Walk thru Bethlehem

It's hard to believe that another year has passed by and it's time to celebrate Christmas. I know it's been a very busy year for us all, many of us have had big transitions. We're hoping and praying you are taking the time to stop and enjoy the spirit of Christmas and remember it's about celebrating the hope and life that Jesus has given to us all through His blood being shed. 

We pray that we will have truly know Jesus' peace in our hearts and live it out loud!

We were able to make our annual trip to Walk Thru Bethlehem. It is the most authentic experience around for a Christmas nativity to take you back in time and experience Bethlehem when Jesus was born so long ago. Our family loves the extensive outreach effort that this church makes every December to share the experience with thousands of people in Nashville.  As you enter into the city you are greeted by census workers and along your journey you will experience making manna, cloth dolls, wooden bracelets, polishing brass, feeding doves, watching a manager being built, shopping at market, grinding grape, making clay candles and twine; while you observe the soldiers searching the city for baby Jesus. As you leave the city you are invited to see baby Jesus and the wise men, as well as give a sacrifice such as your cloth doll for baby Jesus. Then you can visit with the animals in the stables, including a camel.Oh, and it's all for Free... what a gift in today's world.

Wishing you all a Very Merry CHRISTmas!

Love ~

Ginny & Family

Please plan a road trip next year, you won't regret it.

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PRAYER for Nara Josette

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Celebrating in our Hearts

Our sweet daughter turned two years old yesterday. It was a busy day here, but we took time to talk about Yun Lin (a.k.a. Nara Josette) and to pray for her. Yun Lin was born December 5, 2008. She arrived at her orphanage when she was one day old, in Maoming District, Guangdong, China a little more than 7,000 miles away from her home. We pray for her birth mother's heart, a peace and wholeness to know that God's hand is upon the precious baby she bore. We feel truly blessed and honored that God is allowing us to be united with Nara Josette very soon, to join the family that God has created through covenants of marriage, birth, and adoption. We're looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her once she is home. We had hoped that she'd be here with us by now, but we believe that this journey continues to be on God's timeline - not our own.

We were able to send her package and cake to celebrate her birthday with her friends and caregivers through LadybugsnLove.com. We highly recommend their services, they are wonderful women helping adoptive families connect and ministering along the way. We have had great success using them for the past two years.

The boys are getting more excited about Nara Josette each day. Graham and Whit talk about her a lot and frequently tell their friends and teachers about her, as well as see things they think she would like us to buy for her. It's really sweet and brotherly. (Graham even draws pictures for her and writes notes to her) Ford is excited too, but he's low key with anticipation. I think because he's older and he's been waiting for her to arrive practically all his short life and oh yeah, since we traveled to China in May and came home without her. He's a bit hesitant until she actually shows up at our house. I can't blame him. Rob and I have been kind of with him the past 6 months. 'We'll believe she is coming once we actually see her at our house mindset'. It's been getting a little more real the past couple of weeks, but much more distant than in the past. I feel like I've starting nesting a little the past couple of weeks. As the date gets closer, I feel like just before I've gone to the hospital - Ah! So much to do. Organize, Paint, Pack, Wrap, ...... and it happens to also be, Christmas season! :-0  

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family. We ask for our hearts to continue to daily invite Jesus into our hearts and actions, for all of our hearts to be open to one another as we prepare to bond as a family and her Nara Josette's walls to be torn down to bond with us - trust and love. We also pray that her surgery will go well (we expect to have it in the spring), the surgeons expertise, and her healing. Also, for energy from the Father, once we return home to overcome jet lag! This really hit me hard last time, so I truly covet your prayers in this area, since there will 6 of us to care for and school, too.  We are humbled by your love and friendship - we thank God for you and appreciate your prayers for our family.

Scripture that has been in my heart playing over and over in my heart lately,

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Love~
Ginny

WAR EAGLE, HEY!!!

Wow, it's been a busy couple of weeks, but we thankfully enjoyed a few blessed days full of food, fun, thanksgiving and loud cheering!

A great quote - it's how you start the game, but how you end the game. It's a lot like Life and Eternity...

WAR EAGLE!!

Love ~
Ginny

Please PRAY for our Family

No time for Fall?

Whew, the weeks are flying by so quickly. October is almost gone and Christmas will be upon us before we can wink. It's been a very busy couple of weeks. We finally had to break down (literally) and buy Rob a car. His old car was 11 years old and we well got the money's worth from it. It was a great car, it just got old very quickly. In the past few months, we've more than paid it's worth in repair and tow bills. So....Yeah! Rob finally has a great gas saver and reliable care.

It's also been a busy work season for Rob and not much time to be without a car that's broken down, so we're very thankful that God allowed us to locate a car for him (Thank you, Alan!)

The boys have been enjoying picking plenty of fall leaves and nature walks, building a rock and stick fort, helping PopPop clear the back of our lot with the John Deere, school Fall Festival, painting the piggy, adventures with Curious George from Ford's class, celebrating Clay (3rd) and Kylie's (2nd) birthdays, and trying to work on the house. Also, getting ready for Graham's 5th birthday this week and the adoption paperwork trail. Whew, I'm tired just thinking of it all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUSINS!

CLAY and KYLIE

War Eagle! #1

Ginny

Brothers - Fall Leaves

Hey

G on the Twister...

George and Tiger ready for a ride

Clay's 2nd Bday Cowboy Party

Kylie's wish

George caught a grasshopper in his mouth - look closely (it's alive!)

Whit's piggy

I'm A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord by Go Fish

We love this song!! We have three lil' soldiers in our house and we all Love to sing this song

while we're driving in the car and around the house. Go Fish's music is helping us to plant the seeds of scripture more deeply into the boys hearts, and we're having fun with it too. :-)

Love ~

Ginny

Fall Away to Stone Mountain

We were able to take a few days and get away to Stone Mountain. It was the perfect place to get outside and truly enjoy all of God's creation and the terrific fall weather. The leaves are so beautiful and the boys all love the outdoors. Ford said, "This is why I love nature, it's everything that God created, and bugs too." 

We were fortunate enough to happen upon the annual Pumpkin Patch Festival and Asian Rice Festivals. We also had a blast riding the Ducks with Captain Howard. Ford even got to drive the Duck in the water ; - 0, last but not least hiking on the mountain. We highly recommend the park for a family trip and wear your walking shoes.

This Is My Father's World

This is one of the boys favorite songs from Go Fish, it's off their new Kickin It Old School cd.

It is a great cd of old hymns which have been made more upbeat, for kids and we love it too!

We've been learning more about teaching the kids about worship everyday, not just at church.
What a joy it is to sing these songs and have them light up to, WORSHIP, God. They actually ask me to put on the Go Fish songs in the car. (For those who know me, I can't carry a note, but I love to sing all the same.) :-)

Link to their website http://www.gofishguys.com/cms/

Love~

Ginny

Turning New Leaves

I can hardly believe that fall has arrived. My favorite season with cool weather and beautiful foliage changes - great for running and star gazing! Summer seemed to last forever this year, maybe because we experienced so much change in a few months. Sorry for my blog hiatus, it's been a VERY busy couple of months. We finally found a new home, moved and have gotten pretty settled in, began two new schools, three new classes (which the boys are truly loving and thriving at), continuing on our adoption journey with new paperwork and more waiting, and only two non-fatal accidents (Whit and I both survived with small battle scars). Whit and I have been enjoying daily one on one time together, with our new school schedule and it's been a lot of fun. The bog boys and I have been having great times working on their school projects together, they are so talented (of course, most Mom's say that...).

Whew.... all that and a little more, but way to much to cover it all. Most recently we've enjoyed spending lots of time with Family, old and new sweet friends, submerging at our church and bible study, and visiting some of our favorite fun places. :-) Although we're missing some of our friends and church that we moved away from. :-(  Oh yeah, I also celebrated my 20 year high school reunion with many old schoolmates. It was wonderful to see so many kids that I grew up with doing so well and to meet all of their families. It's surreal to believe that it's been 20 years since I was in school, it seems so near in my mind. I had a great school experience with Christian teachers and my heart hurts for the difference in the world and schools today - with a world that forces kids to grow up so quickly. Well, I better run for now. More to come soon. Thank you all for you prayers, friendship and encouragement. It's been a very long, stretching year so far, but our family is stronger than ever and we're excited about the coming months!  Only the Lord knows our journey and that gives us a peace and hope that truly, only He can offer. Our faith has been challenged many times this year and it is exciting to know His faithfulness to provide - Always. 

Please continue to pray for our family as we approaching our travel time to bring our daughter home. Please pray for all of our hearts to listen to and wait upon the Holy Spirit, especially all of the kids, peace over our home, strength in our marriage, and for Nara Josette (Yun Lin - her Chinese name) to know a peace and love that only God can provide. We've continued to be on the paperwork trail with our adoption for Nara Josette. We updated our homestudy and have updated several more forms as well. Now we wait for our TA (Travel Approval date), we should have her home before Christmas.

In case you haven't noticed, it's football season 


  WAR EAGLE!

Here are a few pictures of our recent adventures.

Much Love ~

Ginny