Miracles

Rejoicing today to hear that a fellow mom and child of God was miraculously brought back to life after being found collapsed on the floor and no longer breathing....you can go read about it on Julia's blog Praise God! Please keep Katie and her family in your prayers. Also on another favorite blog of ours, Adeye shared today testimonies of many amazing mommas who are raising children with special needs (both from adoption and from birth). Each accepted God's calling to love these precious ones that He dearly loves, and share how they are richly blessed through it. Sometimes it is easy to feel alone as a momma to special needs orphans so it was a blessing to me to see all these families, and their love inspires me to be the mommy He calls me to be for our children. Also reminds me of HOW MANY there are (and so many more need families) and gives me goosebumps to see the miracles God works when these children receive the love of a family. For us, yes, there are challenges...like Joshua crying/screaming and managing to spit out most his oatmeat all over himself when trying to feed him, or Lily hitting off my glasses for the millionth time, or Sean laughing and being a big stinker everytime his siblings change his diaper.... but they are dear and precious and LOVE and LIVE exuberantly. We are learning alot... hope to do a post about that soon.

Mothers Day

Happy Mother's Day! What a blessing it is to have a mother that loved me from the moment I was in her womb. A mother that lovingly held and rocked me and changed my diapers as a baby, who carefully took care of me and made me feel special when I was a child, who sacrificed inorder to give me good things, who supported and encouraged me through the challenging school/teen years, believed in me and encouraged me as a college student and young adult, and who loves and embraces my own children as a grandmother. I am so thankful to have my mother to show me how to be a mommy.

Children are a blessing from the Lord. I know I don't deserve the 9 children we've been given, and sometimes I don't know why He gave so much to me for I fail too many times than I'd like to admit. But then God reminds me that its not about ME...what I deserve or what I can do...its about Him and His good purposes. Each of these children have a special purpose and are His amazing creations. They are each so very different, each one handcrafted by our Heavenly Father. (Yes, even our "disabled" children are made just the way He wanted and for His good purposes.) As mothers, we need to look to Him who loves us perfectly inorder to truly LOVE and be the mothers He made us do be. Motherhood is God's design and its is GOOD! My children's love is so precious to me-- more valuable than any treasure.

As I think about my childhood--with the security of a loving mother--and the childhood of my children, my heart aches for the orphan who does not know the love of a mommy.

Can you imagine? No one who LOVES you, really loves you? There are lots of workers who feed you and take care of your basic needs, but noone who deeply cares or loves you more than themselves. No mommy to hug and kiss you just because, no mommy to comfort you when you fall. (When we brought Sean home he would never cry when he fell...after a while he saw that when his siblings got hurt, they would be comforted. So it wasn't long before Sean would cry and come show us his booboos!) No mommy to pick you up and rock you when you were sick or sad. No mommy to smile and say "I Love you!"

I'm so thankful and blessed that God allowed us the privaledge of bringing 3 special orphans into our family. I want to be the mommy they deserve to have and pray God will heal their wounds from not having a mommy their first 3-4 years of life. There are so many more still that need mommies. When we were there at their orphanage, all the orphans would call us "Mama" and "Papa"....broke our hearts.

I pray that one day each will have a mommy and daddy to love them, and that above all, that they will come to know there is a Heavenly Father who loves them and who will never forsake them. There are 2 special orphans that friends of ours are working hard to rescue from an institution...aka a mental asylum for adults. Bernadette is 15 and has Down Syndrome....15 years without a mommy and daddy. In November she will not be able to be adopted EVER as she will "age out." Mason is 10 and also has Down Syndrome...he's also at this institution. 10 years with out a mommy. Thanks be to God that He is leading the Rogers family to bring them home before its too late for them. My sweet children are working hard to raise funds for this family. They have learned to crochet sweet sun hats, purses, potholders, headbands and have made beautiful bracelets and necklaces with glass beads. Please go check out their blog with more details and spread the word for them to your friends via email and facebook... they have such a heart for orphans and love this family very much and hope to help them out. If you click on the button above, it will link you, or you can go to this website: www.laciesbracelets.blogspot.com Lets help 2 children, made by God, to enter into the blessedness of being loved by a Mommy! And lets go love on our children today too!

Dear all, I am sorry we haven't posted in a while. We are doing well! :) Joshua's 6th bday was the 5th, and we had family party to celebrate! He had a banana cake with apple sauce and strawberry jam on top with strawberry icecream. He loved it :) Joshua was cleared for his MRI by the cardiologist, so we are going to go ahead with that. Hopefully we can find out more about his brain and what he can understand, etc. Here are some pictures from the other day when we played at the playground at a park. Enjoy :) Love, Haylee