Praising Him..........

Happy Friday!

I hope you all saw our post on FB about our photo fundraiser which profits will go toward our adoption expenses & 20% will go to a cancer survivor that is having a hard time & needs help paying for medical bills.  If you missed it, please view it here & pass the word PLEASE ;0)

(Please pray for this cancer survivor!  She has fought hard & has a lot of decisions to make!)

I read a very inspiring blog.  Linny is such a giving person that wants only to please our Maker!  She inspires me on the days I'm "wandering".  A few days ago she wrote a blog about praising Him.  Well, yes, I praise Him but I should praise Him more and stop worrying about things such as Where is this money coming from for the adoption?, Is my house ever going to get clean?, How can I get xxx or xxx or xxx finished?, etc., etc.  I responded to her blog to praise Him & would like to share with you.  
I could have posted for days (and I did post 3xs - Sorry Linny), but I wanted to share with you

Wow, Praising Him! As I started to respond, I got to thinking how do you define "Praise"? I think there are many definitions to this word, but I believe the emphasis is simply giving God the recognition He deserves. As this should be easy to do, I am overwhelmed at where do I even start? How do you truly give God the recognition He deserves? I could write until my time is up on earth & never praise all He has done for me!
I would like to first thank Him for His uttermost sacrifice of sending His only son to die on the cross for me, for you, for us!
I praise Him for
*Always loving & forgiving me
*Never leaving my side - faithfulness
*Sending me a Christ-like husband more wonderful than words could describe
*All of our precious children (1 living with Him, 3 here & 1 in China)
*Health
*Trials
*Direction
*Food
And the list could continue until I take my last breathe here on earth!

My daily prayer includes that He help me put Him first in all I do, love others & put their needs above my own, & listen for His direction in my life.

“For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods” (Psalm 96:4)

(post 2 & 3)

Okay, I just posted but as I'm praying for how to ask for prayer (this is a harder one for me), I felt the tug to give praise for something specific that has unwrapped itself this year.  I praise God for giving my husband & me the talent of photography.  I feel strange saying it this way as I don't want to seem like I'm bragging but He has giving us this talent! I so give Him all the praise & glory for this!  This may seem like a strange praise - right?

Let me explain - I've had a passion for photography for over 20 years when I took my first class.  My husband didn't dislike but didn't share a passion like I for it.  Our Father has melted & molded Phil (hubby) & I together over our almost 14 years of marriage.  We were complete opposites in a lot of our interests

Phil – much more urban than I, loved writing, poetry, music, constantly cleaning,  much more social

Me – very country, loved my boots, way more inclined to science & math, loved getting dirty (like in mudding, outside activities), don’t feel comfortable I crowds

You get the point – right?  Our interests were that we did enjoy our time together & never got tired of each other.  And most importantly, we both loved our Lord.

At the start of this year, I decided to take another photography class.  Since I don’t feel comfortable in crowds or people I don’t know, I invited Phil to take the class with me.  He wasn’t necessarily excited about the class, but joined so we could spend time together.  Long story short, he found the same passion after the class & is an unbelievably talented photographer! 

I praise God for giving us photography that we are both passionate about; it is wonderful to be able to get help, opinions, etc from each other.  It’s wonderful that we have something to spend our time together with.  I believe God has given us this talent to help others.  We have been able to give professional pictures to some that could never afford it.  We have been in deep prayer about how we can use this for our Father.  We are now shooting pictures to go toward adoption expenses.  We are announcing today a Halloween special.  With it, we are also donating a percentage to a lady that has cancer & needs help with medical bills.  My husband is a teacher in MS (lowest paid in the country for teachers) & I’m a stay at home mommy that makes a little extra with crafting.  We do not have the money for the adoption we are working on, & did not know how we are going to pay for it (as well as financial debt from our previous adoption).  However, we began the adoption process again on FAITH!  The extra money from photography will not fund our adoption but it is one avenue God has given us a talent to help fund it as well as help others through our pictures! 

So yes, I have to give all the glory & praise to God for the talent of photography for many reasons!  The more we photography, the more we are in awe of God’s glory!

³⁰ Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,³¹ and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— ³² to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ³³ to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. ³⁴ And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. ³⁵ He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers. 

36 ¹ So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”  ² Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. ³ They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.

(Exodus 35:30-36:3)

What do you praise our Lord for?  Are you using your gift(s) for His glory?  

Photography may not completely pay for our adoption but it's something we love & we can help fund it!  Who knows the person/people we might meet or touch?  God has ways of providing when we didn't even know it as an option! Thank you for all those that have supported us! 
I think KNOW I've been too worried about doing this or doing that to raise funds & thinking how are we going to raise the money that I forgot to ask Him.  God where are you wanting us to find this money?  If God has lead us here, He will provide if we listen!   
Thank you Linny again for reminding me of this!

Sunday also reminded me of this when our preacher preached on  the feeding of over 5000 men with 5 loaves of bread & 2 fish .  Do you remember what the Disciple Philip said? (Ironic that his name was the same as hubby).  Philip was confused at Jesus when he questioned him about the bread & stated that it would take more than 1/2 a year in wages for only a bite of bread.  (I have to smile a little here - such a familiar story with a little different situation.)


⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. ⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
 John 6:5-9

 References:  
Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15 

Oh and don't forget that there were 12 baskets of leftovers after the feast.  ;0)

All I can hear in my head after all this is Jesus saying to me

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.(Matthew 8:26) 

I praise His name!!  I'm praying, asking & listening!  I don't have the answers, but I don't have to - my pilot (Lord) knows the way!  God will not bring us to adoption & then not provide for us!  How silly are we not to think God has control over EVERYTHING (including $$$????)

 

³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” 

 Acts 20:35

 
 

I am only One.......

"I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do 

everything, but I can do something.  What I 

can do, I should do and, with the help of God,

I will do." Edward Hale

I often find myself neglecting to blog as I should & let the daily grind steal my time.  I also neglect to blog thinking who in the world wants to hear my thoughts?  Well, God just keeps plugging at me & this is why i continue to share my sometimes random thoughts. 
Also, as the thought "Who cares what I say? Is anyone listening?  Is God getting the glory?" 
I felt a nudge to click our links to the side --------------------------->>>
One is in a  brown box with a lady juggling kitchen items 
(Top Mommy Blogs)
The other is directly below it in a blue/green box that says "We're on the fence"
(Picket fence blogs)
***If you are on a cell phone, you will have to "View Web Version" to see the side panels.

I'll let you see for yourself  why I felt moved to continue to blog:


*1st one, click on the brown box with a lady juggling kitchen items (Top Mommy Blogs)
                                                         --------------------------->>> (and look down a little)
*Then, Click on Adoption Blogs (First one under Categories)
*There are 35 blogs & look where we're listed.

*2nd one, click directly below the first one in a blue/green box that says "We're on the fence" (Picket fence blogs)
                                                         --------------------------->>> (and look down a little)
*In the search box, type in Adoption

**There are 53 blogs & look where we're listed.

I have no idea who has been voting for us daily, but thank you!  This was just the encouragement I needed today!  Please feel free to continue to vote daily for our blog!  The more votes, the more exposure we will get which I equate with Glory to God!

I think I often have so much to say that I don't blog it or that I post it on FB.  

Right now, I'd like to tell you about a 20 year old, I've been following him for several years through his CaringBridge site.  I may not feel like others want to hear me babble on, but Jay is worth listening to!  I have never met him nor personally know him, but his spirit has touched me as well as many others.  His name is Jay Rogers & he left this world at the young age of 20 years old.  He is from TN & fought Ewing's Sarcoma for 7 years & won the battle on October 21 & is no longer suffering.

Jay's Warriors wrote on October 16  "As Jay left St. Jude yesterday he had lots and lots of St. Jude employees telling him bye including doctors and nurses. There was only one patient there longer than Jay. He truely touched the hospital."  

During his time on earth, I always read of his great faith & he has touched many!  When I read Edward Hale's quote (from the very top), I cannot help but think Jay lived his life in this manner.  He was always asking about another, wanting to encourage/help another.  Jay left part of himself to encourage others through his book that was recently released.  I've not read it, but I have no doubt it will encourage & uplift you - it's the only item on my Christmas Wish list.  By purchasing Jay's book, you are not only keeping Jay's dream alive, spreading God's word, & going to be encouraged (I have no doubt about this) , but ALL proceeds go to the Jay's Warriors Scholarship Fund.  Go to Jay's website to purchase his book & hear his interview with WBBJ TV.

http://www.jaysjourneybook.com/

Go buy this book, put it on your Christmas, birthday list & give it for gifts!  

I LOVE to purchase & get items that were purchased with a purpose!    

You can also see that Jay has a family of incredible faith & are very encouraging to others.  If you would like to drop them a note of encouragement or let them know you are praying for them, you can do it on Facebook at Jay's Warriors

I'll leave you with Jay's verse on the front of his book:

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

I pray that we all may live our life as said in this verse!  God bless each of you & thank you for praying & supporting this family! 

I have a Halloween special that I will post about maybe tonight.  However, I wanted this post to focus on Jay's celebration of life!  Thank you Jay for sharing your life & for walking in God's light!  Praying for all family & friends!

Costumes???

A great room at GiGi's Orphanage called Gracie's Room really benefited GiGi while she was still in China.  I believe it helped her to be the loving, precious,  wonderful daughter she is today.  I have a blog post about the program that I hope to soon publish that will explain how they aid orphaned children.

If you need to purchase costumes, please consider taking a look & shopping with a purpose!  Buy your costume from 

www.wholesalecostumeclub.com/fundraiser, 

become a member for free, and at checkout enter code FUN1120>Apply Code>Checkout &  15% of your purchase will then go to help support Gracie's Room. You can read about the program here

http://www.xinxiangkids.org/graciesroomproject.html

www.wholesalecostumeclub.com/fundraiser

Become a Member {free}
Enter Code FUN1120 >Apply Code>Checkout

Sweetest thing!

This will be a short post as we have no home Internet access today. :0(
However, I cannot go to sleep tonight without posting about the very sweetest thing GiGi has ever done since we've all united.  If any of u saw us Monday at the pregnancy and infant loss awareness balloon release, I'm pretty positive u saw our GiGi. She would have been the only Chinese native child running around most of the time without a care in the world and also the one during the prayer going around to everyone putting her hands together in front of others to tell them to bow and pray. Sorry, we haven't broken the news to her yet that everyone doesn't need her consistent instructions with all they do- with us, we wouldn't know what to do if she wasn't bossing u around. ;0)

Anyway, today is Phils 39th birthday -yes again =:0)~
GiGi has been the biggest DaDa's girl since yesterday and hangs onto him from the second he gets home - I'm going to guess he doesn't seem to mind judging by the biggest smile on his face. Well, as we lay here with GiGi laying between us she claps her has together at me and says "shhhhh" and repeats the same to Phil (this is her way to tell us she wants to pray).   Phil says ok let's pray. Usually he will help her by saying a prayer and she repeats (even when he has a prayer at church).  Tonight however, she didn't want help. I will say there was some gibberish in that long prayer but no one could deny what she said & repeated many times "thank you Daddy and um thank you my dada". Finally she said "amen". But within seconds she looks distraught at me and I questioned what was wrong?  She put her hands in a praying position again and said "thank u Bubba. And um thank u sissy!"
Yes, tonight on Phil's birthday GiGi thanked God for her Daddy many times in prayers and then thanked God for her siblings.  This is a first for her and I cannot tell u how it swelled my heart!  I love my family!  Don't forget to thank God for ur family and to tell them u love them!  We can learn a lot from a 2y/o if we listen!  God bless!

Pics from our journey.

We've been home for a little while now and things just keep rolling! It's hard to believe that we will be back in China in a few months! A bit ago my wife and I took a class in photography. She was the photographer, but I thought this would be a cool thing that we could do together. Well, as it turns out, I was hooked from the start and It is a very cool thing that we can do together as a couple. Niki has posted some of my pics on here before and I wanted to share them with you. They are just a little glimpse of our family, where we've been on this journey, and God's beautiful creations that surround us. I can never thank you enough for your prayers and for following our story!

The day I'll never forget...

2 years ago today was a day that changed not only my life forever, but our entire family!  The last few weeks, my mind has constantly replayed the events from that day & the weeks leading up to it.  I remember the fear, complete hopelessness & vulnerability I had the 1-2 weeks leading up to September 21, 2010.  I felt something was wrong due to symptoms, but there was nothing I could do to change the inevitable outcome.  A mother’s hopelessness & pain, as you know your baby will probably pass before you is unexplainable!  It was a day of great sorrow & joy! 

Many never think about that day or the baby we lost.  Many may minimize the loss since our child had not lived a day out side of me in this sinful world.  The ones that still remember may never mention our child as they might feel awkward mentioning our baby they never saw or they may not speak of it afraid of making me upset.   

However,

I remember the days I carried our love.

I remember the days of fear I spent of the unknown.

I remember the day I gave birth to our child.

I remember our great loss & hurt from losing our Landon!

Many try to comfort me by saying things as

“This was God’s will.”

or

“Even though it hurts, it’s better off as there was probably something wrong with the baby.”

As I do appreciate people’s words & understand their intentions are not meant to be mean spirited in the least; they were only trying to comfort me.  However, I’ll be honest in saying that none of that makes me feel any better! Please don’t take that to mean I didn’t appreciate your thoughts; I really appreciated that you cared & took the time to say something. 

You see, my brain cannot comprehend how it would be God’s will to take our child.  I will be honest in saying I do not understand why God does not prevent the death of a child.?  I just don’t understand it & do not think I will ever be able to comprehend until I’m in His Kingdom.  Until then, I walk in faith because I know our God is just and loving!

If something was “wrong” with our child, it just didn’t matter to me as Landon was perfect in our eyes!  You can see from the children we have adopted as our own, we don’t find these special needs as being “wrong” but a “special” need – meaning they need special or extra attention or will do things differently.  I know that our children we have adopted (nonetheless ours – just arrived in different route) are not the most severely sick children nor have an extreme or very intricate special need.  Am I being hypocritical or naive saying that it wouldn’t have mattered if something was “wrong” with our baby, but haven’t adopted a child with the most severe/toughest special needs? No!  God has led us to & given us ALL our children!  We did not just spin a wheel & say hummmm, this is the child we want.  Not at all - just like we didn’t spin a wheel for our bio children!  Actually, we’ve spent many hours praying & being prayed for that we would do God’s will!   These are the children our Lord has blessed & entrusted us with!  I don’t know what the future holds & I will just walk in His light!

You see we Loved our Landon before we ever met – just as God Loved us (His children) before we were ever born.  Landon was our child just as much as any of our other children. 

Today I can finally say that I hold a peace that our Landon is with our Maker!  I’m selfish to wish our child was here instead of a place of perfection in all ways!  Do I miss Landon?  Of course and I’d be highly surprised if that ever changed!  Landon is our child & I know we will meet again so that makes the pain bearable! 

This maybe the only pictures I have of our angel 

 but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss our baby!  And  Landon will live in my heart until we unite again!

In our bedroom, you can find this at one side of our bed:

Framed are priceless words that Phil wrote about his Dad when he left this earth & were read at his funeral.  The cross was a special gift we were given at the funeral home.

On the other side of our bed, you will see this:

Even after 2 years, I haven’t had the heart to frame our only pictures as I’d planned.  One day I think I will find that strength.

These are a sort of memorial of the ones that have gone before us!  They are so close in our hearts! I feel both of them so near many days in things I see & do, something that happens or is said.  There are signs that are extremely special to me! I know they may not live on this earth but they are still with us!

BW I feel like I live with you every day through my son - your first grandchild!  Those that knew you know how he is like you in so many ways – including not being able to stay on his feet even at the most inappropriate times! Yeah, we chuckle frequently about you falling while carrying the casket to the grave side along with many many precious memories.  Oh the funny & fond celebrations we hold of you!  I wish I had all the stories written down that have been told to us over the years.  I’d say you were one of a kind, but then I have one too much like you to be able to say that!  You would love all your grandchildren, but you & Colt would really relate.  I know it would have tickled you!

Landon, Mommy Loves you very very much!  I do not believe I will ever understand why you did not stay, but I have to not dwell on that today!  Instead, I concentrate on the time I had with you 

& all the joy you brought me in your short stint. I focus on the fact we will be together again!  I miss you every single day, but I’m glad you did not have to deal with this world & you've only known complete happiness!  I thank God for the time He gave you to me & I cherish those moments! I love it when I get special signs of you being close and I always smile! I wish I could hug & kiss you today……..until we meet again, you will forever live in me!  Landon, you may not be walking on this earth but never forgotten...........Love you Forever, my angel!  I will do my best to make today a celebration of your life & not focus on my selfishness of wishing you were here!

Our interesting life, introduction, & fighting for justice.........

I have about 4 blog entries almost complete that needs to be finished & posted, but I thought I'd give you a laugh into our crazy life from this weekend!  

As you know Friday we were blessed with new pictures of Guan Ya.  Then, we had a homecoming & football game.  At homecoming, GiGi was overwhelmed with all the people, noise, & commotion.  For the most part she did not want out of my or Dada's arms.  However, there were some little boys that kept coming back to her to "talk" to her.  GiGi loved the attention & she returned the flirts by teasing them! Yeap, DaDa & Bubba have got their hands full here!  And some boys have already been hinting they liked Guan Ya from her pictures so it's not stopping anytime soon! ha

I don't know if it's the change in weather or if there is some little something going around, but most of us here haven't felt the best this weekend so we stayed inside. 

Yesterday, GiGi continued to throw shoes in the floor - like all of them!  The first time, I said "No, No - Don't do that GiGi".  I was in a hurry so I picked them up as she just looked at me.  
The second time she threw them on the floor, I said "No, GiGi.  You cannot do that.  Come help me pick them up."  Well, she was very resistant & I used hand-over-hand to make her pick them up.  She was not happy about it this time.  
A short time later, she AGAIN throws down all the shoes in the floor.  I again (never raising my voice but getting frustrated as she completely understands) said "No, GiGi.  I've already gotten on to you.  Come pick these up." 
GiGi replied loudly "I aiiin't!  I aiiin't!"  (Yeap, I told you she was already country!)  Yeah, she yelled it twice as if the first time wasn't enough!  Well, I couldn't keep from laughing but it wasn't getting her out of picking them up.  Well, let's say I've met my match with stubbornness & G!  I just thought Macy Jade was stubborn but GiGi, she takes the cake for that prize!  It was at least a 40 min stand/stare-off between she & I.  She used several words during that time such as "No", "Quit It" (because she didn't want me to make her pick up the shoes), & of course more "I Aiiin't".  Well, after a few tears, I'll just say this........she kinda picked up one shoe so I guess I won!  In the words of George Strait, "If you'll buy that, I've got some ocean front property in Arizona."

Ahhh, can you believe that this sweet face

can be so defiant? 

 Whew, this weekend Miss G has been full of loud "No", "I Aiiin't", "Quit It", "TOOOP" (translation STOP) along with a lot of throwing herself on the ground kicking & making puddles of tears within seconds.  DaDa, Macy, or Colt will run pick her up immediately & if I'm close Miss G, yells "Maaaa"  with the biggest grin!  Yeah, she knows the tricks!  If you see me standing in Wal-Mart & I say something like "Don't touch that" & GiGi falls on the floor screaming & crying, I'll probably just stand there and watch her for a bit.  I guess I'm the bad mom, but if I immediately picked her up, I'd have these fits all day!  Trust me I know this to be fact! ha

However, when she says "Love Lu!" or says & signs things like "More Eat" or "More Milk" (yes, she is already signing some that we've taught her) our hearts melts faster than a popsicle on a Mississippi July!

I've failed to introduce you to someone & I feel it is appropriate to let you in on the story.  

Friends, Meet Ricky! 

For Macy's birthday in August, she got a hamster.  Yeah, I wasn't so fond of it but I have to admit Ricky has grown on me over the month.  After Macy got him, we asked the first question most people ask

"So what are you going to name him?"  You know our family is not the norm so when she said Ricky, we were kinda puzzled, but o.k.  But wait, we don't know a Ricky so where did that come from?  So again, we ask the next normal question 

"Why did you name him that?"  Well pals, the rodent was named after Ricky Bretherton.  Who, you may be wondering?  "You know Ricky as in Billy's brother." Macy would explain.  

Billy - who?  "You know Billy the Exterminator."  Oh my, yes, our daughter named her mouse-relative after an exterminator!

You see, Macy likes Billy.  I don't know why she didn't name her hamster Billy.  Maybe it would get too confusing knowing if she was talking about Billy the Exterminator or Billy the Hamster.  Why would one even wonder that?  I mean come on, if my daughter will name her pet rodent after an exterminator, nothing else really needs more explanation! 

We were so busy with getting home from China, school starting, blah, blah, blah that Macy didn't have a birthday party thrown by us like usual.  Some family got together, but not our typical birthday party.  Macy was fine with this.  However, earlier in the year when we asked her about her party, she always told us that she wanted a "Billy" Party.  What's that we'd ask?  "A cake with bugs, snakes, and all the animals that he (Billy) exterminates."  "Plates & napkins" as she continued explaining "would have Billy's picture on it." "For the theme (sometimes we do things as princess make-over, bounce-arounds, fingernails painted, bowling, etc) , Billy will be at the party."  Yes, I know only my child, but she will watch that show as long as I'll let her at a time!  I guess if she couldn't have a "Billy the Exterminator" party then we'd do the next best thing........get a rodent & name it after Billy's brother! 

I'm sure you can see that DaDa & Bubba REALLY have their hands full!  Colt says to me 

"Please mom, No more girls!  The next one has to be a boy!" 

I asked him "Do you not like your sisters?"

 He said "Yes, I love everyone of them, but 3 girls are enough to drive me crazy.   How am I gonna keep the boys off of 3?  At least get me back up before you adopt another girl!" 

I don't want to leave you in fear of our dilemma so....

I will reveal a quick glimpse of our superheros

Til our next stop at fighting for justice!