HUGE GIVEAWAY!!!

Big THANK YOU to Ben Adams Precious Jewels in San Antonio who has graciously donated this necklace, with a retail value of $650.00, to help us raise money for the adoption!! 

So from now until Monday, March 7th, we are raffling off this beautiful diamond covered cross necklace!!!  For every $10 donated, your name will be entered into the raffle one time.  (So for a $10 donation, you will be entered once, for a $50 donation, your name will be entered 5 times, for $100, you name will be entered 10 times, etc...)

At our silent auction dinner on Monday night, March 7th, we will draw a winner.  You do not have to be present to win!

PLEASE email me your name and a phone number at mamajax@sbcglobal.net when you make a donation!  If you don't, I'll still use the email address entered from PayPal, but it will be easier to get a hold of you if you win :) when I have your name and your number too!

Thank you and Good Luck!! :)

P.S. Please feel free to repost this on your blog and help me get the word out!!

The Elephant in the Room - $$$

First, I want to say this...
For those of you that have been following us and praying for us and supporting us along this adoption journey - the words "Thank You" don't seem enough.  But know that it was your encouragement that carried us when the criticism came.  It was your prayers that carried us when I thought I would scream in frustration.  Oh, thank you, thank you for your compassion and your patience through this relatively short adoption (only 7 months!!!).  I will never take for granted what you've offered us.  Nor will I ever, ever, take for granted the protection, the guidance and the grace that my LORD provided us.

So many of you have asked, or wanted to ask but didn't, about the cost of this adoption.  So I'm going to be completely open here.  My husband might ask me to remove this later, but for know, I'm laying it out on the table. 
The adoption of Isaiah and Ruth was quoted to us as $34,000. 
As of this past weekend, we hit the $50,000 mark. 
Granted, there were 3 things that were completely out of the adoption agency's control: 
1. Traveling during the peak season in the Caribbean, which triples airfare and hotel. 
2.  We are bringing our biological children with us. 
3.  The foster fees for our children.  (There is no orphanage in this country, only private foster homes.  So when you adopt, you owe $500 per child, per month, that they have been in foster care.  For us, that was $500 x 16 x 2)

$50,000 IS A LOT OF MONEY!  It's more than the national average for yearly incomes.  And we have received criticism regarding the cost of this adoption.  We've been asked questions like, "Why don't you just foster?  The government will pay you to do that.  Why don't you adopt domestically, it's so much cheaper?  Why don't you just adopt one, instead of two, it's cheaper? 

So I want to explain something very quickly... 
Brian and I were not called just "to adopt." 
We were not called to foster. 
We were called to be the family for Isaiah and Ruth - siblings. 
We didn't "shop" around for the cheapest country.
We didn't search for the child that would cost us the least amount of money.
The End.
  
That said, the cost was a non-issue.  We didn't have the $34,000, let alone the $50,000, so we just gave it over to God.  He called us to adopt and as a sweet friends loves to say, "The LORD funds what He favors," so we proceeded with the adoption having NO CLUE how we would pay for it.  But I knew that the money was SO insignificant to our God.  It was a minor detail, almost just a footnote in this love story He is writing.

To date, $40,000 has already been paid towards the adoption.  We depleted our savings (but THANK YOU God, that we had savings!!!!).  Brian cashed out stock he had in his company.  We took out a small loan.  We have had 2 fundraisers - a triathlon and the 147 shirts.  We opened a credit card through our bank and put our plane tickets on that.  (Sorry Dave Ramsey!)  We have stretched pennies and cut back on everything, which honestly, has been so freeing!  You get creative and find cheap ways to still eat out.  For example... 
My favorite food in the whole wide world is Mexican.  One of my very favorite restaurants is Chuy's.  Pre adoption, our family of four would easily spend $40+ on dinner.  Post adoption, our last bill was $9.21.  "How," you ask?  If you go before 7 p.m., there is a chip, beans, queso, taco meat bar that is free.  Tortillas are also free.  Brian gets a meal (we do have to order something so we don't get kicked out :) and me and the kids make our own burritos and nachos...for FREE!!  (It actually tastes better free.) :)

When Brian and I sit down to figure out the money aspect of this adoption, it just doesn't make sense - on paper - where $30,000 of the money has come from.  IT ISN'T ADDING UP!  But that's when we smile and praise the LORD.  For we know that He already has this adoption paid for.  He is just growing our faith while He reveals to us how He is doing it.
So even though we are a little less than $10,000 short.  Even though we leave in less than 3 weeks to pick up our children.  Even though we should be completely freaking out right now.  I am not.  I have my "Boots of Peace" laced up real tight and I'm allowing that Peace to completely take over and become a Peace that surpasses ALL understanding.

And I want to say, even if our silent auction doesn't bring in all the money we need, my faith and my trust in a Sovereign God is unwavering.  This dinner is not a test for the LORD, to see if He will rise up to the occasion and answer our prayers.  This dinner is a test in obedience for me.

P.S.  This is why I'm not worried about the money...

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 4:6-7

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own." 

Matthew 6:34

"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" 

Matthew 6:27 

Taxi Driver's Association Beach Party (Also known as Day 3)

I am warning you now, I will not do this day justice.  There just aren't the right words to describe Day 3.  If only I could somehow display my facial expressions and my hand gestures, it would be so much more effective.  But that's not possible.  And sadly, I have no pictures.  Actually, it's probably for the best that there is no proof or evidence.  Only memories, which can fade or become richer with time.  We'll see what holds true in this case.

It's Sunday, and because we did not bring the appropriate attire, we were not able to attend church.  All I had were sundresses and flip flops, not even thinking that would be disrespectful to their culture.  (I'm thinking our movie theater church, with our jeans, flip flops and shorts, probably wouldn't make it over there.) :)


Mr. McLeod

So Brian and I just waited until church was over so our driver could come get us.  We had no plans or any ideas on what to do, so Mr. McLeod invited us to a beach party.  Not just any beach party, but it was the the St. Vincent's Taxi Driver's Association Beach Party.  All the taxi drivers in the country were coming together for a day of fun in the sun!  It sounded perfect!  How could we refuse?  Actually, we really couldn't refuse.  He was our driver and this is where he was headed for the day, therefore, this is where we were headed for the day also.
(For those of you that have heard this story told, are you laughing yet?)

So we pick up our kids and off we go to another part of the island.  I do have to say, St. Vincent is beautiful.  Yes, there is poverty.  Yes, there are sheep and goats roaming the streets.  And we saw children walking around in underwear with no shoes. 

 But everything is green and lush and tropical.  St. Vincent is mountainous. So there are layers upon layers of trees and blooms.  There are waterfalls.  There was nothing dead or dry or flat. The only flat thing that I saw on the whole island was the landing strip at the airport and I have no idea how they made it that flat. 

As we are heading to the party, our driver informs us that the movie, "The Pirates of the Caribbean" was filmed on St. Vincent.  He asks us if we would like to go see the set.  I think Isaiah shouted "YES" before we even had a chance to answer. 

No one was there that day, but during tourist season, you can order drinks and lunch at the main building where a lot of the movie was filmed. 
(The main building is the white building on the right.)

Finally, we are on our way to the Taxi party.  Once we arrive, Brian and I head off in search for a place for all of us to change into swimsuits.  The fact that we were seeking privacy to change was making this a little difficult.  We eventually stumbled upon a public restroom where there was a sign listing the price it would cost to use the facilities.  Umm...we have no $ on us.  And there is NO CHANCE we are sneaking in.  We look like out of place tourists, toting around 2 native children.  We look uncomfortable, we look conspicious, we look lost and confused. 

Well, I take my chance and trot in with Ruth.  I decide to feign ignorance if someone asks me about the fees.  No one does, but I get lots of looks and questions about Ruth. 

(You see, apparently, earlier that year, there had been a huge story about some white British people trafficking some babies off the island.  So everyone's guard was up.  And on top of that, if I mentioned adoption, the locals became very defensive and took the stance that there are no orphans in their country.  Not the best situation to walk into for us.)

I change us as quickly and as politely as possible, meet up with Brian and Isaiah, and off we go to find our one familiar face...fast!

Our driver was waiting for us so he could walk us past the guy in charge and into all the activities.  Brian took anything and everything offered to him as we walked so as not to offended anyone.  Once on the beach, Brian told me he would be back in a little bit.  He was going to try and befriend as many big men as possible in the next 10 minutes in hopes we would have protection if needed!
Unfortunately, the only man Brian truly befriended was Mr. St. John, a retired 70 year old taxi driver who offered little in the form of physical protection but Brian hoped that protection might come from the level of respect others had for this man.  Oh, and Mr. St. John's friend (the name alludes me now) was a young man who thought we were his new best friends.  I might need to add that he was so drunk, he mentioned something about hiding in a suitcase to travel, to eleminate the cost of airfare. Yeah, we are not planning on taking his advice.

Our poor children, not only stood out because their parents looked different, but we had brought them brand new swimsuits.  Isaiah had bright yellow swim trunks (it's easier to find kids in public places in orange and yellow) and Ruth had a cute little mango colored swimsuit with polka dots and a tutu sewn around the waist.  Needless to say, the other children, IF they had swimsuits, did not have anything new or cute.  Oh, and I had brought a pair of goggles.  I think there was a wait an hour long for a chance to try these "glasses" that let you see under water.  Isaiah finally gave up trying to get a turn and just let everyone else have them. 

The food and the drink, mostly different kinds of beer and a few local sodas, flowed endlessly.  At one point, I found Brian finishing off some meat and rice.  He asked me if I would like something to eat.  I did, but I wanted to stick with just the rice.  So he refilled the dish, which is half of a scooped out coconut shell and handed it to me with a wooden spoon.  After I finished, I asked him where he got his own coconut bowl and spoon, since we had not brought our own.  He then informs me that they weren't ours.  They belonged to our taxi driver.  Which he had given to Brian AFTER he AND his son had finished their dinners.  Oh, and they aren't washed between usings, just licked clean.
That adds a new dimension to the phrase, "Finger Looking Good!" :)

There were many aspects of this story I intentionally had to eliminate because they are not appropriate or they were disresptful.  These parts just happen to be some of the funniest and awkard moments of the day.  Just imagine the craziest things that can happen on a black sand beach at a goat roasting, beer drinking, underwear swimming beach party with about 150 locals, 2 sheltered white people and their 2 black children, and that was our day!  But I have to admit, we wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world!
 
It began to rain, which is a daily occurence, and the children started shivering.  So we went back to the car to warm them and change their clothes and then head home.  As we were heading back, the thought on everyone's mind was our empending departure the next morning.  When we dropped the children off, we wouldn't see them again until we came back for them.  Both kids did not hold back their pleas in asking us to stay.  We explained that we had to go home to finish all of our paperwork so we could come back to get them.  Because of their history of abandonment, not just from their mother, I can completely understand their fear that we also wouldn't come back for them. 

But what was different about us, is that God is writing this story, not us.  And in His book, he does not leave you as orphans.  He comes to rescue and restore.  So we knew we were coming back...we just didn't know
when.

As we were driving, I took the opportunity to ask Isaiah, what his thoughts were the moment he saw us at the school.  He said...
"I looked at you and knew you were there for me.  That you were my mum and dad.  And that made my heart SO happy!"

This is the picture right after he said that...

Isaiah & Ruth - Day 2

Isaiah and Ruth are legally ours!!  We leave soon to bring them home so I'm going to try my best to catch up to how we got to this point.
If you haven't read about Day 1, I wrote about meeting the children and our first day together HERE.  You can go there and catch up if you want. 

Saturday, September 20th, 2010, at 9 am sharp, we were pulling out onto the road. (I let out a little scream each time our driver pulls out to the left side of the road, thinking he isn't getting back to the other side of the road fast enough!  Then I realize everyone has it backwards and it makes me feel a little better.) :) 
We are off to pick up the children for the day!  When we arrive, the kids run to us, ready to go.  Isaiah had been sick the day before, but he looked great that day and was ready for fun.  As we were getting ready to leave, Isaiah asked if "T" could join us.  ("T" is a beautiful 11 year old girl that had just come into foster care the week before.)  We both agreed that she could join us (a decision that still impacts our life today...and something I will write about one day).

All 5 of us head back across town towards our hotel.  From there we take a ferry a few hundred yards to a very small, private island that has a nice beach we can swim at.

  We played at the beach.  We played at our pool.  We built sand castles.  We invented new games that required a dock, an ocean and a football.  We played catch.  We played monkey in the middle.  We had lunch in a thatched bungalow.  We laughed.  We talked.  We held hands and we cuddled.  We introduced them to Oreo's and rice cakes.  It was a beautiful day!   

Isaiah asked his daddy to throw him no less than 100 times! 

If you know me, then you know I love to swim and I love to coach.  Even if my children never swim competitively, they need to know how to swim, especially before summer league swim team starts. :)  So, before you even ask me, yes, in the pictures below, I am trying to see where Isaiah's diving and swimming skills are.

So he needs a little work diving.  No problem!  That's my favorite thing to teach.  :)  The positive is that he LOVES the water and actually has some natural talent.  The negative?  He forgets how to swim as soon as he needs to take a breath.  Once again, no problem!  I know how to teach that! :)



As our day came to an end, we headed back to the hotel to change into dry clothes and take them back to their foster family.  And in the short time we changed, they managed to finish off the package of Oreo's.  Oops! :)

It took Ruth about 2 minutes in the car to look like this...

Brian carried her into the house sound asleep and laid her in bed where I think she sleep till morning. 

Sweet Dreams my Caribbean Princess!!

The Whisper of God

"LORD, break my heart for what breaks yours!  Break my heart for what breaks yours!"

Please understand before I tell this story, that I, by nature, am an incredibly selfish person.  It is ONLY by crucifying my flesh and following Jesus that I even have a glimmer of hope to be compassionate, loving and selfless.  I can do NOTHING good apart from Christ, who is in me.  All the glory be to God as I tell you this story...

This morning as I was driving back to my house, I passed a homeless man selling newspapers.  Normally, no big deal.  However this morning, the thermostat in my car read 26, with a windchill that I'm guessing is in the single digits.  It's cloudy, it's wet and it's is just plain bitter cold.  The kicker in this, is that this is South Texas.  Our average temp this time of year is probably around 60.  He was on the other side of the road, with his back to me, but his posture was screaming, "I'm FREEZING!!"
In the split second that I felt compassion for him, I justified away why there was nothing I could do right then.  I told myself:
"He has a coat so it's not like I can go buy him one and besides it's not even 8 am, nothing is open."
"I'm pretty sure he has gloves, so I'm sure he's fine."
"I really need to get back home and get ready for a meeting.  And besides, it's a meeting on how to raise $ for victims of trafficking.  That's really important and I'm sure God will understand."
"I seriously have no idea what to do.  It's not like I can bring him home with me."
"But the traffic is horrible!  I don't want to turn around."

You see, the longer I sat in my car, the easier it was to make myself believe that he really wasn't that cold.  That someone, somewhere would meet his needs, whatever they may be.

But you see, I pray daily that God would break my heart for the things that break his.  And God, in all His mercy and grace, is looking past my selfishness, and allowing me to see a side of humanity that is heartbreaking.  Sometimes I run with it and sometimes I bury it.  But I'm finding, if you bury the Holy Spirit - the voice of God, His voice will get weaker and grow more distant, until you can no longer hear Him.  That scares me more than anything.  So I'm learning to listen and obey, though 1/2 the time I feel completely inadequate and unprepared. 

I felt a tugging in my heart that I knew would not allow me to walk away from this man.  True, it was completely my choice, but  I knew this whisper.  So I turned around and sat in a parking lot.

O.K. LORD, what now?
See that Starbucks over there?  Go.
Seriously?!  The line wraps around the building and to the street!  That is a good 20 minute wait!
Go.
Fine.  But what if he doesn't like coffee?
I didn't say to get coffee.  Get hot chocolate.
I don't think I have any money.
Go.

So I fight traffic and go back to the Starbucks.  I eventually make my way up and I order a hot chocolate.
"What size and with or without whip cream?" says the lady.
Ugh.  I don't know.
"Tall with whip cream," I finally replied.

At this point, I'm thinking I turned all the way around for just the smallest size drink?  Really?  Shouldn't I get him a venti??  And I'm still wondering if I have any money.  I should have looked while I was waiting (it didn't take 20 minutes, but it took at least 10) but I have a little bible in my car and I was drawn to Psalm 139, which I read while I waited.

I get to the window and open my purse.  Laying in my purse is a very old Starbucks card that seriously can't have any money on it so I put it aside and fish for my wallet.  Again I hear the whisper, "use the card."  I'm shaking my head as I hand over the card, and then I search my change to come up with the $2, knowing it won't go through.  Well, wouldn't you know it...it did.  And I still have like 70 cents on it.
I get the hot chocolate and make my way out onto the street. 
(This is morning rush hour on a main street that empties into the highway that takes you to the airport and downtown.  And it's freezing rain and everyone knows that Texans can't drive in the rain or the cold so it's just not a good combination.)     
I come up to the intersection that the homeless man is on, but it's a green light.  And remember, it's rush hour and wet.  I can't just stop in the middle of the road and hold up traffic.  So I slow way down and start praying for a red light.  I got a red light.  I stop literally 2 feet from this man and I roll down my window. 

I was completely taken aback.  His eyes were clear but his face literally looked frozen.  He had snot all over his nose that had completely frozen to his face.  It looked painful for him to talk because his lips were frozen. 
"LORD, is this breaking your heart as much as it is breaking mine right now?"
I handed him his hot chocolate.
He looked at me and said, "Thank you.  Now I can go get warm."
He left his little bag with all the belongings he probably had in the world on that street corner and with both hands wrapped around the cup, headed into the wind.  He walked with a purpose and with pride towards warmth.

You see, now that he actually had a drink from Starbucks, he was allowed in the building.  The drink and the size of the drink never mattered.

As I drove off, the tears came tumbling down.  I cried that in spite of my selfishness, God still chose to use me.  I cried that I love a God that is SO BIG, yet He takes the time to see the homeless man freezing on the street corner.  I cried that I was driving to a beautiful warm house with a huge bed, while there are people in my city that will literally freeze to death tonight. 
I cried because part of Psalm 139 says, "I can never escape from your Spirit!  I can never get away from your presence!"  Oh, how grateful I am of this truth!!  Regardless of how selfish and self righteous and frustrating I can be, His Spirit is not leaving me!  Sometimes I need more than a whisper and a gentle nudge to move me in the right direction, but I'm learning.  I'm learning. 

God IS whispering.  What is He saying?

What do Fortune Cookies, Won Tons & Airplanes have to do with Valentine's Day?



I’m not even going to even pretend that I have natural craft ability. Nor will I stretch the truth when it comes to my artistic ability. Granted, my hearts are pretty darn cute and I can make my balloons look like they are floating up into space. Oh, and my teddy bears are adorable...from the neck up.

And that’s pretty much it.

I thought I could draw monkeys but during a game of Pictionary at Christmas, I was clearly informed that no, I could not.  (Thanks Suzie for that enlightening.)

But I'm o.k. with this.  I'm totally secure in the way God made me and the gifts I do have.  And besides, if I had taken most of the artistic ability, there would have been less for my brother to inherit.  Who, by the way, is an incredible and very talented artist.  Actually all my siblings can draw or be crafty.  Oh well. 

Anyways, that has nothing to do with fortune cookies, won tons and paper airplanes.  So let me get to the point...

When I do attempt crafts, it's almost always a replica of someone else's attempts at cuteness.  Their pictures of perfection draw me in and allow me to believe that I too, with the right supplies, can make that object of perfection.  And so it happened, once again.  I came across a blog where the mom does these amazing crafts with her kids.  I clicked on "Valentine's Day" and read through each craft.  Valentine's Day Felt Cookies caught my eye and I clicked away.  The idea of this craft is that you cut circles out of felt, glue a strip of floral wire to the middle, put a sweet little love note in the middle and then fold the circle to look like a fortune cookie.  Then, each day before Valentine's Day, your child can choose a "fortune cookie," crack it open and read their love note.  She describe it in such detail and truly, it looked so simple, that I thought, "Sure...Why not?"  So off we went to the craft store for the "perfect supplies."

I was so excited to start!!  I printed out all the "Love Notes," and all the felt was just sitting there begging to be cut.  So on February 1, right after school, we began.  (Yes, I realize that we should have been done, not starting, on Feb. 1, but time management is NOT one of my gifts either.)
The kids were excited to get started thinking that something with the title fortune cookie in it, meant a delectable treat.  I had to let them down easy. 


Our neighbor was over so she got to make them too!

The cutting went pretty smoothly.  Granted, some circles were pushing the oval shape, but I was just happy that they were engaged and cutting their own, so I keep my criticism to my myself. 
Once 56 circles were cut, we headed over to the counter to hot glue the wire to the middle.
 

The girls loved gluing even though their poor fingers felt more of the hot glue than the felt!  Jaxon wanted no part of the gluing and instead asked his sister and friend to glue all of his so he could do this...



He only stops reading to eat, sleep and watch A&M Football.  And even then, he usually has a book at the table, a book in his bed and a book in his lap so he can read during the commercials. 

I finally convinced Jaxon to at least try and glue one of his.  So what does he do?  He grabs the glue gun and starts shooting everything in the kitchen.  Lovely.  Gotta love boys! :)

So finally all the circles have wire glued to the middle with a strip of felt covering the wiring so it won't show.  Now it's time to add the "fortunes" and fold to look like fortune cookies. 

I can say, without reservations, THIS is where it all went awry.  You see, my laptop was frozen, so I couldn't pull up the crafty lady's directions and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to make them look like fortune cookies.  The best I could do was a shape resembling a won ton.  So I showed the kids my folding techniques for a won ton and wished them luck.  :)  Jaxon decided that a won ton was only one step away from a paper airplane, so he proceeds to make 14 felt airplanes.  All of which, he feels need flying practice, numerous times I might add, before getting put up. 

(At this point I'm really questioning why I feel the need to do crafts.)

I decided to hold off doing the ones for my husband because I really want to figure out how to fold them into fortune cookies.  So we finish the ones for the kids...

The ones in the bag are the fortunes for our next door neighbor...  The ones in the thing that look like an urn are for Jaxon, Chloe and Brian. 



As entertaining and frustrating as it was to make them, I am so glad we persevered!  The kids LOVE opening their "fortune" everyday (whether it's shaped like an airplane, a wonton or a fortune cookie) and seeing what special love note awaits them.  Here's an example of what they say:

For Chloe - I love your sense of humor and your creativity! You are such a gift from God!

For Jaxon - You are God's creation and you were made to do GREAT things!

For Brian - Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Brian - You are LOVE.

I also gave one to Brian that said, "I love you more than coffee ice cream and bean burritos!" 
(For those of you that know me, know that this a WHOLE LOTTA LOVE! :)

The notes are a mixture of scripture pertaining to love and personal attributes that are special and individual to each person.

And yes, I will try this one again next year.  Especially since I'm saving all the little felt circles as they are opened. :)

*For those of you that want to try this craft or want to check out any other super cute crafts for holidays (or everyday) make your way to http://www.babeofmyheart.com/ and click on the craft link.  It's a great blog!!*

As I was researching which scriptures would be perfect for each person in my family, I came across 1 John 4:7-21.  It's all about God's love and our love for Him and for others. 

We know that love is important.  It's the reason that we are here.  It's the reason that God implemented a plan for our redemption.  Love is the reason Jesus sweated blood and Love for me and for you is what kept Jesus nailed to that cross.

We think of love as a feeling...something we can fall in and out of.  But real love is not a feeling, it's a choice and it's an action.

We have made love into something selfish and something shallow and in the process, we have contaminated our understanding of love and what God truly intended for us.  John says, "God is love."  He doesn't say, "Love is God."  Real love is like God, who is holy and just and perfect.

As you prepare to celebrate Valentine's day in your family, take the time to read this passage within your family and see what it would look like if we thought of love as a choice and an action instead of a feeling. 

And remember, the greatest commandment ever given was this...

"The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ... Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these."

"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds everything together in perfect unity."

Colossians 3:14

IT'S A SNOW DAY!!

This is what we woke up to this morning!  O.K., O.K., I realize that those of you that are in the other 47 contiguous states (plus Alaska) are amused at my excitement over this "dusting" of white.  But I live in - South Texas!  We woke up to some ice about 4 or 5 years ago, but I can't remember ever waking up to snow.  Snow = No School!  (O.K., friends in other states, it's o.k. to laugh at us now.  It's true, our city  shuts down at even the mention of "winter weather" so if and when it actual hits, we go into lock down.) :)

Because you see, the thought of allowing us Texans out on roads that look like this...

would be just disastrous!

(This is one claim I will play ignorance to. :)

So the first time ever, I sent my son out to play, with only the words, "Come home when you're hungry."  He didn't think twice about my offer and off he ran!  A few minutes later I heard kids in the garage, so I looked out to see 4 helmets and a wagon leaving. 



"This can't end well" was my thought.  But instead of stopping them, as a wise mother should, I just said "Be Careful" and then turned my camera on. :)



South Texas Sledding



I do have to give the kids some creative credit for this.  Not only that, but they got their helmets out themselves.  



South Texas Snow Angels



Isaiah and Ruth have been saying for months that all they want to see is snow.  SO BUMMED that they aren't here now to enjoy this because it really may never snow here again!! 

A couple of days ago, a portion of my facebook post said that "...God is in the very details..."  He is in the details of this adoption, He is in the details of our life, He is just IN THE DETAILS of everything! 

"Why?" you ask.  This is why.  The district said that they will not excuse my children from school to travel to St. Vincent for the adoption of Isaiah & Ruth.  However, our principal said that she will excuse Jaxon and Chloe so they can go pick up their brother & sister.  One of the factors, but not limiting to, was the fact that each of them has only one absence all year.  But she did say, "please make sure they don't have any other absences before then."

Well, wouldn't you know it, Chloe got sick last night and threw up most of the night.  Needless to say, she would not have been going to school today.  NO school = absence.  But God brought us snow on the one day that Chloe would have missed.  So it doesn't count against her!  PRAISE THE LORD! 

Though this may seem so simple and coincidental to you, it is not to me.  God is taking great delight in showing me how He is truly in control of this adoption.  Every-single-detail.  Even down to the number of days my children can be absent.  

Thank you LORD for your love!  Thank you for snow days!  Thank you for your patience as I am truly learning to give everything - the big and the small - over to you.