Wordless Wednesday......"Sisters" the first few weeks home!

And the Finished Product......

Yes, there is a fence around our tree.

I don't think you need to have that explained!!!!

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Last week, my good friend Amy & I

got our kids together to make gingerbread houses!

These are the kind of activities that make the holidays hectic-

but, oh, so fun!!!!

These little munchkins didn't do too much decorating,
but boy, were they busy eating as much as they could get their hands on!!!!!

I love this time of year, don't you?

“A Charlie Brown Christmas”

Or….the story of how we solved our Christmas tree dilemma.

(the dilemma of a 16 mo old in the house-
who LOVES to take things apart-
& loves to BANG-on anything & everything)

Here we are in front of our tree:

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Just kidding!!

Here is our real tree this year.

Why spend money on a tree that may be destroyed…..
when your brother-in-law will cut one down for you from his yard, right????

As long as we can look at it & hear Linus saying,

“And there were in the same country,
shepherds keeping watch over there flocks by night…..”


Stay tuned later this week to see it decorated!!!

Another Trip Down Memory Lane......

We are coming up on our SECOND “Gotcha Day”

(the term we in adoption circles use to refer to the day our child was placed in our arms)

with Ruthie!!!

I can hardly believe it!

Seems like yesterday-until I see how Ana has changed since then!

(Of course Ruth has changed, too, but you expect that out of a baby, right?)

I have such a good feeling when I look at this picture in front of the Christmas tree at the Guatemala City Marriott.

It was taken right after our Embassy Appointment.

Matter of fact, as I brouse other people's blogs,

when I see other people's pictures in front of this same tree......

all the memories of relief & JOY we felt come flooding back.

Anybody else do things like that?

(Run over to Sarah's blog for more FFF!)

Looks like her link isn't up yet.....check back later!

Thursdays Before the Throne

Ok….so something I have learned about love…..

Some of you may roll your eyes & say,

“It took you that long to figure this out?!?

What is WRONG with you?!?!?"

That’s ok…..I can take it. I know-I’m a slow learner!

Most of the time, you have to CHOOSE to ACT loving.

Even if you don’t FEEL loving.

I know, some of you are shaking your heads in amazement, thinking,

“Hasn’t she ever read 1 Corinthians 13?!?!”

~When your kids WHINE through everything you want them to do-ALL DAY LONG

(& yes, I did let them reap the consequences of their whining!)

~When your baby is crying through his whole nap

(instead of sleeping, like any other human being would who has been up since 5:30 this morning!!!)

~When your hubby wants your computer (hey, didn’t you buy this for me, dear???)

~When your little girl follows you around the house SCREAMING at you,

“Mommy, hode you!! Mommy, hode you!!”

~When kids are sick & cranky. When I’M sick & cranky. (No, me?? Never!)

These are times I need to choose to act loving!

But, you know what amazes me?

When I choose to act loving, Christ fills me with His love for them!

“Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3

I have been trying to get loving thoughts…..

& THEN DO what I should.
But, this verse seems to suggest I need to DO the RIGHT (loving) acts,

& THEN GOD will put my heart in the right place.

SO…..today, I (with God’s help & the Holy Spirit’s reminders)

will choose to act loving to those the Lord puts in my path.

Wordless Wednesday......."The Little Fashionista"

(It was about 60 degrees outside-I promise!!

I don't usually let my kids play in the snow with no coat!!!!

Adorable pic, though, don't you think?!?!)

Overheard at the Dillon household this AM……

(Setting the stage:

Ruth is lying on the couch, covered in a blanket.

Doctor kit is spread on the floor.

Ana is kneeling next to Ruth.)

Ana:

“You are done with your check-up.

Do you want to have your baby now?

It looks like you having a girl, which isn’t bad.

(as if having a girl is easier! )

It’s pretty easy.

Do you want to go home or stay here?”


Oh, kids make me laugh!

(shortly after this, they traded places……

so Ana could go through the ease of birthing a baby! Ha!! Ha!!!)

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And here’s the promised picture of my newly shorn boy!

(Andrea-you’ll be glad I left some curls!)