Home, Health, and Hope

So... a WAY late blog post. Going from 2 to 3 children seems to increase the workload by 150%. No excuses though. On to the show.

Welcoming Max home:



And yes, that's my Grandpa Brander, at 88 years old, greeting Beck and Max at the airport at 10 p.m. A true man of God, he literally would pray on his knees for us every day. He could teach the rest of us a thing or two about prayer and faith. Thanks Grandpa- for everything.

Beck, Ally, and Beck's mom had a long day of travel, but fortunately were able to catch all their connections (and the all-important one in Houston/immigration/customs), and had a greeting party meet them in Grand Rapids. It was a great homecoming, and we are so thankful they are back. Ally had a couple days of school before her Christmas break, and Will was also excited to have his "play buddy" back home. Now we get to hear them scream as they run around the house as Will wears his new knight costume (it was his 3rd birthday on the 19th):

Max is settling in nicely. He got to meet the sleep Nazi (in a good way) on day two of being home, and like the 2 siblings before him, lost. Becky has an amazing way of getting kids to understand that when it's nap time, you sleep. So, Max slept. And has been sleeping well ever since- only one or two wake-ups during the night since we've been home, and he's also had a cold, so that's a pretty good sleep-to-wake up ratio. The kid has an always-there smile, too- you look at him, and he pops his toothless grin. He's a chunk. His thighs are reminiscent of a bowl of Jello; wiggly and jiggly. And he's got a belly to match- there is no doubt that Los Pisingos took great loving care of our son. :) We're blessed to have him home, and are looking forward to watching him grow.

So this Christmas season, we are thankful. We have our health as well, and thankfully our children don't get sick often (knock on wood). Health is good, no? We've seen many people sick, from the common cold to what seems like an epidemic of cancers. We live in a broken world, but thankfully we still have Hope. Our pastor, Ron Kool, had a sermon about it a couple weeks ago, and it's true; without hope, life borders on impossible. I read this quote recently: "The wings of hope carry us, soaring high above the driving winds of life." ~Ana Jacob

So here we are, at this point in our journey. It's been an interesting 7 or 8 years for us. The day that we said our vows on June 20, 1998, if you would have told us that in 2011 we would have 3 children from Colombia, we would have told you that you were nuts.

But that was our journey, and thankfully so; from the disappointments of infertility we had early on, to the sheer joy and excitement of our first trip to Bogota for Ally, to the incredible blessing of adding Will into our family just last year, and now having Max home for his first Christmas... man, what a blessed, blessed life we have. Sure, it's not always easy, but when we step back and take a look at the big picture, I just can't imagine it any other way. We've been told how great it is that we selflessly adopted these children, but that's not true. It's we who are blessed by their smiles, their personalities, and their love. I can't imagine it any other way, nor do I want to. Every single day I thank God for bringing us to this place, and although there have been moments of fear, frustration, and not understanding, all along it's been His plan. He knew where we would be the day we met in the hallway 0f Grand Rapids Christian High School back in 1991, with me wearing my sexy overalls and all... :).

When we had begun our struggles and gone through one of the most difficult times in either of our lives, we were given a gift. It was a gift given to us by my sister, and each year it reaches the highest point on our Christmas tree (just above the half-eaten marshmallow lady, Cathy :)), and it's our sign of Hope:

A kneeling angle sits atop our tree every year, and will until the day we die. It's our symbol of Hope, and reminds us of not only the trials and tribulations, but also of the blessings we've been given. Because believe me, there are 3 of them in this house ages 6 years and under that bring us hope every day, and FAR outweigh what we've been through. It's a popular verse, but very apropos. It's Isaiah 40:31: "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint."

Honestly, it goes back to Hope. We can't control the day to day things that happen to us. We can't predict the future, so we rest our Hope. On Him. We've been given the ultimate Gift, and in this holiday season, I'd invite you to remember and reflect on that. No one is perfect, and He knows that. Only One has ever been perfect, and that was 2,000 years ago. But we have Hope, and when things don't go our way, as they often won't, we need to remember our Hope, our Savior, and His sacrifice. 2,000 years ago He was born, and 2,000 years ago we were given Grace.

It's now Joy, Unspeakable Joy:

We first sang that song in church, and when I saw Chris Tomlin's name on it, I had to look it up. Amazing song, and an absolutely phenomenal song. It's unspeakable, isn't it? Grace? Joy? Salvation? What would life be without it, and how empty. Sure, we can fill it with Things, and will, to some extent, this holiday season. But still, it's about Hope. Without it, life is much more difficult, and I think that He wants us to know that we need Hope. It is our hope that, through these last few years, you've enjoyed our journey. We've been so blessed, and have family, friends, and people that have helped us beyond what we deserve. Our adoption journey may be complete (or may not be; only One knows the absolute answer to that), but we are fortunate to be surrounded by incredible family and friends. If you've followed us since Ally's adoption, thank you. If you've only begun following our path with Max's adoption, thank you, too. We've had fun, and are looking forward to the next part of our journey. God has blessed us immensely, and for that we are thankful. Our hope is that you have been blessed in one way or another by and through this, our journey.

Much love to all, and thank you Lord, for our beautiful children.

Scott, Becky, Ally, Will, and Max