#2 of the Thankfulness journey.  I am thankful for my husband!!!  He is such a wonderful man!  God knew exactly what He was doing when he joined us together.  We have been through alot over the past 10 years but each year it has gotten better.

Here is a list of why I am thankful for Shawn
1, He is Godly
2.  Loving
3.Compassionate
4, Funny
5. Smart
6. Puts up with my moods!!!!!
7. A great father
8. He will cut my steak or chicken up for me!
9. He does the dishes.
10. He helps me with the laundry
I could keep going but there are 10 things that makes me thankful for my husband.

A Thankfulness Journey

I have decided to spend the next few months finding something hopefully every day that I can be thankful for. I have been reading a book by Ann Voskamp called A Thousand Gifts. So here goes for day 1.

Day One: I am thankful for my God. Psalm 28:7 says "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." God has done so many things for me over the past 34 years of my life. He is always faithful. There every step of the way. Even when I stray He seems to be right there.

As I sit here saying that I am thankful for God, I am also convicted. How many times do we take God for granted? We just leave Him behind and then wonder where He is at when we need Him. We then begin to blame God for not being there for us when we need Him. I just want to say to myself sometimes, "Silly girl, He is where He has always been. You were the one to leave Him behind. God has not gone anywhere, you have!" Too often we only run to God when we need something from Him. How selfish can we be? We treat God as an item placed on a shelf that we can just pull out when we need something. We should be thanking God in the little things as well as the big things.

I hope that by writing down 1000 things that I am thankful for, it will help remind me of God's grace and mercy that He has shown on me.


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Changes

To those that know our family is about to make ONE BIG CHANGE!! We are separating from the military. This is one huge and scary step that we are about to make. We are not separating on our terms. The Air Force is pushing us out. So that in itself can be very scary. I have had my moments of tears, anxiety, excitement, anger, and relief. As I sit here typing this the tears are running down my face. The military has taken us to many places that otherwise we would never have gone to. We have made lifelong friends that have become family to us. It is hard to say those good byes and yet still look forward to what God has planned for us.

When the news came down that we were going to be separated I immediately panicked. My first reaction. I cried out to God and His arms were instantly wrapped around me. I cried and cried but in the back ground God kept saying "Everything is going to be all right. I know what I am doing, just trust" Trust, that is a big thing for me to do. For those of you who know me well I like to control things and right now everything is out of my hands except for the way I react to the situation.


So what happens now..... Well we are moving home. Home, wow I thought it would have been years since I would be able to say that. Texas is home! We are headed that way. Shawn is going to finish his nursing degree and after that get a job. We plan on finally being able to buy a house after his school is complete and he is gainfully employed. Our adoption plans for a third child are going to be placed on hold for now.

There is a song that fits us perfectly for where we are at right now. Here are the lyrics:

when you don't want to face another day
seems like your life's one big mistake
failures from your former self chase you
listen close so you know what to do

you may not see it
you may not feel it
but I'm holding you tightly
your spirit is near me
so hold on hold on
it will not be long till its all over
child hold on hold on
lay your weary head upon my shoulder

the pain is beating down so faithfully
but my love is more faithful you will see
and the winds will show no mercy for your face
but your heart is safe secure inside my grace

and you may not see it
and you may not feel it
but im holding you tightly and your
spirit is with me so
hold on hold on it will not be long
till its all over
child hold on hold on
lay your weary head upon my shoulder

and you may not see it
and you may not feel it
but im holding you tightly and
your spirit is near me so hold on

hold on hold on hold on
child hold on hold on no
it wont be too long oh hold on
hold on it will not be long till its all
over child hold on hold on lay your weary head upon my shoulder
hold on hold on it will not be long till its all over
hold on hold on lay your weary head upon my shoulder
if you don't want to face another day hold on child hold on

I'm Back

I know that I have left for awhile and haven't updated so here goes.

The boys are growing like weeds!!! Owen just turned 2 and Ian is 3 1/2 now. I can't believe how time has flown by! Ian is like an old soul, ever pleasing and always happy go lucky. Owen is a handful. He is energetic and very independent. The boys are night and day from each other but each unique and special in their own ways.

I sat down right after Owen turned 2 and took an account of our lives thus far. Boy have we come a long ways. God has richly blessed us and sometimes we just get caught up on everyday life and forgot to count those blessings. So I have made a packed with myself that from this day forward we are going to count our blessings everyday as well as making sure we are thankful for what we do have. A dear friend of mine showed me a website called A Holy Experience http://www.aholyexperience.com/ As I began to read through Ann Voskamp blog I realized that I am not teaching my children to always be thankful. Yeah sure I make them say thank you after I give them something or say thank you to someone who has just filled their cup or watched them in the nursery. I want to raise thankful children. So starting tonight at the dinner table we are all going to right down/draw something we are thankful for. Then we are going to start posting them on our back door so that we can see just how thankful we are.

I will update on our new little project periodically.

The book that I am now reading is called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I am really loving this book. Here are some highlights from Chapter 1:

1. Stop Praying: Stop talking at God but too HIM. Take a long look at God before we speak. Romans 1:20 says "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." So when Mr. Chan says stop praying he is just that we need to look at who God is before we start praying. We need to make sure that we are not just talking at God but too God (include Him in on the prayer) "The wise man comes to God without saying a word and stand in awe of Him." Francis Chan. Here are five things about God:
1. God is Holy-nothing and no one to compare to Him. "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you." Exodus 3:14

2. God is eternal-He always has been, is, and will be. WE have a beginning and an end. "But you, O Lord, abide forever, and Your name to all generations. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end." Psalm 102: 12, 27

3. God is All Knowing-He knows each of us deeply and specifically. He knows who we are and what we are about. "O Lord, You have searched me an known me." Psalm 139:1 "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Hebrews 4:13

4. God is All Powerful- He does not have to explain Himself to us. "But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." Psalm 115:3 "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done:'" Daniel 4:35 Could it be my ignorance that mes me think God owes me an explanation when He says no to something that I have asked for or when He shuts a door, or even when He disciplines me?

5.God is Fair and Just-God is the only being who is good, and the standards are set by Him. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate." Proverbs 8:13

I want to encourage anyone who read this post to stop praying at God and start praying to God. Know who God is before you enter His throne room. You might be surprised by what you find. I know when I start to list the attributes of God I just stand amazed by His glory.

Potty Training / Owen

My how time has flown!!! Ian had his second birthday and we are transitioning into a big boy. We made his crib into a toddler bed, now he sits at the table with us and the biggest transition is we have started potty training. Yesterday was our first day and we had only 5 accidents. Not too bad for the first day. So I have hit this endeavor full force. No pull-ups!!! Ian is loving just running around the house in his big boy undies and a t-shirt. Today we have had only one major accident #2 but no potty accidents. He has gone pee pee 3 times this morning and he is so proud of himself. The one trick I learned was to set a timer and when it goes off we rush off to the potty. After the first day with the timer when he hears it goes off he stops playing and says go potty and runs off to the bathroom. It is so cute. I hope his enthusiasm stays as we continue potty training. So we are taking this task one step at a time and one day at a time. While sitting in my quiet time this morning God reminded me to not rush him. Sometimes it takes us as children of God time in learning something new the same goes with him. It will take time and just as God is patient with me I will be patient with Ian.

Here is an update on Owen. One week from tomorrow(Jan 20) he has a court date to sever his parental rights. As the time approaches the more anxious I become. I know that God all ready knows the outcome and I can have peace with that. No matter what happens next Wednesday God is still on the throne. Please pray for God's will to be done next Wednesday. I also want everyone to pray for Owen's biological mother. She has chosen a lifestyle that is not pleasing to God but if she does loose her rights it still has to be hard on her. I am constantly thinking about her and how I would feel if my children were taken away from but at the same time I can't stop my lifestyle. It is almost like you are being pulled in two different directions. Please pray that God will place the right people into her life so that she can see what God has to offer her. It is easy to be angry with her at the choices that she has made and believe me I have had my moments of anger with her. But as I started praying for her God has changed my heart to one of compassion. I was fortunate to be raised with loving and encouraging parents who helped lead me down a path that was pleasing to God. She was not as blessed. From the beginning she had a rough start. She made bad choices and those choices have now effected her children. I want her to know that both of her boys are going to be loved and taken care of. Rather she realizes it or not she has given us the best gift that anyone could have given us. Our hearts are full and blessed now that Ian and Owen are a part of our lives. They both have joined our family and an instant bond has been formed. It is like they have been a part of our family from birth. The joy they have brought into our life is so overwhelming that at times I feel as though I am dreaming. But this is my life and I am loving every minute of it. God knew exactly what children needed to be in our home and what kind of parents these two little guys needed.

Always remember that God does know what he is doing and that His ways are always better than ours. It has taken me a long time to figure this out but when you finally do the peace that follows is amazing!!!!

Update

Wow I sure have let time slip away from me. I can't believe that it is almost December. November 1, 2009 Owen finally moved in with us. We are still waiting for a court date to terminate parental rights but the paperwork has finally been filed!!!! We are hoping that his termination goes through before Christmas.

Our lives have changed so dramatically in the last 3 months. When God blesses you HE BLESSES you!!!!!!! I am loving being a mom and I know Shawn just loves being a dad. We were able to spend half of November with our families. The boys fell in love with both sets of grandparents!

We have all ready had a couple of firsts in this house. Ian had his second birthday and both boys celebrated Thanksgiving in our home for the first time. We also took them to the aquarium and then to Savannah. The aquarium was a hit, even Owen enjoyed it!! Our Savannah trip was great. Ian did not like the trolley ride. The loud noises scared him! We also took both boys to the beach at Tybee Island. Ian ran straight for the water and wanted to get in. So I think this summer we are going to have to take a family trip to the beach so that both boys can have a swim in the ocean!!

Now we are looking forward to Christmas! Our first Christmas together as a family!!!!! I can't wait to spend that time with family and friends.

I will try and update this more as time goes by!

God is so Good!!!!

Today is a very special day in our family. We official become a family of 3 today. Ian moves in to our home for good!!!! We are so excited and so blessed. We have waited for many years to be blessed with a child. God heard our cry and was waiting to place the perfect child into our home. It is amazing how your love can grow for a child that you did not carry. When I look at Ian I think of him as our own and that he has been a part of our family from the beginning.

Ian has been with his foster family since birth and they have done a wonderful job in raising him. He has been very loved for the past two years and I am so thankful for that. I know that this day is a very sad day for them and my heart goes out to them. When you think about it say a little prayer for them. The next few weeks are going to be difficult.

As for us our good news keeps growing! We are going to be able to foster Ian's brother. There is a 90% chance that we will be able to adopt him. Right now we are waiting for a date for his parental rights to terminated. We do not have the little guy just yet but as soon as the attorney can get on the ball and file paperwork then we can move the little guy in. Right now we are getting to do visitations with him at his foster parent's house. He is so precious and tiny. I am attaching a photo of Ian so everyone can see the cute little guy.

Thank you all for your prayers! This has been a long journey and we still have a ways to go but the light is at the end of the tunnel.

Ian Christopher Moore