The Wall Bloggers

Adrianna is blessed with a kind and generous father and I am blessed with a kind and generous husband. Scott had Monday off work (in exchange for working the first half of Christmas Eve), and he was brave enough to make the 3-hour round-trip to the zoo alone with Adrianna. We tried to convince her that I could go, too. But her persuasive words, "This is my special date with Daddy," were the final decision for us on the matter. I enjoyed the day by myself, getting to workout, wrap some presents, deliver a few gifts, and even watch a Christmas movie. It's a rare treat for a stay-at-home mom to be home... alone . :) And Adrianna and Scott seemed to have a great day, too. When I checked in on them by cell phone during the day, I could hear Adrianna's happy voice, full of excitement in the background. And she came home buzzing about the stories Dad told her in the car and the animals they saw at the zoo. We even got her right to bed, before she fell apart from fatig...

Starting a couple of weeks ago, I began asking God daily if we could get our adoption referral by Christmas. I know that our God gives lavishly to His children. Matthew 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" And so I asked to know who our child is. And last Friday, as our adoption agency closed it's doors until January 4, I got my answer. "Not yet." I admit, I cried. I told our Father how sad I was. But His is an answer I can live with. I knew from the first prayer that the answer might be, "Not yet." But I know God also drew me to Himself as I petitioned Him, with my longing heart. And I know that I prayed, "Not my will, but Yours be done." So He did His will, and not mine. Since His will is always perfect, I accept that He knows what He is doing. As I prayed, He gave me a glimpse of the way my prayer was bei...

Yesterday, we got word that our neighbor Julie, who battled a brain tumor for over a year, passed away. My heart is so heavy for her family as they face the rest of their lives without her. Julie left behind a husband, and two boys (age 7 and 4). Julie's youngest son was born just a few weeks after Adrianna. Dozens (maybe even hundreds) of people have been praying for a miracle for Julie. I do not know why she was not healed, but I know that God's heart hurts even more than mine does for this family in mourning. We are so blessed to live in a country where it is not typical for a person to die in her thirties. There are many places in the world where this is an average life expectancy. Gracious heavenly Father, heal the broken hearts of this family, as they mourn for their wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend.

Yesterday we were blessed with a snow day. We did not actually have too much snow (maybe 4-6 inches?), but the driving wind made the roads icy. Because of those winds, we didn't even get outside much to play in it or build a snowman. Needless to say, Adrianna was pretty disappointed. But when we saw a friend who got cuts on her face from being hit by an icy snowball, I felt justified for not wanting to play in it! I also wanted to give an update on those craft stick mangers. Much to my amazement, the children actually put them together (mostly) on their own! In the picture, you can also see their swaddled baby Jesus and wise men.

Preschool preparation is a little different than elementary preparation. Having done both, I don't know if I would choose which I like better. They're just different. Teaching fifth graders, I had to do abundantly more research, to make sure I passed on accurate information to the next generation. With preschool, I do not need research, but I do need preparation! First, there is a different state of mind in choosing projects that little, unexperienced hands can make, without the teacher ending up making the whole thing. Second, there is more cutting and preparing of the crafts, so that they will be at the stage that those little hands can finish. Over the weekend, I spent far more hours than I care to admit preparing seven little craft stick mangers for our preschool this week. I had to get them to the stage where the children would be able to complete them (hopefully!) on their own. And a thought kept nagging at the back of my mind as I put so much energy into them: I'm ma...