Adoption Update: It's a . . .

So, after waiting what feels like FOREVER I finally got the call!

This is the only way we will see girls in March :)

because it's a BOY!

The boys are thrilled!  I think they would have been super excited either way.  They really want to have a hand in naming the sweet baby boy.  So far everyones top choice is. . .

Jonah - Christopher or Robert
Huck - Nick
Eli - George
Benaiah - Blue Hat
Juliet - Baby Marshall (Who happens to already be a friend of hers.)

Also in the running is Sam, Pickle Pants, Hanky Tanky, Oatmeal, and Zacchaeus.  Then, they really started to get silly.  Let's just hope this ballot comes with a write-in option.

We are eagerly anticipating this new addition to our family!  As you remember us in your prayers, here are some specific ways you can pray:

- Pray for comfort and peace for our birthmother's heart as well as good health during the cold and flu season.
- We had hoped to develop more of a relationship with her but the language barrier makes it difficult.  We want to love on her well.  Please pray for increased communication through a reliable translator.
- Pray for our family as we prepare our hearts and home to welcome "Baby Blue Hat".  I want each child to know they are loved beyond measure and this addition only gives us all an opportunity to love more!
- Pray the boys and Juliet will embrace being great role models for their new sibling and find joy in helping this Momma!


Also, don't forget we have lots of pieces left of the puzzle.  If you wish to be a part, you can use the donation button, snail mail, hand it to me, whatever!  We would greatly appreciate it!  Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Adoption Update - Definitely More!

Sooooooooooo, hmmmmmm, don't really know how to start here.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21

Well, have been praying this verse I feel like since we got married.  Thankfully, I married a man who believes in the power of prayer and in the power of our great and mighty God.  So, whenever we faced a "giant" we prayed this.  Whenever we faced a small problem we prayed this knowing that God could use it for big things.  Faithfully, we have seen God work time after time.

Anyway, this adoption seems be no different.  About two weeks after we were matched with our birthmother I started feeling sluggish.  I had been dealing with hormone "stuff" so I wasn't too worried.  Then, I felt more yuck.

Take a wild guess . . .

You probably guessed it.  I'm pregnant!

Did I feel every emotion under the sun? Yes!  Fear, joy, guilt, excitement, worry, thankfulness, anxiety . . . but, mostly morning sickness :)

We didn't want to tell anyone and the news get back to the boys, but we didn't want to tell the boys without first having an ultrasound.  So, we just waited.

The time has come!  Meet Mini Melin #7 coming May 2017!

The boys had started to worry about my on-going sickness, so they were very interested when Danny told them the doctor found what was making me sick.  Upon seeing this picture (and finally guessing what it was) a dance party started in our kitchen.  Huck had the biggest smile and Juliet keep patting my belly and saying "Baby!"  I am so elated at their excitement!

Are we still going through with the adoption? ABSOLUTELY!

Adoption was always a way we felt led to grow our family, but I am not sure we would have ever gotten around to being obedient in that if we had gotten pregnant right out of the gate.  We said "Yes" and now we are not going to say "No".  Also, from the moment we saw the sweet pictures from the ultrasound our hearts were taken.  We felt like that little one was already a part of our family.  How can we go back on that?

Will life be a little crazy for a while?  Maybe, but being overwhelmed is a choice.  We can also choose to set the less important things aside for awhile and bask in the joy of the Lord - which happens to come, at times, in the faces of little children.

Out Of The Mouths . . .

My kids always keep me laughing!

Juliet has started placing her food (raisins, orange slices, etc.) in circles and singing "Ring Around the Rosie" for them.  Oh, little Momma!

Eli drew a picture of Papa carving the turkey.  The turkey had a jack-o-lantern face.  Something new to try this year?

Benaiah was helping me make a meal to take to a family with a new baby. . . "Bacon, ham, AND cheese?  I'm going to love this stuff!"  Yes, yes you will.

Huck busted his chin and had to get stitches.  I told him I was sorry he had gotten hurt.  His answer? "Well, everyone will send me Get Well Cards!"

Adoption Update: Will You Be a Piece?

We just spent the past weekend visiting our birthmother.  It was a spectacular experience!  While translating was a bit of a booger, we were able to get to know each other a little better.  I feel like we both feel more confident in each other.  We also got to meet some of her family including her six year old boy.  It was amazing to see the boys get along and play so well.  We stand in awe of what God is doing!  However, continue to pray for our birthmother.  I can't imagine the thoughts and feelings she must have.  It is bittersweet as the day approaches where we gain the greatest blessing and she has to say good bye.

So . . . we have a precious baby on the way!  Woohoo!  While we can't wait to meet him or her, we need to do some fundraising between now and then.  Adoption is expensive!  Like crazy expensive, but we know if God called us to it he will provide.

Cute little thing (from a few weeks ago)!

We are doing an adoption puzzle fundraiser!!! Danny has designed a puzzle that will eventually hang in a floating frame in our home.  Why a floating frame?  Well, I'm glad you asked!  We are going to be accepting donations from anyone who wants to help bring our baby home!  Names will go on the back of each piece until the puzzle is complete.  The floating frame will allow us to take the puzzle down and show our child all the people that were a part of his or her adoption.  We understand that not everyone is in a place to adopt, but this is a way you can support adoption and get a child home to his or her forever family.

We would be humbled and so thankful if you would "sponsor" a piece of the puzzle. It is as simple as clicking the "Donate" button to the right.  (If you are on a phone, you will need to scroll all the way down and click on "View Web Version".)  You decide how much you would like to donate.  We feel like each person that gives, no matter the amount, is a special piece of our support to bringing the next Melin home.  Type the desired donation amount in the box.  $10, $20, $20,000 :)  Whatever!  Then "complete the proceed" to process your transaction.  Then, share, share, share with your family and friends!  I will keep everyone updated on our progress.

So, will you be a piece of bringing the next Melin home?

Adoption Update - Exciting News!

Someone told me that the adoption journey is like an emotional roller coaster.  All I can say is AMEN!  Sometimes I am super excited and half in tears at the same time.  Goodness gracious!

Sorry, just had to get that out there.

Now, for the exciting news I promised . . .  WE ARE MATCHED!!!!!

I don't think all caps shows enough how happy we are!!!!!  Maybe a few more exclamation marks will help!!!!!!  We will add sweet baby to our family sometime in March!  We don't yet know gender, but God knows whether we need more blue or pink.

Prayer Warriors, we need you!  
Please pray that our hearts will the prepared for the continued roller coaster of emotions as we go through the next months.
Pray that we can reach out to the birth mother through our translator and speak life-giving truth and love over her.
Pray for the birth mother's health and comfort as her pregnancy progresses.
Pray for our family to make sweet memories before Danny deploys (in winter) and that God orchestrates perfect timing in his travels and the child's birth.
Pray for peace and wisdom as we make decisions regarding our growing family.
Pray that this child will know how much it is loved and wanted and feel a vital part of what makes our family special.
Pray that God gets the glory each step of the way!

To Him Be the Glory!

I love life in a big family.  Others may stare, but somehow it doesn't seem big when you are in the middle of it.  It might feel a little large when trying to get shoes on everyone and get out the door, but otherwise we have a lot of fun wherever we go.  Apparently, I am not the only one who feels this way about big family life.  For the past year or two I have been bombarded with the following questions from the boys:

"When are we getting another baby?"
"When will Juliet get a little sister?"
"Can you have another baby now?"

I would answer something like, "Well, I don't know.  We will have to see what God has planned."  But inside I was asking God the same questions.  We wanted to grow our family but it just wasn't happening.  Instead we were getting broken bones, trips to the ER, stomach viruses, long trips to the GI doctor, physical therapy, and sleepless nights with hurting tummies.  I felt like I had to hyper-focus on just the people living in my four walls just to make it to the end of the day.   I was tired and all I could see was the floor that needed to be mopped and the mountain of bed sheets that had to be washed before they could get in bed again.  Something had to give because I was about to explode!

Then I noticed every sermon, devotional, and Bible reading would be on a totally different topic but they would all end in "and giving thanks" or "with thanksgiving" or "giving thanks in all things".  Now, I can be a slow learner but even this message I heard loud and clear.  I was so focused on all the negative that I was missing the many blessings.  In the midst of it all, my blessings had become burdens and I had lost my joy.  So, I decided to do what I was told - give thanks.  I had finally been cleared to go for a longer run, and as is my custom, I prayed for a different family member during each mile.  I focused all my prayers on thanking God for each person with which I am blessed to share a home.  After six miles I had run out of people but I hadn't run out of road, so I started a dialog with God about the "growing our family" issue.

Rewind (and I will try to make this as short as possible): Back before we had Jonah, we experienced three miscarriages.  While we were in the midst of that pain, God sent a prayer warrior from our church with a message for us.  He told us, "God opens and closes wombs for His glory."  At that time, all I heard was the "opens" part.  I could deal with that.  Opening was good.  Opening was great!  That was just what we needed.  Shortly thereafter, we were blessed with Jonah.  It is not that I had forgotten those words, but it was not something I thought about every day.

Fast-forward to mile 7: I was running and asking God what exactly we were suppose to do.  We knew our family wasn't complete, but . . . well, we needed some help here.  That is when He reminded me of those words, "God opens and closes wombs for His glory."  Immediately, I noticed what I had missed before, "Oh, closes?  I'm not so sure I like that."  Then, as clear as a bell I heard in my heart, "For My glory?"  And I crumbled.  Well, actually I kept running across the street so I didn't get hit by a car, but I realized that I had been consumed with ME.  It wasn't about me or even about my family.  It was all about Him.

Adoption had always been part of the future for us.  We just never felt that the timing was right.  However, when I got home from my run I was certain adoption was the next step for us.  I felt so much peace as we filled out our application.  I was overwhelmed with joy as we anticipated our homestudy visits.  The boys are over the moon about the prospects of a new little one.   So, we are excited to let all our friends and family know that  . . . WE ARE ADOPTING!!!!

Hopefully, we will have more information in the near future, but right now we covet your prayers.  Will you join us on your knees as we pray for the birthmother that is/will be carrying our future son or daughter?  That she will have peace, comfort, and wisdom and that we will be able to show her the love of Christ.  Will you lift up our family as we prepare our hearts and home for a precious gift?   That the bond between our five and the new little one will be strong and sweet.  Will you pray that we will be patient to wait for His timing?

The verse we have been led to time and time again is Ephesians 3:20-21 - "Now unto Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all we ask or imagine . . . to Him be the glory!"

We are asking and expecting - to Him be the Glory!

Five and Five!!!

When did those tiny little fellas sprout up and turn five!  

Huck is the friendliest, happy-go-lucky kid.  He loves to learn and help me with cooking.  He has a compassionate heart and is so generous.  He loves to ride his bike and eat his veggies!  He doesn't like chocolate (but I promise he is mine).  He likes to play games on a board or in the yard and let's others go first or try again because that's the kind of Huck he is.  He has mastered the monkey bars and might be a little prideful about his soccer skills :)  Huck enjoys music and has smooth dance moves.  He has a super handsome smile!  

Let's see what Huck has to say about being five . . .

What is your favorite color? Red, blue, and green

What is your favorite toy? You!  I like playing with you!  (My sweet boy!)

What is your favorite fruit? banana (He eats one every morning.)

What is your favorite TV show? Magic School Bus

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Carrots and vegetables and fruits

What is your favorite thing to wear? Blue and orange stripe shirt and my big blue jeans that don’t have holes

What is your favorite game? Hi Ho Cherrio

What is your favorite animal? hippo

What is your favorite snack? Teddy Grams

What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me

What is your favorite book? Fox and the Hound

What do you like to learn about? China

What is your favorite cereal? Covered Raisins (a.k.a. Raisin Nut Bran)

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike

Who is your best friend? You!

What is your favorite drink? Water (He doesn't care for sweets.)

What is your favorite holiday? Easter

What do you take to bed with you at night? Hedgie (a stuffed hedgehog)

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal

What do you want to be when you grow up? Police Officer

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Macaroni and Broccoli

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Playing cars

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Play games

What do you pray about? God

What do you love about yourself? That I am a twin. (I love this!)

What is your favorite thing about your brothers? To play outside with them and go on adventures.

What is your favorite thing about your sister? Playing babies with her – cause she has babies. (Just so I knew they weren't his babies.)

And then here comes Eli :)

Eli is like no other.  He can be so silly but is also quite particular.  He will almost always be found in his cowboy boots.  His latest love is telling jokes.  He moves through life at his own pace - but he will never race by anything and miss it.  He notices the little things and appreciates them.  I love how he feels free to be his own person and do his own thing.  He makes me laugh more than all the others combined!  If I hear drumming on the table it will be him - he can also beatbox.  I have never met a child that can color as much as he can. The kid has callouses on his fingers!  He doesn't need much sleep and stays up singing in his bed. 

What is your favorite color? Brown and pink; cow colors

What is your favorite toy? crayons (He could color all day long!)

What is your favorite fruit? mangoes

What is your favorite TV show? Curious George Halloween

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? quesadillas

What is your favorite thing to wear? Pumpkin shirt and monster Halloween shirt and letter shirt if it is warm (Letter shirt is a 18 month size shirt that use to have letters but they washed off a long time ago.)

What is your favorite game? Legos

What is your favorite animal? Polar bears and brown bears

What is your favorite snack? Pretzels and craisins

What is your favorite song? Dry Bones

What is your favorite book? Gingerbread Friends

What do you like to learn about? Different countries - Egypt

What is your favorite cereal? Covered Raisins (a.k.a. Raisin Nut Bran)

What is your favorite thing to do outside? chalk (The outdoor version of crayons)

Who is your best friend? Hannah

What is your favorite drink? Milk

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you take to bed with you at night? Hippo

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Crepes

What do you want to be when you grow up? Astronaut

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza snowballs

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? wrestle

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? color

What do you pray about? God

What do you love about yourself? I love boots and I love to be a cowboy.  Too bad I don’t have a rope.

What is your favorite thing about your brothers? They play with me.

What is your favorite thing about your sister? She says funny things in the morning.

I love these boys to the moon and back . . . now to come up with a way to keep them five forever!

Out Of The Mouths. . .

After a morning of Juliet "whispering" to me (so sweet and cute) we went outside for a walk . . .

(A man runs by breathing heavily)
Benaiah: That man runs like a pet!
Me: What do you mean?
Benaiah: He goes (begins panting with his tongue out).

We found a rabbit hole going under the fence and the boys decided to build a trap.
Me: Did you check for other holes around the fence?
Jonah: Brothers do jobs like that.
Huck: (So cheerfully) Yea, we are like his slaves.

Oh, sillies!

Benaiah turns TWO . . . again . . . I wish.

Something about this squishy, cuddly, silly boy makes my heart melt.  I can't believe he is turning three!  I told him he could just be two.  He said he had to turn three on his birthday but he could be two again after that.  So sweet always thinking of his mommy.  Oh, how I love him so!

He is our family clown - always trying to make everyone laugh.  Silly songs and faces galore!  He loves his sister to the moon and back and is so sweet to her.  He can sing Jingle Bells while spinning on the sit n' spin long enough to make you sick watching him.  When he gets tired at the playground he naps in the swing, but will hop up in an instant when the tire swing is mentioned.  He is quick to remind his brothers of his Bible verse, "Children obey your parents in the Lord," and mostly follows it too.  :)

Now, to hear it from the little man himself!

What is your favorite color? blue

What is your favorite toy? Playdough

What is your favorite fruit? Cupcakes!  (Me: That’s a fruit?) I like strawberries.

What is your favorite TV show? Letter Factory

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cookies

What is your favorite thing to wear? Spiderman Suit (Which he has worn everyday, all day since turning three.)

What is your favorite game? Rabbit game (Jumpin’ Jack)

What is your favorite animal? T Rex

What is your favorite snack? Strawberries

What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me

What is your favorite book? Curious George

What do you like to learn about? Toys

What is your favorite cereal? Strawberry (Any kind with those dried strawberries in it)

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play in the front yard

Who is your best friend?  . . .  Juliet (She was also his Valentine.)

What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk

What is your favorite holiday? Play outside day

What do you take to bed with you at night? My T Rex

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? YOU! 

What do you want to be when you grow up? Dinosaur! I’m gonna stay in a cave – but not a real cave.

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? T Rex cake

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Watch a movie

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Play Jumpin’ Jack

What do you pray about? Jesus

What do you love about yourself? (Rephrase: What makes you special?) God

What is your favorite thing about your brothers? I like to play with them.

What is your favorite thing about your sister? I like to play with her?

My, how he is growing . . . well, kinda.  :)  My tiny three-year old boy!

Jonah turns SIX!

It's that time of year again when all my babies decide to pull a fast one and turn a year older.  It has a way of sneaking up on me.  I know it is coming, but we are so busy learning, growing, and having fun that I forget.  Then, the night comes when I tuck in my five year old for the last time and I want to hold him a little longer and smell that baby shampoo I still make him use.  But, when I ask them to stop growing they kindly tell me that God makes them do it, so who am I to argue?

Jonah has grown so much over the past year.  He has a master memory and endless energy.  He is so strong and uses it (mostly) to help out around the house and make dangerous games with his brothers.  He loves books and is learning to read really well.  He always amazes me when I think a concept will to difficult and he gets it right away.  Jonah makes everything a race or competition, and I think he could win an eating competition if entered.  He is bottomless!  He is in love with big cats and checks out a new book about them each week from the library.  Jonah has the biggest heart and is very sensitive.  He is a cuddler and needs just the right tucking to go to bed each night.  I like this about him because it reminds me just how little he still is :)

And, now, Jonah!

What is your favorite color? green

What is your favorite toy? Nerf guns

What is your favorite fruit? Plums

What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

What is your favorite thing to wear? Army hat and black clothes

What is your favorite game? Wild Kratts

What is your favorite animal? Lions, cheetahs, tigers

What is your favorite snack? Apples with peanut butter

What is your favorite song? Kamikaze

What is your favorite book? Big Cats

What do you like to learn about? God

What is your favorite cereal? Strawberry

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swinging on my playset

Who is your best friend? God

What is your favorite drink? Tea

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you take to bed with you at night? My blanket and my pillow and my flashlight and notepad

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal

What do you want to be when you grow up? Builder

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Macaroni

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Go to work and do school work there with no brothers

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Make cupcakes

What do you pray about? For me to have wisdom

What do you love about yourself? That God made me smart

What is your favorite thing about your brothers? They are nice to me.

What is your favorite thing about your sister?   She is cute.

My biggest little man!  I love you so much!