How could you not fall in love???

We received new pictures of our precious Selah yesterday. We are thrilled!! We also learned that our paperwork is progressing nicely and we will travel by the end of the summer. Please join us in praying that it will be sooner. Our arms are aching to hold our little girl!!

Any lawyers out there?????

OK. I need help. I am fuming right now because of a little situation that has been transpiring over the last year or so. If there is anyone reading this who has any ideas on what I could do, PLEASE tell me!!!

So- I donated a kidney in March of 2005 to a good friend. It's not a big deal nowadays and I'm glad I did it. When I started the process way back in January of 2005, I was told that ALL BILLS associated with the kideny transplant would be picked up by the recipient's insurance. I started receiving bills shortly after the donation and, usually, with a quick phone call to the collector and an explanation of the situation, they would agree that I was not responsible for the bill and take care of it.

However, there is one bill for over $1800 that has continued to plague me. Every time I receive a bill, I call the company and they have always said they are doing everything they can to get it taken care of. Until today. Today, "Barabara" called to inform me that they had exhausted all effort to get payment and that since my name was on the bill, I was responsible for it. If I do not pay within the week, she said, it will be sent to a collections agency and it WILL affect my credit.

"Barbara, I'm sorry." I said. "You are mistaken. I am not responsible for this bill. You see, I was a kidney donor and donors are not responsible for the payment of ANY bills that revolve around a transplant."

She explained, "Well, it says here you had an abdominal MRI because of swelling in the abdomen. Oh wait...let me see.....yes, OK. I see where you donated a kidney, but you still signed so you are still responsible."

"Oh, Barbara- you silly girl!!!" With a hint of sarcasm. "I am NOT responsible and it sounds as though I need a lawyer now, wouldn't you agree??" Ya'll- at this point- I was so angry. But I want you to know that I did not raise my voice. I was really trying to rationalize with this woman but she STILL insisted I must pay.

I just don't know what to do. I e-mailed the Channel 2 "Defenders" in hopes that they might be able to help. To hire a lawyer would probably cost more than the actual bill. Anybody got any ideas????

My baby is walking!!!

Many of you have asked for updates regarding our adoption. Truthfully, we had not received any new information until today. Our caseworker, who is in Vietnam right now, got word to us that our precious girl is now walking!!!

Jynger, our caseworker, said Selah is beautiful (which we already knew) and that she has a very sweet disposition (which we were hoping for). She said that Selah reaches out for her caregivers and is on target developmentally. All this is more than we have prayed for. Usually, institutionalized children are slightly behind, but apparently, our daughter is a genius. (No surprise there!)

We have no new information as to when we might travel. We ask for your prayers that it will be soon. The wait is becoming harder and harder and the news today is wonderful, but bittersweet, as it is clear our daughter is growing up without us.

Dear Sam

I can not express to you in words (and even if I could I'm not sure you are capable of understanding yet) how my heart aches when I hear about the other kids at school teasing you. As a mother, my first instinct is to march right up to that school and smack em' around a little bit. But, also as a mother, it is my duty to encourage you and love you and teach you how to deal with others who might somehow treat you unfairly.

You have some amazing qualities that you have inherited from your Daddy. One of those amazing qualities is that you are incredibly intelligent. Somehow, intelligence is intrepreted as "nerd" and I would like to encourage you to take pride in the fact that God made you this way. I love your nerd qualities. They are part of what makes you unique. I love your glasses and I love how you scrunch your nose up to keep them on your face. I love that you say things like, "Interestingly enough....." and "Let's have a conversation, Mom."

One of my favorite Bible verses lately is found in Colossians. It is written by Paul as a blessing to the Colossians and I think it is very fitting for your situation. (Really, it's fitting for all of us.)

Colossians 1: 9-13 Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may have a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

You see, Sam, it's not about your looks or being cool or even being successful or smart. Your Daddy and I have prayed since before you were born that you would grow in His knowledge. Unfortunately, what the world defines as success is very different than what the Lord defines as success. It is my fervent prayer that you will recognize the differences and look to our Father when you just can't seem to tell the difference. Daddy and I do it often. It's easy to get caught up in this world.

For now, please know how special you are. Please know that you always have a place to come home to and be loved on. I will do my best to remind you that you are precious in my eyes, but even more importantly, you are precious to the One who created you. I love you so so much!

Mommy

Honorable and Decent????

Warning: I'm afraid this post may offend some of you and if it does, please respond because I would really like to hear your thoughts.

I turned on the TV tonight to see what all the hype was about on the Grey's Anatomy season finale. I turned it off at the part where "Dr. McDreamy" and that other doctor (sorry-don't know his name) were arguing over who was the most honorable and decent. It churned my stomach.

I have watched Grey's Anatomy once or twice. My husband hated it and, honestly, I liked it. But, when I listened to Jeff's reasoning behind his dislike of it, I tended to agree with him. The show is filled with sexual promiscuity, casual sex, and infidility.

Honorable and decent????? If I'm correct, BOTH of those doctors have slept with other women besides their wives or ARE sleeping with other women besides their wives. How is THAT honorable and decent? What really got to me was the fact that I found myself buying it! I was thinking, "Oh, Dr. McDreamy- you ARE honorable and decent! You're such a great guy! Come on, cut yourself some slack!" And when I realized that I was buying into it, I turned it off.

Sex should never be so casual except within the confines of our own marriages. Casual sex is glorified on shows like Grey's Anatomy. Something normal. Something we all should be doing- casual sex with other people's spouses. And the saddest part of it for me personally, is the graphic way in which it is portrayed. It's not leaving much to the imagination- and on primetime??

I don't want to be turned on by something I see on TV. I would much rather be turned on by my VERY honorable and decent husband.

Laundry: My Lot in Life

When Jeff and I first got married, I got into the routine of doing all my laundry on Monday's. It worked well for us. It continued to work after Sam was born up until Silas was born. Monday is still my laundry day, but I just have too much and it never gets done! I will usually end up getting it all washed and then it will sit in my bedroom in a pile until I finally get around to folding it which may not be until the next Monday and I have double the folding.

For all of you organized gals out there.......how do you do it? Do you have a routine? Do you do one or two loads a day or save it for one big laundry day? I know this sounds so dumb. But this is REALLY burdening me, ya'll! My house is usually pretty neat and tidy- not perfect- but pretty clean- but laundry seems to be my downfall. Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated.

(I wanted to post a pic of the laundry pile in my bedroom but I was too embarrassed.)

For My Mom

In honor of Mother's Day, I would like to dedicate this post to my Mom. The attributes she possesses are many, but the one I most admire is her gift for hospitality. She is always having people into her home. She has the gift of making people feel comfortable and for making the most amazing meals. (My husband is still holding out hope that I will someday cook as well as my mom!)

My mom also loves her grandchildren. She is always trying to think of fun things to do with them and making them things and buying them gifts. My boys LOVE spending time with their Nana and I love that they love it!

Mom, I hope you have a wonderful day and know that you have a family that loves you dearly! I love you!

About the statue and poop

I'm glad my husband and I are not the only ones who thought that statue looked like...well....poop. Even our boys thought it looked like poop! The statue is actually some Mayan symbol. If you get up close to it, you can see different designs sculpted into it. But, to see it from afar.....poop.

Speaking of poop, I had to tell you a funny thing Silas said this morning. (I know I know...Silas sure does have a lot of poop stories.) It you are faint of heart or easily disgusted, I would suggest you stop reading now.

Silas has been particularly interested in how people look lately. Maybe it is because we are adopting an Asian child. For instance, every time he sees an Asian child he exclaims, "Mom- look- she's Bietnamese!!"

We have talked a lot about how God made us all to look differently and made us all different colors and since God made us, we are beautiful.

So, Silas had a green...very very green bowel movement today. I asked him, "Silas, why is your poop green?" (I was afraid he had eaten something strange.)

To which he responded, "I don't know, Mom, but that's just the way God made it. Sometimes it's brown and sometimes it's green. God made all our poop differently so you'll just have to like it the way it is."

Maybe there's a sermon in there somewhere. But I'll have to stop laughing about it before I figure out what it is.

What is it?

Jeff recently went on a trip to San Jose, California and snapped a picture of this statue down the street from his hotel. Just curious as to what ya'll think it is.........

Body Image

I think we've all done it. At least those of us that are women. We go to the mall or some other public place and people watch. You'd think we'd be like guys and watch the opposite sex. But, no, we are too busy comparing ourselves with the other women we see. We do a once over and then, if she is interesting, we look a little longer.

I wish I had a body like that.

I wonder if her boobs are real.

Oh to have legs that looked like that.

How can she be so dang skinny and have so many kids?

Did you see her eyes?

Cute haircut. Too bad mine won't do that.

So, I'm struggling with this lately. Body image. I hear "fearfully and wonderfully made" going through my brain. But I don't believe it. My husband thinks I'm beautiful. More importantly, the Lord thinks I'm beautiful. So, why do I feel so ugly???

Size 12. That's what I am. I eat right most of the time. I exercise. I feel good. I have energy. But I'm still a size 12. Ugh.

I liked the mirrors at Old Navy today as I tried on some pants. I didn't like the mirrors at Gap. I think I'll shop at Old Navy more often.