No fist shaking or soap boxes, no heart-felt monologue about adoption or orphan advocacy in this post. It speaks for itself. We woke up this morning with nearly 7 inches of snow on the ground and the kids couldn't wait to get outside. I think the kids ate breakfast with their boots and hats on. Yes, we live in Atlanta. Yes, the one in Georgia. No, I don't know what happened to Global Warming, go ask Al Gore.

If you have a slow connection and opt to watch only one of these videos, watch the third one. It sums up the entire day. Otherwise, enjoy them all.

Anyone who steps out in faith in a way the world views as "radical" is going to be subject to criticism. The Bible tells us we should not be surprised by such criticism -- indeed we should expect it. "and you will be hated by all for my name's sake..." Matt 10:22, ESV

Throughout this adoption journey, Dan and I faced much criticism and discouragement from Believers and non-Believers alike. By this point we've heard all of the "perfectly good reasons" not pursue adoption. We've actually even been pointed to scriptures that, when slightly twisted and taken out of context, argue against adoption. Yikes! But for Dan and me both the criticism that probably hurt the most, the one that stung us the worst was this... "what about your real children? Is it fair for you to disrupt Madeline, Davis and Charlotte's lives in this way? How could you do this to them?

You don't have to adopt to hear this kind criticism from other Believers... just take any giant step of faith and it will come...pick up your family to become an overseas missionary, move to the inner city, become a foster parent, leave your well-paying job for full-time ministry, help plant a new church. Mark my words -- people will ask you "what about your children?? Is this fair to them?"

So, what about Madeline, Davis and Charlotte? Life has gotten busy and crazy around here and there's certainly less of Mommy to go around. I mean one day this week I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes and I started feeling a little weird and dizzy and I suddenly realized I'd not eaten a thing all day -- it was 4:30 in the afternoon. We busy.

My Madeline is loving the big sister role. She is built for this, she's perfect for it. She's right there with me handing out snacks, wiping noses, tying shoelaces. Yesterday I overheard her in the den with Davis, Joseph and Hannah. There was some dispute over a toy and Madeline was directing the younger ones to share, take turns, etc. I started to walk in and take over but honestly, I had nothing to add to her words because she'd handled it exactly as I would have. She's doing great and loving it.

Baby Charlotte is fine. She is refeshingly indifferent and unchanged by the events of the last few weeks. What's that? Two new people with completely different physical features and a strange language now live in our home? OK, sounds good. I'll be playing with the stacking blocks if you need me.

But my Davis. He's struggling. He's the one with the most to gain -- a brother and a sister almost exactly his age. But he's also the one with the most to lose -- a brother and a sister almost exactly his age who love all his toys, his books, his bike, his leapfrog pad... not to mention his Daddy and his Mommy. I'm homeschooling Davis this year so prior to this week, he and Baby Charlotte were at home alone with me everyday. With the small interruption of our morning lessons and some very minimal chores, Davis is basically used to spending his time however he'd like. Occasionally Baby C might crawl into his room and mess up his latest legos creation or push around his cars but for the most part, no one messes with his stuff. During the day I am available to Davis pretty much anytime he "needs" anything. And he never has to wait in line for anything.

And in the blink of an eye his whole little world changed. Sure he has a new brother and sister and when playtime rolls around, that's fun. Otherwise, that's a lot of compromise. It's a lot of sharing and waiting and an incredible exercise in self-control and patience.

So you ask me -- is this fair to Davis?

Well... is it fair NOT to give him an opportunity to learn to share his toys? To teach him to wait in line at the kitchen sink to wash his hands? To ask him to help Joseph put on his coat and buckle his seatbelt everytime we leave the house? To help him understand that everything can't always be about him and that sometimes our days are just plain hard? Frankly, I think it would be terribly UNfair for Dan and me not to teach Davis these lessons.

Plus, I don't think it'll take long for him to see that having a brother far outweighs having a bunch of stuff. I mean come on...


We can talk to our children about the gospel until we're blue in the face -- or we can give them opportunities to live the gospel. Take one of those giant steps of faith and don't mind the criticism -- actually, embrace it! For that means you're on the right track. "Not everyone who calls out to me 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in Heaven will enter. Matt 7:21, NLT (emphasis mine).

"After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers." -- Genesis 9:20-22 NLT

When I first became a Christian, I was fascinated by this passage. I mean let's break this down... God has decided that the entire human race is wicked "and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all of the time." In response, He is going to wipe out every living thing on the Earth except for Noah (and as a bonus, Noah's family). And I'm thinking "wow!! Imagine being the most favored person on the planet. Imagine being the ONLY person on Earth that God will spare from this catastrophic event. This Noah dude must be a seriously righteous guy."

And just as God said it would, the flood comes. And with the exception of Noah and the fam every living thing is destroyed. And after the flood Noah comes out of the ark and makes a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord and everyone is happy and moves on, right? Nope. The next thing that happens in Genesis 9 is crazy... in this very next account Noah, the most favored man on Earth, is drunk and running around naked in front of his children. WHAT??? This is the most righteous guy on Earth? This is the only dude worth saving?

It took me some growing up in my faith but I finally came to realize that God did not save Noah because he was good -- he saved Noah because he was faithful. Because Noah, flawed and sinful as he was, loved the Lord with all his heart and trusted that one day he would send the promised Messiah. That's it. Saved by faith alone.

WAY, way too often lately I've heard comments along these lines... "Shelly, we are so in awe of you and your family and your adoption. You are such an amazing/incredible/inspiring [insert other adjective of your choice] family." And I can promise y'all that we are not. We are just like any other family. I am often impatient and selfish. I'm sometimes lazy. When I'm tired and cranky and stressed I can even be downright mean. I may not get drunk and run around naked in front of my children but I'm every bit as imperfect as Noah. And yet, in His mercy and grace the Lord is able to use me anyways. He can use you too if you'll allow Him.

Y'all have probably heard it before... God is not looking for ability. He's looking for availability.

I promise that you could spend 15 minutes in my home and easily discern that I am not some kind of super-mom, ultra-Christian, Mother Teresa with an extra large heart. I'm just a regular old gal. Adoption is not for super-heroes, it's not reseved for those who are specifically "called"... it's just for anyone who's willing.

So for those who think I might be this super-mom, Mother Teresa lady, let me let y'all in on a little secret...

Whoa Nelly. It was some day. Today our "new reality" kicked in. Dan had to go back to work. Madeline's Christmas break was over and she had to go to school. Hannah and Joseph had to the hit the pediatrician's office to start their full medical work-up at 8am (thank you Doc Roe for rearranging yoru schedule and fitting us in!)

These past few days have been filled with joy and sweetness and craziness and frustration galore. I don't think I've ever experienced such a range of emotion in all my life. And I've been pregnant three times.

We have been delighted to watch Hannah and Joseph begin to ease their way into our lives and become part of our family. Hannah adores Baby Charlotte and would rather spend time with her than do anything else -- although she is also fascinated by the vacuum cleaner and is constantly running to the broom closet and asking if we can get out the "vakoom cleena." I expected that Madeline and Hannah would be closer but so far Madeline has taken more of the big sister, protector role and Baby C is her big buddy.

Joseph and Davis have become fast friends. They are almost the same age and nearly the same size. They both have an adventurous spirit and a great love for cars, trains, trucks, swords and batman underwear. Despite the freezing temperatures, Joseph is determined to play outside with Davis as much as possible. I mean, bless this boy's heart... until this week he spent his entire life living on equator! The child didn't even know coats and scarves existed. But he is undeterred. I bundle him up and he's off. And so far I've had to drag the boys back inside when it's time.

We've had some very sweet family time, we played at the park with friends, we attended a birthday party. Yesterday we attended church for the first time as a family of 7. Tonight we taught H & J how to twirl spaghetti onto their forks and it ended up being way more fun that it should have been. And trust me when I say you have never seen two children who love bathtime more than these crazies. Overall, everyone is adjusting well and our hearts are full. Hannah and Joseph are eager to please and they're getting settled in and used to our house and our routines. But things are not perfect and it definitely has not been a walk in the park.

Today I started to feel a teensy bit sorry for myself. I'd spent the early morning at the pediatrician's office (where it took three of us to hold Hannah down for the many immunizations she received). In my life I have never seen a child so afraid and hysterical -- and because I don't speak her language, I had no words to explain what was happening or why. It was pretty awful. We have many, many doctor appointments and lab work and immunizations and medications ahead of us. We are just getting started.

My mid-morning was spent trying (and trying and trying and trying) to work through a simple homeschool lesson with Davis while I held Baby Charlotte on my lap and stopped to help Hannah or Joseph with something every minute or two. I spent a crazy amount of time refereeing Davis and Joseph while they "shared" the Buzz Lightyear bike (yes, Dan and I thought about just going out and buying another one but we decided that solution didn't really get to the heart of the issue). And Hannah, sweet Hannah...is afraid to let me out of her sight. She follows me everywhere, every room I enter she is never more than a step or two behind and is constantly saying "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy... you see?? You see?? Mommy!"

So when I sat down this afternoon to fold three more baskets of laundry, I started feeling a little sad and sorry for myself. This really only lasted a few minutes when a little thought popped into my head... prompted I'm sure by the Holy Spirt. Here's the thought: you know Shelly, if you hadn't spent your day serving Hannah and Joseph, if they weren't here for you to love and pour into and enjoy, how would you have spent your day? And I thought about this and I had to answer -- I probably would have gone to Target because I have a few things to return. I would have taken a longer shower and spent a reasonable amount of time fixing my hair and applying make-up. Davis could have played uninterrupted with his bike and all of his toys without having to share a thing with anyone else. And our entire day, sadly, would have been all about us. Instead, we are blessed to be learning something much better. Slowly, but we're learning.

Hannah helping the baby with her snack

Davis orchestrating Train Time

Who's ready for bed, raise your hand?

Oh I have so much to tell you all about. So much to share about the last few days at our home. I have many, many words of encouragement and hope for those planning to adopt or who have recently adopted. And I have a few words of caution to go along with them :-)

But ya'll will have to wait on all that. For now, I just had to share a quick story...

If you've been following our blog for a while, you've read this post. We wrote this back in July when Dan was preparing for his second trip of the year to Uganda with Sixty Feet. At that time, the Lord was just beginning to prick our hearts for adoption. Wow, we had no idea what this year would hold for us!

In the spirit of sacrificial giving, our little 4 1/2 son, Davis, had decided to give his most prized possession to Dan to take to a child in Uganda. For those of you with little boys, you know how big this is... he gave Dan his "fabulous" silver and blue Lightning McQueen outfit. This outfit was truly Davis's treasure -- he would have worn it everyday if we he had been allowed. And yet he decided, completely on his own, to give Daddy this outfit to take to a little boy in Uganda named Museveni. Davis had seen many, many pictures of little Museveni -- I suppose he felt a kindred spirit with him or something. But whatever the reason, Davis wanted little Museveni to have his outfit. And so Dan took it to Uganda and delivered this precious, sacrificial gift.



Today that little boy, Museveni, is my son. And we call him Joseph.

This morning I was finally catching up on the mountain of laundry around this place. I was just sitting in the den folding clothes, minding my own business when what should suddenly appear on the top of the pile... but the Lightning McQueen outfit. I haven't thought about that thing in so long -- and little Davis has never mentioned it once. And now the treasured outfit had made its way back to us!

May we never fear to give sacrificially and without restraint to God's kingdom. Your return may not come in the way or in the timing you expect, but it will come. Davis's gift came right back to him but with a double blessing -- this time he has a brother and sister to go along with it.



"Give and you will recieve. Your gift will return to you in full -- pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. -- Luke 6:38 NLT