Senior Moments

It's official.  We have a 2014 Graduate!  This year has flown by and the last month has been no exception.  Luckily, we've been so busy that I haven't had time to comprehend the fact that our firstborn has graduated and will be heading to college in just 9 short weeks!!!

Colts baseball team went into district playoffs and won their district title. For a "planner" who plans out every last minute and has to figure out how to shuffle 4 kids to where they need to be, this stressed me out a bit.  We had 4 extra games that weren't planned on (one of which we traveled to 3 times [2 hours away] before we actually played the game due to rain postponements and delays-- but wow, talk about a couple of exciting games!! And all the rain in our area made getting all these district games in before the deadline a nightmare.  But this group of guys did it!!!  Unfortunately, we got knocked out in our first round of states, but it was an awesome ride!!!  It was an honor to watch these young men play -- 9 of which were seniors! 

Here's a few pics of the district championship game.   So glad we were all there to share in the moment.

   

Next it was "signing day" at school.  That's when all the student athletes that will be playing a college sport get together (news cameras and all) and sign their letters of intent etc (even though most of these kids didn't really sign anything) :)  it's just a fun day to celebrate all these kids who are heading off to college and playing a sport that they love!   Such an awesome achievement.   

Colton will be going to a private college in Pa and will be playing football.  He will be majoring in physics (yikes, I'm not even sure I can spell that!!).  We are super proud of him and his college choice.  It's a really great school with loads of opportunities. 

Next came graduation -- in the midst of baseball -- well actually we finished up a few days beforehand.   We haven't gotten the chance to officially celebrate, but plan to do so in July!!  Here's a few pics of Colton with grandparents and all of us.  He only was allowed seven guests at graduation ... But no worries .. I have a big enough scream that he definitely wasn't lacking any cheers!!! 

His superintendent spoke about Square One -- and how that's not necessarily a bad or scary thing and that's where most of these seniors are finding themselves.  I can certainly attest to that.  I've personally found myself at square one a few times, and trusting God's plan each time has brought me to the finish line -- not that it was easy and not that I didn't slide back down a few times -- but knowing God has a plan and trusting Him in that is the first step.  

A man’s heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps.  - Proverbs 16:9.

We are proud of you Colton~  Can't wait to see what plans God has in store for you! 

Break My Heart For What Breaks Yours ~

As we were taking our first trip to Ethiopia to meet our daughter for the first time, I asked God to break my heart for what breaks His.  I returned from that trip crushed.  I had 17 hours on the flight home to absorb what I had seen, and that wasn't enough time.  Still, nearly 3 years later, I’m trying to put my arms around what broke my heart on that trip.  

  

Ethiopia is a beautiful country full of beautiful countryside, people and culture.  But the poverty, neglect and heart-breaking situations I witnessed changed me forever.  I cannot look at things the same any longer.  There were many things that broke my heart on that trip (orphans, children needing sponsorship, families that need food to feed their children, lack of clean water, etc.) but the orphan is what spoke to my heart the loudest. That’s why I’m a little passionate about children, in general. Once your eyes are open and you can see clearly, you never see the same and you can't ignore it.  

Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act.  Proverbs 24:12

For our family, God led us to adopt internationally.  There wasn't a formula or one particular reason -- other than the subtle hints God used to help us with our decision.  Don't get me wrong, we made a million excuses in the beginning as to why we couldn't or shouldn't do it.  We listened to many lies from people who didn't understand God’s calling on our family, and we wondered ourselves if we were cut out for this . . because we knew we were far from perfect.  But the Truth is, we were all adopted by our heavenly father.  He adopted us – not as perfect people, but as broken, needy and selfish people.  And, going to a third world country showed me what a selfish person I am. Many times people make excuses for NOT fostering or adopting or mentors because they feel that they are not qualified. 

But, it only takes ONE person to make a change in the life of a child.  Adoption, fostering, temporary care, mentoring, etc.  is all the same.  These kids need someone and you don’t have to be perfect, and they certainly will not be perfect either.

November is National Adoption Month and the first Sunday is typically dubbed "Orphan Sunday."  That’s why I am hosting a Sunday in November (November 10th) at our church dedicated to helping children locally and globally – find fulfillment, forever families, mentors, sponsors and friends.  Maybe God is tugging at your heart to ‘do something’ but you don’t know what that 'something' is.  Come find out how you can make a difference in the life of a child!  

If you are local, PLEASE come share a soup and bread luncheon (to signify the plight of the orphan).. and listen and gather information on how you can help a child in need. 

The luncheon begins at noon, followed by the program at 1:00. We will be sharing our story of adopting Ellie, and showing a video of our journey.  Please contact me for additional details or to RSVP.    

Here's the Agenda -- 

Sunday, November 10th beginning at Noon

Mountain Ridge Church, 32 Big Dam Road, Dillsburg, PA

12:00-12:45 - Luncheon & Meet and Greet  

1:00:1:15 -   Welcome and Intro

1:15-1:25 -   Fresh Air Fund (HOST a child 1-2 weeks in the summer)

1:25-1:35 -   Compassion International (SPONSOR a child)

1:35-1:45 -   Bair Foundation 

1:45-1:50 -   Older Child Adoption Experience 

1:50-2:00 -   Bethany Christian Services

2:00-2:05 -   Safe Families (Temporary/Emergency care) 

2:05-2:15 -   Rice Bowls & Closing (Feed a hungry child)

  

July Wedding

I'm way behind in posting updates and pictures!  Sorry about that.  It's been a busy summer.

Here's a few pictures from my cousin's wedding we attended in July.  It was special because she was my flower girl when we were married almost 20 years ago!  Wish I had a picture I could post of it, but they are all in my album.  I don't even have a decent picture of the bride and groom because I typically had a toddler on one hip or the other... but congrats Elizabeth & Jim!!

Family photo -- almost everyone is looking.....

I'm not sure what the heck we were thinking . . . taking 2 toddlers to a wedding 3 hours away, staying in a hotel, and thinking we were going to have a good time!  They kept us very busy, but they did great.  I was actually surprised how well they did with taking their naps, sleeping in a noisy hotel (above the reception) and just adjusting in general.  We did only get to see a few minutes of the ceremony because when the photographer walked to the back of the church to take some photos, both girls started yelling "cheese!!"... so we quickly made our exit :)   They both were dancing-queens at the reception.  Faith enjoyed going around to all of the tables and greeting everyone.  Ellie has happy to watch first and then join in -- if it looked like it was safe :)  We do not have many pictures, however, because we were busy chasing the girls around, and, unless we had a super-duper fast shutter speed, we never would have caught the speedy-girls on film.   The boys, of course, did awesome.  I think they were down at the reception until it ended!

I'm still amazed as I look back on these photo (which are already 6 weeks old) how much Ellie has continued to grow and mesh into our family.  We still have our challenges like every family, but she continues to blossom more and more each day.  And, even if we feel like we've taken a few steps back, there is still progress there.  God continues to pour grace on our family as we adjust to being a family of 6.

Meemaw & Pap with their busy girls

 

Ellie looking beautiful in her dress

Faith dancing around

More dancing by the crazy girl

Trying to get a decent picture together -- NOT POSSIBLE
(Yes, she's eating puffs out of a coffee cup with a spoon --
whatever we had to do to keep her entertained!)