The Father's Heart

Over the past few months as the excitement and anticipation continues to build as I wait for Abigail's arrival I can't help but think about the many children on this earth who do not have a mother or father. For many years now I have had a desire to work with orphans and have thought about adoption. It seems as time goes on that the Lord continues to increase this desire in me. I know orphans are on the Father's heart as well. Psalm 63:5 describes Him as..."A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation." I have a desire to have many children, but I don't know exactly what that will look like. Perhaps not all of my children will be carried in my womb. I imagine some of Samuel's siblings will become a part of our family through adoption.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

The orphans and the widows have such a special place in God's heart, yet they are easily forgotten by the world. But He has not forgotten them. He promises to never leave them nor forsake them. He desires that each child would experience His love through relationship. I don't know when it will happen, but I do believe the Lord will bless us with the opportunity to adopt someday. And what a blessing it will be: To love a child that is easily forgotten by the world but is loved and cherished by God.

A couple days after I began to write this post we considered a different kind of adoption. On Saturday we went to the Humane Society to look at the dogs they have. One in particular stood out to us. His name is Toby and he's a 2 year old lab mix. He is obedient and submissive. One of his previous owners taught him how to sit and lay down in German, but he also knows these commands in English. To make a long story short we adopted him on Monday and have been falling in love with him ever since! He is such a great dog and is becoming more affectionate everyday. He hasn't had any accidents in the house and is very low maintenance. With dog owners on either side of us, it's nice that he doesn't bark at other dogs. He loves to play catch and tug-a-war and Samuel loves to play with him. Samuel often says, "I like my new dog." We feel very blessed by what a wonderful match Toby is for our family. We looked up the meaning of Toby and it means: God is good! His name will ring true forever! God is so good!

Toby

Samuel having fun with our neighbor's grandkids

We took Samuel bowling for the 1st time on our anniversary

Blessings From Above

"You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas..." Psalm 65:5

The beautiful gate Cody and Samuel made for the top of the stairs

Samuel excited about his own bed and room!

33 weeks :)

At the salon....I will miss the long locks, but alas...

Who's that good lookin' fella?!

We are now in our new home! We moved in last Thursday, May 27th. We just got internet hooked up yesterday, so I'm excited to be back online and able to post an update. Our friends and now landlords were so generous to let us stay in their RV over the past two months. We are so thankful for their kindness and the example of Christ that they have been to us. They offered to furnish the apartment for us, so the furniture you see in the pictures was all provided for us by them! They also gave us pots, pans, dishes, silverware, an iron, a vacuum, a microwave and a t.v. with a dvd player. What a blessing they have been in our lives. Samuel says often that he likes his new house and his new room :)

We were blessed to find out Cody got a raise at work about a week ago! Business at Bubba's has picked up significantly since Memorial Day weekend as more and more tourists will be coming through town. Cody is known as "The Rodeo Capital of the World" with a rodeo every night June 1st - August 31st. It is also 50 miles away from Yellowstone Nat'l Park, so there is an increase in traffic when we drive into town.

I am 33 weeks now and feeling Abigail move often. At my last appointment I was thankful to find out my glucose levels were great after taking a blood test at my prior visit. Dr. Williams says the baby and I are healthy :) As we are having sunnier days, I have enjoyed spending time with Samuel outside, watching him grow into the little man that he is becoming. He loves to play with his toys, read books and play outside. He gets really excited if there are other kids involved. He also likes to play the drums, piano, guitar and sing songs with me. I enjoy these times of singing and playing that we get to have together. I pray that God will continue to grow the giftings that He has placed inside of Samuel and show me how I can encourage him in the things he enjoys doing.

On June 10th, Cody and I will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary. Looking back over the past 4 years, I know they are the best years of my life. And I believe that each year that goes by will be better than the last because the Lord says we will go from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). I am so thankful for the husband that God has blessed me with. I am grateful for his friendship, love and the encouragement he gives me. I love to watch him grow in the Lord and fall more in love with Him. This spurs me on in my faith to fall more in love with Jesus. I love the passion he has to see others come to know Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him. I love how he is such a loving daddy to Samuel and how he spends time with him playing and wrestling outside. I could go on and on, but I will finish by saying this: over the past 4 years through the good times and the rough times that come in this life I can say with a thankful heart to God that Cody has been there for me with love and support every step of the way.

Thank you Jesus for your goodness and faithfulness in every facet of my life. I praise You, for You are worthy of all my praise. In the good times and the rough, no matter what life brings, I will praise You.