Exciting Stuff

Yesterday we finally joined the 21st century and got a dishwasher. Hooray!! We actually bought the dishwasher before we moved into this house back in November, but we had to cut out cabinets to install it so we stalled for a while. Tuesday night Chuck and our friend Josh cut the cabinets out and took care of the electricity. Yesterday Chuck finished the plumbing and VOILA I never have to hand wash a dish again unless I want to.

Next on the list: Finishing work on kitchen cabinets that were cut (any takers??). Then we can start thinking about updating the bathroom. We need to remove wallpaper, paint, and replace the vanity and light fixture.

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

In just a few short hours we will get some new neighbors (as in 10-15 minutes away) - Chuck's parents!! They've been driving for nearly a week and they are finally in Virginia.

Welcome to Chesapeake, Ron and Suzy!!

Chuck and I are really excited to officially now have family that lives less than 12 hours away! In all our years of marriage we've never lived closer than a 12 hour drive to family. This is a new experience for us!

A Lonely Place

It is my goal to write this post from a graceful heart, even though my heart hurts.

In the last few weeks there have been a few areas of my life that have really brought me to a lonely place. I'm not going to be specific, so if you're looking for juicy information, it's not here.

In seeking God's face in these areas, I've come to a few realizations. One is that sometimes, but definitely not all the time, well-meaning people do and say things that hurt. They are just "looking out for me" so they tell me how it really is. I know that I have been that well-meaning person to others plenty of times.

Others choose to "preach." They put their opinions and beliefs out publicly and question why some would choose another path.

Sometimes it feels like judgment. And God has shown me that I, too, judge others. For me, it is mostly kept in my head and I am responsible to God even if those thoughts never exit my mouth.

What I've found lately is that when I don't do what "everyone else" is doing, I get lots of well-meaning comments or outright judgment. What's hard in these recent areas of my life is that I've really sought God in them and feel that He is the One leading me in the direction I'm heading.

My pride wants me to keep everyone happy so that everyone will like me. Well, the truth is not everyone likes me even when I keep them happy. I need to be more concerned with what God thinks of me than what others think of me. And while I seek to do that, I find myself in a lonely place. As I choose His path I find fewer friends who are there for me along the way.

In this moment I feel lonely and discouraged, but I do know that this will pass. There are a few friends I can draw encouragement from as I walk the path God has for me. And of course I can draw on the strength, love, and encouragement of God. I know that as I seek to follow His will that I'm choosing the best thing, no matter how hard or lonely the path is.

We Are Okay

Just a quick post to share that we are okay. We had some crazy weather on Monday that brought tornadoes very close to where we live, but not close enough to harm us or our home. Thanks to everyone who's checked in on us. Please say some prayers for the families who lost everything. A lot of people were impacted. Thankfully, no one was killed.

What is Wrong with Me??

So, it's 8:20 a.m. and I'm walking around the house in shorts and a t-shirt, with the AC on, planning to go outside to plant six new cucumber plants (yeah, I'll try not to kill this bunch...) and in my head I'm singing, "It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas."

Seriously, where do I come up with this stuff? It is already 65 degrees out, and the high is 85. It does not look anything like Christmas!

And if you're wondering why the AC is on and my windows are not open, the deal is that I'm madly allergic to pollen and sleeping with the windows open this time of year equates to me waking up with a horrible headache. If you're wondering why the AC is on in general, it's because I'm horribly grouchy and mean if I wake up sweating. You don't want to deal with that. Neither does Chuck.

That's enough Saturday morning ramblings for now...

I've Been Tagged

I'm not usually a big fan of these types of things, but this one really made me think. I'm not tagging anyone, but I urge you to think through what your responses are.

I am…impatient most of the time.
I want…to be closer to God.
I have…way more than I deserve.
I wish…I knew when our boys are coming home.
I hate…when people have no sense of urgency in urgent matters.
I miss…Noah and Samuel. Terribly.
I fear…something happening to Chuck or my boys.
I feel…like I’ve been given a second chance in life.
I hear…God’s leading if I listen.
I smell…the ocean lately. It draws me to be near the water.
I crave…Arabic food.
I search…for information on Haitian adoptions.
I wonder…what Heaven will really be like.
I regret…not living my life for God sooner.
I love…my Chuck. He is the best thing that ever happened to me.
I ache…to hold my boys.
I care…too much about what others think of me.
I always…hit the snooze button. Always.
I am not…happy with my weight.
I believe…that I will spend eternity in Heaven.
I dance…rarely, since I have no rhythm.
I sing…along with music, but rarely on my own.
I cry…when I get really angry.
I don’t always…spend time with God each day and I wish that weren’t true.
I fight…more than I should.
I write…to bring clarity to the thoughts swirling in my head.
I never…wear jewelry other than my wedding band or small earrings.
I listen…to quickly. I need to take more time to process things.
I need…God. Daily.
I am happy…when I’m in Haiti.

Being Attractive

I need to start this post off with a disclaimer: Some of you will read this and agree. Some of you will read this and totally disagree. And some of you will read it and not get it. That's all okay with me. These are my thoughts and my opinions. Comments that aren't God-honoring won't be published.

So, I've had this post brewing in my mind for a while. I'm hoping I can get what's in my head and my heart out clearly.

Two Sunday's ago the sermon at church was titled, "I Don't Like Most Christians." Here's a link. It's week #4.

My mind had already been swimming with thoughts and this sermon just added to those thoughts. My number one thought in all of this is that if I'm a Christian and I want to share Christ with those around me, then the way I live my life had better be attractive to people who don't know Christ. This, of course, is hard because I must also try to live my life in accordance with the Bible. So how do these two come together?

I think there's a lot to it. First and foremost, I need to do my best to not be a hypocrite. I think all Christians fail in this, but I need to be vigilant about it. I will fail and God does forgive me, but non-Christians don't have to forgive me for it and often will stay further away from God because of it.

I need to be real, authentic, and transparent. I'm just going to lay it out there - my experience with Christians is that A LOT of them are totally fake. They act like they've got their life all together. They have cliche phrases that they use. But catch them in the privacy of their own home and it's a different story. I, too, can be guilty of this. I want to put my best foot forward and sometimes I fake it. We all just need to realize that when we find ourselves doing this, people see it. We are fooling no one, especially God whom we are accountable to.

I need to watch my mouth. I know you are expecting my to say that I need to watch what words come out. I sometimes swear when I'm angry. That is not right. But that's not all. If I'm speaking Christianese, how am I relating to the non-Christians around me. How do I sound to non-Christians? Can they even understand me? Do I realize that some of my phrases and words cause them to build up walls toward God and toward me? The same is true in email. I try to be careful in email. I don't sign my emails with "Blessings," "Bless you," "In Christ," or whatever other phrase might be available. The reason I don't is because I don't want to alienate people. I *might* sign my email that way if it is addressed to another Christian, but it's honestly not how I usually communicate so it feels foreign to me. I'm also not a big fan of Bible verse tag lines or Christian quotes at the bottom of an email. The closest I've come to doing this is that my email used to have the tag line, "God is good!" I realize that many of you who are reading this might do these things. They don't work for me. I'm not judging you, just asking you to take a look at a different perspective.

Another thing to take a look at is what we put on our cars. I'm totally guilty here. When I was a brand new Christian I ran out and got the silver Christian fish to put on the back of my car. It is still there. I'm not quite sure how to pull it off, and I wonder at this point if the paint around it has faded so much that there will still be a shadow of the fish if I can manage to get the adhesive off my car. The reason I bring this up is because I'm an awful driver. Some of you have had the experience of nearly dying while I'm driving. Chuck often says things to me like, "Juli, why did you just cut that car off?!" And my honest answer is usually, "I didn't see him." See, I don't even know when I'm being a crappy driver. But, the person I just cut off sees the fish on the back of my car and has the opportunity to hate Christianity more because of my poor driving skills. The same is true for bumper stickers. Especially those with an agenda. The ones in particular that make my heart break are those aimed at abortion. I don't believe in abortion, but I do have Christian friends who have done it. The torture that some of them live with is horrible. (And if you think they deserve that torture you can stop reading right now and not come back to this blog. They are God's children in need of a Savior just like you.) I would hate to think that my bumper sticker would cause pain for someone earnestly seeking God's forgiveness. Put yourselves in the shoes of others. Think. Pray.

One of the things I loved the most in the sermon linked above is that one of the Christians I dislike the most is myself. There is always room for improvement in my spiritual life. As Christians we don't graduate to sainthood. Walking with Jesus is a daily mission for all our lives. The great commission teaches us to share Jesus with others. I'm very blessed to be part of a church that truly reaches out to the lost. As I strive to lead a life attractive to those who don't know Jesus, I can't help but think about the things in this post. I hope you'll think about them, too.

I have so many more thoughts on this, but this post is already too long. Maybe I'll post again on this in the future. Maybe I won't. We'll see.

Garden Update

The black thumb has proven itself outdoors as well.

I killed the cucumbers. Yes, already. They've actually been dead since Friday. It took me less than a week.

In talking to my mother, who successfully grows cucumbers, I learned that I probably didn't water them enough.

I will try again.

My tomato and pepper plants are doing alright. I give God the glory on that one.

Lots of Movement

Tristan is moving around A LOT lately. I seriously think he is doing back flips in there. I read somewhere that babies are able to move around the most between weeks 24-28 because they are still small enough to get around well. None of his movements seem to "hurt." He's not kicking my ribs or anything like that. He does sometimes seem to jump on my bladder. I'll think to myself, "I will need to use the restroom in a little while" and then he'll jump on my bladder and I'll need to go NOW.I'm excited that tomorrow we reach the 25 week mark. Since we've miscarried in the past, I have reasonable fears about losing our baby. Life outside the womb is viable at 25 weeks (with tons of support from a NICU), so I'm not quite as freaked about losing this little guy. Of course, he does belong to God and I realize that God can take him home whenever He wants. We definitely learned that lesson with the miscarriage. Children belong to God, He just lends them to us.Our next appointment is Friday. I'll only post if I have news to share.

April Photos

Samuel is on the left and Noah is on the right. They are getting so big. They were so tiny when we first committed to them, and when we met them at 8 months old they were so small. Now look at them. I suppose they will be taller than me in just a few years...

If you'd like to pray for our adoption process, please join me in praying that our file moves quickly through MOI. There's something like 4 steps within MOI that the files have to go through. Please pray that there are no errors in our files, as they can create serious delays.

Also, in case you don't pay attention to world news, there were riots in Haiti last week over rising food (and gasoline) costs. Things were quite dangerous right around the orphanage, which is in the Delmas section of Port au Prince. The Prime Minister of Haiti was fired over the weekend, and that has calmed the people as they see his removal as forward movement toward getting food prices down. The truth is, food prices are rising considerably all over the world. I'm not sure how much can be done in Haiti to bring prices down. I'm just praying that God would keep things calm and that the people would somehow be able to get enough to eat. I think of our boys' birth father and his children. I pray that their needs are being met.

Odds and Ends

When I start getting emails asking if I'm okay, I know it's been too long since I last blogged.

Sorry about that, I've just been super busy. We have a lot going on, so I'll share some of it.

I got home from Florida Tuesday afternoon of last week. I left nice sunny weather in Florida and came home to yucky, misty, weather here in Virginia. Things finally cleared up on Friday and we had a nice weekend.

Chuck's parents came out just before I went to Florida and...BOUGHT A HOUSE! They currently live in California, but have decided to move out here. So, in less than a month they will be living 15 minutes away. We are excited to have some family nearby and especially excited that our boys will have grandparents close by. If you think to, please keep them, Ron and Suzy, in your prayers. Relocating is a big deal (in case you've never done that) and so is buying a house.

We planted a garden! On Friday Chuck rented a tiller and he tilled an area of our back yard. Saturday morning I raked all the grass out of the area. On Sunday after church we added some fertilizer to our soil and I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. I tend to have a black thumb with indoor plants, so we will see what happens with the garden. I have a really funny story already. On Sunday after everything was planted, I went to spray some Miracle Grow garden stuff. I bought the sprayer, which had a container attached that already had one refill of the stuff in it. So, I hooked it up to the hose and started spraying. After spraying the garden, there was a lot of the stuff left so we sprayed some trees and flowering bushes. Yet still, there was a lot of stuff left. Finally I decided I would just save it (even though you're not supposed to). Well, when I went to remove the container from the sprayer I found that it had a plastic seal on it still. So none of the plants got any garden food! Yesterday I actually fed them the stuff. If that's any indication of the kind of gardener I am, those poor plants won't last long!

We got update photos of the boys yesterday, so I'll post those separately. I also have a post brewing in my head that has a lot to do with what the sermon was about in church on Sunday. It was titled "I Don't Like (Most) Christians." Once I can get those thoughts together I will post.

And He Shall Be Called...

Tristan Elliott

We finally have come to a decision! Mad props to Dad for recommending Elliott! Thanks, Dad!

A Little Vaca...

A couple of weeks ago I realized that I needed to use up a flight voucher or I'd lose it. I decided to come down to central Florida to visit my Dad. I haven't been here in a number of years, so it's good to be here. I got here Wednesday and I will be returning on Tuesday.

I'm having a great time hanging out with my Dad and relaxing. I'm the kind of person that can't relax at home - there is always something that needs to be done.

So, if you email me and I don't reply quick, just know that I'm having myself I nice little vaca!

We! Are! In!

That's right folks, we are finally, finally, finally in MOI. We got the email last night.

We got out of IBESR over 14 months ago. At that time, I expected my kids would surely be home in 14 weeks. What a long, long, year this has been.

MOI is currently taking about 4 months, according to our orphanage. God is mighty, though, and He can do amazing things. We are praying that our stay there will be short. Please join us in praying that our file is completely error free. Any errors in our file will cause delays.

Thank you, Jesus, for this awesome news!!

Please Pray Tonight!

There's a family I've been praying for for a couple of months now, and I'd like to ask you to join me in praying for them tonight.

Nathan and Tricia are a great young couple who are full of life and love. Tricia has cystic fibrosis and has been awaiting a double lung transplant. They also have an amazing miracle baby that was born nearly 3 months ago named Gwenyth.

I've been a silent reader of their blog since January and I check it frequently to see if they have gotten "the call." Well, tonight they got the call and Tricia may be getting new lungs. I was filled with emotion as I read the post. Please join me in praying for them as they wait to learn if the lungs are right for Tricia. I also ask for prayers for the family of the donor.

Here's the link to the blog: http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/.

Let's lift this family up in prayer!

A Few Prayers Please...

I need to ask for a few prayers:

• That the National Visa Center will email our update fingerprint clearance to the USCIS in Haiti. They have emailed it to the Embassy in Haiti, but I'm waiting to hear back to see if they will email them to the USCIS office instead.
• Chuck and I have been sick with either the stomach flu or a nasty virus since Tuesday night. We are tired and we have things to do. Please pray that we are on the mend SOON.
• And can you please keep the prayers going that our files are submitted to MOI soon, if not already? We are desperate to hear that we have been submitted to MOI.

Thanks!

Another Peek

I had my monthly doctor's visit today. It was the most entertaining visit so far. First of all, the nurse gave me a hard time for NOT gaining weight. Apparently I've only gained 8 pounds. I reminded her that I don't need to gain a bunch of weight since I started off with more than I need. I also let her know that I've had the stomach flu since Tuesday night, so perhaps that has something to do with it. The nurse did tell me that I can expect to "blow up" in the last trimester. Oh yeah.I was seen by the nurse practitioner and she didn't mention my weight, so I'm assuming it's fine. I told her about my flu and that I've not been drinking enough water the last few days. They checked me for dehydration and I'm okay.Next the nurse practitioner tried to listen to the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler. I say tried because she couldn't find it. Talk about freaking out! She didn't seem concerned. She just said the baby was running around too fast in there to find it. So, she went and got an ultrasound machine and looked at the baby. We were very relieved to see the baby moving around. She took a number of pictures for us and showed us various parts...some of which were boy parts. She told us not to go buying all blue, but that she thinks it's a boy. So, that's two ultrasounds where they think it's a boy.All in all it was a good visit, even if I'm not feeling very good. I was told to keep drinking water and to follow the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet until I'm feeling back to normal.That's all for now. :)
Posted by Mama Bear at 1:16 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

It's a...
Okay, so we went for the ultrasound and of course, our little one was not positioned well to determine the sex.However, based on what she could see (and we have a picture of it), she thinks it's a...BOY!!
Posted by Mama Bear at 11:43 AM 1 comments
Sunday, March 2, 2008

Update
All went well at our doctor's appointment on Friday. We saw the PA on staff and she was nice. We were able to hear the baby's heartbeat again, which is always reassuring. They did my glucose test (yes, way early) because in the last year I've tested high in the blood sugar area. If there is a problem, I'll likely hear about it Monday or Tuesday. And the big news is that we are scheduled for an ultrasound on March 12th. Yes, this is the ultrasound, the one where they tell you what kind of baby you are having if the baby cooperates. I will be exactly 19 weeks that day.I haven't really "popped" yet, so to speak. Yes, I have a bit of a belly going on, but not the kind that makes you think, "Oh, she's pregnant." More than likely people see it and think, "Slow down on the cheeseburgers, girl!" Oh well, in time it will be the real deal pregnant belly. For now I just look more fat than usual. The most annoying thing is that I have a fat roll above my belly button and the baby bulge is below the belly button. I'm looking forward to when the two merge and become one.Oh, and in case you're wondering, I've been feeling fantastic lately. So fantastic that before we heard the heartbeat I honestly wondered if I was still pregnant at times. I have brushed my teeth numerous times without gagging. About the only thing I could complain about is that I'm more tired than usual, but really - I love sleep so I'm not complaining. If I have a good excuse to nap I'm going to take it. Pregnant dreams are proving to be real interesting. Just last night I was screaming at a friend in my dream. That's not something I generally practice, so I thought it was hilarious. So did my friend.Okay, that's all for now. Bye!

March Photos

Samuel

Noah

Gosh, I just love them so much!

More Good News

Wow, what a week! We got more good news - the birth parent interview did indeed take place today and it did go well!! Yeah God!!

Something that could have happened is that DNA testing could have been requested by USCIS. If that was the case, it would have cost us a small fortune.

So, this week was an all around good week for adoption news. Thanks for praying for us!! If you'd like to keep praying, please pray that we are submitted to MOI very soon.

Thanks!

It's a...

Okay, so we went for the ultrasound and of course, our little one was not positioned well to determine the sex.However, based on what she could see (and we have a picture of it), she thinks it's a...













BOY!!