Our New Adventure!

3 years! I've been sharing small pieces of our life through this blog for 3 years! My simple words and prayers  from our life experience have been read over 13,000 times. My top 3 countries for viewers are US, Russia (that's interesting), and Germany. What has hanged in 3 years? Well, we've added a child, I've changed jobs and spent time as a stay at home mom. We've learned that there aren't always right answers in parenting or in adoption.  We've learned so much and life around our house is so
different than it was 3 years ago. But it's time to change things up! We're preparing to pack up the comfy and familiar house and spend some time way out of my comfort zone. What could we do that's really uncomfortable for me??? We could move to another country! That's right, our little family is preparing to move (albeit temporarily) to Deutschland! (That's Germany for most of you). Dear Husband (DH) is taking a sabbatical to do research at a lab in Southwestern Germany. Do you think I'm letting him go off and leave me at home with the kids for 5 months alone? Heck no! We've leased our house out, putting all of our belongings in storage and taking a hop across that great big puddle of water with our tots in tow. 

In order to best be able to rent out our house in a college town we needed to make it available mid-summer and rent it for a whole year. This means we're going to be "homeless" for a month prior to our trip (thankful for family who's taking us in!) and then we'll most likely be renting when we come back. So...we're preparing to put all of our earthly possessions into storage and take 4-6 measly suitcases with us overseas. We're going to have our kids in limbo for almost 2 months before we get settled into an apartment in Germany. Their worlds (as well as ours) are going to be rocked as we throw ourselves into another culture and language. Truth be told, they'll probably adapt a whole lot easier than I will. TD (The Daughter) already thinks she speaks German...I'm sure in her 3 year old mind it sounds exactly like our German lessons! I worry about TD and TS (The Son) growing educationally and socially. I worry about cold weather (***this girl is not a cold weather chick***) I worry about TS's needs and whether I can keep him on track developmentally. I worry about them both getting sick and having to deal with healthcare in another country (although Germany is one of the best options outside of the US!) I worry about the flight and keeping 2 kids happy. I worry about adjusting our internal time clocks. I worry about living on the second floor of a house with an older couple below us hearing all the crazy noise from our kids (they converted the second floor into an apartment). I worry about driving in another country with signs I don't understand. I worry about trying to tell someone I need to buy bread and sausage and instead telling them they look like a breaded pig. I worry...yeah, I just worry. But then I remember all the amazing sights I'm going to see and the people and things we'll be exposing our kids to and I get excited again. I remember that we're going to be able to worship God in English when we choose to but we can join our Christian family in German worship or French anytime we choose. How amazing is that!?! I feel like we're kind of crazy for doing this but as we keep telling ourselves - this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

What's the craziest thing your family has ever done? If you've ever put your entire household into storage I'd love to hear your suggestions!

So there's a quick preview of what the rest of the year holds for us. I'm looking to change up the blog a little, maybe even get my own domain!  Look for lots of travel posts about traveling with kids - we'll be doing several car, train and air trips- along with the.moving process and preparations, the sights we'll see and the struggles we'll face. Traveling toddlers should make for interesting blogging material, and I look forward to seeing how we are accepted as a transracial family in Europe. But I hope to be able to blog about the many new lessons I'm learning throughout the adventure as well as I put myself out of my comfort zone...way, way out of my comfort zone! (Did I mention I'm a worrier????)

Please leave a comment a let me know where you're reading my blog from and let me know what you would like to see me blog about during this time!

Lord God, I know You hold our future. You know where our journey will take us and the people we'll come into contact with. I just ask that You place us into the lives of people who need You and place people into our lives to help us. Help me Lord to cast my anxiety over to You, to breathe in Your love and peace. Amen.

Looking Like Your Father

Has it really been a year since I blogged last?????? I've got some lost time to make up for! I have some adoption related posts in my head but there's a new theme coming as well...stay tuned!

One of the things many adoptees face as they get older is the fact they don't look like their parents or anyone else in their family. They may wonder why their teeth are a certain way or "where did this hair come from". And to be honest, sometimes as an adoptive mom I look at my child and want to see pieces of myself in them as well. I often get told TD (The Daughter) has my eyes...well, she has very dark brown eyes and so do I. But they look totally different. When get us down in the floor acting silly, those silly faces she's making - those are MY silly faces! She can scrunch her nose up like me, make a duck face like me and smile like me. Yes, those are the tangible ways I can see her in me.
Last month I heard a sermon about how we should look like our Father, how the world should see Christ in us. And I realized that those little things I look for in TD and TS (The Son) don't matter at all. They can have whatever nose they've been given, a natural mohawk full of curls (seriously, TS has this!) and the beautiful eyes they both have; but what I want others to say they see in them is the heart of my Father, the love of a God who sent his son to save the world, the sacrifice of a Christ who gave his own life. I want you to look at me and at my children and say "wow! You look just like your Father!" Is there really any better compliment?

Who or what do your children look like?

Photo credit: Allison Harms Photography

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them"

Genesis 1:27

Lord God, You created me in Your image, and my children too. You know us intimately - every birthmark, hangnail and scar. You made us perfectly imperfect. The beautiful children You have blessed me with take my breath away sometimes - the curls, the smiles, the twinkle in their eyes. I am amazed. You are awesome God. Please help me to reflect Your love and to mold my children into an even more beautiful reflection of You. Amen.

This Is My Prayer

The Little One (TLO) Is almost 21 months old. This is such a crazy time of learning and I'm so amazed at what her little spongy brain can absorb. But the truth is, this is also an educational time for Mommy. She's been full of lessons for me lately. So expect several posts in the next couple of weeks!

We pray at various times throughout the day as a family, but primarily it's at mealtime and bedtime. For a while now TLO has enjoyed saying the "Amen!" at the end of our prayers, but a few weeks ago I started letting her help me say the prayer. I say "Dear God, thank You for..." and she says something, I repeat "thank You for..." We do this a few times until things either start getting repeated or a little too ridiculous. My personal favorites from last week that she wanted to thank God for were toes, doors, jammies, spoon and rock. It's always funny to see what's on her mind during prayer time because that's what comes out - just saw cows? Thank You for cows! Really want my paci but mommy won't give it to me yet? Thank You for paci! Just tickled her toes? Thank You for toes!

But my favorite thing is that she prays while she's playing. She puts a plate and spoon on ottoman and then folds her hands and says "Dear God...(mumble, mumble)....food...(mumble, mumble)....amen!" This seriously happens at least 10 times a day! Or if we start to eat a meal and haven't prayed she reminds us to. Perhaps she is just living out 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and praying continually. 

I love that she has seen prayer modeled enough in her life to want to do it herself, but last week I started wondering about my own prayer life. I mean, I don't stop to pray 10 times a day! I pray with her at least twice a day, but those are intentional and childish for her benefit. What would happen in my life if I prayed 10 times  day? What would happen if I prayed intentionally on a deeper level? What would my life be like if I lived a 1 Thessalonians 5:17 life? Sure, she's seeing prayer modeled. But what kind of model am I being? Am I setting aside time to devote just to prayer? Am I mumbling my own way through a prayer, not offering God my true needs, desires and gratitude? Is that all God hears from me? Mumble, mumble, mumble? Is that all He hears when I want Him to hear me say:

 "Lord, You made such a sacrifice for me.  You did something for me that I really can't even fathom. I'm beyond grateful and yet so sorry.  I'm so sorry that I fail to meet your expectations ever day. I struggle daily with temptation. I struggle with my own agenda. But I am grateful in a way that I can't begin to express. I'm grateful for the struggles You help me overcome, for the trials You have helped me weather, for the strength you continue to bless me with. I am soooo grateful for this child You have blessed me with who through such a short life has already helped me grown in my faith and teaches me lessons daily when I should be doing that for her. And because it makes me smile every time TLO says it, I want to say it too...thank You for her toes! :) Amen.