Abbi's 17...What?!

Yesterday we celebrated Abbi's 17th birthday.  Seventeen years have flown by and we are standing at the brink of her senior year in high school.  When I think about the fact that she has one year left under our roof, the swirl of emotions are too many to even try to explain.

We have definitely made our fair share of "first-child" mistakes, but when I look at the incredible young woman Abbi is, I am amazed - and so thankful for the power of prayer!  We have prayed our way through a lot of "what in the world do we do?" kind of moments.  

I've prayed a verse for each of my girls since the day they were born - Phil. 1:6 "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  God has been incredibly faithful as He continues to work out His good plan in Abbi's life!

Abbi,
We know God has big things for you!  We can't wait to see what the next days, weeks, months and years hold!  Keep your eyes on the One who holds all things together!
We love you beautiful girl!
Dad and Mom

Happy 15th Birthday Averi!

Today we celebrate our sweet Averi!  Fifteen years ago today she graced our family with her presence!

There are so many words that come to mind when I think of our girl - sweet, sensitive, loyal, calm, caring - and as you can see, the tallest of all the girls in our family! :)

Averi,
What a blessing you are to our family!  It takes a strong girl to handle "middle-child" status with such grace.  Thank you for being our encourager and our peacemaker!  You're beautiful, inside and out and we love seeing how God continues to mold and shape you.
We love your passion for serving others, especially our little ones in The Cove!  You shine with God's love and we could not be any prouder of the young lady you have become.  We adore you and enjoy each moment we get to spend with you!
Continue to listen and follow after your Heavenly Father - we know He has amazing plans for you!
We love you -
Dad and Mom

Milestones

We celebrated 2 milestones in the Thomas family.  First, on May 30, JT and I celebrated 20 years of marriage!  We've always said that we are the poster-couple for "opposites attract".  As a result, our marriage has certainly had it's ups and downs, but we've grown up together and over the course of 20 years have discovered so many things about ourselves, our relationship and what it means to "meet in the middle".  More now than ever, I'm so thankful for a husband that truly leads our family and consistently points each one of us to Christ.  We're so excited to see what the next 20 years holds for us as a couple and for our ever-expanding family!

On June 3, we celebrated milestone #2 - my 40th birthday!  I really hadn't thought too much about this birthday - I know 40 is supposed to be the "big one", you know "it's all down-hill from here".  But I really don't feel all that old and I do feel like my best years are yet to come - I think if I keep saying that, it'll really be true! :)

My husband is awesome with surprises and he always seems to have something up his sleeve when it comes to birthdays - one of the many things I LOVE about him! This birthday was no exception! The Friday before my birthday, he had my friend, Amy, kidnap me from work.  He had arranged for us to have lunch, pedicures and manicures.  He also had arranged babysitting for her kiddos - now that's a real man!  I was thrilled to spend an afternoon with my sweet friend and you just can't beat the massage chair while getting a mani/pedi!

After a fun afternoon, I headed home to get ready to go out to dinner.  JT and I  headed to one of our favorite restaurants.  We opened the door and were met by so many of our amazing friends and of course, "surprise"!  

I truly was surprised and so thankful to spend the evening with incredible company!  We had dinner and then headed back to our house (which had been cleaned by our girls) for cake and champagne.  It was a perfect night that I will always treasure!  

On Sunday, my actual birthday, our girls gave me the gifts they had made. Priceless!

I love my girls and their beautiful hearts!  The verse they wrote on the mug is Proverbs 31:26 "She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."  I pray I'm that kind of woman!

I think about all that this next year holds and I feel so blessed by the amazing people God has surrounded us with to share in it!

Double Digits!

Today we celebrate our 10 year old Anni!  We had a little family party for her last night - here's the recap

We gave her tree fort a little make-over! :)

You ask a 10 yr old what they want to do on their birthday and this is what you get! 

Our Lovelies! 

Dear Anni,

You've always been our determined one!  As a baby, you were determined to eat RIGHT NOW and sleep on your schedule.  You were determined to be heard...loud and clear!  

You were determined to be held by Abbi, because most of the time, she was the only one who could calm you down! :)

We've always believed that God would use your determination to do BIG things for Him and now as you grow, we're beginning to see glimpses of that more and more.  

We see your determination on the soccer field, as you work hard and give your best effort.  We see you cheer as you win and see the tears well-up as you lose and all the while you're learning what it means to be a good team mate and a good sport!

We see your determination to be a good friend to those around you and most importantly, to make sure your friends know about Jesus!  

We see your determination as you pray that God will help you be a good sister to little A and J, even though it means that you'll no longer be the "baby" of the family!

We love your heart sweet girl - so tender towards others!  You connect with people quickly and once you've made that connection, it's for life! :) 

Hellos are always exciting and Goodbyes are always hard. 

 

As God continues to mold your heart and determination for Him, we can't wait to see what will happen!  You're one of a kind and we're so thankful that you're ours!

We love you!

XOXO

3 Projects - Project #3

I finished my 3 projects last week - whew!  

As Averi and I were working in A and J's room the other night, she said, "Man, I wish we would've known about IKEA when I was little!"  

Their room is looking pretty fun!  

Can't wait to have 2 sweet little kiddos home to give it that "lived in" look! :)

3 Projects- Project #2

I've been a little under the weather for the past couple of days, but I'm bound and determined to finish my 3 projects for little J and A's room this week!  So here's Project #2 (again, thanks to Pinterest!)

Prepping the canvas 

The words - I used a black paint pen.  I like the "handwritten" look, but if you are more particular, Michael's had lots of letter templates.

The finished project!

Here's what it says:

I am your parent, you are my child

I am your quiet place, you are my wild

I am your calm face, you are my giggle

I am your wait, you are my wiggle

I am your dinner, you are my chocolate cake

I am your bedtime, you are my wide awake

I am your lullaby, you are my peek-a-boo

I am your good night kiss,
you are my 'I love you'

3 Projects - Project #1

The past 2 weeks at church have been non-stop busy, so our Children's Pastor gave our staff this week to work from home - accomplishing just the "have-to's" and spending some time recouping!  Since I'm not one to sit still for too long, I decided this week would be perfect for accomplishing some projects for little A and J's room.  I found 3 projects on Pinterest (oh Pinterest, where have you been all my life?!) that I LOVE - I figure if I chart my progress, I'll have more incentive to actually get them done.

So...here's yesterday's project - #1

Prepping the canvas

Cutting out the letters

Modge-podge

I make my own modge-podge using equal parts of Elmer's glue and water - shake really well and presto - you've got modge-podge!

Finished project!

My Cup Overflows

I'm sitting this morning thinking through all the events of yesterday, Easter Sunday, with such a grateful heart!  I'm so thankful for our Risen Savior, who gave His everything for me.  One of the songs we sang yesterday with our Harbortown kids was "Remember" - I'll remember You - remembering the price You paid, remembering the cross, remembering the empty tomb - I'll remember You.  Even this morning, it brings tears.

I'm thankful for our girls!  As I looked at them in their "Easter best" - which, for our family, meant their volunteer t-shirts - my heart overflowed.  They chose to spend their Easter Sunday serving others through 3 services and 3 Easter egg hunts - love their hearts! 

I'm thankful for my incredible husband, who "gets it" when I'm tired and is patient even when that tiredness results in grumpiness.  Instead of complaining, he grills steak and takes us to TCBY!  

I'm thankful for the amazing people I have the privilege of serving with each Sunday in our Children's Ministry - what an inspiring, encouraging and fun group of people - love them!  

I'm thankful for the two sweet little ones that are waiting for us on the other side of the ocean.  I'm thankful for the little glimpses we have of them and their personalities through pictures and video.  I can't wait to be their mommy - I can't wait to celebrate next Easter with them!  

I'm so thankful for all that God has taught and continues to teach our family through this adoption journey.  It isn't easy, but we have seen God's hand in undeniable ways - we all have grown and I wouldn't trade that for anything!

This morning, all I can say is "thank you Jesus".  My cup overflows!

Merry Christmas from the Thomas family!

Our family wishes you a very Merry Christmas!

Thank you for praying and following along with our adoption journey in 2011...to be continued in 2012!

We're praying that peace, joy and hope fill each of us to overflowing as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Looking forward to adding another beautiful girl to our clan in 2012!

Photos courtesy of Jaclyn McNeal

Picture-Perfect Weekend

This past weekend we continued to celebrate JT's 40th birthday!

Time with my hubby + Time with great friends + One of our favorite cities = Amazing!

The Big 4-0!

Happy 40th Birthday to my best friend, the love of my life - my incredible husband, JT!
Jeff and I first met in the 6th grade and have been a part of each other's lives ever since.  We married 2 yrs into college and have essentially grown up together.  I would be crazy to say (and you would be crazy to believe) that the path our life has taken has always been straight and narrow and bump-free.

There have definitely been bumps along the way...some of them we've weathered really well...some of them have just thrown us all-together right into the ditch.  Thankfully, we've always managed, through God's incredible grace, to get back on track together.  Through it all, I truly can say that I can't imagine being on this journey with anyone else!

There are some things that I've loved about Jeff since the day I met him.  He still has an aura of confidence that I find comforting, he still makes me feel like the prettiest girl in the room (it's all in the eyes of the beholder!) and he still is one of the few people who can make me laugh really hard.

There are many other things that I've grown to love about him more and more each year.  His heart for hearing God and being obedient.  His passion for leading our family well.  His desire for forgiveness and reconciliation (girls, there's nothing better than being married to a guy who's always first to say he's sorry!).  And last, but certainly not least, his huge heart for adoption.  Our family wouldn't be on the journey we're on if it wasn't for the calling that God first laid on Jeff's heart to put our "love in action" and grow our family.

All this to say - Happy Birthday to my man!  I think you just keep getting better and better with each year!  Who says 40 is old! :)
I love you!

Anni's story

Yesterday was the first day of school for the Thomas girls.  Averi and Abbi were mildly excited and came home mildly pleased with how their first day had gone (you know how it is with teenagers!).  But Anni...she was a different story.

I have to go back a little bit for you to fully understand what an incredible story this really is.  A few weeks ago, our Children's Ministry started a series of lessons on the missionary journeys of Paul.  Heidi, our Elementary Director (and also a great family friend) and her team have done an amazing job of expressing to the kids the opportunity we have each day to be "missionaries" for Jesus - to share with others about Him wherever we are!  Anni soaked in every word and really took to heart what she was learning.  

The day we got her teacher letter from school she was so excited to find out that her best little friend from the 3rd grade was also in her 4th grade class.  She told us that she knew God had answered her prayer that they would again be classmates because He wanted her to do a better job this year of telling her friend about Him.  In the days leading up to school starting, we prayed and Anni "rehearsed" what she wanted to say to her friend as she shared God's love with her.  The first day of school came and Anni was beyond excited!  We prayed together in the morning that God would give her courage and help her be bold in sharing God's love with her friends at school.  When Anni hopped off the bus later that afternoon, it began to bubble out of her that she had talked with her friend at recess and that she had shared with her who Jesus is and how much He loves her and then she and her friend had prayed together.   

Now I have to sadly admit that as Anni was sharing her story, my "adult" mind wanted to analyze what she had said to her friend, what they had prayed together - did she say the right words?  Did her friend really accept Jesus?  And then God pretty much whacked me upside the head (I certainly deserved it!).  Child like faith is so pure - it isn't corrupted by all our highfaluting "adult" thoughts.  Anni's faith yesterday was mighty and strong and I know that it touched the very heart of God.  

As I was driving to work this morning, tears were streaming down my cheeks - to think that our 9 year old, heard God's voice asking her to speak His name and love to her friend - she listened, obeyed and opened her mouth!  It challenged both Jeff and I, how many opportunities do we let pass by where God asks us to open our mouths and we refuse.  

We are so proud of Anni - she has a light and boldness that we know God will continue to use in amazing ways - not just in the future, but right now, in the 4th grade!  

We love you Anni - keep shining for Jesus!

Sweet 16

Yesterday was our oldest daughter's 16th birthday.  I'm writing about it a day later because I'm still trying to come to terms with it! :)  I feel like I've said it a million times in the last few months, but time really does fly by and the time parenting our girls seems to be growing so short!  So while I try to come to terms with this birthday, let me spend a few moments loving on our Abbi -
Abbi is our first born and she does exhibit some of those common first-born traits - she can be quite head-strong and on occasion a tad-bit bossy (of course, I mean that in the most loving way!).  But Abbi can also be very laid back and easy going!  She's beautiful, inside and out and we love her so much!

Abbi, thanks for making us laugh
at the most unexpected times. :)
We are so blessed to be
your mom and dad.  XXOO

Sweet Averi

Fourteen years ago today, our sweet Averi was born!  The years sure do fly by and with Averi off to Church camp this week, I'm reminded again of the season of life we're in with our 2 oldest daughters.  We're learning to let go and some days that's easier said than done.  We've always tried to hold our girls with open hands - knowing that they are first and foremost daughters of the King...but we're treasuring each day and year - each moment - that God gives us to love and adore them!  The calendar pages just seem to keep turning and birthdays keep coming...and even though we are anxiously awaiting a new arrival in our family and heading back to the "toddler stage" with her; I keep thinking how quickly the days are passing with our older girls and how I want to treasure each one!
Averi will be a freshman this year - a JV cheerleader - simply beautiful inside and out!  She is often sought out by friends, known for her listening ear and encouraging words.  These teenage years can be pretty rocky terrain, but she's learning to take careful, steady steps and throwing in a few brave hops and jumps just to keep things interesting!
Our prayer for Averi remains the same as it has been since the day she was born - that she would keep her eyes focused on Jesus and shine brightly for Him!
We love you sweet girl and are so blessed that God chose us to be your Mom and Dad!

Un-tying

I love how God works!  It's like puzzle pieces coming in from all different directions, that on their own look oddly-shaped and out of place...until the moment when they all come together and the puzzle starts to make sense...a picture is starting to form.  Let me try to explain what I'm talkin' about -
There's a lot going on right now in our family, in our adoption journey, in my ministry/work at church.  And to top it all off, I've been in a "restless season" lately.  Which I have to say, for me, is not a bad thing.  I've learned over the years that in these seasons of restlessness, I hear and see God in incredible ways!

Two weeks ago, I was asked to lead the devotions for our staff meeting.  I had them start out by working on a few brain teasers - just as an illustration of how easy it is for us to get stuck in familiar patterns of thinking (which of course, is the reason that my 3rd grader is much better at brain teasers than I am).  So true in life as well - we get stuck in "our box" where things are comfortable and familiar.  You have to admit that, at times, familiarity can seem like a good old friend. However, what God has really been impressing on me lately is that I need to go beyond the familiar!  Familiarity can keep me from fully depending on Him.  It also can keep me from living the radical life He has for me (just as a side note, if you haven't yet read the book Radical - you really need to).  More than anything I want to live a radical, all-out life for Jesus Christ!

A few days after sharing the devotion with my fellow staff members, I happened to have a Saturday afternoon all to myself - JT was on a business trip and all our girls were out and about.  As I sat in our bedroom praying and reading God's word, God kept bringing a single word to my mind - Un-tie.  After about the 3rd time this word popped into my head, questions started coming...What does that mean?  What do you want me to un-tie from?  Are there things holding me back?  Is there sin in my life that I need to deal with?  I have to say that no real "answers" came and I left that time feeling a little bit frustrated because I didn't know what to do with this word - un-tie.

The next day was Sunday and in typical ministry-fashion, an extremely busy day!  Even though there were many things going on in our Children's Building, I felt the unmistakeable nudge from God to go down to our Main Worship Center for the service.  So I got sat down just as our Worship Pastor (filling in for our Lead Pastor for the day) started with the message taken from the 3rd chapter of Jonah.  Not far into his message, he came to the verse that says,  ..."Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh...".  He shared with us that the Greek word for went is translated as....loosen or UN-TIE.  What?!  I actually looked around me to see if everyone else had heard what he'd just said.  It was like one of those moments when everyone else was kind of blurry and it was like Pastor Greg, up on the stage, was looking right at me and the word U.N.T.I.E. came out sort of slow and exaggerated.  As God's message continued that day - some of the things that I need to un-tie from became clear.  And the thing is, they're not all necessarily bad things - just things that are holding me back from being fully obedient to what God has in store.
Here's the crazy thing...we don't yet know all that God has in store (although, God has definitely been "stirring" some things in our family). This is one of those times when we can only see the light right in front of our feet, but we know that as we walk obediently with God, He'll continue to light the path!

All this to say...we're praying like crazy!  Our family has decisions to make in the next months that seem scary and unfamiliar and out of the box - but we know that with God all things are possible.  We don't want to settle for a life that we can comfortably live in our own strength.  We want to live a life that is only possible by Christ living in us!

Happy 9th Birthday Anni!

Tomorrow is Anni's 9th birthday!  I'm writing this today because tomorrow we'll be spending all day watching her play in her State Soccer Tournament in Sumter, SC.
Nine years old - wow!  Where do the years go?!  As we watch Anni transform from a little girl to a little lady right before our eyes - I'm reminded again of what an amazing gift it is to watch our children grow! Anni is our soccer-playing, horseback-riding, sweet-spirited, super-passionate girl!
We love every inch of her!

 

Anni, we're so proud of the lovely little lady you are!  We know God has amazing plans for you.  He created you with such passion and determination.  We're praying that you'll use every bit of it for Him!  We count it pure joy to be your mom and dad and we're waiting with great expectation to see what the next years hold!  We love you sweet girl!
Keeping shining for Jesus!

Hugs, Mom and Daddy

It's been awhile...

Alright, so it's been awhile since I've posted anything.  It's been sort of a weird time for me - nothing horrible, nothing spectacular - just weird. Lots of "processing" going on - for me that is almost a full-time job.  It's quite consuming!  So after all this processing, here's where we're at...
1.  The MOWA in Ethiopia is now known as the MOWCYA - here is the latest word from our adoption agency...after a time of transition, this newly named Ethiopian agency should be able to process more letters than they were previously processing.  Great news!!  God is so faithful!
2.  We are about 1 month out still from getting our paperwork sent to Ethiopia.  Once again, we're waiting on ME.  There are times when I just can't seem to get it together.  I still have a couple pieces of paperwork that need to be notarized and I need to complete our family picture pages and then I just will need to double check everything.  So we're almost there!  Pray that I'll get it together sometime soon and get this handled!!
3.  Our family is eating healthier.   I've reconnected with Trader Joe's and I'm loving it!!  As I told the girls, "God gave us 1 body and He told us to take care of it" - so that's what we're trying to do.
4.  My mom and dad are coming for a visit!  We're so excited to have them come.  They were supposed to come a month or so ago, but because the recovery from my mom's surgery didn't go quite as planned - their visit was delayed.  We're so thankful my mom is doing better and they are able to come south for awhile!
5.  It takes pride to be anxious - I'm not wise enough to know how my life should turn out.  I LOVE that!  I love that God's plans for me will always be better than my own!!
6.  Garren Janes and his family are still in my daily prayers.  See the link to Pastor Geoffrey's blog in my sidebar.  The faith and strength of this family is truly amazing and it points straight to God - which is exactly what each of our lives should be doing.
7.  "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it"  G.K. Chesterton          

8.  "God intends for each of us to live for a greater glory and a greater story, than our own."  Dan Allender
I'm so grateful that I can be a part of God's bigger story - my prayer is that He will write the pages of our family's story in ways that we could never have imagined!

I think that's it for now.  I'll add a few pictures just for pure enjoyment!

Anni - our soccer girl

Anni and Averi in Hilton Head playing mini golf.  We were missing Abbi, she was at home taking her driver's training class.




While in Hilton Head we got to hang out with the McCrumb family (our "cousins" from Maine) - such a great family, we always enjoy getting together with them!

  

Make today count!

I was listening to the song "Never Grow Up" last night and thinking about how much I love my girls.  I've never really been a mom who longs to go back to a certain age or stage.   I'm one to think that each new stage and age is fun and exciting and full of surprising experiences!  But last night, I was reminded again of the short years we have with our little ones and how important it is to make each moment count.  
I've been struck lately with how difficult it is to see your kids hurt as they get older.  When we have little ones, normally hurts are fixed with a band-aid and a snuggle; tears are wiped away and things are better.  But as our kids get older, the hurts aren't so easily patched up.  Hurt feelings, disappointment, fragile self-esteem, broken hearts - these things don't call for a band-aid.  A hug still helps, but the painful effects of these hurts are so much longer lasting.  I find myself crying much more frequently for my girls now then I did when they were younger.  Don't get me wrong, there were definitely times when they were cranky, non-stop-crying little ones -when I shed tears of frustration and shear exhaustion (you know what I'm talking about), but now...the tears are purely from a momma's heart breaking for her girls. 
I'm not sure exactly why I'm writing this - I guess as a reminder of how much, as a parent, I love my girls and how much more perfectly my Heavenly Father loves me...and them.  How His heart must break as He sees and feels our pain...Oh How He Loves Us (turn off the music at the bottom of the page before listening to this)
I hope you're encouraged by how beautifully our Father loves us.  And if you're a momma - I'm praying that we make today count with our kids!

Pray for Garren

In my sidebar, I've added a link to Geoffrey Janes' blog - Geoffrey is the Campus Pastor at Southbrook Monroe.  His son, Garren, collapsed Friday at school and has been hospitalized since.  This is a special family and I would ask for you to bind your prayers with those of others from around the world as we lift them up and ask for God to be glorified in this difficult situation.

First Home Study Visit

Our Program requires that we have no less than 4 face-to-face visits with our Home Study social worker - today was Visit #1.  Our social worker's name is Hollie and she's wonderful!  We met at the Christian Family Services' office and it was just a basic "get to know ya" kind of meeting - we had several pieces of paperwork that needed to be turned in and we set up the date for our next visit - which will be at our home on January 27th.  We have our Dr appts set up for next week and after that all the Home Study paperwork that we are responsible for should be complete.  We're making good progress and I'm so thankful for the incredible people who are helping us along the way!
On another note - the girls had another snow day today - a full week off from school - woohoo!! 
Yes, I know all you northerners are having a good laugh right now. :)