winter days

adoption updates : over the course of a few weeks

adoption journey..... updates..... we've been getting more photos of Yisak.... here we are looking at the newest ones....

paperwork. its overwhelming. never ending it seems....

caelan is still rainbow looming..... she loomed yisaks name!

 our friend melissa who owns longboard coffee and now, kootenai coffee..... anyhow she said come on down and talk adoption and updates with her..... she and i shared a lot of tears that morning..... she has adopted, and has a passion for it.... and has been so supportive of us and our journey.... anyhow, she handed me a check to leave the coffee shop and go get our passports and photos done.... wow. speechless. such an unexpected blessing..... adoption is costly. overwhelming.... takes an army to make it all happen. and we have quite an army of people fighting our fight with us and for us.... so thankful for an amazing circle of people who help each step forward.....
december 13

a jar we have in the kitchen that we dump change into.... the girls are still looming and selling at school to friends and they put their earning in here.....

 getting our passports.... dec 14th

our dear friend, Rob Liefeld.... google his name and you'll know him, if not by name... he created DeadPool.... he's been in the comic industry for YEARS...... anyhow, he an his wife sent these prints for Yisaks room!!!! such a cool thing! very special for him to have signed them and everything.... all for Yisak.

his room is taking shape..... its been busy over christmas break trying to get it all done.... exciting steps in the progress....

december 26-28th

grants applied to so far.

christmas eve.... christmas day.....

christmas eve service. girls had parts in the reading.... such a sweet service at church....

Compel is the church we have been going to since the school year started.... long story, but we have left Real Life Ministries after 6 years of being there.

 beckham.... yisaks buddy from the orphanage....

 the girls that were all in the service that had a reading that night.

jenel. ranell. me. laura. 

ranell. such a blessing. they adopted through the same agency. same orphange.... her son and yisak were buds!!! ranell has met, snuggled and loved in yisak and for 2 years prayed over him.... and prayed for a family for Yisak..... last year we learned of Yisak, and here we are, adopting him. they boy she prayed over for so long.... and now we are friends, live 10 minutes apart.... and our kids can be re-united.... such a God story....

cousins at the service. the Stucks joined us this year to see the girls in the service with their reading... Mike and mary came too! dylan didn't want his photo taken....

 candlelight service

our house at christmas time

homemade pizzas for dinner. everyone make your own pizza how you like it! yummy. simple and delicious. (katie and eric getting things ready)

this set has been built up over the years.... each year we are given an addition to the nativity.... this year mike and mary got us the one on the far right dressed in brown.... my mom and mary have been buying the pieces for us all these years.... such a meaningful part of christmas to reflect on the real reason we celebrate! our favorite decoration to put out each year....

yay!!!! finally got dylan in a photo! its been a challenge the last 6 months getting photos of him! :)

build our pizza night!

eric and his parents

ornaments made by erics dad, painted by mary.

tradition since i was born.... a cake for jesus.... and always a texas sheet cake.... tradition continues and we've done this since caelan was born, with our girls and now the Stucks joined in this year...