Mom Update

Thanks for your prayers! My mom's surgery went well--at least when they finally got to it :-) She said she's just had a little bit of pain, which is totally understandable. Not only did she have the surgery, but before that she had an EKG and after she had a Dr. appointment (kind of unrelated to the surgery). Unfortunately, the Dr. said things have actually gotten worse since her last visit. So there will probably more surgeries in her future. After all of that, they drove home three hours. Then she was wondering why she was so tired today! Please pray that my mom will take the time to get the rest she needs. She's definitely not one to sit around! My dad had to "order" her not to iron clothes today or go up and down the stairs. He even asked people to call to keep her busy and make sure she was following directions. :-)

Going Private

I've been debating this since starting our blog. On one hand, I don't want to stop posting pictures or editing life occurrences (although using pretend names could be fun ;-)). On the other hand, part of the whole reason we started the blog instead of using our Google group was so people wouldn't have to sign in.

In the end, caution is winning out. So, in one week, we are going private. If you would like to continue reading our blog, you can leave your email address in comments or email me at DLBaber@gmail.com

Thanks!

One more for the night.

Would you please keep my mom in prayer Monday? She is having surgery in the morning. She has already had several, and hopefully has only one more to go for a while. Thankfully, it's not TOO invasive, and she should be home tomorrow night.

"How Sweet it is...

...to be loved by you!" That's the song that was on the Father's Day card Elizabeth picked up for David. And how true it is! We are both very blessed to have such a wonderful guy in our lives. David works hard to make sure we are taken care of. He loves God and has a heart for missions and for children. He loves spending time with his family and is excited to bring home the children God has for us.

We are so blessed that our children will not just have a great dad, but an incredible Grandfather, great-grandfathers, and the legacy of many other Godly men who have been in our family.

Most of all, through grace, we have a Heavenly Father who is more than any of us can imagine!

Please visit if you have the chance!

It's not your typical Father's Day activity, but today we drove about an hour to see the World Vision Experience. Please, if you have the chance, visit the exhibit. It's free, self-paced, and you need about 20-30 min. per experience you see. (I went through two, and would have loved to see the others.) This is what the website says about it:

The World Vision Experience is an interactive, walk-through exhibit that will transport you into the heart of Africa--and the life of a child affected by the AIDS crisis. The exhibit combines a stirring audio tour with captivating photography to give you a whole new perspective on the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time.

We were not going to take Elizabeth in because there were some situations not being appropriate for children, but none of that was in the photos. It was all in the personal audio players, so she didn't hear it. We explained bits to her as we walked through. I know that she is not at point where she can understand it all, but I'm glad she was able to have a little more understanding of how children in other parts of the world live. David and I have been trying to learn a lot about HIV/AIDS, and this experience just really helps to bring the situations to life more than images on the t.v. or internet can.

Memories

Last night I stayed with Elizabeth for a little while before she went to sleep. We were talking about what it might be like when the child or children we adopt come to our house. Eventually Elizabeth asked me to tell her about when she was a baby. I feel guilty because I have been very bad about recording things. Information in her baby book is rather sparse. But then it makes me sad for other reasons. I can at least tell her about my memories from when she was born (or bor-en as she says), and I can work on writing these down. But I won’t have those memories for children we adopt. I can and will tell them about their adoptions and about their country. But they have a history before us…being adopted doesn’t wipe that out. And when they ask, there is so much I won’t be able to tell them.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's 49th birthday! (She doesn't mind telling people her age because she looks SO young, no one believes her anyway ;-)) I thank God for my mom. She is a great Christian woman! Especially since Elizabeth was born, my mom has become one of my best friends. I'm grateful that she and Elizabeth have a very special bond, too. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Great News Day!

Today was a bit of a rough day with Elizabeth and myself (we were both tired and not going to sleep, David came home from work later than normal). But it has turned out to be a day of GREAT news!

Our dear friends found out that they were able to get the birth certificate for their son in Guatemala!!! Praying he will FINALLY be home in a few weeks!

...then TWO families with our agency received referrals for infants in Ethiopia today! This is MUCH sooner than we had been expecting.

Our God is SO Good!

The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

Sugar?

Mommy: It's raining! Are we going to melt when we get out of the car?
Elizabeth: No, Mommy. We won't melt
Mommy: But I thought you were made of sugar. Sugar melts
Elizabeth: I'm not made of sugar. I'm made of God!