It's a Date.....

In the midst of the holiday season, we spent a little time preparing for the upcoming months, specifically cooking for a month (well, actually it was more like two months but I digress). On the day when we were cooking, JT casually told me that our friends in Uganda had a referral for us of a little girl. He gave me all the specifics that he knew, and that was the end of the conversation....

In adoption world, a referral can be lost or declined or well, in our case, it can take forever to get and even longer to get to court. So, I put in the back of my mind and continued to pray for a court date soon to get Zeke.

However, the lawyer and officers in the court system saw fit to put the court cases together ALREADY!!! That's God's timing and not ours. We found this out three days later. So, on January 20th, we will head to court in Uganda to adopt TWO precious children, Zeke and Elly.

This is God's answer to a year's worth of prayers. I am overwhelmed by the prospect of becoming a mom to five children, but know that God's grace is sufficient. He IS enough! I rest in His promises right now and know that He knows exactly what I need!

So, JT and I will be flying out of Birmingham on January 20th. The plan is for me to return the following week to take care of our three children here. JT will stay in Uganda to care for our little ones there. We pray that the process will be smooth sailing.....okay, adoption veterans, insert laughter here.

We hope that I will be able to fly to London or Dallas to meet up with JT and the kids on the way home. Then, we will all come home together at the end of February. Please pray that God will show Himself faithful (as always) and He will be glorified!

Making Gingerbread....

We have never made homemade gingerbread houses before, so we all decided that we would take some time to venture into new territory this year. We wanted to make real gingerbread houses....so, off to the internet for some resources. We found a site that allowed us to following specific instructions for the layout of the house as well as the recipe for the gingerbread and icing. Adding to that my friend Angelia's suggestion to use a hot glue gun, and we were off and running.

Each of the kiddos made their own house and decorated it with NO input from anyone else. We also made a larger gingerbread house which the kids decided looked like a church.... They turned out great, and now we have the memories that will last a lifetime. It was a whole day's worth of work (actually 2 because we had to let the gingerbread dry overnight first), but it was definitely worth the smiles on their faces!

Cooking with a crowd...

At one time, the outdoor grill, both ovens and the stove were in use. Food was stacked on chairs and couches, while foods were being prepared in the kitchen and dining area. It was joyfully full!

H, H and Jett putting meals on the front porch. We stacked each families' meals separately throughout the day on the front porch - wish it had been about 20 degrees cooler.

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H, H, and Kait making cornflake chicken for what seemed like forever.

LL is my organic, hippie friend who put up with our recipes and store-bought food all day. She's the best!

On Tuesday our small group family moms came over along with their oldest children (all teenage girls). We set out to make 40 + meals for each of our families. In the next month, two of our families will be traveling to Uganda and one family is expecting twins in the next few weeks. So, we were all in a place where we needed to use our resources in an ultra-wise, time-sensitive way!

So, we decided to organize a cooking day at my house. We started at 9:00 in the morning. We finished around 5:30...that was all of the cooking, cleaning, and packing into cars. We ended up with 60-70 meals per family! God was so gracious to us and His mercy reigned.

What a great time for our small group to spend together so that we can be prepared for the additions coming soon! There are a ton of sites on the internet for once a month cooking (OAMC) with recipes, directions, shopping lists, etc. So, I encourage you to do the same - use the extra meals to provide for other families who are in need. This is a great way to serve with your family!