Dancing Daughters

Psalm 105:3-5
Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

May is such a busy month!  Our school year has not quite ended, and our school year activities are making their grand finales while at the same times our summer schedule are in full swing.  It is enough to make my head spin some days!  During the first weekend in May we took time out to enjoy the hard work of two dancing daughters as they performed at the Dancin' Feet Dance Studio annual recital Everything in Color.  What a beautiful treat!

 Corinn danced to Go Go Joseph and Shake a Tail Feather!

Serena worked at the dance studio this year as a Dance Assistant.  It was a great opportunity for her.  At the recital she danced to five different songs and was responsible for helping back stage and with the classes she assisted in, so she was busy the entire weekend and performed in eight (!) recitals.

We were all happy to come and support our dancers!

A Birthday Promise

Jeremiah 29:10-12 

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

I am always shocked when I read these verses from Jeremiah.  Yes, the promise is wonderful, but the waiting is intense.  Seventy years is a long time!  A lifetime for some.  I am often impatient to wait on the Lord to bring hope within the span of one day.  It is hard to imagine these Israelites waiting on Him to visit and fulfill His promises for an entire seventy years!  But what a beautiful promise for a future, a hope, and a relationship with Him after all those years of exile in Babylon.

Parenting our kids is sometimes like waiting those seventy years.  We watch as kiddos sometimes choose exile over the promise, but He who promises is still faithful and He will bring to completion every good work He has started (Phil 1:6).  

Monday was Noah's 7th Birthday!  What a blessing that we have been able to share in nearly all of his seven years of life!  We celebrated a few days early so that grandparents and cousins could join us for the festivities.  It is so amazing to watch these precious kiddos grow up.  This last year has held a lot of personal change for Noah and he continues to grow and mature.  He is so sensitive yet tough, with deep emotions and incredible determination.  We pray that Noah's heart would delight in the Lord and find grace and peace in Him.   We pray that God would redeem the years of brokenness in Noah's life and bring healing, hope, and purpose to our sweet son!  We love you, Noah!

Sweet Special Day

Saturday, May 4th was a very sweet Special Day for us!  We celebrated 8 years since the director of the Ayudame Orphanage in Bogota, Colombia, placed our first daughter, Corinn, in our arms.  It is amazing how quickly the years have gone and how God has blessed, changed, and shaped our family during this time.  We are so thankful for His Sovereign care for each of our children and for our family. We are thankful for the blessing of parenting this precious daughter, for her joy and enthusiasm.  We pray that she will fully know the love and saving grace of our Lord and that she will delight in His Word and His ways.  Happy 8th Special Day, Corinn!