SEPTEMBER

Where did September go? It has been so crazy busy at our house. From running around updating our adoption paperwork, to getting back into the routine of school and schedules, to working on our wonderful old "new" house (as Silas calls it), to settling in to a church in Holland, to preparing for the girls! It has been a very full, exhausting, exciting, and challenging month! For me, the urgency to travel to get to Caroline and Marta is strongly on the rise, the wait is getting more difficult. Working on our home has been a blessing in disguise...if I was not busy right now, I don't know how I would tolerate the wait. God knows my heart and what I can handle.

It wouldn't be right for me to look back on this crazy month and not share the blessings we've received from others...like...opening the mail and once again receiving a check for exactly the amount we need to pay for all our current adoption expenses, for a father-in-law who comes and works on our house every day he has available, for a dad and mom who came and spent an afternoon weeding in our front yard, for a family from school/ new church that invited us to join their Bible Study, for a dear friend who sent home in Isabel's backpack "the ultimate facial" on a day that I really needed a pick me up, for many offering to take our kiddos so we can get work done, for the many that offer to help us move when it's time, for a neighbor who came and helped me paint the bedrooms upstairs on a totally last minute phone call-yes there is color in the house!!!... for a family from our Colombian Connection that hosted a dinner with some other CC families so we could have some fellowship before we take off for Bogota...for amazing teachers and friends that have allowed our kids not just to like school, but, to love it...for a great Custom Home Project that John just signed in one of the worst housing markets...it has been so good...SO GOOD! We have experienced the fullness of God's grace this past month, through amazing people He has put in our path...yes, we are tired, but, so overwhelmed by God's provision and care for our family!!

Isabel is thriving at school. She loves every minute of it! I didn't realize how much I was going to miss her throughout the day. Outside of school, she has started back up taking ballet at a new christian dance studio, Turning Pointe, and Weds. nights are date night with Daddy- off to church, as John is doing a study and she sings in Kidz Praise! She is having fun playing soccer on Saturday mornings through Zeeland Rec. Below are her good friends Quincy and Brooklyn who are in her class and on her soccer team.

Many have been inquiring about the house...well from the outside, it's not looking so great yet...a little wood rotting off the sides, funky hole covers where the insulation was blown in...really doesn't bother me, just part of the process...and with the girls coming, we need to work on the inside...this has been a great picture lesson for the kids, as Isabel can't understand why we can't just make the outside of our house look beautiful...it's been great to share how God needs to work on the inside of our hearts first, getting rid of all the "junk," before we can shine bright for Him in His kingdom!

You can see, still some things to do on the main floor...caulking and sanding all the woodwork, spraying the trim, installing the Hickory hardwoods, and painting the walls...that's in the old part of the house...the kitchen still needs it's cabinets installed, booth built, etc...

...but, it is coming along. The addition has been sided, one coat of paint...the house is going to be a little goofy this winter being mix matched...

...the mudroom, pantry area, and laundry will be done by the time we move in, we may be without a kitchen for a few weeks...that's part of remodeling...one of my favorite things about this old house is the 9 1/2 ft. ceilings throughout the main floor...






...being married to a builder is fun. Stressful at times, but, fun when you are fixing up your own house...wood is good..and we have quite a bit of it going on, it will all be painted as the original was all painted ...I really like the beams that are in our kitchen...






And Zeeland Architechural did a great job of matching up our orignal baseboard and trim so we could keep it flowing throughout the main floor...





...but, my favorite thing they did was our staircase. It's going to be beautiful when painted!!

...I enjoy finding unique things, and a there is a great line called D.A.D.S. that has fun, chunky furniture feet for our built-ins!

Ahhh...and there is color! I didn't realize how much I missed it until it went up (our condo is one neutral color-blah)! Below is my favorite from Benjamin Moore called "Dragons Breath!" It is very rich!!! That's going to be our bedroom. I'm so thankful that John was willing to cathedral the ceiling to make it feel bigger and brighter!





Caroline and Marta are going to have a fun room with a few nooks and cranny's! I wanted something "cheery" for them and have not used yellow in a while...







...and here's Si Guys little green room. I still need to paint a blue stripe to tie all his bedding and pieces together...he had to give up the big room when we heard about the sisters, and has not complained! He's excited how "cozy" his room is going to be...and reminds me proudly that he is going to be in the middle of all of his sisters, being their protector! That he will be!




...and yes, sweet Izzy had to have a "bubble gum" pink room! She got it! Her reaction when she saw it was just precious. She squeezed me so tight saying "Thank you...Thank you....Thank you...Mommy!" I think the "quiet" walls on our condo have gotten to her, too!





So, as you can see...we've been working hard, but, it is now starting to come with great reward, as we are a month away from settling in to our new "old" house! I am looking forward to making our new daughter's feel safe and secure...not having to pick this light fixture out or that granite slab out...or running to get fingerprinted for the 3rd time for the FBI to make sure we are still fit to be parents...just being a family, focusing on being a mom...we are almost there...praise God for being with us each step of the way!

These past 6 weeks we have received one blessing after another. From the big things like our girls, to the very little things like paint on the walls... My prayer is that we will not take any one of them for granted, that we can give God all the glory for what He is doing among us, and that we can look for oppurtunities to bless others along their life's journey!