We're almost done!

I'm a little late posting this, but we got our court date last week for Andrew's adoption finalization. On July 1st, we will travel to St. Louis for the hearing where he will officially, legally and finally (!) be a member of our family. What an exciting day that will be!

Andrew has been such a blessing to our family! Isaac and Caleb love him so much, and it has been so fun to watch them interact with him. Especially now that Andrew is smiling and laughing. They love trying to make him laugh! Luke and I fall more in love with him every day. It's amazing what God has done in our hearts through his adoption. We are so thankful that God added him to our family.

One of our favorite things lately has been watching Andrew in his "jumperoo." Grammy bought this for him and he loves it. Isaac and Caleb get very excited when we put him in it because they enjoy watching him and helping him play with the toys. Here' s a picture of our little man showing off his keen jumping abilities:


And here's a little snapshot of brotherly love I took this morning:


There's the latest happenings with our crew. Now we're going to hunker down inside for the day and see if we really get this foot of now they have forecasted. We are so ready for Spring!

A Selfish Adoption?

I read a very interesting blog post tonight written by a man in the process of adopting two sons from Ethiopia. This article was sooooo good and echoed a lot of things I have thought through as I have journeyed through adoption. If you have ever thought about adopting, you might want to check it out.

Our "Big Boy"

Andrew has officially been given the nickname of "Big Boy" around our house. I think Luke is the one who started calling him that, and the name has just stuck. "Big Boy" turned three months old yesterday, and we decided we had to take an official three-month picture:

Isn't he adorable? This was taken right after his haircut. We finally got brave enough yesterday to use the clippers on his hair. Prior to this, we had just tried to trim his hair with scissors. That didn't work so well, so we decided to try the clippers. They worked beautifully and he was so good while we cut it. Isaac and Caleb stood by to give him moral support, and he wasn't bothered at all by the big noisy thing buzzing around his head. What a trooper!

A trip to remember...

Isaac celebrated his sixth birthday this week, and we decided to surprise him with a special trip with just him and Daddy. Isaac has been begging for months to ride on an airplane (we had never flown with the boys before), and so when we began thinking of ideas for his birthday I was reminded of all the frequent flier miles Luke stored up last year with his trip to India. We also had loads of Marriott points from all his work travel last year so we decided to put them to use and give Isaac a special birthday memory.

Since Chicago is pretty close to us (about a one hour flight) and there are some really cool science museums there, we decided that would be a great place for them to go. We bought the tickets about a month ago, but decided we wanted Isaac to be completely surprised so we didn't tell anyone what we were planning until right before the trip.

Tuesday evening I put the boys to bed a little early, and after they were sleeping Luke and I got all their things packed and ready to go. They had to be ready to board by 5:40, so Luke got up at 4 a.m. to get himself ready before we woke Isaac. At 4:15 Luke woke Isaac up and brought him into our bedroom. He told Isaac that for his birthday present they were going to go on a plane ride to Chicago and they were leaving right now. The look on Isaac's face was priceless (although he was still half-awake) and he was very excited. We got him dressed and they hurried out the door!

They had a great time. Isaac loved flying and enjoyed seeing a big city. They went to the Science and Industry Museum and the Field Museum. While Isaac really enjoyed these museums, one of his favorite things about the trip was the "L" train and the city buses! He had never experienced public transportation before and that was quite an experience for him. Here's some pics from their trip:

Here they are getting ready to leave for their fun time!

Isaac at the corner of Lake Shore Drive.

Standing in front of the coal mine at the Science and Industry Museum

He has always wanted to be an astronaut!

One of his favorite things at the museum was this incubator where he got to watch a baby chick hatch.

Isaac the rock climber

Devouring a cheeseburger at McDonald's

He loved the dinosaurs at the Field History Museum

He also really liked Lake Michigan and said they should have named it Ocean Michigan.

One of his favorite things--riding a city bus.

In case anyone is wondering about poor Caleb feeling left out, we have told Caleb (and Andrew) that when they are six they will get to go on a trip with Daddy too. We decided to start this as fun Father/Son tradition that Luke will do with all the boys. We want Luke to make some really fun memories of quality one-on-one time with all our sons, and the 6th birthday trip with Daddy will be a great way to do that. I think the boys all agree!

Eight years ago today...

No, today is not our anniversary, but it was eight years ago today that my sweet hubby proposed to me. (Which was what obviously led us to the picture posted above.) It's been a wonderful eight years, and I can't think of a better man to have by my side. I'm so thankful God gave him to me for my husband, and am glad I answered with an enthusiastic "Yes!" eight years ago. It was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made!

The flu and Phillipians 2

One of the most challenging verses for me to live out in the Bible is Phillippians 2:14: "Do everything without complaining or arguing.." I memorized this verse in college, and it is one that I haven't forgotten. I am convicted of this verse often. Whenever I find myself complaining my mind immediately floats to Phillippians 2:14,"Do everything without complaining..." This week I experienced something that always brings this verse to mind: having sick kids.

Beginning on Sunday night, Isaac and Caleb have had a bad case of the flu. They have taken turns with fevers, vomiting and body aches. Isaac spent nearly the entire day yesterday in bed with a fever we just couldn't get to break. I have hardly slept for two nights with three boys who have needed me to feed them, medicate them, and try to make them more comfortable. Surely it's okay to complain a little bit when I've had a rough week like this, right?

Wrong.

According to Phillipians 2 I am supposed to do everything without complaining, even taking care of sick kids. But how do I do that? It is so hard not to grumble when I am completely exhausted, and then have to wake up for the fifth time during the night to take care of a crying child. When Luke comes home from work, it's hard not to complain to him about the horrible day I have had and how exhausted I am. How do I go through weeks like this one and not complain about the circumstances God has given me?

While I don't do this perfectly (just ask Luke!) I feel like God has grown me a lot in this area over the last several years. One way I have learned to fight the temptation to complain is to train myself to look for blessings in every situation. When our kids are sick I try to focus on how, overall, God has blessed our family abundantly with good health. Our family has had no serious illnesses, injuries, or surgeries. The occasional cold or flu virus is all we have really had to deal with. When I am tempted to complain, I remind myself of all the families who have kids with serious, life-threatening illnesses and how they would rejoice if their child could only have the flu. When I think about those parents, it makes my trial seem miniscule, and my complaining ridiculous. Focusing on how God has blessed us not only trains me to have a grateful heart, it also puts my trials in perspective and shows me how I really have a pretty easy life.

I've also come to realize that, although I don't wish sickness on my kids, it's good for them spiritually. They need to have trials if they are going to learn how to rely on God. I realized this last year when Isaac was sick with a virus of some sort. While he was feeling badly, I asked him, "Is there anything I can do for you?" He replied "Just pray for me!" This wasn't the response I was expecting, but I was so glad to hear him say it. Luke and I often pray with the boys when they are sick, and Isaac had recognized the power of prayer and that God is the ultimate Healer. If you use these times of sickness as spiritual teaching tools, they can have a very powerful impact on your child.

I don't get excited when my kids start getting sick, and I am always soooo thankful when the germs have left our home and everyone is healthy again. But I also know what God promises me in Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God..." God doesn't bring a virus into our home and then just leave us to deal with it by ourselves. He's always there with us, and we need to look for ways to thank Him and praise Him during the trial instead of grumble about our situation.

Our family's happenings

I haven't posted anything in almost two weeks, so I thought I should at least get some pictures up. Here's some of what's been going on around here lately:


Luke had to install an invisible fence for Murphy, and while he was at it he decided to build a firepit for the boys. So far they have built two bonfires. Considering Isaac's pyromaniac tendencies I'm not sure this was such a great idea, but I'm going to trust Luke that he will not allow our sons to burn down the neighborhood. (While Luke was installing the fence for Murphy he also got a very nasty case of poison ivy that just won't go away. Murphy seems to be the gift that just keeps on giving. )


We joined a home-school co-op this semester that we participate in on Wednesday mornings. I teach a class on "Holidays" for the younger kids. For President's Day, we studied George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and made powdered wigs. Here is Isaac modeling his.


We celebrated Luke's birthday on the 17th. As you can tell from the candles, he turned the big "32."


And last but not least, we have decided that Andrew's double chin has now turned into a triple chin. Actually, it is hard to tell where the cheeks stop and the chins begin. It makes it a little difficult to smile when you have that much cheek to lift up, but he gives it a good try. He actually smiles and "talks" quite a bit now which has been really fun.


Next week we will be celebrating Isaac's birthday. He will be turning six! More birthday pictures will be coming...