Home for the Holidays!

We had sooooo much fun on our vacation! We've posted a few highlight pictures below, but they really don't do our week justice. We had such a great family time, with a few days of just our family of three, and then the second half of the week with Paula's parents coming to be with us. Will was in heaven - from meeting Mickey to a whole store of Legos to parades and fireworks every single day! Oh, and let's not forget those rides - this boy can plunge with the best of 'em! He rode absolutely everything that he was tall enough to ride - most of them more than once!

Sorry we've been neglecting our posting time here, but by the time we dug ourselves out of our laundry mountains, it was time to think about the holidays. We spent Thanksgiving at home - just our family of three. Wonderful, relaxing, football-filled, tree-decorating, non-shopping weekend. It was great! We're usually travelling at the holidays, so it was kind of nice to watch the Thanksgiving Parade in our P.J.'s in our own living room! :) We are also usually big time post-Thanksgiving bargain hunters, but we've started trying to change our tune. This year we finished our Christmas shopping before we left for vacation (Hip! Hip! Hooray!) so we could just focus on some great family time instead of running through the mall mazes this holiday season.

Speaking of great family time, we have a momentous occasion ahead! You see, Will turns FIVE this week, and we are in full-blown party mode. He wanted a Lego-themed party, so I have been studying up on how to make a Lego-shaped birthday cake. If it turns out well, I'll post pictures - if not, well... you can imagine that it is a cute idea instead! :) We even have the special treat of Bill's parents coming from Denver just for the birthday festivities. So, I'm sure Will is going to be in five-year-old heaven! Just think, a birthday celebration and Christmas all in three weeks. It's big stuff at our house!

So, please forgive us if we our posting continues to be sporadic at best. Between the birthday and the heart of our Christmas season, our calendar remains full. We continue to be amazed at how blessed we have felt this fall, despite good news or no news on the adoption front. Thanks be to God for peace that passes all understanding right now, and for continuing to be real and present in our lives.

For those of you not on the adoption roller coaster, the situation in Vietnam has been less than stable lately. The U.S. and Vietnamese governments continue to struggle with how to make the adoption process more safe, more ethical, and more fair for the children of Vietnam. Of course, governments aren't always the most moral, logical, or honest folks. (Think about your last trip to the DMV for a new driver's license and then multiply it by 100 and you'll have a tiny inkling of what some of the paperwork related to an adoption can become and how frustrating the process can be at some points!) Still, we continue - especially in this Christmas season - to be so thankful that

"For Unto us a Child is Born, to us a Son is Given,
And the government will be upon his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
There will be no end."
- Isaiah 9:6-7

We are holding strong to the hope that God is so much greater than any governments or bureaucrats. He is firmly in control of this situation in Vietnam and his peace will continue to increase. Please pray right now for the children in Vietnam - for their continued health, safety, and blessing. Pray for the families in the adoption process - for those who are waiting to bring their children home and for those like us who are waiting to be blessed with children and are trying to keep hope in our hearts right now.

This verse above is one of the central sections of the Handel's Messiah. Bill is a self-proclaimed Messiah junkie - he loves to take in the music, the Scripture, the praise. If you have a free hour or two this Christmas season, take a few minutes and listen to it. Chances are, you'll be glad you did. Maybe you don't have the time to go and hear a live performance of it, but at least grab a CD and pop it in your car stereo. You'll be amazed how different your day can be when you really understand even the simplest of lines that "for unto US a child is born!"

Merry Christmas Season Everyone!