God so loved the World

I've been thinking about foster care lately...

We have this precious child in our home who we love so very dearly but...

She is not ours.

If it's the Lord's will that we have to give her up it will be one of the hardest things we have to do, it will grieve us and bring us pain.

If the Lord wills that we adopt her we will have unspeakable joy and numerous things will change for her, her name, her parents, her inheritance...

In relation to God this has helped me understand more His love for the world. He loves each person so dearly and when they turn away from Him it grieves Him and brings Him pain. But when we turn to Him He adopts us and He has unspeakable joy, the angels rejoice and numerous things change for us, our name, our inheritance~ever lasting life, we have hope and a covering...etc...

Oh how He loves you and me!

And on a lighter side...It snowed here yesterday and Nathan enjoyed playing in it. One of his favorite things to do is eat the snow..so....when he came inside he thought he would be kind to our little girl and picked some snow up from the floor and gave some to her to try. I guess it could have been a lot worse! She didn't seem to mind:)

Right at my finger tips!

Nathan helped me bake some Christmas cookies~my Gramma J's ginger snap cookies~it wouldn't be right without them. I rolled them and he dipped them in sugar and very gently placed them on the cookie sheet for me:) Yeah right! I think a couple might have resembled balls when they went in the oven but surprisingly they came out o.k.:) Nathan's dialog during this process: "They're balls Mama, they're balls. I want to throw them." At least he gives me warning!:)

It's Snow Time

The first snow fall of the season and Nathan had a blast. He got the snowman kit from his Aunt Amy last Christmas and this was the first time we used it. Nathan really wanted to take the arms out and play with them~for drum sticks:)

Smoky Mountains

Last week my parents took the whole family to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, what a blessing this was to us all! It was so great to be with my family for a whole week and create "memory stones". My Dad did such a great job giving the glory to God for this trip, leading us in devotions and worship, praying over us ~ keeping our eyes on the Giver of Gifts. My Mom was a joyful servant the whole week~thank you Mom for your example to you children, your sacrifice for your grandchildren. Nathan or should I say "Super Nae-Nae" (as his Uncle Rob named him) had a ball. He absolutely loved playing with his cousins and hiking the big mountains, he was in his glory~so many sticks and leaves and things to explore and places to run. Our little foster Daughter was a little blessing too, such a happy baby and content on the trip bringing many smiles to us all (I had to chop her out of the family pictures though and Nathan got chopped in one too because he was beside her:) Some more favorites: Dinner times with the family; watching the cousins play; playing Piggy (a favorite spanish card game); listening to Nicolas lead worship; riding horses with Emmy, having little heads pop in when I was bathing or feeding the baby girl; double date night with my little Sis; sharing Thanksgiving with my whole family; birthday night; coffee with my sis-in-law; singing songs while hiking the trails. Thank you Gramma and Papa for this vacation, thank you Lord for blessing us in so many ways and strengthening our family.

Playmates

So it's not the prettiest rose but it is the middle of November, crazy but I have been loving these "warm for November" days and so has Nathan.
Nathan's playmate, he finally understands how to play with Heidi and now asks to go in the back yard with her to play. They are a pair! Give them both a stick and they're happy, well until the dog takes the boy's that is:)

And now we are getting ready to head to TN on Saturday for a Vacation with my side of the family. Thank the Lord we are able to take our little foster daughter with us. Too bad for Heidi she was not invited:(

What's going on

Time has seemed to fly by lately and slowed down at the same time. Our life has become much more busy in the past two months~Steve has had mandatory overtime and his photography business has been really busy lately so he has been a very busy husband and father. Nathan is growing up so quickly, he surprises us every day with things he says and talks about and does. I feel like he has grown inches in the past month. He is so busy! Our little baby girl is smiling all the time and cooing and gooing. She hates belly time and is showing no interest in rolling over which is o.k. with me:) Nathan is warming up to her more lately, wanting to share his toys with her and hold her hand and talk with her.

Nathan loves to help Mommy cook, pancakes are his favorite!
He finally realized that he could crawl out of his gate, he says to me "Mama, ook at me". Steve and I were quite happy to get rid of the gate in the dining room but a couple days after we did Nathan asks to go in it. I told him we put it away and he started to cry. He really did like it which is why we kept it up so long.
And the leaves are here again...some big ones.

We had some visitors come and play a trick on Nathan but they also gave him a treat. Nathan didn't know quite what to think of his Poppy and Grammy:) and Heidi stole Grammy's nose and really wanted her colorful hair.
And here he is with his scissors, he learned how to cut pretty quick. I put them on his right hand but he kept switching to his left. One day I think he's going to be left handed and the next day I think he's going to be right? I have no idea yet.

Dedicated to the Lord

Nathan was dedicated to the Lord yesterday, October 18th 2009. We were exhorted to believe God for great things, believe in the power of the gospel in and through our lives for Nathan, believe that God has raised us up for such a time as this ~to raise Nathan for the Lord. Reminding us that children are a gift from God and need to be cherished by us and that God is our God and is our children's God and loves them so much more than we do. Pray with us for this little guy that above all else he would be saved from his sin, that his burden would fall of his back as he looks to the Cross of Christ. That's one of his favorite pages in the children's pilgrims progress, when the burden falls off Christian's back. He calls the book "The Big Burden Book" :)

A "fun" date

So, I'm a week and 1/2 behind but Steve and I finally went on our motorcycle/scooter ride. It was his birthday gift from my parents and I (and I got to tag-a-long:). Steve's parents watched the kiddos and we headed to Lancaster last Saturday. We hit a flea market, grabbed some good coffee and drove to Country Road Cycles where we rented our "Machine" :) We enjoyed touring around Lancaster for the day, stopping in shops and grabbing lunch etc.. It was the perfect day to ride and just started to sprinkle when we were a mile from returning the scooter. Steve's remark when we pulled up..."that was Fun!" We did have a great time together, enjoyed every minute together and so thankful our parents made it happen for us.

Amazing Grace

We had no idea what was in this little boys head! I have for the longest time tried to get Nathan to sing songs with me and he would just listen and stare and nothing would come out. Steve and I sing to him every night before bed and then I continue while I rock him for awhile. Well last night I thought I would see if he new the ending to some song stanzas and was amazed...he knew the whole song and many other songs as well ~ the little stinker:) Here's a little sample and the ending is fitting for our runny nosed little boy:)

Jesus doeth all things well

So...some cute little feet have entered our home. They have been here for two weeks now and we found out Wednesday that they will stay with us for at least another 6 months. What the Lord has for these little feet and for our home we don't know. These past two weeks have been...I don't know what the right word is. I do know that Steve and I are exhausted:) We are amazed at how family, friends and our church have showered us with prayers, meals and care. We are amazed at how much grace God has given us, how much He has taught us already and is still teaching us through this time. We are freshly aware at what peace comes when we place our trust in Him and His good will and stop trying to convince Him that we deserve things and know best:) God has blessed us with peace especially this past week and with it we are able to love this little one better and love and pray for her parents.

Sorry..we are not allowed to post any pictures or other information about this little one:( Nathan is showing more affection for her this week and wants to help me often to feed and wipe her mouth. He still struggles when we she is crying and we need to hold her but over all he is doing so well with her here.

A verse form a hymn that was brought to Steve's mind the other day and we have sung often this past week:

All The Way My Savior Leads Me

All the way my Savior leads me-

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my guide?

Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate'er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate'er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

September

September is finally here! The past couple months we have been praying a lot and preparing as much as we feel we can and now we wait to see what the Lord has for us next. In January we told the Foster Care agency that in September we would open up our hearts and home for another child. We know that this could be a very different experience then we had with Nathan. We desire to adopt another child but when working with the Foster Care system this is no gaurentee, their first goal is always to work with the birth parents. We have told them that we would like a child who they think has a good chance of being placed for adoption, a 0-6 month old child, perferably a girl....and so we wait and see what God has for us. We could get a call tomorrow or it could be next year sometime, but thankfully god has given us grace and there is peace while we wait. He showed us so clearly with Nathan that when it's His timing ~ He brings it about. Please pray for us that we will continue to have wisdom in preparing Nathan for a foster sister/brother, pray for this baby that might already be born, wisdom that when we receive a call Steve and I would have a peace in knowing if we are to say yes, and that Steve and I would continue to trust the Lord and His plans for our family.

We bought Nathan this baby doll about a month ago and in this picture he is putting the pacifier in the baby's mouth, how cute:) I'm not posting the one I took right after this of him throwing the doll across the room!
And here is a picture of the nursery. It looks a little sterile, but that's because we don't know what more we will need until we know how old and what sex the baby will be. The bear is a little gift for the baby that Nathan picked out.

Riding a bike

We have tried and tried to teach Nathan how to ride a tricycle this summer but all he wanted to do is push the ground with his feet to make it go. So...we had a small bike with training wheels in the attic that a friend from church had given us and decided to try this out since he wouldn't be able to reach the ground real well. Boy did his eyes light up when we brought it down:) We took him to a parking lot with a small incline and he took off...but will still stop everything for a glance of a "momocycle".

It's really hot out here!

I think I need a rest in the shade:)

Outer Banks

Last week we got to go on vacation with Mom and Dad R and Steve's sister's families. There was 16 of us all together and what a great time we had. It was such a blessing to be able to share this week with Steve's family, we are so thankful to God for this time and the memories we get to take with us. Nathan loved the beach, the sand and jumping the waves with his cousins and Aunt and of course with Mommy and Daddy. He got to play and really connect with his cousins and Nathan and his cousin Will learned that sharing isn't always the easiest thing to do:) What a pair they are:) Poppy's waffles in the morning, Grammy's peaches, bike riding with Daddy and Poppy & Grammy, story times with Grammy and Aunt Amy, painting with Noelle and Aunt Meg, pool time with the whole clan, ghost crabbing and staying up late to see the stars and moon were also some of his favorites and ours. Thank you Poppy and Grammy for this wonderful sweet time we had with everyone!

Nathan pondering God's big ocean.

How to tire a puppy out

This is Heidi's favorite activity~chasing a basketball. She pushes it with her nose and runs all around with it and loves to jump and attack it. If she knew how to push it into a net she would make a great soccer player.

Summer Time

Some summertime sweet snap shots of our son..shine:)

A morning snuggle with his favorite stuffed animal;

a cool drink to be shared;

and an afternoon slide at his favorite park.

And of course you have to have ice cream on a hot summer afternoon, boy does Nathan love his ice cream! What a smile he has~I could just eat him up:) And Heidi wanted to lick him off...don't worry, I didn't let her.

Creation Calls

Nathan is amazed by the sky, especially the moon and the stars. We went to a firework display on July 4th and Nathan was a little afraid of the fireworks at first but he was enjoying them by the end. During the display and especially after they were done he was most excited about the moon, he kept on shouting "moon" and pointing~ I love it! If the moon is out even in the daytime (like this morning) he will find it and daily he points to the sky and asks for the stars. Usually I tell him each day that we can only see the stars when it's dark out. So a week or so ago we got home later than usual and it was clear out and getting dark so we decided to keep him up to see the stars. I was holding him and there was one bright star right by the moon and he started getting excited and staring in awe. I began explaining to him how God made the stars and the moon and how he made and loves him. ~ Nathan was quiet and then after gazing up he turned his head away and clung to me.

I think he was just beginning to grasp that there was something bigger out there and I felt the Holy Spirit right there with us. This was so comforting to me, God is at work in our little boy even at two years old~ Thank you Lord for speaking through your beautiful creation. Thank you for pursuing our son. Thank you for reminding me through a two year olds awe how big and amazing You truly are.

Family "Fun"

What a great vacation we had, thank you Lord for your kindness that you lavished upon us this past week. I think Nathan said "fun" repeatedly though out the week. We so enjoyed all the family time that we had together, mornings together and day trips enjoying God's creation, plus we got some projects done around the house. Here are some highlights of our vacation. Our first night together we went to a nearby pool and Nathan loved the little kid pool they had.

Nathan learned how to sip through a straw (this is a challenging thing to teach someone) and then we celebrated by having a milkshake. Now he keeps asking for milkshakes:) I made some freezer jam for the first time with the blackberries we picked from the park. I enjoyed this whole process especially picking the berries- fruit amazes me~ how God created something so delicious we can just pick and eat.
We went to the Baltimore Zoo and enjoyed watching Nathan see the animals, I think he got most excited when he saw how big the giraffe was. He also enjoyed his camel ride with Daddy and the trolly ride to and from the park.
We went to the creek at the Reading Museum a couple times and boy did we all have a blast. Nathan and Heidi loved the water, it was like a big puddle that Nathan got to throw rocks and jump in.
Nathan went on his first canoe ride with Daddy and a friend of ours. He had no fear at all ~ as you can see from the first picture he was sitting very nicely and holding on...the second picture I think he's trying to crawl out and Daddy is holding him tight. He really wanted to get in that water.
So now our vacation is over but we have many good memories to take with us. Here's a little excerpt from an article given to us from our pastor. The article is by CJ Mahaney about family vacations and he is referencing a quote by CS Lewis. Mahaney says "Notice how Lewis distinguishes between thankfulness and adoration. I not only want my children (and myself) to be grateful ("How good of God to give me this"), but ultimately I want them to be amazed by this God, amazed by "the quality of that Being" who has provided all these gifts, and adore Him."

We are so grateful to God for giving us this vacation and thanks to this article I have been reflecting on not just the gifts but the Giver of the gifts and am growing in amazement of this God.

Side Notes

It must be a boy thing? He loves helping his Daddy mow the lawn and is drawn to tractors and mowers when he sees them out and about, Daddy enjoys mowing the yard too so I have never done it myself but one time. A couple weeks ago I decided to cut the grass because Steve had a very busy week ~ I wonder why as I started up the mower... Nathan started to laugh? :)

We really do enjoy the park nearby and go there often with our crew. This is a yummy summer bonus, Nathan enjoyed putting them on the tops of his fingers and then popping them in his mouth.

A full weekend

~This weekend we seemed to be caught up in a whirlwind, my hair is still a little wind blown:) Friday we went to Maryland for a Friday night wedding. I think Nathan was "spinning" during the whole event, I didn't get to see the wedding (due to a hyperactive, nap deprived little boy who decided he would put out a high pitched scream if he didn't get something he wanted - oh boy) but was told it was beautiful. We all got to enjoy the reception, food helped Nathan relax:)

~After an "interesting" night at the hotel and a lovely breakfast with family we were headed home again, picked up Heidi and prepared for the next day. 

~Sunday, Father's day, Nathan and I celebrated three favorite men in our lives: Dada, Poppy and Papa , oh how we love each one and are so thankful for all that they mean to us. I am so thankful Nathan has such godly men to look up to and learn from, especially his Dada.  We got to go to church Sunday morning and worship together and then went to our care group and visited with some wonderful friends and then dinner at Steve's parents, always very yummy (thank you Mom R, or should I say Hostess Queen:)

And now... 4 more days and my Honey starts his vacation, yeah!! I love mandatory shut down week at Deka:)

The sun still shines on rainy days

And we have had rainy days! I am being to think we are still in April. But the Lord has been kind and we still have had many opportunities to play outside each day so far....jumping in many pubbles and changing wet clothes. One of Nathan's favorite things to do outside in the back yard is swing~Thank you Papa and Gramma! He goes to the back door and points "More -ing?" and then while swinging he says "More high!". Smiles and giggles are what he does while swinging and even an occasional fall doesn't damper his spirits.

40 years...Surprise!

My Dear Steve,

I love you with all my heart and am so very thankful for you! You do so much for us so well, working hard and are so faithful. Your love for both Nathan and I is evident in all you do. I am very thankful and blessed that you are my husband, my best friend and the father of our son. I love walking through this life with you and pray that we have many more years walking hand in hand in the grace of God. I hope and pray the Lord blesses you this day as you remember His faithfulness to you these past 40 years. Happy Birthday Honey!!

Pubbles

Rain, rain go away... That's what Mommy says but not Nathan! He says "Pubble" over and over again.:) "Mama, Pubble, oh, two pubbles! More?" pointing to it and wanting to jump in the puddles or asking to throw something in them.  I think I have heard this conversation over and over again this past week. The sunshine peeked through the clouds today, hurray!:)

And yes, back to the ears... it's a dandelion stem if you were wondering. I am trying to not make an issue of it?? but it's definitely not deterring him. I wish I could get him to focus like this on other things:)

Clutter For Sale

We had our first yard/porch sale today, Wernersville had their community sale so we thought "why not join them". Steve's sister and kid's joined us for the adventure and the girls set up a little stand and Nathan and his cousin Will ran around and "explored". We made a little cash but more importantly cleaned out the attic. I think there was just one item we gave away for free because the lookers turned to walk away:) It was a busy day but productive and I was tired by the end. 

  

Impromptu Picnic in the Park

Here are some pictures from a recent picnic we enjoyed at Blue Marsh, what a sweet time we had together.

  

   

A little side note updating the last post. I mentioned Nathan was sticking things in his ears, well the other day I had Heidi in the back seat of the car next to Nathan and I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Nathan attempting to put Heidi's tail in his ear, oh boy...what's next:)

April

So...I know it's way past Easter but I'm a little behind with my posts. We traveled home to my parents for Easter and enjoyed seeing much of my family throughout the weekend, Nathan had a lot of fun with his cousins. I was a little under the weather but thankful for the energy I had. As always the time seemed short but I am looking forward to my parents coming to visit us in a month:)

Nathan's Easter dress, what a handsome little boy! He is getting his last primary tooth right now and I think I should mention so I have it written down somewhere that he is sticking everything and anything in his ear! ~ cheerios, dandelion stems, shoe lace stings, blankets, spoons, sticks, peas and the list goes on and on. I have heard horror stories about things getting stuck in ears and am praying this does not happen in our household:)
And Spring! Spring reminds me and amazes me of how our Lord makes things new and beautiful and we get to see so many wonders that he created come to life. I do love spring.. the birds singing in the morning, no more hats and gloves to battle, everything is blooming, sunshine, windows open....  I have been waiting for my vibernum to bloom and this week the flowers all popped and it smells beautiful and looks beautiful and I feel spring has arrived. 

"for behold, the winter is past; 

the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtledove

is heard in our land.

The fig tree ripens it's figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.."

Song of Solomon 2:11-13