That's what friends are for!

All during winter break she was nervous about what her friends would think about her when she returned with her glasses. We even had a mini meltdown at bedtime over this. She was worried her classmates might tease her and that her eyes are not strong anymore. Sigh...

Then came the big day and she bravely faced her fears head-on. All day I wondered how she did. I even picked her up early today to hear about it, first hand.

Her good friend told her today at school when she sported her new glasses for the first time, "You look VERY smart!" Now THAT'S what good friends are for! Thank you K for saying just the right thing.

Feeling Relieved,

~Kate-Lyn~

Pardon me, but I'm going out on a limb here...

...my joy cup is running over and I need to "spill" a little. If you are alright with that, read on. If not, come back another day.

I've always been a cautious and guarded soul who doesn't want to stick her neck out and risk getting bit. That likely stems from having so many early losses in my life, and still now. But I've jumped in with both feet this time and it feels good!

Honestly, if you had asked me back in May what I thought the future held for our Ryon and Kaitey I would have said, "I'm gonna pray them through it. I have no idea." Well pray  I did and I'm still prayin' and God is blessing us in such big ways that I'm gonna go out on a limb and be overwhelmingly joyful.

How can I hold back my joy when I hold tiny little Cyrus in my arms? He's the image of his father, my son. The image of my son. That is huge! And yet, at least right now, his personality is that of his Mom, Kaitlyn. Still as a pond. Oh. Thank.You. God!!

If I love Cyrus this much, knowing how he fills my heart because of who he is-- made like my son, this resounds of Jesus who God sent to earth in human form to save us, to give us new life. Separated from God no more in sin. His joy is even greater than mine with who He created, you and me. Made in the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. I type in tears at this realization-given but a glimpse of His goodness, invested in all of us. He laughs when we laugh, weeps when we weep. Longs for us to tell Him we love Him. Longs to hear us sing His name in praise. And the joy He must feel when we are home with Him. Oh God, how you love us. Thank you for your Son. Our Savior, our Prince of Peace. King of Kings. Lord of all.

Multiplying my joy is knowing that they are shaping up to be some pretty awesome parents. Young yes, but they are patient, intuitive, gentle, doting and always ready to hear words of advice. I'm not sure I was so eager to hear advice as they are. Frankly, I KNOW I wasn't!

Then came Sunday. That's when I just bubbled over like a soup pot at full boil! We all attended church together as it was a very special day for my niece and her husband. They became members of our church and were baptized together as well. Hard to top that one all by itself on the joy meter! They are different, they know it. Ask them! They will more than happily share this journey. And the best part? It's just begun! Oh thank you God for what you have planted in those who I love so dearly. I eagerly await your plan for them.

Having our son, his girlfriend, and their baby at my side tipped me over the edge. If only I could've bottled up the excess joy to uncork on a day when I need a boost! I tell you we'd need a case! As they sat there, holding hands and listening to Pastor Paul's sermon, adoringly attending to their little miracle; I felt like my heart would just explode from my chest.

Lord you are so good. You love us unconditionally. You long to draw us even closer to You. How great you are! This is my prayer, Lord please let my words be pleasing to You.

Dear Heavenly Father,

This weekend was full of tangible, physical, rock-solid evidence of Your presence in our lives.Thank you for that! Sometimes I need it. Not because I need something tangible to believe who You are, but when events transcend thought or feeling and become tangible they are so much more perceivable to me in my human qualities. Thank you, that you know what I need. Thank you that you are taking such good care of  our son, Kaitlyn, and Cyrus Alexander. Lord please continue to bless them in this journey. Lord I pray that they will continue to grow in love, unity and trust for one another. I pray that they will, in their own time, make their way to the alter. To consecrate their marriage with You in the center. Lord I trust in Your goodness. I know you love them more than I humanly can. For that I find immense peace, comfort and boundless joy. Thank you for the work you are doing in our family, our church and in me. I am humbled that You would love me and use me to be Your hands and feet here on earth. Help me God. Help me to be and to do all you want. Let it be Your will God, not mine. When I am weak, make me strong. When storms come, let me lean in to your loving arms. When joyful times come, such as these, let me never forget that You are the source of this joy. How great You are! Amen.

I sit at Your feet, longing for more...

~Kate-Lyn~

Seven

It's a big one, turning seven. She's already heading down the path to being a big girl and not my little girl any more. Somebody put the brakes on PLEEZ!

This year we let Grace pick her party ideas all by herself and she narrowed it down to three pretty easily. They were 1) Laser Tag 2) Snowtubing 3) Rollerskating, in that order. Well number one got ruled out quite quickly as the date/times that were available did not mesh with ours. Number two was ruled out by our YIPEEE! lack of snow. So, that left rollerskating! I was a teensy bit hesitant on the idea due to their age and not being sure how many friends have actually done this before. But, we thought a little more and decided that if Miss Grace could manage then likely her friends could too with being so close in age. I am SO happy we went through with the plan because we had ALOT of fun!

The day started out at a slow pace with lots of falling. Thank GOD kids bounce! If I fell that many times in an hour we'd simply need a stretcher to get me outta there and to the ER, LOL! But as time went on they all did better and better, us parents too! I was counting backwards and calculated that it's been at least seven years since I have had skates on. Nonetheless I put 'em on and away I went. I was doing great! Then about 1/2 way through and as I was trying to assist Miss Grace's friend named Grace from falling, I took a spill. On the way down I was thinking, "Oh God, no broken bones please!" My prayer was answered mid-way as I landed relatively gracefully and without incident. WHEW!

We arrived at noon and by 2:30 they were some thirsty and hungry kiddo's. Then just when I began to get concerned (the party room was ours at 3:00) the manager came over and asked if we'd like to begin our party earlier. WHEW again! Yes, indeed we would! Impeccable timing Sir, their tummy's thank you very much!

So, pizza and drinks were served, then birthday singing followed by cupcakes, ice cream and gifts.

Then, as if that weren't enough fun; they opened up the nightclub, Secrets, for everyone to enjoy for an hour. It was AWESOME!

All in all it was a great day of laughs, smiles and making memories with friends. Isn't that what turning SEVEN should be all about?! I sure think it is and so did Miss Grace and her friends.

Smilin' til my cheeks hurt,

~Kate-Lyn~

Love and other stuff, please don't read this if you can't keep a secret...

With Valentine's Day upon us I guess I'm feeling rather "smooshy" today and something struck me as I passed through Ross's "boy cave" today that I just had to post. But...if you can't keep a secret "X out" of here right now. K?!

So this is what I saw on the futon that he has purchased for his sweet girlfriend who we just treasure.

So sweet isn't it? Plus he shared with us over breakfast that he is getting her chocolate covered strawberries from the bakery he works at then heading to dinner and a movie. How fun! How special she is going to feel! I just love this day!

All this mushy-ness makes me think back to the days when Peter and I were dating so I decided to dig out a ring that he bought me one Valentine's Day, long ago. I'm going to wear it today and when I look at it I'm going to recall fond memories of days past. I am also going to thank God for the blessing of this special man that He placed in my life and chose special, just for me. Thank you Jesus, your love is amazing!

Speaking of love, I wanted to share another fond moment of late that speaks loudly of the Father's love in our world. After bringing Miss Grace home in 2007 it became abundantly clear that there were so many little ones, not as fortunate as her and her China Sisters, that remain in Bengbu and neighboring areas of Anhui Province who still wait for their forever families. Some will remain there forever due to disability; others will age out and we pray they have been given opportunities to develop skills to carry them forward as they seek a life of independence.

By God's intervention I became acquainted with a man named Jeff Kircik who visits Bengbu SWI on a regular basis and gives selflessly of his time there through an organization called Packages of Hope. That's a whole 'nother story,  you'll have to ask me about as it's TOO much to type here. However, it could make another great post now that I think of it. Anyway, as I have done for several years now, I assist in gathering funding for his nearly annual visit to the SWI. This year was unique because our church was involved as well. I'm happy to say that we were able to provide $500.00 in funding to the residents of Bengbu SWI. After Jeff returned home he posted his entire trip to his blog. I, in turn, shared this wonderful news with our congregation a few Sunday's ago and oh the joy and the outpouring of love there was for the children there!

It makes me look forward to what God is going to do next year for these little ones (and big one's too!) that He loves so much.

And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Basking in His perfect love,

~Kate-Lyn~

Numero Uno!!

This weekend Ross played in the John Mack Southern Tier Shootout. It is the largest indoor tournament in the nation with 99 teams in attendance from around the country! The tournament is a highly competitive event with 40 minute running time, an 8-8 format (2-3-2) played in the Greater Binghamton Sportplex dome. 

The event is also a fund raiser to help teams be equipped with AED devices. John Mack was a 17 year old lax player who was fatally injured from a blow to the chest during a game back in 2006. So sad, so young. Now the funds raised in his memory assists teams who struggle to purchase this costly $2000.00 piece of equipment. How awesome is that?!

We hit the field at 8:00 a.m. and competed fairly well against team #1 with a 14-2 win. While they did win they just didn't seem as cohesive as they should be. 

Game two at 9:30 a.m. was played against a local team and it started out well on both sides. Then as the gap in the scored widened the other team began to get "chippy" resulting in too many penalties and a loss of focus on their part. I'm happy to say it only served to create momentum on ours! The score ended at 23-12. This win placed us in the championship game--OMG!

After a two hour food/rest/mental break the team hit the field again at 12:30 against a very well-dressed Canadian team. I mention well-dressed 'cuz that USUALLY means they are "sick and nasty" and will be formidable on the field. The game did begin on a strong note for the opposition. Then once again our defense became a fortess and our goalie held his ground and the gap began to widen to a consistent three point advantage. Then six points. Our midfielders and attackmen were like well-oiled machines! Somewhere after that we just kept the heat on until the final buzzer and YES WE WON!!!!! 

Champions! What a way to head into the Spring season. Our coaches could not have been more pleased. They worked hard for this win and we TOOK it!

Look out, here we come!

I bet those boys will sleep in their championship shirts tonight, LOL!

So proud of each one!

~Kate-Lyn~

"The Sweetest Boy I Know"

Yup, that was the discussion that Miss Grace and I had the other night. We were filling out Valentine's Cards for her classmates and she was VERY mindful of the card each person got from her, particularly the ones with the X's and O's on them. She told me that the only friends who would get those were girls like Kelsey or Gracie, her close friends, NOT any BOYS!

Each time we have ever asked her who is the special boy in her life she always say emphatically, "No one! I am going to marry Baxter!" For those who don't know, Baxter is our dog, LOL! Guess that means boys are just not on the radar right now and we are TOTALLY good with that.

But...just as we were finishing writing out her cards she shared a little secret sentiment, almost as if her thoughts accidentally slipped out audibly, which took me quite by surprise. Out of the blue she said, "Aivin is the sweetest boy I know." Awwww, that is so sweet!

I must say that of all the boys her age I know, he IS more than worthy of her affection. Hurry summer, so they can be pals again!

Loving my sweet girl,

~Kate-Lyn~

Wordless...

More beautiful than words,

~Kate-Lyn~