Author Archives: admin I have my sweet kindred spirit friend in town…and since she has never been to the South–we decided to do something touristy today and while P and L were at school we took the babies to the Aquarium! It was so much fun (Minus Isaac does NOT do crowds…and I mean doesn’t as in DOES […]  Many of you moms came to the Created for Care mommy retreat and got to experience a sweet hour created just for you to have a ‘date with God’…to spend time with Him–praying, reading scripture, listening, asking Him to show you His heart… My dear friend Jenni Means led this time. She is the director […] Thank you!!! Love it! Can’t wait to try it! 🙂 Thanks for the reminder. I accidentally left my picture at the hotel, but I can still see it clearly in my head. I needed a reminder of what God taught me during that time. I’ll have to remember to do it more often. When I came home from the conference I couldn’t figure out how to use this with my kids. I am encouraged by this idea. I will be using this! What a great post! I have told many people about my “Date with God” and I truly hope that they all have an opportunity to have one of their own. It was such an awesome time for me and my relationship with HIM. Thank you for including it in the weekend. i very much enjoyed the date with god time. it was a spirit filled time for sure. i spent my time in the tent, with scripture, play dough and painting. God reminded me again during that time that he has asked me to be his hands. So, i made a hand with play dough. He also told me “there’s 2”, 2 children for us to adopt. I asked him if they were coming together and he told me that wasn’t important now, just keep working on getting on the waitlist. So, i painted 2 hands on the shape of africa. 2 hands i will hold one day. such a wonderful weekend for so many reasons, this was just one hour! i feel so blessed to have been able to attend. I just posted recently about how I despise cleaning the house, but now I put on my worship music and clean like there’s no tomorrow. I’m sure if there was a camera in the house, someone would get a good laugh. One minute I’m dancing like a nut and the next I’m crying my eyes out all the while cleaning house! And it never looked or smelled better!! LOVE THIS!!!! We have done a version of this with our campers before…very powerful. Now to do this with our children more often 🙂 i LOVE this! The Date with God was seriously the best part of the retreat for me. It was exactly what I needed. It was so so beautiful and worshipful for me. The Lord has continued to speak over me things that He spoke to me that weekend. I love that I can do this with my daughter too! 🙂 Thanks for reminder. Was so blessed by the “Date with God”, and so inspired by the idea that God speaks to my kids, that they have a spirit…regardless of how little they are, or whether they can communicate with words. Love this idea. I loved my date with God at the retreat. I arrived a little late and ended up staying for 2 sessions. As I was leaving I told Jenni that I wished I could stay all day, and she sweetly responded, “you can stay all day if you want.” Love her! I look forward to doing this with my boys at home. It was also a reminder to me that I can worship and walk with God any time, anywhere. What a FABULOUS idea!!!! I love this! We call it “painting a prayer.” Each time is more powerful than I anticipate and I wonder why we don’t do it more! Let the little children come….  If you are a blog reader of mine, you know I process through writing what God is teaching me–and you also know any time I take a few days off from writing its usually not because I’m busy (because writing is HOW this momma unwinds from her busy)…it’s usually because He’s teaching me and it’s […] This is especially encouraging to me today. Thank you for what you share. He is the King of Glory! So true….there are soo many ways to serve widows and orphans. And many of us forget those. Oh, howI wish I could go to Zambia! Next time hopefully! I have been pouring over my bible this morning – heavy heart – and I asked God for His words, and as I continued to thumbs through verses, skipping around, I thought of Andrea and how I longed for her to write. After awhile I checked into your blog – THIS appeared. Melting away with tears …. Love this…have been thinking so much lately about these precious orphans who are unadoptable. I feel like God is showing us so much… Oh Andrea I am dying to go on a service trip right now. We have friends that just returned from Honduras and I tried to stow away with them. I would love to go, but I am hopeful that I will be in Africa by the end of summer. Amen! It has been very humbling to see that there are so many ways we can follow God’s call to live out true religion. He is teaching me that “helping orphans & the poor” has many faces. It’s encouraging to know that God will use us just as we are daily in many different ways to help those who are struggling silently be it in our own home town or around the world. Makes me thank God that he is so much bigger than we think & that he created all of us to fulfill different purposes. I’ve been reading James 1:27 every day lately and was so excited to read your post on it! I’m terrible at keeping up with my blog and when I do it’s usually just pics of Ryder…but thought about you when I shared this today so take a peek at it if you have time… http://andyandashleymac.blogspot.com/2011/02/nickels-dimes-and-quarters.html  I feel like my posts the last few weeks haven’t made much sense–as I pray for what is ahead but wait upon Him for confirmation and His timing. So while I wait and pray–I do my best to share what I’m learning…partly to remember this part later–and the other part just because I feel like […] Love. This. Post. Oh sweet girl, this post was for me! We are in the midst of crazy over here. We are fostering a baby girl we’ve had since birth, she’s 3 months now. I am staying at home and really need to go back to work, but God just keeps saying no. My Mama-heart is glad, my checkbook is sad. We spent the day with our family yesterday who have quite different priorities. We toured my sister-in-laws new $400K house that only she and her 6 year old live in. We got to see the new bass boat my brother-in-law got for his 40th birthday. We heard all about the upcoming trip to Hawaii my husband’s sisters are taking in April, with a stop in California for a few days. Yesterday was the first day they had met our foster baby- who is black. They knew she was black, but knowing and seeing are two different things and that was evident. It was a long ride home last night. My heart just struggled with “things” we don’t have, and God’s plan, and acceptance. So, this post was very much for me. Thank you for sharing. Thanks, Andrea. Needed this! Praying for you! I needed to read this. We have a meeting coming up on Friday with our social worker from the pregnancy center. Everything is updated so we’re not sure why she’s driving 2 1/2 hours to come and see us and the kids are to be here. She said she was not at liberty to tell us, so my mind has been wondering what in the world this is about. Not typical, I don’t think, if there is such a thing as typical. Anyways, trying to let go knowing that God will not. Thank you for this post! I’m praying through some of those exact same things right now! I’m not one to “sit around.” I’m a “do-er.” So, the fact that I feel God call me out of a ministry that’s been SUCH a HUGE part of my and my entire family’s life for the last 8 years is SCARY! BUT, He is calling us into the wide world of adoption! We’re expecting from Ethiopia (possibly siblings!)!!! STILL, I feel a restlessness that usually, in my case, means, HOLD ON, KELLY! I HAVE BIGGER THINGS YET! And, I think, “Seriously? Can I take a small break?” Then I think of Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest,” when he says (paraphrased), “You will never be released from the Great Commission.” So, keep on keepin’ on, and I’ll try to do the same!!! (I’m trying to get a blog up and running…unsuccessfully right now, but it’ll be up soon!) 🙂 Needed this reminder!!! WIth our adoption taking longer than we planned it is so wonderful to be reminded that it is not longer than God has planned. His timing will be perfect for our family….and to rest in the beauty of seeing it all unfold is a blessing. Love you and praying for you too! Love this, friend. I was just thinking the other night about how we are on kind of a “high” right now. God is moving BIG and fast and we are seeing Him minute by minute in exciting ways. I was wondering what it’s like to come down from that mountain and settle into the everyday. God is teaching me so much lately that the everyday is where the true miracles happen, I am just more likely to miss them. Isn’t He good? Yes…yesterday I was reflecting on how our huge age gap, adoption heart, etc. were so normal 2 weeks ago in Georgia and as I sit with my oldest son’s basketball team the moms are all smiling at me chasing my 2 year old and saying, “So glad we are done with that stage.” Well, with the exception of one mom who started over with a little boy from China and is now 4 (CL/CP too)…she gets it! 🙂 She is the light of our life…so glad we didn’t miss this opportunity to be parents again! Praying we take courage and don’t let fear stop us if the Lord calls us to adopt again! I have loved “finding” and following your blog!!! You have been very encouraging to me lately as we begin the process of adopting from Ethiopia(our second adoption-first was Bulgaria-home July 2010)….we are already facing financial attack, emotional attack, and in the middle of it all..I have this CRAZY idea that we’re supposed to request TWINS!!! It is a crazy hard road into the unknown, and we have very little support…SOOOOOO, keep writing!:) It ministers to my heart and gives me the courage to continue on this WILD path of international adoption!! God Bless, PRAYING for you as God continues to call you to what He has for you. I feel those moments ….many times. The moments inbetween. Love what God does… Right there with ya Andrea! This post was for me too. Our family is about to enter the “crazy” life and leave our comfy American lifestyle behind. I know it’s the perfect path for us, but I wonder how many people will understand and encourage us along the way. I am blessed to have a husband who doesn’t question this path and is obedient to God’s perfect plan. Thank you for writing you thoughts and feelings, it makes me feel that I am not the only “crazy” one put there…. I am sitting here reading your post and amazed at how God speaks through people that I don’t even really know! God has been calling our family to a life that isn’t normal and goes against what society says a family should do or have. He is calling us instead to give Him all that we have so that He can make much of His name through us! Oh how that doesn’t make sense to alot of people! Thank you for allowing God to use your journey to encourage me. You were speaking on EXACTLY what I have been praying about!!! Praying about God really breaking my hubby’s heart for those in need. He gave me a triple dose of mercy but hubby just doesn’t understand. God is bringing people into our lives who need lots of support on top of the call to adopt. I am just faithfully trying to follow his call even when it’s hard. Even when it costs or results in sacrifice for our family. Sun I had a discussion with my hubby about getting his heart ready for what God has in store for us & that adoption while scary for him is our next step. Afterwards he accidentally broke my super heavy indestructible mantle cross the 4th one since I felt in my heart to adopt. I told him God is letting him know that faith without deeds is meaningless & that we are called to act despite our fears. He is a factual guy & is having a hard time reconciling what “makes sense” with what God is doing in our lives. Oh & the other day God used your blog to lead me to ourunveiledfaces.blogspot because they are needing 100 families to donate just $20 to build a grain mill in Holeta!!! God has used you to bless my life and to speak to me in so many ways!!!! Thank you for your courage & faith!!! Thank you friend. You are so encouraging at keep things in perspective! Thank you Andrea. You let the Lord speak through you today and it clearly reached many of our hearts. Just today I received more paperwork from AGCI and our journey to Ethiopia is getting so overwhelming. But your words lifted me up and reminded me of all of God’s promises that I’ve been standing on since He first called us to this task. I look forward to holding my Zoe Ameris in my arms; giving God all the glory. Bless you. Andrea, you are wonderful! I’m so thankful for your thoughts and inspiring attitude and faith. I feel as though we’re being called to adopt. My husband doesn’t feel the same; saying we’re stretched enough with the four kids under 9 we have now (the youngest being just 7 months). My sister tells me how much we’ll miss out on and how crazy life would be with more. We even discussed how my kids just might not get the chance to go to Disney World. 😉 I’m so relieved that someone else thinks as I do in that those things don’t really matter to me (and I don’t think they will really matter to my kids). I want them to be grateful. happy. giving. loving. faithful. I don’t think that will come with material things and experiences that society says they “should” have. Keep doing what you do – because it’s great. God Bless You!  How I love that I was reflecting on Psalm 46 as my day began. And a sweet day it was. I wish I could write about all of it’s sweetness–but some times it’s so sweet I have to keep it all to myself:). I even lit an appropriately sweet candle from a sweet blog reader […] up late writing a talk and i had to check blogs before i went to bed. so glad to get little glimpses into your life. like your nuggets from the word, your two ever-growing babies on your hips, your continual desire to spur others on toward love and good deeds, and your fabulous chalkboard diswasher. brilliant beyond brilliant. i would love to do that. is it paint or some kind of adhesive backed panel? thanks also for the photography advice. no matter how many times aperature is explained to me, it goes in one ear and out the other. but hopefully this time it will stick. thanks for inspiring me in lots of different ways! …So a baby on both hips totally explains why you’re so stinkin tiny! ooooh love these ideas! Keep ’em coming! Thanks! You go girl! Your arms have got to be buff! Love it! I love the five families idea! Before beginning our journey to Ethiopia, we were foster parents for almost two years and had NO respite care available for a simple date night or weekend away…all of my grocery shopping was done at 9pm or 6am! Supporting and encouraging one another is so vital throughout the crazy journey of fostering and adopting. Thank you for that encouragement! I love this glimpse into your life! And yes, my two and a half year old still has his binkie too. Our rule is bed or carseat…but daddy wants it to go to just bedtime. Not sure I’m ready for this!!! =) OH you crack me up 🙂 Oh LOVE the ideas of meals, and help. We have never had that- EVER. But it would be amazing to have. I am totally letting Joanna do whatever for however long…..the more children you have the more chill you become 🙂 at least in our home. 🙂 (of course she wouldn’t take a passy 🙁 we tried for months!!!) And no the baby craving doesn’t leave- or at least the desire for another kiddo…..for anyway…..that is whey we have 8 and probably more to come God Willing 🙂 Quick Q? Where did you get the dishwasher with the chalkboard front??? LOVE it!!! About to do a kitchen remodel…well update…would love that as a possibility! Kandra Love you. All us SixtyFeet girls agree… the more kiddos you add the more chill you need to be. We also agree that we love us some Andrea. Ok…I’m just wondering how you keep the awesome quotes on your dishwasher??? My kids would mess that up in about 3 seconds!(: It’s SO cute! |
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by admin
these photos of brotherly love are SO precious!!!!
They are so precious!! What great memories these two will have together 🙂
Wow! How sweet are those! That last one melts my heart! 🙂
Every picture is filled with so much love and wonderment. The photos are just perfect, Andrea!!!
Love these precious pictures, Andrea!! Adorable! And your hair looks so cute! 🙂
Oh ya. Crowds. They take a while. And crowds in new places- double trouble. It’s fear. Sensory overload brings FEAR raging in on the littles. We are still trying to figure it out. Sometimes, he’s great and others- eh. Unpredictable. Makes outings a bit of a test. But what choice is there?? He’s looking great! And I bet the next time at the same place he’ll be more comfy. btw- i love seeing the two little guys together. So cute!
PRECIOUS pics Andrea!!!