(tim and i are using wood for heat this year...we stacked two cords for the first time together. how fun!)
(my handsome husband looks this good every day! ;) )
(pumpkin patch with friends)
(love this picture! her friends love her...)
(Kairis and her "gg" (great grandma) we see lots of gg these days as we live 4 houses away from them! ;) Kairis was showing off her dino tattoo that her and gg got together. gg's a great sport! :) )
(our horses next door...we love them!)
(Kairis loves playing in the bathroom sink with her tea set)
(Kairis and one of her bff's at the Children's Museum celebrating a Halloween Party in costume. :)
(My sweet ballerina)
(We participated in Race For The Cure with a survivor friend and her family)
(A candid sleeping picture of my two loves...)
There's been a lot going on around our home these days! Tim and I are excited about the possibility of moving overseas to East Asia, China specifically. There is an International Christian school that has some amazing ministry opportunities for teachers and their families. Now, some of you may be asking yourselves....you can minister anywhere, why not just stay in Oregon and work in a public school and minister with your family? Well, those are questions we are still wrestling with. We are ministering in very stretching, exciting ways right now. We are a part of a missional minded church right now and are seriously enjoying ministering to a local women's shelter, our neighbors and community and one another. I am also leading a small group of women in a book (and bible) study on motherhood, and it's been so refreshing and rewarding. Not everyone is a believer in this group, so it's been really awesome to be able to minister to them and encourage them in this season of their lives. Kairis has been enjoying being my "helper hostess", and we've been enjoying opening up our home and practicing being hospitable. I love that girl so much. She brings me such joy and a keen awareness that our time with her is so short, really. Tim and I are also starting a marriage "support" group at our church and are excited to help facilitate mentorship opportunities and build a strong marital support system. Ok, back to China. We are in the third step of the application process. To say it's a daunting process would be an understatement. They screen their applicants very well, and we would feel honored to be accepted. We would be committing to a two year contract, and Tim would be teaching at the elementary grade level. Kairis and I would enjoy getting to know our new community, learning the language, and doing the normal things we do daily in the home. We are excited for an opportunity to fulfill some of our goals, and traveling and living overseas has been on that list for a long time. I can't comment too much on the school we'd be going to, as China is a communist country, but I can say that this is an incredible opportunity as a teacher and family to minister to many International students and their families through the school. Tim finishes his Master's Degree in Elementary Education this spring. I can hardly fathom this reality, and every time we even hint at "this spring" Tim and I can't help but break out in huge smiles and thank the Lord for his provision for us during this challenging time. Tim has worked extremely hard toward this educational goal, and is so thankful for the Lord's hand in guiding us on this path. I get a little teary eyed thinking of our long journey thus far. It will be so awesome to celebrate with him at graduation in June. Tim starts student teaching in the 4th grade this January-April.
God has continued to give Tim and I a desire for adoption, and I think there's a good chance we'd come home after a couple years with an extra child or two. :) Lord willing, I look forward to having our family spend lots of time volunteering in local orphanages in China.
Tim and I are completely taken away with the beauty and sweetness of our daughter. Kairis has a heart of graciousness and a deep desire to serve people. She brings me to my knees many times during the week as I ask God for a deeper understanding of how He would want Tim and I to raise her. She is doing the usual two year old things....talking lots, using the potty (she's 100% potty trained and has been for a few months!), playing make believe and doing lots of "pretend play", learning about colors and numbers and abc's, and just playing and interacting with her friends. Though we have our "terrible two" moments occasionally, they are far and few in between. Each night, as we pray with her, she usually recounts specific people we've seen that day, or days previous that she asks to pray for. It's really exciting as parents to see her sensitive heart turn toward the lost and hurting.
This a glimpse into our life right now...enjoy some of these pictures taken with my iphone...they aren't the greatest, but it'll have to do until our camera is returned to us from being in the shop for awhile. :)
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