It's come to my attention....

...that I haven't written on my blog for a long time.  So I will start again.  Stay tuned...

adoption-it is God's work

You have to believe....adoption is God's work.

This wait is hard, agonizing, an emotional roller coaster that sometimes (because we are human) leaves us questioning God, His work and most specifically His timing for things.

I fully believe the Lord has the perfect ending to our story... but damn, it's hard waiting. And then....I pray and am humbled by the peace given to me from our Savior that ALL will be ok.  It will not just be ok, it will be perfect; exactly the way it is suppose to be... and yes, I understand that perfect does not mean EASY.

Look at the story of Jesus...nothing was easy for Mary, Joseph, and most of all Jesus.  How easy would it have been to quit, to let humanity find a different road, an easier road, a road WE think is the right one, the best one for us. Jesus' never used His words in place of God's, He never took His own path, it definitely wasn't an easy road. He was undeniably faithful for us... So then I think, how incredibly weak and selfish it is for me to think I should find the 'right' path for us.  Who am I?  Well, I am the one using my own thoughts and words and 'perfect endings' and then believing they are HIS.  WOW!  

----
So now I do the only thing I can do is confess, PRAY for forgiveness, and PRAY for the ability to really listen to Him.  He is 100% there, when we really start to listen.  He always shows me that He is holding my hand.  This morning at Mass He spoke directly to me through Fr. Guy!  How blessed am I!!  The Lord heard me, my pray and used Fr. as His method for me to hear Him LOUD and CLEAR!

It all started with a reading from the first book of Samuel 1:9-20
Hannah rose after a meal at Shiloh, and presented herself before the Lord; at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chair new the doorpost of the Lord's temple.  In her bitterness she prayed to the Lord, weeping copiously, and she made a vow, promising: "O Lord of hosts, if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid, if you remember me and do not forget me, if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the Lord for as long as he lives; neither wine nor liquor shall he drink, and no razor shall ever touch his head."  As she remained long at prayer before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently; through her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.  Eli, thinking her drunk, said to her, "How long will you make a drunken show of yourself?"  Sober up from your wine!"  "Isn't that, my Lord," Hannah answered. "I am an unhappy woman.  I have had neither wine nor liquor; I was only pouring out my troubles to the Lord.  Do not think your handmaid a ne'er do-well; my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorry and misery."  Eli said, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant what you have asked of him."  She replied, "Think kindly of your maidservant," and left.  She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and no longer appeared downcast.  Early the next morning they worshiped before the Lord, and then returned to their home in Ramah.  When Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, the Lord remembered her.  She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the Lord for him.
-The word of the Lord.

I have asked for a child and I know he has listened.  Fr. Guy told me to stop thinking my words and thoughts are His.  WOW!!!!  Really... that is exactly what I needed to hear! Now, I will wait peacefully until HIS words are in the flesh.  He will answer my prayers....I have FAITH.

Her Words struck a cord so deep....

I think I have written this in the past...but it never ceases to amaze me how a book I am reading, the Gospel reading of the day, or the spoken words of a friend can have such a profound way of touching on something I am going through....it seems to always be perfectly presented at the exact moment needed.

Last week, I was reading one of the MOST INCREDIBLE stories...a few words struck a cord with me so deep, I still can not shake them so I decided to write them down so I never forget this God moment. In NO way am I trying to compare myself with Katie!!  I am sharing this God story because God was speaking to me through this story... Katie writes my feelings so perfectly, therefore,  I will share....

And God spoke so plainly to me.  He did not apologize for my heartache; even better, He shared it.  He knew.  The pain in my heart over having to give up a little boy I had loved for a month did not even come close to the pain He felt when He gave His only Son.  And He did that for me.  The pain I felt was so unbearable, but it was just a fraction of what He felt when He sent His one and only child to save me, to allow me to spend eternity with Him.  He knew.  And while it still hurt to put the little boy back in a situation where I could not guarantee his care, I knew God was going with him.

-an excerpt Kisses from Katie

I truly believe God was showing His love to me through this exact moment....Katie wrote what I was feeling....and God let me read it reminding me He is there for me and for all of his children!

Feast of St. Augustine

“O Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation. Say it so that I can hear it. My heart is listening, Lord; open the ears of my heard and say to my soul, I am your salvation. Let me run toward this voice and seize hold of you. Do not hide your face from me: let me die so that I may see it, for not to see it would be death to me indeed.” 

― St. Augustine, "Confessions"

Sirach 26

1Happy the husband of a good wife;

the number of his days will be doubled.

2A loyal wife brings joy to her husband,

and he will finish his years in peace.

3A good wife is a generous gift

bestowed upon him who fears the Lord.

4Whether rich or poor, his heart is content,

a smile ever on his face.

5There are three things I dread,

and a fourth which terrifies me:

Public slander, the gathering of a mob,

and false accusation—all harder to bear than death.

6A wife jealous of another wife is heartache and mourning;

everyone feels the lash of her tongue.

7A wicked wife is a chafing yoke;

taking hold of her is like grasping a scorpion.

8A drunken wife arouses great anger,

for she does not hide her shame.

9By her haughty stare and her eyelids

an unchaste wife can be recognized.

10Keep a strict watch over an unruly wife,

lest, finding an opportunity, she use it;

11Watch out for her impudent eye,

and do not be surprised if she betrays you:

12As a thirsty traveler opens his mouth

and drinks from any water nearby,

So she sits down before every tent peg

and opens her quiver for every arrow.

13A gracious wife delights her husband;

her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones.

14A silent wife is a gift from the Lord;

nothing is worth more than her self-discipline.

15A modest wife is a supreme blessing;

no scales can weigh the worth of her chastity.

16The sun rising in the Lord’s heavens—

the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.

17The light which shines above the holy lampstand—

a beautiful face on a stately figure.

18Golden columns on silver bases—

so her shapely legs and steady feet.^†

What the Woman May Have Prayed...

And now, our only provider and cause of all good things,
listen with compassion, Lord
to the supplications I call to you,
with my arms lifted in prayer,
bolstered from within,
with the sighs of my heart,
with the cries of my tongue and lips.
Expressing thanks through these offerings,
I offer up my gratitude to you,
almighty, awesome, exalted, incomprehensible, forever embraced in unending love,
constantly praised with the chant,
Holy, Holy, only and always Holy,
Blessed forever

Out of your great goodness,
grant me yet more help,
for I am completely lost.
Give me hope of sweetness,
though I am not worthy of the least drop of your light,
so that I might understand through you, good Lord,
the subtle secret of this mystery,
and mix thanks with my prayers,
saying with David,
"We have received your mercy, Lord,"
and "your hidden and invisible secrets,"
you have revealed through your wisdom."


This could not come to me at a better time in this moment of my life.....longing for Baby 'Opia!  Throwing my arms up and asking for help!

The new addition...

How could anyone say no???

Meet Frankie, our new addition to our family.  

We get bring our new little guy home on Sunday!!!

The kiddos are so excited.  Yesterday while at Target we had to look at all of the different items in the pet isle...picking out what they think Frankie would love most.  It will be quite an adventure for our family but I must say, I am excited too!!!  I think this little peanut may just be my new little cuddle monster!!!

because sometimes people are just stupid....

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."
-Anonymous

Prayer Warrior Mom

...is what I am reading right now...I always find it so awesome when something I read has such incredible relevance and importance to my life in the exact perfect moment.

Here is what I read this morning:

"God often answers us after long and persevering requests.  He hears prayers and grants blessings long after they appear to be unanswered or withheld.  He does not promise to give blessings immediately.  He promises only that He will do it according to His will and plan.  Although He promises to answer the prayer of the faithful, often He requires us to wait a long time to try our faith.  He may allow us to persevere for months or years, until we are completely dependent on Him, until we see that there is no other way to receive the blessing, and until we are prepared to receive it.  Sometimes, we are not ready to receive a blessing when we first ask.  We may be too proud, or we may not comprehend our dependence upon Him.  Maybe we would not value it, or the timing for it may simply be wrong.  If what we ask for is good and accords with God's will, He will give it a the best time possible."


How incredibly perfect for our entire family as we continue to wait....for our precious child from across the world!

His hand is always holding us...

His steady hand is always holding us...

You always think you know how you might react if a 'scary' situation happens... but when it does...hindsight is always better!

On Sunday night, Ryan and I had just went to bed, the clock read slightly before midnight.  The kids had been sleeping for hours.  When all of the sudden someone started knocking on our front door.  We waited thinking it would stop....when it didn't, panic raced through my veins.  Someone wanted our attention and they were not going to stop until they got it.  We call 911 and Ryan quietly tried to sneak a peak of the person now banging on our door.  Then just as Ryan was about to walk downstairs, phone in hand, to face the large man knocking on our door.....he disappeared.  Police searched for him most of the night, but came up with nothing.  Needless to say, I didn't fall back to sleep until daylight came....

Looking back, there are a few things Ryan and I said we would do much differently...so here is my advice to you.  Even if you think "a break in would never happen at my house," think again....and come up with several different 'what i think i would need to do' plans.  

Yesterday morning Ryan and I talked about our plans and things we would have done differently.  Thankfully, no one entered our home and no one was hurt....but it was a great big eye opener.

There is no doubt in my mind the Lord was keeping us in the palm of his hand...He was watching over our home, my family.  Our plans changed, we were not actually suppose to be home until Tuesday.  But instead, we decided to come home Sunday.  Had we not been home...I truly believe the home we walked into Sunday afternoon would have looked gravely different.

Praise the Lord for the Lord is good! Psalm 135

Idlewild Fun!

Summer Fun at Idlewild Park.

Mister Rogers Neighborhood, the train, Storybook Forest, Jumping Jungle....all of my childhood memories come rushing back and my kiddos get to start new ones right where mine leave off!

Waiting...

as we creep through summer....i can't help but wonder if this week will be the week???

we have now officially entered the "referral time period" and i can't help but dream and pray and hope that our baby will be revealed to us soon.

i fully am aware of God's perfect timing and i am thankful for all He puts in front of us everyday.  i understand our wait...and pray for God to keep working wonders with our family and our Ethiopian child's family.


Lord~ Please continue to watch over all of our children.  Continue to open Garyn's heart to sharing Your good work.  Thank you for creating Gianna and giving her to me.  She keeps the spirit of baby 'opia alive in our home and I am forever grateful for that.  And as we push forward through these next few months, please keep your hand on our Ethiopian child(ren), (Greyden and/or Georgia) and keep their families close and safe in your arms.
I am forever thankful for all you bless me with everyday.  Thank you for my family, my peace and my understanding... Your word and love and mercy bring me life EVERYDAY.
In Christ, Amen.


Until the day we meet our babies!

Family....

My Italian Family....

for years i thought everyone must be italian....
everyone must have the same traditions...

years later...

i understand how blessed i am to have a grown up with a family so strong in their heritage...

it is always fun to be home and experience the taste of italy again!

Mangia!

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday America!!

Family Fun!

Best Friends....

Arlyn and Gigi loved spending time together....

Gigi strumming away on her guitar while Arlyn listens intently!

Home...

Every year we make our annual 2 week trip to my parents.  This year however, the trip started out a little different... the kiddos came 5 days before us!

My Mom has wanted this for years but the distance has always worried Garyn and Gigi.  This year my sweet boy looked at it differently and said...."it's ok Mom, I will do it for Gaga!"  He and Gigi had a wonderful time and Ryan and I enjoyed our adults only weekend.  It was weird being home without them.  I must say, I do not function well without noise and kids.

Our time here in Pennsylvania pretty much always looks the same....family, food, and fun!!!
Here are a few pictures to capture our visit in a glance!!

 Getting ready to go to the Carnegie Science Center

Learning all about Robots

...and astronauts and outer space. 

Future weather girl?

Tubular fun!

Turtles!!

HURRICANE SIMULATOR!!

 WIND BLOWN

Mommy time

Submarine experience

OPERATION!!!

Jumping beans!

PapPap attempting to pull Gigi's 1st tooth...it wasn't ready.

But his was....

Family fun squirt gun battle

Arlyn

Getting a refill

Joel and Gigi catching lighting bugs!

TO BE CONTINUED!