the Bradford’s beauty ♥

Praising Jesus today by how His hand has been faithful to lead our friends Dale and Carrie Bradford!

Remember back in November when I shared Megan’s story with you?

Our friends, the Bradford’s, fell in love with an adorable 7 year old, blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty from Russia and began the process of adopting her. About a month later Russia’s president Vladimir Putin signed a law banning American’s from adopting Russian children. After praying and waiting and hoping for something to change the Bradford’s were given the news that they could not proceed with Megan’s adoption. 

Dale and Carrie were broken over this news and are praying that God would raise up a Russian family to adopt sweet Megan. They have found comfort in knowing that Megan is healthy, is in a great boarding school with kids her age, and is being cared for by the Lord Almighty!

Although the door completely closed for them to adopt Megan, the Lord did however open a door for Dale and Carrie to adopt another sweet Reece’s Rainbow beauty named Andrea. 

Andrea is 5 years old and is only 3 days older than her soon-to-be- {Lord willing} sister Trisha.

I can’t wait for them to have twin birthday parties!

Just look at how much these soon-to-be-sisters look alike….here’s a photo of Trisha…

Same fair skin and beautiful short brown hair! 

Oh, I love it! 

I am so excited about what God is doing in The Bradford’s lives! They have ministered to me so much by the way they have surrendered completely to God’s plan, how they have persevered after a heartbreaking loss, and are allowing God to refine and shape them through it all! 

Please follow along with their journey here.

They are currently having a Kindle Fire HD Giveaway until April 15th. So pop on over to their blog, add them to your prayer list, and if you are able bless them with a financial gift, please do!

We love you Bradford family and can’t wait to welcome sweet Andrea home!

♥

"I just get woundered up when people cry and it makes me start to cry."

Maddix (after a hard day at school) was crying, then Sophie started crying. This was Sophie Holland’s response after I asked her why she was crying. 

“woundered”

oh I love my life!

^^ Here’s just a few photo’s from our Easter weekend with grandpa Dan and grandma Sandy. We had the best time reconnecting, praying together, visiting the zoo, witnessing their church growth, and celebrating our risen Savior together! ^^

♥

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Happy birthday Nathan!

I am so excited about what God is doing in our marriage and in our family. I cannot wait to see what He has in store for us during your 31st year on this side of Heaven! 

I love you and I am proud to be your wife!

♥

{photo taken this morning just before sending Nathan off to work}

"The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are. The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires."

Kierkegaard

today’s love list ♥

♥ the “winter whale” husband made in our front yard with Maddix, Sophie, and Ezra

♥ this truth shared with me this week: “We cannot do a single good act except God first gives us the desire for it and then empowers us to do it. And He will never give us the desire to do something that He will not also give the power to obey.” Richard Foster in Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home

♥ two families we love having adoption accounts with over $10,000 in them { see here and here}

♥ praying together as a family 

♥ this makes my heart want to explode. Chastity contacted me shortly after our Ruby Ann’s birth and said that the Lord was stirring her and her husband’s heart towards domestic adoption. Three months later they signed up with our adoption consultant Tracie Loux, two months after that they were matched, and now their precious baby girl is home! God is so crazy good!

♥ husband telling me this week that he has a “thirst to pray like never before.” so hot. so so so hot. 

♥ friends who faithfully pray 

♥ pulling up to pay for your extra hot Mocha at Starbucks and finding out that the person in the car ahead of you payed for it

♥ Sophie all dressed up in her pink dance clothes

♥ watching Ezra carry Ruby all around the house

Tonight I came home from doing a couple massages to this little video of a very tired Ruby Ann at dinner. 

How pitiful and precious is she?!

I just love my baby girl {and my classical music loving man}.

♥

"Each day is, in a certain sense, a complete life by itself. It has its own duties, its own trials, its own burdens, and its own needs. The very best we can do for the perfecting of our life as a whole, is to live the one day well. We should put all our thought and energy and skill into the duty of each day, wasting no strength, either in grieving over yesterday’s failures—or in anxiety about tomorrow’s responsibilities."

~ J.R. Miller ~

Happy Monday friends! 

I am so excited to share with you that our friends the Boswell’s are the first family to be featured on Give1Save1Europe! 

We adoptive families always say that no amount is too small to give~ a whole lot of little adds up to much! God uses what we can give and in His awesome way, He mutiplies it! 

Will you join with me by watching this super cute video my friend Liz made, heading on over to Give1Save1Europe, and consider donating your $1 to helping bring sweet Edna home? 

Let’s start this week off by being a blessing! Shall we?!

♥