She's growing up

I'm off to watch Glee on Netflix but I had to post this picture from today. My baby girl, that will start Kindergarten next month, has been very curious about getting her ears pierced lately. She's been asking if it hurts, how much it hurts, do people have to get their ears pierced, etc. Of course, I told her that no one ever has to have their ears pierced. Her ears are beautiful with or without earrings. :) So, fastforward to today. We were in Claire's at the mall looking at hair clips and other girly stuff and we saw a little girl that was getting her ears pierced. She was probably 4 I guess. Isabel stood and watched the WHOLE thing. She stood positioned in a prime viewing spot not to be distracted. The little girl only cried when they put marker on her ear cuz she thought it was the real thing! When they actually pierced her ears she didn't even cry. Isabel was amazed and right then, her mind was made up. She came over and said, "Mommy, I want to do it today." I said, "Well, are you sure? We can wait until you're sure you're ready." "No Mommy, I'm ready today. I want to do it." So, we went over and picked out some cute little earrings. They cleaned her ears and marked them with a purple marker. The lady suggested that Isabel do both at the same time while her co-worker came over to do the other ear. Isabel thought that sounded like a great idea so she could just get it over with. Well, they did it...and she cried. She cried big tears. I felt so awful. I wanted to help her and I wanted to rewind the whole scene and just tell her no. But then, she smiled when she saw them. They let me put the antiseptic on them and it started to feel better right away. I wiped her big tears away and she was ready to look at possible earrings she might pick out after she keeps the first ones in for 6 weeks. She was proud of herself for doing it. I was proud of her too...but I couldn't help but want to just pick her up and make her a baby again. I can't believe she'll be in Kindergarten next month. I already have tears in my eyes and I haven't even been to Open House yet.

I'm off to get a kleenex but here she is in all her beauty, so proud of her new earrings!

Love,

Motherhood is a Calling

I just read the most powerful article I have read in a long time. I just keep mulling it over and over in my mind. I want to keep thinking about it too. I think if you're a mom, then you definitely need to read it.

The author talks about how Motherhood is a calling, not a hobby.

"Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel."

I want my calling as a mother to represent the gospel...to my daughter and to others. I want to lay it all down, to lay down my desires, lay down my goals, lay down all the times I get annoyed with saying the same things over and over again. To die to myself, and live for others.

That is the gospel after all.

Please, please go read the article:
Motherhood is a Calling

Our July official number!

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Today we received our official July number! We're number 40!!
I can't believe we're about to be in the 30's. That is craziness to me. It's getting closer and closer! We're getting closer and closer to meeting our daughter in Ethiopia. Wow.

We have a lot of work ahead of us. I think most of you know that we have moved to Texas! We are super excited about being here. So far we really love it. I love that we all have a tan already and we've only been here for a week and a half. I love that there are TONS of varied Spanish radio channels here. I love that everyone here is really friendly. Unfortunately, because we have moved states, homes, jobs, EVERYTHING....we have to redo our homestudy. We knew we would but it's a lot to gather all over again. Thankfully, the timing of it all seems pretty perfect. We received word from our agency that the court system in Ethiopia will be doing their annual closure sometime in August and September. During about a two month span they won't be having any court appointments. So, our hope is that we can use that time to get our homestudy, fingerprints, and all updated and then be ready when the courts open up again. We still have a lot of fundraising but amazingly, a really sweet friend gifted us with enough to cover our updated/new homestudy here. God is so good to provide each detail at the right time. We know He will provide all we need to cover the next amount.

I looked up Psalm 40 and I wanted to share verse 1. We are going to keep on waiting patiently for the Lord and for His timing. He is faithful to lean in and hear us when we call out.

"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry."

Alright, I'm going to leave you with two fun pictures.

Isabel and her new cowgirl hat at the Stockyards.

Brian's Texas waffle!

Adoption Garage Sale in DFW Area

I haven't posted in a long time because well we have packed up our entire house and moved it to Fort Worth, Texas. I know some of you that read my blog also live in this area so I wanted to share this info about a HUGE Garage Sale happening tomorrow in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It is an Adoption Garage Sale for our friends the Delgados. They are adopting sweet little Baby A. Here is the info about their sale! Here is a link to their blog.

Where: 4740 Western Center Boulevard, Haltom City, TX 76137 (in front of Grace Evangelical Methodist Church)

When: Saturday, July 9, from 7am until people stop coming

What: toddler bed, stroller, stove, couch with a pull out sleeper, lots of clothes, toys and many many more things you just can't live without

All proceeds from the sale will go into Baby A's adoption fund.

Happy 5th Birthday Baby!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Isabel. I can't believe that today she turns 5 years old. As I went through her pictures it made me remember all of the fun and blessings that she has brought to our family. She is so funny, smart, articulate, creative, imaginative, and compassionate. She is introverted but brave even though others might not know. She longs to have a sister and has gained more patience than many other 5 year olds I know. She loves animals and wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up and a coach on the side. She also loves learning about other countries, specifically China. She still tries to convince us to go live there or at least visit. :) Oh, and she loves music. She says that when she grows up she's gonna play the violin, drums, and turntables.

We are so so blessed to have you as our daughter, Isabel Anna Hunt. Happy Birthday Boo Boo!

June Number

Sorry I haven't been posting as many updates over here on the adoption blog. Our "moving to Texas" blog has been a bit busier. :) You can follow along with the craziness here. However, I did want to say that we received our June number today. Unfortunately we didn't move any from last month but sometimes that happens and we can definitely attest that God's timing is always better than ours. Also, we, along with other families on the unofficial list, thought our number would have been one lower...we thought we were 46, turns out we are still 47. Either way, I found this cool picture! It's an old Texas Railroad Commission plate. It's cool because, for starters, it says Texas, and that's where we are moving in 20 days! It's also cool because it has both numbers 46 and 47 at the top.

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Help two little boys join a family

My friend Patrice has something really important on her blog about a special family adopting two little boys that are brothers. They both have EB (the same genetic disorder that my friend's son has) and this family has experience with it and have been called and moved to adopt these little boys. The problem is that it's SOO costly. We know that adoption is costly but wow, this is VERY costly. The boys are actually in two different regions in two different orphanages. They've been separated because of their age. Because of that, they are having to do a lot of extra work to reunite these brothers and bring them home. Can you share this info and give $5 or $10 to their family? They have already raised a TON but there is much to raise. Thankfully, we serve a Mighty Provider!

Here's my friend Patrice's blog where she gives some great ways to help: http://patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com/2011/05/important.html

Here is the family's blog. You can go there to read about this family and to donate.

I won something cool!!

Guess what? I won something so cool! The other day when I posted about my Week in Review, I was entered in a giveaway by Amy at http://www.filledwithpraise.blogspot.com/ to win a copy of the book, "A Room with Footprints" by another adopting momma, Rachelle!
Here is her blog:
http://www.treasuresovertherainbow.blogspot.com/


Here is a video about Rachelle's book and how your purchase of one helps build schools in Ethiopia!


Go here to buy a book!

Our May Number

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That's halfway!!

My Week in Review

This week I decided to link up with Amy over at Filled with Praise. I've been reading her's and everybody else's in the past but I haven't actually written about my high and low for the week yet. So here goes!

The High and the Low (all in one day)

My high was a result of probably my low for the week. This is my best friend, Meredith. On Tuesday, I had a bad day....well, a terrible day. I was feeling overwhelmed, fed up, sad, you name it. My Kindergarten students were off the hook. My daughter was quite the opposite of kind at soccer practice. The fact that we have been trying to adopt for 2 1/2 years was sinking in hard. I was worried that we're not gonna find the people to rent our home. Well, I could go on. I know...it's not sounding like a high yet, is it?? Just wait! So, Meredith and her husband invited us over for dinner. After dinner, I'm pretty sure she could tell that I was about to just fall apart. She asked me to stay after Brian took Isabel home. She whisked me off to her bedroom and left me there w/ her itunes and pillows. She closed the door and said, "I'll be back in a while." I was able to have much needed quiet and alone time with the Lord. I cried on her pillows and it was just such a peaceful release. I could sense the Holy Spirit comforting me and holding me close. After her kiddos were put to bed and her husband was leading his Bible Study, she came back to check on me. She listened, encouraged, cried with me, and laughed with me. I'm not sure how you can repay someone for that. My attitude changed. My heart was in a different place and I was ready to get up and keep going. I'm pretty sure their family needs to move to Texas with us. :)

"Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel."

-Proverbs 27:9

Much love,