October 13, 1992

NINETEEN years ago today, my precious hubby took me on our first date. We went to Cinema IV in Mt. Pleasant to see "Last of the Mohicans" and then to Braum's for ice cream afterwards. I got a single dip of Mint Chocolate Chip (of course!) in a cup. I still remember exactly what I was wearing (polka dots!) and the millions of butterflies in my stomach. I knew when I left his house that night he was the man I was going to marry. I know people say that and it sounds so cliche', but I really did know in my heart.

My sweet sister-in-law always calls and says Happy Anniversary every October 13. If it hadn't been for her, our first date might have been a different day. : ) She knew I had my eye on him and encouraged him to ask me out.

To look back at God's faithfulness and provision for us since that day 19 years ago, just gives me butterflies of a different kind. When he created Robby in his mother's womb, He created him to be my soul mate. When he created me a few months after that, He knew in His perfect plan that I would be the perfect help meet for Robby. It's all so amazing. We didn't even live in the same town, but he orchestrated all of that to come together so that we would spend our lives serving Him and raising a family to love and honor Him.
O how marvelous!
P.S. Some day I'll have a scanner again and scan all of our "dating" pictures. There are some real winners! This picture is a year old, but makes me giggle every time at my silly man.

Wordless Wednesday

"Did You Ever Really Miss New Orleans?"

...or something like that. Can't really remember the exact title of the song. We spent last weekend with my mom's side of the family (almost all of them!) in New Orleans. It was our first time in the Big Easy. We had a GREAT time, but didn't really get any rest. I thought I'd be able to sleep late on Saturday and was really looking forward to that, but my dear sweet Grandpa was at our door at 8:00 AM. I left Robby in bed and went for benets (no clue of the correct spelling here) at Cafe Du Monde. Yes, it was worth it. Not a Krispy Kreme hot off the presses, but still yummy. We toured the Garden District, did some shopping, and enjoyed lots of yummy, yummy food. The live jazz at Preservation Hall was worth the whole trip! Amazing music! Bourbon Street scared me, honestly. Total insanity.

We came home feeling very refreshed and rejuvenated. Reality hit hard when we got off the plane and drove directly to Wal-Mart to grocery shop. Shopping with my hubby is a DATE because it's soooo much easier than shopping with six kids! We filled two buggies, but I won't have to go back for a while!

All 6 were back home on Sunday night. We pulled into the garage and Dalila yelled, "We hoooommmeee!!!" So precious. They all mobbed me when I went to pick them up. I'm so thankful that God has made them so comfortable here and that they feel our love. It makes it all worthwhile.

The boys have started watching old "Dennis the Menace" episodes. In one episode the mom is putting Dennis to bed. Dennis asks his mom, "Mom, why do you say, 'Thank goodness' when you tuck me in instead of 'Good night'?"
I do feel that way by 8:30 every night. God is good and He is renewing our strength day by day.

Blessed

One look at these sweet faces and you will understand how absolutely blessed we are right now. We have angels at our house! (and yes, after bathing 5 kids---Noah's on his own at this point---for a few nights in a row, the bucket of water outside for water play counted as a bath! My standards have been lowered. : ))

One Year

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord." Proverbs 21:30

We closed on our business one year ago today. What a year it has been! God has continually poured out His blessings on us. I have been studying the book of Daniel with the boys and teaching them about how God honored his obedience. Yesterday, I gave them the example of our family. We obeyed God---even when it didn't make sense---and moved our family to Mt. Vernon to buy a stove/fireplace business. We are both teachers. We were "city folk". It didn't make sense, but we obeyed.

God has honored our obedience in AMAZING ways. We had the busiest fall that the previous owners could remember. We had no slow season. We were prepared for things to slow down in spring/summer, but God had other plans. There is no way to explain people driving--sometimes long distances---here on 107 degree days to buy a fireplace or stove. God is good and we are thankful.

No, this isn't a current picture, but I love the beauty of it.

Radical

Last Sunday, Robby and I started a study at church on the book Radical by David Platt. I have heard a lot about the book and a friend had even given me a copy for my birthday, but I hadn't started it. We decided this would be great for us to study a book together and grow together. The book is all about living your faith out in a radical way. Who knew that in just one week God would be calling us to do something really radical for Him?

This Sunday, three little girls will move into our home. We love these girls. They are members of our church and we have gotten to know them quite well over the past year. Their Dad works out of town and their mom is sick and needs time alone to get better. This is radical! They are 4, 3, and 9 months.

When Robby and I first heard of this situation, I think we both immediately wanted to jump in and offer to take them in. But, we went slowly and prayed about the Lord's will. They have no family here and the only other option they were looking at was hiring a nanny service. Like I told their Dad, a stranger-nanny would care for them, but wouldn't give them the love that I will! This is a sacrifice that our whole family is making for the Lord. I keep asking God to strip away any ounce of pride that my ugly ol' flesh tries to sneak in. Everyone who knows about this keeps saying, "Wow! Y'all are brave!" or "You are a really nice person." NO! None of that is true. Yes, I do love children and would build a mansion and bring all the orphans home if I could, but this is all for the Lord. It is a privilege to bless this family by loving on their girls during this crisis time. But, I also know going into it that there's no way I can do it without Him and His supernatural strength flowing through me.

We are scaling school WAAAAY down. We'll still do the 3 R's, but that's probably about it. I can't be teaching the boys at the kitchen table while the baby crawls all over the house eating Legos! The boys are excited about this part, of course.

After all of my excitement of starting my new Bible study, I have to quit that. I can't put these girls through the stress of another new situation when their little lives are dealing with so much change already. But, you know what? As much as I LOVE this study and this group of women, God has just completely given me a peace about it and shown me that this is just temporary. It's only for a season. Still not sure about co-op. I haven't told the boys that. If we have to quit co-op, they'll be so sad. Just for a season, though.

So, if my blog is quiet for a while, you know why! : ) Prayers for strength and peace in our home are very much appreciated!

GLA

This is a beautiful video of the orphanage where our baby girl will come from. Just watching these sweet faces on the screen gives me the biggest smile. I wish I knew this girl so I could tell her what a great job she's done. Amazing!

Wordless Wednesday

Tomorrow is a new day!

Today I am thankful that God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). I am thankful to finally see the end of this day. The end has been good. The middle....not so much.
It was our first "bad day" of school. This is our 6th week, so I do praise God that today was our first rough one. I'm pretty sure by this time last year, we had tallied up more. Even Jonah, the eager kindergartener, went to his room and pouted because his handwriting was "too hard".

The LORD is gracious, though, because tonight was my first Mom's Meeting. Other homeschool moms got together to eat chocolate and chat. It was so encouraging to be in their company. I left feeling refreshed and reminded that I CAN do this. I have known from the beginning that God did not call me down the easy path. One (of the many!) reasons He called me to homeschool is for my own sanctification. He draws me to Him daily---no, hourly---through my children. My relationship with my Father would not be as deep and meaningful if my kids were in public school. I can honestly say that. I also know that their relationships with Him would not be what they are either.

I am humbled every day to be in this place. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.

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Never Forget

10 years ago today I was a fairly new Mom. Noah was 7 months old and we spent our days just playing, eating, sleeping, playing some more. (If only I knew then what I know now, I would've realized how blissfully easy those days were.) Anyway, I was watching Good Morning America when the planes hit the World Trade Centers. I just sat in shock. I remember holding him tighter and just wondering what his little life would hold. I knew his life would be different because of these events.

The next day, we were starting my first women's Bible study at our church. I remember walking out to the car with him and just looking up at the sky. It was still so fresh in my mind. I worried if more planes would strike. We were really close to Dallas. How would this affect us? When we got to church, all of the women met together and we just prayed for the victims, their families, the rescuers, and our country. It was a powerful time. We were all still so scared of the unknown, but had peace knowing that our Sovereign God was in control of it all.

As I made this cake, I was explaining to Noah why I was making it. We had never discussed September 11th with him before. It blew his little mind that men would give up their lives to kill others. Our little ones can't comprehend the evil of our world. In some ways, I felt like I was robbing him of some of his innocence. But, I wanted him to know. I wanted him to hear it from us and not from the media or a friend.

We will never forget.

God's Word

Today was our first day at Community Bible Study. It was SO SO good to be back with a group of women studying God's Word. When we lived in McKinney/Melissa, I was in a women's Bible study and for the past year I haven't done one. The great thing about this one is that the boys get to come with me. They are not just in "baby-sitting" either. They have a curriculum that goes right along with mine (studying the book of Daniel right now) and they have homework, too. So, it teaches them to have a quiet time and build a relationship with the Lord. It will be so good for all of us. Plus, lots of their homeschool buddies are there, too, which made the new experience less frightening. Jonah still growled at his teacher when we got there, but he told me later that he was "just nervous".

This morning, I finished reading the Bible. It took me 90 days. I did the Bible in 90 Days plan. A friend had told me about it and I just felt God calling me to do that. I have read a lot of the Bible in my journey with the Lord, but I had never read it cover to cover. It was more of a blessing than I can type in one blog post. I really want to encourage you to do it. This schedule (there's no program to buy) just breaks the Bible down into small chunks to read every day. It took me about an hour every day. I am so thankful that Community Bible Study started on the day I finished this, or I might be tempted to sleep in tomorrow. : ) Seriously, though, God's Word is "living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword". I am beyond thankful that anytime I open the Book, he uses words that were written thousands of years ago and helps me apply them to my life right now. Truly amazing!

Wordless Wednesday

One Step Closer

Today we are one (BIG!) step closer to bringing our baby girl home. Yesterday and today was our home study. A social worker from Lutheran Social Services came and spent about 5 hours total with our family. I think she knows us VERY well now. : ) She interviewed each of us separately, which was the part we were most nervous about. What would the boys say? What would they make up? They did absolutely great. I am so proud of them. Apparently, Luke was in an earthquake that we never knew about, but that was the only shocking news.
The main question she had to ask each of them, besides making sure they understood what's going on, was how they would handle it if a friend asked about their sister with black skin. Their responses just filled my heart with joy!
Noah: "I will tell them that she's my adopted sister and that she was in an orphanage. She didn't have any parents to take care of her or food to eat, so we brought her to live with our family."

Luke: "I will say, 'You silly! God made everyone in the whole world. Do you think He made everybody with PEACH skin? No WAY! He made people with all different colors on their skin and my sister has brown skin.'"

Jonah: "WELLLLL (all of his answers started this way), she will DEFINITELY not look like me. She will have brown skin, brown hair, and brown eyes.....annnnnd I'm NOT a girl!"

Just hearing their little hearts brought me such joy. Luke knows about the earthquake in Haiti, so I'm sure that's how the idea got planted in his mind. He told her all about the time he was outside and the ground started shaking. He does have a big imagination!

I had to eavesdrop on Noah and Luke's interviews because they wanted to do it by themselves. Of course, I couldn't stand that. As I stood in the other room listening to them talk, my heart was overflowing with thankfulness. It all felt so surreal. This has been such a lonnnnng journey and the home study is such a big step. Just hearing my little darlin's talking about their baby sister whom they already love with their whole hearts, made my heart so full. God has brought us a LONG way in just a year and I have a feeling that at this time next year, we will be saying the same thing. :)

Everyone is asking (including the boys who ask every day) how much longer. Only God knows the answer to that question. We still have quite a few documents to gather for our dossier. After all the gathering, each document has to be notarized (easy---notary right here in Mt. Vernon), then authenticated by the Secretary of State (through the mail, lots of red tape), then certified by the Haitian Consulate in Chicago (mail, again, more red tape). After each document has been through those 3 steps, that is our "dossier" (French for big, honkin' stack of paperwork). That's what gets sent to Haiti. 3-6 months after that gets to Haiti, we should be given our referral. That's when we will be matched with our baby girl and get her first pictures. Even after that, it could be another 6-12 months.
Like I said, only God knows. I heard a great quote by Louis Giglio (pastor of Passion Church) the other day. He said, "When Jesus is in the equation, there is always the possibility of a miracle."
That's what I believe! All of the red tape and all of the waiting might be much slower or must faster than we expect. We are going to wait patiently and trust His timing. He already knows our Gracie.

"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary, they are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared"
- Author Unknown

I stole this from my friend Kim's blog. SO true and so good. I have those aching arms right now.

How YOU can help

GLA (the orphanage we are adopting from) is in a fundraising contest right now. You can help my voting on this website with EACH email address you use. You can vote 3 times (I think) with each address. If GLA wins the most votes, they get a huge grant.
Thanks for taking the time!

Can you help God's Littlest Angels win the Giving of Life campaign and win $50,000 that will pay for our formula costs for a year by doing three things:

1. Check back to http://givingoflife.com/browse/gods_littlest_angels_haitian_baby_ministry/ and see if it will let you vote again.
2. Go to http://givingoflife.com/register/ and register all of your e-mail addresses - one at a time. You'll then get a confirmation e-mail so that they know you sent it. You have to click on the link in that e-mail. Each e-mail address will give you 2 more votes.
3. Now go to your e-mail address book and pick 5 of your best friends and ask them to spend 10 minutes and register all of their e-mail addresses and vote for us.

If everyone who reads this registers one more e-mail address and get three friends to vote and register their "second" e-mail address, we'll vault from 4th place way up to a spot that will make a significant difference to the kids at GLA.

Remember, this isn't about us. This isn't about who's the most popular.

This is about feeding our babies.

Families

Our social services agency (the agency conducting our home study) sent this article out today. I thought it was very well written. I have no doubt that we will encounter issues/dumb people when we add a child to our family with brown skin. I do not have blinders on. It won't be butterflies and roses all of the time. But, God is faithful and He has called us to this.
I know a family who has adopted trans-racially. They have a hispanic child, a biracial (hispanic/black) child, and a black child. The things strangers have said to them are quite amazing. I am prepared for anything!

Thankful

I am so thankful to be home with my babies. Yesterday was the first day of school for most districts in Texas. So, today's paper was full of "back to school" pictures. One picture really got me. It was a mom tearfully hugging her kindergartener before she left him for the day. This year Jonah is in kindergarten. I really don't think I could've left him. It would've been seriously difficult for me. Noah and Luke both went to kindergarten, but it was a UMS school and I knew we'd be home together more. Leaving Jonah all day, every day, 5 days week would be pretty much impossible for me. He's my BABY. I know the tough days are coming. (I'm writing this partly for myself to reread in the dead of winter when we're climbing the walls!) Today I am thankful to be right where I belong---at home with my boys.

Won't You Be My Love?

Some friends at church recently adopted two teenage boys from China. In church on Sunday, they were sharing how God is working on one of the boy's hearts and drawing him to Himself. It made me think of this song. The first time I heard it, it took my breath away.
The second verse is the most meaningful to me:

"a helpless little girl
with no family of her own
she is not to blame
for the journey she is on
her life is no mistake
would you lead her to My cross?"

This is why we're adopting. Yes, I want a little girl to hug and cuddle and play tea party with. Yes, I've always dreamed of having a daughter to dress up. But, THE MOST IMPORTANT reason why we want to bring our baby girl home is to lead her to His cross. Of course, that's our mission with our boys, too, and always has been since their birth. I am just in awe that God has chosen us to parent one (four!) of his children so that we can lead her to Him.

Broken Body Parts

So far, we have had no broken body parts amongst the McCraw monkeys. Until Tuesday. Noah and Luke were at the shop (after hours---a big NO-NO) and in the warehouse by themselves (another NO-NO). From the story we were told, they were putting water bottles in the freezer and when Noah opened the freezer door, it hit Luke in the mouth and chipped his tooth. You can't really see the detail in this picture, but it was the lower corner of his right front tooth. Easily visible. Not good.

Luke, our normally calm, easy-going middle child, came UNglued. He was NOT a happy camper. The chip wasn't deep enough to hit the nerve or cause any pain, but he was so angry at Noah for breaking his tooth. I made a quick call to our pediatric dentist in Allen and she agreed to see him Wednesday afternoon. We found the chipped piece on the ground and saved it.

The dentist, with the help of some laughing gas, did a great job repairing the tooth. It's really a work of art. You can't even tell it was broken. She said that since it's on his front tooth, it may chip one day when he bites into something crunchy, but that is pretty rare. When he's an adult, he could get veneers to cover the top 4 teeth.

People say we don't have drama because we have all boys. They need to spend a week at our house. :)
Blue shirt: broken tooth
Red shirt: repaired tooth