New Adventures

I know that it has been quite a while since I updated our blog, and I must admit that "blogging" feels a little bit intimidating to me. As much as I try to articulate exactly what I'm thinking, I often feel like like I lack the eloquence and "flow" when it comes to writing. With that being said, I still enjoy jotting down brief glimpses of our family life and saying that I am intimidated is a lousy excuse for not just attaching a few photos and writing a few simple words to keep our friends and family updated on our lives. :)

The next couple months are going to mean big changes for our family. As many of you know, we moved to Centralia about 18 months ago after being in Tacoma for over 10 years. We have spent these months focusing on spending time together as a family, as well as praying and seeking God for wisdom and direction for our lives. I won't take the time to go into all the details here, but our marriage and relationships with those dear to us have been incredibly strengthened in the past year. Micah continues to work at Maple Lane, which he absolutely loves. Though it is challenging and stretching, he truly enjoys working there and hopes to continue to advance there as well. I continue to work VERY part time for the Nursing Department at Centralia College, as well as doing some photography on the side. Caleb just finished Kindergarten and Centralia Christian School, and Caitlyn just spent the last year home with us.

So, there you have it. A brief summary of the past year. Now here is what lies ahead.......

Several months ago, our church held a class on a recently published book called "Crazy Love." We really feel like God used this to wake us up! There are things He has spoken to our hearts for years.....vision for youth restoration, vision for adoption, vision for a large family......but ALL things that have seemed to be outside our grasp. Things that seemed either too hard, too costly, or just plain impossible. In many ways, our vision had died. Lost somewhere between our selfish desires of not wanting to sacrifice anything we had to see the vision fulfilled, and the fear that if we did step out of our comfort zone we would fall completely flat on our faces, we retreated. Thankfully, God had a different plan. :) I am so grateful that in our weakness, He is strong! I am thankful that he uses things in our lives to get our attention and not allow us to settle for less than He wants for us! I am thankful that He uses our circumstances to remind us that He is sovereign, all-knowing, and all-powerful! Through some different times of prayer we had over the course of reading "Crazy Love," our fire was re-ignited and our excitement to see God's promises fulfilled was elevated to a level we haven't known before. We sensed that some things were going to be happening very quickly and that we were to be ready! So, this is where the changes are happening....we are moving into a house at the end of the month and could not be more excited! It has FIVE bedrooms, as well as a perfect space for one of our other changes----homeschooling! Together, we are planning on homeschooling both of the kids starting this fall. Though we have A LOT to learn, we are so excited to be a part of this adventure together. :) As many of you also know, for several years we had been wanting to adopt a child, and had progressed quite far in the process, but had stopped pursuing it shortly after Caitlyn was born. We feel like God is saying, "NOW! GO!" and that is both exciting and overwhelming for us! The kids (Caitlyn especially) ask about when a baby is going to come live at our house, and it is fun to be able to tell them, "soon!" We originally thought that we would only adopt one child, but we are actually open to and excited about adopting a sibiling group! With that in mind, and the fact that our car only seats 5 (4 comfortably), we bought a Suburban a couple of weeks ago! Now, we don't plan on adopting 6 children in the next year, but we are also open-minded and apparently ready for one or more children to join our home. :) Again, I am thankful that God knows my lack of confidence and the hesitation I have to take giant leaps of faith towards vision that seems so far out of reach. He has been so good to whisper words of affirmation and "you can do its" into my ear during the exact moments I've needed a confidence booster.

Practically, we are going through a training refresher next month, and hope to have a baby (or sibling group) placed in our home by sometime this fall.

We are so excited for this next season in our lives. Excited to see things come to fruition that have been in the back of our minds for years. Excited to school our kids at home as a team and to lean on each other for support and growth. Excited to pursue the vision Micah continues to have for the youth of this nation to be restored. Excited that God is asking us to be open to the size of our family! Yes, I'm excited about that! Not scared, or even intimidated, but excited at the thought of having a large family! Excited that Micah loves his job and has found a career that fulfills dreams and purpose for him. But most important, we are excited that God is who He says He is, that His promises are "yes" and "amen," and that He has allowed us to be a microscopic piece of His puzzle. We covet your prayers as we step out in faith to pursue what we feel like God is asking us to do. We know that we are quite imperfect people and that we need much grace to cover those imperfections. Please pray for our protection, our peace, and that His presence would continue to be made known to us. Stay tuned for updates!