Easter, 2013

We celebrated Easter this year at home. My mom, Jenna and family, and Haylee came, and we had a lovely dinner (our first dinner party on our new table made by Curtis!). My mom made Laina's dress, and bought coordinating outfits for the boys. Oh my, what a handsome group!

Click here to see last year's pictures.

This year, we were home when our dogwood trees bloomed. It seems like every year we're gone over that week or so. This year, we soaked in all that beauty. I love our yard.

He is risen! I know I'm two months late, but He is still risen! :)

Two Years Ago, This

April and May bring so many important dates in the life of our family. There’s Referral Day, April 14, when we finally saw our baby girl’s face for the first time. There’s today, April 26, the most horrible day when we learned she was sick, and, numb and fearful and sad, packed into the night, kissed our boys goodbye, and drove until morning to fly to her side. And then happier days: April 28, when we met Laina and finally held our dream in our arms. May 6, the day we passed court and she became legally ours. And then the best day of all, May 19, when we stepped off the last plane and our boys ran into our arms and we were finally together. 

These dates fill me with so many memories and so many emotions. I can’t look at pictures of us as a brand new family of five without tears in my eyes, and I hope that wonder never wears off. Adopting Laina was hard, but so beautiful. Our trip to Rwanda was hard, but so beautiful. 

Living this life, with these four precious young souls, is hard, but so beautiful.

I am thankful anew for my miracle daughter when this time of year rolls around. I am thankful for the friends we travelled with, for the precious days in Rwanda where my heart continually returns, for the long days in Ethiopia. I am thankful that my family is here and that I get the unspeakable joy of spending my days with them.

I am thankful for Jesus who held us through the journey and holds us today, who moved mountains to bring our girl home and still moves in our lives. For the everyday miracles. Because never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did You leave us on our own. You are faithful, God, You are faithful.

On Nona

Birthday interviews with Iain, Cory, and Laina. It's a dangerous game. 

By Cory
What is your favorite thing about Nona?
That Mama is her kid.

Who does Nona look like?
Eli at Timothy. (??)

How old do you think Nona is?
Uh...113. Actually 30.

What would you do if you had the whole day to spend with Nona?
I'd go to Legoland with Nona, and that mini Lego Land, and I'd let her help me climb a tree, and I'd let her help build a log cabin, and we'd go on trails. And we'd have so much fun!

What would you give Nona for a birthday present, if you could give her anything?
A TV show of everything Hannah said. Like "bubba, listen, Dora."

What is the best thing you remember about Nona?
All of the fun stuff she took us on when Laina was getting adopted.

What do you like to do with Nona?
Go to Lego Land. I love my Nona!


By Iain

What is your favorite thing about Nona?
I think it is...hmm...that she takes us to fun places.

Who does Nona look like?
I don't know. She looks like Nona.

How old do you think Nona is?
33.

What would you do if you had the whole day to spend with Nona?
Go to Lego Land, go on trails. We'd do lots of fun things.

What would you give Nona for a birthday present, if you could give her anything?
I think it would be...so she wouldn't have to work on the computer, and she'd get $100 a day.

What is the best thing you remember about Nona?
I think it is when we were spending the night at Nona's, but for a week or two, and we'd do lots of fun things.

What do you like to do with Nona?
I like to go to fun places. I just love Nona.


By Laina

What is your favorite thing about Nona?
Cupcakes.

Who does Nona look like?
She's like Nona. Let's tell her.

How old do you think Nona is?
Five.

What would you do if you had the whole day to spend with Nona?
Hug her. That's all.

What would you give Nona for a birthday present, if you could give her anything?
I'd give her something sneaky. A present. (whispering) A big ball.

What is the best thing you remember about Nona?
Some cupcakes.

What do you like to do with Nona?
Hug her. That's all.


Happy last day of your birthday week. We love you, Nona!

My Kids Have Such Fun Grandparents

On both sides!

When my mom was here, we all went to Lego Land in GA. The kids LOVED it and still talk about it all the time.

Then when Grammy and Papa came, we went to Tellus Museum. It was a big hit the first time we went, and no less of a hit this time.

Will You Come Over?

So, I'm working on this project. A writing project. And as part of it, I started a website, a place to challenge myself in my writing, to focus thoughts, to note the ways God teaches us, to see how what we believe impacts how we live. A place to weave words together and hang them in the sunshine. And to invite you to join me in conversation about God and life.

Will you join me? I'm trying out the new subscribe-by-email thing on that site. I'd appreciate feedback on how it's working if you feel like subscribing. Come and visit! The site isn't totally done, but I'm working on it and I thought I'd go ahead and invite my friends to visit!

Look for several posts a week. Ambitious? Yes. :)

Click here to come over!

Mason, the Four Month Update

Mason is four months old. It's amazing how much faster babies grow up when they're your fourth. So fast. Which is good in some ways, lending perspective (he will learn to sleep eventually!) and sad in others (how can he be four months old already?). But time is marching and we are being carried along, like it or not. (Or like it and not.)

Mason is...

...full of smiles, most of the time.
...really silly, almost hysterical, right before he hits the wall and needs sleep.
...still sleeping swaddled, and getting his right arm out in his sleep, every time. Little Houdini.
...only happy for a few minutes anywhere but in someone's arms.
...trying to get over another cold. Poor baby.
...still not rolling over, despite his cheering section.
...still sporting a head full of soft curls, though they are thinning (sad!).
...getting chubby.
...beloved by his siblings.
...impatient to begin playing with those siblings.
...loved.
...almost impossible to photograph smiling. He turns that grin off as soon as the camera comes out, almost every time.
...unbearably cute. And handsome.
...four months and seven days old today.
...reaching and grabbing for toys.
...eating 4-5 oz of formula at a pop.
...finding diaper changes hilarious.
...in the habit of pulling his hair. He's been wearing lots of hats lately to try to curb that tendency.
...a great car baby (hooray!).
...happy if he's being held and watching people.
...waking up! Gotta run!

Cory Says

This guy has been in rare form lately. Equal parts charming, funny, and sassy.

Cory: I want to be a missionary.
Me: To where?
Cory: Texas. So I can ride a horse.

Cory: I have a super-power. I can make people complain. Watch this. (in a totally normal voice, he continues...) Iain doesn't have a super power.
Iain, from the other room, whining: Yes I dooooooo!
Cory: Heh heh heh.

Cory, to Iain: I have a best friend better than you. It's Jesus. You're my second one. Then is Sam and Bryar. But first there's Laina. Oh! And Mason.

Love this five-year-old!

(At Chili's celebrating me finishing the kids' church curriculum--finally! Cory LOVES corn on the cob.)

 (my two brown-eyed boys)

Come to the Table - Book Review

Some books are so lyrical, the prose rains down from the page (Peace Like a River). Some are so well-written you delight in the way the words were put down (Anne of Green Gables). Some books, like Neta Jackson's Come to the Table read more like a movie than a book.

While I admire Jackson once again for tackling issues that are often left untouched (race issues in the church, urban problems, homelessness and food pantries), her writing didn't do it for me. There were just so many details in the book (who was eating what, who was going where, what so-and-so was wearing), and the characters agonized over every conversation they had, meaning we re-hashed it all with them a la high school crushes, that getting to the meat of the story wasn't easy. (Just like getting to the meat of that sentence. Ha.) I found myself just wanting to sit the characters down and say, "You tell him what you want to say. You tell her. Okay. Done deal." Instead I watched them dance around issues, drop hints, and get frustrated that their two-minute conversations were constantly interrupted.

The main character of the book, Kat, is learning about poverty, Jesus and food, feeding the hungry, how to help. All good and necessary topics for Christians to explore. I wish the issues were explored more thoroughly, but at least they opened up areas to think about. (I remember that Jackson's Yada Yada series also brought up good topics). The transformation Kat undergoes seems realistic and easy to follow. But overall, I feel that the book could have just been written better. Harsh, I know. But there it is.

One problem I had with this book was that one of the characters is HIV-positive, and a lot of the information shared about living with someone with HIV is, as I understand it, incorrect. FYI.

If you're looking for an easy read, likable characters, and a straight-forward plot, this book might be for you. If you want really good writing, a story to lose yourself in, and depth, you may want to keep looking.

Note: Booksneeze has provided me with a complementary e-book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own.