22 Months

Thomas, I promise I love you just as much as your brother and sister, despite the fact that I haven't done monthly updates for you until you are two. And despite the fact that your baby book still isn't done. Those were just bad precedents to set on my part. Trust me.

 Thomas is so full of character he is about to burst. He is so entertaining to just watch! He will randomly spin in circles, growl, and/or start jumping and clapping for himself. We are very amused.

 He's also talking up a storm now. He tries to say everything and is clear on a lot of words, but still needs a mommy (or mary) translation on some words. Generally speaking he is pretty happy, but can be especially grumpy when he's hungry, which happens somewhat frequently. His grandma commented that he could eat all day! Agreed.

Happy man:)

Random day of warmth

Finally a day of warmth after this cold cold long winter!

Could not get a smile out of this one, but he has so much fun playing in the dirt...

 Mary has really started to speed on her bike. I wonder when she will ask to take those training wheels off? Not sure I'm ready to teach her, but maybe this summer that can be daddy's task:)

Pray with us

With our home study being pretty close to completion in the next month it occurred to me that the first child who comes into our care is probably already alive. What is happening in that baby's life right now? I can't think about that without crying out to God my father for mercy on that baby, and on us. I'm reading a great book right now called Adopted for Life by Russell Moore (which I will post more about at some point because it is AMAZING) and he calls this the Abba father cry. He says when we talk about calling God Abba it's usually explained to us as calling him daddy! But Moore goes on to say,

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane isn't placidly staring, straight backed with his hands against a rock, into the sky as a shaft of light beams down onto his face, as in so many of our church paintings. He is screaming to his Father for deliverance, to the point that the veins in his temples burst into drops of blood. That's the Abba cry. It's the scream of the crucified.

OK so I haven't been screaming, but it is painful to think of what will happen to bring our future foster kids into care. Moore talks about when he met his two adoptive boys for the first time and how he had to leave them in the orphanage until he was allowed to come back to get them for good. They cried out for him as he left and he went back into the room, placed his hands on their heads and promised them, "I will not leave you as orphans (John 14:18)."

Tonight I was painting the room that will someday (soon!) hold a foster child and the thought came to me from a little earlier in John 14, "I am going to prepare a place for you." I'm preparing a place for you sweet baby and I can't wait for you to leave whatever situation you are in that causes you to be unsafe. Your foster sister has painted a picture for you and we framed it for you to see. One of your foster brothers picked out a stuffed animal for you to play with and set it in your crib. Your other foster brother grabbed that toy out and sucked on it...but it's all in love:) Come to a place where you will be safe and loved. A place that you probably can't even imagine because it is so different from where you are now. I'm preparing a place for you. God is preparing a place for you through us.

Please pray for this child and for our family as we get ready to receive him or her!