From our home computer to yours...

My intentions were good this year. Pictures were made, I spent a good amount time designing and I was going to send out Christmas cards, gosh darnit. But, alas, the flus have won. I am defeated. So, my good people, I am sad to announce that this is the only Christmas card you will be receiving from the Grizzle household this year. The good news: you cannot contact said flus from this version. Merry Christmas from our computer to yours!

December Meal Plan

I love me some coodinating Christmas PJ's

And I canNOT wait till Baby B joins in on the matchy matchy fun next year!

Grizzle Christmas Fun List

Our Elves

Some years I am so exhausted and overwhelmed at the very thought of Christmas (mainly the year I was pregnant). But this year, I have so many big plans and I can't wait to put them all into action. In case you are in a slump and want to piggy back my burst of Christmas Spirit here are some ideas. Feel free to copy!

Last year we got an elf. Asher was very specific about the color of the shoes and hair on said elf so my job of finding just the right one got a little interesting. I found these on Amazon and thought that they weren't nearly as creepy as were cuter than some of the other versions. Since I knew we would be asking Santa to send us a girl elf eventually anyway, I went a head and snagged the pair. They are quite a bit larger than the Elf on the Shelf, so be aware of the dimensions if you decide to order these for your kiddos.

With Asher's help and specifics, we wrote Santa a letter and asked him if he would send us an elf.

Keyes arrived on our doorstep with a small gift and letter from Santa that introduced us to our new friend and explained the reason he was making a visit to our family.

 

This year Asher had a lot more input on our letter and, of course, requested a girl elf for his sister.

So, Keyes will be bringing Piper along for the fun as well. I tweaked the letter above to introduce her and reiterate the reason for the elves' visit.

Keyes & Piper will arrive on December 1 bearing gifts of Christmas pajamas and an Advent Calendar.

They will be welcomed with another party. I'll share details and photos after the celebration has commenced.

I am going to try to share the shenanigans of our elves (they don't really cause trouble as much as have fun and share suggestions for holiday activities) as well as the Advent treats/games.

World Adoption Day

Yesterday was World Adoption Day. We were traveling home from South Carolina so I am a little late to post anything.

I have been waiting for the right time to share Baby B's story with you and I think today is it. It is a big story that is covered in God's grace and provision. Let's start with the beginning.
This is an excerpt from an email that was sent to us by "B's" foster Mom. Some details have been omitted for the sake of privacy.

I really wanted to share the story of how "B" came home with me so that you can rejoice with me at the miracle of this moment!  No one, myself included, thought he would survive.  So to now have the possibility of him being with an amazing forever family.... the joy is beyond words.  It is a miracle only God could design.  Hopefully as you and Ben read this email a few questions will be answered.

I’ve been living in China for 4 years now and during that time I’ve been able to volunteer at a local orphanage twice a month.  In June last year (his Chinese name) was brought to the orphanage and had an obvious heart problem and serious breathing issues.  The first moment I met him I fell in love and couldn't put him down.  After that first meeting I cried the entire way home.  I started pleading with God for a family to foster and adopt him.  At that time surgery was being planned to correct the heart issues so I thought that he would be snatched up sooner than later by a foster family.  In September I had a trip to the States that kept me from seeing him for over a month.  During that month the surgery was taken off the table by various circumstances.  Without this surgery, the doctor was very clear, he would die.   After hearing this news my heart broke.  This little guy would die at a much faster rate in the orphanage, and he would do so without knowing love. I had been praying about what my role in his life should look like and my heart began to stir.  I knew I was being called to fight for his life.  I didn’t know how that fight would end, but I knew someone needed to be his voice!  After praying and talking with a lot of people here and back home, everyone confirmed the same thing; asking to be his foster mom.  The problem was that the orphanage would NOT release a dying child into foster care- and on top of that, to a single, American woman. The first time I saw him at the orphanage after my trip, I was heartbroken at his deterioration after one month.  I barley recognized him.  His breathing was worse, and he was starting to show signs of heart failure. He needed out of an institution setting.  I knew it was a long shot but felt like it was a part of the fight; I needed to at least ask if I could have him.  If it was God’s will (I know it is consistent with His love and character) He would have to move a mountain!  B's advocate and I prayed that the hearts of the people making the decisions would be softened and they would be willing to place "B" with me as hospice care.  I just wanted to make sure he knew love this side of heaven, before meeting Jesus.  No matter what people had done to him through rejection and abandonment, God was going to speak blessings over him and through his life story to other people. I was shocked when they said yes!  We all were. 

The first three months were so hard.  Being a first time mom and caring for a very sick baby stretched me in ways that I still have a hard time articulating.  I could only depend on God.  Every morning was a new gift and reason to rejoice.  Every night I would thank God for another day with "B" and ask for one more.  I knew God would heal him, but I knew that possibility also included him being made whole again in the arms of Jesus.  Even though he was 6 months old I had to care for him as though he was a newborn.  Through friends of mine I was connected with neonatal cardiac surgeon as well as a neonatal cardiac and pulmonary specialist here.  Both doctors fell in love with "B" and were willing to help me fight to extend his life.  Dr. S was extremely helpful in getting him on the proper heart medications.  The bigger problem was the severity of the pulmonary hypertension.  His lungs were so weak that he couldn't cough or even laugh.  She was very clear that if "B" got sick it would be fatal if it affected his already weak lungs.  I kept him quarantined as much as possible, limiting his exposure to people and new environments.  It worked though!  He got stronger, started gaining weight, and even though his energy was low, he started hitting milestones!  In January the vice-director of the orphanage did a home visit and she was shocked at his progress.  She saw that he was getting stronger and finally had the health to survive the surgery!  On Sunday February 16th we received approval for surgery!  I contacted the surgeon, he cleared his schedule, we started pre-op on the February 18th and "B" went in to surgery on the 21st!  He was in the PICU for 10 days and then sent home for the rest of post-op (how Chinese hospitals operate is a story for another email).  One month later we went back in for the final post op exam and Dr. S was all smiles… so was "B"!  April 2nd "B" received the all clear, was taken off of all medication and the healing that God promised was realized! 

Since then he has changed so much!!  He is a ball of energy, loves to smile and HE CAN LAUGH!!!  And he loves to laugh.  He is a little daredevil too -if Asher gets the bunk bed he wants… you will have your hands full ;).   He loves being in the middle of the action, and squeals with delight often.  Our favorite ni-night song is Man of Sorrows by Hillsong United.  I had to stay overnight in the hospital with him the night before the surgery (there isn’t nurse care here like in the states).  As you can imagine neither of us slept but I walked the halls patting his back singing that song.  It will forever be an anthem of the power of the Resurrection Life for "B" and me.  A few weeks ago we had an event with the orphanage.  It was the first time most of the workers saw him since I brought him home.  No one could believe it was the same child!  He flirted his way in to all of their hearts!  ;) 

That is just a snap shot of the past year of "B's" life.  I know the journey in front of your family is also going to take a lot of prayer so I am lifting you all up.  Please let me know what I can be praying for.  

~M

"M" shared this with us month's ago and God used it to answer a prayer that we had literally cried out a couple of nights prior to receiving this email. There were very specific "neon signs" inside this story. I have read these words more times than I can count and every time I love it more. 

I hope that you read this story and your heart is overwhelmed. Our God loves orphans. He is passionate about His people doing whatever it takes to care for them. If we had a dollar for every time someone told us "Y'all are so awesome to be doing what you are doing" we could have paid for our adoption! But make no mistake, we are NOT awesome. We just want to be like Jesus and we are jumping on the opportunity to join God in this beautiful and redemptive process. The process is hard. It is exhausting. It is life changing. It is faith stretching. AND it is littered with incredible moments of God's people coming along side us and encouraging us. It is a no less than a miracle. We have come to know people that are using their lives to change the world. We have come to know a love that we couldn't even fathom - for "B", for each other, for God and for His people. This process has blessed us in ways that I am yet to find adequate words for. And we aren't even half way done. We feel blessed to get to be a part of this story. BLESSED.

Autumn Chopped Salad

Not sure why I wait until Autumn to make this. I can get all of these ingredients 365 days a year. And I could probably eat this salad half of those days. Even The Hubbs likes it. I feel like that deserves mentioning because it is a salad. Dudes don't generally dig salads, am I right? But this one has bacon. What wouldn't he eat with bacon on it? I am yet to find out. I digress...





AUTUMN SALAD

Ingredients
2 Romaine heads (are they still "heads" of romaine since they aren't really round?)
2 medium pears
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecans
8 slices cooked bacon
1 container feta cheese
Poppy seed Salad Dressing
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Instructions
Chop and/or crumble everything. Combine.
Combine 2 dressings. I do half and half of each but you can use less Balsamic if you prefer.
Toss dressing with salad.

Tip:
I divide in half and only toss half of it with the dressing. We eat that half for dinner. I don't toss the other half until it is ready to be eaten - like for lunch the next day. Nobody likes a soggy salad. With or without bacon.

Another Fundraiser for Baby B!

I have a lot of undeserved goodness in my life. I call to witness the awesome people who just up and say, "Oh by the way, I am having a NoonDay/JamBerry party and I would like to make you a beneficiary of the party. Is that alright?" I don't think I have to tell you what my answer was.

Here is the invite. It is an open invite. Everyone is welcome. And I am sure you can place some orders online if you want to do that as well. Thank you, Haley!!!

And since I know you are wondering: YES. Yes she did draw this by hand. She is a perfectly well rounded ball of amazing.

Donations

For those of you who have asked (and bless you for even wondering), an account has been set up for our adoption fund. Our church is partnering with us and is now accepting donations. All donations are tax deductible.

God is really growing us in humility through the adoption process. Being in a situation where we have a real financial need is very much out of our comfort zone. Accepting assistance for this need can be - well, quite awkward really. Don't get me wrong - we are immensely appreciative for every single sacrifice that is being made. But we are equally humbled by your generosity. This is a growing pain we are learning to accept. Ben and I neither one are exactly humble-savvy. We both prefer to be in the driver's seat and vowing to do something that is 100% outside of our control is a little trying. And a lesson that is, obviously, much needed.

God is showing us that this picture is much bigger than Baby B. Much bigger than our little family. He will (thankfully) be glorified through so many more people than the five of us. He is calling people from all over the world to be a part of this story. Of this redemptive process. So we will do everything we can to get out of our own way, to point all praise to God and to thank Him for every part of this hard and beautiful quest.

NOTE: I feel an urging to tell you this - If you have ever even considered adoption I urge you to please pray about it. If God can use us, he can use anybody! ANNNEEEEE. BODY. Trust me, we are not amazing people, Spiritual giants or super parents. We do not have more love to give away than anyone else. We BY NO MEANS have any of this figured out. We are simply relying on the Father to the Fatherless, on Jehovah Jireh (the God of provision), and the Author of this story to show us the path and give us the power of His Spirit to walk it.

Praying for the Transition Home

While this step is still many months ahead of us, Ben and I have been praying for the transition of Baby B's arrival. Obviously, there will be a transition for us as parents. And of course, for Asher and Audrey as his siblings. But our real prayer lies with Baby B's transition. Recently, one of our shepherds shared this with us. The entire article can be seen here. It is about the parallel between the bonding that is crucial for an adopted child and his new family and the bonding that is required for a new Christian and his church family.

But I want to focus on this excerpt. She shares it from her daughter's blog who is about to adopt a child from overseas. She describes why the bonding process is so important.

“His whole world is about to be rocked!  He will be sent with people he doesn’t know, who smell, look and sound different from anyone else that he has ever seen.  He will be eating new foods, traveling outside his orphanage for what will probably be the very first time in his two and a half years, seeing tons of new sights, living in a hotel room for the first time (which he may think is our house), and even riding on an airplane half way across the world.  That is a lot for a little guy to take in and that’s just the changes that he’ll experience in China.  Once we get home there will be two new brothers and a new sister for him to get used to, another new place, another new bed, more new smells, more new foods. A lot of new! We expect him to experience grief over the loss of his nannies, friends, and familiar routine that he had in the orphanage.  We expect him to be overwhelmed.  But, we also know that God is a God of redemption and healing and that prayer can change much!  We will also try to do everything in our power to make this transition easier for him.” 

We are thankful that B is in the care of an amazing Christian woman who is fostering him in her home. He is being extremely well cared for and is being showed the love of our Father every single day. And while that is a huge blessing for him and for us as his future parents, we also realize he will miss her very much and leaving her care is bound to be hard. He is used to being the only child in a quiet, peaceful home and now he will have two siblings who never ever ever stop making noise. He is living in a time zone that is opposite of ours. When he is sleeping, we are awake and vice versa. He has been through so much in his short lifetime already. God is writing a beautiful story for him. Please help us continue to pray for what is still to come.

Noonday Party - Our First Fundraiser to Bring Home Baby B

Have y'all heard of Noonday? Because it is amazing. If you even think you like jewelry, shoes, scarves, or BAGS (!) at all you have to check them out. Their stuff is incredible. And that is just the tip of their awesomeness iceberg.

I have a couple of friends who are ambassadors for this company. They are called ambassadors because what Noonday does is so much more than just help you accessorize. So much more than that. This is an excerpt straight from their website about their mission:

Noonday Collection's mission is to create economic opportunity for the vulnerable. We partner with artisans in the developing world, empowering them to grow sustainable businesses. By creating a marketplace for their goods, we create dignified jobs at living wages. This allows our artisans to earn more in order to support their families. We also offer no interest loans and make advance payments on orders. This way we are able to shoulder the costs of materials and build a lasting relationship based on trust. We offer scholarship programs and emergency assistance
Noonday Collection also donates a portion of sales from adoption trunk shows to place orphans in forever families.
Noonday Collection is not a charity and we do not believe that providing a hand out is a sustainable long-term solution to poverty. We aim to be a sustainable business that gives women across the United States a way to make a lasting difference in the fight against poverty and injustice. This is what makes this movement so special. To learn more about Noonday's impact, click here: http://www.noondaycollection.com/impact

I mean, WOW, right? That's a whole lot of good-doing. And they make it easy to make a difference (A GOOD DIFFERENCE) just by buying some adorable-make-the-whole-outfit-cute earrings. Your fashion sense can now restore dignity to abandoned women in Ethiopia, empower communities in Ecuador, and create business opportunities for Ugandans.

Did you see that part about adoption trunk shows? That's what I want to talk to you about. One of my amazing friends, Cortney McKinney, contacted me a few days ago and said she wanted to have a Noonday Fundraiser for me. This is just the kind of thing Cortney would do. She is a school counselor so children are very dear to her humongous Sprirt-led heart. She is hospitable, beautiful, and wise. So, while I should NOT have been surprised that someone as amazing as she is would offer to help serve in our adoption journey, I was so humbled. And grateful. Very, very grateful.

So she and another friend, Alicia Hale, are working together to make this thing happen. Alicia is a Noonday ambassador. She is matching Noonday's donation of 10%  to give us a total of 20% of all purchases toward helping us bring our baby home from China. I am blessed y'all. The caliber of people I am surrounded by definitely bring up my average.

So...wanna take a look?!? Visit www.aliciahale.noondaycollection.com. If you decide you would like to  make a purchase, PLEASE BE SURE TO TYPE GRIZZLE ADOPTION IN THE TRUNK SHOW LINE.


These are just a few of my favorite pieces. A very small fraction of the stuff I love.

Help support these artisans while shopping for yourself or think ahead for the holidays.Get your Christmas shopping out of the way and make a difference in the lives of many around the world.

Please tell anyone you think would be interested!

7 - Jen Hatmaker

So I am a few years late to the party. Better late than never, I suppose.

This book. It spoke to me. I almost feel violated. Like she has been watching my life and said, "I am gonna write a whole book about what is wrong with this girl." But that's not what happened. Because I am your average American consumer and this book needs to be read by every person I know. And every person they know.

I am so all in to this book. I am rereading it now and taking copious notes. I need to be rehabilitated from my consumer addictions. I am craving a life that shows fruits of the Spirit, not fruits of the Target.

But what my heart wants my flesh fights. For instance, I was laying on my couch, devouring her every word, feeling my soul sing as I read passages from the chapter Possessions and Jen mentions a church website that she says I (her reader) should go visit. So I get up, march myself to my computer and then...

Twenty minutes later I have pinned several vintage Tupperware pieces I have decided I "need". Wow. My problem runs deep. I haven't even looked up the church website.

Lord, help me.

Amen.

P.S. If you have no idea what I am talking about, PLEASE read this book. It will open your eyes, mind and life to so much.

147 Million Minus 1

We are adopting.

Yep,  that’s right...we're adopting. A little boy. With Down Syndrome. God has shown us our son and we are fighting to bring him home from China.

Right now you are either thinking “That’s awesome!” or “Um, do what now? Are y’all crazy???” And the answer is Yes! This whole thing is awesome and crazy.

Your next question might be: What in the world made you decide to do that? And that’s an easy one. Jesus.

Well that’s the short answer. The long answer will be addressed in another post. For now, let’s focus on the here and now. We will fill you in on the back story later. I promise. It’s good stuff. I want to share it.

Why Adoption?

Our eyes have been opened. Wide.

Opened to the 147 MILLION orphans in the world.  Opened to prison-like institutions where small children are locked away with very little love, supervision, food or water. Opened to a world that believes children with special needs are a burden and therefore disposable. Unworthy of a family. Unworthy of love.

Proverbs 24:12 tells us that "Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows we know and holds us responsible to act."

Our Father first adopted us into His kingdom through this beautiful, grace-filled, thing called adoption. “ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:4-6

He set the example. We are to follow that example. It’s as simple as that.

James 1:27  says that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

We are called to care for the orphans of this world.

We are simply called to love. To love God and to love others.

And, we believe that our lives are meant to glorify God and to build His kingdom.

So what now?

We are just beginning the process. Our application has been accepted so now we are in the “paperwork stage”. That may sound simple. But it’s not. It is hard. It is overwhelming. It is expensive. There is a mountain of work that needs to be done. A mountain of paperwork, fundraising, research... Thankfully, God can move mountains.

So, friends, I am asking for you to PRAY. Specifically for:

OUR SON. While we can’t share his picture or his name on the world wide web just yet, trust us when we say he is a little blessing. Pray for him. He is about to be taken from the only home he has known and plopped into a family full of people he doesn’t know who live on the other side of the world.

TRUST. God has shown us our son already. We are going to battle for a little boy whose name we know, whose face we’ve seen, whose laugh we have heard. We are seeking him specifically. That means we are entering into what is known as a “pre-identified adoption”. Things get hairier in this process. A mere week into things and our agency had already thrown out the phrase “slim to none” when describing the chance they had to get our son’s file. But we all know what God can do with a “slim to none” chance, right?

STRENGTH. As we tune out the voice of Satan telling us we can’t afford to adopt. That we can’t afford to care for our son with special needs once he gets here. That we are not equipped to give him what he needs. That it would be easier to forget all of this mess and go back to the easy life we’d been living before our eyes were opened.

WISDOM. As we learn about how to parent a child with special needs.

FUNDS. I am going back to work full time, we are selling our possessions, we are working side jobs. We are trying to come up with nearly $40,000.00. In a year. Our son is worth it. But we cannot do that without the help of our Heavenly Father.

Most of all, pray that GOD IS GLORIFIED through this process. In the words of David Platt, "We care for orphans, not because we are rescuers. We care for orphans because we are the rescued."

We take heart in knowing that in John 14:18 God says, "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you." and that as “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows...God sets the lonely in families” –Psalm 68:5-6

Thank you for taking the time to read this. We invite you into this journey with us. The more the merrier! Frankly, we need you to walk beside us. We covet your prayers and encouragement .

In God’s Love,

Ben, Jamie, Asher, Audrey & Baby B