Does anyone else need to hear this today?:

Jeremiah 29:11
¹¹I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering.

God's Peace

Tonight I am going to visit a friend 'T' who has struggled with infertility for quite sometime, also dealing with a few miscarriages. She is now pregnant and passed they 'scare stage'!!! I am so excited to go to Gainesville to see her tonight and spend the day with her tomorrow! How am I going to do this you ask? Spend time with someone who is PREGNANT?!? One answer for you: GOD'S PEACE.

If you would have asked me to do this at any point the last 3 years, there would have been NO way that i would be strong enough to do this. But thru LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of prayer God has given Ben and I peace about not being able to conceive (at this point in our lives) and build our family thru Adoption. Matthew 11:28-30 '²⁸If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.'

I am so thankful that we were able to turn our Infertilty over to God. This is not to say that we have NO bad days, because that certainly isn't true. We still have our days where we just dont understand why we arent able to conceive, or why we aren't able to have biological children. But thru this struggle God has shown us that having biological children isn't the only way to have a family. In this he has led us to Adoption, which you can read about in our other posts.

Here are some other verses i love on 'Peace'

John 14:27 ²⁷I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.

John 16:33³³I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.

Thankful

I must say how THANKFUL and BLESSED Ben and I are feeling. Our friends, and friends we have come to know thru our Adoption process have blessed us TREMENDOUSLY. Baby Rice is so spoiled all ready! I can not even begin to explain all the clothes, baby gear, etc that people have just given us when they heard we are adopting. It is the sweetest feeling in the world to know people are so excited for us to adopt a baby. We feel so humbled. It is AMAZING to see the Lord work thru others as they give. We can't wait to recycle and keep on giving once our baby rice(s) grow out of everything. We are sincerely thankful. 

PAPER PREGNANT

Just to give everyone an idea of time frame you should know that adoption is a paper chase.  That is why we are "paper pregnant."  Much like a normal Mother/Father would come to their child thru Dr.'s appointments and ultrasounds, we too are on a journey to our child, only our journey is with paper work and home visits.

We are so thrilled to be halfway done with our MAPP Training Courses (required parenting classes in the state of FL). We should start our HomeStudy at the end of February. If all goes as planned, we should be liscensed to Adopt in April/May. We are SO ecstatic!

Our MAPP classes are well... interesting. Although the FBCH is required by law to teach the same cirriculum as the state would, it's a little dissapointing to not be able to see the Biblical Aspect of Adoption. It is so NEAT to think on the Biblical side, that we are ALL adopted. Adopted by Christ! Have you read the book 'Adopted for Life' by Russell Moore? Here is just a taste:

Families, the Bible tells us, reflect something eternally true about God. It is God's fatherhood after which every family in heaven and on earth is named (Eph. 3:14-15, '¹⁴I kneel in prayer to the Father. ¹⁵All beings in heaven and on earth receive their life from him.'). We know what human parenting should look like based on our Father's behavior toward us.

The reverse is also true. We see something of God's fatherhood in our relationship with our human fathers. Jesus tells us that our fathers' provision and discipline show us God's active love toward us (Matt. 7:9-11'⁹Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? ¹⁰Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? ¹¹As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask'; Heb. 12:5-17 '⁵But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God's children, "When the Lord punishes you, don't make light of it, and when he corrects you, don't be discouraged. ⁶The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own." ⁷Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don't all parents correct their children? ⁸God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn't correct you, then you don't really belong to him. ⁹Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn't it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us? ¹⁰Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. ¹¹It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace. ¹²Now stand up straight! Stop your knees from shaking ¹³and walk a straight path. Then lame people will be healed, instead of getting worse.  ¹⁴Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord. ¹⁵Make sure that no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you. ¹⁶Watch out for immoral and ungodly people like Esau, who sold his future blessing ^[a] for only one meal. ¹⁷You know how he later wanted it back. But there was nothing he could do to change things, even though he begged his father and cried.).

The same principle is at work in adoption. Adoption is, on one hand, gospel. Our identity and inheritance are grounded in our adoption in Christ. Adoption is also mission. In this, our adoption spurs us to join Christ in advocating for the poor, the marginalized, the abandoned, and the fatherless. Without the theological aspect, the growing Christian emphasis on orphan care too often seems like one more cause wristband for compassionate conservative evangelicals to wear until the trend dies down. Without the missional aspect, the doctrine of adoption too easily becomes mere metaphor, just another way to say "saved."

While reading this book i had such a hard time getting thru it thru my tears. This book REALLY puts in life how Christ adopted us, and how we are to 'recycle' that love.



Adoption Fundraiser

Photography by Virginia Hobbs has GRACIOUSLY offered to do a 'Mini Session Marathon' (at a reduced rate) on Jan 28th at Treaty Oak Park and donate 100% of proceeds to our Adoption Fund! How awesome is that?!!?! I am so humbled that she would offer! Such a blessing.

Please check out her work, she is amazing 

http://www.vhobbsphotography.com/

I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but Christmas and the New Year left us SO busy.
But, exciting news.. wait for it, wait for it, wait for it....

We started our MAPP Training Course with the Florida Baptist Children's Home last night! YAHOOO!! We are officially PAPER PREGNANT! (heehee). SO thrilled God flew upon the door for us to start! It left us feeling so encrouaged and so at peace. Although it was quite a funny story getting there.

We had our interview set up with FSS for this Wednesday when God flung open the door for FBCH. And we were able to get into the Mapp Class the same day. Funny how God Works! Anywho, we are super thrilled SOMETHING is happening..

This is us on the way to our class,

 SO EXCITED!!!!

Now we can officially say we are PAPER PREGNANT!

PCOS and Weight Loss (dieting, exercise)

First, here is a little information PCOS:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001408/

Having PCOS makes it 3x as hard to lose weight as a Person w/o PCOS.
Which i have been experiencing, let me tell ya. I work out at the Gym 3-4x/week,
*trying* to diet and NOTHING is happening. Which leaves me feeling depressed and unencouraged.
I mean why do all the work for no results?

I have found this on http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=11182&terms=polycystic+ovarian+syndrome

Diet and PCOS
Research has shown changing eating habits and getting more exercise helps to manage PCOS.
Moderate weight loss (10 percent of total body weight) can help normalize menstrual cycles, regulate blood sugar and increase a woman’s chances of conceiving a baby. Eating more whole-grain foods, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt can help lower your blood sugar, improve your body’s use of insulin and normalize hormone levels.
The best eating plan for women with PCOS includes:

• Regular meals or snacks every three to four hours. Don’t skip meals.
• High-fiber carbohydrates to keep blood sugar levels normal and hunger pangs away. Eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
• More healthy fats, like olive and canola oils, walnuts, almonds and avocadoes.
• Proteins in all meals and snacks. Try nut butters, lean meats, fish, chicken, turkey and low-fat dairy products with all meals and snacks.
• Healthy beverages. Avoid high-calorie, sugar-laden and alcoholic choices.

Physical Activity and PCOS
Regular exercise can help alleviate symptoms of PCOS. Get moving with at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five days a week. (For weight loss, additional physical activity may be needed). Increase muscle mass with strength-training exercises at least two times a week. Exercise can help with depression and body image, too.

So i HATE going feeling uninspired and unmotivated, so here are some photos that make me feel MOTIVATED: