A Little Vaca

So in mid March we headed to the mountains with the Raby side of the family for a little vacation.  It was a fantastic break from the usual routine and a treat to have so many baby sitters.  It was a great reminder to me how much I love living near the mountains; God is such an amazing Artist!

March Madness happened to be during vacation
so we had to represent:)

Love this little guy's facial expressions

Everyone looking and smiling at the same time...amazing

Laural Falls

No one was injured for those of you freaking out
about how close to the edge they are:)

It was a perfect day for hiking

Yep...sunlight=super red hair

I think this is the first picture in a year without kids

Somewhat stroller friendly trail

Sweet, sleepy girl

Uncle Awesome, Aunt Lindsey and Jackson

What's family vacation without putt-putt



Just had to add a few shots from their wagon...which they love!



Journeying On,



Little Steps

This is a week or so late, but these things are hard to catch on video:)

Good work little man!

Journeying On,

Still Working

Early Sunday afternoon I held a sleeping baby Ethan in my lap as our plane touched down in Knoxville.  As we pulled down the runway I couldn't help but begin thinking about the day when we get to bring our next baby home.  I imagined how excited I would be to introduce our baby to their brother and sister, family and friends.  To see all the people waiting to welcome us and our baby home (hint, hint).  It's a beautiful thought to think that sweet day is already being orchestrated by our heavenly Father!  

Making that day a little closer...

This weekend is one of my favorite consignment sales, Duck-Duck-Goose and it's also an adoption fundraiser opportunity for us.  On Friday, April 15, the sale will give 10% of your purchase towards our adoption IF you hand them a copy of the form below at check out.  It's a really easy way to jump start our fundraising, and a pretty easy one I think:)  Feel free to pass it along! 

 Journeying On,

A few blogs coming your way...
East Tennessee Vacation....Raby Style
Wagon Rides
Baby Steps
Sweet Family

Flying Colors

Time to brag on little man:)  He had a modified barium swallow study today to see if his swallowing has become strong enough to clear liquids from his airway....he passed with "flying colors"! This means he can start practicing with a sippy cup and hopefully learn to drink his formula.

Journeying On,

His Goodness Continues

Last fall this little miss had a MRI and a neurologist that weren't sure she would ever crawl, yet alone walk!

We praise you, LORD, for all your glorious power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts. -Psalm 21:13



Journeying On,

Adopted

Right now there are a lot of things going on in Ethiopia regarding inter country adoption.  You can read about it here: Ethiopia Adoptions . However, in light of this discouraging news, I was encouraged by a link I saw on a friends facebook page today.  A beautiful reminder of the real definition of 'adopted'.

Journeying On,

Journeying On

I was a senior in high school when I dreamt about moving to a third-world country for a year or two and pouring out love on the orphans of this world.  It was just a dream, but I believe it was a seed planted by God that would be nurtured for years to come. 

Throughout the time of our dating and engagement, Jared and I talked a lot about what we desired our family to look like, where we would live and how many kids we would have.  We talked about adoption and how one day, perhaps after our own kids were grown, we may adopt or foster children. 

Later when we went to Poland for a college mission’s trip, I was ready to bring a little boy home with me from the orphanage there.  But it was not yet God’s time.  Thankfully, he was adopted shortly after our trip, but his picture still hangs on our fridge as a reminder to pray for little Oscar.  

And then when I became pregnant, I put the idea of adoption on the back burner and thought, ‘Maybe later down the road’.  Well, it’s now ‘later down the road’ and God is still stirring our hearts and bringing confirmation into our lives that He is still leading us to pursue adoption. 

Much of this confirmation came this past summer when I had some testing done to see if future pregnancies would likely hold similar complications as my last.  We were told that I have anywhere from a 40-50% chance of experiencing those complications once again.  We knew right away that it would not be wise to pursue pregnancy again.  Surprisingly, we had a strange peace about the news.  No regrets.  No mourning.  We simply had peace; a beautiful gift from my heavenly Father; a confidence that he would lead us on a new journey to expand our family.

So in case you still haven’t figured it out by now: we’re taking steps to bring another Raby baby into the family.  We’ve only been working on it since late December 2010, but we are already neck-deep in paperwork.  We don’t have many answers yet, mostly questions.  What we do know is that we feel drawn to international adoption, so we’ve started paperwork that leads us in that direction.  However, we are certainly open to a domestic adoption if the Lord opens that door instead.  Interestingly, because of the stipulations each country creates for families trying to adopt, the only country that we currently qualify for is Ethiopia… which is very exciting to us! 

Side note: interesting that God would allow this to be the country open to us as the little boy we’ve sponsored for years is there, which means we’ve already been thinking of and praying for that country for quite some time. 

So far, we've been accepted by Bethany Christian Services adoption agency and are filling out the 100 page+ home study packet.  We're collecting paperwork, getting physicals and writing down our life-story for all to read.  It is time consuming, but we're slowly pressing forward.

We pray that our life journey would continue to be a sacred one, that God would be glorified with each step of paperwork, every question we have to answer and all the places we must go.  How grateful we are to be surrounded by friends and family that support us and are excited for us (rejoicing with those who rejoice - Romans 12:15).  What a blessing and confirmation in our life!

Would you consider praying for our sweet child? We don't know if it's a boy or girl, if they've been born yet, or when we will meet them.  But we love them so much already.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families; he leads forth the prisoners with singing.  Psalm 68:5-6

I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. John 14:18

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Journeying On,

DNA

I can't even pretend to understand the complexity of atoms, molecules and DNA.  But I do find it fascinating to see how God mixes up these microscopic cells and puts them together in a unique way to form a precious person, created in His image.  I thought it might be fun to compare Ethan and Addison's one year pictures with some pictures of us and our siblings at about that age.  Please leave lots of comments, as I would love to hear your perspective!

And yes, I got permission from my siblings/siblings-in-law to post their amazingly cute baby pictures:)

Journeying On,

Personalities

I just love to see God crafting the very unique personalities in my kiddos.  I often think to myself  "wonder if they get that from me or their dad?"  Then I think, "my poor mother...my poor mother-in-law!"  It's a beautiful thing!  I caught this picture in the tub the other day and I thought it perfectly fits my view of their personalities right now.  Enjoy!

Journeying On,

Little Reminders

Today I was doing a little spring cleaning and ran across a little reminder of God's faithfulness.  I love how He gives these little reminders.  It is my prayer not to miss these, not to be so busy and caught up in the now that I forget the past; or fail to trust him with our future.  As I sat and looked at this tiny little reminder today I actually found myself missing that sweet time.  It was a season when all I could do was sit, look, pray and occasionally hold.  So today I'm doing a little sitting, a little looking back and being very thankful that I can do all the holding I want.  What kind of little reminders did you run across today?

Journeying On,

Button Buddies

I recently discovered this little invention through facebook and we are in love.  We've been going through about a box of gauze a week, but these are washable and keep their g-tubes much cleaner.  Not to mention that they are WAY cuter:)  Thank you http://www.mybuttonbuddies.com/!

I also cleaned out our "medical supply" shelves yesterday and thought I would take a picture of our monthly formula delivery.  Yes, I'm so grateful for the man that delivers all this to our house each month!

Journeying On,

Valentinies

I'm so very thankful for the sweet ladies who helped Ethan and Addison make their first valentine card for their mom and dad.  What a beautiful gift! 

 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails!

-I Corinthians 13:4-8

How I need to be reminded of this verse often!  The only way I will ever love like Corinthians talks about is to be filled with love for my Savior.  Praying I will love others well because I'm in love with my Father.

A little Valentine's Day fun...



My little love bandit



This girl loves the camera

Can you tell she just woke up

Very sleepy eyes, but a sweet smile

No pictures...just climbing

Smiling because he fell down, not because there's a camera

  

Almost a picture together

Journeying On,



Sleep in Peace

I had just taken this picture the other morning and when I read this verse today I couldn't help but think of it.  Praising the Lord for his protection and promises.

Journeying On,

Come Back Spring

We are already missing those two days of Spring we had last week! We took advantage of it though and let the babies try out the wagon they got for their birthday.  They LOVED it:)

Journeying On,