Reflections of a mother's heart

Sweet child of mine . . . how often my thoughts are of you. I wonder where you are today ... if there is someone to hold you and comfort you ... if you are hungry. How I long to be with you. It seems we've labored for so long now, to bring you home. People we will never even meet have joined us in this journey of bringing you home. There were times I didn't think I could do any more ... but each time I would think of you and knew you were counting on us to keep going. What joy fills our hearts to know you'll be part of our family. Our hearts also grieve over all you've lost already. I cannot give you back that which has been lost ... but I promise you that with the Lord's help we will share everything that is within us with you for a lifetime.

For now we wait. We wait with great expectation that you are being found, cared for and loved by the One who created you. Some day, my child ... they will call us and we will gaze upon your picture and prepare to travel to your homeland and welcome you into our arms. So many details we must trust the Lord for on this journey. Your life is a gift and one in which we treasure and embrace. How we long to see you.

Checkin' In ....

Hello there! Nothing really new to report. You can just keep waiting right along with us. :) So what do we do while we wait? Plenty! Now that my (Shelly) health issues seem to be completed we are trying to just play catch up around here. I'm realizing just how LONG I'd been sick for. Crazy! Can you say messy house?, cluttered closets, long over-due to-do lists?!! Everyone is sporting a new haircut today, so we aren't lookin' so shabby around here. Well, that is everyone except the girly ... no scissors have yet to touch her hair! Speaking of hair, that reminds me that I need to be working with middle brother on hair-care since he'll be the primary one in charge of her sweet head while we're away traveling. We have this "deal" in our house. Daddy washes the hair once a week and I do the daily upkeep. Fair enough. :) I'll post sometime soon on what we've found to work well for our hair woes. Since all hair is different, I look forward to seeing our new babe's hair and finding what works best for her as well.

Other than that, we are keeping up with our studies and I've been tackling a few creative projects. One of those you'll see soon. I made a fun tin this last week and couldn't figure out what to DO with it. So, we decided we might as well have a 'lil fun on here while we all wait and have a silent auction! ... just in time for your gift giving needs. :) So stayed tuned for pics very soon!

Time for Tag?

Ah, the wonderful world of blogging ..... I've been "tagged" by my dear, long-distance friend Miranda. You can visit her family over at On the Road to Emmaus

In other words, it's just a creative way to get to know each other. So here goes:

Present/Past Jobs:

1. Stay-at-Home Mom/Educator for 14 years.
2. Demo for Stampin' Up! (stamping/scrapbooking company)
3. Cleaned houses & gave piano lessons
4. Worked at a family owned farming retail business.
5. Helped people decorate their homes with a decorating company.

Places Lived:

1. Grew up in rural Illinois
2. Spent 2 years in Louisiana while my husband was in the Air Force.
3. Lived in 3 different apartments in the inner-city of Chicago (while hubby attended Moody Bible Institute)
4. Moved to rural North Dakota in two different locations where we plan to stay a very long time.

Favorite TV Shows:

1. Can't say that I have any. I prefer playing games with my family.
But if it were a movie! .... now that would be easy .... I love the series by Michael Landon Jr. of "When Loves Comes Softly", "Love's Enduring Promise" ... and the rest. New one is out soon! Yeah. :)

Books I've especially appreciated recently (in no particular order):

1. Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp
2. A Life that says Welcome by Karen Ehman (awesome book on hospitality)
3. Carried Safely Home by Kristin Swick Wong (adoption)
4. The Bathtub is Overflowing but I Feel Drained by Lysa TerKeurst
5. The Psalms - without the Lord I would fall and never be able to get back up again.
Pretty much anything on organization, home-making, hospitality, adoption, parenting, education ..... trust me ... I need all the help I can get!

Food Faves:
1. Chocolate
2. Homemade Taco Pizza
3. A particular salad at Chilis
4. Cheesecake or any other yummy dessert
5. Grilled chicken served next to steamed veggies

Places I've been: (wow my list is boring compared to my friends!!)
1. Texas to meet my daughter nearly 3 years ago at Texas Children's Hospital while she recovered from open-heart surgery
2. Tennessee - Great Smokey Mountains
3. Georgia - to see dear friends
4. Lord willing I will soon leave the USA for the 1st time ever, to meet our new daughter in Ethiopia.

Things I enjoy:
1. Quiet - after everyone is tucked safely into bed at night.
2. Good Coffee - especially when served by one of my sons in a favorite mug.
3. Spending time with the man of my life.
4. Playing games with my fam! .... the latest family fave is Quiddler!! ... and I love to win!
5. Photography - both taking pictures and preserving them and being creative with them.
6. Making things for others with paper crafts, stamping, etc.
7. Visits from friends, both old and new.

I will tag:
Jana at It's Good to be the Queen

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8

A wonderful message . . .

Today I'd like to share with you a message by John Piper. Many of you are probably familiar with him. Anyway, it's a fabulous message and we hope is an encouragement to you. Click on the link below and it will take you there.

Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel :: Desiring God

As we reflect on adopting again . . . we can't help but be overwhelmed with humility and awe of what God did for us, His children. He did not adopt us based on who we are, but because of who HE is. We weren't "good enough" ..... but we are His children .... for all eternity.

Pictures to Share with You

We'd like to share another family's blog with you who recently traveled to Ethiopia to meet and bring home their daughter. They worked with the same agency we are. We so appreciate all the pictures they took that helps to share the great needs in our child's homeland. We are so eager to meet the newest member of the Roberts family and share our lives with her.

Almost to Ethiopia