A Christmas of Firsts...

Well, following the idea of change... this Christmas was anything but normal. It was full of firsts. It was my first Christmas away from my side of the family (and my first ever away from my sister)... it was my first Christmas in Canada, my first Christmas having FOUR nieces and my first Christmas as a mom-to-be. Last night (Christmas Eve) we were celebrating in the traditional Marden way decorating cookies and hanging out... then Jennie and Andrew came and surprised us by showing up and BRINGING CARMEN!!!!!! Shannon and I got to hold her for the FIRST TIME!!!!!!! It is a feeling that never gets old... I love all of my nieces, and cannot explain the feeling of holding each of them for the first time. It was SUCH an amazing early Christmas present and one I will charish forever! (See photos at the end).

Today we woke up at 5am and went down stairs. Shannon recited the Christmas story, James handed out presents and we all sat around and watched as everyone opened theirs. It was fun. Then Shan and I went over and visited with Gramsie and Grampsie before coming back to the house and getting stuff to take over to Jennie and Andrews house to celebrate with them. Well, on the ride over I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move for the first time... IT WAS SO COOL! I didn't think I would feel it this early, and especially sitting up... but I've never felt anything like it before. It was the best CHRISTMAS present EVER!!!!!! I'm so blessed.

Sorry this is so all over the place, but like I said... I've been up since 5am. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Let the Changes Begin...

So the last post, September 24th, may have been a little vauge... it was meant to be. That was the day I finally mastered the home pregnancy test (finally had to just go get a digital one b/c I couldn't figure out the pink lines, haha). That is the day that I told Shannon to prepare for a lot of changes because he was going to be a DADDY! Man have the changes come faster than I realized. We had our first doctors appointment on October 4th (my sister Kim's birthday) and heard the heartbeat for the first time on November 16th... that is when we were finally able to tell everyone the good news! I'll never forget Shan's reaction... in fact I video taped it:
At my last appointment the doctor looked for the heartbeat 3 times and finally laughed and said the baby was running away from her. Yep, that sounds like the Moore side of the family. Anyway, Shan and I are in Canada now and enjoying our vacation and when we get back we get to SEE THE BABY! So excited. So many changes. Can't wait.

Change is constant...

A CALL TO PRAYER!

I copied this off my friend's blog... we need to read the story and PRAY!

I read about this family this afternoon from a prayer chain email. They are in Uganda trying to get home with their adopted daughter and are stuck because of ridiculous rules by our government. Please read their story and forward it. If you know anyone who can help, please help! But most importantly, after you read this, please drop to your knees and lift these people up in prayer. You and I cannot fix this, but God the Father absolutely can.

A link to their blog is at the end.

Here is what it says...

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
DEVASTATED!!!!!!!!!!

I got to greet Court at the airport with the news that the US Embassy called me and said that they will NOT EVER issue a visa for us. They want the judge to completely rewrite the court order, which is highly offensive. I don't see that happening. There are many, many, many American families here and many waiting to come and NONE of us will receive visas.

This is a death sentence for Sarah. We will have to find someone in Uganda willing to take a girl in her condition (unheard of) and leave her with a stranger. She has severe failure to thrive. She has finally attached to me and now I would have to leave her.

The pain is unimaginable. My boys... what do I tell my boys?

Here is a letter we sent to our congressman tonight...

We had a terrible thing happen today. As we were finalizing the last step in getting our daughter home, the unthinkable happened. We were informed by Sarah that the embassy has changed its stance on Ugandan guardianship and WILL NOT issue her a VISA. Yesterday all the were waiting on was the medical signature and today she is never coming home with us.

I arrived in Uganda an hour ago and was greeted with this news. Basically we are now legally responsible for this girl per a Ugandan court order, but we can not take her out of the country. We can not stay here much longer, I can not be gone from work and we have 3 other boys to take care of at home and visitor VISA are only good here for 2 months, but if we leave we are breaking Ugandan law.

If they made this decision moving forward I would understand, but to be this far along in the process, literally we would have been issued a VISA yesterday, but the doctor was too busy to sign a paper.

Yesterday our paperwork was OK. Today it is unacceptable.

The embassy vice-consular says that they have contacted their lawyers in Washington DC and they said we cannot have a Visa.

The embassy wants the judge to rewrite the entire court order saying that she is allowed to be adopted in the US instead of "allowed to immigrate to the US" and allowed to be a US citizen instead of "will remain a Ugandan citizen." This last part is meant that she would be allowed dual citizenship of both US and Uganda but the US Embassy wants the order to specifically say that she can be a US citizen. This is silly as Ugandan judges cannot rule that anyone be a US citizen.

Ugandan judges are extremely offended at being asked to change something they have been doing for a long time. Many children went home to the US from Uganda with the same wording and now suddenly it is a problem.

We are devastated.

We are meeting with our lawyer in the morning along with about 20 other American and Canadian families.

For those of you from our church, would you please forward this. Would you please send it to our Children's Minister and our Rector. Please ask for prayer.

I don't know how to close this.... I'm on my knees begging for mercy. Begging for my daughter's life. Begging for our family and the other families. Begging for the children who think they are finally free from a life of an orphan and have been told they are going home and will now be dumped by their new parents and left here as orphans again. This IS NOT RIGHT!!!!

Like Sands Through the Hourglass

... No, this is not an episode of DOOL. It is however a night of reflection for me. I love New Years... I always have. I used to keep a scrapbook of sorts (not like what people do now) of everything that went on in a year. It would contain movie passes, awards, tickets to events, newspaper articles, etc. I'd tack as much as I could to the tack board behind my door and then on New Years Eve, I'd take it all down and put it in the book. I love how it is a time of year that makes almost everyone slow down for a second and take a look back at things... and if they want, set goals for the year to come. I love counting my blessings and taking a moment to reflect on everything. So, tonight I did...

I mentioned in the last post that I used to have a Xanga blog (2 actually). Tonight I took some time to re-read some of my old ramblings. I laughed at a few of them; cried and some too. I have changed so much since them... and the most shocking part was to see the areas that I haven't grown in. Those were kind of a slap in the face, but I'm going to choose to see it as God gently reminding me of areas that need attention. ha.

Reading through some of them I was instantly transported back to a place in time. I could see myself slumped over the keyboard in my old Dallas apartment, or the same keyboard, but in Phoenix. It was wild to experience memories I had forgotten I had. Feelings I once felt as I typed those words came back and I just soaked them up. At the other end of things, there were some posts that I don't remember posting at all... and some that had meanings far beneath the surface of the words. It was fun and crazy all at the same time. The one thing I noticed that hadn't changed is my love for quotes. They were everywhere.

Anyway, the point is... I had a good time remembering the past tonight... and an even better one determining how I was going to learn and grow from it.

"Never be afraid to ask a question, especially of yourself..."~ Brian Kates

The First of Many

Well, the time has come for me to begin this journey. I had originally started this blog as a way to document Shannon and my first year of marriage living separately. Hoping that someone out there might be able to draw encouragement from our struggles, etc. However, as is common, the Lord had other plans. Shannon and I were apart for less than a month before He closed the door in North Carolina and opened one in Michigan for me to come be with my husband. Praise the Lord for ALL He does!!!!

So, that left me with a blog and nothing really to write about... until now. Let me first say, I still don't have anything to write about, but while thinking of resolutions for 2010 I kept getting the feeling it was time to start writing again. I had a Xanga blog for many years and I LOVED being able to just get all of the rambling out of my head... mainly for my family to read and keep up with me. Now there is Facebook and Myspace and I just fell away from it all. So, why now? I'm not really sure, but I'm willing to take a step of faith to find out.

I've been following a lot of blogs lately. It started out with the Kaysers, a family from my LNBC Church in North Carolina. They set out on a journey to adopt two amazing children from the Ukraine, and I just loved (and still love) reading how open they were to what God was doing in their lives and in the lives of these children all the way around the world. Then, there is my old sorority sister and her husband that are adopting two children from Ethiopia. It has been such a joy to read about how many ways the Lord is working in and through her. I just get so excited every time I click on their blog and read a new post that just oozes of Christ and His will in their lives. I love, love, love reading about her relationship with God and watching it bloom in front of the whole world. I admit, sometimes it makes me step back and do a self-assessment of my own relationship... but that is part of the beauty of it for me! Through her blog I've started following other families that have, or are in the process of, adopting. I don't know half of the people in the blogs I read, but it has been amazing how God has used their words to touch this stranger. Plus, I've always been fascinated by adoption... ever since my Uncle Charles adopted two of my cousins. I was so excited to have them in our family and have had the desire ever since to adopt myself.

Anyway, Shannon just got home... so I'm going to go spend some time with him for now. Resolution for 2010... blog and watch what the Lord has in store.

I end with one of "our" Bible verses (it's the theme for the blog too)

"We live by FAITH, not by SIGHT!" 2 Corinthians 5:7