambunctious boys keeping us up late at night?

What about the hearty greetings and hugs when I come home?   And the “Can I go with you” when I head to work or the store??

My homemade playdoh is dried up…..should I really  make more?

Then there’s their parents!  How can we say how much they were a blessing…the ladies with their cooking shopping and cleaning.   They were great companions around the house!  Andrew and Jake helped with ‘car’ maintenance questions and lended a hand to Don on home maintenance.   Don enjoyed talking theology with the guys.   Both couples were such a blessing to our church family, strengthening the body of Christ!   I had to keep reminding myself that just because they were such a great help here didn’t mean they were supposed to stay!  The same reason they were a great help was the reason why they were called to go!!  Christ in them, the hope of glory.

 I praise the Lord for all the memories of this last year.   Now it’s time for all of us to move on and wrestle with the next set of challenges God lays before us.  No, all the memories won’t be erased.  Some are vibrant and occur to me frequently, and some lay hidden only to arise upon occasion when bumped loose by something I see or hear.  The year was a gift from God and I will treasure it all!