you are worth Christmas...

blogging, is probably on the bottom of my priority list this week...

but I've been wanting to update you all, and share the following with you....

as you are about to see, we are so in love this little piggy.....

She loves to communicate by snorting..... It's quite funny.

That' more of her cry....."The Snort", as we call it.

Her daddy and I are smitten over her.....

her sisters, are my sidekicks.....

They are the biggest helpers. And they forgive me a hundred times over when my "cranky, sleepless mommy" comes out.....which isn't pretty.....

As many of you know, my brother is a photographer..... when he couldn't make it down to shoot the newborn pics, the only other person I trusted to capture "us" was Lindsay.


I have always appreciated Lindsay's work. I called her last minute and asked her if she would come capture the moment of the newness of this new life.


She was so gracious to jump on it the day before Thanksgiving. She wants what I want. Just snap away, and get the real deal. Not the poses. She has a gift of having the artistic eye on life.

I can't tell  you how much she blessed us....

I can't not tell you the amount of times a day I think..... " We have a baby......", "We have a new daughter.."..

but we are not the only ones in love with her......

Hope's story is only at the beginning of her time to share it. We know God has big plans for her life. Her little soul has already captured the hearts of so many. People can't deny the love of our Heavenly Father when they see her.

This past message at church was a beautiful one. I encourage you to click on the link below and watch it.

It is the most beautiful picture of adoption into God's family as Galatians 4 speaks of.

When Andy talks about the love that is different of the love for your children that you birthed. It has nothing to do with a less or more love. I knew exactly what he meant. It is a love that is driven by the Father, that was given immediately and unconditionally to Hope.

He talks about being "pursued".....That is the most powerful word in that message to me. Hope was pursued.. Prayed for. Loved. Cherished. Way before us meeting her. And not just by us. God has pursued her. That is what brings full tears to my eyes. That is what fills my heart with song for her new life.

Adoption and this Sunday's message, opened my eyes even more so to the love God has for me. For us. That He would pursue us, and adopt us into His family.

I did wonder before Hope was even in the picture, what it would feel like.....

When she came to us, I realized, she's been in the picture all along. From the beginning, God had planned her life. It is something I "knew" in my head, but really didn't reach my heart until I started to see God reveal it.  Everything in our life leading up to Hope joining our family was preparing us. I can look back at YEARS ago and see how that plays apart in her becoming our daughter.

There is no denying the beautiful plan God has for His children. There is no denying there is purpose in life. There is no denying that God wants us. That He pursues us. There is no denying the birth of Jesus for us. There is no denying the love of Christ. The sacrifice that was made. The blood that was shed for us; the grave that was conquered to become adopted. To become children of God.

We hadn't any idea that this message series "The Thrill of Hope", was what our series would be on this Christmas at church. I knew when we named her Hope, that it was going to be a powerful name. It is a powerful word to me. It was a powerful presences in the room that morning we named her. It's a word that means so much in my life.

So much so, that God deeply placed that word last Christmas on my heart. We even shared it with others, and stamped it in a building with artwork of a place that provided hope. Little did I know, that even then, God was burning her story into my heart. That He was preparing me for Hope.

Hope wasn't a name we had even talked about as a family. We had never even mentioned it.

When the birth mother and I named her. It didn't take me long at all. I feel certain God gave me her name, as I told the birth mother, that I wanted her to have hope. There is still hope in her life. That through Jesus, He has provided her hope. That precious mother IS worth something. I want to tell her over and over, that she is. Please click the link below, as you will find, YOU are worth something too. You are worth Christmas.



Because of Christmas. Because you are worth it.

Merry Christmas and To God be the Glory!

Galatians 4:4-7

New International Version (NIV)

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.[a] 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Soninto our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[b] Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

http://northpoint.org/messages/the-thrill-of-hope/your-story/