TONIGHT

Extending an invitation to EVERYONE to the SOUP and TACO SALAD dinner at Pleasant View Mennonite Church from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. TONIGHT.

We look forward to visiting with family and friends. . . .and giving some up-dates.
Drive safely, as you venture out!!!

Isaac's Baby Shower

It was a Valentine and Olympic themed Baby Shower!!

I enjoyed visiting with everyone, and of course. . . the food!

Anya, dreamed up the Stroller Obstical Corse. Thanks to all of those "good sports" that participated. It made for some great laughs AND memories.
I'm looking forward to posting pictures of him in all of his adorable new outfits!! I'm also looking forward to pushing a stroller with a baby and not a cute Valentine bear. I'm dreaming now!!! And little can stop me.

SNOW!!

Counting the days. . . and making the days count

Today Isaac turns four months old!! Happy birthday little man. We wish we could hold you and rock you. . . sing to you, touch you and kiss you. We can't wait to tickle your little feet and listen to you coo. But for this time we will settle for thoughts and many, many prayers over you.

With the snow it has been nice to be able to relax at home. I put together (with a tiny bit of Eric's help) an early baby shower gift. It's called an infant to toddler rocker. Thanks Aunt Amelia and Uncle Neil!:) It's also been a nice time to bake some yummy sweet breads and talk to family on the phone. Oh, and we also watched the Super Bowl. Looking good Saints!

Maybe at this time next week we'll have some new news, like a court date or an up-date on Isaac. Praying, hoping and believing!

Thoughts as we wait. . .

Eric and I have found ourselves really appreciating the sounds and songs of Steven Curtis Chapman. SCC’s honest and amazing way of putting his thoughts and feelings to music has been a door for us to express and identify our emotions these past couple of months and years, really. Music is a ministry and a way that God uses to access our souls deepest caverns. Even throughout our dating days Eric and I would send carefully selected songs to one another. The lyrics had a way of expressing more than words could say.

Steven’s newest CD was written months after his daughter’s death, months after the earthquakes in China and illustrates the ongoing grieving and releasing process we, as humans, go through. Some songs are “hard” to listen to, and some are “hard” for me to accept and wrap my mind around. But God has blessed us immensely through the words and their truth of our loving Father.

This song in particular has me picturing Heaven: Eric and I walking hand in hand with ALL of our children, including Isaac and Alivia, and hopefully even Isaac's birth family. How beautiful! Some days I just can't help but long for it.

Heaven is the face

Heaven is the face of a little girl

With dark brown eyes

That disappear when she smiles

Heaven is the place

Where she calls my name

Says, “Daddy please come play with me for a while”

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more

But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for

God, You know, I just can’t SEE beyond the door

So right now

Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep

Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing

And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms

Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more

But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for

God, You know, I just can’t SEE beyond the door

But in my mind’s eye

I can SEE a place

Where Your glory fills every empty space

All the cancer is gone

Every mouth is fed

And there’s no more goodbye

And no more not enough

And there’s no more enemy

Heaven is a sweet maple syrup kiss

And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone

Heaven is the place where she takes my hand

And leads me to You

And we both run into Your arms

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream

It’s far beyond anything I can conceive

So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I SEE

Heaven in the face of my little girl

There is a special story behind the word SEE. If you have a chance, you should read it in SCC's beautywillrise album, where this song is found.

Here is an Internet site of the song:
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://popup.lala.com/popup/576742231835344525&ei=vp9ZS527Ocm8lAec_dTwBA&sa=X&oi=music_play_track&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=2&ved=0CAwQ0wQoADAA&usg=AFQjCNHt6OsZSbeorRW0bTYY3zVf5bYL2w

Isaac Tamerat Lehman

We are proud to announce that we have given our beautiful son the name Isaac. (Over the past couple of months we've really been able to relate to the story of Abraham and Sarah.) His middle name, Tamerat (pronounced "Tom-mer-aht"), is the name his birth mother gave him. We wanted to honor her and her love for him by keeping Tamerat in his name. Isaac's birth mother endured a lot of rejection as a result of her pregnancy, yet she still chose to call him "miracle". Hopefully this will be some comfort to him later in life when he begins to ask questions about his birth mother and her decision to take him to the orphanage.

Unfortunately, we can not post photos of our son on the Internet until we bring him home. This is a request of the Ethiopian Government. If you wish to see him you will have to come take a look at our refrigerator door.

His proud grandparents also have interesting refrigerators.

It's a BOY!!!

We have been “matched” with a beautiful baby boy! He has adorable chubby cheeks and a cute little smile. He was born on October 7, 2009 and will be 3 months old on Thursday. His name in Amharic (the language in Ethiopia) means miracle. We hope to hold him in the next 4 to 5 months!

No more “waiting” in our virtual line. Now we are on the lookout for a court date, which will should be given in the next month or so. . . . . We are one GIANT step forward today! And the journey continues with the excitement level bumped up a few notches!