Happy New Year

Here we are... two hours till the start of a new year. Looking back, this year has been filled with so much change. We started the year out with Matthew receiving his Autism diagnosis in January. A few days later that same month, Gabe turned one year old. Mike and I celebrated six years of marriage in March. Then, in May, we sold our house after having it on the market for six years. We packed everything up and moved to Enterprise. In August, Gabe was also diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum. Matthew turned four years old in September and started preschool in October. In late October, Mike suffered a heart attack at work. In November, we FINALLY completed our Deciding Together adoption classes, and in December we signed papers to begin the process of building our "dream home" on the land we bought back when we got married. There was so much else involved in all of this...planning and scheduling, researching and praying, phone calls and paperwork, testing and lab work, therapies and vitamins.
It has been a trying year... one of literal blood, sweat and tears, but God has brought us through it all. We have suffered losses. We took financial losses to be able to sell our house and move. We have mourned the loss of loved ones who have passed away. We have found out who our friends are and who they are not. Some of the ones you think will never let you down or betray you, will in fact do so. We have learned that blood doesn't make a family. Some of the people that will impact your life and support you the most will share no DNA with you. We are thankful for the people that God has placed in our lives, both family and friends. We believe that He works all things together for our good and that there are no such things as coincidences. Every thing that happens does so for a reason, and each person in our lives is here because God knows we will need them to impact our life in some significant way to keep His plan moving forward. Every detail shapes us on our journey to be what He desires us to be and to fulfill the plans that He has for us.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
New International Version (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

We know that God is with us. He has brought us so far in the past year, strengthening us in our marriage and as parents. He has taught us alot about love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
New International Version (NIV)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

We can love because God first loved us. We are thankful for His perfect love that shows us how to love others. We are thankful for those that bless us with their love and for those that God gave us to love.
With many memories made and lessons learned, we are saying 'goodbye' to 2013 and 'hello' to 2014. We don't know what the future holds, but we do not fear tomorrow because we know that God is already there.

The Bright Side

Our Christmas tree and decorations are all taken down and packed away. The multitude of artificial pine needles have been vacuumed up and the furniture moved back into it's original setup. It was a LOT of work, and I am tired. The bright side (other than being done now): The next time these things are taken out of their Tupperware boxes will be to decorate our new house for its first Christmas. Brings a smile to my face to think of that. God has been so good to us. We can look back over this past year and see His works in our life. He has given us so much. We have also experienced losses. BUT blessed be the name of the Lord. He gives and takes away. Through it all He is God. He loves us. He is always working things together for our ultimate good, and He is worthy of all praise.

Moving Along

Everything is moving right along! We met our construction superintendent out at our land yesterday to go over our plans. Soon they will begin clearing our land and prepping our home site to build.
Today we turned in more paperwork toward our adoption. I called and scheduled our fingerprinting, which will be January 9 in Dothan. Our fingerprints will be taken via Live Scan which is virtually instant and certainly beats the 6 to 8 week wait of traditional fingerprinting. Each day is one day closer to building our home and growing our family. 2014 is going to be a great year!

Merry Christmas

To all our family and friends near and far, God bless you and Merry Christmas! We may not all be together or see each other often, but you are always in our hearts. We wish each of you a Christmas filled with love, peace and happiness, and may you always remember the true meaning of Christmas. Happy birthday, Jesus! Thank you for your love and for giving us the ultimate gift through your life, death and resurrection. Everyone, please have an enjoyable and safe time surrounded by those you love. Make memories to cherish. Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Give Thanks: Day 26 - Deciding Together

It's official!!  :)

Today we completed our Deciding Together classes. We are thankful to have one phase of the journey behind us because we know that it means that we are just that much closer to welcoming a child into our home. We are thankful for all those who have been a part of this journey, from our supportive family and friends to our oh so patient social worker. We still have a long road ahead filled with paperwork, fingerprinting, background checks, the actual home study and so much more. But we'll take it one day at a time and with God's guidance we will get there.

Give Thanks: Day 25 - Stability and Peace of Mind

We are thankful for stability and peace of mind. We have a house to come home to. It is structurally sound and efficiently heated and cooled. It is located in a safe neighborhood. We can sleep peacefully at night in our comfy beds. We have a dependable steady income. We have food, lots of it. Our fridge, freezer and cabinets are full of food... not just what we need, but things we want also. We know that we won't miss a meal. Many cannot say the same. All of this is a blessing. Thank you, God, for taking care of our family and blessing us with soooo much.

Give Thanks: Day 24 - The Bible

We are thankful for the Bible. It is a history book, a record of the life and teachings of Jesus, and a guidebook for our lives today. It is not fiction. It is very much real, and it is just as relevant today as it was the day it was written. We are thankful that God provided it for us, and that we live in a country where it is still legal to own a Bible. We are thankful that copies of the Bible are so easily obtainable. You can buy a traditional printed book version of the Bible. You can also view the Bible online in any number of translations. You can even get a Bible app on your phone. Many of these are free. It is a blessing to live in a country where the Bible is so accessible, and we pray that everyone takes advantage of the beautiful opportunity they have to read God's word and to share it with everyone they know.