Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

amazing news!

It’s snowing outside. Big, gorgeous white snowflakes.

So unexpected after the warm weekend we just had. Hard to believe we were out working in our garden four days ago…

As I sit by the warmth of the fire and watch the flakes fall silently to the ground, I’m reminded of the magnificent words God spoke to Job {chapter 38} in order to draw his eyes away from his present suffering and up to the grandeur of God. God demonstrates that His wisdom and power are far beyond a human being’s comprehension.

4“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
7while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
8“Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
11when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?
12“Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,
13that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?
14The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.
16“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.
19“What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
20Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
21Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!
22“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
27to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
28Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?
31“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons
or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
33Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

And, here I am. Questioning how big God is. Questioning why He is allowing such suffering. Questioning why our road to our daughter has been so long and full of heartache. 
And, I’m reminded that the very same God who keeps a storehouse of snow and blankets the earth with it’s majestic beauty is the very same God who holds our daughter close. 

Last night, I updated our adoption journey page and reflected back on all that God has done to refine my heart in this process. I melted in gratitude for each and every step we have walked on this journey.  He has never left our side. He has remained faithful. 

a photo I snapped during our last winter storm. 
a perfect example of the beautiful handiwork of our majestic God. 
Creator of the universe.
My first prayer this morning was to hear from Sheena today. I haven’t heard from her in days and I felt myself beginning to slip into fear. I asked for encouragement and a glimpse of how He is at work.
Oh, how good our God is… 

At 10:58 am, I received a phone call from Sheena with wonderful news. Sheena had visited S and she was looking much healthier than during her last visit two weeks ago.


She no longer had a fever. 


She drank two bottles of formula and took an entire dose of vitamins and iron. 


She was wearing one of the outfits and the shoes we sent in her care package. The shoes were much too big but the shirt and skirt fit {size 18 months}.


She can crawl and stand on her own. She isn’t walking yet {praying we are able to witness her first steps!}


She is being loved on and cared for by one of the older girls in the orphanage who, at one point when S was crying, picked her up and spoke to her and calmed her down easily. She likely now sleeps next to this older girl, as she used to be bunk mates with Shelby. 


She smiled at the older girl. 


She is 29″ tall. Her chest is 19″ around. Her feet are 4 1/2″ in length.


She is quiet. 

All of these details! Little treasures sealed away in my heart.

And, the most incredible news of all, God answered our prayers and S’s paperwork is now in the hands of our Power of Attorney to be submitted to guardianship court. Sheena believes our case will go to court tomorrow.

After all these months of prayer, we could be S’s legal parents in 31 days!!!!!!!!!!!

Will you join me in praying that our case is reviewed in court tomorrow? If so, we will enter into the 30 day waiting period before receiving our Certificate of No Appeal and deemed S’s legal parents. 
Thank you, God!!!! 

I know He is at work and He is working with and through our angel of a friend, Sheena. We are so blessed and grateful!

Sixteen photos and two videos arrived in my inbox after we hung up the phone. Sixteen photos of our gorgeous, perfect daughter. Sixteen photos and two videos full of details to memorize.

A few of my absolute favorites… {I cannot wait to take the hearts off of these photos so you can see how stinkin’ adorable and perfect she is!!!}

Praising the One who spoke the universe into existence and loves me enough to shower me with hope and encouragement today!

weekend smiles.

A few things that made me smile this weekend…
1. This dinner plus the most delicious homemade bread of all time. {Three of my Seven foods. Eaten alfresco. Awww…spring}. 

2. These hard workers helping daddy prep our garden {they had to take off their shirts to work. I don’t know why. It’s a boy thing}.

3. This look: halloween pajamas, drill and safety goggles. {Why would anyone consider wearing anything else to the grocery store with daddy}? 

4. This reminder during a much needed run. {These trees are bare and bleak but spring is coming and new life will be blooming soon. Much like the seasons in our life. Ecclesiastes 3:1}.

5. Fort construction chaos and giggles. 

fearless. part 2.

**catch up with fearless: part 1 here. 

I wanted to take a moment to expand upon Jen Hatmaker’s message at the Fearless Conference regarding rest.

It’s funny. I was looking back at posts from this time last year and I found posts about the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess and the concept of the Sabbath and the need for reducing the excess stuff in our lives in order to allow more of God’s kingdom to flow into the empty space {go on, take a walk down memory lane with me…here, and here and here}.

And, then, this past weekend, Jen reminds us of the need for the Sabbath. The need for restoration through rest. The need for spiritual nourishment.

“Spiritual nourishment is perishable. It’s good only for that day.” – Jen Hatmaker

Dave and I have false started many times with the implementation of a Sabbath in our lives. We have tried to protect just one day a week for rest and worship. We have even tried to deem one weekend each month Family Weekend.

We have tried.

Yet, we continually allow commitments and projects and deadlines to creep into that space. We continually allow the boundaries to come down and make exceptions for productivity. And, before we know it, we have long-forgotten about the sacredness of rest as a family.

It happens so innocently. Still, it happens again and again. We find ourselves coming up for air in the midst of the chaos of commitments and obligations and wonder how we found ourselves back here with this unquenchable thirst and need for refreshment.


Jen gently reminded us this weekend that at the very beginning of creation, God did not bless the day He created the heavens and the earth. Or the day He created the sky or the land or the sea. He didn’t bless the day He created fish or birds or all the animals on the earth. He didn’t even bless the day He created people in His own image.

Then, on the day when God rested from all of His work,  He “blessed the seventh day and declared it holy” {Genesis 2:3, emphasis mine}.

The day of rest was His very first blessing in history.

This day of rest is for us. It is a gift. It is precious and holy.

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath.” {Mark 2:27}

Therefore, Dave and I have committed to work deliberately in advance of this day. We will be fiercely protective of this day and draw boundaries to allow for our family to experience the blessings associated with a day that allows for our depleted cups to be filled once again. A day that allows for our focus to once again be moved to what is truly important. A day that allows for memories and laughter and joy to be created. A day that allows for moments of stillness. A day that allows us to push the pause button on the busyness and distractions and preoccupations that consume our energy.

A day that allows us to participate in the fullness of this life in the way that Christ longs for all of us to experience.

A day that allows more time together as a family. Outside. Laughing. Exploring. Worshipping our Mighty King of Kings.

Jen made an awesome analogy on Saturday. She compared parenting to a cup with a hole in the bottom. As parents, we continually pour in love and hope and courage and patience throughout each day. And this cup has to replenished.

There is no denying that we will grow weary without the sustenance that only our Savior can provide. Particularly if you have two toddler boys with a lot of energy and a stubborn streak inherited from their daddy {yep, I’m passing the blame here}. Especially then.

{I also love this post from The Tiny Twig …she talks about turning off our screens on the weekends. You should check it out if you’re looking for practical ways to be present}.

fearless. part 1.

Dave and I spent our Saturday in Tulsa in a room full of other adoptive parents learning and growing and worshipping the One who called us to this place, asking us to step out in faith to bring a precious child into our family through the blessing of adoption.

It was a truly awesome day. We both learned so much and came home refreshed and energized.

LOVED seeing my sweet friend, Kara! 

We know that God meant it when He asked us to care for the orphaned and oppressed. To seek justice. To be close to the brokenhearted. As Jen Hatmaker said, “when He told us to feed the hungry. He meant feed the hungry. Feed them food.”

Yet, the truth is that the need is immense. It is overwhelming, actually. The suffering is too much. The brokenness, the hurt…it is staggering. Orphan care is complicated and messy. There are no easy, clear-cut answers here.

That is why we felt so at home in a room with people that have the same passion for these children as we do. The understanding and compassion in the room was palpable.

And, I met my best friend that doesn’t know me, Jen Hatmaker. {I considered telling her that we have to be friends because we’re both just so funny and we like all of the same things…aaannnnd Dave advised against it. Instead I went with, “it’s so nice to meet you”}. She was AWESOME. Really. I’m not just saying that. Her words were powerful.

My real life friend, Chandra, and I with our newest BFF, Jen. 
Something that Jen said early on in the day really resonated with me. “A call to adopt is also a call to suffer with the orphan.” She explained that in adoption we will find unbelievable beauty, redemption, mercy, healing, and grace. Yet, we will also “get a front row seat to some serious suffering.” We will enter into the broken places with our beautiful adopted children, and we have to be willing to stay there on the road to healing. 
You see, “we cannot be in adoption to adopt. We have to be in it to parent.”
All of the speakers spoke to some of the heart issues of parenting. The lessons were universal. Regardless of whether you are parenting adopted or biological children. 
Dr. Barbara Sorrels {who actually knows Karen Purvis… anyone in the adoption world is impressed along with me} spoke about the four core fears of {all} children. 
She covered the fear of abandonment and challenged us to seek to communicate with the fruit of the spirit everyday. To communicate safety to our children through our tone of voice and our facial expressions. She shared that humiliation is the most toxic thing to the human soul. Toxic. I had never even considered such a thought. 
She discussed the fear of annihilation and the need for rich sensory and emotional environments for our children. The need to be present and not be preoccupied. She challenged us that the growing minds of our children do not need technology until the age of 7. Y’all. I love me a little ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse’ zone-out break every now and then. These two busy toddlers can run circles around me and I just. need. a. break. sometimes. This is convicting. Dr. Sorrels discussed the changes she has seen across US classrooms in the past eight years. She fully believes {and I agree} that we are parenting through technology over engagement too often. Guilty as charged. We are working on this one all the time over at our house. I’m working to turn off my screens and be present during these precious days home with the boys while they’re still so young {oh, yes, don’t worry, the boys are napping right now}.
She discussed the fear of being viewed as a bad child. This is powerful: “At the core of every child is the desire for someone to believe in their goodness.” Period.
She discussed the fear of losing love. Our children from hard places have already lost so much in their short lives. This fear is real and powerful. We have to pray for wisdom on how to parent our children. We have to cover them in love and show them that they are safe and that we are not going any where.
Jen ended the day covering the topic of rest. This message was like a soft melody to my soul. I have been depleted and running on empty without even knowing it. I will share more on this topic in a separate post because this is already long enough and I think the message is crucial to all moms everywhere. 
I’ll leave you with this nugget of wisdom from Jen H:
“Spiritual nourishment is perishable. It is good only for that day.” 
Spend time in the word. Spend time in prayer. Seek Jesus’ face. Each and every day. 
Really good stuff. 🙂