On our way to finalization...

That is right...we are one step closer to finalizing Emsley's adoption. Although she is so our baby, we are excited to make it all final and legal. Today we had our last meeting with our state appointed social worker Eva and went over last questions and she checked out our new house to make sure it was safe. Emsley was a wonderful baby while Eva was over and showed Eva just how happy and healthy she is with us. It was cool because Eva asked us where we went to church and how involved we are there. I loved it because we were able to say how involved we are with Project Hope (our orphan care ministry) and what it really means. We told her that the group isn't just a support group for those who have adopted but for those who want to care for orphans. I hope she saw a little of Christ in us today.

So what does this mean in our process? Well, Eva said that she plans on finishing her report for the court in about a month. Then she will have it approved by her supervisor, then sends it off to the courts and our lawyer. Our lawyer will then request a court date. Depending on availability, that could take 1 month or up to 6 months to get a date. Then we and our family and friends are able to go to court to watch us promise to be good parents to Emsley and it will be an absolutely special day. Secretly, I am hoping that our court date is either before or right around Emsley's 1st birthday. This day will be such a celebration and if the 2 fell at the same time it will make it just that much sweeter.

But since it has been a while since I posted pictures, here are a few of our baby girl. She is getting so big. An update on what she has been up to will be up next week (her 9 month update!)

Our first Christmas as a family of three!

Disneyland

More Disneyland

The Christmas tree on Main Street at Disneyland (seriously, I love this picture!)

Showing off her 2 teeth!

Beautiful little girl!

Reading a book on Christmas morning

Love that smile!

That scrunchy face pretty much makes my day!

Time with daddy on his Christmas break was the best!

Happy New Year!

Seriously...best year ever! I feel like I can't say enough of what a great year 2011 was. We were talking about what all the amazing things that happened and what we are looking forward to and praying for in 2012.

1. Had a great vacation, last time just the 2 of us, to Hawaii in March.
2. We got to be at the ultrasound where we found out our baby would be a little girl.
3. Got to spend all kinds of time with Miss Amy before little Emsley was born.
4. We were able to be at the birth of our daughter, Emsley Breanne on April 17th.
5. I became a stay at home mom and have been loving it!
6. Celebrated our 6th anniversary by going to the aquarium with Emsley & a date afterwards alone.
7. Celebrated many first holidays with Emsley....she is so cute.
8. Watched Emsley learn so many new things: smiling, cooing, clapping, waving, laughing, crawling.
9. Spent plenty of time as a family of three with our friends and family.
10. Fell more in love with each other!

But I think this year will be even better. Emsley will be turning 1 and we have another great vacation planned to Hawaii with family. This will also be the year that Emsley's adoption will be finalized, which will be a pretty amazing time for our family. But my prayer is that God allows us to be not only good parents to Emsley but also that she will see Christ in us as she learns and grows more. We desire to see God at work in our family in extremely amazing ways. I'm looking forward to what God does in us...places we go, people we meet, or ways He uses us to further His kingdom.

So, here is to 2012!

Emsley's First Christmas

It's weird to think that it has been over a year since we knew about our little girl. On Dec. 15th of 2010, we met with Miss Amy and it was the first time we were that close to our baby. Then on Dec. 21st, we found out that we were chosen to be the parents of a sweet baby. And here we are just over 1 year later and we celebrated the day with our sweet pea. It was a great day full of precious memories. We have such a desire to make Christmas more than about gifts but about praising God for sending his son to be born into our world. So our morning started with a prayer from daddy thanking God for blessing us with Jesus and then we sang "Joy to the World" because today is a day we are especially joyful for the birth of our Savior. And even though we want Emsley to be joyful in this great news everyday, we want to be very intentional about this day especially. So the gifts waited while we focused of Jesus for a bit. It was a beautiful start to wonderful family tradition.

This week a friend did a post on our adoption groups blog about how thankful we should also be toward Joseph. So often he can get forgotten in this birth story but in truth he played such an important role. Joseph, after finding out Mary would be pregnant as a virgin, CHOSE to adopt Jesus as his own and love and raise him. He was the one who gave us an earthly example of adoption. Today as I was holding my own adopted child, I looked at her and told her that Jesus was adopted just like her. And I hope that it is that fact that she shares with joy and pride each Christmastime to her friends and family! I want her to know that Jesus loves her, loves adoption, and that He desires for her to share this amazing news with others.

I'm not sure what next Christmas will look like. But I know that this Christmas will hold a special place in my heart because of where God has brought us over the last few years. He has given us a daughter to raise to be a child of His and we do so willingly, lovingly, and with complete joy in our hearts. We are so grateful for the birth of our Savior and for getting to share this with our child.

We hope that this Christmas is a time that we all can be joyful in this amazing story!

8 months old

Seriously...has it really been 8 months already! Our little girl is just growing up and learning so much everyday. We absolutely love watching her learn and be a little more independent. And this month is also a big month for us...since it's Emsley's first Christmas! We are so excited to have this little blessing. We are really trying to already be very intentional with what she learns about Christmas. Gifts will not be the biggest part of the day but knowing that we celebrate Jesus being born and coming to this world to save us will be key. Anyways...this month Emsley has eaten real food. She first had pasta and then crackers, puffs, and some freeze dried fruit. She is such a great eater, sleeper, and is as sweet as can be!

Here are some stats as she turns 8 months:

-Weighs approximately 24 pounds (appt next month)
-Is approximately 28 or 29 inches now
-Wears size 4 diapers
-We just transitioned her to 12 and 18 month clothes
-Eats 5 bottles a day still
-Also eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner (fruits, yellow and green veggies, meat, & rice)
-Sleeping through the night but teething wakes her up and she wimpers a little (sad!)
-Seriously...this girl loves her baths!
-Wants to crawl but I think she will just get up and walk soon
-Is trying to pull up on everything and loves to just stand
-She makes friends everywhere we go because she is cute and friendly...I love it!
-She now has her 2 bottom teeth (they are so cute) and I'm sure she will have more soon!
-Loves to wave at people and claps all the time (especially when she is excited)
-Says mama, gaga, and papa. We hope she says dada very soon...we are working on it!

Love this little girl and we love how absolutely intelligent she is. She loves to observe her world and we love to observe her doing it! Family time is our favorite and we love just playing and talking together. There is nothing to complain about...with each stage and new thing she does, we love it. Being a parent is something we don't take for granted. God blessed us and we will never stop thanking him for her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

You might be asking, Kim, what are you thankful for this year? And if you do, you obviously don't read my blog!!! We have so much to be thankful for this year. I wish we celebrated Thanksgiving more because seriously, we should be always showing this much gratitude. God is so good and I am so thankful to be His child. Today I have much to be thankful for....

A great God who loves me no matter what. He has adopted me, a ridiculous sinner, and loves me as His own. He has led me through my life on paths which I never wanted to be on but now look back on with joy. He brought people into my life who would minister to my soul and has shown me what true, unconditional love looks like. I don't deserve to call him Father but He allows me to, and even longs to hear me call out for Him.

My husband. Sometimes I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for Mike. After 8 years together we still really like to be with each other and have fun. We have had a rough few years but have been blessed to have a marriage strengthened through it all. He is so hard working and provides for our family in ways I don't even understand (and that totally stress me out!) Watching him lead our family is a joy and privilege that I am glad no one else gets to see! I'm so blessed to be his wife and friend. God is so good to us!

Our daughter Emsley is the richest most beautiful blessing we have had this year (or in many years). She came to us when we thought we might not be parents after all. But not she is here and has made our lives complete. I am so thankful for all her laughs, smiles, messy diapers, but especially the joy she brings to our home. She is so amazing.

Family is always something we are thankful for. Our parents raised us, loved us, and then allowed us to grow into the adults we are. Our siblings challenged us, played with us, and became then became our friends. I'm so thankful for family's who love us and now love Emsley so much.

We probably have the most amazing small group and church ever. We have grown in our faith so much that it is amazing to think back just a few years ago. They have all walked though some tough times with us and been there to have the faith and hope we were lacking. They too love Emsley and have embraced her and her adoption story as a part of their lives.

Lastly, we are thankful for Miss Amy and for adoption. I know that Emsley is ours and I don't see her as anything but that, but I know that she has a greater story than just being our child. She was loved so much by Miss Amy that she made an adoption plan for her so she could come home to us. Her birthmom is so loving and selfless and has become someone so dear to our hearts and we love knowing she will be in our lives for a very long time. We are so thankful for her and what she did for us.

So yes, I have SOOOO much to be thankful for. This year has been so much fun looking back on everything God has given us. But now we look forward to see how this next year will look and how He will continue to grow, bless, and challenge us.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Thankful Tree

Some good friends of ours posted pictures on their family blog about a Thankful Tree. Their kids are a 5 and 6 so the idea is received to their girls WAY more than Emsley but we wanted to start the tradition sooner rather than later. We want Emsley to know that Thanksgiving isn't just about going to someone's house and eating turkey and pumpkin pie, or about pilgrims and indians but that it is really about remembering the blessings God has given us in the last year. Although we should be thankful everyday, this is a special time of year to do that. This year...we have so much to be thankful for. So here is a couple of pictures of our very own thankful tree.

It has been such a fun and special reminder of all God has given and blessed us with. This year, being parents pretty much tops our hearts but God has given us great family and friends, an amazing church, a loving marriage, and even rainy days like today. I'm so glad for our friends who, without even realizing it, helped us start a wonderful tradition for our family. One where it's about being thankful...not just full! =)

7 months old

Today our little Emsley is 7 months old. Every month just gets better and better. We fall more in love with her, with each other, and more in love with God who has blessed us with Emsley as our daughter. This month her personality is blossoming. She is babbling like crazy and just loves to stand, not sit or crawl. I think she is just gonna decide to stand up one day and walk around the house. And all I know is she will be the cutest little walker ever. Many say that life will get crazy once she walks and give me a "just wait" but honestly, we can't wait. We love this little girl and each step she takes is amazing and we sometimes we can't believe we finally have a daughter!

Here are some stats as she turns 7 months:

-Weighs approximately 23 lbs (no Dr's appt for a couple more months)
-Is approximately 28 inches now
-Is in size 3 diapers still but we will be moving to size 4 next time we buy diapers
-Wears 9 month clothes but we are going to buy her 12 month very, very soon (this girl is tall!)
-Eats 3 meals a day of baby food and loves everything!
-Still has 5 small bottles a day of formula
-Sleeping is the same, through the night!
-Bathtime just keeps getting better. She now LOVES to splash and it is a joy to watch
-Like I said, she loves to stand but is good just sitting and playing with toys, for a bit!
-Isn't a fan of tummy time, she will crawl when she is ready
-Loves to drink juice and water from her sippy cup (her favorite is white grape juice)
-Is the friendliest (& cutest) baby ever
-We are pretty sure she is gonna cut a tooth in the next couple weeks (we see white on her gums)
***Update: Emsley cut her first tooth on Saturday, November 19th
-Just this last weekend she learned to wave and it is the cutest thing ever
-Said mama and now says it constantly...we are pretty sure she knows its me when she says it!

All in all, we are loving being parents and have no complaints...then again, it's hard to complain when God has blessed us so much that joy is constantly flowing in our hearts!

Sentimental Sap

So tomorrow we are moving. We are leaving our home in Irvine and moving to a new place in Fullerton. Normally moves are exciting to me...I love the idea of reorganizing into a new place, decorating, and being in a new city. But this move is so hard. It might be because the new place is a significant downgrade from our current place in Irvine or because this home has such amazing and blessed memories of our family. This home is where we signed the check for our adoption application, we were here when we got the call that Amy decided us to parent Emsley, and it was here that we brought our long awaited daughter home and have watched her grow into this amazing little girl for the last 6 months. But regardless of what the reason, I just can't seem to stop crying.

Our new place is nice...great and quiet neighborhood. Fireplace, new kitchen and bathroom, a nice big patio, close to all our friends and closer to family, and we will be able to actually save money. We are a month or 2 away from being debt free and then the task of saving for buying our first home will actually happen. I've never been big into the idea that we have to buy a home. I have loved apartment living...someone else fixes stuff and even pays some of the utilities! But I think it has been since Emsley was born that I have a strong desire to make roots. To be able to look back years down the road and have beautiful memories that don't have to go away if rent is too high or if we need something else. I want to be the sentimental sap that I have totally become and do it freely in the comforts of my own home. I know that this next place is going to help us accomplish that and we will have some memories made there to cherish but long for that stability and groundedness.

But truthfully, I am trying to be grateful for having a home and even more, to have another one to be moving to. We are able to make rent every month and eat and go out. I know we are blessed. I'm trying to remember that our lives could be so much harder but God has blessed us. And lastly, I want to always have the perspective that any home here on earth is not really my home...my home is with my Savior in Heaven...not that is being grounded and on a firm foundation to boot!

6 months old

It is a little hard to believe that our little girl is half a year old today! 6 months have passed since she was born and our world was forever changed. We have been having so much fun with Emsley. She is sitting up and able to play with herself on the floor now. She started eating solid foods last month and now loves to eat like a big girl. The poor thing is definitely teething now and it is so hard to see her in pain but we think she is taking it like a champ. We can't wait to see how much cuter she looks with her little teeth. But for now we are enjoying her being exactly this stage! I think this past month has been our most favorite month...she is so fun and we just love Emsley!

Here are some stats as she turns 6 months:

-Weighs 21.2 pounds and is in the 99th percentile
-Is about 27 1/2 inches tall and is in the 95th percentile
-Is in size 3 diapers...for now
-Wears 9 month clothes...but some of her 12 month pants fit great...she is tall!
-Eats solids in the morning and evening, favorites are sweet potatoes and squash
-Takes 5 bottles a day but much less amount per day than before
-Goes to sleep about 11 hours a night...bed by 7:30 or 7:45 and up at like 6:30 or 7am
-She now has a big girl bathtub...an inflatable ducky that is her own little pool...too cute!
-Sits up constantly and will just play well
-Although she can't crawl forward, she will move in a circle while on her tummy...almost there!
-Drinks water from a sippy cup
-Smiles at everything and everyone but mommy and daddy know how to make to laugh the most!
-Absolutely loveable!

Seriously, I can't say enough about how much we love Emsley! Happy 6 months to our little girl!

God's Greater Plan

What does it mean to just sit and listen to God? In my life, I rarely take the time to just listen to God...to hear him as he leads us in our life. I mean, he desires to give us a life that will grow us to be in a better and deeper relationship with Him. But sometimes, I think that I know better about what God has planned for our life. I don't want to sit around and let Him open doors and lead us. It is so much easier to just discover opportunities for us instead. And lately, this is a part of me that I have decided to let go of and leave my own desires and opinions to God. To put these thoughts at His feet and surrender to Him.

Seriously, this isn't easy. I mean, if you want to look for a new job, isn't it easier to just go online and look for other companies hiring? But in truth, Mike and I desire to be a couple that allows Him to lead us to a job or ministry, or maybe even another child. It may not be easy but this is definitely the way that God planned it. Jeremiah 29:11 has always been a favorite verse of mine. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..." Right there He says that HE is the one that creates and provides all the plans for our lives. It may not be easy but it is exactly what He desires of us.

This past week I was having my quiet time and landed in James. It was kinda cool about how I landed on James 1:19-27. I had this feeling that I wanted to read about listening to God and caring about what He cares about and about what He desires for my heart to be desiring. So I landed on James and read about obeying God's word. God has a few things that weigh very heavily on his heart that He makes extremely clear in His word. James 1:27 says that "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." There we have it...we are to to care for orphans and widows and to stay true to God and to not be transformed by this sinful world we live in (Romans 12:2).
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So how have we been applying this our lives? Well, we have a crazy passion for orphans...God has given us an undeniable desire to not only care for those who don't have a mommy and daddy to kiss them goodnight but also to educate others about this growing worldwide problem. But this is the crazy thing...we have absolutely no idea as to how to accomplish this so we will sit and wait for God to lead us...to show us his greater plan for our lives. It may be to start locally but in truth, God may be leading us to where He feels there is a need. So we sit and wait for He guidance and in the mean time, I will rest in knowing that He already knows where our lives will go and to what purpose we will have. We sit and pray that God will use us....this is scary to say, "yes, Lord we are here, use us" but this is what God has put on our hearts and I joyfully wait for the direction He gives us.