We have a SPECIAL Birthday today...

Happy Birthday to You...

                        Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday Dear....

ISAAC!!!!

 

 

Happy Birthday to You!

 

Dear Sweet Son,

 

Today you turn three years old.  You're becoming such a big boy!  This past year has held many changes for you and this year is going to hold even more.  Soon you will become an Audirsch and have a Mommy and Daddy and a bunch of siblings eager to love you and help you. Although the first three years of your life are full of questions, God knows those answers and He provided for you to be at a wonderful home where you were held and SEEN and loved that first year.  Your second year of life holds a little more mystery, but God knows that too and He promises that He is with you and He is a Father to the fatherless and a defender of the orphan.  In just a few weeks we will come for you and your life will change drastically again.  Our greatest hope for you is that you will come to know and love Jesus most of all. I pray that you are celebrated today. 

 

In the words of your godly grandmother:

 

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, may you find Jesus near every day of the year.  A happy birthday to you, a happy birthday to you and the BEST year you've ever had!

 

We love you son!!!

 

Mommy and Daddy <3



The FIVE Magical Questions

 

At this point in our adoption process our agency informed us that they will request updates from the orphanages in which our children reside and we can ask five specific questions.  No pressure, just pick the right questions.

Five.

Five questions of a million I have.  

Did anyone gaze into their newborn eyes with wonder or delight?

Did their Mama hold them close?  

Did she cry when it was apparent she would not be keeping her child?

Did she make this decision or was it made for her?

How can I step in this gaping hole?  Can I give them what they need?  Am I what they need?

How long was it before they stopped crying for their Mama?  

What is their favorite comfort? Does anyone comfort them?

What makes them happy or sad or afraid?

What makes their eyes light up?  

How big are they?

How much have they grown since our last update?

What do they eat?

What medicines do they take?

Who takes care of them daily?

Do they sleep hot?

Do they play with other children?  

How many words do they have?

Besides words, how do they communicate?

I could write questions all night long....

And then I found out  no one answers the questions you ask anyway.  They just tell you what they’re going to tell you and that’s it.  

So here’s what I know. I know GOD loves these kids. I know we will love these kids. I know He’s been with them all along.  I know He is a Father to the fatherless, I experienced that firsthand for the first nineteen years of my life. (I did have an awesome Mom though!)

We will pour love and prayer and delight into them.  We will partner with Christ as He does His work of redemption in their lives.

We will trust Him each step of the way, even with unanswered questions and impossible circumstances.  He’s teaching us that He kind of likes the impossible.

Oh Lord, prepare their little hearts as only You can do.  Amen.

We should be traveling sometime in the next 9-12 weeks.  There is an end in sight.  We may never have answers for them now, but we will discover the answer to all these questions and more as we journey together with these precious souls God has knit into our family.  He's so very good.

Happy Birthday to my Awesome Dad!

  

Today is the birthday of a man who has become my Dad. 

I don't use that term lightly. It's a term that's earned through sacrifice. 

Romans 13:7 tells us to pay honor to whom honor is due. 

When I was a baby the man that was my mother's husband abandoned us as he had done several times before.  My mother had no idea when she married him that he was still married and had been several times before. 

My mom raised us in the 1970s and 80s alone when raising children alone was an anomaly.  I've written much in the past few months about our life growing up but for this post suffice it to say it was a faith-filled upbringing. 

In 1989 my mother married Ron Kahns, she took his name, his family, his home and he in turn took hers.  Their hearts were melded and I gained a Dad that day. It would be years before I fully appreciated the gift I had been given.  

Ron has stood by us through thick and thin. He's offered advice when asked, helped with some home improvement projects around our house ( when we had one!) and he's loved and supported us. Now we are kind of leaning on each other. 

So happy day that you were born Dad! I'm so blessed that God out you in our family!  

(P.s. Doug says I'm trying to turn you into a blubbering fool!.., but I mean every word)