Jon & Bethany: sharing our passion for the gospel, adoption, saving money, & family life!

Jonah would like to introduce you to...

2012-02-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

his baby sister and baby brother!

{Ok, well we can't show you pictures of his REAL soon-to-be-siblings, but these 2 dolls have been "standing in" for them for months now. Jonah calls the girl "baby sisers" and the boy "baby bruder."}

Here's a typical day in our home:

just hanging out with baby sister and baby brother in the play room,

playing with "sisers" in her (soon-to-be) crib,

practicing giving his siblings lots of hugs,

and of course a little musical jam session with his siblings:

If you haven't been on our blog in a while you may be confused... no, I am not pregnant. We are expecting though! We're matched with a 1 year old boy and 2 1/2 month old baby girl who currently live in the Congo, but we hope will be joining our forever family this spring!!!

{You can get more details if you're still curious over @ our adoption blog: www.wewillcometoyou.blogspot.com}

Excited to be a Mom of 3 soon,

*PINspired Kid's Kitchen

2012-01-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

A few months before Christmas I was browsing through awesome DIY projects on Pinterest and came across lots of cool DIY kid's kitchen made from old cabinets or old entertainment centers. I showed them to my husband and was getting excited to make one of these DIY kitchens for our son for Christmas! I thought it would be a fun, EASY, short project. Well.... my sweet carpentry-loving, engineer of a husband decided that we would just start from scratch and make ours even better. Several weeks and just $100 later we finished it the day before Christmas Eve!

Well folks, I give you the finished product... you be the judge of it's awesomeness. Either way, we love it! {And more importantly so does our lil guy!}

This children's kitchen comes complete with:

a chalkboard under the breakfast bar eating area

(with our 2 Ikea barstools)

a real bar-sized sink, granite (tile) countertops, and a glass tile backsplash

{which, by the way, is nicer than MY actual kitchen! ha}

LED light-up burners on the cooktop

{Mr. Electrical Engineer husband gets all the credit for the idea & execution of this part!}

an oven with real oven knobs for cooking that plastic food "just right"

an oven coil that LIGHTS UP at the push of a button

{another cool addition from the Electrical Engineer! He used this Electroluminescent wire, which is safe, stays cool to the touch unlike rope light, and comes in all kinds of colors.}

so, TADA... that is our PINspired pretty unique kitchen for our kiddos!

What do you think??

And the Winner is...

2012-01-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Introducing... fb timeline cover photo Collages!

2012-01-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

{more details at blogdesignbybethany.blogspot.com}

Just email me @ blogdesignbybethany@gmail.com with your photos!

I will fill requests in the order I receive them, so better get in line now!

Current turn-around time for first draft is around 48 hours, but that won't last long,

as we PRAY that this would be a great fundraiser for our adoption!

You only have 5 days left to

enter to WIN the blog design by Bethany GIVEAWAY!

{We've added the option for the winner to choose between a blog header/signature package OR a free fb Timeline collage!!}

Thanks for helping us spread the word about our adoption fundraising!!

Trusting in Christ to provide for our every need,

a blog design GIVEAWAY!

2012-01-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Jon and I are (obviously) eager to have our children home in our arms from the DRC! But with each new exciting step in our adoption journey also come new FEES. Attorney fees. Agency fees. Travel fees. And on and on....

So in an effort to help SPREAD THE WORD about our newest adoption FUNDRAISER, I am going to host a GIVEAWAY! We trust that the Lord will provide the last $6,500+ that we need somehow. And I am willing to Photoshop my heart out if that helps. Please help us spread the word about blog design by Bethany! And you'll have a chance to WIN some free custom blog design elements!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
One lucky winner will receive their choice of either:

a FREE CUSTOM BLOG HEADER and BLOG POST SIGNATURE

OR a Custom fb Timeline cover photo COLLAGE

{similar to this one, including up to 5 of your photos}

made by me (blog design by Bethany)!

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Mandatory Entry (don't worry it's EASY): Simply leave a comment on this post letting me know why you'd like to win this giveaway! (See I told you it was easy. Include your first name and blog web address so I can contact you if you're the winner!)

Additional Optional Entries
2. FOLLOW Jon + Bethany via Google Friend Connect and/or RSS (leave a comment that you are a follower)
3. FOLLOW blog design by Bethany via Google Friend Connect and/or RSS (leave a comment that you follow this blog)

4. SHARE about our new adoption Fundraiser blog design by Bethany and/or this giveaway on your Facebook wall (leave a comment with a link to your facebook post)
5. WRITE about blog design by Bethany adoption fundraiser on your blog (leave a comment with a link to your blog post)
6. GRAB the blog button for blog design by Bethany and add it to your blog (leave a comment with a link to your blog). {Directions for adding blog buttons @ blogdesignbybethany.blogspot.com}

{Make sure you leave a seperate comment for each of these that you do! Each comment counts as 1 entry and increases your chances of winning!}

Each person has up to 6 chances to Enter! The WINNER will be announced on January 18th, 2012!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Entries accepted until midnight EST on Jan. 17, 2021. Winner will be announced on 1-18-12.
-Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, winner will be chosen using random # generator.
-Giveaway offered to Blogger site authors only. {Exception: I will design for Wordpress, but You will have to implement the designs on your blog yourself. Sorry, I'm still learning Wordpress.}
- I will contact the winner to get started designing!

Our New Adoption Fundraiser

2012-01-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

Our newest Adoption Fundraiser has begun! I will be sharing my love for blog design, cute fonts, and Photoshop to help finance the final costs of our adoption at blog design by Bethany!

(100% of the proceeds from my blog designing will help us pay the rest of the travel, attorney, agency and other fees we have left to rescue our two sweet children from the DRC!)

Once our adoption is complete I plan to continue blog design by bethany so that 100% of the proceeds can be given to financially support other families who are adopting!

The Lord seems to have laid this fundraising idea on my heart in His perfect timing. Last week my van started doing something funky, not going from first to second gear, D (as in Drive) flashing, etc... so we took it in to get looked at, and yes, just as we had feared---- we need a new transmission. So our personal savings account is now taking a $3,000 - $4,000+ hit (depending on if they can find a good used one to rebuild- Pray with us that they do!). All this after we just finished (a couple months ago) fixing the major structural damage we found in our basement at the end of the record-setting rainfall that flooded our basement 10 times last spring/summer (another $3,000 we weren't planning on spending).

All this to say, we are trusting in our Sovereign God to provide for us, but we would love it if you would help pray that He will provide the last $6,500 we need!

If you'd like to help spread the word, I'd love for you to "grab" my blog button and add it to your blog! {You just copy the text in the box beneath my button on blogdesignbybethany.blogspot.com, add an HTML/javascript gadget to your blog (on the Design tab) and paste the text, then save!} You could also help me spread the word by writing a short post about this Fundraiser on your blog or Facebook wall!

I am clinging to Christ and His promises in His word:

" Put not your trust in princes,

in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed,

who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;

8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

the LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the sojourners;

he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The LORD will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 146: 3-10

Praying Expectantly to my Heavenly Father, the God of Jacob,

EXCITING Update from Lifesong!

2011-12-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Do you remember that Hope Ethiopia:100 challenge we gave you? The one where YOU all completely exceeded our goals?

And that one
phone call where an AMAZING donor committed to match ALL donations
(up to $130,000) to Lifesong Ethiopia through the end of 2011?

Well, we found out about that donor on November 17th! That's 45 days to raise $130,000... which
made this goal seem next to impossible... in OUR eyes! However, as you all know... GOD had
different plans for THESE kids -

and these kids -

Plans that we could never had imagined... plans
to give them hope and a future!

Thanks to an AMAZING TEAM of individuals and their fundraising efforts, coupled with
the provision of our Lord, THE MATCH HAS BEEN MET! Did
you hear me? All ONE HUNDRED THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS has been donated for the children at the
Adami Tulu and Ziway, Ethiopia schools!

We stand in complete awe of our MIGHTY Jehovah Jireh!

Thank you fundraising team for your efforts, for the way you never stop advocating
for these children, and for our faith in our Lord God Almighty to provide for ALL of their needs!

Thank you donors who stepped up to the challenge and did not let the dollar amount
get in the way... but trusted that EVERY one of your dollars mattered!

Thank you to all of you who advocated for these children, pray for them, and have
invested in their lives... it will surely be an invest with an eternal reward!

Check the Adami Tulu site often to learn more about The Project, the
fundraising priorities, and what's in store for 2012!

Praising God for His care for orphans through believers,

Merry CHRISTmas!

2011-12-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hope you had a very Merry CHRISTmas with your friends and family celebrating the birth of Jesus! We wish you a blessed New Year in 2012!

front of our Snapfish Christmas card

back of our Snapfish card

Love, Jon, Bethany & Jonah-bug

Results of 5am wakeup call

2011-12-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

Want to know what happens when your almost 2 year old wakes up at 5:30AM and says "All done" to his bed?

You decide to feed him an early lunch because he seems tired.
During lunch he starts to look kind of sleepy....

And bam- next time you turn your head he is asleep in the highchair!

Poor lil guy has had a low-grade fever for a couple days and just needs some extra sleep I guess. I gotta say I don't blame him, I'm pretty exhausted from getting up at 5AM too!

Praying to "sleep in" til 7 tomorrow,

How good are you?

2011-12-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

How good are you? On a scale from one to ten? Click here to find out.

Or maybe even watch this video below. It really helps you think rightly about it. Are you a good person?

(You'll have to go to the bottom of my blog and pause the music so you can hear the video.)
When my friend asked me this question 7 years ago, I thought I was like an 8 on the goodness scale. And I thought that was enough to help me get into heaven. But boy was I WAY off. I am SO thankful that God helped me see my sin and rebellion against him and his commands and showed me my need for a Savior. I rejoice in telling you now that I know I am a SINNER, saved by the grace of God through faith in His Son Jesus alone who atoned for my sin on the cross.

What an incredible gift that God gave to the world those 2,000+ years ago on CHRISTmas day.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:16-17

A sinner saved by God's grace,

PINspired Menu Planning board

2011-12-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

I was totally INSPIRED to do this project by this great tutorial I found on Pinterest to make a Menu Planning board for our kitchen. The more I thought about the idea the more I LOVED and decided I needed to make one for myself!! After using it for almost a month now I can honestly say that I do love it and it has made my menu planning so much FASTER!

I have all our favorite recipes written down in one place, no flipping through cookbooks trying to decide what to make for the week. AND I added the ingredient list on the back of each one so I can quickly make out my grocery list for the week! I also wrote on the back the page # and cookbook for each recipes so I can find it quickly on the day I need it. I LOVE IT!!! =)

To do this super fun and easy project yourself all you need is:

1. A picture frame (I got mine for like $3 at a kids consignment sale in the home decor section!)

2. fabric (1/2 a yard would be more than enough, I used a scrap piece I had)

3. 7 clothes pins (super cheap in the laundry section @ Walmart/Target)

4. Felt for pockets (just 1 sheet is plenty, should be around $.50)

5. Cork squares

6. foam scrapbook stickers

7. Hot glue gun & plenty of glue sticks

8. Card stock cut into rectangles (for meals)

and VOILA!!

(Ok, if you want more detailed intructions than "viola" you can follow the one I used over at ohsochichi.blogspot.com.)

{Back side of a Meal card}

*Another Tip: I start with all my recipes in the left pocket and after each week I empty the recipes I've just made into the far right pocket so we have a little more variety & I'm constantly making the same things over and over.

So what do you think?? Are you PINspired??

Happy Crafting & Menu Planning!!

God is not like Santa

2011-12-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

As I was playing with my son this morning on the playroom floor I starting thinking about how fun it will be to watch him experience Christmas this year and my mind wandered off to thinking about Christmas when I was a child. I was so confused about the whole Santa/Christ's birth thing. I thought that Santa was always watching, he saw me when I was sleeping, and he wouldn't leave the presents if I was awake. (Whoever told me that one at school traumatized me that year, I remember laying in my bed sobbing because I was so excited for Christmas morning that I couldn't fall asleep and I thought "Santa" wasn't going to leave my presents.)

Anyways, I remember thinking Santa was a lot like God. I often had them jumbled up in my lil head. I thought if I was good, Santa would give me more presents. So my brother and I were always extremely nice to each other the entire month of December, and had that whole "Santa is watching" thing hanging over our heads. I knew that Santa had his "naughty" list and his "nice" list and I most certainly wanted to be on the nice list. Somewhere in all the confusion about Santa and God, I got the idea that God had a naughty and nice list too. And if you're good, you'll be on the nice list, and you'll go to heaven. If you're really, really bad, then you'll be put on the "naughty" list and you'll go to hell.

But as I was thinking about it this morning I realized how WRONG that is. God is NOT like Santa. He doesn't have naughty and nice list. If He did there would only be one person good enough to be on the nice list: His Son, Jesus. Every other human being ever born (since Adam & Eve's fall in the garden, by breaking God's 1 rule) has been born with a sinful nature. We are not naturally "good." We are all sinners. If we were judged by our actions and thoughts, none of us would make the "nice" list. We have all sinned. But God doesn't grade on a curve anyway. Being a Christian, being "saved" from the wrath of God, isn't about being GOOD enough. Isaiah 64:6 tells us literally that all our good deeds are filthy rags to God, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." We can never have enough good deeds to get into Heaven. Ever.

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom you all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ- ...for by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, NOT a result of good works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:1-5,8-9

Unlike the fictional Santa, God is very real. And he doesn't have a list of "good" and "bad" people, no, but
He does keep great ledgers in Heaven, as Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains, "the New Testament tells us that there are great books, great ledgers, kept in heaven, and each one of us has a page in those ledgers. Everything that each of us has ever done or thought or said is recorded there, written in the book; at the judgement the books will be produced and everything revealed about us. Such is the thoroughness of the judgement. Nothing can be hidden from the sight of God" (from his book, True Happiness). We will all face this judgement. "Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

And God does have another important book. The Lamb's book of life. It is mentioned throughout the New Testament.
"But nothing unclean will ever enter it [heaven], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life" (Revelation 21:27).

"And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15

The thing about God's book of life is it doesn't just determine how many gifts will be under the tree this year, it has eternal consequences. .And the only way anyone's name can ever be written in the Lamb's book of life is if their faith and hope is in Jesus Christ alone. Being in the book of life isn't based on how GOOD we are, it is based on Jesus's perfect, sinless life & HIS righteousness that God gives as a gift to those who believe! That is the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.

source

"For God so loved the world,^[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." -John 3:16-17

So amidst all the Christmas shopping, decorating, and present opening, remember that the GREATEST gift EVER given was God's gift of Jesus Christ to a sinful, fallen world. Through Jesus, we can be justified, forgiven, our slates wiped cleaned, our eternal debts paid in full by Christ's death on the cross.

Thank you God for the amazing gift of your son, Jesus! I highly recommend Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb cd to anyone who wants to get into the REAL CHRISTmas spirit! =) And open up your Bible to the New Testament and read about Jesus life, how he was tempted in every way, yet never sinned, and how salvation and peace with God are only possible through Him.

Praying you have God's gift of salvation this CHRISTmas and for the rest of your life,

first finger painting: FAIL

2011-12-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

Being the Early Childhood major that I am, I decided about a month ago that I should do all the fun things with my son that I used to do with the kids his age at the preschool on UK's campus.

{Some days I just need to not worry about the laundry, dishes, etc for a while & take time to do fun age appropriate activities with my child! I used to do all that stuff with the kids I nannied for in college. Not afraid to make a mess that has to be cleaned up later. Just have fun trying something new & watching their faces as they learn from hands-on experiences.}

I thought it would be so fun to start with FINGER PAINTING! I found some finger paints on clearance at Kroger for $.75, taped his paper down to his high chair, and got the camera ready for some fun pictures of him painting. HAHA- the pictures pretty much say it all.

He HATED it.

He screamed the entire time.

And kept staring at his hands in HORROR,

saying "MESS!"

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have shoved his hands in the paint. I should've let him explore the paint texture at his own pace (which I did the 2nd time we tried it and he enjoyed it much more, and mostly painted with just his 2 pointer fingers. Then kept saying, "Mess" and wanting me to wipe his finger off like every 10 seconds. lol) So it was a learning experience for mommy and Jonah! =)

Also, I wonder if the color red freaked him out... like he thought his hands were bleeding or something... hah, who knows.

I'm just glad I get to be home with him every day and try new things and watch him learn new things all the time! It's such a joy, even when things don't go "as planned." =)

Fondly finger painting (after Mommy's initial trauma),

Lifesong Ethiopia: a chance to Double your donation!

2011-12-07T05:07:00.000-08:00

I have the opportunity of sharing a GREAT Christmas gift idea with you! This is a gift that would keep on giving throughout the year and for many years, and even generations, to come:

Hope Ethiopia from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

Children at the Lifesong Ethiopia school are fed 2 nutritious meals per day, provided with a quality education, and taught the message of Jesus Christ. This gives kids like Beza the hope they need in order to break free from gripping poverty.

We currently have a need to build a 12-room expansion to our existing school, in order to reach more children like Beza. We have been blessed, by the generosity of a donor, to be able to MATCH all donations to the Ziway and Adami Tulu Schools between now and December 31st... up to $130,000!!!

This week, the 5^{th through the 9^th, we invite you to join Hope Ethiopia:100.}

^{We are looking for 100 people to give a one-time $100 donation!}

Joining this team will not only give hope to kids like Beza, but your dollars will
be matched AND you'll be entered into a drawing for a FABULOUS gift basket (details below).

*Gift basket includes: $100 itunes or amazon gift card, Lifesong t-shirt, Lifesong cookbook,Journey On CD, handmade necklaces & note cards by orphans in Zambia, handmade ornament from a child in Ukraine, 5 bags of Gobena coffee, Gobena coffee mug, Gobena t-shirt, andGobena tote bag. This basket is worth over $250!

*To commit via check, please send an email to info@lifesongfororphans.org. Make check payable to Lifesong for Orphans, indicate 'preference Hope Ethiopia: 100' in the memo.

Praying for the 147 million orphans worldwide and that YOU may be able to help care for them,

truth

2011-11-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

"The whole trouble in the world today is due to the fact that men and women have their own ideas of God and do not come to the Bible for it.... we base our view of God upon what we think God ought to be like. That is folly [foolishness]! If we are to know anything about God, we must come to the Bible, and we must believe and accept its revelation.... There is no knowledge of God except the knowledge He has given, and this Book [the Bible] is the record of what He has given."
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, True Happiness (p. 171)

It does not matter what you or I think God should be like. Our opinions do not change who God is or what He is, in fact, like. I've had conversations about this with several people over the years, and it always comes back to the same central point: if you are putting your hope and faith in something that is not based on TRUTH it has absolutely NO power to save you. You can believe it with all your heart, but if it is based on a lie, it will not help you in the end. What you place your hope in is extremely important. It is a decision with eternal consequences. So do you want to just assume that you are right, or do you want to know the truth? God has given us a book that was "breathed out" by Him. It is truth. If you are searching for truth about what God is like, the Bible is the only place you will find it. So open up a copy and find out for yourself.

"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." -1 John 1:5-10

you crack me up

2011-11-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a random list of things that Jonah has been doing lately that crack me up and make me smile, which is such a grace from the Lord, especially when I'm having a rough day.

@ the zoo with Nana K

- You think every clear-ish liquid is "juice", just the other day you handed me a bottle of baby oil and said, "Juice." Hmm... you're getting the concept, but let's hope you NEVER drink that stuff.

- You have learned that the phrase "Hold you" melts mommy's heart. So now you say "Hold you, hold you, hold you, hold you.. Mommy hold you" when you want to be held AND when you're trying to get out of being in trouble. Lil stinker.

- We found a cute brown skinned baby doll during our IKEA roadtrip last weekend. You walked around holding him under your arm the rest of the trip. When we ask "Where is baby brother?" You point right to him. (Melt my heart. You're going to be such a good big brother.)

- You have a new favorite book, which must to Daddy's pride and excitement, is called "Hello, Wildcat." It is all about the University of Kentucky, where your daddy and I went to college. It is hilarious. On every page you wave to the Wildcat and say "Hi" or "Go Blue" or "Go Cats"! You have requested to read it before every nap and bedtime for the past 4 days. (And multiple times during the day. haha. You point to the bookshelf and say "Go Cats!")

- You are starting to learn numbers. The other day I asked you how old you are (to which you usually hold up one finger and say "one".) But this particular day you looked at me with a silly face, held up one finger, and said "two" in a sassy voice. Oh my. It was hysterical. Your dad & I looked @ each other and cracked up, so you continued to say "I two" over and over. =)

I'm sure I'll think of more later that I don't want to forget. It's such a joy being your mommy Jonah bear!!

I love you baby boy!

Black Friday Deals: 60% off Clearance!

2011-11-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite online stationery shops, Expressionery.com, is having a great sale this Friday through Monday! Up to 60% off Clearance Products.

There might be some good gift ideas on there, so just wanted to give you a heads up! I love their personalized flat cards, folded cards, and their return address labels (but I ONLY buy them when the Clearance is extra marked down, like this weekend.)!

NEW Intentional Shopping Page!

2011-11-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Go click on the tab above to find a directory of places you can SHOP this Christmas season, to find something for everyone on your list and, at the same time, support adoption, orphan care and missions!

I'd love to hear about what other families are making/selling for their adoptions, or ways to shop to support global gospel missions and orphan care! I want this directory to be a great resource for myself and others all year long. So please email me @ mrsmeach1@gmail.com if you know of more places to purchase products that support a worthy cause!

Happy Intentional Shopping,

mowing with daddy

2011-11-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

Jonah absolutely LOVES doing pretty much anything his daddy is doing. He has progressed from watching Daddy mow from the window of his playroom to wanting to ride on the "tractor" (a.k.a. riding mower) to mowing WITH Daddy! The first time he did I was laughing so hard and trying to capture the memory in my mind and was so bummed that I didn't have my camera nearby, so the next time Jon went out to mow I came prepared with camera (and video camera) in hand! I just love watching my son watch his Daddy and learn to be a Godly man by imitating him. Oh how I LOVE my boys!

And the WINNER is...

2011-11-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

Happy 11-11-11 everyone!!

DEAL ALERT: Half Price Books

2011-11-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

I guess being mid-November, Half Price Books is trying to get rid of their children's books about Thanksgiving.

Lucky me- I got each of these like-new books for $.50 each! (And there were a LOT more left when I was done.) So you may want to go check out your local Half Price Books if you're in need of some good books to teach your children about Thanksgiving.

*Note for Louisville locals: I found the stash of $.50 Thanksgiving books back near the Children's section in a random little rack at (adult) eye level on the side of the bookcase with religious books at the Westport Road location across from Home Depot & Michael's. (It wasn't actually IN the children's section, I don't think.)

As always, I'd love to hear about the great deals you find! Just come back & leave a comment on this post.

Happy Deal Hunting,

DEAL ALERT: Tuesday Morning!

2011-11-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Hey friends, I wanted to let you know about the GREAT DEALS to be found at Tuesday Morning this week!

Today (11/10/11) through Saturday (11/12) ALL CLEARANCE items are an EXTRA 50% OFF!

Here' a few of the great deals I found:

This Melissa & Doug brand Adam & Eve puzzle was clearance priced at $1.49, so I got it for $.75!

These Playdough sets were clearance priced at $2.99, so I got them for $1.49!

This preschool Pizza game was clearance priced at $3.49, so I got it for $1.74!

My son reached his limit after browsing through the children's books and toys with me, but it looked like they had great stuff in the linens, housewares, & decor clearance sections too! I'd love to know if you find some great deals!
To find a Tuesday Morning location in your area, click here. Please leave a comment on this post if your location is running the same sale! I'm not sure if it's nationwide or store to store. (You may want to call before you go & make sure.)

Today is the last day to Enter!

2011-11-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Today is the LAST day to get your free entries in for a chance to WIN the Adam, Adam, What Do You See? Giveaway!
Hurry on over to leave your comment(s) to enter to WIN! It is a great children's book to add to your collection or to give as a gift! One lucky reader will win one Like New copy of the hardback book.

I will draw the Winner at random early tomorrow morning, so check back to see if you won!

Happy Reformation Day!

2011-11-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a Happy Reformation Day on October 31st!! I am so thankful for Martin Luther and all the leaders of the Protestant Reformation! Without them we may not have the Bible in a language we can understand and read! You can go check out Luther's 95 Theses in honor of the historical day that Protestants everywhere Praise God for!

We certainly enjoyed celebrating with our friends at my Women's Bible Study Costume Party Potluck. Jon and I went as our friends AJ & Jordan. And AJ and Jordan went as me and Jon. We even walked in with each other's children to get the full effect. =)

Happy Reformation Day!

If you haven't yet, make sure to Enter to WIN a free copy of "Adam, Adam, What Do You See?" in my current giveaway!

Adam, Adam, What Do You See? Book Review & Giveaway

2011-10-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

I was over at a friend's house when I first saw a copy of Adam, Adam, What Do You See?. The title and illustrations caught my attention. Afterall, I do have a degree in Early Childhood Education, and have read the ever-popular Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? at least a hundred times. I knew that I just HAD to HAVE this book, but I had no idea it would become one of my son's favorite books.

If you enjoy the rhythm and rhyming of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, as most children do, then you will really enjoy this Bible character version! It comes in a hardback version, and a smaller, board book version.

It is no mistake that the title mirrors the title of the popular book about a brown bear, red bird, and other animals. After all, Bill Martin Jr. is the author of both!

Adam, Adam, What Do You See? features Bible characters Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Samson, Ruth, David, Esther, Mary, John, Peter, Paul, and Jesus.

Each page features a bible character and Bible verse that corresponds with the text. For example, the first two-page scene says "Adam, Adam, What do you see? I see creation all around me. Genesis 2:4-25"

The illustrations are done in a style similar to Eric Carle, and are very colorful and engaging.

I began reading this book to my son when he was just an infant. He loved the sing-song rhythm of the book and looking at the vivid illustrations. It quickly became one of his favorites, and still is. I was also pleasantly surprised by the Biblical accuracy of the text about each Bible hero.

I'd highly recommend Adam, Adam, What Do You See? to every Christian family. It's a fun story to read together, and a great way to introduce your children to many Bible heroes. You can also go to the Bible text quoted with each Bible hero to learn more about them as your children get older. The book also introduces repetition and rhyming.

*Note: The only difference between the hardback and board book versions of this book is that the hardback features five more characters; and size of course.

The only problem with this wonderful book is that, last I checked it was no longer in print. So you'll have to scour the internet looking for a nice, gently used copy. You can purchase it through my Amazon store, if you check back frequently you should be able to get one for a very reasonable price (although some copies sell for $50- $100). The original retail value is $14.99, so I wouldn't pay more than that, but that's just me.

ONE of my lucky readers will WIN a FREE copy of this book!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

1. Mandatory Entry: Leave a Comment on this post below letting me know why you'd like to win a copy of Adam, Adam, What Do You See? (include your email address IF you don't have a blog of your own so I can contact you if you win!)

Additional Optional Entries

2. Follow Jon + Bethany via Google Friend Connect and/or RSS (leave a comment that you are a follower)

3. Share about this Giveaway on your Facebook wall (leave a comment with a link to your facebook post)

4. Write about this Giveaway on your blog (leave a comment with a link to your blog post)
5. Grab my blog button and add it to your blog (leave a comment with a link to your blog)

{Make sure you leave a seperate comment for each of these that you do!}

Each person has up to 5 chances to Enter! The WINNER will be announced on 11-11-11!

-Entries accepted until midnight EST on Nov. 10, 2011. Winner will be announced on 11-11-11.

-Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, winner will be chosen at random!

-Giveaway offered to U.S. residents only.
-I will personally mail the book to the winner. If you win, email me at mrsmeach1@gmail.com with your mailing address!

{Disclosure: I did not receive monetary compensation for this review & giveaway. The views and opinions are my own, and may differ from others.}

Henry's Ark

2011-10-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

Who built the ark? "Henry, Henry." Who built the ark? "Some guy named Henry built the ark!"

Ok, so Henry did NOT build the ark mentioned in that bible song, but he did apparently build the ark in Prospect, KY. Although it's not really an ark at all. It is a FREE to the public menagerie of rescued animals. They have quite an eclectic collection; everything from zebras to deer to camels to pigs to peacocks to chickens to bunnies to buffalo. And you and your kiddos can get up close and personal (maybe too close for this momma at times, I brought LOTS of hand sanitizer, haha) .

We went with a few of my girl friends and their kiddos on the most beautiful, sunny fall day. Here's our 1st trip to Henry's Ark as told in pictures:

Jonah was a gentleman and took his friend Mady for a ride on the tractor. All the kids enjoyed the animals, but I think "driving" that big ol' tractor was Jonah's favorite part. Haha, go figure. As I was taking pictures of our bunch I realized that every one of them is blonde! And they are all between the ages of 15 months and 2 years (2 of which are twins). And this was just a few of my sweet friends from church with kids around Jonah's age. We REALLY need to get all our kids together for a picture sometime before everyone moves away!

So glad my friend Melissa suggested Henry's Ark. Can't believe I hadn't been since I was a kid. So thankful for the great weather & great fellowship. It was one of those days when I am SO thankful that the Lord has allowed me to be a stay at home mom. I love relaxing days with Jonah and our friends, enjoying these beautiful fall days together! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Loving motherhood & Fall,

Remembering Grandpa Bob

2011-10-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

My dad's father, my "Grandpa Bob" and Jonah's great-grandpa,"Gigi Bob" or "Pap Pap", passed away last week, on October 19th.
We just celebrated his 79th birthday with him a few weeks ago.

As my dad reminded me during his eulogy on Saturday, these past 25 years have been a special gift from God. After my grandpa had 2 heart attacks in his 50's doctors didn't ever think he'd live this long. I'm so thankful that the Lord, in his mercy, allowed my Grandpa Bob to watch all 5 of his children grow up and get married. (That's my Aunt Julie above, his youngest daughter, giving him a birthday kiss.) He even got to see his great-grandchildren(2 great grandsons born in 2010).

I love the JOY on my Grandpa's face in this picture.

Great-Grandpa Bob meeting baby Jonah for the first time. =)

As my Aunt Dianne (Grandpa's oldest daughter) wrote in her letter that was read aloud at grandpa's funeral, Grandpa wasn't always good at expressing how he felt, but the way he held my hand as soon as I came in the room, wherever we were, I know he loved me. I am most thankful that my last conversation with Grandpa Bob was about Jesus and the hope and peace that comes from trusting in Him alone for our right standing before God. I'm so thankful that the Lord gave me that opportunity to open up my Bible with him, pray with him, and hold his hand during our time together.

Please pray for all of my family as we are missing Grandpa Bob, especially his wife of 40 years, my Grandma Ellie. Pray that the Lord would draw all of us closer to Himself in our grief and that He would give us comfort as we mourn, and that all of my family would have the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding (Phillipians 4).

I'm a former Catholic

2011-10-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

As a former Catholic {cradle Catholic, that is}, I want to share a little bit of my story, my testimony of God's grace in my life in hopes that it will bring glory to God:

I was raised in a loving home where we went to a Catholic church every Sunday (even on vacation). Growing up, I thought of myself as a “christian” and knew a lot about God from my religion classes at my Catholic schools (which I went to from 4th grade through high school). It was not until a friend in college asked me how sure I was that I was going to heaven that I began to have doubts about a lot of things. I told her I was 85% sure that the good things I’d done would outweigh the bad & I would get in to heaven. I thought those were pretty good odds. And I didn’t think anyone could be 100% sure because I thought it was based on each person’s list of good & bad deeds. (How good are you?)

Thankfully, she shared the gospel with me! My friend, a former Catholic, explained to me that I could never do enough good things to earn a place in heaven or favor with God (Isaiah 64:6); I would still be separated from Him for eternity by my sin. And that anyone whose faith is in Jesus alone for their salvation could be 100% certain that they will go to heaven when they die, because it isn’t based on them at all- but completely on Christ’s atoning death on the cross, which absorbed the wrath of God that my sins deserve. I knew full well that I was a sinner. I had jumped head-long into the party scene when I went to college, thinking that it would make me happy, but deep inside I knew the things I was doing were wrong. And they never satisfied the thirst inside of me. So I rejoiced at the good news of the gospel! I knew I was a sinner and that I needed a Savior! God's grace is free but it isn't cheap, it will cost you every area of your life. I repented (turned away) of my sin, believed in the gospel, and surrendered my whole life to Christ in February of my junior year of college after hearing the gospel over and over for about a year and working through so many new truths in the Bible that were very different than what I had grown up hearing for 18 years in the Catholic church. But I began to embrace the importance of TRUTH. If I can't find it in the Bible, it's not truth, no matter how many people believe it. The Bible is the only source of God's inspired word. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I began to read my Bible every day, on my own, for the first time in my life.

God was gracious to provide me with encouraging fellowship right away through Campus Crusade for Christ at my college. I became surrounded by believers who helped me learn what it means to “walk with the Lord” every day of my life. I am extremely thankful that God in His infinite mercy sent friends into my life to share the gospel with me and speak truth to me about my sin when He did. God rescued me out of a deep, self-destructive pit of sin into His marvelous light! "That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

As a Christian, a believer in the gospel, my faith is in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation. Jesus, fully God and fully man, bore the wrath of God my sin deserves on the cross so that I can be forgiven and justified (made right) before God, who is perfectly holy and just. The life I now live is for His glory, not my own. I am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). By God’s grace, I have repented of my sin and now have a new, regenerated heart that loves the things that God loves: orphans, widows, the unborn, His word, His creation, etc, etc... God is my Heavenly Father. He adopted me into his family and I have a heavenly inheritance with Christ. I also love other believers because they are now my brothers & sisters in Christ. I know that all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and I desire to be obedient to the great commission in Matthew 28 and share the good news of the Gospel with lost sinners, so that by God's grace and mercy, they too can repent, believe, and have new life in Christ and not spend eternity separated from God by their sin!

I love this saying by Pastor Mark Driscoll (also a former Catholic) because it sums it up simply:
" Jesus plus anything, even religion, ruins everything."

Here are some answers to questions that many Catholics (including myself) often have about God, the Bible, salvation, sin, etc: The Roman Catholic Bible Has the Answer. If you are Catholic and would like to study God's word and better understand the gospel (the central message of the entire Bible) I'd encourage you to reach out to any believer you know and I'd also highly recommend reading "Nothing in my Hand I Bring" by Ray Galea (a former Catholic). It explores the differences between the beliefs of Roman Catholics and Protestants. I would love to start a book study/bible study using this book for anyone who is interested. Just let me know & we will figure something out!

Praying that you would trust in nothing but Christ alone to make you right with God,

free printable: For This Child I Prayed

2011-10-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

I love this verse.

It reminds me that our son is a living example of answered prayer!

He is such a sweet, long-awaited and much-prayed-for gift from the Lord!

*To Print, Click image for larger view, then right-click and select "Save Picture As" to save it to your computer. It can be printed as full size 8.5x11 or resized down to fit any frame.

A colorful, gender neutral version:

And finally, a girly version:

Please let me know if you have any problems saving or printing it! I'd love to see how/where you use the printable!

True Happiness

2011-10-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

I am oh so thankful for the women's bible study that I have the priveledge of being a part of! We have been meeting together for almost a year now (don't quote me on that, but it feels like a year) and it has been such an encouraging, sanctifying, spurring on experience. I love this group of ladies, my sisters in Christ, who are being genuine, authentic, and transparent together as we all seek to know more of our sweet Savior and cherish Him above all else. We started off studying through 1 Corinthians together as our pastor was preaching through it. Then were challenged and encouraged by the wisdom God has given to Elyse Fitzpatrick in her book, "Because He Loves Me." {I cannot say enough good things about that book! If you are a believer, add it to the TOP of your reading list. You can even get it in my Amazon store.}

We have now ventured into a book of sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and it has blown me away. The book is called "True Happiness," but each chapter is actually one of the sermons he preached between 1955 and 1964.

I have been underlining and starring things like crazy! Martyn Lloyd-Jones was obviously a very gifted preacher and the things that he preached over 50 years ago still resonate the same today! I wish I could write out all of my favorite parts from the first 4 chapters, but that would take forever, so you are just going to have to read it yourself! But I will share a few snipets from chapter 4 that have been especially helpful and encouraging for me in my walk with the Lord. I share them in hopes that they will be enouraging and challenging to you as well!

Chapter 4 is titled "The Two Ways" and comes from Psalm 1:5-6, "Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked will perish."

Lloyd-Jones talks about how after death comes judgement for every single person (Hebrews 9:27) and that God will be the judge who determines where each person will spend eternity. "He is the Judge because it is His world, because He made it and it belongs to Him, because He set it going and because He has laid down the conditions. He is the Judge because He alone is just and righteous." As I reminded my grandpa yesterday, in the Lord's courtroom NO innocent person will be sent to hell and NO guilty person will go free. Then again, Jesus Christ is the ONLY one who has ever walked this earth that has been tempted in every way, yet never sinned. He is the ONLY one pure and blameless, innocent before the Father. The rest of us are all sinners. We all deserve God's just punishment. We are guilty. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "No one is righteous, no, not one. No one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned to their own way, together they have become worthless" (Romans 3: 10-12).

Lloyd-Jones goes on to say that "the New Testament tells us that there are great books, great ledgers, kept in heaven, and each one of us has a page in those ledgers. Everything that each of us has ever done or thought or said is recorded there, written in the book; at the judgement the books will be produced and everything revealed about us. Such is the thoroughness of the judgement. Nothing can be hidden from the sight of God" (page 72).

I don't know about you, but this fuels me on to share the gospel boldy and lovingly with the lost. With anyone who is trusting in themselves or being "religious" or who is completely without hope. The gospel is only good news when you realize the reality of what you truly deserve! And when I am reminded of how GOOD that news was the first time someone loved me enough to tell me, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable they may have felt, no matter how I might react, it makes me Praise the Lord!

"Why is all this written? Because God is love. It is written to warn us while there is yet time, it is written to save us; it is written to show us that there is a way of deliverance, a way of escape... That is why Christ, the Son of God, came into the world- because we are all by nature ungodly, we are all sinful. And if we die like that, we will go to that destruction, to that everlasting punishment of hell" talked about in 2 Thess. 1:9 (pg. 77).

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, made us alive together with Christ... For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2: 4-5, 8-9

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:31-32

In AWE of God's mercy and love,

Menu Planning project

2011-10-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, one more post of some of the fun craft projects I've been working on. This particular project was inspired by a FABULOUS idea I saw on Pinterest. As soon as I saw it I knew I just HAD to make it.

I've been trying to do a weekly meal plan before I go to the grocery store for the last year or two and it has revolutionized my life. Seriously, instead of walking to the pantry around 4:00 PM and panicking because I have NO idea what I'm going to make for dinner or realizing that I'm 1 ingredient short for every possible recipe, I can happily walk to the pantry and ENJOY cooking for my family because I know that I have everything I need!!! If you've never heard of menu planning, meal planning, etc.. here's a few places to get more info. It is seriously worth the little bit of effort at the beginning of the week. It has made cooking much more enjoyable and JOY filled for me!

Ok, so here is my inspiration for the project. I love hers. I think mine turned out pretty good too, what do you think??

It will be for sale at the Silent Auction on Oct. 15th to support our friends Dave & Stacey moving to Cameroon to translate the bible (along with a lot of other great items)!

I've already made one for our home too! The genius thing about this is you can list out all your favorite recipes on the fronts & use the pockets however you want. {I also added the ingredients list on the BACK of each one for quick & easy grocery list making! I must admit I was pretty proud of this idea.} For now I'm using the left pocket for all our recipes, then after each week I'll move the recipes I just made into the far right pocket to avoid making the same things over and over. And when I find a new recipe I want to try I may add it in the left pocket or maybe the middle... we shall see. Either way it saves me time flipping through all my cookbooks looking up our favorite recipes. And makes for even easier and even faster menu planning each week! =)

If you're a menu planner I hope this idea may be a blessing to you too! I'd also love to hear if you have a favorite recipe. I might just add it to my "new" recipes pocket!

Happily planning our weekly menu,

CRAFTING FOR A {great} CAUSE!

2011-09-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have been busy the last few days CRAFTING {thanks to some major inspiration & tutorials on Pinterest} for a Silent Auction that is coming up to support our friends going to Cameroon to translate the Bible & church plant!! What better cause is there?? These are just a few of the items I made and there will be LOTS more available from many, many other donors!

Rolled Fabric Flower necklaces

Felt flower headbands & Rolled fabric flower headbands

Rolled fabric flower headbands

The Silent Auction is on Saturday, October 17th from 7-9pm. All proceeds from the auction will be sent to World Team to fund the start-up expenses for the Hare family as they seek to move to Cameroon, Africa to translate the Bible for a Bible-less people group. There will be live music, free food, and a chance to be a part of changing a nation! (**Leave a comment with your email address for full details!)

You can learn more about how you can support the Hares in their desire to translate the Bible in Cameroon, Africa on their blog @ http://haretranslation.blogspot.com./ There is always an inspiring post to read! They are very faithful believers, who we are excited to share with the nations! I know they will faithfully share the gospel in truth & love wherever they are.

Happily Crafting,

Adoption

2011-09-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

I am sorry for those of you who used to enjoy reading all that the Lord has been teaching me on this blog. He has honestly been teaching me so much through our adoption journey that I tend to post it over on our adoption blog. Our journey to adopt has quite honestly looked NOTHING like I had anticipated. Nothing like the way I had planned it in my head. It was supposed to go something like this:

1. Pick adoption agency, get homestudy, gather dossier

2. Get 2 referrals (for 1 boy & 1 girl) in 2-3 months & be so excited

3. Legally adopt these 2 children & be so excited

4. Travel to pick them up & be so excited

But, as you can read for yourself on our adoption blog, after #1 it hasn't really looked anything like that.

God had other plans. Plans for a "less than ideal" journey, with lots of heartbreaks along the way.
But, as it turns out, it is in those very heartbreaking situations that the Lord has taught us much and drawn us closer to Himself. He has reminded us who is truly in charge, who is sovereign over all. He has taught us to rely on Him alone, and lean not on our own understanding or abilities.

Our journey to rescue 2 orphans, 2 beautiful little people who are made in the image of God, is far from over. We are almost 9 months into a process that was supposed to take "9-12 months" and we are still waiting for a referral before we can move forward. But we persevere because we know that God has called us to care for orphans in this specific way and we know that they are worth fighting for, waiting for, and praying for. We'd love to have you follow our journey and PRAY with us along the way! We are praying that God would get SO much glory not only from our adoption, but our journey to get there. Or rather, to get our children HERE! We pray constantly for the children God has for our family, whoever they are, wherever they are. We'd love to for you to join us in praying for their care and protection.

Trusting that HE is writing our adoption story,

OC Kids Consignment sale THIS weekend

2011-09-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Another Kids Consignment sale! For all you mommas who live in (or near) Oldham Co, or are just in the mood for a little road trip:

Where: Covenant United Methodist church
             909 W. Jefferson St., La Grange, KY

When: THIS WEEKEND!
           9am-2pm and 6pm-8pm on Thursday and Friday (9/22-9/23/11)
           8am-1pm Saturday (Half price day!) 9/24

*I stopped in this morning to take a peak when I saw the sign. It's a decent size sale, not huge, but they seem to have a little bit of everything.

Lovin a good deal,

18 months. oh my.

2011-09-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy with our adoption lately, mostly busy praying, that I still haven't gotten a chance to write a post for my little man being 18 months old.

It is crazy, Jonah bear, that in less than 6 months we will be celebrating your 2nd birthday!! I have enjoyed every minute of being your mommy, but these last 6 months have been especially fun. Watching you start walking a week after your 1st birthday, start repeating things that we say and do, and learning new things every day... you are becoming such a funny little guy!

I love that little smirk on your face!
You do this a lot, especially when you are being flirty with the ladies. (Ahem, Ms. Danielle. You love her!)

Here is a list of a few of the adorable things you do right now that I don't ever want to forget (in totally random order):
*You love "driving" anything you can get your hands on: Daddy's riding mower, the golf cart, the "car carts" at Lowes and Kroger, your little Fisher Price Truck, our bikes, etc. I can tell that you think you're big stuff when you're driving!
* After watching daddy in the shower a few times in the mornings, I found you in the shower one day rubbing your hands on your head & standing right where daddy stands. Eventually you also added touching your hand to the pump of the shampoo that sits on the floor before you rub your hair. :) You also like to "help" squeegie the glass shower doors like mommy & daddy do after a shower, complete with squatting down to reach the very bottom.
* Daddy showed you the "John Wall dance" video on youtube. You started doing the John Wall with both hands straight up, turning your wrists back and forth. Adorable.
* We discovered a Sesame Street video with Jason Mraz singing & playing the guitar. You watched it several times over a week period. One day I was sitting at the computer and you were playing nicely (i.e. no whining at the gate) in your playroom. I suddenly realized that you were "singing" and turned to see you swaying back & forth and holding your toy guitar.... it was the cutest thing I've ever sing! I got a quick snippet of it on video before you stopped!

* You have also started to fake laugh, a lot. You can tell when something is supposed to be funny, and so you fake laugh now when everyone else is laughing. You've also started to play this "fake laughing game" with mommy, where we will go back and forth fake laughing forever and you are so funny that eventually mommy is really laughing and so are you. =)

I love you Jonah bear! You are the sweetest little boy I can imagine God giving to me. You look a lot like your daddy and your Grandbob (my dad). It still takes you about 20 minutes to warm up in a new place, and even then you tend to be very quiet, except when you're at home with mommy and daddy. You LOVE bedtime and naptime. You're down to one 2.5 hour nap now. You love to read books. You love the Seals and bears at the zoo. And the penguins, when they swim in the water. You make this adorable little circular motion with your arm when you're trying to talk about an animal swimming. You're babbling a bunch {finally} and have a few clear words... da-da, up, out, pasta (sounds like pob-sta), please (sounds like peas), mama (pretty much only when you're crying), I'm sure they are more that I can't think of. Mommy has decided that you have "graduated" from all the cute little rompers that have made up most of your wardrobe for the first 18 months of your life... onto "little man" outfits.

I love all 18 months of you! After all that we've been through lately, losing our baby girl, Audrey Joy, and Baby R being in the hospital last week with malaria, I have been PRAISING THE LORD for you. For the very sweet gift that God gave us in you. I have cried many tears of joy lately, just rejoicing that I get to be your mommy every day, and trusting that God has good plans for our family, plans to make you a big brother one day soon.

Love from your adoring mommy,

Clothing My Child... without breaking the bank!

2011-09-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all my friends out there who rely on my Kids Consignment Sale excitement for all the upcoming dates & info.. I have been slacking! I've done so well finding great deals on name brand clothes at yard sales this summer that I haven't had to get as much at consignment sales. (If you've never been to yard sales, Yes, the prices are EVEN LOWER than at any consignment sale! You should definitely check out some local yard sales listed in the "garage sale" section on craigslist! Try it a few Saturdays and you, too, will be hooked!)

I usually pay anywhere from .25 to $1.00 for kids clothing at Yard Sales. Ok, Sometimes I splurge & buy something thats $2, but only if its a really expensive brand & I absolutely LOVE it. :)
(And I typically only buy well-made, brand name clothing that I know will last & is in great like-new condition. i.e. Gap, Old Navy, Carters, Gymboree, Jumping Beans, etc..)

I typically pay anywhere from $1.00 to $5 for an outfit or piece of clothing at Consignment Sales.
(Some brands, same gently-used quality, but it adds up a lot faster. Still a WAY better deal than buying brand new off the rack at the store, but not as cheap as yard sales. It all looks the same after you wash it anyway!)

So here's my strategy: Find as much as I can in my son's next sizes at Yard Sales during the summer, and buy the rest that we need at kids Consignment Sales. It's that simple.

I keep all his clothes for coming seasons sorted by size so I know what I need to find when the Consignment Sales roll around. For instance, for this fall I was able to find lots of great 18-24 mo. size pants at yard sales, but I didn't find a lot of long sleeve shirts or sweaters or a winter coat. So I bought those things at the Little Treasures sale. The highest priced item was $5 for a cute little Carter's coat.

Ok, so make your list of "Things We Still Need For Fall/Winter" and get ready! There are 2 more kids consignment sales in the Louisville area coming up!

1) Oldham County Kid Stuff sale is open to the public Sept. 29- Oct. 1 from 10AM- 8PM (Sat. is 1/2 price discount on most items left!)

2) Southern Indiana Kid Stuff sale is open to the public Oct. 20- 22 from 10AM- 8PM. (Sat. is 1/2 price discount on most items left!)

**If you're PREGNANT or a mom of a baby 12 months or younger, don't forget to sign up for the NEW MOM PRESALE and you'll get to shop before its open to the public! You can click here to register for New Mom for So. Indiana or click here if you're a New Mom going to Oldham County sale!

If you know of other great consignment sales at churches, etc please leave a comment & let me know! I'd love to add them to my list!

Happily Clothing My Family Without Breaking the Bank,

Kids Consignment Sale Season!

2011-08-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a heads up to all the Mommas in my area who are into SAVING MONEY:

the gianormous Little Treasures sale starts this week!!

If you are a new mom, Military mom, or Seminary mom I hope you already pre-registered for the Pre-Sale on Tuesday so you can shop before it's open to the public! But if you forgot, it opens to the public Wednesday @ 9am.

And don't forget to go back for the 1/2 Price Day from 9-5 on Saturday, Sept 10th!! Most items will be 50% off the price on the tag! (You can tell it's half price by looking @ the tag, in the corner it says "Discount: Yes or No." YES= 1/2 off!)

Here's some SHOPPERS TIP for any of you first-timers from their website:

"We love for our shoppers to find great deals and leave ecstatic, but we realize that a blitz-style sale such as ours can get a little hectic! Here are some guidelines for making the most of your Little Treasures shopping experience: "

◦Bring a laundry basket to carry your items while you shop. We’ll provide some, too.

◦If you are bringing small children, please do not allow them to play with toys unattended. We need to protect our consignors’ items.

◦If you bring in a stroller, we will give you a “stroller tag.”

◦Do not use “for sale” strollers as shopping carts.

◦Please make use of our discard tables for unwanted items.

◦If you wish to purchase a large item, see the attendant in that area so that he/she can mark the item and give you your claim ticket. Take the claim ticket to checkout. Pickup your large item by showing the attendant in that area your receipt and claim ticket.

◦When you come to the check-out area, do not remove any tags.

◦Do not leave your selections unattended. They may be mistaken as discards and get put away.

◦We accept cash, check, Visa or Mastercard. We appreciate cash, but if you use a credit card, the minimum purchase is $20.

Did I mention that I worked a shift the other night sorting & running toys, etc and saw that there are like 5 basketball courts FULL, I mean FULL, of kids' stuff!! One court is full of strollers, pack n plays, outdoor equipment, furniture, and all kinds of big stuff. One court is super FULL of kids clothings & shoes! One court is full of swings, bedding sets, highchairs, riding toys, infant play gyms, and a million other things. One court is full of books, puzzles, and every toy imaginable!

P.S. MOMS: Did I mention they have a whole basketball court of women's clothing too?!?

Ok, so bring your laundry basket and resusable shopping bag(s??) and come snag great deals on gently used items you need for your kiddos and SAVE the difference from buying brand new! If at all humanly possible, try to come without any kiddos! It is a much more pleasant experience that way, trust me! (And your children will thank you!)

Happy Shopping (and SAVING!)!! I'd love to hear about any great deals you find for your family!!

Tractor, Tractor

2011-08-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

A beloved Andrew Peterson children's song. An object of Jonah's affection.

Dreams came true when Jonah got to "ride" on not one, not two, but THREE REAL TRACTORS at my husband's family reunion near Hoptown a few weekends ago.

See that GIANORMOUS Combine on the right?
That is what he's "driving' in the picture below.

Yes, it was quite a fun day on the farm for Jonah Bug!

And quite a fun family reunion for all!

$60 for $30 Lands End Canvas deal {Expired}

2011-08-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

I saw this awesome deal on Money Saving Mom this morning!!
You can get $60 worth of merchandise for just $30 at Lands End Canvas!
They have tons of great stuff in the Sale section (up to 60% off), combine that with the Living Social deal (which is half-off) and that's a GREAT DEAL! And it can be applied to shipping!

So happy shopping friends! They have some really, really cute stuff. I'd love to hear what you get with this great half-off deal! I have my eye on several things on sale... decisions, decisions...

One Year Ago- Part 2

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Phew, now that the very emotional post is over, I HAPPILY share these pictures with you of the great trip we got to take with my family down to Dale Hollow Lake this June!! I remember my mom saying while we were hanging out in our cabin one night how THANKFUL she was to be there (despite the weather not being ideal.. lots of rain) because she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to do this again. A year ago we had no idea what God was going to do. What life would be like this year. Thank you Lord, Thank you for restoring my mom! Thank you that we got to have fun & make memories together as a family! And Thank you for teaching all of us not to take any of it for granted.

GrandBob & Nana K with Jonah bug!
You better believe my mom didn't let her oxygen slow her down (too much). We got that portable tank on the boat and played around in the water just like old times. They just gave her an extra long hose so she could swim out a little ways from the boat! So thankful for modern medicine & technology!

See that cloudy sky behind us? This picture was taken as we were on our way down to the docks for our final boat ride, but that storm kept rolling in and we had to head back to the cabin. But we made our own fun indoors, including a round of "Extreme Putt- Putting" with my brother and his wife! Haha, if only I had pictures of that to show you! Let's just say Jonah's new golf clubs were put to good use by his parents & aunt and uncle while he napped. =)

PS- Jonah loved the boat {despite the awkward lifejacket}!

One Year Ago- Part 1

2011-07-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

As I sit down to write this post I am hoping I can do so without bursting into tears. I want to share some pictures from a recent family vacation we took down to Dale Hollow Lake, but before I do that I feel like I need to reflect on all that was going on in my life one year ago and PRAISE THE LORD for His Mercy & grace!
Many of you will remember that days before we were supposed to leave for Dale Hollow Lake with my family last year, my mom was in the hospital because she was unable to breathe. I got a call from my dad around 5 or 6 AM one Sunday morning telling me that he'd just received a call from the hospital- mom was on a ventilator in the ICU and he didn't know if she was going to make it. I immediately jumped out of bed and got dressed and ran frantically around the house helping Jon & Jonah get ready as fast as possible. The drive down to the hospital was a blur. {And it's a good thing my husband drove b/c my heart is RACING right now just remembering that morning. I would have definitely broken many traffic laws in my urgency to get to my mom's side.} All I remember about those days we spent by her bedside in the ICU (besides the shock of seeing my mom, only 54 years old, heavily sedated and with tubes coming out everywhere and not knowing if she was ever going to wake up) is that I PRAYED without ceasing. I prayed like I have never prayed before. And in God's sovereign plans, He had Pastor Ryan preaching through the book of Daniel at the time- specifically Daniel 9 that very week. "Its about the Lord answering Daniel's prayer, while he is still mid-prayer, in ways that were more than Daniel could ever ask or imagine" (from my post a year ago).

So many believers turned to the Lord in prayer on my mom's behalf. And He was MERCIFUL!
He heard the prayers of His people.

My mom was in the ICU for less than a week. The pneumonia in her 1 good lung cleared up. She was back home within 2 weeks (pretty sure- Mom, you can correct me if I'm wrong! It's all still a bit of a blur.). She is doing great. She is on oxygen 24/7 and will be indefinitely. But she takes every day as a gift and doesn't complain about having to be on oxygen- she'll take it any day over a ventilator! It is really a small thing in comparison. She gets to spend time with her children & grandchildren & even go boating! God is gracious.

It is a great reminder for me too that every day on this earth is a gift not to be wasted. I know with certainty where I will spend eternity. Because it isn't based on me at all (I'm a sinner)- but on Christ's perfect, complete work on the cross. But I want to be a good steward of every day He has given me on this side of heaven and bring Him glory, so that one day I will hear, "Well done my good and faithful servant." And I will know that I didn't waste it.

Pictures & more to come in Part 2.

Big Wheels Car Wash

2011-07-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

My creative engineer husband decided to built our nephew, Noah, a "Big Wheel Car Wash" for Christmas (I think 2 years ago). So even though our son was just an infant at the time, he started building one for him too. So here is Jonah's Big Wheel Car Wash... complete with side spinners and all.

This was the first night that we got it out. At first I thought Jonah HATED it, but He kept asking to do it again & again!! haha.

{You'll see him sign "please" in the video. We taught him the sign for "more" and he used that for months, so we thought it was time to use manners & say "more please"... but now when he wants more of something he skips right to the "please"... smart little stinker. now if only we could get him to actually SAY the words. =) }

I am NEW

2011-07-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home the other night from spending time with some friends this song came on the radio. I have never heard it before and turned it up as soon as I heard a few of the lyrics. What a GREAT song. Awesome lyrics! I just had to share it with you all. Plus, now that I have the link posted on my blog I will know just where to find it! I'm gonna check out some of his other music. Anyone ever heard of this guy?? Ahhh, this song is SO GOOD!

Jason Gray- I am New
Now I won't deny

The worst you could say about me
But I'm not defined
By mistakes that I've made
Because God says of me

Chorus
I am not who I was, I'm being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I'm dearly loved
I am NEW

Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing
To ever believe

I am not who I was, I'm being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I'm dearly loved
I am new

Too long have I lived in the shadows of shame
Believing that there was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new
Doesn't see me the way that I do

CHORUS
I am not who I was, I'm being remade
I am NEW
Dead to the old man, I'm coming alive
I am NEW

Forgiven, beloved, Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy, reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name
This is who we are now

And you can listen to it here & watch the video: http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=7GLGPGNX

Loving this song,

Fabric Scraps Tree Wall Art Tutorial

2011-06-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are in the process of adopting a boy and girl from the Democratic Republic of Congo and my "nesting" instincts have really began kicking in! I want our little girl to have a super cute & girly room, but we have to make that happen on a super tight budget. I've been admiring some of the cute Bird and Tree bedding & room decor at Pottery Barn and Target and decided we could just buy the sheets and then I could make my own wall art and accessories. I had some old unused canvas in the basement so this became my first project!

Fabric Scraps Tree Wall Art

Here are the supplies you'll need:

- Blank canvas (any size)

- Scissors

- Fabric scraps

- Mod Podge

- Paints & paintbrushes

(I used acrylic paint: brown, green, pink, & vanilla, but you can use whatever you have & do this in any color scheme!)

1. I started out by painting the entire canvas a vanilla color and blending in some pink around the edges. I painted all 4 sides of the canvas a bright pink color, which will help it really stand out when it's on the wall.

2. Then I painted a basic tree trunk with branches. (You can lightly pencil it on first before you paint!) Then I added some simple flowers around the bottom. To make the top of the flowers just run your skinny paintbrush in a circular pattern from the outer edge inward.

3. Next, cut out your leaves from your fabric scraps. I used a large canvas (16x20) so I needed about 12 leaves. I had 4 fabrics so I made about 3 leaves from each, but you can do this part however you want! Every leaf can be from different fabric if you want! I made my leaves around 1/2" to 1" wide and about 2" long. But again, you can make yours totally customized!

4. Make sure your tree trunk paint is totally dry, then place your leaves around the tree where you want them. Then use a paintbrush to cover the BACK of each leaf with Mod Podge {I only had Puzzle Saver Mod Podge lying around, and it worked great}, then stick the leaf back on the canvas where you want it and paint a layer of Mod Podge OVER the leaf. Do this for each leaf on your tree until they are all Mod Podge'd in place.

5. For my last final touch & because right now I am LOVING all these cute little birds and owls, I added a bird to one of my tree branches. It's made up of very simple shapes. You can totally do this- just lightly draw it with a pencil first. Add a little triangle beak & stick legs & TA DAAAA.....

Super cute Wall Art for your little girly's room for CHEAP!

Linking up at:
{The Thrifty Home Penny Pinching Party} {The Trendy Treehouse} {Sugar & Dots} {Beneath the Rowan Tree}

Mother's Day reflection

2011-06-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that today is June 29 and Mother's Day was over a month ago, but I'm hoping "better late than never" applies here. I've been reflecting a lot on Motherhood lately as we pray that the Lord would place 2 orphans into our family forever. {You can read more about our current situation & urgent prayer needs @ http://www.wewillcometoyou.blogspot.com/.} I kept thinking this Mother's Day was my first one, but my husband sweetly reminded me that Jonah was born in March. I guess my 1st Mother's Day hit during the blur of the first six weeks of Jonah's life. My memories of those weeks are very vague, which I accredit to the lack of sleep and overall soreness and tiredness.

Anyway, this year I am "expecting" on Mother's day. Two little miracles from across the world. We got their pictures just a few weeks after Mother's Day, but we have been praying for them for much longer (for 2 years really). It's funny because during my pregnancy with Jonah I remember praying through Psalm 139 so often that I now have it memorized. After the miscarriage of our first baby I was so worried about him being knit together perfectly and healthy in my womb. So I gave my concerns over to the Lord often in the form of Psalm 139: "You knitted me together in my mother's womb... I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made... My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret... in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.."

Now that we are adopting, and "expecting" in a slightly different way, I have found myself taking refuge in other verses. My 2 youngest children are probably already born. They are already knit together and are no longer inside their birth mothers. They could be the two beautiful 6 month olds we have pictures of (a boy and a girl), and I pray daily that they are the children God has for our family & that nothing would prevent us from rescuing them and loving them forever. So now I am praying that the Lord would advocate for, uphold, feed and protect our children who are currently orphans who are probably neglected, hungry and ignored. I pray through Psalm 146 often. "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,... who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry... The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down... The Lord watches over the sojourners; He upholds the widow and the fatherless..." (Psalm 146: 5-9).

It was a very happy Mother's Day spent with the sweet husband the Lord has led me to and the precious little boy that He has entrusted to us. But I can hardly wait to see our family picture next Mother's Day & be on the flip side of this crazy adoption journey, looking back & praising the Lord for his faithfulness and provision!

Little Man's 1st Hair Cut

2011-06-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well Jonah man has never really had a thick head of hair since the day he was born, so his first official haircut wasn't really necessary until now... 15 months old and getting a little to close to "mullet" status. So I took him to one of those fun Kiddy Cuts kind of places for the big day. Why don't they have places like this for adults where we can pick out a movie to watch & sit and drive in a cool car? He didn't really mind it, he was so distracted by everything else. (But after paying $17 for the haircut I'm gonna have to come up with a different plan next time! Not in the budget. If I'm feeling really brave I may try to cut it myself. Anyone who does this- any tips?? Seems like a great way to save money, but I don't want my son to look like mommy cut his hair. =) )
Ok, so here are the BEFORE and AFTER shots and a fun little slideshow of the day.

Saying Goodbye to his sweet little boy "whirls"

and HELLO big boy haircut!

Jonah is all ready to be a BIG BROTHER now that he's got his 1st BIG BOY haircut!

Jonah would like to announce...

2011-06-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

that he is going to be a BIG BROTHER

To one very adorable 6 month old(ish) little boy who currently lives in an orphanage in the Congo!!

I have lots of cute pics from our vacation to Hilton Head to post, but this is obviously WAY more exciting so those pics can wait!! We're not allowed to post his picture on the internet yet, but if you see me around you can ask to see his picture! {I will proudly be carrying one around with me until we bring him home!!}

And you can join us in PRAYING that the little girl who is also around 6 months old would pass her medical, so she can officially be our "referral"! Once we have her referral, they said we should expect to bring them home in 4-6 months!!!!!

“Father of the fatherless and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation.

God settles the solitary in a home...” Psalm 68:5-6

Hand in Hand

2011-05-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

We are REJOICING in the Lord's provision:
We were approved for a $5,000 MATCHING GRANT from Hand In Hand!!!!!!!! This is exactly what we have been praying for! We know that the Lord hears, but wow. This is such a SWEET and GRACIOUS provision from the Lord! It is amazing and encouraging to see the Lord MOVING to help us RESCUE 2 ORPHANS and expand our family through our Congolese adoptions!!

So we are now busy trying to let people know about this great opportunity to support our adoption & have their contribution DOUBLED! I would love to give $50 knowing that it will become $100, or give $100 knowing it will become $200, etc.. to any of our friends adopting! Please pray that the Lord would provide $5,000 for this matching grant, so that we will get the full $10,000!!

We are praying that the Lord would move quickly because the letter stated that "All donated monies must be in our HANDinHAND office or postmarked by June 30, 2011 to be considered in the dollar for dollar match for your specific grant. "

*If you would like to contribute to our dollar for dollar Matching Grant,
you can mail your check made payable to "Hand in Hand Christian Adoption" to:

Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.

Jonathan & Bethany Meacham

18524 Juniper Street

Gardner, KS 66030-9147

**For tax purposes please include our name on the OUTSIDE of the ENVELOPE ONLY. Do NOT put our name on the check itself!

** Make sure it is postmarked by June 30, 2011!

Thank you for your prayful consideration in helping two orphans find their forever family!! If you'd like to learn more about our journey to adopt 2 children from the Congo you can go to http://www.wewillcometoyou.blogspot.com/ or email me @ mrsmeach1@gmail.com.

Take Me For a Ride on Your Big Green Tractor

2011-05-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, well the tractor is red, but our little nephew, Noah, sings that country song all the time and it cracks me up. It sounds a little more like this when he sings it,"take for ride in big dreen tracta, long as you, rel don matta, take for ride on my did breen tracta..." =)
It kept playing over & over in my head as Jon took Jonah out for his first ride on daddy's "tractor" {aka lawn mower}.

Can I just tell you that Daddy QUICKLY became his favorite person! He actually refused to come to me for the rest of the day, he did NOT want to leave Daddy's side. haha, Being that I am Mommy and get to spend all day with him, I didn't take it too personal. I know he still loves me & come night-night time he'll prefer me over anyone. And, of course, I love seeing the way our son looks up and admires his wonderful daddy. =) But we did jokingly say that I was going to have to take him out on the tractor to level the playing field, because Daddy totally hung the moon with that move!
Here is the first tractor ride in pictures:

Loss of a child

2011-05-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

I have to share a link to an amazing article with you today. It was written by Lisa Blanco. She & her husband used to go to our church and were next door neighbors with some of our dear friends. They moved back out west when they found out they were pregnant so they would be closer to family. It is titled "It Was Not Wicked For the Lord to Take Our Son" and is a heartbreaking testimony of their faith in a sovereign God who works all things together for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28). I hope you will take a few minutes to read it. It is beautiful. Heartbreaking, but beautiful.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/05/10/it-was-not-wicked-for-the-lord-to-take-our-son/

Easter Recap

2011-05-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

We joyfully celebrated that CHRIST IS RISEN with our awesome church family at Immanuel on Sunday morning! That afternoon we celebrate our Savior's Resurrection with my family and Jon's.

We finally got a recent picture of the 3 of us all together!

Check out Jonah's handsome outfit complete with sweater vest, seersucker pants, and boat shoes!

{Not to mention that I got his whole ensemble for around $5 between clearance racks and consignment sales!!}

I hope you all have a reason to REJOICE on Easter Sunday because you're trusting in Christ's death on the cross to atone for your sins & His resurrection to defeat death & give you NEW LIFE in Him!

"But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." ⁸So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples."

Matthew 28: 5-8

I Once Was Lost

2011-04-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

But now am found!
Was blind, but now I see.

I once was a drunk, sexually immoral, rebellious, impure, jealous and self-righteous, {just to name a few}
But now I am a NEW creation in Christ! My slate has been washed clean!
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God (heaven)? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

"For anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, the old has passed away and the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

I once was trying to be "good enough" to get into heaven one day,
But now I know that I could never do enough good things to outweigh my sin.
"All our righteous acts are like filthy rags" to God (Isaiah 64:6).

I once was seperated from God because of my sin, now & for eternity,
But now I trust in Christ's atoning death on the cross alone for my salvation & have new life in Christ now & for eternity!
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

I once thought if I just "believed in God" and went to church it didn't matter how I lived my life,
But now I know that in order to be saved, we must REPENT (turn away from our sin) and believe in the gospel.
"Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:1-2

I once was led by my flesh and a slave to sin,
But now I have freedom in Christ to walk by the spirit that dwells inside me (and every true believer!).
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh...Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kindgom of God (heaven).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:16,19-24

So basically we all were once last, but only believers are now found. We all fall into one of 2 categories. We are all on our way to one of two eternal destinations. If you're not sure which one you fall into- look at your life- what kind of "fruit" are you bearing? Are you living for your own glory or for the glory of God? Have you repented and believed in the gospel? Are you putting your hope in anything besides Jesus alone to save you? "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through me."" John 14:6.

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:1-9 (emphasis mine)

There are only 2 ways to live. Which road are you on? The good news of the gospel is this: It is never too late to repent and believe! We are all born sinners. We were ALL once lost. There is nothing that you can do that will ever be good enough for God to forgive your sins (apart from Christ) and there is nothing so bad that you can do that God can't forgive! His grace covers a MULTITUDE of sins! Just read the Bible and you will see how God can and has saved all types of sinners. You do not have to "clean up your life" before you turn to God- He will wash you white as snow. He can be your Savior if you make him Lord of your life (ALL areas of your life, not just an hour on Sunday).

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18

I pray that you, whoever you are, as you are reading this will REJOICE at the good news of the gospel as I, simply by the grace of God, did! I went to church every Sunday for 19 years before I heard the gospel- the central, cohesive message of the entire Bible! I pray that you would seek after Christ in His word every day so you can know & understand more of the awesome God we serve, who created the universe and everything in it! I pray that for myself as well, and that I would always thirst for God's word and walk obediently in all that God calls me to. I truly hope that this does not sound foolish to you so that you do not perish & stay seperated from God for eternity by your sin in hell.

Cloth Diapers: Another Fave

2011-04-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

So for all you moms (and possibly dads) out there who are curious about cloth diapering, here is another one of my favorite diapers:

bumGenius Elemental One-size Cloth diaper

{a.k.a. the Organic All in One}

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THEM:
- the Snaps (durable, secure, lifetime guarantee!)
- Super soft & absorbent organic cotton inside, never had any problems with leaking!
- EASY to use! My husband likes these because it's an All-in-One (AIO), he doesn't have to remember which inserts stuffs inside which diaper, you just grab and put it on.
- Very trim diaper, which makes it great for stuffing in my diaper bag & when I don't want my son to have a "big ol' cloth diaper booty." It fits under his clothing just like a disposable would.
- they come in all the cute bumGenius solid colors as well as (for a limited time) these super cute prints (which BONUS- are CHEAPER than the solid colors!)
- Dry quickly b/c of their unique design, unlike other AIOs.

See how "trim" this diaper is?

Sometimes when he's wearing these under clothes I forget if it's cloth or disposable underneath.

THE DOWNSIDES OF THIS DIPE:
- It's a little pricey @ $24.95 each.
{BUT the Artist Series prints are only $19.95 each. And you can save if you buy them in a bundle or gently used. At least one of mine is from Diaperswappers, so I got it cheaper & it still works like new! I think another one of them I got from the "Gently Used" section on one of the online diaper retailers. Someone used it during a 30 day trial. So there are ways to save a little, but I think they're worth all $24.95!}
- The only bad thing I can say about the organic cotton interior is that there is no layer of fleece, etc to wick the moisture away from your baby's skin. But this hasn't really been a problem for me. And if you really want to, you can add a fleece liner (like these by Bummis).

I am hoping to add more of these to my stash because I LOVE 'EM! I have a friend who is selling some of hers so I am excited to add some cute girly colors to our stash for our baby girl who will hopefully be coming HOME from Congo this year!

If you think of any questions, please feel free to ask! I'd love to help if I can!

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

2011-04-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

Just want to share the lyrics from one of my favorite hymns today. The lyrics spell out the gospel and are so full of truth from His word. I hope you'll take the time to really think about WHY Jesus was on the cross and WHAT He accomplished through His death & resurrection! That is my desire for this weekend.

How deep the Father's love for us written by Stuart Townend

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He would give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One

Bring many sons to glory {This is true for all believers!}

Behold the Man upon a cross

My guilt upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no powr's, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom!

Golf Date with Daddy

2011-04-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

We got to enjoy one of the beautiful days we had last week with a quick trip to the nearby golf course with Daddy. Jonah helped drive us over on the golf cart, watched Daddy hit some balls on the driving range, and even hit a few balls of his own.

It was a fun night had by all! And we were home in time for bed! I think Jonah's favorite part was definitely playing with all those golf balls! His face lit up when he saw a whole BUCKET of balls to play with! =)
Hope you all are having a great week! We are staying busy applying for grants and PRAYING for our adoption!

To Cloth or not to Cloth, That is the question

2011-04-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years I have entered the age when all those friends whose weddings we went to 2 or 3 years ago are now having babies! (Or are thinking about having babies, or adopting, or just wondering how they will ever be able to "afford" to raise children.)

So the topic comes up often- What are some ways to save money as you're raising children? It seems so expensive! Formula, diapers, clothing, etc... (I explained a few of the ways we do that in a previous post.)

One way we've decided to save money is Cloth Diapering our son.

So for anyone who is curious about cloth diapering, I'm going to do a series of post about my favorite diapers. (Yes, our "stash" is a random assortment of different types & brands, which can be a little confusing for my poor husband who rarely changes our lil guy. But it is what it is.)

Ok, so here is our cloth diaper STASH...

a lovely assortment of blues, greens, and yellows. (We tried to go mostly gender neutral so all our kiddos can use them.) I think it's about 20 diapers in all, which is actually more than enough to get me through laundry day.

Today, I am going to tell you about one of our favorite diapers,

the BumGenius 4.0 pocket diaper.

This is our go-to night-time diaper!

The top 2 diapers are actually BG 3.0s, which is why they have hook & loop (velcro) instead of snaps. I was SO excited when I saw that the 4.0 has snaps option! I love Snaps! (See #1 below)

So here are some things I LOVE about the bumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers:

1. SNAPS- more durable & have lifetime warranty, easy to use but not easy for baby to pull off themselves, secure tight fit every time

2. BG Microfiber Inserts- super absorbent, easy to wash & stuff, comes w/ extra insert- we've never had leaks & my son is a heavy wetter! (Can't say that about some of the other brands I've tried.)

3. Lining- the soft fleece-like lining wicks the moisture away from baby's skin keeping it dry, which I especially like for a night-time diaper. Plus, this lining washes & holds up better than any other one I've tried!

4. Cute Colors - I mean we're mostly cloth diapering to save money, but it doesn't hurt that they are extremely cute on him. =)

5. Price - you can pay more, but you won't get a better pocket diaper! They're a great value @ only $17.95 each. (And even better when they're on sale, like they are right now- Buy 5, Get 1 Free @ most online retailers, like Kelly's Closet and Cotton Babies.)

6. One-size - I love the rise snap settings that allow these diapers to be One Size! We decided early on in our cloth diaper search that we only wanted to buy diapers once- I mean we're trying to SAVE money right? They have fit our son well on the small and medium rise settings, he is now 13 months old and we are still on the medium rise, so I think he will actually fit in these diapers until he's potty trained! Which is AWESOME.

I keep all my pocket diaper inserts in the blue bin on the right.

The Downsides of the bumGenius 4.0 (these actually apply to ALL pocket diapers, not just BG)
1) You have to stuff the insert inside the cover each time (I do this whiile my son is on the changing table, but I know a lot of people stuff them all right after washing. With our storage in his room, this has just worked better for me. I put all the covers in his diaper stacker & all the inserts in the bin in his changing table.)
2) You have to pull out the inserts before throwing it in your dirty diaper bin, unlike an All-in-One diaper (AIO). (Some people may think this part is gross, but I got over it quickly- I just wash my hands well right after.)

3) Pocket diapers tend to be a little bit bulkier, depending on how you stuff them & the age of your child. The younger your child, the bigger a "one-size" diaper is going to seem on them.

Here is Jonah @ 6 months modeling a blue (moonbeam) bumGenius diaper on the smallest rise setting. This is actually a Flip diaper, which I'll talk about in another post.

I hope you find this somewhat helpful! I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed cloth diapering our son for the past 12 months! If you're on a tight budget with a little one & want to try cloth I want you to know that you can do it! It's a lot easier than I imagined it would be!

PS- If you are about to order cloth diapers online, I would google the type of diaper you want & see if any of the stores, like Cotton Babies or Kelly's Closet or Jillian's Drawers, have that diaper on SALE or have any other offers going on. You can also check Facebook or Retailmenot.com for offer codes. Almost every time I've ordered from Kelly's Closet I've gotten some kind of discount or freebie.

Black Beard

2011-04-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

Black BEAN Beard, to be exact.

It was an ordinary evening in our home. Jonah was having black beans for dinner. (One of his favorites.) He always get a cute little "black beard" from the beans, so I went and grabbed my camera to finally capture it on film.

Next thing I know, he started rubbing his eye. This is where it got interesting.

The eye rub was followed by one of his famous "hand on head" gestures.
{He usually does this after I tell him not to touch something, but he has recently decided it would also be fun to do during mealtimes. Mom disagrees!}

And again,...

Yes, black beans in my hair.

Oh no, the two hand head-slap...

By this point I was taking pictures and laughing so hard I gave in & let the mess happen.

I mean, it was cute!

... and I think he knows it.

So here is the end result. He looks so innocent...
he's looking at me like, "What mess Mommy? I have no idea what you're talkin about."

Finally, he'd had enough and we headed off for a nice long bath!
(His favorite part of the day!)
In case you were wondering about the hand gesture, no, he's not dancing to Thriller, he is signing "all done."

Well, I don't know if anyone else will think that is as cute & funny as I do, but I know at least the grandparents will appreciate it!

Hard to believe our sweet boy is 13 months already.

5 Ways to Save Money Baby's First Year

2011-03-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the ways we saved during our Baby's First Year. Please understand that these are things that worked for us, but may not work for everyone. The list is by no means exhaustive, but I hope it is helpful!

1) Breastfeeding

{By the grace of God I was able to nurse my son until his first birthday. Breastfeeding literally saved us around $20/week. We never had to buy formula! And it was a wonderful bonding experience. I decided to try it because I knew how good it would be for our baby, but it also helped me lose most of my pregnancy weight (YAY!) and was extremely sanctifying. I'm so thankful that I was able to persevere in it, partly thanks to my wonderful lactation consultant! }

2) Home made baby food

{It is much easier than I expected & we saved a TON of money, more on this in this post}

3) Cloth Diapering our little guy

{Also easier than I had expected! And we can use the same diapers on all of our children, saving even more! Here are the main reasons we decided to cloth diaper and some of the brands we love. More to come on this soon!}

4) Kids Consignment Sales & Yard Sales

{We have gotten almost all the toys and clothing we need for our son at the big Kids Consignment Sales and Yard Sales in our city. If you have little ones and you've never been- you need to find one near you! I get like 98% of our son's wardrobe at these places and spend hardly anything. For example, I got his entire summer wardrobe (all Carter's, Gap, Old Navy and other name brands) this year, including 3 pairs of shoes for around $60!! And you can't beat 50 cent pants and outfits @ yard sales!}

5) Couponing

{If you've never been to Southern Savers or Money Saving Mom, beware, it is slightly addicting! We don't normally get the paper, so I did it for just a month or 2 and stocked up on stuff, which I'll probably do again whenever we run out & are in need of toothpaste, etc. You can check out some of the good deals I scored here and here.}

Brusha Brusha Brusha

2011-03-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post these pics for about a month now, sorry for slacking on our blog! There's been so much going on with our adoption that the limited time I have to blog is usually spent updating our adoption blog {http://www.wewillcometoyou.blogspot.com/}.

Anyway here are some pics of our one year old being a big boy.. BRUSHING HIS TEETH.

He had 8 teeth on his first birthday, so we try to make it a daily ritual now. He actually loves it, especially when we let him hold the toothbrush! He gets so excited and you can tell he thinks he's such a big boy when he does it all by himself. =)

"Only brush the teeth you want to keep."

Right?

Biblical Parenting Resource!

2011-03-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I was sitting with friends in Starbucks enjoying our "Ladies Night Out" when we started talking about great biblical parenting resources like Tedd Tripp's Sheparding a Child's Heart and Ginger Plowman's Don't Make Me Count to Three (which I'm currently reading & LOVING).

I confessed that I am SO grateful for these parenting resources, which have helped me learn about heart-oriented discipline (not just trying to change your child's behavior, but helping them see the heart issues behind their behavior & their sin & need for a Savior), but that they've also made me realize that in order to parent my children with scripture I need to KNOW more scripture that deals with all different types of sin so that I'll be able to take them through it in God's word.
(eg. Ginger Plowman talks about one child purposefully stirring up anger in her brother and asks the girl "Are you stirring up trouble among the brothers? You know that is one of the 7 things God hates in Proverbs 6. Are you loving your brother when you do ____ that makes him upset?")

I started to feel completely overwhelmed by thinking that I need to have the whole bible memorized so that the Spirit can help come to mind relevant scripture in the midst of everyday parenting situations.

I cannot tell you the RELIEF I felt when my two older, wiser friends told me about Doorposts's bible-centered parenting resources, like For Instruction In Righteousness!!! For Instruction in Righteousness is a "Topical Reference Guide for Biblical Child-Training."

According to their website, Each chapter includes:
•What the Bible says will, or should, happen to a person who sins in this way.

•Ideas for discipline that parallel these Biblical consequences.
•What the Bible likens a person to when he indulges in this sin, and ideas for practical objects lessons using these examples.
•How God blesses the person who resists temptations to this sort of sin.
•Parallel ideas for “rewards” and encouragement for children who show progress towards overcoming this sin.
•Stories and people in the Bible that illustrate obedience and disobedience in this area.
•Fully quoted memory verses.

And it all comes spiral bound for quick reference! I am SO thankful that this resource is out there! And I can hardly wait to get it. (I'm trying to wait patiently for the 3rd edition which comes out May 1st!)

And I'm excited that Doorposts now has a blog, where they are currently GIVING AWAY some of their awesome Godly parenting resources!! There will be one giveaway a day for the next 10 days and Grand Prize Giveaway on March 26th to celebrate their blog launch. I'd love to win something, but if not, we will definitely be purchasing many of their products in the future as we try to raise our children in the "discipline and instruction of the Lord."

So go enter for your own chance to win some of their awesome products at http://www.doorposts.com/blog/! And if you do win, I'd love to know so I can rejoice with you!

Living Radically for the Gospel

2011-03-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

I just ran across this video on another family's adoption blog and wanted to share it. (Side note: You can support their adoption by buying one of their awesome shirts! I can't wait to get one!) Jon is currently reading this book, "Radical" by David Platt and I can't wait until he's done so I can start reading it too!!
God has used this book in many of our friends lives to spur them on to see that truly living for God's glory often calls us out of our comfortable lives in order that all tribes, tongues, and nations may hear the gospel and be saved. Everyone we know Highly recommends it! I am really looking forward to allowing the Lord to challenge and transform me as I read it!

*Don't forget to go to the bottom of my blog & Pause the music so you can hear the video!

If you've already read it, I'd love to hear what you learned from it!

12 month Stats

2011-03-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

So, on Thursday at his 12 month check up
Jonah weighed in at...

20 lbs. 5.5 oz.
(20%tile)

29.5 " long
(40-45%tile)

and his head is now 18.5" (70 %tile).

Getting big! (Although he hasn't gained much weight since his last check up, I guess due to the fact that he's cruising all over EVERYTHING! He has started on whole milk now, and seems to love it, so maybe that will help give him even more calories to burn.)

Things are a little crazy in our home right now, we're busy PRAYING for wisdom & clear vision from the Lord!! {You can read more about why on our adoption blog.}

a note to the birthday boy

2011-03-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

To my sweet Jonah,

I can hardly believe it has been a year since you made your debut in this world. I got to be a part of the miracle of God creating you for 9 months and giving you to us. My world changed forever at 10:01pm on March 1st, 2010. I finally got to hold you in my arms as I had longed to do for almost 9 months as you were being knit together inside of me (Psalm 139). I remember lying there in that hospital bed feeling like the labor process was taking forever, (it did take 13 hours) but it was worth every single second, my baby boy! You are one of my greatest joys in life! When I prayed and prayed for God to bless me with a child, I never dreamed he would be as sweet, as happy, as adorable, as funny, or as handsome as you!

I thank God every day that He has provided a good job for daddy so that I get to be home with you every day and not miss out on too many moments with you! This year has gone by all to quickly, but I'm so thankful that I have 365 days full of memories with you, watching you grow and learn new things. I hope that I cherish every single day I have with you for the next 18 years as I watch you become the man God wants you to be.

You are one year old, Jonah bug. And I get asked often, "So what do you do?" And I can honestly and happily answer that "I am a full-time wife and mother," with a big smile on my face. You know why? Because it is an absolute JOY to be your mommy. It is definitely the highest, hardest, most important, and noble calling on my life and I am so glad to do it.

You are mommy's boy. (Don't get me wrong, you LOVE your daddy! I love the way your face lights up every day when he gets home from work! It melts my heart.) But there is a special bond we share. I knew you for 9 months before Daddy really got to know you. I knew every move and flip and poke and hiccup you made for months, so we got kind of a head-start. And I've had the great labor and priveledge of nursing you and giving you all the good "mommy milk" nutrition you needed for the last year. I am ready to start weaning you, but I will miss our special time together just the two of us. It seems like the only time you sit still on my lap anymore, you're so busy exploring your world. But I thank God that His grace was sufficient in my weakness and He helped me persevere with nursing you when I wanted to give up early on because of all the sacrifices I had to make. (Mostly in being sleep-deprived for the first 4 months of your life.)

So here we are, we made it to your first birthday! What a fun-filled year it has been!

You look SO MUCH like your daddy in this picture, it's just crazy! When you were first born most people thought you looked like your Grandbob, or mommy, or sometimes daddy. But now most people think you look just like your daddy, and you do, you lucky boy! He's one handsome man. =)

You and Cooper (your Black Pug older brother) have become good buddies now that mommy lets him get near you. It cracks me up watching you play with Cooper. You love to chase him around and play tug-o-war with him. You also love, to mommy's disgust, to let Cooper "give you kisses" all over your hands, face, head, whatever he can reach, just like the picture above where Cooper covered your head with Birthday Kisses! I'm pretty sure the love is mutual.

We had a busy day and met Daddy for dinner @ Cheddars for your 1st Birthday dinner. I think you were worn out from such a fun day and such a big dinner. You devoured your green beans, carrots, red beans, and yogurt bites! I definitely think you've had a growth spurt lately, I'm excited to see how much you've grown at your 1 year check-up this Thursday.
Well, it is almost 10:01pm! I'm going to go pray with Daddy, and praise and thank God for you, just like we did a year ago as we rejoiced at your birth! I will pray that God would give us the grace to parent you in a way that brings Him glory and points you to Christ, and your need for a Savior. And we will pray, as we do often, that God would be pleased to save you at a young age and use your life to further His kingdom and glorify His name on all the earth!

I love you to the moon and back!

with all of my heart,
Mommy

My baby is almost ONE!

2011-02-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well I can't believe I haven't posted anything in weeks. But then again, it has been a little crazy around here. 2 weeks ago all 3 of us were sick & we went into survival mode! I got hit for almost 6 days with some crazy virus that's been going around, Jon had a bad sinus/cold thing & Jonah's cold turned into a double ear infection just as I was finally starting to feel human again.
And we've been busy gathering documents, etc for our ADOPTION! That's pretty much all the news that's been going on around here, which you can read all about on our adoption blog @ www.wewillcometoyou.blogspot.com!

But, in all the craziness I did manage to send out invitations to Jonah's 1st Birthday party! I ordered these cute ones & spent under $10 thanks to that awesome little $25 free gift card I earned from Shutterfly for posting a picture of my Christmas card! {Yipeee for saving money!}
Here is my almost one year old over the past year:

(It doesn't look quite as cute b/c I blocked out our personal info for privacy, but you get the idea!)

It is UNBELIEVEABLE how much I love this little boy! One day I'll think to myself "I don't think it's possible to love him any more than I do right now," and then it happens! Being Jonah's mommy is an absolute joy & definitely my highest, most important & noble calling in my life thus far! I praise the Lord for granting me this sweet gift every time he flashes one of his silly little grins at me! Ahhh... he just melts my heart!! I could go on forever...

But ok, enough gushing (for now). When I think about my love for my son it makes me so excited to meet my next child, the one God has been growing in my heart for years it seems (but may not have actually even been born yet!), the one we are working fervently on paperwork in order to rescue from a life of being an orphan and bring into our home & our family forever!

Loving Mommyhood,
Bethany

The Dancing Queen

2011-02-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

The video below features Jon's cousin, Lori's daughter Leah, age 2. She entertained all of us at Aaron & Adair's wedding reception. She is the cutest little curly-haired girl you've ever seen. If you have a few minutes to watch the video, I think you may be impressed with her dance moves too! Seriously! She is a good little dancer!! Jonah was quite impressed... as you'll see at the end of the video. =) Hope you ENJOY!

*Remember to go to the very bottom of my blog & pause the music so you can hear the audio from the video.

"Aw, SHE is so cute!

2011-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

What's her name?"

I get asked this question at least once a week! To which I reply,

"HIS name is Jonah."
I don't know why everyone thinks my son is a girl!! I guess he's just so cute they can't believe he could be a boy...??? I just laugh and sigh to myself. This happens every where we go, and no matter what he is wearing! He can be dressed from head to toe in a manly, blue outfit and people will still say it. So I give up. But it really bothers my husband when I recount the story to him later that evening. I just say to him,
"I guess we have a beautiful son!" Here is Jonah in all his cuteness...

What do you think?? Does my SON look like a GIRL???

Sweet Six Year Old

2011-01-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

Jon and I hosted a birthday party for our friend Vanisa's son, Shanel, who turned 6! He is seriously a sweet kid, adored by all who know him, so we ended up with a big crowd at our house. I hope he enjoyed it as much as we did!

Shanel being silly with his little brother, Ezekiel.

I love this picture! The lighting isn't perfect, as I'm still learning ISO, and f-stop, and all those settings, but I love the expressions on their faces! They are so representative of their relationship. Shanel thinks the world of AJ, he is definitely a main father-figure in his life. And I know AJ & his wife, Jordan (in the picture above with Vanisa), have a real, gospel-love for this little guy and his family. (As do we!) And it just so happens that AJ & Shanel share the exact same birthday!!! How neat is that?

Micah holding Benisse, Shanel's baby sister.

Happy 6th Birthday Shanel! We love you buddy!

Sanctity of Life Sunday

2011-01-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

I want to share this today, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. And pray that you would join me in praying that God would put an end to this "Holocaust" of our generation? Over 46 million children have been murdered by abortion since Roe V. Wade in 1973.

1.1.11 Aaron & Adair's Wedding

2011-01-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

Jon's Youngest brother, Aaron, had a beautiful wedding with his now wife, Adair, on January 1, 2011 at 1:11pm. We are so happy for them that they are now husband & wife! FINALLY!

{They had been dating for like 7 years! Longer than Jon & I have even known eachother.}

But it seems to have happened in God's timing, as we've watched the Lord really grow and mature them both in their walks with the Lord over the years. We feel confident that their marriage, and lives, are built on the firm foundation of Christ.

Here are some pictures of the day, but you'll have to forgive me, I am still learning to shoot on manual and was playing with different settings all day, so they are very imperfect & unedited:

Jonah and Poppy

best man speech #2 (Nick gave a toast also)

Worn out ring bearer (Noah) @ the reception

Jon's cousins Aubrey, Katie & Allie (front to back, or R->L)

They look like triplets, don't they?! Well, Katie & Aubrey are twins, but Allie is just a cousin.

Stay tuned for videos of the "dancing queen" coming soon!

Here she is sporting her bow from For His Glory designs! Leah is about ready to rock the dance floor in her adorable sweater dress.

And we're off...

2011-01-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

We have officially started the ADOPTION PROCESS!
We are so excited to bring 2 children, who were (well currently ARE) orphans, into our family where they will become CHERISHED sons and/or daughters!

We welcome you to follow our adoption journey details at www.wewillcometoyou.blogspot.com!

This is our Adoption Fundraising T-shirt Design! (Designed by me & my hubby) Stay tuned for details about ordering yours to support our adoption!

Meacham Mayhem, part 4 of 5

2011-01-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

Jenn and her baby girl, Heidi.

Kristen and her baby boy #3, Chase.

I think Jonah enjoyed his first Christmas with Jon's dad's side of the family. All of the kids got a balloon ball for Christmas, and Daddy thought it would be fun to teach Jonah how to "head the ball". What do you think Jonah thought of it? (He actually didn't seem to mind, but he did close his eyes every time the ball got near his face. Smart boy.)

Between Jon and his brother and 2 male cousins, there are 2 girls and 5 boys, all under 5. So gift opening was quite exciting/chaotic to say the least. haha.

It's half way through January now...

Only 1 more Christmas post to go!

haha

Christmas with Nana K & GrandBob, part 3 of 5

2011-01-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

We were so thankful that our friend, Vanisa, and her three beautiful children were able to come celebrate Christmas with us at my parent's house!

Jonah adores her 5 year old son, Shanel. Shanel plays so well with him! They both enjoyed playing with Jonah's new basketball goal.

Shanel liked his new fireman book & toy

Ezekiel finally woke up from his nap to open his gifts!

I love this picture of Jonah & Jon! Jonah absolutely LOVES being up on daddy's shoulders. And Daddy absolutely LOVES his UK Wildcats, so these UK outfits were actually gifts for Jonah AND Daddy.

I LOVE this picture of Jonah getting some kisses from Nana K! How sweet is a grandma's love for her grandbabies...

Time for family pictures in front of the tree!

It was another day filled with family fun celebrating the birth of Christ!

Christmas with Nana & Poppy, part 2 of 5

2011-01-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

What a fun-filled Christmas with Jon's family!

Jonah was busy Rockin' out on his new guitar with his cousin, Noah.

And telling everyone who asked, "How big is Jonah?" that he is "SO BIG!"

And of course, he had to test out his cool new Radio Flyer push wagon!

He even hung out with his soon-to-be Aunt Adair while Uncle Aaron took his traditional Christmas nap. (They got married on January 1st, so this was just DAYS before their big day! More to come on their big day soon.)

I'm just glad he still made time to cuddle with his mommy before he went down for his long Christmas nap. =)

Jonah's First Christmas, Part 1 of 5

2010-12-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!

Our gift to Jonah was this Little Tikes Grill, it looks just like daddy's and he can stand and play with it. It was a hit! His favorite part so far seems to be eating the play food and opening & closing the doors on the front. I can already imagine many future "barbeques" where Jonah makes burgers for mommy & daddy on his grill. =)

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

2010-12-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Glee Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make unique Christmas cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

"She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save the people from their sins."-Matt 1:21....
2010 has been a year full of joy & growing for our family! We pray that you would have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of Christ, Savior for sinners who repent & believe! Thank you, Father God for the ultimate gift! Looking forward to giving gifts to our loved ones as reminders of the ultimate gift that God gave to those who believe- his only son, born to die for sinners, so that we can be justified, at peace with God and glorify Him forever!
Happy Birthday Jesus!

PS- If you made your Christmas card on Shutterfly, you can "share" it on your blog like I just did before Jan. 31st and get a $25 gift certificate to Shutterfly! Go to your shutterfly account for details! =) I just happened to see this offer when I logged in to post our Christmas card to my blog.... thank you Lord! {All you have to do is email them with a link to your post & they'll get back to you within 10 days.} He knows I love saving money & trying to be a good steward of what He's given us!! =)

Gather 'Round, Ye Children, Come

2010-12-21T05:54:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite songs from Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb. The lyrics are so good! Just listen...
{But first you'll have to go to the very bottom of my blog & pause the music player so you can hear this beautiful song.}

My buddy Titus

2010-12-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

This is my friend, Titus. People think we look alike. We have been mistaken for eachother several times. I always take it as a compliment because Mommy says he's "such a cutie". (I think that's a good thing.) What do you think?

Titus is about 2 months older than me, but we're about the same size and we play together well. Our mommies FINALLY got us together for a play date after many failed attempts.

Titus started walking when he was 9 months old, so I asked him to give me some tips and teach me his moves! I figure since I've been crawling since I was 7 1/2 months old, I could probably walk pretty soon too. {Mommy told me not to be in any hurry to walk, but I can hardly wait.} Even though I can crawl pretty fast now, I know there's all kinds of new things I can get into when I can walk.

I showed Titus how I can pull up and stand and everything.

Titus is 11 months old, I'm 9 months. Mommy says she's not ready for my birthday yet, but I hear there's going to be cake so I can't wait! I really like to check out the food on mommy & daddy's plates now and smack my lips to tell them when I'm hungry. Cake looks prettyyy yummy, but mommy says I can't have any until my 1st birthday. Less than 3 months to go! {Mommy always says not to remind her, because it makes her sad how fast I'm growing up, like I might be old enough for kindergarten if she blinks her eyes, but that's silly.}
Titus' daddy got a new job in South Carolina and they are going to be moving away. We will really miss them. Mommy will especially miss Titus' sweet mommy, Anna. But we are excited that God has given his daddy a job as a Pastor of a church. We will be praying that God does big things through their growing family! Titus is going to be a big brother next year! Thanks for being my friend Titus. Maybe we can come visit you at your new home in South Carolina!

Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus!
Love, Jonah

9 Month Old Cousins

2010-12-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

"I had apples for lunch, want to taste 'em?"

9 months old and ready for winter!

"Wow, Jonah, I just love your cheeks."

Olivia & Jonah @ 9 months old
Are they absolutely adorable, or is it just me???

I hope everyone is enjoying the snow & focusing on what this season is all about as you prepare for Christmas! This song by Andrew Peterson is beautiful & helps me remember the reality of how Christ, the Son of God, came into the world to live a perfect, sinless life & to die for sinners who would believe in Him so that we don't have to spend eternity seperated from God because of our sin. Jesus took the penalty my sins deserve on Himself on the cross so that I can be righteous in God's eyes! He was fully God and fully man & was born in a stable in Bethlehem here on earth....

"The stable was not clean, and the cobblestones were cold,

little Mary full of grace with tears upon her face

and no mother's hand to hold.

It was a labor of pain, it was a cold sky above,

for the girl on the ground in the dark,

every beat of her beautiful heart

was a labor of love.

Noble Joseph by her side, calloused hands & weary eyes,

there were no midwives to be found on the streets of David's town in the middle of the night,

so he held her & he prayed, shafts of moonlight on his face,

but the baby in her womb- he was the maker of the moon, the author of the faith that could make the mountains move."

- Labor of Love, by Andrew Peterson
His "Behold the Lamb" album is AWESOME! You can listen to the music for free on his site! His music is such a blessing in my life!!
http://www.andrew-peterson.com/behold/index

Let It Snow, Let It Snow,...

2010-12-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

Let it SNoW!
Which it has done here almost every day of December it seems! Thankfully it has been mostly flurries and not much has stuck around. I actually enjoy the flurries. {Shocking, I know, to everyone who knows me and knows how much I hate winter & hate being cold.} But the flurries are pretty, they get me in the Christmas spirit, and then they're gone. They don't pile up on our driveway for my husband to shovel, they don't make the roads icy and make most KY drivers forget how to drive, and they don't melt into a soggy, dirty brown mess everywhere. So, thank you Lord for the flurries. But please no major snowstorms until Christmas. =)

Here is my sweet Jonah getting his first look at SNOW. This was the 2 inches we got that did stick around for a day or two.

9 months of Cuteness

2010-12-07T06:10:00.000-08:00

My baby boy is 9 months old! Amazing how time flies when you're having fun! It is seriously such a joy to be Jonah's mommy. Even on the hardest, sleepless, fussy days I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Here is my sweet baby boy in all his crawling, teething, pulling up glory!
He is now 19 lbs 1 oz (30th %tile), 27 3/4" long (30th%tile), his head is 18" (50th %tile), and 110%tile for Cuteness!
{But then again, I might be a little bit biased on the cuteness rating. The rest are from his doctor =) }

I've been workin' hard on some new...

2010-12-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

TEETH!

And let me tell ya, it's not fun.

but all the hard work is paying off- I have 3 NEW TEETH on top!! And 2 on the bottom.

*Don't worry, mommy smothered me with lots of hugs & kisses after the taking of these pictures. ;)

Fall has fallen...

2010-11-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

upon us in the Bluegrass!!

We are enjoying the Fall and hoping it doesn't end too soon! We've had some great walks around the neighborhood as a family and I'd love to have many more before winter is upon us & I am forced to hibernate indoors!

Our Family Pictures for Adoption!

2010-11-22T06:18:00.000-08:00

I want to say a huge Thank You to David Blair! He is a member @ our church and did this amazing fundraiser for one of the couple's at church that is in the process of adopting 2 babies from Ethiopia!

{They are officially adopted as of a few weeks ago & the parents are just waiting for a travel date to go back to Ethiopia and bring them home!! Praise God!}

So.. David (of David Blair Photography) offered 30 minute photography sessions all day one Saturday in exchange for a $50 donation to the Cedillo's adoption. And 100% of the session fee and any prints or CDs ordered went straight to the Cedillo's adoption fund!! Isn't that awesome?! What an incredible stewardship of his time to help 2 orphans come home to their loving, Christ-centered family!

We signed up for 2 sessions thinking that we'd hopefully get some good/decent family pictures and be able to support our friends adoption at the same time. Win-Win right? We had no idea that David has been a photographer for 8+ years & that his work is so incredible! Well, we LOOOOVE our pictures and I will always remember the Cedillos adoption when I see them. It still feels too good to be true. Thank you David for giving us the opportunity to get amazing, affordable family pictures taken for such a good cause!! If you're looking for a photographer & want to support a fellow believer, I would highly recommend David.

I would be overjoyed if we had any photographer friends who would want to offer this type of opportunity to families at some point during our adoption process!! Praising the Lord for His provision for the Cedillos adoption & (trying) to patiently trust in His provision for ours!

Happy Adoption Day!

2010-11-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

*Praying for our children today!

Free Christmas Cards... YAY!

2010-11-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

You know how I love a good deal, so I was SO excited when I read on 2 of my friends blogs about the offer to get 50 free Christmas cards! I LOVE photo Christmas cards!! Jon and I have done one every year that we've been married and it's so fun to pick them out & design them. And I look forward every December to getting them from our friends & family! It's been so fun to see new pictures of friends & family (especially the ones that live far away) & see what they've been up to & how much their kiddos have changed in the last year!

I can't wait to design ours this year as a family of three! You can go here to see some of their super cute Christmas card designs. My personal favorites are the Photo Christmas cards... I have my eye on a few favorites already, definitely one of the cards that can hold multiple photos! Then I don't have to narrow it down to just ONE favorite picture from a very monumental & eventful year! My problem is always that I can't pick just one card! I usually design 2 or 3 with our pictures and then decide on a winner. Here is the first one I ever made on Shutterfly, the year that Jon & I got married:

And here is one I created, but ended up not using that year. I still like it too.

I have actually already started thinking about what card I want to use for Jonah's 1st Birthday invitations! You can see them all here, but this one is my favorite! I love that I can add 12 pictures, 1 from each month! How CUTE!!! His 1st Birthday is just around the corner. I CAN NOT believe it. My baby boy is almost 9 months old. Just 3 months away from being ONE. Can't think about it....

Anywho... for Jon's 1st Father's Day this year I designed a mug with pictures of Jonah all over it, like the ones here. Now he can think of us when he's at work sipping on his nice warm coffee! I had fun designing that too & trying to fit all my favorite pictures of Jonah on it. (Good thing Jonah was only a few months old, now I have wayyy too many favorite photos!)

So if you're a blogger, you can find out how to get 50 free Christmas cards here.

One more that never made it past the design stage, but I still had fun creating:

Happy Christmas Card creating to everyone! My goal is to get ours in the mail by the 1st week of December! Wish me luck... =)

Jon & Bethany: sharing our passion for the gospel, adoption, saving money, & family life!

Jonah would like to introduce you to...

*PINspired Kid's Kitchen

And the Winner is...

Introducing... fb timeline cover photo Collages!

a blog design GIVEAWAY!

Our New Adoption Fundraiser

EXCITING Update from Lifesong!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Results of 5am wakeup call

How good are you?

*PINspired* Menu Planning board

God is not like Santa

first finger painting: FAIL

Lifesong Ethiopia: a chance to Double your donation!

truth

you crack me up

Black Friday Deals: 60% off Clearance!

NEW Intentional Shopping Page!

mowing with daddy

And the WINNER is...

DEAL ALERT: Half Price Books

DEAL ALERT: Tuesday Morning!

Today is the last day to Enter!

Happy Reformation Day!

Adam, Adam, What Do You See? Book Review & Giveaway

Henry's Ark

Remembering Grandpa Bob

I'm a former Catholic

free printable: For This Child I Prayed

True Happiness

Menu Planning project

CRAFTING FOR A {great} CAUSE!

Adoption

OC Kids Consignment sale THIS weekend

18 months. oh my.

Clothing My Child... without breaking the bank!

Kids Consignment Sale Season!

Tractor, Tractor

$60 for $30 Lands End Canvas deal {Expired}

One Year Ago- Part 2

One Year Ago- Part 1

Big Wheels Car Wash

I am NEW

Fabric Scraps Tree Wall Art Tutorial

Mother's Day reflection

Little Man's 1st Hair Cut

Jonah would like to announce...

Hand in Hand

Take Me For a Ride on Your Big Green Tractor

Loss of a child

Easter Recap

I Once Was Lost

Cloth Diapers: Another Fave

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

Golf Date with Daddy

To Cloth or not to Cloth, That is the question

Black Beard

5 Ways to Save Money Baby's First Year

Brusha Brusha Brusha

Biblical Parenting Resource!

Living Radically for the Gospel

12 month Stats

a note to the birthday boy

My baby is almost ONE!

The Dancing Queen

"Aw, SHE is so cute!

Sweet Six Year Old

Sanctity of Life Sunday

1.1.11 Aaron & Adair's Wedding

And we're off...

Meacham Mayhem, part 4 of 5

Christmas with Nana K & GrandBob, part 3 of 5

Christmas with Nana & Poppy, part 2 of 5

Jonah's First Christmas, Part 1 of 5

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Gather 'Round, Ye Children, Come

My buddy Titus

9 Month Old Cousins

Let It Snow, Let It Snow,...

PINspired Menu Planning board