Once upon a time....

Flash back to 1999, we were a family of four. Happy in our new roomy house and comfortable in our ways. A few years later, the Lord blessed us with an additional little package, little boy #3. Now we were a family of five and sure that would be the end. As time moved on, so did we. The Lord used the time that passed to open our eyes to His will. Several years ago, Bob and I individually heard the call to adoption. It has been a long "pregnancy", but during this incubation time, the Lord has brought us to where He wants us to be. Spring 2010, we traveled to Ethiopia where two little angels were waiting for the Lord's timing - to become our children. Now we are home and can't imagine life any differently! What a blessing to be in His will.

Galatians 4:5 says "God sent Christ to buy freedom for us, who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as his very own children." We are just following his model. A Perfect picture of salvation.

Monday, June 18, 2007

More Branson Photos





Here are some pictures of the Go-carting fun and Levi asleep on the bench.

Such sweet memories.

Audra

Living it up in Branson, Missouri






We had a great time in Branson. We spent three days flip-flopping back and forth between Silver Dollar City and Celebration City....and fireworks shows....and then there was also the go-carting! One picture really sums it all up...the one of Levi fast asleep on a bench in Silver Dollar City. We really wore ourselves out. Our campsite was literally a place to park the camper, but as it turns out we really weren't there much. As a result, I feel the need to find a campground to park the camper and relax for a weekend. We found out that the boys really were all talk when it came to the roller coaster style rides. Marshall didn't mind the heights, but didn't like being shaken to pieces. Alex had to know that he was in control - not many rides offered that! He really got into the water play items at Silver Dollar City. Unfortunately that resulted in throwing away three pairs of tennis shoes and shopping for new ones when we got home. It did rain on us some, but that just kept the numbers down at the parks and the weather somewhat cool. What a blessing since we were sleeping in the camper (no a/c). Our campground did have really nice bathrooms in a clubhouse (for those of you who can't imagine being away from running water). A tip for those of you who may go down to Branson someday, the "Track" go-carts have a place online that you can pay for "credit" in advance for almost half-price. Also, if you go right when they open, the lines are almost non-existent. They even had some for Levi's size/age. Anyway, we had such a good time. The kids are already talking about when we will go again!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

More House!


We finally have a hard top! Today they put the "plywood" top on the rafters. We are expecting some light rain early tomorrow morning, but the roofers are scheduled to come tomorrow and then we will be water tight! Please pray that the rain misses us! I know that is what we will be asking for! This project has really been fun so far (minus the waterfall in the basement), and we are looking forward to a finished space!

Monday, June 4, 2007

Boys of Summer





Yes, Marshall and Levi are both playing for the Durham Bulls, but on different teams. Levi is on a t-ball team and Marshall is on a machine-pitch team. Both are having such fun. In the picture of Levi at bat, well, he saw me taking his picture and was kind enough to stop and smile, but then kept smiling and wouldn't hit the ball. I had to put the camera down to let him get back to baseball! Marshall is quite a player and prefers to be in the infield. However, even when he does his time in the outfield, he manages to keep his head in the game! Don't they look cute?!

Coming along slowly!

Well - despite rain and more rain, we are finally on the road to the "dry" state of building. A few weekends ago, Bob and I went down to the basement to get some wrapping paper and found Niagara Falls coming in the back wall of our existing house. It was quite distressing. Bob ran to Wal-mart at midnight to buy a very large tarp which we spent three additional hours attaching to the house and out over the new portion. As it turns out, when you cut the siding to attach the new floor, it really lets the water in! Since this picture, we now have doors and windows in the openings and rafters on the top! We are told that in about a day and a half, we will have a water tight roof. We obviously have some work to do to bring the old and new together and it will get a little messy, but we are hopeful that we will be all moved in and settled by the end of July. Yes, we are naive and ambitious. Check back for updates!