Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Happy Belated Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!

I'm a day late but how cute is this Cat in the Hat!?! (On the white stripes Lexie wrote rhyming words she found in Dr. Seuss books.)

Our YouTube Video

Just wanted to let you know, our youtube video profile has been added to our Bethany online profile. Maybe this will be what God uses to lead us to our child/lead our child to us. We continue to hope and pray.

(I'm not very happy with the quality of the video/pictures. I used an online company called One True Media which allowed me to do the video for free. Does anyone know of a different program / free online service that would give me a better quality but still be easy to use? FYI - I have a PC.)

Monday, March 2, 2009

I've been tagged!

Okay, so I was "tagged" almost a month and a half ago but didn't realize it. Sorry Stars in the Sky - better late than never I guess. :)

So here's what I'm supposed to do:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!
6. Tag five other people to do the same!

So the book that was closest to me was "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (the 3rd Twilight book). I just got it from the library today and I'm only on page 38 so this is going to be really hard for me - I never skip ahead!!! Here goes:

"I don't think you were in any danger."
"I told you I didn't want to fight with Charlie."
"Nobody said that you had to."
I glowered at him. "I can't help myself when he gets all bossy like that - my natural teenage instincts overpower me."


Well, that wasn't too bad. So what are you reading?

I tag (I know I'm supposed to have 5, oh well):

http://wisecake.blogspot.com/
http://americanandi.blogspot.com/
http://homeschoolingonedayatatime.blogspot.com/
http://heckeladoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

* By the way - I just added a new list on the right side of my blog. It shows what I'm currently reading. Okay, so I'm not ACTUALLY reading all of them but I do have them all checked out from the library and I'm attempting to read them. :)

A bad day turned into HOPE

Yesterday started out pretty good. We couldn't go to church because Lexie wasn't feeling well but we made the most of it. The three of us cuddled in bed together and watched a couple shows on Animal Planet. Finally I got up and decided to put the second coat of paint on the living room walls. All went well until I was finishing up the second wall when suddenly I had the saddest feeling. I began to wonder if we'll ever really adopt. I felt so sad I almost started crying but I didn't. Instead I said a prayer that God take away our desire to adopt if that's not what He has planned for us. I asked that He guide us to His will for us, whatever that may be. So I went on with my painting (turned out GREAT by the way), but my heart still felt heavy.

At some point during the day I realized why this day, out of all the days, I was feeling so sad. It dawned on me that on this day, March 1st, I could no longer tell people we'd been waiting "almost 2 years," or even "2 years." We have now been waiting MORE than 2 years! We never thought it would take this long. When we started the adoption process (paperwork, meetings, homestudy, etc.) we told Lexie we might not adopt a baby until she was 7 years old. We said this so that she wouldn't expect us to bring home a baby brother or baby sister the next day. We told her that it would happen when God planned it to happen. But honestly, we were preparing her for the long wait that we really didn't think would happen. We thought, "we're a nice couple, a good family, good parents, certainly someone will pick us soon." Our case worker reaffirmed what we already thought when she said, "Oh, it will happen before THEN!!!" when we told her what we told Lexie. Yet here we are 2 years and 2 days later, still not being choosen.

It's so overwhelming when I think about waiting indefinately. I mean how long can I keep hoping. It's just soooo hard! Yet, I know if this IS what God has planned for our family the wait, any amount of wait, will be totally worth it! I just need to trust God and know that if it's not His plan for us that He will take that desire away from our hearts.

All that keeps going thru my head right now is some bible verse that says something like "those who wait in the hope of God." When I typed that in google I found a website Hope Is Real. Four bible verses really jumped out at me:

Psalm 39: 7 NIV "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Psalm 25:4,5 NLT "Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."

Isaiah 40:31NLT (one of my favorite bible verses) "But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

Jeremiah 29: 11 NLT "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

So here I am today, officially waiting 2 years, 2 days and counting, but continuing to find MY hope in GOD.