Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, and Flag Football Begins

Even though we have all been desperately waiting for that telephone call that will tell us we are one step closer to bringing our Selah home forever, life goes on...and with the energetic and loving little guys God gave me, it goes on packed full of silliness, happiness, and busyness!!! I am so thankful for Zachary and Landon. They keep my days incredibly busy and they simply just do not give me many moments for self-pity and sadness. Their joy is contagious and God has been using them to teach me how to wait with grace!

Making Gingerbread Houses is a very messy, but fun annual tradition of ours!

Zachary's grade level had a fun Christmas Play called Elfis and the Reindeer! Very Cute!

Zachary performing at his first piano recital and fancy pancakes made by Chef Daddy on Saturday morning!

Some of the wonderful women in my life that celebrated Selah's hopefully soon homecoming. They are all amazing women! And...two cute runners for the Fulton Snowflake Sprint!

I got the chance to have a nice night out with my handsome husband! We attended the annual Christmas Party hosted by his work.

Look at my two babies so grown up! They looked so handsome for Christmas Eve!

Zachary, Landon, and their cousins Haylie, Ashlie, and Caeden.

Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad!!! They just get cuter over the years!

Each year the boys leave a letter for Santa along with the milk and cookies....socks to keep Santa's toes warm on the long journey....oh, yes, and this year Zachary decided Rudolph needed a special blanket to keep warm!!! I love their gentle hearts :-)

There is the Santa and Friends spread before the boys go to bed, finally, at around midnight! I told them Santa was going to skip our house because they were up so late!!!

Look what Santa left! The boys had been good this year, so they did get their special requests, but Santa came through with a new book from Lisa Tawn Bergren! He brings us one of her books every year! This year her new one is called "God Gave Us So Much!". We LOVE Lisa's books. I have a post on my adoption link about her books and how special they are to us!

Look at the special present Daddy got from Selah this year! Even though she's not here with us yet, she definitely is his little princess! He would move mountains to have her home.

We had one more stocking hanging by the fireplace this year. Selah's is waiting for her still.

Happy 6th Birthday, Landon!!!!  One birthday at TGIFridays and the other at Grandma and Grandpa Simmons' house! What a blessed little guy :-)

And finally....I always said (even up to a couple of months ago) that MY boys would NOT play football because I couldn't bear for them to get hurt or to possibly hurt others. Many told me it would be inevitable because they are really tall and strong boys, but I still insisted! As you see, I lost...my BABY turned 6 and started playing football! At least it's only flag football...do you think I'd be able to stick to my words if I just insist upon flag football forever and NEVER tackle?! Hmmmmm.....

Happy New Year to All! May 2011 be full of wonderful blessings! I am praying that in 2011 many children leave orphanages and come home to their forever families! I pray that God moves BIG this year!

The Blessings of our Little Piece of Paradise

We just got home from vacation from where we love to call "Our little piece of Paradise". We spend a week every year in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and we absolutely, completely, and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. My husband doesn't get a lot of time away from work and completely relaxing for him just doesn't seem to happen very often....but when we go to Cabo....it is a different story! Is it the incredible awe inspiring beauty? Is it the great food? Is it the kind hearted people who live there? Is it simply spending a significant amount of quality time together? Honestly, I think it is a combination of all the above!

I am pretty sure one of the reasons I love this place so much is that for me, every direction I look, I see the beauty that can come from Christ alone. He is so glorified and exemplified in the incredible beauty of the sea and the rock formations. I have taken at least 500 pictures over the years of the same arch and the same mountains and the same beaches and sunsets…but every time I see them again I cannot stop myself from snapping shot after shot because it is just so breathtakingly beautiful. How God managed to blend all the colors so perfectly and mold the rocks just right and create a sea that is sometimes so innocent and still and at other times so ferocious and wild, leaves me awestruck. Then I can add the beautiful sea life of sea lions, whales, dolphins, stingrays, pelicans, and a multitude of beautiful fish…and again I am left amazed.

Psalm 95:3-5 (NLT)
3 For the Lord is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth

and the mightiest mountains.

5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.

His hands formed the dry land, too.

And then I go beyond the beauty of the land. I go to where I see people…people that in one moment are capable of putting my perspectives on life and happiness right back in order. I know that right now we hear all over the media about the violence in Mexico. I know that there are lost souls and that there is corruption, but I also know about the good…the very very good. Because I speak Spanish, I have been blessed with the opportunity to talk with the many people who live and work and have families in Cabo San Lucas. I have learned about people who have nothing but are willing to offer you something. They have a joy in their hearts that doesn’t come from anything worldly. They work hard day after day…they try to sell their goods to tourist after tourist (and many not so nice tourists)…all to try to put a meager meal on the table for their family. I would like to say I could work so hard for so little and still be filled with joy and not anger…but I do not know if I could. The media and the scare of violence and swine flu nearly wiped out their only industry…but many still love to chat with me and share their life stories and learn about mine. This is where I see God. Right there in the hearts of these people. Think about it. Really. What kind of person would you be in their circumstances…at earning a minimum wage of 52.59 pesos (about $4.00) per DAY?!! That’s right….per DAY!!!!

2 Corinthians 4:6 (TNIV)For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

We had the wonderful opportunity to visit and spend an afternoon at Casa Hogar during this trip. Casa Hogar is an orphanage that is home to 22 boys ages 6-14. It is an orphanage that opened about 18 months ago and is really trying hard to be a blessing for these children. Did I see God while we were there? Yes! We saw people with hearts filled with compassion for these children who are working and dedicating their lives to try to make the lives of the children a little bit better. We saw young boys who have lived through more sadness than some of us ever will, but their smiles and the sparkle in their eyes says that there is a God and that there is hope wherever He is. The orphanage is wonderful, but it doesn’t have a lot and is in need of much. In case you are interested, here is their website. http://www.casahogarcsl.org/i/69/home.html

Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)Learn to do good.Seek justice. Help the oppressed.Defend the cause of orphans.Fight for the rights of widows.

And then I come to my own little family. Do I see God through them? Most definitely! When I see my boys running, laughing, and playing with complete abandon, my heart is so moved. Their laughter and smiles shines the light of Christ around them so brightly that it is impossible to not notice! They are absolute miracles….a gift from Heaven above.

Psalm 127:3 (NLT) 3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

And finally, where do I see God? I see Him at work strengthening my marriage to my wonderful husband. We are given the time to step away from the everyday responsibilities that so often keep us away from each other and from spending quality time together. We are given that time to remember how much we enjoy each other…time to find a few stolen moments for romance…and time to simply just “be”.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (AMP) 9Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun--all the days of futility. For that is your portion in this life and in your work at which you toil under the sun.

All in all? Blessed beyond words and so very very thankful.