A child waits...(Pause music on sidebar)

My heart aches tonight and I cannot sleep:-(...I got onto our chinese adoption agency's waiting child website and ugh...There are over 5o WAITING children on the website. I know that there are 25 on our agency from Ethiopia as well plus 8 sibling sets. Doug and I know we cannot continue adopting children every year...but we can give them a voice...and advocate for them.

James 1:27 says this, " Pure and fautless religion is this.to look after widows and orphans in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

As I sit in my home this Christmas season, I see four precious children. Two God knitted in my womb..and two he knitted together in my heart.

Tonight Lola Joy was running through the house naked. Laughing. Talking. Singing. I just looked at Doug and he knew what I was thinking. And our little Hopers. Watching little Lily blossom into the beautiful butterfly before our eyes each day brings me to tears. Her smile alone melts me..but now she has JOY. a HOPE. A FUTURE....not from ANYTHING Doug and I did...but by what GOD did. But..we could have missed it. We could have said.."this isn't what we planned..." and we would have...we could have MISSED it...

THANK GOD...we didn't!!!!

ps. The BEST adoption advice we were given..."If the only reason you wouldn't adopt is because of the money, don't let it be!" Thx Kerri! I PROMISE...GOD WILL PROVIDE!!!

Here's a place to start...

Lola Joy's agency- http://www.celebratechildren.org/

Lily Hope's agency- http://www.chinesechildren.org/

"The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers or sisters o mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

Be the HOPE 4 Orphans!

Julie

For my sweet friend..Sheila (pause music on my sidebar)

Girls Night Out

I was blessed to be a part of a Girls Night out with some of my favorite people in the world! I was so sad I had forgotten my camera, but luckily my cousin had hers so she shared her pics with me! Thx Hollie!

Here's my Aunt Janie and her BFF Rhonda. Mamaw Jean and Beth Ann

Hollie and Me
We had a wonderful dinner at Rafferties. I had my first fried pickles..ever heard of em? YUM!!! Then we headed to a Michael W. Smith Christmas Concert at the Aronoff.
We did a WHOLE lot of BELLY laughing!!!

Here I am chattin it up with Beth.
Being Momma's of little ones, a night out really did us some good!

And..we laughed some more!

Love my sweet Belle!

These ladies know how to have a good time!

Aw..love this pic!! Aunt J and her Momma..who just happen to be two of my HEROES!! (My Mommy isn't pictured here, but she's the other HERO!)

So much fun!

The concert was amazing! The orchestra itself was simply incredible..I closed my eyes and tried to take it all in..then opened them afraid I was going to miss something.:-)
Here we were waiting to get our car in the parking garage. We had a crowd of people staring at us by the time we got our car..not sure why they were staring...hmmm. lol

When we looked at this pic after it was taken we laughed so hard we almost peed our pants. We still can't figure out how Hollie made her nose look like this! ROTFL!!!!

(Rolling on the floor laughing)

What a WONDERFUL night with the MOST WONDERFUL people. (My Mom wasn't able to make it as she had to work! It wasn't the same without you Mom...we MISSED you!!!!)

Take time to spend time with the people you love the most.
LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

Be the HOPE 4 Orphans!

Julie

Annual trip downtown

We made our annual trip to downtown Cincinnati and had a ball.

We always go to the Krohn's Conservatory first. This was Lily's first trip to go with us. :-) The girls LOVED the trains. Thomas was around the bottom of this beautiful tree. The girls had to say/wave goodbye to all the trains we saw.

Momma and Hopers

Although the background is dark, this is my FAVORITE PIC!!
Then we headed to see the train display by Duke Energy. It's the best!
Here's Brenny being the great big bro that he is to lil sis Lily.
Daddy and his pride and JOYS!!!

It began to snow..HARD..and so this picture is a hoot!!! But, it was the best we could do! Lol!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!!!

Be the HOPE 4 Orphans!

Julie