More Shoes!!! : )

Another fun part of our trip to Estes Park... was adding another 6 pairs of shoes to our ever growing collection! Grandma Roth had fun picking these ones out- here's Wes with the new additions to the growing mountain of shoes. So, if you're counting... the last shoe count was a total of 66 pairs so this brings us to 72! We can fit more so, if you see some on the cheap- remember the deal still stands, you buy them and we'll haul them to Ethiopia.

Thanksgiving Fun...

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Roths in Estes Park. It was a wonderful weekend filled with family, lots of memories and good times were had by all. Can't wait for our little Roth to join in the fun! Here's a look at what he/she has to look forward to...

Decorating turkey cookies with SB...

Then, we made mini-cheesecakes...

And, we played LOTS of Apples to Apples!
(They love their Uncle Wes so much that its impossible to win...

they make sure to pick his everytime!!)


And, we took a drive and short hike into the mountains...

Wes and the soon-to-be Uncle Ryan...

A beautiful day for a hike!
The elk were enjoying the sunshine as well.

And, we even bundled up for the Christmas parade of lights...
it was cold but definitely worth it!!!

And, there in the middle of it all.... we saw a little Christmas miracle. Well, that's if you believe that God can display miracles in Christmas lights parading down the streets of a little mountain town.

There it was- proclaiming peace on earth... a little bit of Africa : )

Ohh, I can't wait to share Christmas parades with Baby Roth!!
And, last but not least... we worked on tie blankets to be donated to the orphanage in Ethiopia. Grandma Roth, Jen and SB helped out. Thanks for your help everyone : )

Thanks(for)Giving

Today is the day in which we say thanks and, hopefully, it isn't the only day in which we say thanks. We have so much to be thankful for and so many little moments of Thanksgiving that have brought us to where we are right now. Looking back at our journey since last Thanksgiving, I can't help but think that God (like always) says it best...

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28

We can count so many ways that God has evidenced this verse in our lives these past couple years. Before we even came to the realization that we'd been chosen to adopt and parent a child from afar, He was orchestrating so many facets of our lives in preparation for our (at the time unknown) adoption. He prepared our hearts, our finances, provided supportive family & friends, and so many other 'things'. The support of family and super excited friends is just unreal- there so many just waiting and praying for little Baby Roth that its simply overwhelming sometimes.

This Thanksgiving, we're celebrating with the Roths and we're having a great time. This afternoon, the soon to be Uncle Ryan prayed over our turkey feast. And, we prayed for you our little Baby Roth. We prayed that you're safe and warm and fed and loved today. Even though you're literally 1/2 a world away, you're in our hearts already and you're part of 'us'. And, we prayed that soon we'll meet and know all about you!

We're so grateful that we've been chosen to take this journey with God. But, even more so- we're so grateful that we get to journey through life with God. Although I'm super incredibly grateful for incredible family, wonderful friends, a warm house and a crackling fireplace across the room at the moment- I'm most thankful for my Saviour, my Lord. I'd just like to say 'Thanks-for-Giving" me life in Him and a place in His family. Wow- seriously, we have to concept of the blessedness that God showers down on us!

Last but most definitely not least- thanks to all of you who are praying for us and our Baby Roth. We praise the Lord for all of you!!! But- keep up the good work : ) I'm so thankful and so blessed- To God be the Glory!

Sweetness of Friends

We've had a great weekend, most of which involved helping our sweet friends Jon and Meghan celebrate their marriage. It was a wonderful ceremony filled with God's love, trust in His plan and hope for whatever path He has set before them. We've been so blessed to have them as friends. In fact, I add this to our blog because well...they were our first cheerleaders in our adoption journey. Back in early April, they were the first people we actually said the sentence 'We're considering adopting..." outloud to. They were thrilled, amazed and, they've been some of our biggest fans and prayer warriors ever since. For that, we are incredibly grateful.

"The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense."

- Proverbs 27: 9

Mission Accomplished!

Good news of the week (on the adoption anyways) is that we've both successfully completed our Because They Waited adoption training. Due to some technical problems of the program freezing in 'buffering mode' it took us longer than we anticipated. However, we're done and we're glad we took part in the training. We even have certificates to prove it : )

Otherwise, nothing too exciting going on regarding our adoption. Just tonight we we talking about how fast this fall/winter is going by. In just a couple weeks it'll be Thanksgiving, we'll hit the 4 month mark and then the busyness of Christmas will hit! In fact...tomorrow I'm starting the Christmas shopping. It should be a fun weekend including the wedding of some very special friends- but more on that later. Happy Friday everyone!

And, remember...keep praying for progress & keep praying for Baby Roth.

Three

Three. [Faith, Hope, Love.] Me.God. Journey (A Dad, A Mom, A Baby) We’ve made it to three months - wouldn’t it be sweet if we’d become a ‘3’ this month? Totally not anticipating it but, come on, I’ve got to admit we’d be just absolutely thrilled! It’s crazy to think how close we’re actually getting to becoming a family of three. Sometimes, I sit and realize how crazy much God can flip life around, turn it inside out and before you realize it, you’re in a crazy fabulous place you never thought possible. Three Novembers ago, Wes & I hadn’t even met. Two years ago, we were about to meet for the first time. One year ago, we were about to celebrate our 6 month anniversary. And, this November… we’re waiting to start the next phase of life. Wonder where we’ll be in three months, hmm- how about three years from now? One thing we do know, God’s got it all planned out. We’ve just got to walk along beside Him!

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".

- Jeremiah 29:11

Pass it On...

Yesterday, I came home to find this big box tucked in the corner of the porch....

Wes helped open it up

and, look what was inside....

Lots more shoes!!! And, they are SUPER CUTE! A bunch of little Ethiopian girls will be totally stylin' AND, be protected from disease and infection. We are incredibly grateful to Wes' coworker Summer, who works in Washington, DC for passing on the shoes her little girl has grown out of. Such a generous yet simple way to make a huge difference in the lives of little ones who have so little. Oh, and did I mention how very, very cute they are???

Gotta admit, opening that box made me think....sure would be fun shopping for a little girl.

We'll have to see what the Lord has in store.

And, if you're keeping count...

last update we had 44 pairs of shoes.

I picked up a pair of $70 mens sandals for $7 = 45 pairs

45 + 21 (pairs from that BIG Box) = 66 pairs of shoes

October Numbers

The October numbers came out today : ) The good news is that 14 more little Ethiopian kiddos were matched with families this past month. And, 21 families submitted their paperwork to Ethiopia and are now added to the waiting list. Its great to hear that so many famlies have been called to build their families through adoption.
It'll be fun to watch the progress of other families this month- hope this month is filled with lots of good news for all the Bethany families!!!