Miracles

Do you believe God still performs miracles today? You have the miracles that were performed in the Bible. Great miracles like...

Moses parting the Red Sea in order to escape the Egyptians. (Exodus 14)

Lazarus being raised from the dead after four days by Jesus. (John 11)

Daniel being cast into the den of lions, but didnt' get ate by them. (Daniel 6)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being cast into the fiery furnace and not being consumed. (Daniel 3)

All the miracles that Jesus performed in the Bible!

How many women were blessed with a baby long after they had given up hope?

Sarah
Hannah
Elizabeth

Just to name a few!

Can God still do miracles like this today?

This picture says...Oh boy HE can!!! And does!!!

As of today, I am 7 weeks 1 day pregnant. Truly a miracle in it's self! When I was 14 I was in a wreck, where I had to receive emergency surgery. Doctors told my aunt that it would be best to go ahead and plan my funeral the next day. (The doctor obviously didn't know the peace that I had during all of this or the God that heals!) Once they realized I was not dieing and in fact getting better and at a faster rate than they thought possible, they told my aunt and my mother that I would never have kids.

That's all they said about it too. No explanations, no reasons. Just no kids.

There isn't even any mention of anything reproductive wise in my records. Nothing.

When we got married, we decided that we wanted kids immediately. Since we have been married we have never used anything that would prevent us from having a baby. Month after month went by, and still no baby. Not even a reason to take a pregnancy test. No explanations, no reasons.

We have never "gave up" or even "relaxed" on wanting to have a baby. Sometimes the "No's" didn't seem to hurt as bad as the others but each one was still a disappointment. But then the next one would hit 10 times as hard. How do you possibly give up on something you want so bad? Do you think Sarah gave up while she was within the child bearing age? I don't!

I've never been to a doctor to find out why we couldn't have babies. I never felt "led" to. It's not something that we wanted to do. But we still had hope that one day we would have a baby.

We do have kids in our house, thanks to foster care. They will soon be "our" kids. But we/I still wanted a baby of our own. We wanted a baby more now, I think, than we did to begin with, if that makes any sense. Ten years we have tried to have a baby. Ten years God gave us "no" after "no". Exactly 10 years from the day we were married, we were blessed with a miracle baby.A baby only God could have given us!

Ten years...

is a mighty long time.

But even though Jesus was four days late getting to Lazarus, Lazarus was still raised from the dead! So God was just in time in my opinion!

I know this post doesn't seem joyful, or exuberant, or anything like that. I am all of those, I promise!

You wouldn't believe the excitement I felt when I seen "pregnant" on the pregnancy test.
You wouldn't believe the excitement I felt when I sent Derreck an email of that test.
(Or the excitement when he didn't call immediately!)
You wouldn't believe the excitement when I went to the health unit for them to do a test to confirm it.
You wouldn't believe the excitement I felt when I went to the doctor for the initial visit.
You wouldn't believe the excitement I felt when they did the first ultra sound and all we could see was a black circle.
You wouldn't believe the excitement I felt when they did the second ultra sound 2 weeks later and I got to see our tiny baby.
(Or the excitement that I felt when I seen that tiny babies heart beating!)

Unless you have been through the waiting like we have.

It's all so exciting.

It's all so overwhelming.

It's all because of the glory of GOD!!!!

Gentleness Challenge Weeks 2-3

Gentleness Challenge

I didn't intentionally miss last weeks post! This mama needed a break, so I went to Pennsylvania to spend a few days with Derreck. I'll do a post on that trip in a few days. (Hopefully!)

With the long over due break, I got some quite time with myself and some much needed time with Mister Perry. I came home tired, but a good tired. I really did miss the kids while I was gone, and actually felt bad for leaving them. Maybe I am starting to get really attached to them. (Once again, Hopefully!)

This weeks challenge is Anger Management...

OH BOY!

It seems like the times that I get the absolute angriest is when I am in a hurry and the kids don't seem to understand the importance of "Let's get going." I get frustrated because they are dawdling, they get frustrated because I am rushing them. No one wins. We  I end up yelling and fussing, and someone always ends up crying mostly me.

This week I am going to go through Proverbs like Courtney suggested and mark all the verses about how I should communicate with others. Most of the time, I really good at being nice to strangers or other people. It's those that I am closest to that get to witness all of this rage I have. So I will be working on talking nicely to everyone!

I have wrote Proverbs 15:1 on my mirror in my room, to help me memorize and to serve as a reminder of using gentle words throughout the day.

Oh I forgot to mention, that I think the kids know about this challenge and are doing their best to try to get a rise out of me...

For example:

1. You wouldn't believe how many times I have had to repeat myself to them the past few days. (I have gotten to where I just relay the message using the nearest kid, that way I am not raising my voice. The message may or may not reach the intended kid...)

2.  They are trying me with questions. Hundreds of questions. They aren't the normal Why? questions though. They ask questions about crazy stuff that doesn't even make sense. I just don't get it.

3. They are doing things like, sneaking in (yep you read that right --in--) the window, for no apparent reason. They were free to come and go as they pleased today, so why not use the front door? I just don't get it.

4. The arguing. Oh, my. I know that this is crazy to say or type or whatever, but these kids don't fight and argue with each other constantly like "normal" brothers and sisters. My sister and I would have daily, sometimes hourly battles! But the past few days they have been at each other non-stop.

I just keep reminding myself...

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!

Our Christmas Ornaments Over the Years!

Our Christmas Ornaments Over the Years!

Every year Derreck and I pick out one ornament that is "ours." We usually try to pick something that has something Biblical on it. We only have one ornament that doesn't and it was from way back when we were newly weds. So here are "our" ornaments!

 2001 (We were dating)

2002

2003



2004

2005





2006 (My Favorite!)

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011 









The Kids Ornaments 2011

Kids Ornaments 2011

I know it's past Christmas, but since I haven't taken down the Christmas Tree yet, I wanted to do a post about the ornaments that the kids made for 2011.

To get us started all three made a few of these:

These are the ones M made:

These are the ones S made:

These are the ones that I made:



Bring in the Gentleness Challenge for 2012

Gentleness Challenge

Once again Courtney from Women Living Well is being used by God to challenge women to become more gentle towards their kids. Boy oh Boy do I need this! Like a chunky kid wants chocolate cake!  I hate the person that I have become this past year. I've became this horrible yelling, nagging, mean spirited woman that nobody (even myself) likes. I then wander why I can't reach these kids or even my husband for that matter.

When we first started the process of Fostering to Adopt, my husband and I wanted our house to be the safe haven that any kid that came to us needed. The place where they know that they are loved, they know that they are safe. The place where they can have fun and just be kids. We knew that it wouldn't be easy, that we would have to discipline the kids, that they would come with their own problems. But we had so much hope that we could be a happy family. That we could teach them of God's love for them most importantly.

This past year has been HARD. Really hard. I will even say that it has been the hardest on me since Derreck and I have been married. I have struggled A LOT! Not just with the kids, but with Derreck, and even with myself. I have came to the point where I just wanted to give up, make the call to their worker and be done with it. Let our marriage go back to like it was before kids. (I said it's been HARD!) But every time I do I hear God whisper, "You are all they have Ginger."

We are all they have. If God didn't want them in our house then He wouldn't of placed them in our house. They might not even want to be here, and probably don't most of the time. But then there are times when I see them happy and playing with Derreck and I think, "We can be a real family one day."

I want to win their hearts, so that I can teach their hearts about God. About His love for them. If I can't win their hearts, then they won't even know what it is like to be loved unconditionally. They won't ever understand the love that God has to offer. I don't care if they never call me mom, Ginger is fine. I just want them to love me. I want to love them. I want them to know God's love.

This is why I am going to join this challenge. This is why I NEED this challenge. I want to be gentle to the kids, to my husband, and to God this year and all the years to follow! I can't change any of them, but I can change myself and ask God to work in my life.

Christmas Pictures

Christmas Pictures

I am linking up with Coutney at Women Living Well for "Women Living Well Wednesdays."

 

Christmas Day after church we decided to have a photo shoot around the Christmas tree. (It was part of our Christmas Bucket List.) Once I figured out the right setting for my camera to take good pictures in the living room we had fun. Have I mentioned how hard it is to take good pictures in this house? Well it is!

All parental rights were terminated on the 19th for the kids, so they are "free" for adoption now. I say "free" because before court on the 19th we were told that they would get things done quickly and we can have the kids adopted early next year. On the 22nd the kids and I went to pick up some gift that their biological mother had dropped off with their worker. While we were there and she was doing her "monthly" visit, she mentioned that there are only two adoption workers in the Northern part of our state, so it was going to take "awhile." Not that the fact that the kids have been in care for over 2 years means anything to them. I guess...

Anyways, all of that to say that legally we can post pictures of the kids now, but I think I will wait awhile, if not until the adoption is final. Just in case.

So here are some of the pictures...

Did I mention that we got a real tree this year and that it sheds like CRAZY!

The ones that show their faces are so good! But they will just have to wait.

The kids have been with us for 1 year and 2 days. S said something about them being here for a year today, and M said "So were Perry's now!"

I wish it was that easy!

Christmas 2011

I was going to post some pictures that we took earlier today of the kids around the Christmas Tree, but since I just forfeited a game of Monopoly so we can go to bed, I will wait until tomorrow! We had a great Christmas Day. One of the first that we get to spend with the kids hopefully. Derreck wasn't here. He is still at work, but was and is GREATLY missed by me at least. I hope and pray that one say the kids will get to the point that they really and cruelly, deep down miss Derreck or me when we are gone, even if it's only one day. Right now they could care less, and honestly that hurts both of our feelings. I miss that man when he is gone, especially around holidays when all I want to do is be with him!

Our family would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas from Louisiana and Pennsylvania!