2020: the Year that Keeps on Giving

Despite the Crazy,  here is a snapshot of what 2020 has given our family this year:

Less Anxiety and Stress. Ironically, despite the pandemic, this year has been my healthiest- physically and mentally in a long time.  (Besides the anxiety about an international adoption during a pandemic-which I will touch on later.) The slower schedule, lack of driving, extra time in nature, and some extended breaks from the news and social media have really helped to calm my nervous system. It has been good for our whole family. 

More time with Mr. H. Since he is now full time working from home, it has been nice to see him at lunch and the occasional afternoon walk. Just having another grown-up home all day with me has also lowered my own stress levels. It was definitely an adjustment and there are lots of interruptions, but it has worked well. 

Gratitude for a Stable Job. We are extra thankful this year that B does have a job and that job is secure. He has grown a lot at work as a manager of many employees. He is a great communicator and encourager for them. 

Nature Therapy. We have spent an incredible amount of time in nature this year. We planted flowers and an herb garden. We discovered new hiking trails in the Metroplex. (Mineral Wells and Bob Jones Nature Center are fantastic!)  We took countless family picnics and bike rides. We went camping multiple times (The Website hipcamp.com is so fun to use!)

Bible Studies with Friends

Thanks to video chats, I was able to have much needed Mom time. We learned about training our minds away from of toxic thought patterns in "Get Out of Your Head." (Just in time for Covid) Later this year we studied "On Bended Knee: Praying like Prophets, Warriors, and Kings" which the Lord used to speak to each of us. 

100% Homeschooling Our school year looked different without all of the wonderful outside classes I have come to rely on as a homeschooler. But we enjoyed the slower pace with my Preschooler, 2nd grader and 4th grader. We loved traveling "Around the World with Picture Books" this semester. Our nightly read-aloud time is precious to us. We explored the world of the "Chronicles of Narina", learned along with "All of a Kind Family" and laughed along with the "Vanderbeekers." We also dove into some great interactive family Bible Studies by "Not Consumed". I was also able to give some friends who suddenly found themselves homeschooling this year some direction. I wrote a blog with some homeschooling resources we have experience with. 

Our Fact Gobbler. #1 has his nose constantly in a book. He loves historical fiction. He gobbles up facts like candy.  One of his favorite gifts for Christmas is an Encyclopedia. He has a love for Ocean animals and is an aspiring Marine Biologist. One big thing we worked on this year was memorizing multiplication facts. He is still highly energetic and is a big helper around the house with the right incentive. 

Our Creative One. #2 is constantly creating something out of cardboard (thanks Amazon), tape, and string. He is quite the designer/builder/engineer. He is very compassionate and a big help with his younger siblings. He is a right-brained learner and we have discovered "Snap Words" which have been a big help to kickstart his reading skills. His favorite books to read aloud are Mo Willems' "Elephant and Piggie" series. 

Our Musician. #3 has a love for guitars and violins and is always watching worship videos on Youtube (Phil Wickham is her fav). She can sing each and every word. She has picked up a lot of her alphabet and memorized her favorite books. Her favorite color is yellow and favorite food by far is a banana. She has really grown up a lot this year in her language skills, emotional, and physical development. She even learned how to ride a bike without training wheels!

An Epic Trip. Of course 2020 wouldn't be complete without an epic trip to Taiwan that lasted for one whole month, 2 weeks of which were spent in complete and total quarantine with a 5 year old. There was some extra stress and anxiety leading up to this one for sure. We survived quarantine somehow and now it seems all like a dream: tearfully saying goodbye to my big boys, the empty flights, the phones being tracked, the hand sanitizer, the supplement pile, the weird feeling of being locked up.  What a faith building time this is for anyone in an international adoption! BUT God did provide the perfect place for us to stay and we are so thankful for the Grandma's who took excellent care of our big boys while we were away. We had a wonderful time exploring the country for a week. We loved getting to spend time with J showing her her beautiful country of origin. We visited the children's amusement parks, children's museums, and took a tour of the mountains of Yangmingshan National Park. The last week was spent in the bonding process with our new son.  

Learning Chinese. We have a fabulous friend who spent many months this year giving us Chinese lessons as a family. We have learned so much! We know numbers, colors, animals, fruits, foods, greetings, sentence structure, and children's songs. It has helped so much in he transition with our new son! 

A New Son. And last, but most importantly, In 2020 God gave us a new son. We spent most of the year Skyping with him once a month and sending him care packages. In November we finally got to meet face to face and he joined our family!  It was so precious getting to see the two birth siblings meet for the first time and become a part of the same family. What a gift. He has adjusted really well so far and we loved being together as a family of 6 for Christmas. He is really enjoying following his big brothers around being their shadow. He has grieved over the loss of his foster family in Taiwan, but he is easily bonging to us because of how well they cared for him. He is 4 years old and clever, creative, and silly. He fits right in. He is also teaching us a lot of Chinese!

Thank you 2020 for all you have given us this year. 

The good, the bad, the crazy. The perspective. God is good and we are thankful.

 

2017 Happenings

2017 was a year of preparation and growth for our family. 

Our family is preparing to grow as we near the final stages of the adoption process.

Our days and hours were filled with paperwork, fundraisers, anticipation, and prayers.  

The journey is tedious and long, but we TRUST it will be SO worth it. 

Our boys are growing more each day preparing to be men of God. 

Our days and hours are filled with messes, noise, and discipline.

The journey is exhausting, but we TRUST it is SO worth it.

Our own hearts are growing closer to Jesus and we prepare to be Like Him.

Our days are hours are filled with building our marriage, refining our parenting, 

and trusting Him with our anxieties. 

The journey seems impossible, but we TRUST that NOTHING is impossible with Him, 

and it is SO worth it.

It is all SO worth it. Just take a look as these blessings:

Our bigger boy.  If you know him at all, you know that God has gifted him with enormous amounts of energy. His days are filled funneling this energy into bike rides, lego buildings, art projects, and of course wrestling. He's so curious and asks MANY questions a day and stores it all in his photographic memory. This year in particular, he was really curious about the things of heaven and the spiritual forces around us. What a privilege and challenge God has given us in molding these little hearts! He went from K to 1st grade this year. He continues to take some classes at a part time private school while we homeschool the majority of his education. He is reading more and more on his own (including all restaurant ads on the road.) His mental math is quick and knowledge of geography is impressive! He has enjoyed soccer, singing in the church choir, and classes at the art museum.  Though he's never seen the movies, he's really into Star Wars.

Our big boy. This 5 year old has really blossomed into a full grown big kid!  He is writing his name and lots of other letters. His personality is more quiet and calm, but his brother sure can bring out a rough, tough and giggly side of his personality. He is beginning to lead their play time with his BIG imagination and creative ideas. He still enjoys cuddling with Mommy (and she enjoys it too) and lots of hugs and kisses! His favorite Bible Story is "David and Goliath" and song is"Away in a Manger," now matter the time of year.   He has an extensive knowledge of habitats and animals which he learned from zoo preschool in the spring and museum preschool this past fall. Growing caterpillars into butterflies at home was his favorite project! He learned how to ride a bike on his own and now keeps up with us on the Trinity Trails. He has also enjoyed soccer and singing in the church choir for the first time this year! He's really into Superheros. 

Our little girl. This year we were matched with Sweet Pea! (This is her nickname for now.) I am constantly humbled and grateful that God would choose us to be her family. We get to see how well our 2 year old is growing and developing with each monthly report and updated photos. This year she learned to walk (and is now running around), to use crayons, and she loves to dance and sing! In November, we got to send her a care package with a photo album of us, a recordable story book of our voices and a "little sister" onesie. What a joy it was to see photos of her opening her package, being excited about the book, and wearing that onesie!  This coming year, we hope to travel to Taiwan to officially meet her, complete our adoption, and bring her home! These upcoming months we will truly prepare for her arrival.

The Mr.  This year he could often be seen riding bikes on the trails, wrestling with his boys, and cooking pancakes on the weekends. He had the honor of serving as a deacon at our church. He's enjoyed building relationships with the men in our home group Bible study. For two weeks this summer we hosted an intern from China in our home. B was able to bond with him and have some wonderful conversations.  

He had quite a year of change at the engineering firm. He managed several teams to complete projects and served as a resource for another office. Toward the end of the year he has taken additional responsibility in helping to manage the mechanical group.  As the new year starts, please continue to pray for these challenges as he balances the new roles and family life. His favorite part of his job is the people he works with. He loves teaching and training up new engineers and serving in the mentor role. 

The Mrs. This has been a FULL year for me! I wore many hats on top of my wife and mom hat which is worn 24/7 (and in need of constant refining!)

There is my Homeschool Mom hat. We focus on learning activities at home 2-3 days a week, but of course learning can be found in many other un-focused moments too! I've particularly enjoyed going through a curriculum called "Five-in-a-Row," which focuses on using quality children's literature as a spring board for learning other subjects such as science and art. It's amazing the information that sticks when tied to a story!

The days the boys went to school, I would often put on my "Part-time Job" hat. Delving deep into the adoption paperwork and planning fundraisers is truly a part time job! God provided the resources, organizational skills, and diligence I needed to get so many things done this year for our adoption. (More details on the adoption process later in the blog..)

My other hat this year (and many years prior to this)is that of a "health coach" to my family. I am constantly learning the best way to care for our health is the ways that God intended. Natural whole foods, healing herbs, and homeopathy have been my go-to's this year as the resources from God. This year I have felt so healthy and strong. My anxiety issues will always be a thorn in my flesh, but it is a thorn that God has given me the ability to control through these resources. My gut issues and thyroid issues continue to show improvement, (slowly but surely) and I hope to expand my diet this upcoming year!

This summer I was a part of a women's book study at our church about anxiety. The author talked alot about Manna. About taking God's provision for the given moment and trusting him to provide the Manna needed for the next moment. Truly "only worrying about today because tomorrow has enough trouble of it's own." This idea is the only way I could of gotten through this year and have the ability to wear all those hats without them falling off and losing them (and my mind) along with them. Trusting him moment by moment for the Manna I need.

Our Extended Family. We are blessed to live only an hour away from both sides of our family. We drive to their side of town often (and they come to the west side) for birthdays, holidays, or free babysitting!

We had lots of fun outings this year with the Heflin side of the family. We had trips to Granbury beach, the Arboretum, the Perot museum, among other places. We enjoyed receiving the many postcards they sent from the states visited. The boys especially enjoy occasional nights they get to spend at Nana and Ron Bob's house where they eat butterflies  for breakfast. We are especially thankful for the quality photographs and videos provided by Ron-Bob, a retired news photographer!




The summer was filled with fun trips! In June, the boys had a wild time with my Mom and their cousins camping at Jellystone Park with Yogi Bear. (It was nice to have a quiet weekend at home!) In July all of us went down to Galveston and spent a week relaxing in a beach house, jumping in the waves, and seeing dolphins on the ferry ride. The boys keep asking about going back to Galveston, I agree!

This fall, B and the boys got to take a SUPER special road trip and camping trip along with my Dad and Papa. For 40+ years, my Papa and the men in his family have been taking a camping trip to the mountains of Arizona. There they ate like kings, hiked up mountains, and played with new cousins just their size! My boys and hubby had so much fun being a part of this special tradition!

Our adoption process. We've been in the adoption process about  1.5 years and have now completed every bit of paperwork needed to submit to the courts in Taiwan! We started out the year editing our homestudy and putting together a photo album displaying what our home and family is like. When we asked to be matched to Sweet Pea, we had to answer lots of tough questions about parenting and family life. Once we were approved, we put together our dossier which is a big set of super important papers that will be sent to court. These documents had to be authenticated by the Secretary of State and the Taiwanese Embassy! Whew! What a job!

God graciously provided all we needed just in time to pay all the final adoption fees! Our adoption puzzle is complete!  We knew that God did not want us to go at this journey alone and that he would provide a Village to be our partner and share in our adoption story. Through the year we ran various fundraisers to give others the chance to be a part. We were amazed at all the support we've received! From our HUGE garage sales in the spring, to our BIG online silent auction this past fall, and the sunshine shirts, coffee sales, Easter crafts, and funky socks in between; we were busy! I especially loved partnering with ministries in Haiti and Uganda these past two Christmas seasons to sell their beautiful items and in turn support their ministry. All in all these fundraisers brought in about $10,000 and the love and support of so many friends and family! We also received a HUGE grant and matching grant from our church through a tax-deductible ABBA fund. This brought in another $10,000+! We are happy to report that all of our fees are paid in full and documents can now be submitted to court! We will still need to pay for our travel expenses, so if you would like to be a part, the links above are still active fundraisers anyone is welcome to still participate in. We are so thankful and amazed at the Village HE provided!!

2017. Our year of preparation and growth. 

How did you grow this year?

What is God preparing you for?

.....The only way to grow is to TRUST.

Oh, for Grace to Trust Him more..

Counting the Blessings of 2015-2016

How do I describe the past 2 YEARS in one blog!? I can kick myself right now for not getting to write my end of year blog for 2015! (we were a bit busy moving last Christmas...(see blessing #1.) So many tough things happened. So many wonderful things happened. But these are the highlights:

Top Blessings of 2015-2016:

Our new home. I had a strong desire through the whole year of 2015 to move from our home in West Fort Worth to live closer to Central Fort Worth, where most of our life takes place (work, church, school , museums, zoos, friends.) The Lord opened the door in October 2015 by allowing us to sell our old home for a huge profit and to purchase a new home for far less than the asking price (this was a miracle in the crazy real estate market at the time!) We were able to put some of our profits into updating a very important part of our new home: the Kitchen! We moved in December of last year just before our kitchen renovations were finished. (Hence no blog last year) Many of our neighbors have turned into good friends as we go for walks, playdates, and ladies nights together. Though, Brodie still misses our old neighbors. (Hi Frank!) The best part of our neighborhood is the trails! Our home backs up to a little nature preserve leading to the Trinity trails. It really is the most beautiful "backyard." 

Our Boys.  They continue to be best buddies and occasionally worst enemies. Our days are full of energy:  wrestling, legos, bike rides, crayons, and library books. S turned 5 this year and is an eager learner. He began to read and loves math-just like his Daddy-He especially thinks it is cool to count to 100. Dr. Suess books are his favorite. He is fond of his art class at school and choir class at church. PE though is probably his favorite along with his soccer class. The youngest has a huge imagination and can make all inanimate objects come to life and carry on conversations. He loves being close to Mommy and always asks for a "Huggy." His little hands love playing in his collection of marbles, jewels, acorns, pennies, and other tiny things. 

Improving Health. The difference in my health from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2016 is nothing short of a miracle. I went from have debilitating uncontrollable panic attacks to now being set free from them! There is still a part of me that feels that anxiety deep down, but the difference is now that my body and brain have learned to overcome it.  Praise the Lord! You can read more about my journey here:  Anxiety. I feel like I should have a college degree in health and nutrition from all that I have learned these past two years! Everything from healing the gut, balancing blood sugar, detoxing, building the immune system, dealing with food sensitivities, balancing hormones, making bone broths galore, eating the right ratio of carbs, fats, proteins and the importance of clean eating. It has been quite a journey, but a very empowering one to learn about all God has given us in His creation to take care of our health!

A Blossoming Career. Mr. H celebrated his 10 year anniversary at his Engineering Firm. He has found much favor with his Bosses, coworkers, and clients. In fact the clients like him so much, he has taken a lot of business trips to go and win their hearts (and pocket books ;) He traveled to South Korea, Hawaii, New York,  Pennsylvania, Arizona and most often, California. He really enjoys the work he does but mostly loves building friendships with his co-workers. 

A Niche in Schooling. We have found a great balance between learning at home, learning in a classroom setting, learning in the community, and basically learning through life itself! We spent one school year involved in a home-school Co-op where the boys were in a preK class where I was their teacher part of the time. It was a lot of fun and we made some good friends.This school year, we decided we needed a little more time away from each other and I needed some extra free time to work on Adoption Paperwork. Our oldest started Kindergarten this year at a part time private school and absolutely LOVES it! Our youngest attends zoo preschool once a week. Twice a week we do more structured learning activities at home with our curriculum, "My Father's World." We also take advantage of monthly classes at the Kimbell Art museum and Botanic Gardens. I love getting to use my teaching skills on my own kids and be present to see those light bulbs constantly going off in their heads! Here is a peek into our home-school world: Homeschool

Our Church Family. The above photo was taken at Kids Kamp. The best week of the summer for the kiddos! The Children's ministry is solid and teaches straight through the Bible, story by story each Sunday. Our marriage was strengthened through a hard-core 16 week marriage class-which was more like group marriage counseling. Our hearts were encouraged each time we met with our Bible Study small group and my Mom's group. This year B was also nominated as a deacon and has been able to serve the church in this way which is a perfect fit for him!

Our Extended Family. We are blessed to live only an hour away from both sides of our family. We drive to the Dallas side often (and they come to the west side) for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. Our family also makes the occasional trip for baby sitting and appreciated unannounced visits(thanks Papa Bear). We have two little boy cousins who my boys absolutely adore and it is so fun to see them play (and go wild) together! In 2015 we took our first big airplane trip to an all inclusive resort in Florida. In 2016 we took our first big road trip to Missouri to spend time with my in-laws at a YMCA camp. We love our family and their love and support!

Our Future. Throughout the last two years the idea of adoption had been jumping around our hearts and our conversations. This summer, we finally felt the Lord telling us to go ahead and make that leap of Faith! We are applying to adopt a child (younger then age 5) from Taiwan. It is about a 2 year process and we are super excited! You can read here for more details: Adoption FAQ. 

We are thankful for all that 2015 and 2016 brought to us. We are excited to see what God does in 2017! Stay tuned!

2014 the PLaYdOugH Year

As I thought through this past year, reading my journal and flipping through out calendar, I tried to come up with a good theme. Nothing big changed in our lives like in 2012 and we didn’t rest like we did in 2013. But in 2014, we experienced a lot of molding and shaping. Hence…the "Playdough Year." Not to mention, we had our hands in that colorful stuff pretty often!

The Lord is slowly and faithfully molding us to be more like Him. Some days His hands bring tears and other days it brings joy. He is our Potter and we are His clay…..or in preschool lingo....we are His playdough. :) He’s been busy making our hearts colorful and full of beauty. 

Molding Our Home

The Lord has shown me ways that I can be join Him in being a Potter for my home by shaping the hearts of my children. The boys are 2 and 3 years old, and we struggle daily with discipline. Teaching obedience, sharing, gentleness, respect, kindness, and self control are much harder to teach then the ABCs or numbers! This requires a constant shaping of my own heart toward the grace and wisdom of God. We put many Bible verses to memory and song this year. We quote them often when dealing with a rough situation. “Be kind to one another-Ephesians 4:32” we sing often! I’m also so thankful for the show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” where we have picked up lots of songs about how to deal with all the tough situations facing preschoolers (like taking turns, waiting patiently, and handling anger)! There are many days I bury my head in frustration, but I know the molding our home will constantly be a work in progress and the Lord is faithful to help me endure!

I also have a great responsibility to shape their little minds. This year I have done more intentional educational activities with them. “Homeschool” if you will. My degree in early childhood education is finally been put to use and I love it! The bulletin boards in the dining room are filled with artwork of letters, shapes, numbers, etc. Our shelves are full of library books and fun "keep them busy" learning games. Their favorite books this year include such classics as “Go Dog Go” and “Are you My Mother?” The favorite songs they enjoyed singing at the top of their lungs (in the car especially) were “The ABC Song,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “The Wheels on the Bus” and of course the all time favorite…the “Happy Birthday” song. Their favorite things to play includes legos, cars, trains, balls, and wrestling..lots of wrestling..oh and don’t forget tickling! It was a fun filled year of learning and play!

The 3 year old

This has been a big year for character shaping for our oldest little guy. He is full of life, and energy, and gusto and channeling that energy into something good is always our goal! I definitely see sports in his future for his very physical and active personality. He is very talkative and I increasingly see him as having an extroverted personality (not sure where he got that from!) He’s the kid who always yells out the answer when the teacher asks a question. His mind is a sponge as he absorbs anything and everything little he hears, reads, or sees. He has enjoyed his first year of Zoo preschool this year. He has one morning to learn in a classroom setting and then visits an animal in it's zoo habitat.  Another morning while Mommy attends Bible Study, he attends “church school”. Some sweet friendships have formed for him (and me!) We go on play-dates to the park, science museum, library, & zoo. He also loves getting to spend time with family and always asks if we can go to Mimi's house or Nana's house. (He loves you too Ron Bob and Papa Bear!) He has a lot of loud crazy fun with his cousin Declan and his little brother Gage, born early this year.

The 2 year old

It has been really fun this year to see the personality that God is shaping for our littlest man. He has grown and changed a lot this year and looks more and more like his Daddy. He has a very caring side to him and always wants to make sure his brother (and sometimes Mommy) has a toy..or snack..or whatever similar to his. His language development has taken off this year as he mimics all the words big brother says. My favorite things to hear him say are: “Ohh-K” “Thanks” and “I did it!”His love for anything round, whether a balloon or a ball has been a trademark of his personality. He even had a balloon themed birthday party this year! He can throw and catch any ball like a pro. I see tee ball in his future. He has enjoyed going to a preschool music class this year and loves to play loud instruments and sing songs.

Shaping Bri’s Faith

This year God used a little bit of rough chiseling to refine my faith. I faced some health issues due to thyroid and hormone imbalances. The increased anxiety from these imbalances became an annoying thorn in my flesh. But God used this to show me that His grace is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weakness. That verse had never come so alive to me as it did this year. God surrounded me with many friends who provided much encouragement and went through similar problems. I’m so thankful for our church and women I have met through Bible studies and Mom’s groups.  I also found an amazing holistic Doctor and already feel much better after trying some of the things she suggested..plus I don’t even miss gluten all that much!

God worked at shaping my habits are in the areas of nutrition and wellness. I’ve become one of those “crunchy” Moms who is all about living in a more natural way. There are weird things in my fridge right now like kombucha, elderberry syrup, and fermented pickles. Things I had never even heard of a year ago! I got into using essential oils in place of many medicines. I also use things like raw honey as cough syrup. I don’t even want to tell you about the weird homemade products in my shower! It has been quite a learning experience. God has given us all of these things he created and I have had fun putting them to use!

Shaping Brodie’s Character

God has been at work shaping Brodie’s character as a husband & father. He was supportive and understanding through my mess of health issues. Though he is at work all day, when he comes home he jumps right into the thick of the mess. He is the official bathtime supervisor because by the end of the day I sure don’t have the energy for that! He learned right alongside me ways in which to shape the hearts and minds of our children and is very purposeful in his discipline. The boys know their Daddy as the guy who fixes everything. When something like a toy breaks, they know Daddy will fix it when he gets home!

This year at work, God shaped Brodie's leadership skills.  He has been with the same company 9 years and is now one of the more experienced guys there now. He trains up the new guys and manages their responsibilities with grace (most of the time). God has also given him a wonderful new boss this year that has helped smooth out a lot of bumps in the office. Brodie took his first business trip overseas this year and really enjoyed eating the authentic Korean barbecue, kimchi and anchovy salad!

This November, Brodie had the privilege of speaking at the funeral for my grandfather, “Pappy”. Preparing for the message felt natural to him, brought him joy and was something that he knew God wanted him to do. We hope the message was encouraging to all my family as they remember God is the bringer of comfort and He can turn our mourning into dancing.

So..how has God shaped your family this year?

2013 Blessings

2013 - our year of calm times and abundant blessings from the Lord. When I first thought of writing my “year end blog,” I thought it would be boring because nothing “big” really happened. No big moves, no new babies, no hospital stays, no weddings to be in. (that was all last year see here--Ebeneezer of 2012.) But you know what, I am so thankful for this “boring” year! We've had a whirlwind of life change in the short 3 years we've been married and finally we have a year of rest. Our “Sabbath” year if you will.

Yet I still want to sit back and remember this past year and all the blessings from God. Psalm 78:4 says to “tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders he has done.” So I write this blog not only for me, not only for you reading this, but also that my kids can read it someday and see the “glorious deeds of the Lord” that occurred when they were just small children.

BLESSINGS of 2013:

Growing in faith, peace, and trust of the Lord and understanding my role as His chosen and beloved one. Brodie and my desire now is to focus on deepening our prayer life.

A strengthened marriage through a renewed love and commitment to one another and to God. We sought out a seasoned couple from our church who gave us biblical marriage advice and some practical means to fulfill it.

The First Steps and First Words of my not-so-preemie baby boy. His easy going and silly personality is such a blessing. God kept his body healthy and strong during the critical months of RSV season and his growth has caught up to other kids his age. He eats more than anyone in the house, especially scrambled eggs.

S’s love for the things of God. He loves going to church, reading through his toddler Bible, and Singing Praise Songs. His favorites are “This Little Light” and “Oh how I love Jesus.” His character is being built up each day as he learns (sometimes reluctantly) obedience to Mom and Dad and kindness toward his brother.

A blossoming friendship between our two boys. They make each other giggle. They make each other cry. But their relationship is so precious and edifies each one of them. Every time I catch one of them sharing with the other, I do a little Victory Dance

Our church family. Growing in wisdom through wonderful sermons and teaching. Spending time with our small group. Receiving encouragement in reading the Word through a Women’s Bible Study. My Mom’s group has given me a sense of community through motherhood.

New Friendships with other Mommies was a great source of encouragement for me. We've enjoyed countless playdates to local parks, the science museum, the mall playground just to name a few. We've also enjoyed friendships through our weekly toddler music class!

Love for Missions kindled this summer by teaching 1^st graders about God’s love for the world. We also heard many missionaries share their stories about their work from USA to the ends of the earth. And this year Brodie traveled to East Asia on his first “Business as Missions” trip. Brodie is in awe of God's working in that country for many many centuries.

Financial peace in God’s amazing provisions. He provided a new mini mini van, a condo that finally sold, and some surprising financial blessings from other sources. We learned valuable lessons on managing these gifts through Dave Ramseys, “Financial Peace” class. God blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. We’ve found great joy this year in giving to others.

A steady year at work for Brodie was packed full of lessons learned. It was a year of professional growth for Brodie as he continues to learn more about the leadership side of engineering. We are thankful for shorter hours worked this year and for deepening friendships with his co-workers.

Staying “professionally developed.” In an effort to keep my teacher certification, I attended multiple classes for continuing education credit. Brodie supports me by taking care of the kiddos while I go and use my brain with the grown-ups!

Time in Dallas with our extended family and old friends. Our trips to the other side of town have become much less frequent but we still enjoy coming for special celebrations to keep in touch with everyone. Sam's especially enjoyed spending time with 2 year old cousin Declan.

Comfort for the Heflin Side of the Family. This year was marked by the deaths of two very dear family friends of Brodie's family. Tante Corrie and Grandpa Harry were like family to the Heflins and were cared for by the Heflins. God's hand was on all the details and His comfort available to all who mourned the losses.

Little Trips to get away. We cabin-camped with some of my college roommates and their growing families. Then we road tripped to San Angelo to visit Brodie’s aunt, uncle and their airplane. Of course, each trip included a chance to stretch our legs at a park, zoo or pumpkin patch!

Ebenezer of 2012

A sweet friend of mine wrote on her Facebook on New Years Day: "Ever wondered what raising an Ebenezer has to do with New Years? Ebenezer is a Hebrew word for, "thus far has The Lord helped us." In the OT the Jews would pile up stones of remembrance. A marker for what God had done.For me He has sustained, challenged and given grace in places I didn't know existed. If I had a stone marker for 2012 I would show my kids and say "this is how much He loves us."

This Blog is the Heflin's Ebenezer for the year 2012.

A New Life

J was born on September 3^rd, Labor Day! Weighing in at 4 pounds 10oz and 19 inches long, he was a big guy for being born 2.5 months early (at about 30 weeks gestation. ) We are thankful for the miracle of his precious life. What an amazing Creator God to design me in such a way that my body forced itself into labor after the placenta ruptured giving Josiah a chance for life outside the womb. We are so grateful for modern medicine and the care of many experienced doctors and nurses in the NICU where J spent his first 5 weeks of life. It was a long and hard 5 weeks going back and forth to the NICU daily while caring for one-year old S at home. God gave us such sweet people in our lives to help us through. Our family, our friends, and our church took such good care of us with meals, housework, and babysitting. We are overwhelmingly thankful. Through it all, even while in labor, I never once feared for J’s life. I had a peace that surpasses understanding from the Lord. I knew his precious life was in HIS hands. God reassured us with a Scripture that just happened to be on the flip calendar on the day Josiah was born: “The child grew and the Lord blessed him.” Judges 13:24  And J continues to grow and be blessed. He is now a chubby cheeked 4 month old whose sweet smile will make your heart melt. He eats like a champ, sleeps through the night, kicks, coos, and is loved by all, especially by his big brother who smothers him with hugs and kisses daily.

(Click here to read to Full Birth Story)

                                                                                                         

A Growing Young Boy

Our Sweet S went from Little Baby to Little Boy this year. It has been amazing to watch this little person develop right before our very eyes. Our little baby who used to travel around by army crawl and was spoon fed mushed up peas is now running around in miniature tennis shoes and feeding himself big chunks of chicken with a fork! He has got such a personality as he looks up with his big blue eyes  and signs “more” when he’s hungry, when he growls and jumps on you tickling and wrestling, and when he gives sweet opened mouth kisses on command. A typical boy, his favorite thing in the world to play with is a ball. And it so happens that his favorite word to say is also “Ball.” He is learning all about Jesus and God at church and at home. He enjoys singing Jesus loves me and having his Bible read to him at dinner time. He brings so much joy and fun into our lives. What a sweet Blessing from the Lord. 

A New Home

Over the summer we moved into a new home just right for our growing family. It has 4 bedrooms, a huge backyard with a nice covered porch, and is only 1500 sq feet so its not too overwhelming to clean! It came at just the right price, helping us keep to our goal of being in as little debt at possible. We are located close to two major highways giving us easy access to almost anywhere in Fort Worth. We’re about 20 min from Brodie’s work and 15 minutes from church. My favorite part of our new house is how close it is to a beautiful city park with walking trails and an exemplary elementary school in a smaller ISD. We take that 5 minute walk to the park almost daily! We decided to move even before selling our old condo for the sake of getting settled in before baby J came. I couldn’t imagine trying to climb to the our second story condo with two babies and fitting us all into that one bedroom! Thankfully God has blessed our finances in such a way that we were able to afford purchasing our new home just in time for baby's arrival! We spent the month of July updating our new home with a touch of paint and popcorn ceiling scraping. We moved in late July, unpacked through all of August, then J surprised us coming on September 3^rd! I’m so thankful the timing worked out like it did!

Brodie’s Work

This year at Brodie’s engineering firm has brought about many new challenges. He has been given more responsibilities and has had to learn new management skills as he has been placed over some younger engineers. Though it has been rough, he has learned a lot while leaning on the Lord for wisdom. What keeps him motivated there are his relationships with his co-workers. There is a great since of “family” amongst the employees. Many of them are Christians, in fact many of them go to the same church as us! When working alongside others with the same goal of honoring Christ in the workplace, work can be a very uplifting place to be even through the challenges. (And another big milestone: Brodie turned 30 this year!)

Our Church Home

This year we gained a new since of belonging with our church family. We developed many new friendships and truly feel like a part of the body of believers here. Brodie and I were a part of a very small group at the beginning of the year-just us and one other couple, but we enjoyed studying the Bible with them very much. The second half of this year, we joined a larger small group and have really enjoyed getting to know these new friends of all ages and life stages. Studying the Bible once a week with our group has helped us to focus on God throughout the week and has been a source of encouragement as we share personal prayer requests.  I have also found sweet friendships though my “Mom’s Group” where I have been encouraged greatly as I enter into this part of my life called Motherhood. I am a part of the Woman’s Bible Study which helps keep my reading the Bible throughout the week as I complete my “homework” study questions. Attending on Thursday mornings in the highlight of my week as I discuss with my small group and get to hear a lecture that digs deeper into the Bible with free childcare included!  This year I got to study the book of Mark and the book of Proverbs. We also developed some wonderful relationships with those we went to El Salvador with…more about that below.

An Exciting Trip

We took our first family mission trip this year to El Salvador!  This was a trip designed for families with young kids with a flexible schedule so it was a perfect fit for us. There were 26 people in our group, and over half of them were kids. We had so much fun getting to know these families. It was not an easy trip with 11 month old S and J 20 weeks along in my womb but the Lord gave us strength to persevere and we found much reward in sharing the good news of Jesus with the people of El Salvador. We were able to share about Jesus openly in the public schools as well as at block parties in the evenings. It was amazing to see how receptive people were and how willing they were to talk about their religion. Many many people that week turned their lives over to the control of Christ and will be followed up with by the local church.

Friends from Around the World

We got invloved in the international student ministry at TCU this year. It has been difficult to figure out where to serve in a ministry now that we have two young children but this one seems to be a good fit. We can bring the kids to big events they hold, such as Easter & Christmas parties and barbeques. We also have a friendship partner we are supposed to keep up with on a more frequent basis. We haven't done too well keeping up with her, but she is such a sweetheart from Vietnam who adores the kids! We've enjoyed getting to know these students from around the globe and hope to become more involved with them in the upcoming year.

New  Family Members

Our extended family multiplied this year with two big weddings! In March, my Dad got married to Lori, a great lady that is a perfect fit for my Dad. In October, my sister married Brandon, who is the love of her life and great father to my nephew. I was a bridesmaid in each wedding and S with a cute little ring bearer in each. It was fun getting to be a part of all the showers and planning. We are so happy to welcome Lori and Brandon to our family.