Life with the Millers

the end of the year.

2010-12-28T19:20:00.000-08:00

Another year has passed, and with it we have had so many blessings. I am so thankful for my family who supports us no matter what we do and they love our kids unconditionally. Little Miss Ainsley joined us in October and is almost 3 months old already! Beckett was just cleared with a clean bill of health! No more oxygen at night, no more low oxygen/apnea issues. Praise the Lord! Makena started school this year and is blossoming before our eyes. Mike is working on losing weight and is doing fabulously. I am really looking forward to the next year and what God has in store for our family. Join me... I am going to try and blog a bit more!

merry christmas

2010-12-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve! Tomorrow will be filled with lots of ripping paper and commotion as presents are torn into by the kids! How exciting it will be. I will update with pictures after the festivities have slowed down...

Merry Christmas to all and Happy Birthday, Jesus!

WOW. It has been a year.

2010-12-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

What a year it has been since I last blogged.

Sigh.

We had a baby girl! Ainsley was born on October 2nd and we are loving our growing family of five! I am in graduate school and Mike is teaching and coaching. Life is busy. And good. And busy.

I hope to write more blogs as life goes on!

Cardiology Appointment

2009-12-02T18:43:00.001-08:00

Beckett has a perfect heart! No signs of Pulmonary Hypertension from the low oxygen levels at night. Praise the Lord! On to the next appointment on Friday...

Beckett's Health Update

2009-12-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

I have been very bad at updating the blog, but I am going to try to post updates about Beckett's health over the next few weeks to help people keep up to date with what is going on and to try to only have to type it all out once!

First of all, his surgery for the tonsillectomy and adenoidectemy today was cancelled after we saw a pulmonologist on Monday. We saw a pediatric pulmonologist and she was very informative. At this point, she thinks that Beckett is suffering from Infantile Asthma, Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD) and Central Hypoventilation Syndrome. I will explain all of this in a minute. We also are going to do some testing to rule out Cystic Fibrosis (it is a newborn screening here in Colorado, but since he was born in Korea, we will do the test now) next Monday, we will meet with a pediatric cardiologist this Wednesday to get an Echocardiogram done to see whether pulmonary hypertension has become an issue with him or if he has any little heart defects that have gone unnoticed, and he will have an Upper GI test this Friday to confirm/rule out the Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD).

Right now, he has started a five day course of steroids to decrease any inflammation that there may be in his lungs. He has also started an inhaler for daily use and he has a "rescue inhaler" if he starts having trouble breathing. We have a prescription for Prevacid that we can start, but I am going to hold off until the results from the UGI come back. He is still taking Nasonex in case there is any inflammation in his tonsils (which looked of normal size yesterday) or adenoids since we are holding off on the surgery.

His oxygen saturation seems better down here in Denver than it did in Buena Vista, so the kids and I are staying with my parents until the testing is complete. We were going to go back to Buena Vista last night, but Beckett got sick after dinner- not sure why- so we decided to hold off on going further up in elevation and let his little body adjust to the altitude here after being in the midwest for a week.

We are very thankful at this point that he is not going to have surgery. The older and bigger he gets, the better off he will be if he does end up needing the surgery. We are going to take this a little at a time and see what the testing says, but if the medication does not help his oxygen at night then the only other option is to move to a lower elevation. At this point, we are praying that he will recover from these things and that he can have a healthy life, no matter where we are.

Please check back here for updates as the week/s go on- I promise to post after the appointments and give little updates as we go.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Makena!

2009-02-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Sweet Makena!

Makena turned two today, and we had so much fun! Thank you for all of the cards and phone calls. She had a terrific day- donuts in the morning, apple pie and presents after dinner! She was so excited. I will try to upload some videos on here at some point from the day. She is also saying her name and how old she is- correctly! Happy Birthday, lovely Makena! We are so glad you are in our lives!

It is Officially Official!

2009-02-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Our adoption of Makena is now official in the state of Colorado! Do not ask me why we had to do it again because I am not exactly sure why. I will tell you that she now gets a Colorado birth certificate. I was pretty sad at the fact that we do not get to keep her Ethiopian birth certificate... but it will always be in her file at Chaffee County Courts and will never be destroyed, so that is good to know. Her name is officially Makena Lindley Miller instead of Jemila Michael Miller. This is a great day. Oh, and did I tell you? I did the paperwork all by myself! No attorney needed. I wish I could pay myself for what we would have paid an attorney, though! We saved money because of it and that is what counts!

We love you, Miss Makena Lindley Miller!

2009

2009-01-01T21:16:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! We hope that everyone has a fabulous year ahead...

as for us, we are hoping that God has some amazing things in store for this year. I am sure that we will be busy, no matter what happens- that is how things roll around here with two little ones.

Christmas was so wonderful. We got to see the Smith and part of the Bynum sides of the family in Columbia for a few days and went to see the other part of the Bynum side and Grandma Grace in Arkansas. It was a long drive across the midwest to get there, especially with two kids, but we drove at night. Oh, the other neat thing was we stopped in Kansas City for a couple of hours and got to see Kammie! She came back to the States for the holidays from Guatemala so we met her for breakfast and she got to see the babies! We were so happy to see her... and can't wait until the end of April to see her again- this time in her territory!

The kids got a lot of gifts, as did we, and we are so grateful to have a wonderful family! My parents met us in Buena Vista to help out when we got home. It was so nice to have them there to hang out and help organize :) Mike's dad and stepmom came yesterday and stayed the night to have a little Christmas celebration with us! It was very nice for them to come and see the kids and hang out for a short time!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our great holiday break! Mike goes back to work on Monday.... only a few days left of break! I have posted photos: www.picasaweb.google.com/mmiller716 Enjoy!

Santa's Visit!!

2008-12-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

Santa visited us this morning! How amazing is that?? Makena warmed up quickly and we have a ton of other pictures to upload once we get back to Colorado, but wanted to get these posted ASAP! HO HO HO! Merry Christmas!

Retro Monster & Pirate Monster

2008-12-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

Here are Beckett's stuffed animals that I have created for him! They are a retro monster and a pirate monster! He loves them...

My Latest Crafts!

2008-12-10T07:22:00.000-08:00

Sleep... wait, what's that?

2008-12-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

It was the big night last night. We have decided to try and night wean Beckett from nursing. I have not had a full nights sleep in a year- not that I expect a full nights sleep- and would rather not be getting up every two hours to nurse him anymore. So, my parents have Makena for the weekend and we are trying to let Beckett get himself back to sleep instead of nursing back to sleep. This requires some form of crying, so we thought it better to let Makena go and get spoiled with her Mimi & Pop. Last night was the big night and Beckett did GREAT! He woke up twice and we checked on him, changed his diaper and left him back in his crib- he moaned and cried for less than 10 minutes and was out both times! He didn't nurse from 7:30 until 5:00 this morning! That is a huge accomplishment for the little man. He did nurse at 5:00 and slept until 8:00! Of course, I was awake and ready to start the day before him, which is a nice change. Let's hope that tonight is equally as great with less waking and see how much sleep I can get! Woo Hoo!!

Oh man.

2008-12-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

My mom is out blogging me... need I say more?

October has come and soon will be gone!

2008-10-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

I can not get over how fast time is flying at this point. We are really enjoying our time back in the States although we really do miss being overseas quite often. It is hard to figure out where God wants you to be in this big world and what He has called you to do for Him. That is something that Mike and I talk about everyday!

Makena is getting so big. She has been potty trained for a couple of months now, which is very nice for me because I no longer have to change diapers for TWO babies. She is such a big girl and gets so excited when she is successful on the potty (which is all the time-- oh the passion young ones have!). She is doing just about anything that you can think of, and is SLOWLY starting to try to talk. She can sign so much and I know that one day she will just start talking to me in complete sentence. Well, maybe not, but it is a dream of mine! She is taking a Kindermusik class and LOVES LOVES LOVES music class. She is obsessed with it. I get kind of bummed knowing that we will not be able to put her in to the class next semester because we are so strapped for cash right now. Oh well, I guess she will just have to listen to me sing to her----AHHHH---- scary!

Beckett is just about 8 months old and is doing well. He is a big boy and weighed 19'4'' at his last appointment. He doesn't have a desire to crawl, although he wants to crab walk while on his back... a little weird, I know. He is working on cutting his two bottom teeth but does not have any at the moment. Eating is a new challenge for him, and for me, as he is not tolerating me having any dairy. Now, if you really know me you would know that this could me the worst possible situation that I could think of because I LOVE MILK. Well, because he is nursing, I get the pleasure of watching what I put in my mouth (although that is not translating into the weight loss I would like). So, no dairy for either of us for now. Let's hope he grows out of that issue at some point, because what child doesn't love Mac-N-Cheese? He loves his sister dearly and that is one of my favorite things to watch in the world. Two children who love one another unconditionally (for now) and are so clearly opposite it is funny!

Well, short update. Mike is doing good in his job in Leadville... but pray for him for discernment on what he is supposed to do with his work. I am hanging in there and loving that it is getting easier with the kiddos as they get older! I am always busy, which I am not sure whether that is good or bad! Okay, well, I am signing off now because I am watching my narcoleptic husband on the couch and need to get him to bed before he falls into a deep sleep...

loves to all!

Fun in the Leaves!

2008-10-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Mimi, Pop, Makena & Beckett!

2008-08-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

A New Hat & A New Hairdo

2008-08-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia Faces Famine Again

2008-08-18T10:07:00.001-07:00

Here is an article I recently came across---

Ethiopia Faces Famine Again

New America Media, News Feature, Words//Photo: Shane Bauer, Posted: Aug 12, 2008

Editor's Note: As Ethiopians struggle to feed themselves amid a high food prices, fuel costs and the worst famine in 25 years the government in Addis Adiba raised the military budget by $50 million. Shane Bauer is a journalist and photographer based in the Middle East and Africa.

HARAR, Ethiopia -- As I eat my breakfast of lentils, eggs, and a small cup of strong coffee in a café in Ethiopia's eastern town of Harar, old men and children linger at the entrance, trying to catch the gaze of the mostly clean cut, well-dressed patrons. When their eyes meet, the beggars extend a hand or put their fingers to their mouths to communicate their hunger.

As soon as I lean back in my chair after eating, two boys of about eight years old rush to my table and point to the half-eaten baguette on my plate. I tell them to take it and one snatches it away. Immediately, the two are entangled in struggle, swinging punches at each other over a piece of bread. As the two scuffle, a waiter rushes them out onto the street. The breadless child shouts "faranji, faranji," or "white man" in the direction of our table in a plea for justice, but the other child escapes with the bread, leaving him in tears.

When I last came to Ethiopia three years ago, people were shocked and insulted when I told them that most Americans associate Ethiopia with starvation and hunger. To them, their country's reputation should rest on the fact that it defeated the would-be colonizers of Mussolini's Italy or the fact that their kingdom of Aksum, which started in the first millennium A.D., was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the ancient world. A famine that occurred over 20 years ago in one part of the country hardly deserved to be remembered.

But things have changed. Now, people often talk about the looming threat of hunger in Ethiopia—the food security in their country is the worst it's been in 25 years. The global rise in food and fuel prices has pushed Ethiopia into a downward spiral of rising food costs and the extremely poor are finding it harder and harder to eat.

According to the Ethiopian English language weekly The Reporter, the United Nations food agency recently announced that it needed $222 million to avert a major food crisis in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government and aid agencies estimate that 4.6 million people in the country need around 510,000 tons of cereals to meet emergency food assistance needs until November 2008 and another 8 million people are chronically food insecure. So far, only 30 percent of the required food aid is available or has been pledged.

In Awadia, in the eastern Oromia state, my friend Ibsa, a 23-year-old law student, tells me apologetically that his family can no longer afford meat when he invites me over for lunch. The cost of a goat, he says, has gone from $15 to $45-$50 in the past year. Their staple food, sorghum, has tripled in price, going from 25 cents per kilogram to 80 cents per kilogram. The cost of a piece of bread—which I regularly see people eating with nothing but tea—has doubled.

"People are spending all of their money on food now," Ibsa tells me as we eat their usual meal of pasta and potatoes. "We used to be able to save a little bit, but now we use it all to feed ourselves."

"People in rural areas are moving to the city because they can't eat," he says. "People who were farmers are cleaning roads and hauling waste to make money."

As I sit and talk with him and his friends, everyone is in agreement that the main cause of the food crisis has little to do with Ethiopia and more to do with rising fuel prices around the world. In Ethiopia, a bus ride costs around three times what it did one year ago and more gas stations seem to have no fuel than those that do.

"The government is spending its money on the military to fight wars in Somalia and Eritrea," said a 19-year-old student of rural development named Mohammed. Just a week after appealing for international aid, Ethiopia increased its military budget by $50 million, bringing it to a total of $400 million.

Mohammed adds that the problem has been impacted by the impoverishment of small farmers, which are the majority of the country: 85 percent of Ethiopians make their money from agriculture. "The government should be spending its money assisting people and giving farmers subsidies so they can continue to produce." He says that the country's free market policies have made it harder for small farmers to survive—the average ox-plowing farmer can't compete on the global market. "The rural peasant can't harvest his own land anymore because of lack of income," he says. "So many farmers moved close to the cities to work other people's land for $1 a day." He added that since food prices began to rise a year ago, their wages have gone up to $2 to $2.50 a day.

He also blamed the government for not intervening when middlemen horde food crops to create false surpluses and raise food costs, a strategy that many say contributed to Ethiopia's last famine.

Mohammed's brother Nabil argues that the Ethiopian government is taking positive steps to avoid a more extreme crisis. To avoid what many analysts point to as a major cause for the current rise in food and fuel prices—the large-scale use of crops like corn for the production of fuel instead of food—he says the Ethiopian government has prohibited the use of food crops for fuel.

The government has also taken short-term measures to soften the impact of the food crisis. According to The Reporter, the government has spent $38 million to subsidize wheat and $366 million to subsidize fuel.

But these measures seem unlikely to avert what might become a more serious disaster. As I walk with Ibsa's father to his field—down a stony road that winds all the way to Mogadishu—he tells me that, God willing, he'll come back with something to sell today. He left his house without eating breakfast and when we get to his field he fills his mouth with khat, a stimulant leaf that raises spirits and reduces hunger. As we slink between stalks of corn, he laments the fact that there isn't enough rain and grumbles on about his economic woes. All he can bring back is a small sack of beans for his family to eat, but nothing to sell.

He's being hit by the double curse that is hitting Ethiopia this harvest season: not only is the world in a food crisis, but also large parts of Ethiopia are suffering a drought. This means that people who rely on subsistence agriculture—typically the poorest of the poor—are stuck between two dangerous realities: food costs that are rising beyond their means and little or none of their own crops to carry them through the season.

a new start

2008-08-17T20:28:00.001-07:00

it is official- school starts tomorrow for mikey mike. the kids and i are going to be spending days together trying to find things to keep us occupied. makena gets stir crazy super easy, so we try to play outside as often as possible, but it is raining about everyday here. are we in seattle? and the rain is heavy rain. no light pours around here. oh well, i guess it saves us money on watering the grass!

we are living on the golf course. it is a really nice house, but part of me wants to be living in OUR house. renters are there now, so i suppose i should just be happy with the place we are given. after being in a tiny apartment in korea i am super happy with just having room to have space- for all of us.

beckett is getting big, he is over 18 pounds! he does not want anything to do with solid food whatsoever. he just wants to nurse constantly! he is rolling over and starting to sit up and try to play with toys and his big sister. makena is still about the same size, running constantly, and still not saying much that makes any sense. i am so excited because this week we are going to get her hair done by a wonderful woman in denver who is going to teach me to braid! woo hoo! makena's hair is getting long so we need to do something with it. i have tried some different styles, but i would really like to learn HOW to do things the right way with her hair so that it is culturally appropriate. i will add photos later!

i think i have some pics from recently... i'll try to get them on here!

He's back!

2008-07-26T18:44:00.002-07:00

Mike is home from England, and we are once again a family! We are so excited to start a new chapter with the kids...

I will post lots of pictures soon... we took some family pictures when Kammie was here visiting and they turned out pretty good!

Pics from last week...

2008-06-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Leadville, Here We Come!

2008-06-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

It is so hard being overseas and applying for jobs in the States and not getting interviews because you are not around for one in person... but, Mike got an interview with Lake County Middle School and was offered the job as the Dean of Students/Athletic Director. We are so excited to see what God has for us in Leadville. We really wanted to move to central or south america with Kammie, but Leadville will do since it is like 75% hispanic! My spanish needs to improve for sure. I was a Special Ed. sub for like 5 days up there and it is so great to see the diversity within the schools there. I love it! After being in Korea for two years, it is so important for us to be somewhere where there are other cultures, especially with Makena. So, here we come Leadville!

Just so you all know, it was snowing in Leadville last week... it is at 10,200 ft. elevation and 40 minutes from Buena Vista (where we lived before Korea). It is COLD there like 11 months and 14 days out of the year. We joke that the public swimming pool is only open on July 4th every year because it is too cold the rest of the time! But seriously, the high in the summer gets in the 70's and that is it. So, no heat for us. I think they had like 200 inches of snow this winter, which it was a bad winter in general.

Since Tia Kammie wanted to see new pics...

2008-05-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had fun together!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T04:39:00.001-07:00

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Introducing, Beckett Dallin Miller!

2008-03-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here he is! Born February 28th at 3:30pm. He was 8 lbs., 20 inches long. He is such a sweet boy!

Single Digits

2008-02-23T00:32:00.000-08:00

Yup, you read it right. I am in the single digits until my due date. 8 to be exact. I am so tired and I can not sleep and this child is taking up my entire belly. I can not wait to meet little Beckett, but of course I am terrified of giving birth here in Korea. I wish I was back at home with English speaking nurses, etc. Oh well, what can I do at this point? Nothing.

My last appointment was on Thursday and I was 1 cm. dilated and his head was "high". Not good for delivery yet. I go back on Wednesday the 27th. My doctor knows my mom is coming so I think we will talk about inducing before she gets here. I sure as heck hope that he comes before that is an issue!

Well, I just thought I would update really quickly! Pray that Beckett comes ASAP!

Makena's Birthday

2008-02-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Makena!

James Longley

2008-02-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

James passed away this morning, February 8th, 2008. He is with Jesus and out of pain. Our hearts are saddened by this but we know he is in a better place. What a Godly man. This is a picture of James on our mission trip last spring. He came to YISS with us last year. We will miss you James...

2008-02-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

Random pictures from this past week! Isn't Makena so cute?

Can you believe this belly?

2008-02-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

I am carrying straight out in front, can't you tell? Four weeks left from today, but this pic was from 35 weeks. AHHHH.

42 Days

2008-01-20T02:25:00.000-08:00

42 days left... I don't know if I need to write much more. My next appointment is January 29th and my friend Laura is going to babysit Makena so that I can go on my own. Since I am going to be going every week after this appointment I am going during the day and Mike will miss the appointments unless something is really going on. Seems like the same old stuff and we are going to save the days off for when Beckett is born.

Oh, I got a couple of cute used clothes at the second hand store on the US military base! Yeah! I just can't believe it took me this long to know that there was a second hand store. With my mom (and me when I am there) being regular customers at Newbies in Buena Vista you would think I would know about it sooner rather than later.

On another sad note, our dear friend James who is in the hospital with cancer, was in the ICU this week. The doctors didn't think he was going to make it through the night on Thursday. He was asking our pastor and his wife if it was going to be his last day on this Earth and they told him it might just be. The whole night he was rambling on and on about things that did not make sense when he started to pray. He is so strong. He was praying about anything that came to his heart. His wife, Diane, and our other friend Gretchen, were there just listening and said that he prayed for our family. I am so touched that we were on his heart during this time in his life. What a sweet guy. In the morning he woke up and was doing much better and they moved him out of the ICU! God is the giver of life and for some reason unknown to us, James is still here. Still praying and giving his life to God. Still doing God's work while in the hospital. What a reminder of why we are here and that God is in control of our lives. We continue to pray for James...

Hosan Women's Hospital

2008-01-17T02:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, here is a link to the Hosan Women's Hospital that I will be delivering Beckett with my new doctor. It is really nice and small.

http://www.ladyhosan.co.kr/Sub03/Sub03_02.aspx

The website is all in Korean, so you won't find too much information, but there are pictures of the rooms and stuff... including the "roby", or in American English, the "lobby"!!! I can't believe they spelled it that way, but it just cracks me up. Needless to say, there is no English section to the website, so you will just have to deal with seeing these pictures. It really is nice...

ENJOY!

Ailments

2008-01-16T22:07:00.000-08:00

I hurt my back today... not sure how, but it really hurts. Hurts to move and hurts to not move. Tylenol is not touching the pain and that is all that I can take. It is really frustrating seeing that I have an 11 month old to run around after. I feel bad for Makena because I can not get on the floor if I ever what to get up off of it. I am just trying to take it easy and get some rest when she rests. AHHHH...

On another note, Makena has a cold. Have I written about this yet? A lovely cough with a side dish of snot and gooey mess coming from her nostrils. She is not sleeping very good because of the cough which only adds to my demise. I am so tired that I can not sleep and so uncomfortable that even if I could sleep I would not sleep very well. I woke up 6-7 times last night just to go to the bathroom. Small bladder=lots of trips to the bathroom. That and Makena waking up from coughing just makes for both long days and nights.

I hate to complain, because in reality my life is not that bad. But some days just seem to never end and that is really frustrating. Well, my daughter is screaming in her room so I better go rescue her... hope that you are doing better than we are at this moment!

New Doctor!

2008-01-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

YEAH! I have a new doctor. His name is Dr. Park and he practiced in the US from 1975-2000... need I say more? Of course he is still Korean in many ways culturally, but he is so much better than the other JERK that I had at Soon Chung Hyung Hospital. This new doctor is at Hosan Women's Hospital and even though it is further away, I am so much happier about having to give birth here in Korea. It is smaller and the rooms are nicer and it seems more friendly. The nurses still don't speak english, and he told me to learn some Korean words I may need until he gets there, but overall I think it is the best option! I asked what the chances are that he will be there for the delivery and he told me that he would be there 100%!!! He never misses a delivery. Praise the Lord! Anyways, I am so excited and happy now... 6 1/2 weeks left until we meet Beckett!

This Child in my Womb!

2007-12-18T02:39:00.000-08:00

Beckett is going crazy! He moves around all of the time. I thought that they were supposed to be sleeping? Can't he be like his father and be cool and collected all of the time? Or is he going to take after me and be psycho and antsy and impatient? Not that these are the best qualities that I posses, but I am trying to work on them. Anyhow, the child is just crazy crazy crazy! Our next doctor's visit is on Thursday and I am excited to get to see him on the ultrasound, but at the same time I am sad because it is our last visit with Dr. Sung before going to Dr. Lee at the hospital. His "bedside manner" is just not as nice or as personable as Dr. Sung. But she will not deliver so we have no choices. It is reassuring that I can feel him and know that he is moving around and enjoying life inside of me, but at the same time it is soooo uncomfortable! I will stop complaining because I love my son very much and he can't help it- he just doesn't know any better. I will update after the doctor on Thursday!

And, on a side note, Makena still has her little rash. It is not getting any better, but it is not getting any worse. Please pray that it goes away SOON!

Infection & Teething

2007-12-17T01:10:00.000-08:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... that is how frustrated I am right now! Makena has a bacterial infection and it is so bothersome to me! We took her to see Dr. Yoo at the hospital and he gave us some topical ointment to put on the infection, but I am just so annoyed with the fact that something is wrong with her. It has spread a bit today, so hopefully this ointment will help it go away and stop spreading.

On another note, not that this one is more cheerful, Makena is now getting the middle two teeth on the top and has been a drag since Saturday. I hope these things come in faster than the bottom two did. It took them forever to come through. She is not as fussy today, but with teething and a rash it is so tiring to deal with. I just feel so bad for her.

She is tough, she will pull through! Pray for her and for us, that Mike and I get to sleep in the near future...

Looking back...

2007-12-16T01:38:00.000-08:00

With the extra time that I have had by staying at home with Makena, I have been looking back at the last year and a half to two years and thinking of where God has brought us from. This move to Korea was one of the hardest but most wonderful decisions that we made as a family. It comes down to selfishness versus sacrifice. What will we sacrifice to follow God? Over the last couple of years we have sacrificed time with family, the comforts of living in our new house, cars to drive, good food and lots of friends. These sacrifices were made because God called us to look at changing our lives for Him and teaching at an International christian school. Did I know what would come with the move of leaving everything that we had ever known and moving to Asia? NO! Have I been selfish in thinking that life could be better if we were in the States? Yes! That thought has crossed my mind. But in looking back, I have come to realize that what we have sacrificed we have also gained. We have gained the most precious daughter in the world. If we were not here, would we have felt God's calling to adopt? Who knows... We have gained a relationship with one another that has grown and that has brought Mike into the spiritual leader of our household that God calls every husband to be. We have traveled and seen so many places around the world that God created. We have made some incredible Christian friends, with relationships that are honoring to our relationships with Christ. We have learned more about what it means to live our lives for Christ... what more could be gained?

I pray that I am not selfish in looking ahead at what we are to do next. I still want to make the needed sacrifices for God and find my calling in life. Therefore, I will sit and listen and hopefully hear His voice through all of the emotions that the rest of the year will bring. I hope that we can make our next move just as honoring to God as we possibly can. We have one daughter and soon a son to take care of as well as making the decisions of what to do next year... but more on this at a later time. I just pray that I will try to live a sacrificial life, no matter where I live in this beautiful world.