Mighty to Save

Ever since we started dreaming about adoption, there are so many things I've wanted to tell you. So many thoughts that run through my head, so many cool moments... I tell Jeremy, and have to be content to someday share these thoughts with others. Now that we've made our annoucement, I'll share something that struck me early on... It was a song. When my sister, Jen and brother-in-law, Kris flew to Korea and met Molly for the first time last October, they made a video of their first meeting with their beautiful daughter.

View it here: http://nighthowells.blogspot.com/2008/10/we-believe-in-love-1st-sight-no-words.html#links

The song playing in the background is Mighty to Save. (Click on the player below to listen.) Watching the video a year ago, the song struck me like it never had before...

mighty to save...

everyone needs compassion...

a love that's never failing...

he can move a mountain...

and yes, this song is talking about God's undending compassion, love, and mercy toward us... but it just fits as a song about reaching out to a child in need of a family. Ever since that day, nearly a year ago, that song causes the breath to catch in my throat, are Jeremy and I to have compassion on a little one by bringing a child who needs a Mommy and a Daddy into our family? On some occasions, it causes me to stand in the middle of my kitchen with my eyes closed heavenward, tears streaming and praise the God who loves me that way. On others, I'm driving with my kids and it comes on the radio and my heart and mind instantly take a break from whatever I was lost in thought about... and I savor the words and continue to wonder, should we really do this?

In the past week, since telling almost everyone we know... I've woken up with butterflies in my stomach... a sick, nervous feeling. It has subsided a bit, but it's still there... wondering if this will ever really happen, wondering if we can survive this process... let alone welcoming another child. I think most of my nerves come from the fact that we will someday be talking to the precious mother who will entrust us with her precious baby. And I can't wait. And I can't believe the enormity of it either.

Thank you, Jen for presenting this song along with adoption and always being such a good example to me... even as an adult, big sister, you are going before me into great and amazing things.

an annoucement

Well, since we announced it every other way possible... why not here too?


Dear Friends,

We thought that a letter would be the best way to tell you about something we have been mulling over, researching, and most importantly praying about this past year. We are now in the beginning stages of the journey toward adoption!

Jeremy and I feel so, so thankful and blessed by the four healthy, beautiful children God has given to us by birth. I still think it’s crazy that we, Jeremy and Amanda have 4 kids! We‘d like to think we have a fun and loving family, and feel pressed more and more that we definitely have room in our hearts and in our home for another. I also know that we have been burdened and moved by the fact that we could do more and want to do more for a precious child God has chosen for our family through adoption. The beauty of adoption has come to the forefront of our minds and hearts as we have been moved twice by the presence of adoption right here in our own immediate family.

After much research, pondering, and asking God to give us direction, we have decided to adopt from within the United States independent of an agency. What does that mean? Well, we hope to make our own match with a pregnant young woman choosing adoption for her child either through family, friends, a friend of a friend, or our lawyer. This is where you come in! If you hear of a situation (in any of the 50 states) where an unplanned pregnancy is leading toward adoption, we would be honored for you to pass along our information as a prospective adoptive family.

For right now, we have an informational blog that we will be slowly adding more information to that introduces our family. Please pass on this address in the appropriate situation:

http://www.jeremyandamandaadopt.blogspot.com/

Birth parents can reach us with the contact information included on this blog. For now, we are keeping our last name and location private. For privacy reasons, we ask that all you pass along is the above web address. THANK YOU!!! Also, if it is appropriate for the situation, please let us know when you pass our information along! We’d love to know how to pray and for whom!

Email us: jeremyandamanda@rocketmail.com

We still use our old email address, so don’t go updating your address book quite yet! This address is specifically for adoption purposes.

The kids are excited… we’ve been talking about adopting a sibling with them since last winter. We are amazed you haven’t heard the news from them first! We’d ask that you join us in prayer as we get started down this road we are thrilled to be on.

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3

With much excitement,
Jeremy and Amanda

new projects

I don't know about you, but seeing a stacks of cute fabric like this makes me all warm and fuzzy!

I'll try to remember those happy thoughts as I'm sewing like a crazy lady to make it all into something! I am participating in a fundraiser for our local pregnancy center, and hope to be able to donate partial proceeds from the sales toward the purchase of ultrasound equipment for our local center. It's a great excuse to pull out the sewing machine and whip up something great! I'll post the finished products in about a month!

5 years old!

Morgan Felicity is five today!

Happy Birthday, sweet daughter!!!

We celebrated her big day on Sunday with family... Morgan wanted to go bouncin' around with her brothers and sister first, then go to Wendy's for dinner, presents, and cupcakes! So that's what we did. We had a super fun night for a super fun girl!

Cousin Dylan, taking in his first cousin birthday bash!

Annika was a wild woman after she got used to this strange, loud place!

We LOVE you!

Harvest Fun

A couple weeks ago, we invited some friends from church over for some fall fun! We all piled into our house for a potluck dinner, because it was rainy out and camp chairs on the lawn like we planned were not realistic that day. Then we headed outside for some apple picking and carrot pulling! It was so fun to see these kiddos digging into our carrot patch!!! Happy Fall!!!

sweet hats for sweet boys

This is a new pattern I came across a couple weeks ago! It's a super cute and small ear flap hat that is pretty quick to knit up... They are for two sweet newborn baby boys Alistair (top) and Dylan (bottom), Dylan already has his and Sarah, if you're reading this... there goes the surprise! Can't wait to see these two little ones with warm ears and heads this winter.

race day!

Saturday morning, we ventured out for our race day! First up was

the "balloon race", which was a blast for those that

are preschool-age and under. So Annika and Morgan ran

the short little run across a field to win a paper medal and a balloon!

Here, Annika and two of her one year old buddies line up at the starting line!

Are they cute or what?? A balloon at the finish line was just the incentive Annie needed to get

to the end! She LOVES balloons!

Here is our proud finisher! Next year, she has her sights set on the mile run!


I don't think, and now know that our boys had no idea what they were getting into with this race! They've NEVER run a full mile, but this mama is SO proud of them for running this first "real" race of theirs! This race was 1.2 miles and the boys loved it!

Here's Gavin crossing the finish line! I got tears in my eyes as they crossed the finish line. I was just so proud of them!

Drew making the finish line!

The boys: Drew, Gavin, Parker, and Lane showing off their medals!

What a fun morning!!! Plus, we went out for donuts after...

Thanks, Pam K. if you're reading this... for all the great action shots!!!

Dylan

Thursday, September 3rd, little Dylan Thaddeus

was born! He is our first, sweet nephew on Jeremy's side of the family! And the first cousin for our kids on his side!! He is a beautiful little man who had

6 proud family members waiting to meet him!

Heather and Gerry, congratulations!

Welcome to parenthood, you are a beautiful family.

8 lbs. 6 oz. & 20.5 inches

The cousin lineup... they could hardly wait to see him.

Beautiful new mama, Heather and her son.

And now, here is each of us getting the chance, to hog, um I mean hold sweet Dylan! I actually hogged him the longest which comes as no surprise... I'm a baby lover!!!

And last, but not least, little Annika doing her best to show Dylan some cousin lovin' by warming up and breaking in his new bouncy seat! She kept climbing in and out of this and his new swing!

You're a tad too big now, my dear... but it looks comfy enough!

We love you, Dylan!!

Girlfriends Day

What do you get when you have scenery like this...

3 friends like this...

...and 8 kids loaded up on cotton candy????

A gReAt day at the FAIR!!!

You can't just spend one day at the fair! So Rachel, Allison, and I spent Thursday together with our kiddos sans the Papas. It was a great empty day to go, plus the rides were buy one get one... the admission was the same. It's late, so I'll skip the explanations! Enjoy the pics!



Gavin's 1st fair game and his prize!

Drew concentrating on catching a big one...

3 proud new owners of a stuffed prize!!!

Thanks Rachel and Allison for being dear friends to me and for venturing out with 3 one year olds who had no nap and enjoyed the fair without a single tear!!!!