Football and Sara's room

Sara Joy.... Oh how I am so glad that my secret is out. I love writing her name! I love that in my mind and in my heart, she is real already! I can't wait to someday soon, bring her home.

Football - Cameron had his first football game last week as a running back for the Florence Christian School Eagles. It is "B" team football and this is his first year, so he probably won't get much play time, but it will set the foundation for JV and Varsity football. "B" team is 5th - 7th graders. You can imagine the size difference between the two. Cameron is just in 5th grade, so he is one of the smaller kids on the team and his first year, so probably won't see much play time... but he did play this past Thursday and they WON. They won big too - 20 - 6 (I think). Anyway, they won. Here are a few pictures. Cameron is #47..

Here is a picture of Anna (still in school uniform) watching her brother's game. She was having a really good time at the game. Anna starts cheerleading tomorrow and I'm sure will have a lot of fun doing that. She asked me tonight, as I was giving her a bath and we were planning our day tomorrow, if when she was at cheerleading practice if they would lift her up and throw her in the air. Ummhh... I hope not! She will have a good time though. She is cheering for Upward, which is a sports ministry program though our church. It's a great program!

And now for the unveiling of "fresh guacamole". Here it is, in Sara Joy's new room!

I am so excited about it. The color probably doesn't come through in pictures like it is standing there in the middle of the room, but it is literally, the perfect color green for a little girl's room. So fresh and "fun". I can't wait to get her furniture in there and order her bed spread. I'm going to try to con my mom into making some curtains. They are so much better hand made than the ones you can buy at the store - more personal.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

In Christ,

Charity

The Beginning of a new Journey

I redesigned the Blog and came up with a new name for it. "Family Redefined". It doesn't tie us into our adoption journey that we are currently on, as that is only a small fraction of the life that is our "family". We truly are a "Family Redefined". We are made up of just about every type of family member that there is - Husband / Wife / Mother / Father / Step Mother / Step Father / Son / Daughter / Step Children / Bio Children and Adopted Children - we encompass them all. We are not a "typical family" but we are a family.



As a family, we have decided to embark on our most recent journey - the journey to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. We are so excited to start this journey! It has been a long time in coming, but it is finally here! I'm looking forward to sharing the journey with you and everything else that happens in our lives along the way.



We will name our new daughter "Sara Joy". At each turn in our adoption journey, we have had to decide if the name we had previously chosen for our child from a particular country, still suited our new situation. We have always chosen a new name. This time (our final time!) we have chosen the name Sara Joy. We are requesting a little girl 9 - 30 months old. We can not wait to see what little girl the Lord has chosen for us in a country far away.

We feel as a family, that God has brought us to this place. God planted a seed in my heart, so very long ago. A seed for children, a seed for adoption and a seed for orphans. I didn't know that small seed would bring us to not one, but two adopted children. One from China and one from Ethiopia. Maybe there is more fruit to come from that seed :) (Just joking Tim!) Tim has openly accepted adoption - maybe the seed that God planted in my heart, became a seed in his as well. He has adopted Anna and is looking forward to the journey to our daughter Sara as well. Please pray for us as we travel this road. Pray for the process that it will be swift and successful. Pray for our children, that their hearts will be prepared for a new sister. Finally, pray for Sara - that God is preparing her heart even now, for her to accept us as her new family.

So much of this adoption is scary and frustrating for me - but I'm holding onto God for the ride - safe in His arms as He leads us in this journey. Can't wait to share updates - both on the adoption and just on life in general.

In Christ,
Charity