Visiting Faith for the first time in the hospital!!

 

MOPS Baby Shower

My MOPS table at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills decided to bless me with a baby shower for Faith a couple weeks before she arrived. They blew me away with their creativity and cooking abilities! They are very amazing women and I just grow to love them more and more. It was such a special day and our entire family was touched by their thoughtfulnes and generosity!

Happy New Year!! It is time for change!!

I know this post is a little late, but I wanted to wish you and your families a very blessed new year! Over the last few weeks I have been thinking about ways I hope to grow in 2013 and areas I would like to improve, which are many. Dave and I were discussing the year that was behind us and reflecting how 2012 wasn't the greatest of years. It wasn't bad, but it was a year of so many ups and downs. We started off the year in turmoil, trusting God, but definatly in battle. I think it took much of the year to truly recover from the hurt that we had experienced. We had many blessings but I was disappointed in my person and my lack of growth.If I have failed you personally, I am sorry.  I decided to write very specific goals down for us, myself and our family so we can be more focused in God's plan for us this year. I was sharing with Dave that at any job we do goal reviews and look at areas that need improvement, so why don't we do it with our family? Afterall, our family and children are far more important than any job ( no offense HP).  Without getting into any of those goals, my deapest prayer is to not be the same person at the end of this year. I want my heart changed. I want to be a more dedicated mother and wife. I don't want to be content with my walk with the Lord and settle on contentment. I want to look back on the year and be amazed on how God is working and the work He has done in our lives. I am scared as I ask this and write it down because I know God will be faithful to do work if we don't get in the way.

Let me share with you a little how quickly God moves on these types of prayers. Last week (the first week of the new year) had been a crazy one and I was wondering what had caused the week to fly by and why it had been such an emotional roller coaster. I realized God was already answering my heart's prayers for our family.  In just 5 days sooo much had occurred! Kyler met his biological siblings for the first time and we visited with his birthparents. God reveals the areas of my heart that need changing every time with these types of situations.  My precious friend, Brenda, informed me she had lost her unborn baby. Brenda is a dear friend that we have shared hearts for adoption and grown as Christians together. She is an incredible mother of two boys that she was blessed with by adoption and then the lord blessed her unexpectedly with a biological baby. Unfortunately, this baby went home to be with the Lord. We don't know why these things happen but we know that the Lord's ways our higher than ours But my heart aches for her loss. Then on Thursday our family went to say good-bye to our dear friends Rocky and Jacque who were moving out of state. They have been a tremendous blessing to us and we have been heartbroken by them leaving but it is truly amazing to see what God is doing in this family's life. They are a force to be reckoned with and an example of what God calls us to be. Lastly, on Saturday we spent most of the day with Charlie's birth family celebrating a late Christmas and just catching up with them.

The reason I am writing these occurrences down is normally I wouldn't think anything of the week and just move on to the next.  But as I write them down I am seeing the areas God needs me to be still, be thankful, examine my heart, love when I don't feel like it, trust and pray more. I would have missed what God was teaching us if I didn't reflect on what He is doing.  Honestly, most of these events last week I would not have chosen to fill up my day with. But this is what God gave us, not to just keep us busy, but to grow us.  So you could really look at all this and realize how much work God has to do in my life. But I am thankful for Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

I pray that you all have life changing years and that this will be a year of growth for all of us. I look forward to spending this year with you! Happy New Year!!