So what did this Christmas bring?

LOTS of babies...and Ellyana is loving bathing, feeding, carrying around & packing them up...for as much she wasn't into dolls earlier...things have changed!!!

Precious time with the great-grandparents...Time with the newest little cousin...she's "for real"...and Ellyana was in her glory to get to hold her!Some time bowling

Getting to wash dishes with Grandma's gloves on...always a highlight

Guy time at the Bass Pro...Girl time at the Depot (no pictures...but it was a beautiful place to be this time of year)

Mom getting in on BJ's Christmas field trip

Our own family Christmas

And the kick-off to the season...a birthday party for Jesus with friends!We have so much to be thankful for...great time with family (our Mom's did amazing hosting the families for days)...fun with cousins, seeing lots of old friends & celebrating the newborn KING!!! Our kids have grown-up...we had to say 1 week away did not feel near as exhausting as years past...so that made it all the more fun!!!

We are soaking in the last few days of "break" (even though BJ went back yesterday)!

And as we thank the Lord for the many amazing blessings to 2011, we look forward & commit 2012 to Him!

We are adopting again!!!!

We are thrilled to share the news...we hope and pray to be bringing home a new baby sister from Ethiopia by this time next year! It has been an amazing journey...we will share more soon!

Blessings to your Christmas! We are thankful & humbled by God's amazing gifts!

Bravo, Dad! Much to be thankful for...

Brian got voted on for "tenure"...hoorah! Too funny, to try to try to explain this to the kids...we did a surprise dinner to Bravo! for him (thanks to a gift card :) "Tenure" sounds too much like "ten year" to get too far in the conversation with the kids & Zach's response as he was bewildered why we were celebrating..."don't you think Dad has worked long enough?"

The other 2 kids get to celebrate their "coming home days"...and BJ does too...we were so happy to have him home after almost 3 months in the NICU...his pick...Panera!!!

Uncle Jay sent BJ his 1st circuit board...he LOVED it & it came pretty easy to him...extra fun to have Grandpa here to help figure it all out! :)

Zach & I got to ride the bus with our church choir to visit my sister's church. Fun to see my sisters & their families, parents, aunt & lots of familiar faces from my college years. It was a quick trip...but we did get in a trip Custard Cup...thankfully that never changes :)

Zach with his buddies on the bus!

BJ's teacher coordinated their Friendship Feast...the full Thanksgiving meal celebrating with his class...it is a special time!

We had friends over & a few International Students for a full Thanksgiving dinner here (bought a few things pre-made) The one International student was saying how much she loves to see kids "dressed up"...we have enough costumes around here to fulfill her wish!And BJ & Brian won 3rd place in the Annual Turkey Shoot...BJ won 3 Turkey Drumsticks...perfect addition to the meal for the Internationals!

We did not get in everything we had hoped to for this Thanksgiving...but we feel so very thankful!

As was said at the Thanksgiving Eve service...

Thanksgiving is really a Christian holiday...for without the Lord and what He has done for us...it is just an act of comparing ourselves with others who have less.

We are so thankful for the Lord & what He has done for us...and we our hearts go out to those who do not have as much on this earth...and it does make us THANK-FULL!!!

Its Pinkalicious to be "3"!!!!

Today our PRECIOUS girl turns "3"! We were so happy to get to celebrate with grandparents this weekend with a Pinkalicious Party...just like her...everything has to be PINK!

Ellyana is a JOY to our family! She is a BLESSING! She is a DELIGHT to those around her, as the workers at the grocery store can't wait to see her again, the neighbor says she has the best belly-laugh in the world, she brings a smile wherever she goes!

And just like her name says...GOD has answered! She has blest our family beyond measure & we are so proud to call her our DAUGHTER!

Enjoy some of her pictures from the last few months...maybe "capturing" a piece of her amazing, fun & wonderful personality (and some of her pure cuteness ;)!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY, ELLYANA!!!

OH, HOW WE LOVE YOU!!!

Fun days....

Its that time of year, thankfully the extended family pics went well...then we tried for own immediate family & then well, the kids by themselves...

Someone had just "had it"

These guys hung in there...aren't they the most handsome 9 & 6 year old boys you have ever seen...I totally think so :)

Our family trip to the orchard...the Mutsu apples were amazing this year (as always)

Playing on the hay bale maze

Grandma coming & getting to see Zach's new school

Zach's friend who was also adopted from Guatemala, so cute!

We met Brian's friend & his wife at a Korean BBQ for dinner (it was sooooo good)...plan did backfire to bring our kids really hungry to the dinner, took a long time to cook our food at our table...every trick was out of the bag to entertain them while we waited.

BJ's walk-a-thon...beautiful day!

My sister's family came to visit, we packed in a lot of fun...feeding the ducks

We borrowed the neighbors bikes to get to the Cider Mill...11 of us...was a small parade!

We had a great time & the best news is Ellyana has been playing with dolls, packing up backpacks & "serving" her play food ever since they left. She needed sometime with girls! The kids all had so much fun together!

The tree above our garage, it was a blaze of color the day before we took this picture! It has been a gorgeous fall around here!

Getting to go to Grandma & Grandpas for a fun weekend with the cousins & aunts & uncles & the baby kittys.

And guess who is almost...3...the birthday countdown has begun!!!

Abandoned in Guatemala: The Failure of International Adoption Policies

We adopted our precious, Zach, about 5 1/2 years ago before Guatemala closed to international adoption. This video is worth your time to know what has went on, what is going on, and how to keep your prayers up-to-date as we pray for children around the world. I do not think only Unicef is to blame for this, unfortunately there a host of reasons probably Guatemala closed to adoptions.
And as we prayed earlier this year that adoptions would stay open in Ethiopia, a few people asked...do you really think they would stop adoptions in Ethiopia, what would they do with all the children?
We all like to say..."God loves adoption, His heart is for the orphan" but the reality is the opposite is true also..."Satan hates adoption". He uses any means he can to destroy family. May we pray and advocate more these precious ones!