Catch Up

Well, today is the day I am playing catch up on the blog...all the entries I started and hadn't finished, I finished!! I am so happy for me...I really do love blogging and it makes me sad when I can't keep up but sometimes that is just the way it is and blogging has to be pushed to the back burner...but today has been a fun day...I spoke with some people about adoption, lined and modge-podged the drawers in Alice's wardrobe, caught up on blogging and worked on cleaning out my closet...sounds productive to me:) My dear husband might disagree....

Anyway, here is a hodge-podge (not modge podge) of what has been going on around here the past few days...

My sweet little pilgrim, Lucy...with Bitty

Fun night of bowling the night before Thanksgiving...





Yes, that is an airbrushed shirt...her favorite, that she picked out herself...the kids FAVORITE thing we did when we went to the mountains last month...true memories, people...can't you still remember your first airbrushed shirt?? anyway, she was beaming...

The only kind of picture I can get of the boys these days...I love it...

...and a little Alice attitude!!!

Then, Thanksgiving Day in Tennessee...the girls with the fish Lucy caught...so proud...

Sweet Charlie...he is growing up....

Max and Allie, fishing

Me and Charles:)

Then, Saturday after Thanksgiving, the tree went up...

and Alice got her new bed...she was SO excited!! She LOVES pink...

I think her smile says it all....

and Lucy is pretty excited too....now they can sleep together some...:)

Well, I think that catches me up for today:) Happy Tuesday,

Alice's Dedication

What a special day in the Morrison household...the day we dedicated our sweet Alice to the Lord. Of course, we dedicated her to Him long before we ever touched her, but this was our public statement of commitment to raise her to know Him to the best of our ability. The 20th was the same Sunday one year ago, that we brought our Alice home and life in the Morrison household had a new dynamic. Since she doesn't have all of the baby pictures that Charlie, Max and Lucy have, I wanted to do something special at her dedication. So, I spent the week before the dedication a crying mess and did my best to make a slideshow for her to be played before at church...it wrecked me to go through the pictures, see her so traumatized and see the beautiful transformation that has occured. Such an honor to witness this firsthand. Here is the video...keep in mind, I am an amateur at video-making: (double click so you can see the full screen)

Here are also some pictures from the morning:

Alice was so sweet during the whole ceremony...you could tell she knew it was a special time for her...she also got to wear the dress that she wore here as we brought her home...

She was super excited to see herself on the screen...

Daddy decided to speak about Alice and our time with her and it was pretty emotional...he talked about how her life might have gone a different way and she might have never heard the name of Jesus, but now she will know it, no doubt...she hears it everyday and sings Jesus Loves Me with her daddy every night. I was a mess, he was choked up....I have never been prouder...

Todd did a great job...he is extra special to us:) And the kids couldn't have been more well behaved...it was a perfect day!

All in all, it was a wonderful day and God gets all of the glory for it...so glad we get to be a part of His plan to defend the orphan...WE LOVE YOU ALICE:)

Alice's First Family Day

It is unbelievable how fast this year has gone by...as I was looking through the pictures of the day we got our Alice, just ONE year ago, my mind is baffled that she is the same child and emotions from that day and our time there all rush back...and it hurts and there is peace and I am flushed and I want to cry-happy tears-sad tears- and I am SO happy and I miss China and she is such a joy.....a thousand thoughts all over the board....SO many different emotions....I love this child. so bad it hurts sometimes. She has grown in my heart and it has EXPLODED. I want to post every detail, picture, video from our trip just so you can see what we have seen, this most beautiful transformation, but I think about it and I just can't...some of the pictures and video bring up so many emotions that I just can't bring myself to do it...it is so raw and private, but I want to shout it to the world: this was the most wonderful experience...SEE...

Here she is that very first day...so tiny and overwhelmed....

and here she is now...we are so blessed to be her parents...

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him" I Samuel 1:27

Orphan Sunday 2011

Yesterday was Orphan Sunday....seems like every year, Orphan Sunday is just ground-breaking. We launched our orphan care ministry, Hearts of Compassion back in 2009...last Orphan Sunday, we were in China...holding our Alice for the very first time. As our church family was celebrating Orphan Sunday, we were holding our daughter who was an orphan no more!!! This year, was a time to look back at the 2 years since the ministry began and proclaim his faithfulness...to see and tell all of the wonderful things God has done in us and in the lives of those around us. To our knowledge, there had been no new adoptions or any active orphan care since 2003. Since Hearts of Compassion's start in Nov 2009, we have had 4 children come home through international and domestic adoption. We have 2 families in process (one international, one domestic). One family is now fostering, and one family is almost done with their training to do Respite Care through DHR. God has moved and He is continuing to stir hearts...we hear about it from different people all of the time. We also had the pleasure of having Dave Wood, from Lifeline Children's Services in Birmingham, AL, come and bring the Word on Sunday...he did a wonderful job challenging our congregation to pray about how God would have them 'care for the orphan'. Lastly, we recognized the first 2 families to receive funds from our ministry....what a special day!!!! Cannot wait to see what next Orphan Sunday holds!!!

Meia, Me, Dave, Stephanie & Jenny

one year ago today

One year ago today, we woke up after only a couple of hours of sleep, gathered our things and headed to Huntsville to board a plane...a plane ride to a place where our lives would change forever. So many fears and anxieties, and at the same time, peace. I can remember not knowing what to expect...what would China be like, would she like us, what if she didn't sleep, how would I make it for 19 days without Max and Lucy...my heart was hurting and so full all at the same time.

Here we go on the ride of our lives.....

My, how hindsight feels....all the fears seem so silly now, all of the what if's seem like no-brainers...if only we could trust God when He calls us with the same confidence we feel in hindsight...but I guess that wouldn't really be faith.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

If God is calling YOU to adopt (or calling you to anything else for that matter)...trust Him. Trust his character...look back at your life and see how faithful He has been...He will not leave you hanging...Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous, DO NOT be afraid..for the Lord, your God, is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you"