Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day to all...especially to the great men and women who have served our country to protect the freedoms that my family and I enjoy. I know that I too often take for granted those freedoms and fail to acknowledge the sacrifice that many have made on my behalf. A special thank you to Dad V. who is one of those great men who faithfully served. We remember today that we have many brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for their faith in Christ, even martyred. Spend some time on this website to learn more http://www.persecution.com/ I am incredibly grateful for the ability to openly worship my Savior. So thank you to all those who are currently serving and who have previously served, to those who have been wounded and to those who courageously gave their lives in service to our country.

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

This holiday weekend also gave us the opportunity to get away. We just returned home from a gorgeous time in Door County with my sister and her family. I just love going there. It is such a nice retreat. I was able to do some Bible study and get some adoption reading done. We all relaxed and enjoyed one another. The kids spent a ton of time swimming, playing with their cousins, hiking, digging and building castles at the beach. We enjoyed burgers at Bayside, pizza from Sonny's and waffle cone's from Dippy's. Mmm. Mark and the kids also indulged in the recently awarded #1 breakfast in the country by Good Morning America at the White Gull Inn. Cherry-stuffed french toast. Always delish.

I was also surprised with another precious gift from my sister...

Kathy had a t-shirt quilt made for Mia. I love it! It was so thoughtful. There are old favorite t-shirts from everyone in Kathy's family, our crew and my parents. (She had asked for old t-shirts from us several months ago and I actually had forgotten about them.) As soon as I saw it, I recognized the trim and borders surrounding the t-shirt squares are from my favorite quilt as a child that our great-grandmother made. I couldn't believe it! That quilt had been very well loved. Kathy said that as she removed the stitching from it many of the pieces remaining were just thin shreds of fabric. I am so thankful that our old worn blankie (which had found its home in a chest in my parents basement) has been given new life and new purpose. Mia is going to have some AMAZING love to wrap herself up in (see also Showered With Love post). Wow.
Thank you Kathy.

Me & my sis

Below are some pics of the crew at Wood Orchard Market...they wanted photos in front of the big apple. LOL

taking a bite...

Flashback Friday

A little over two years ago we completed the grueling process of the paperchase for our adoption. We requested (often several times), we notarized, we authenticated, we checked, double checked and triple checked dozens of documents for our dossier. It took about 5 months to complete from start to finish.

This is our dossier.

2.48 pounds of blood, sweat and tears

This is what the crew looked like then... pictured here with our social worker during our last homestudy visit.

I remember wondering at the time...what will they look like when we finally bring our little girl home...

We had no idea how the Lord would guide, direct and re-direct our path along the way. His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8).


Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21

Praising the Lord for new friends

Again and again the Lord shows Himself to me in my life. He doesn't have to - He is not a genie in a bottle, but in His grace and mercy, He does. He makes Himself present in even the tiniest of details.

Several weeks ago, we had yet another opportunity to see the Lord at work in those tiny details. I was sharing with a friend that I had been "meeting" many adoptive families through a helpful discussion forum on-line, but that we did not have any connections to China adoptive families locally. We did have a precious family just down the road from us with a sweet daughter from China, but sadly they moved last year. I had hoped and prayed for a friend for Mia with similar beginnings as her own.

I don't know why I ever doubt the Lord's provision.

He is Jehovah Jireh.

This was the name that Abraham gave to the place where the Lord provided the ram for his sacrifice instead of his son Isaac. Jehovah Jireh plainly means, the Lord sees and provides for the needs of His people. I believe this to be true because I believe in the inerrant Word of God. I know this to be true because I have experienced it over and over again in my own life.
He is My Provider.

So several weeks ago, after longing for a friend for Mia locally, the whole family headed out to Culvers for a quick dinner...

*Side note*
[We rarely go out to restaurants with the whole crew ... for many reasons...Chloe's gluten-free needs, $$$ for a family of 5, busy children required to sit for long periods, etc. So when we do, it is more often than not a place where your food comes on trays. LOL.] **

While we were there, I noticed a woman walk in and sit at a table across the restaurant from us. She was accompanied by an adult daughter and two young Asian girls. My immediate thought was I am sure that those girls are from China. I shared it with Steve. I wanted to introduce myself. I was so hoping to meet a local adoptive family with children from China. I also did not want to look like a crazy woman. Yet, I wanted to introduce myself. I wrestled back and forth.

In all of my reading and now in my own personal experience I have learned a lot about being sensitive when approaching people with children who look "different" than their parents. I understand that children don't want to always be labeled as the adopted child. I understand that it can be offensive to parents to say, "Is she your own?" or "Are they really sisters?" I've learned never to say those things. I ended up writing my name, number, and email on a napkin and at Steve's urging headed toward the table.

I introduced myself and said something like, "My name is.... My husband and I are going to China this summer to bring home our little girl. I was wondering if maybe you had..." Before I finished, the woman confirmed my suspicions with a huge smile and shared that her two youngest girls are from China! She said, "This is Shea and Avery and my oldest daughter Faith." After exchanging information with one another and visiting for a while, I learned her name is Chris and they live here in town. Shea is a few months older than Chloe (who they adopted at the age of 2) and Avery is 4 days older than Mia - she joined their family only four months ago! These two precious girls are nearly the exact ages of Chloe and Mia. She also has three biological children: two boys and a girl. Only God can do that.

Later that night, I went to her blog and learned that we share the same faith in Jesus as the foundation of our lives. Another sweet gift from the Lord. Yesterday, Chris, Shea and Avery came over for a play date with Chloe. It was wonderful. Chris was so gracious and kind. She shared openly their experiences with the girls and their trips to China. She was so willing to answer my endless questions (Thank you, Chris). The girls are adorable and Chloe LOVED them. They played babies and kitchen and giggled like old friends. We ended our time outside on the swings, in the sandbox and then with squirt guns. (You can appreciate Chloe's wet clothes in the pictures.) I just know that Chris will be a dear friend. And I am so excited to add Mia to this group of gigglers.

Thank you Lord.

My Jehovah Jireh.

The Lord sees and He provides for the needs of His people.

Chloe, Shea & Avery

Chloe & Shea

Room for one more...

"...for your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him." Matthew 6:8

Signing our LOA

Our LOA arrived at our doorstep last Wednesday via UPS as expected. It was wonderful to hold that piece of paper in our hands...
...one step closer to our precious Mia.

Steve and I had a signing celebration and took pictures of each other to commemorate the moment. We checked the official box:
"We accept the adoptee mentioned above."

Thank you Lord.

WOO HOO!!!!

WE GOT IT!!!!!!! I just received an email from my caseworker at CWA that we received our LOA. PRAISE THE LORD! Did any of you hear me dancing and screaming?!

Here is the whole story...
Yesterday was a really hard day for me. Traditionally the majority of LOAs are received from China on Mondays. I was hoping that yesterday would be our day. In fact, I had told several people that I was hoping Monday would be our day. I know that you were praying along with us. Thank you. When I didn't hear anything, I felt discouraged. I watched and heard of many others receiving their LOAs yesterday. When we were not notified, I knew that it would be another week before we could possibly hear anything. I did not want to have a pity party and I was not angry. I just felt down. I had a wave of sadness come over me. I was experiencing a new level of ache over the truth that Mia is growing up every day without her family. It was heartbreaking.

Steve and I had some time to talk about it and that was really good for me. Steve brought me to the verses we have been studying from Esther on Sunday morning with Pastor Jeff. I think Steve's words were something like, "You remember these verses Karen - wasn't studying the book of Esther your life for an entire year and now we are studying it again?!" (referring to when I led Beth Moore's Bible study of Esther last year) He continued, do you remember that the Lord had already determined before the beginning of time for the deliverance of the Jews? Do you believe He is still doing that for His people today? Yes, I do believe that. I absolutely believe that. Thank you Steve, for your gentle & gracious reminder, for pointing me to the Truth and for your strong leadership. I went to bed thanking the Lord for His goodness and His perfect plan.

I woke up this morning to a peaceful house with gorgeous sunshine (trust me, that is not the usual wake up around here). I was able to start my day in prayer. Another gift from the Lord. I avoided the computer all day - where I can often wait, research and torture myself. I know where I am weak. Late in the afternoon, I went on facebook and saw that a friend was asking if anyone needed prayer.

You bet.

I asked for prayer that I would wait on the LORD and not my circumstances. I asked that I would delight in HIM! Then I made it my prayer.

I returned to our email and saw that we had incoming mail. When I saw there was one from our caseworker, I opened all of the others first. I just couldn't read that there was still no news. When I finally read it, it said your LOA arrived yesterday and has been overnighted to you. Would you like the tracking number? Umm... YES!!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!
Monday was our day.

Deliverance determined before the beginning of time.

Thank you Jesus.

So what is an LOA you ask? It is our official Letter of Acceptance from China. It means that they have reviewed our entire dossier (that huge packet of documents that took pounds and pounds of blood, sweat and tears to put together way back in 2007 and early 2008) and that the Chinese government has approved us to adopt Mia!!

What is next? Steve and I will sign our LOA and return it to our agency and then they will send a copy back to China. Then, what?

You guessed it, wait some more.

We wait for our Travel Approval (TA). Our TA is also sent from China and has been taking on average 30-40 days. When our TA arrives, my agency will set a Consulate Appointment (CA) and book all of our travel and flights around it.

So, when do we go to China??
In my best estimation...Lord willing, of course, I think that we will leave mid July and return home 20 days later with Mia!!!!

As crazy as this sounds, I think I am just now starting to believe that we are actually going to China for this adorable little girl. She really is coming home to our family. Hold on Mia...Mommy & Daddy are coming baby girl!

Chloe turns FIVE!

I can hardly believe that my little girl is five years old. In so many ways she is still my baby girl and yet there are moments that I turn around and she seems so grown up. Chloe is such a joy to our family. Since she was born I have called her my Sweet B, because she was and is sweet balm to my soul. She is tender and caring, thoughtful and helpful.

Her birthday was Monday and we celebrated as a family. I told her that she could choose anywhere for lunch and Chloe chose Culvers. Grandma and Boppa were still here from the shower and Steve met us there over his lunch. Chloe was beaming. Being the third child born into our family, it is a rare occassion to have Grandma, Boppa, Mommy & Daddy all to herself. In fact I cannot think of another time it has ever happened. What a treat.

On Thursday, she had a small party with her closest girlfriends: Alaina, Adah and Layla. These are the daughters of my precious friends, Jess and Christy - no surprise that she loves those girls. Per Chloe's request, we had a tea party with her favorite (and Mommy's) tea - Almond Cookie. We also had grilled cheese and PB&J sandwiches, strawberries, grapes, kettle corn, cheese, fruit snacks and pink lemonade. Chloe requested a donut birthday cake. Thankfully, I was able to find some gluten-free donuts and make them extra pretty with icing and sprinkles. They were surprisingly DELISH!

Enjoy the pictures from her special day. She is an unspeakable joy and blessing to our family. I daily thank the Lord for her. I pray that He will bless & protect her and draw her ever close to Him. That she will fall in love with Jesus, know His Truth, walk in His ways and follow Him with passion all the days of her life.

My Sweet B is FIVE. (Sniff)

Showered with Love

On Saturday, two of my dearest friends held a beautiful shower for me to welcome Mia into our family. Beautiful does not even come close to accurately describing the day. It. Was. Breath-taking. I was overwhelmed by all of the love, support and encouragement. The whole event brought such glory to the Lord. Here is a picture of these 2 precious girlfriends of mine. They are such a blessing from the Lord in my life.



We started with a wonderful prayer and then Christy and Jessica began to share. Christy poured over the Scriptures that have come to be so special to me about our adoption into the family of God. You see, adoption is the heart of God. It was His purpose from the beginning of time. He loved me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to live and die on this earth in my place for my sin, that by placing my faith in Him alone, I might be adopted into His family and be called a child of God. He loves you that much too. All of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ have an adoption story. This is a truth that the Lord has been revealing to me more and more on our journey. I could go on and on...but that is for another post.

Jessica talked about the Ancient Chinese Proverb of the red thread. The proverb says: "An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." She tied this proverb to the Greater Red Thread, the True Scarlet Thread of our lives, that was made from the blood of Jesus Christ. It was woven from the beginning of creation, through the Old and New Testaments and into my life and yours. It was so meaningful to me.

Of course, I was crying before the first prayer was over and every little detail was increasingly tender to my heart. We ate a wonderful brunch. We had miniature quiches, 4 kinds of fantastic scones that my sister brought from Madison, fruit kabobs with delicious strawberries, pineapple, melon and grapes and my favorite miniature cheesecakes. We had two kinds of tea (which of course they know that I love!): blueberry pomegranate and calm. There were fortune cookies with Scripture inside them hand dipped in white and milk chocolate. Precious. These girls know me so well. They chose down to the very last detail my favorite things and I felt unbelievably loved. Each table was arranged with beautiful china place settings and tea pots. Below is a photo of one of the tables.



Then for the favors...
A tiny little nest symbolized the family nest the Lord has given to Steve and me to love and raise and protect. There were 3 sweet almond eggs settled inside representing Caleb, Luke and Chloe. Perched on the rim of the nest was a gorgeous little ladybug ... almost home. Our dear sweet Mia.



I cannot wait to bring our little ladybug home.

After the eating and sharing time came an overwhelming time of gifts. My friends and family are the most thoughtful and generous people in the world. I am sure of it. It really was so difficult to take it all in. There were so many thoughtful and meaningful things.

When Chloe and I had finished what seemed like hours of opening, Jessica and Christy had one final presentation. It was time to present to me the "100 Good Wishes Quilt" and the book that they had labored over for weeks and weeks. Christy sent out a mailing to so many friends and family to submit a quilt square and note or Scripture for Mia as well as a photo. As the squares were received they kept track of them and together began to assemble what it would look like. Another sweet friend from church (and amazing quilter), Barb, volunteered to do all of the quilting and I am told that she accomplished it in FOUR days! When Christy and Jess handed it to me, I could hardly untie the ribbon. They have no idea how much this gift meant to me. I had not seen a single square that was sent in and I could not believe that I was finally going to see it in its finished form.



I glanced back at the girls as I slowly opened the treasure that I held in my hands.

And then they held it up for me to see.

I. Could. Not. Breathe.



Then came the tears.



Chloe was overwhelmed just like her momma.





And here it is ...if only a photo could do it justice.
This quilt is so precious to me. What a demonstration of love for our little Mia...I can't wait to see her wrapped in it. The backside is a soft pink flannel with the beautiful floral quilt pattern in white.





After we all had a chance to take it in, Christy and Jessica gathered everyone around me. We bowed our heads. We came before the throne of God and then they prayed Scripture into Mia's life. It was so powerful. These are the Scriptures that were prayed.

Psalm 127:3 Mia is a heritage from the Lord, A reward from You, O God.

Proverbs3:5-6 Let Mia trust in the LORD with all her heart and lean not on her own understanding; in all her ways may she acknowledge Him, and He will make her paths straight.

Psalm 5:11 But let Mia take refuge in You and be glad; let her ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over her, that she who loves Your name may rejoice in You.

Psalm 139:14 Let Mia praise You because she is fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, may she know that full well.

Colossians 1:9,10 For this reason, since the day we heard about Mia, we have not stopped praying for her and asking God to fill her with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that she may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

Psalm 141:3-4 Set a guard over Mia's mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of her lips. Let not her heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let her not eat of their delicacies.

Isaiah 48:17 This is what the LORD says— Mia's Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD her God, who teaches her what is best for her, who directs her in the way she should go."

Proverbs 22:6 Help Steve and Karen train their daughter up in the way she should go and when she is old she will not depart from it.


Thank you Lord Jesus that you hear our prayers. Let it be. Amen.

About the time that ALL of my mascara was on my cheeks, Steve and the boys and Boppa arrived for a few photos and to help with clean up and loading. Enjoy some of the other photos from that beautiful day. We were showered with the love of Christ.

Chloe's special plate of gluten-free goodies.













When we arrived home, Steve and I were able to pour over the gifts and details. He too, is so grateful for the overwhelming support and love.

Did I mention that I love these girls?

Thank you my dear friends and family.
I am so excited for Mia to meet you.

Praising the Lord for you,
Karen