"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if he doesn't come through." (Crazy Love, Francis Chan)

july 5th

emma turns 3 july 5 we're sending her a birthday package...this will be the last birthday without us...new day foster home is great about taking pictures of the children when they receive packages...we will get pictures of her opening her birthday package which is great...we cherish every picture of emma lael and are forever thankful to new day foster home.

emma

more pictures of emma opening her package...karen at new day said she enjoyed looking at the photos of herself more than anything "silly girl"
we're hoping and praying we'll get LOA (letter of acceptance) in the next couple weeks... when we get that document we will travel to china in 8 weeks...we can't wait to bring her home.

emma

emma received her package yesterday that we'd sent to her...this morning i was given a gift of 15 pictures of her opening her package...
i made "emma wear" t-shirts for emma, her foster grandma, karen & carrie employees at new day...don't they look awesome ;)

i read this recently on a blog of another family who is adopting a child from china...i found it very profound and wanted to post it on my blog to share it with you guys.

I think there is no greater calling than to be a mother and that is what God has called me to be. Jean Fleming wrote the following and expresses this calling beautifully:

"Webster's defines "call" as a "divine vocation or strong inner prompting to a particular course of action." In every generation mothers must answer the call to BE what no one else can BE and to DO what no one else can DO for their children. It isn't that mothers can't do many other things, but if they refuse to accept their calling as mother some child ends up short changed. The empty space that mother leaves echoes for generations.

Mothers are neither the cause of all society's ills not the saviors of the nation. But the future of society does depend, in part, on what we do with the children under our care. What calling could be more glorifying to God?

God calls us to bring to our mothering a high level of commitment and a right perspective born out of a clear vision and a Biblical value system. "
Will you answer His call?

emma lael's room

after several months of doing bits and pieces of emma lael room is almost done...i decided to use furniture & items we had and to limit buying new things...i did buy a few items from a local consignment store...it has been so much fun making things work...every piece in her room has a story...i just love that!

*soft celery walls
*cream distressed iron bed...had been natalie's bed since age 5
*pottery barn bedding with matching crib bedding (great consignment find)
*white rocker i was given as a gift when i was pregnant with garrett
*chandelier with light pink & clear crystals (not hung yet job for kent to do this weekend) yes, the chandelier is in the closet how cool is that ;)
*round floral rug (from natalie's room)
*window seat apostles with a soft pastel yellow small corduroy
*sweet blue end table (from natalie's room) a glass lamp with a white oblong shade...ready for bed time stories to be read to emma lael
*book shelf filled with books that have been read hundreds of time to garrett & natalie
*a beautiful handmade quilt drapes over the white rocker made my monique a dear friend of mine
*closet full of clothes most given to emma lael from our friends...thank you so much everyone
*handmade child's rocker made by a co worker of kents in 1992 for garrett
*pictures on the walls are from garrett & natalie's nursery...i can't tell you how many times i've said to myself WHY? am i keeping these things...now i know...two pictures are framed cards i received while pregnant with garrett and natalie
*glass end table next to bed gift from amy hart
*origami Flowers in glass vase made by Hillary our neighbor...one flower stem has a ladybug on it...adorable.
*the decorative painted boarder above the chair rail i'm not sure about yet...it comes from the trim on the hanging quilt...it is hard to see in the pictures but it does tie the quilt into the room nicely...still not sure if i am going to keep it or not.

you may be wondering what about natalie's room????
*she has our bed that we had when we first got married in 1990
*an end table that was my grandmother's that is actually a sewing table very cool piece
*old mahogany mirror from our attic
*her room has gone from kid to young lady with sweet blue walls and dark mahogany furniture

in 5-6 months we will have the most precious 3 year old occupying this room...seems far off but as i reflect back to october 2009 when we began this adoption time has flown by quickly...i look at garrett preparing for college, natalie going to high school...when did they grow up??? i remember when i brought them home from the hospital...i've committed to not rush the days to enjoy them preparing for emma lael to become part of our family... i know emma lael is in a wonderful foster home at new day...she's loved, healthy, happy, nurtured while at new day.... i am trusting God with the months ahead knowing His plan is perfect in every single way...now that doesn't mean i wouldn't jump on a plane tomorrow to china to bring her home if i could...i guess you could say i'm at peace what a great feeling this peace brings me...this peace could only come from God...thank you Jesus.

emma wear girls

natalie,lynsey, ayden, amy & i wearing our emma wear