Finishing up Fall

 With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming right up...here's some pics from our fall...all very fun (& not in order)   Above...we tried out another adoption play-group...kids from around-the-world represented.

 Sunday School trip to the Creation Museum...the hotel pool was well-loved and the Museum was AWESOME...our 1st time there.

 Lots of fun with Grandparents visiting

 Enjoying one of our favorite places...Pei Wei

 My mom decorates very well, it was fun to have her show the kids.

 Great fun to have Brian's brother and his new bride here for a weekend.  We tried out the giant Farmer's Market.  We love having her in the family!

 Our local library has Lego-days and Ellyana has completed "fall-storytime"

 And in the midst of it all is updating adoption paperwork...lost track of how many criminal background checks we have done for this adoption.

Last weekend, I took a bus to Chicago & was able to meet my siblings there.  Delicious food and really fun shopping with my sisters...great to be with people who stand with you in the dressing room and talk & laugh whether it looks good or not.  I woke up the next morning and thought...it had to have been a "dream"....it was delightful!

 Lots and lots of leaves

 BJ's Farmer's Market field trip...they used the stroller to help wheel the pumpkin back to school.

Thankful for another season of our lives and the blessing of family, friends and lots of fun!

Growing up so fast...Happy 4th birthday, precious girl!

 

Today we celebrated Ellyana's 4th birthday!  Everything was "Princess" because that is her favorite right now!

 

She had a friend from church over...2 peas in a pod...loving princess stuff!

 Love the thought of being a "beloved princess", daughter of the king, cherished, redeemed, and treasured!

 The boys helping celebrate...we've got more birthdays with Grandparents next week!

 And it is a day of remembering the precious girl she has been and the JOY that she has been in our family!  Here she is at her 1st birthday!

 2nd birthday & 3rd birthdays

 

 And just for fun a few pics from her baby days

We thank the Lord for His amazing gift of Ellyana! And yes precious girl, you are our beautiful princess...cherished and loved!

Christmas Shopping with a Purpose

Sseko sandals...these are my black summer sandals...there are tons of very interesting fabrics and ways to tie them...looks like they just came out with a handbag line also  http://ssekodesigns.com/

           

Fashionable...beautiful scarves...so neat that they are enabling women...the perfect Christmas gift!  The one we ordered was BEAUTIFUL and each one comes with a personal note!  http://livefashionable.com/

ShowHope...we will forever feel thankful for this ministry as we got a grant for Zach's adoption...precious items for sale for kids  http://store.showhope.org/

We have done TOMS before...this company is different they have a huge variety of shoes handcrafted in Ethiopia...extra special  http://www.solerebelsfootwear.co/

      

  

147 Million Orphans t-shirts and magazine beads...lots of other options for raising awareness and for gift giving  https://www.147millionorphans.com/

This blog has LOTS more ideas...these are just the ones that hit home with us.  Enjoy shopping with a purpose
http://leigh-onedayatatime.blogspot.com/

Kings and Queens

 Heard this song today...powerful message, powerful song!

Little hands, shoeless feet, lonely eyes looking back at me
Will we leave behind the innocent too brief
On their own, on the run when their lives have only begun
These could be our daughters and our sons
And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating
I know my God won’t let them be defeated
Every child has a dream to belong and be loved

Chorus:
Boys become kings, girls will be queens
Wrapped in Your majesty
When we love, when we love the least of these
Then they will be brave and free
Shout your name in victory
When we love when we love the least of these
When we love the least of these

Break our hearts once again
Help us to remember when
We were only children hoping for a friend
Won’t you look around these are the lives that the world has forgotten
Waiting for doors of our hearts and our homes to open

If not us who will be like Jesus
To the least of these
If not us tell me who will be like Jesus
Like Jesus to the least of these

Boys become kings, girls will be queens
Wrapped in your majesty
When we love, when we love the least of these
Then they will be brave and free shout your name in victory
We will love we will love the least of these
We will love the least of these

Kings and Queens by Audio Adrenaline
The song was inspired by the band's passion for orphan care and their Hands & Feet Project."It's just an incredible song about this idea of when we love the least of these, God wraps these little orphans in his majesty and they can become kings and queens".

And so another Orphan Sunday snuck up on me...

yes, I was sitting in church today and it dawned on me...IT IS ORPHAN SUNDAY!!!

It wasn't that I hadn't thought of it before...multiple things had communicated it to me well-ahead of time.  The point was...today was the day and I once again had been meaning to do something special.  Organize a time of prayer, raise awareness, something, anything...but I didn't.

So I thought of our day...what could I "pull-off" yet today (my natural thought;)...nope...the day is full.  International Students coming for a full Thanksgiving dinner.

And then I smiled...fine. 

Deuteronomy 10:18  He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.

God cares for the orphans, widows and strangers...EVERY DAY. 

It is a special day.  Our hearts break under the thought of 147 million orphans.  And the question comes up...are we doing all we can?  Not just with adoption... but in sponsoring kids, praying like crazy for them and supporting them in any way we can...and not just today but all throughout the year?

Are we reaching out to the widows and strangers in our land?

God has any mix of these people near us or not so near us.

So today looked a little different than maybe what I would have dreamed up...but it was just right.  Serving and loving people who just within the past few months who have come to the US from Nigeria and China.  We were so thankful to have a wonderful family from our church join with us in this effort. 

God answered prayers today.  Silly ones...like "please help the turkey not be raw or burnt".  And continued ones for the orphans struggling around the world...may we never ever truly forget.

Redeeming Halloween!

 The past few years our family has tried "Redeeming Halloween"...and this was another year of great blessing!   This is Ellyana and a friend getting ready for a "Kiddie Parade" at our church's nursing home.

 To say the residents LOVED getting to see the little ones in costume would be a huge understatement.  Some had been waiting for an hour not to miss the kids. They brought great JOY wherever they went!

 Ellyana & I had to leave a little early from the parading to get back to the boys' school for a parade & parties.  The kids looked so cute, the games were fun & it was a great opportunity to connect with kids, parents & teachers for the 1st big school event for the year.

 Ellyana enjoyed being old enough to get to participate in bingo & other games.

 This is BJ cracking up at his teacher...people brought in silly things to have the teacher dress in...I have to say the teacher was a very good sport & got lots of laughs.

 The school day was shortened because of a teacher in service...so I loved getting the kids home in the afternoon for some "down" time.

 And here they are in their costumes...BJ picked out the Monkeys in a Barrel (it is adult size, so it will probably be around for many more years).  Everyone got quite a kick-out of it, especially with the squeaking monkey puppets.  Zach had dreamed of being Spiderman...must be the age but as Brian said..."superheros were a dime a dozen".  And Ellyana was Princess Tiana...everything is princess with her!  The kids play around the house in costume quite a bit...it always cracks me up to come downstairs in the morning & see various characters running around!

We visited a few houses, we have quite a few elderly neighbors who LOVE to see the kids each year.  It is a nice evening getting to visit with the people that you just see drive by & wave to usually.  They love to see the kids, always say how much they have grown & give them some treats.  Seemed like each house gave out a lot this year...we do ration it so it should last for a long time!

Praying we were a blessing to each one we were with throughout the day, we were blessed!