Today...

My days seem to be pretty much the same...day in and day out, BUT what really pleases the Lord? A clean house, Bible reading, praying, working, feeding the poor????? NOPE...the only thing that pleases the Heavenly Father is our faith in Him!!!! So, even as I change diapers, get kids dressed, play duck, duck, goose or teranadon, teranadon, t-rex, make lunch, do dishes, pick up toys, read books, supervise castle play, sit children in time outs, rock and sing and lay little ones down for naps, etc............... My FAITH stays in Him alone and what He did at the cross. Awww...the peace of the Lord!

I am now babysitting three little ones plus David. Ages: 4,3,2,1 I find it amazing how kids really do go through the same "stages" and I have one in almost every stage daily at our house. The imaginative, don't want to rest, learning the letters and sooooo much more stage; the I need you in the same room, still need a rest time but doesn't want to nap, coming and telling or "reporting" what everyone else is doing stage; the going at full steam all day until you lay me down, learning to learn about all sorts of things like colors, counting, potty training, etc., "why" stage; and finally, the sweet little wandering around, checking everything out, watching everything and wanting to do everything just like the "big" kids stage. Ok, that's a really quick "stage" report for the 4 little ones I interact with daily. What blessings! I guess I forgot the 7 year old: doesn't miss a thing that is said, doesn't forget anything, high drama, wants to help, loves to read, just wants to be listened to, growing up WAY to fast stage:)

Davey boy is learning to count. He is cracking us up because he forgets (or refuses: we're not too sure which it is) to say three. Erik finally bribed him with fruit snacks:) Today, I was laughing as he was counting because he was saying three but left out four! Colors.... EVERYTHING is "blue" as far as he is concerned! During this week alone, he has a bruised eye from konking heads while playing puppies and he bit his lip today when he tripped over the stuffed animal he was dragging around. The most important thing for him though was his bandaid that he needed on his finger just like the little guy I baby sit.

Anna was very concerned about all this snow preventing us from going to our first dog training session. I think we will be able to make it though. We shall see if we all survive! I think I should probably take the camera to capture the moment!

Adoption News: I've mentioned the mountains of paperwork that is a part of this process. The other night as I was straightening it all out, I decided to take some pictures. This first one is a pile of our dossier documents. These documents all had to be filled out by us or by many other people. Each one had to be notarized and all of them had to be sent to the Secretary of State to be apostilled. Then they will travel to our agency. Once we have a referral, this "little" bundle will travel to India! We mailed this out to the Sec. of State late last week. Now, some of these could possibly need to be redone, but we are thrilled to see this "mountain" go on the next step!


This is a file folder that I have been using to keep everything straight. I decided early on that all these papers needed to be in one place!
BUT they did not all fit in my little expanding file folder sooooooooooo here's a folder full of adoption grant/loan applications that we are currently working on. Yes, this is a process that is quite expensive! Money? Ummm...God is able! Enough said!
We've already had one family that really has a lot of questions because they are considering starting this journey, too. Ask us anything! We would LOVE to share with you what we've learned so far and along the way!

Sunday Morning at Home

David's eyes have dark circles around them, and he is so congested. I just wish I could rinse everything out for him. He was running a low temp yesterday. We decided to stay home this morning so we don't share this yucky stuff. All I can say is this: I MISS my church family and being together in the presence of God! I am so thankful for God's Grace and His Word and ... He is THE LIFE.

That's all for now...just trying to have some connection to the outside world:)

January in Pictures

Snow, snow, snow! This is a couple of weeks ago, but I am just now uploading these pictures:) I'm not sure David could see, but he loved it anyway!

And these snow (ice) sculptures were fun!

David's new trick! I guess we could call it "Up and Over" or "Hopefully, He doesn't get hurt"!

And then he drops to the floor!

In case you missed it...

Now on to our latest project. When I say, "our", I really mean Erik's wonderful hard work all for my sake! THANK YOU ERIK!

So, here's the short story. Before David was born, Erik took out the door in between our kitchen and our third bedroom. This added another big closet to the bedroom. Now, he has built a HUGE cabinet to fill in the space. I still have not filled it up yet. I open the doors and stare at the space and still am wondering how to arrange EVERYTHING that will fit!!!!!

ERIK, THANK YOU AGAIN!

It was a great place to play until I shooed them out!

Daddy had a great "helper"!

And here it is...in and painted with doors...now if we can find the matching trim...

Be ready to tear up...

I have become an adoption blog junkie. I start with my links, and then I will click through different links on their pages. It is truly amazing and encouraging to read these families stories and "see" how God is moving in their lives! I just have to share this: http://www.speckledbirdart.com/blog/?p=550 It starts with their travel. Scroll through the pictures and when you get to the end, look at bottom right to click to the next step of their journey. There are several pages of it all!

This is a family that just completed their adoption from India. They were blessed to have a professional photographer travel with them and document every step with pictures. The link is to the photographer's site who shares their journey through pictures. AMAZING! If you have the time, go check it out. I can't list all the thoughts and emotions that ran through my mind and heart while looking at these pictures. Mostly...this is what God is doing in our hearts! One day sooner than later, Erik and I will be THERE! Maybe not the same orphanage, but the same country. Our child will walk into the room, and we will meet face to face! The meeting may be filled with tears: happy and scary, but God's grace is sufficient! We will gather him/her up in our arms and begin the journey home! Quite a lot to think about...............

I hope that you take the time to look and see the beautiful pictures and realize how it truly is a picture of how we are in Christ. I can't at this time express completely what is in my heart. I'm praying that God would give me the words to share all that He is working in me. Here's a glimpse...look at that little one's face. She only knows the life of an orphanage. Now, she is being placed in a family. Her little eyes tell it all...she is not sure of the love and security and peace of knowing a mom and dad! Of course, it is an imperfect representation of how we look at Christ. He came and died and paid the price that we could be forgiven, set free, and placed IN HIM. Don't we look the same? Unsure that He really could forgive and take away all our sin...our faith so easily is drawn to former things or other things such as our own strengths or man made traditions or rules...sometimes we even cry out for the former things because of their false peace...when He is truly the only PEACE and HOPE! I pray that you are blessed by these pictures and this beautiful family!

Must get moving in this house of ours or I might lose David in all of this mess!

Hellllooooo....

I don't really know why I haven't blogged in awhile. I suppose it could be I am too busy reading adoption blogs, filling out adoption papers, researching playground equipment for the PTO, or the other daily tasks like diapers, laundry, laughing, playing, and eating. Oh yeah, don't forget the dishes and the dog. Speaking of Eli, we have signed him (and us) up for some obedience training. It will be six weeks, and we are looking forward to turning him into the perfect dog:) and spending some fun time with Anna!

Here's the news: David is so funny lately with his faces and the things he says. I can't believe we thought that he would never talk. Now, he talks all day long! He and Nate are working through learning to play together...yep, you know time outs and all. He and Anna have really begun to play together which is fun! She has turned him into her puppy and various other animals.

Anna is cruising through second grade which is half over. It is fun to read with her and hear her interpretation of what we are reading. I can't wait to read her journal from school. Her imagination continues to run full speed! She has started playing the piano again and really likes it. Hopefully, we can stick with it and get into a routine. It's a little hard to keep a schedule with Dad (and me) as her teachers. We'll see...

Adoption news: OUR HOME STUDY is DONE!!!!!! The draft has been sent to India through email and back. We are good! So, it now needs to be finalized, signed, and notarized and then.................we will be in the referral stage! That means we will be able to receive a referral whenever a child becomes available! It seems very strange to be at this stage! We are very excited, but also realize it could be awhile (months) before that referral comes! We know that everything is in God's hands and for that we are so thankful! Please keep us in your prayers regarding all of this!

Other news: Ben and my cousin, Justin, returned from a trip to India including village ministry and a crusade. It is HARVEST time in India! Our dear friend Rod is still in India and another crusade will be going on in the next week or so. Also, our dear friends Daniel and Pam are there and planning on staying for six months. We pray that they may encourage the church in their faith and preach the Gospel to those in darkness.

I'm off to change a diaper and get Nate ready for his Dad to pick him up! I love these little guys who are here each day. It can be complete CHAOS, but truly they bless my life!

Recapping December '09

Thank you Aunt Janie for such a fun afternoon and craft project! WATCH OUT...David got a tool set!

Anna loves her doll's wardrobe.

MP3 player...

My two handsome men

Merry Christmas my precious nieces! Let's just say, I spent many nights sewing after Anna and David went to bed:) I didn't make one for Jessica...she said it was OK:)

David...proud of his sticker manger scene! What is up with this smile:)

David's new train table. It had been waiting for him in our attic since last Christmas! Thanks Big R! He LOVES it! (And we took out our drafty fire place. For now there is just this lovely board. One of these days will get to this project.)

Anna's new desk chair. She spun in circles so long she got a stomach ache!

Waiting...

We went to Brookfield Zoo one Sun. night to enjoy the lights and animals in the snow.

David forgot to take a nap in the car and was so bundled up he could hardly move!

My mom bundled up and came along too.

The train ride was a high-light!

Pajama day for the last day of school and a Christmas breakfast from her teacher.
She was soooooo excited!

We ventured down to Rantoul to the reindeer ranch. Of course, David found the train right away!

Christmas 2009

We are so thankful for our families! Here are our "family portraits" for 2009.

The Parmenters

The Stones, Parmenters, & VanHovelns

and...the four of us:)

Our Christmas cards were quite unorganized this year. So, I really don't know who I got them sent out to and who I might have missed! I thought I would post our family letter. I enjoy looking back and reading them. It gives a glimpse of the year(s) gone by...

Dear Family and Friends,

2009 is quickly coming to a close and as we look back at this year, we are thankful for God’s grace upon us.

Last spring, we decided to fulfill Anna’s “dream”. We added Eli, a fluffy, collie-shepherd mix puppy, to our home. He has grown into a huge, furry friend who has taken over the backyard. Eli loves to pull us around the block and is training us. Oops! I mean we are training him-hopefully! I think we are glad that we made this decision. I guess we’ll see if he makes the Christmas card picture in 2010!

Anna is in second grade and has decided she likes her nose in the pages of books. We love to read her latest writings and hope her teacher has a sense of humor. We are excited to share that Anna asked to be baptized this past summer. When we asked her why, she answered, “I feel that God has asked me to do this because I believe that Jesus died for me and my sin.” We are so thankful for how God has given her an understanding of Him.

Davey-boy adds such joy to our family. He “lufs” his race “tars” and Thomas the train. “Nannie” (Anna) keeps him entertained and loves to make him laugh. We are wondering what occupations need excellent climbing skills with a quick, ornery smile because he’s your man!

Erik has a great group of kids (150+ 6^th graders thru seniors) in band this year. He has taken on the task of arranging the music and writing his own marching band shows. This year the theme was “Around the World in 8.5 Minutes”. I tag along and work with the color guard girls. We really enjoy this intense season with the kids! Now, it’s on to concert band, jazz band, drum line, and pep band. Let’s just say Erik’s schedule keeps us all busy. I spend my days with David and two children (a 4 year old and a 1 year old) that I babysit. We both enjoy the days as they go flying by.

We’ve enjoyed a few trips to the zoo, a short camping trip to Turkey Run, and lots of different family adventure days this year. We love spending time with our extended families and our church family, too. What blessings!

As we look towards 2010, we are excited to announce that we have begun the journey of international adoption. Our next little child has been growing in our hearts for several years. We are praying that this next year will bring a precious face to this baby and possibly a homecoming. Timelines vary and are unpredictable so we don’t really look at them. God has placed a precious one from India on our hearts, and we can only imagine all that He has for us on this journey. We love to talk about adoption so feel free to ask us questions. We covet your prayers as we tackle the mountains of paperwork and wait on the Lord to grow our family! If you would like to follow us on our journey through the adoption, please visit our blog (www.esparm.blogspot.com).

May we realize this Christmas that the baby whose birth we celebrate was born the Lamb of God to die and take away the sin of the world. When He declared “IT IS FINISHED!” from the cross, IT WAS FINISHED. May we rest in this truth that as we trust in Jesus Christ-who He is and what He did at the cross-we are saved, delivered and healed! What incredible GOOD NEWS! We do not look to ourselves or this ever changing world. We rest and stand in Christ alone!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year