10 things we’re thankful for this year (in no particular order):

• God’s daily provision in our lives
• Our sweet, but often crazy kids!
• Our awesome parents and extended family
• I get to work from home EVERY DAY
• Great friends to share life with
• Our friends & partners in God’s mission to care for orphans
• The wonderful people at Lifesong
• Our church family
• The guys I work with at Modern Tribe
• Grace! (I need it often)

We pray that your day is filled with the blessings of family, delicious food, and thankfulness. What are you thankful for this year?

My daddy is 3 years old.
My daddy’s name is Casey.
My daddy weighs 15 years pounds and is 3 feet tall. (He insisted on 15 years pounds.)
My daddy has black hair and brown eyes.
My daddy’s favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs.
My daddy’s favorite clothes are church clothes.
My daddy’s favorite color is green.
My daddy’s favorite tv show is Cars 2.
My daddy’s favorite restaurant is Chick-fil-A.
My daddy’s job is to work on the computer.
My daddy is happy when I make good choices.
My daddy’s favorite thing to do is cook supper.
My favorite thing to do with Daddy is play “Who am I going to tickle?”
The best thing about my daddy is when he wrestles with me and when he jumps off the diving board.
I love my daddy because he plays with me all the time.

Caleb, 5 years old, June 2011

We sure do love our daddy around here.

In January, we were surprised by a wonderful snow day, a rare treat around here.


Our favorite people came over for our traditional Snow Day Breakfast. Our house tends to be the “hang out place” for our friends and family. I love that!

Coming up with appropriate snow gear for all the kids proved to be a challenge. After experimenting with ziploc baggies and footie pajamas, Momma and Aunt Lindsay ran to the store for rain boots.

We spent time playing with Buzz.

We celebrated Josiah’s 2nd birthday.

And he got his first car.

In February, I celebrated my 30th birthday. Caleb and Grandma made me a cake.

And, to celebrate our 30th birthdays, Casey and I did probably the craziest thing we’ve ever done . . . we got tattoos. Here they are shortly after we got them (you can tell they were still red).

Here’s Casey getting his. OUCH!

In March, Caleb played soccer for the first time. Watching his games every Saturday was our comic relief for the week.

In April, we celebrated Casey’s 30th birthday, and I sent him for a weekend away with his buddies.

Then we had Easter, with lots of singing, praising, and egg-hunting.

And we wrapped up our week of parties with Caleb’s 5th birthday. Here’s the birthday boy with his new bike.

In May, we celebrated Mother’s Day by trying to photograph all the cousins together. Getting a good picture of 5 kids, 5 and under, is not easy. This is the best we got.

So there’s a summary of the last five months. We’re trying to live through this crazy season of life with lots of love and patience, which is not easy, and we probably fail more than we succeed, but we’re still hanging in there. We’re looking forward to a summer of fun and our trip to Africa in August.

We are so thankful for Evelyn. We know that God hand-picked her for our family, and her beautiful smile and precious giggle bring us so much joy. And while, the process was not at all what we expected, we see God’s hand in it, providing for both her and us.

But 2010 has also been a difficult year. While we suffered no major tragedies, the year has been rough on us, physically and emotionally. The adoption process is not for the weak, and we survived the stress, anxiety, and anticipation of bringing Evelyn home, only to be completely overwhelmed by the challenge of raising and caring for three kids under five.

We are in love with all three of our precious kids, but we often feel that we have reached the end of our rope. Almost weekly (or more), one of us will look at the other and say, “I just can’t do it anymore.” But somehow, some way, God continues to give us what we need. Sometimes I wish He would supply me with an abundance of energy, motivation, and patience, which He just hasn’t seemed to do. But He’s given me enough.

I say all that because, while we hope and pray that others will feel God’s call toward adoption, I want to be honest about the reality of it. It is an incredible blessing, but it is not all sunshine and rainbows. We’re exhausted. But we know that God has placed us on earth to do the work He has prepared for us. We know we’re not here to be pampered and spoiled, we’re here to do His will. And we are so thankful for the jobs that He has put before us.

The year has also been challenging as we have struggled with the things we have seen, the things we feel God calling us to. The future is still hazy to us; we know that God has called us to be different, and to follow Him in faith to places that others may think crazy, but we still don’t have a clear picture of what that will be.

As I look back on 2010, there are things I will miss and things I will not miss. I will not miss changing countless diapers, the destructiveness of my children, the many baby gates we have barricading portions of our home, the sippy cups and peanut butter sandwiches, the messes, the screaming, the whining, and the extreme exhaustion. But I will miss the kisses and snuggles, the laughter, three sweet kiddos in footy pajamas, watching them learn to love and play together, and hearing their sweet voices call me, “Momma.”

We look forward to 2011, knowing we have no idea what all it holds, but we know Who does. We do have some exciting plans on the horizon, which I will be sharing soon. We pray God’s blessings on you and your families in 2011, and that we all will seek and follow Him faithfully.

One of my favorite new traditions that we began this year was our Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree was a great way to celebrate Advent with young children. Every night we read a story from our Jesus Storybook Bible . . .

. . . and added an ornament to our Jesse Tree to remind us of the story.

By Christmas Eve, we had quite a collection of ornaments.

What I love most about the Jesse Tree is that with every story, even the Old Testament ones, we were pointing to Jesus. My prayer is that our children will begin to understand something that I didn’t realize until I was nearly grown, that the entire Bible is about Jesus, that Jesus coming to earth was not a last-ditch effort to save mankind, but that Jesus was always God’s plan, and throughout history He has been getting His people ready for the coming of Christ.

We had a nice, cozy Christmas Eve at home. Santa made his usual pajama drop-off right before bedtime, along with a new story to read before bed.

We got ready for bed and took a few picture by the fireplace . . .

. . . before snuggling in to read The Polar Express, the same book that my mom read to my brothers and me every Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning brought fun and excitement. Caleb got his much anticipated Buzz Lightyear “with the wings that pop out.”

Josiah was surprised with his very own Woody.

Even Momma and Daddy got a few gifts.

“Just what I’ve been wanting . . .”

Thank goodness it was just the box . . . no actual diapers were given as gifts.

After a few hours of celebration at our own home. We packed up and headed to Grandma and Granddad’s for our traditional Christmas pancakes. I think Evy greatly appreciated this old tradition.

Then we opened MORE presents and had great fun with cousins, aunts and uncles, and great-grandparents.

Cousin Jacob on his new firetruck from Grandma and Granddad.

My grandparents and aunt and uncle and cousins were in town. We had a great time celebrating Christmas with them.

Four generations of mothers and daughters.

My grandmother’s mother was named Evalyn; I wish she could have been in the picture with us. Such a sweet family moment.

My mom’s side of the family.

We greatly, GREATLY missed my little brother Billy who was spending Christmas overseas with his girlfriend’s family. I was thinking of him every moment.

What a wonderful Christmas we had! For the first time in several years, it felt like our little family was just what it was supposed to be. We don’t think our family is complete by any means, we definitely see more adoption in our future, but for right now we feel at peace with how things are. It’s nice to be standing still after several years of big transitions. We’re thankful to God for the tremendous blessings He has poured into our lives.

Our Christmas wedding was beautiful. It was chilly outside, but inside the church we were surrounded with love and warmth. My daddy gave me away, and Casey’s dad pronounced us “husband and wife.”

It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years, and when I look at our wedding pictures I think, “Who were those kids, and why did their parents let them get married?” While we were incredibly young (not quite 21 at the time), in many ways those first couple years were the easiest and most fun.

I have to say that the last nine years have been quite an adventure. I kind of wish I could go back in time and slip that 20-year-old girl a family picture from the future. She probably would have passed out. I am so incredibly thankful that God doesn’t always follow my plans, and I’m thankful that He knew exactly what kind of man I would need for this crazy ride.

Casey Picker is an amazing husband and father. He gives and gives and gives to us, never complaining. All you single girls out there, this is what you want to look for: he unloads the dishwasher, he mops the floor, he changes diapers, he bathes squirmy kids, he gets up in the night, he helps fold the laundry, he tickles the kids, he laughs and he plays with them, he reads bedtime stories and kisses his children, he sends flowers, and runs errands, he cleans up after supper, and buys me Starbucks drinks. Oh, and did I mention he works a full-time job and supports our family on his income alone? Amazing, I know.

I didn’t know to look for these things when we were dating. I married Casey because he was handsome and sweet. He loved God, and he loved me. He was kind to my family, and he had a generous heart. I didn’t know all the other good stuff was part of the package.

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a man with an open heart. God said, “Adopt,” and when most men would have said, “That’s not in my plans,” or would have balked, distracted, ignored, or delayed, Casey said, “Let’s do it.” He let his heart be torn for orphans, and when, six months later, God called us to start again, Casey said, “Yes.”

We’ve been lots of places but there’s no one else I wanted beside me in pre-dawn Nairobi, late-night Dubai, and LONG plane rides there and back. There’s no one else I wanted to share those precious moments in Ethiopia with, or the fun times in London and Rome. There’s no one else I want to laugh with, cry with, pray with, and raise these crazy children with.

I love you, Casey Picker, and I can’t wait to see what the next 50 years hold.

Last weekend my family came over to watch It’s a Wonderful Life together. It’s a family tradition to watch it every year. We’ve watched it so many times that we can quote almost every line, and we know all kinds of trivia, like which ear George was deaf in, what Annie is actually saying in her last line, whose portrait hangs in George’s study, and the name of Uncle Billy’s wife.

So we piled in our living room and snuggled in to watch the movie, quite a challenge with five kids under five running around. It’s one of my favorite moments of the year. I love sitting close to my dad while we watch, since I’ve watched it so many times from his lap. He and this movie are so intertwined in my heart that I could never pull them apart.

The town of Bedford Falls appears on the screen in crackly black and white, and every syllable washes over me like a beautiful hymn. I tear up almost from the very beginning, as the prayers for George Bailey hit heaven. And I think of all the friends I have prayed for, all the ones who have prayed for me. What is it like when our prayers bombard heaven? “Dear God, remember my friend,” must echo through the halls of His heart. The beauty of intercession pierces me.

And I marvel at George, just an ordinary guy, nothing particularly special about him, except that he chose others over himself, over and over again. And it wasn’t easy; he wasn’t even especially joyful about it every time. We see him struggle over what is needed and what he wants, but each time he decides that maybe being what he wants isn’t as important as being what is needed. He realizes that there is no one else to do his jobs, no one else to take his place.

I can’t tell you how many times in my life I have wondered if, like George Bailey, I would leave a hole behind. Not in a morbid, imagining-my-funeral kind of way, but just wondering, “Am I doing what I’m here to do? Am I making a difference? Am I changing the world?”

It’s not a wonderful life because it’s easy; in fact it’s incredibly difficult. It’s certainly not a wonderful life because bad things never happen; they do happen, we suffer, we ache. It’s a wonderful life because we each are given an important, valuable role to play. We each have a job that no one else can do, and if we don’t do our jobs we leave “an awful hole.” And it’s a wonderful life because, in spite of the difficulty and in spite of the suffering, we have HOPE. There is so much more to the story that we can’t see, that we will never understand before heaven.

As we interact with others, as we serve our friends and our neighbors, as we give generously to those who could never repay us, we are given the great gift of being God’s hands and feet to a world starving for Him.

This year, I had the sweet joy of sharing this favorite movie with Caleb. And even though he’s only four years-old, he sat and watched nearly the whole movie. Today he was walking around singing “Buffalo Gals” under his breath.

I love the fact that, like me, Caleb will get to grow up with this, soaking it in deeper every year, letting it challenge and encourage him. He already understands to some degree the struggle between good and evil, as they continue to battle in his own little heart. What a joy it is to see with George Bailey, that whether we experience it here on earth or not, someday the generous will prosper and the greedy will wither. Someday goodness and love and hope will prevail, and evil will be destroyed. Someday all will be made right, and it really will be wonderful.

Here is a picture of Caleb with his best, best, BEST friend in the world, Kate, who just happened to be Jessie from Toy Story.

The best picture I got of all three kids.

Caleb, realizing there’s something fun going on out there.

Cowboy Josiah with Cousin Jacob, the Cow.

On Saturday morning we had a small garage sale to get rid of some extra stuff and raise money for the well. It went great, and we raised another $200 to give clean water to desperate people. We have been so excited about how well our fundraising is going. So far, we have raised $3,404 towards our $5,000 goal in just over a month! Hooray! Thank you to everyone who has helped us. Do you want to help? You can contribute here.

I’m still trying to find a good way to sell my china without basically giving it away. I tried replacements.com, but they didn’t make me a very good offer. Anyone else have any good ideas about how to sell it? I’m willing to take a little trip to a nearby city if anyone knows a good place that might buy it. Just let me know!

Let’s face it; it’s tough being the oldest, as I know from personal experience. For a few years you’ve got a sweet deal, and then your house starts filling up with little kids, and your once-relaxed parents become exhausted and stressed out. You think with longing of the “good ol’ days” when you had all of their attention to yourself. Ah . . . those days are OVER.

Our sweet little Caleb has turned into a wonderful big brother, but even the best big brother needs a break from time to time. This week Caleb started Preschool for the first time. He’s only going three mornings a week, but it’s the perfect chance for him to have some Big Boy Time away from all the craziness at home. I kind of wish I could join him.

Not the best picture of us, but I love that the little kids are banging on the windows. They never want to be left out.

So here they are with “Bubba” (yes, that’s what children call their brothers in The South).

And here’s Caleb, happy as a lark, just as I left him. He had no tears and barely even noticed when I left. I have to confess that I wiped away a few in the parking lot. I can’t believe how big he is.