Praising God for His provision! - And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19-20 We are praising God for already providing for our adoption financial goal of $6,000 in less than 2 months! This is a huge encouragement and confirmation for us that the Lord wants us to adopt. We are grateful and even more excited to see His plans unfold! Financially, we are hoping and praying for soon timing with our adoption (before the end of June) so that we can receive the adoption tax credit that expires at the end of this year in order to cover the remaining $13,000. We know the Lord will provide either way. We are putting our extra income from my tutoring, childcare, etc. towards the $13,000 just in case the timing of our adoption does not allow us to receive the tax credit. If the Lord does bless us with the tax credit (which could lead to an excess of adoption funds beyond $19,000), our desire is to put the excess money in the form of a grant/scholarship for adoption at our church in order to encourage and help someone at our church to adopt in the future. That would be really exciting to be able to do! We'll see what the Lord has in store... :)
What's on the Harrisons' Hearts
Praises & Prayers
Tami - Continued prayers for the Lord to give my dad and other loved ones His perspective and that God would heal Tami, but ultimately that His will would be done.
Paul - We are praying James 1:5 for wisdom for the doctors and Philippians 4:6-7 for God's peace to guard Paul & Amanda's hearts during this time of Paul's health trial. Paul has a rare condition at the base of his brain called Chiari Malformation Type 1, and he will be needing to have brain surgery in the near future.
Our Family - Praise for the Lord growing our family in our love for Christ and faithfully sanctifying us to be more like Him.
Wes - Praise for the Lord growing Wes through his Bible classes. Prayer for 2 Timothy 1:7 for the Lord to continue to give Wes discipline and perseverance in completing the work for his classes and to continue to impact Wes' heart through his studies. Also, prayer for Ephesians 6:10-20 for spiritual protection, boldness, and wisdom for Wes as he seeks to be a witness to his unbelievers at work.
Christina - Praise for the Lord blessing me with grace, strength, and perseverance in completing our adoption paperwork, profile book, and birth family letter. Prayer for Philippians 3:8 (my favorite verse) for the Lord to grow my love for Christ this coming year, which is one of my goals for 2012.
Noah - God would graciously save him at a young age and lead him to walk with the Lord all of his days, if that be the Lord's will. Praise for the Lord helping Noah to have a peaceful heart and peaceful response when he does not get his way (Hebrews 12:11). Noah has been in a very peaceful and joyful season this past month with minimal need for corrective teaching (and has also been sleeping in later and taking longer naps), which has been a blessing and a testimony of God's grace and answers to prayer during this full season of our needing time to complete our responsibilities in the adoption process. We have been praying Galatians 5:22-23 for Noah for the Lord to prepare him for welcoming another little one in our family, and we see the Lord already answering these prayers by growing Noah in the fruit of the Spirit, so please keep praying.
Marriage Memories
Racquetball Date Day - Wes and I had a lot of fun "battling" on the racquetball court. It was dead even competition, even though it looks like I whooped up on him based on who is the sweatiest in our pic. ;) We played 4 games - Wes won, I won, Wes won, I won.
Good times and fun memories!
Family Fun
Enjoying some yummy wings - Wes had a craving... I had a coupon...
so we enjoyed going out for some wings. Noah enjoyed his first encounter with eating them!
Chowing Down * Noah's favorite part was eating carrots dipped in ranch :)
Daddy & son bonding - Reading * Du-rag duo
Noah News
Cute Communication - appropriately saying "Thank you!" & "Your welcome!" on his own without prompting; saying "The end" when we finish reading a book; "Nallie" for Naomi; understanding and using personal pronouns such as I, me, my, mine; naming & calling his favorite stuffed animals Frankie & Larry; calling me Mama instead of Mommy - I think he picked this up from cousin Sawyer ;)
Latest Loves
Playing with friends
Jumping on his bed and our couch in our playroom
Favorite book = A Visit to Sesame Street Firehouse
Scrambled eggs
Pretend talking on the phone - he receives calls from his neighbor friends wanting to play :)
Coloring with markers
Favorite shoes = black Chuck Taylor high tops (that we bought at a garage sale)
Toddler Time at the library & Tumbling Tots at our gym
Frankie & Larry (stuffed animals - frog & llama)
Singing when he wakes up from naps or in the mornings... precious!
Playing with playdough
Baths - especially with lots of bubbles
Bubble bath + bath paint = one extra excited boy! :)
Video - Noah singing/saying "Jesus Loves Me"
Jesus loves me...this I know... for the Bible tells me so... for the Bible tells me so... :)
Tumbling Tots at the YMCA
For Christmas Great Papa & Great Tache blessed Noah with a gift certificate for a gymnastics class at our gym. Overall, Noah had an excellent time and seems to be a natural little tumbler. Thank you Great Papa & Great Tache!
Balancing on the blocks * Getting in position for doing a summersault * Walking the "line"
Bounce House - Noah had a blast! * Short!! Video - Noah showing off his "seat drop"
Interesting Info
More teething - Noah's 2 year molars have been coming in recently. He is definitely a slow/late teether because he is almost 3.
1st time to the dentist - Noah really enjoyed his first "dentist appointment," and Wes and I were very impressed at how our dentist introduced Noah to his first teeth cleaning experience. They made it a fun time by letting Noah pick out a toy from a toy box. Noah sat on my lap while they cleaned my teeth and got to evaluate if the dentist was doing a good job or not. They gave Noah a "Mater Truck" toothbrush, which was a thrill for him, and let him brush his teeth for them. Then they checked Noah's teeth, sprayed the "squirt gun" (that's what Noah and I called it) in his mouth, and gave him a goodie bag. Noah definitely looks forward to going back again! All those at the dentist office kept saying how adorable Noah was, so they definitely look forward to Noah coming back again too! :)
"Don't be afraid!" - One night when Oscar was over with Wendy, Noah was playfully chasing Sierra and Oscar around and kept saying (crystal clear) "Don't be afraid, Bo-bo! (which is what he calls Oscar). I was pleasantly surprised to hear Noah appropriately use this phrase and say it so clear but was completely stumped on where he got it from. He kept using this phrase at various times with Sierra, Wes, and me. Most of the time he used it in appropriate contexts and a couple times to be funny with Wes and me. A few nights later Noah and I were reading a book called The Jesus Story that we've read many times. I caught myself reading the angel's words at the empty tomb, "Don't be afraid!" after Christ had resurrected from the dead, and I finally made the connection. It was a funny and wonderful moment to realize that Noah was "getting it." :)
Big potty training success! YES! - Thanks to a handicap bar in one of our bathrooms, Noah figured out that he can get up on the toilet all by himself. So, this month he has become almost 100% self-sufficient in using the bathroom. He now recognizes and lets us know when he needs to go (we used to take him approximately every hour), is able to get his clothes off, is able to get on the toilet, and go... all on his own. He basically only needs a little help with getting his clothes back on when he is done.
Gum - We let Noah have a try at some gum... after a few tries we decided we're going to try again after he turns 3... He did great with the chewing concept but within a few minutes, the gum was long gone on its way to his little belly. Here he is cheesin' it up as he is chewing his gum. :)
Bringing Our Baby Home - Our Adoption Journey
Praising God for His provision - Read the testimony at the beginning of this blog post in the section "Giving God Glory" of how the Lord has strongly confirmed to us that He is calling us to adopt and has also encouraged us about our adoption through His financial provision
Encouraging quote on adoption from a friend - "Adoption is the gospel with flesh and blood." This is how Wes and I feel about adoption... adoption is an opportunity to live out the gospel (of how the Lord has adopted those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior into His family - Ephesians 1:3-5 & Romans 8:14-17) in a very practical, tangible, and life-changing way.
Where are we at in the adoption process?
The process for adopting an infant in the U.S. involves:
*completing an application & being accepted - 11-22-11
*home study process/training & being approved - WE ARE HERE
*entering the waiting pool - our profile book about our family (which birthmothers look at to choose the parents they want for their child) being shown to birthmothers
*waiting anywhere from approximately 2 weeks to 2 years
*being chosen by a birthmother
*meeting the birthmother and confirming the match
*birth of baby
*bringing baby home with us from the hospital
*2 week legal period in which the birthmother can change her mind
*after 6 months the adoption is legally finalized in court
Praying for our adoption journey
Praises:
*Prayer partners and words of encouragement
*The Lord's financial provision!
*Psalm 32:8 - The Lord has been guiding us and giving us wisdom and unity as we finished our paperwork, created our profile book, and wrote our birth family letter. It is a joy and relief to have our logistical responsibilities in the adoption process completed.
*James 1:5 - The Lord has given us wisdom with extra income opportunities He has blessed us with, and we praise Him for providing through caring another day for 2 children and through teaching piano lessons again to a sweet girl that I had started teaching last year.
Requests:
*Ephesians 3:21 & 6:18-20 - The Lord to be glorified and the gospel to be shared
*Galatians 5:22-23 - The Lord to begin preparing Noah (and us) for welcoming a little one into our family. One of the aspects we are praying for is the fruit of the Spirit.
*John 6:44 - The Lord to begin drawing the birthmother (if she does not know Christ) and the baby He has for our family to Himself in salvation
*Matthew 25:19-21 - An ongoing prayer request for us to be wise financial stewards and for the Lord to provide for our adoption as we seek to save, to take advantage of extra income opportunities, to pursue grants, to provide fundraising opportunities, and however else He desires to. We hope to be adoption debt free by the end of the entire adoption process, but we are holding this desire loosely and know that it may take more time.
*Philippians 4:19-20 - God's perfect timing with our adoption... the adoption tax credit that would immensely help out with our adoption expenses expires at the end of 2012. We know the Lord will provide either way, whether through a tax credit or other means, and we are thankful to have a game plan for either scenario.
Book on Adoption
In Adoption: Stories of Lives Transformed Dr. Dixie van de Flier Davis, President and Executive Director of The Adoption Exchange, recounts stories of how, since the agency's inception, she has seen love impact the future in extraordinarily powerful ways. Van de Flier Davis collected stories from over 75 families that have been touched by adoption. Each family shares, in their own words, some of the joys and heartbreaks they have experienced through adoption.
Movie on Adoption
This month we enjoyed watching Bella, a true love story that is rich in the value of human life. We had seen this movie before and our hearts were impacted by it, but this movie took on a whole new perspective with the Lord having called us to this kind of adoption. The Lord opened our eyes to an example of the kind of life and trials our birth mother could be presently experiencing. Our hearts are full of compassion for our future birth mother and respect for her valuing the life of her baby. We are grateful to have the opportunity to encourage her to choose life like Jose did in this movie.Memorable Moment of the Month
"Big Brother" Noah - It melts Wes' and my hearts to see Noah in the role of a "big brother" when we care for Naomi and Oliver. (Noah is getting extra practice of being a big brother because the Lord blessed us with an opportunity to care for "Omi & Ollie" 2 days each week now, which is helping go towards our adoption costs.) I think the pics speak for themselves...
Leading Naomi to join him in playing outside * Male bonding
Teaching Naomi how to color with chalk * Having a couple sweet moments of showing Naomi some love
Feeding Ollie * Giving a hug
Teaching Naomi all about cruisin'
Showing Naomi how to get some air * Noah's "ups" * Apologizing when he accidentally bumped heads with Naomi
Visiting Wes at work with Kyle, Kristen, Sawyer, & Nora
Cousin Firefighter Wannabes - Noah & Sawyer * Adorable Nora
Going for a ride * Checking out the truck * Fathers & sons extending the ladder
Wes & Dave (co-worker) sporting their handlebars
For the record - Wes shaved his 'stache off towards the end of this month
Nana & Noah - Reading * Having fun at Tumbling Tots
Life Group Baby Shower - Blessed mothers * Our Life Group ladies :)
Cool Spring Way Ladies Pampering
Fun with Friends - We enjoyed having the Renn Family over for dinner. Noah & Aubri had a great time together!
Noah got creative, turned the full ice cream tub upside down & started playing it like a drum * Hugs * Where did Noah learn this from...? (Giving Aubri a wooing kiss)
We also enjoyed having the Allens join us for dinner, and here's what the little guys were up to...
Video - Noah "preaching" to his friend Caleb ;)
I absolutely love reading your blog and updates--I always feel so blessed and encouraged after reading and hearing you share your heart, my dear friend. Noah is growing more handsome by the day!! What an awesome little guy you are raising--God will do great things through him, as he already is through your family.
ReplyDeleteWe pray for you on a regular basis and will continue to do so--keep these pics. coming along with the stories and adventures you share in as a family!! What a testimony you are to others--love you guys! :)
Kendra, thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I am grateful that the testimony of what the Lord is doing in our family's lives and hearts is a blessing to you. Praise God! Thank you even more for your prayers. We are very grateful for your support through praying for us. Know that the Lord is answering your prayers and that we are seeing Him at work in powerful ways in our lives! Thank you, my friend. I love you and your wonderful family too!
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