So much excitement!!!

This week has been full of milestones (actually this month has). But three of them this week! We have been celebrating ALL week long!
On Tuesday we saw the face of the the youngest member of our family for the first time! Every time I look at her picture I am reminded of the perfect love of our Savior. The One who knows all things and all circumstances. Praise God!
(Did I mention she is BEAUTIFUL?!)
On Wednesday Joel and Isabelle started school. Joel seems so much more independent. He didn't even want me to walk him to the bus stop(but I did). And Belle. She is in school all day this year!(look how grown up she looks!) Exhaustion is setting in. She is my sleeper. So getting up and going earlier than usual is taking it's toll. She needs a good 12 hours to feel rested and that isn't happening.
They both love school and they have awesome teachers! I can see how God put them with the perfect teachers for them.
On Thursday Rob and I hit a big birthday.(At least I feel it's big)Let's just say we are officially in our mid 30's. Yes, you heard me right both Rob and I have the exact same birthday. I'm only 5 hours older than him but he likes to rub it in that I am older.
I am praising God for his promises and blessings!!
Now I'm off to eat more birthday cake:)

THE DAY BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS...(hidden message inside)

Well it is the day before school starts and Joel and Belle have some friends over to play. I'm not sure if they will every want to come back to our house because they now know me as a crazy lady. We got our referral TODAY!!!!! She is the most precious little girl! I don't know how much I can say but- she is 5 and beautiful!
I got the call and couldn't stop jumping up and down.(I think they should market mary jane crocs to high jumpers!) Rob wouldn't answer his cell phone so I had to have one of the secretaries interrupt a meeting(yet another person who thinks I'm crazy)and he came straight home.
So there you have it... a not so typical day before school starts!

the journey.

"I know the plans I have for you,"declares the Lord,"plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

The end of Chapter 1

This week the kids and I went on a trip with Rob's Parents and his sister, Brenda's family. If you didn't catch it, I didn't mention Rob actually being on the trip with us. He was not.
This week marked a chapter of our lives coming to a close. After more than 17 years of doing youth ministry this was Rob's last youth mission trip! I'm sure once it sinks in there might be a few tears. God called Rob to youth ministry when he was in 7th grade, we met for the first time in youth ministry classes in college, Rob proposed to me at Jr. high youth group, we stared out our married life together working at the same church doing youth ministry (I'm still not sure if that was such a good idea:)) So,to say Youth Ministry has been a big part our life, is an understatement!
He will miss the excitement of a student who has excepted Christ for the first time or just learned something new about his maker,the Mud games at Laurelville (or maybe not)and those goofy skits that didn't always make sense- just to name a few memories . But I know he won't miss sleeping on floors in places with no air conditioning. (It is taking him a lot longer to recover these days)
I have been blessed to see God using Rob and growing him into the man He wants him to be. There are no words to describe how humbly honored I am to be a witness to what God has done.
His greatest joys recently have been watching his former students grow into adults. We are so old that some of our first students have children (many children!)and some who are further along in our history are getting engaged and finding jobs. God has blessed us and has allowed us to continue to be part of there lives. So this brings us to the new call that God has given Rob. He is now the Pastor to Families at our church. He is very passionate about this new call. God has been giving him a burden for families and marriages for some time now!
Praise God for His plans for us! What a ride!

We have no news on the adoption. We are waiting. Duni was recently in Ethiopia and we were hoping to hear something,anything, but we have not. We are currently number one for a little girl between the ages of 3-6.
On Tuesday there is a conference call. I'm not sure how much new information we will receive but when information is minimal any at all is very much welcome.