"I saw a snake and ran for my life!"--

--M panted as she burst into the bedroom.

"No way!  Is it still there?"

"Yes!"

So we did the only sensible thing. ;)

We donned these--

And happed upon this--

Another view (in case you just can't get enough ;).

M had been getting a piece of scrap wood to decorate with markers (we've been doing a lot of wood art. :), when she crossed paths with this guy.  She ditched the wood and ran into the house--locking the door behind her. 

When we went back out he was still there and we got to watch him slither across the grass and then into the woods.  Kind of creepy to hear the leaves crackling under his body.  He finally disappeared under last year's Christmas tree.  Needless to say, we won't be traipsing around in the woods any time soon. :)

After that grand adventure, we had our new family tradition (going one month strong)--Tuesday Tea.  A fun time to break out (hopefully not literally) the china and to say things like, "Would you like a spot of cream?"  and "Lovely afternoon, isn't it?"

Today's Tea questions: What do you want to be when you grow up and where would you want to live if you could live anywhere in the world?

An astronaut.

I want to live in a pink house.  But I want to live with you because I really like you guys.  I'll just paint this house pink.

A skoovy-divey (translation: scuba-diver).

In a skoovy-divey house (translation: In an underwater house.  Should make visiting interesting.)

And when asked, Beza gave us this look.  We decided that she was saying something about one-eyed elephants? :)

Couldn't Put It Down

I recently finished reading this fascinating book on my Kindle.  While Ethiopia is obviously very close to our hearts, the life and heart of Rick Hodes is so captivating that it has universal appeal.

I took the easy route :): this is the short blurb from Amazon.

Dr. Rick Hodes arrived in Africa more than two decades ago to help the victims of a famine, but he never expected to call this extremely poor continent his home. Twenty-eight years later, he is still there.

 

This Is a Soul tells the remarkable story of Rick Hodes's journey from suburban America to Mother Teresa's clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a boy, Rick was devoted to helping those in need, and eventually he determined that becoming a doctor would allow him to do the most good. When he heard about famine in Africa, that's where he went, and when genocide convulsed Rwanda, he went into the refugee camps to minister to the victims. When he was told that Ethiopia was allowing its Jews to emigrate to Israel, he went to help. While there, he was drawn to Mother Teresa's mission in Addis Ababa. It was there that Rick found his calling when he began caring for the sickest children in one of the world's poorest countries. But he did more than that—he began taking them into his home and officially adopted five of them.

 

This Is a Soul is also a book filled with great joy and triumph. When Rick's kids return from surgery or life-saving treatments, he is exultant. "Seeing these people after surgery is like going to heaven," he says.

Marilyn Berger went to Africa to write about Dr. Hodes, but while there, she became involved with the story. When she came upon a small, deformed, and malnourished boy begging on the street, she recognized immediately that he had the exact disease Rick could cure. She took him to Rick, who eventually arranged for the boy to have a complicated and risky surgery, which turned out to be incredibly successful. The boy's story—intertwined with Rick's, and Marilyn's as well—is unforgettable in its pathos and subtle humor.

 

This Is a Soul is not just a story of the savior and the saved, it is a celebration of love and wisdom, and an exploration of how charity and devotion can actually change lives in an overcrowded, unjust, and often harsh world.

The BIG One: Attachment

I've been mulling this one over for months.  No...years, really--it's in all of the adoption books and I started reading those quite a few years ago.  It's complicated and messy and unclear.  It's hard to understand and even harder for me to put into words. :) 

But, I want to share the basics, as I understand them, of what exactly attachment is and what our plans are.  My understanding is novice at best and in no way will be able to encapsulate the intricacies or depth of this process.  But, it's important, so I'll do my best. ;)

In reading this, please know..
-this is a lifelong process.
-we will most definitely make mistakes.
-as I share my emotions in writing this and my experiences as we live this out in real life, know that with firm confidence I know that God is so much bigger than attachment issues and so much bigger than our mistakes.  And I know that in it all, He will work it out for the good.

Okay, so the basics.
Attachment is essentially the relationship that is built in our infancy as permanent caregivers continually respond to our most rudimentary needs.  And from that relationship a scope of critical brain functions are established.  The abilities to trust, to understand our own identity and to form moral beliefs (empathy, compassion) are all established because of attachment.

For most of us, this is something we never even think about--it's just a natural, given way of life.  But for some, particularly in international adoption, that is not the case.  Neglect, inconsistent care-giving, loss of one or both parents and life in orphanages doesn't afford orphans the ability to form healthy attachments  (a reality that honestly breaks my heart).

What does this all mean?
It means that because of adoption, we get the opportunity to help a child learn all of the things that she's missed because of her life circumstances.  And that is a great privilege.  It is also hard.  And time-consuming.  And it will require large doses of unselfishness.

For us, we know some pertinent personal information that gives us some insight into how this may effect Little Girl.  We know that when Little Girl was very tiny she had a huge loss in her life and that she lived in at least two other orphanages before coming to Hannah's Hope when she was 5-months-old.  We also saw how much she seems to light up with her special mother's at HH.  And how she cries when she's with unfamiliar people. That's great news because it means that she's attaching to the people in her life.  From that attachment all of those healthy brain functions are being formed.

We also know that when she comes home, she will experience grief over the loss of everything that she has grown attached to in the last several months.

In trying to wrap my mind around this, it's helpful for me to be able to scaffold to something familiar.  While I get that all children are completely different, I try to imagine what that would be like for M and T.

At 8-9 months old, M was on the verge of walking.  She was determined and serious.  She had her favorite toys (Barbara the pink rubber duck), our usual hang-outs (Panera's+Chicken Noodle Soup=Some pretty sweet memories), and favorite little buddies to play with.  I held her for one of her naps every day (an indulgence that I knew would be next to impossible with more than one child).  

And every day we waited at the front door for Daddy to come home from work.

At that same age, T loved his people.  He was undeniably interested in big trucks, but not so much a fan of their loud engines.  He liked to hang out with all of the BIG guys in his life.  He smiled easily and laughed with us (or maybe at us ;) a ton.  He had a lot of favorite foods (including, for some unknown reason, green bean baby food).  And he was an awesome snuggler.

M was his best bud (they're watching the first snow of the year together).

Even from the moment they were born they were each a huge, priceless part of our family.  We had fun little songs that we sang together.  Our own mostly predictable routines.  Favorite stuffed animals.  Little things that we said just to each other like, "You're my girl."  or "I love you more than this (with arms spread wide)." 

When Little Girl comes here, all that she has experienced, all the words she knows, all of the familiar sights and smells, and all of the people that she loves, will be gone... 

I can hardly fathom that for M and T.  What would it have been like for them if J and I were suddenly gone.  If they were taken away to another country all together.  Can. Not. Imagine. (And, quite frankly, really don't want to--it hurts too much.)

That is what will happen for Little Girl.  Ugh...  She's too little to understand our words of comfort and explanation (even if she understood English).  Too little to clearly express her loss, her depth of emotions and understanding. 

This is not sounding so good.  So now what? :)
It is not hopeless. :)  There are things that we can do to help her with her grief and to help her establish new healthy, attached relationships.

(This is where I am so thankful for all of the available resources--books, online resources, blogs and friendships with those who have walked this road ahead of us.  They are a wealth of helpful information.)

When we very first come home, we will be very intentionally working on showing Little Girl that we are her Mommy and Daddy.  She doesn't know what that means yet (can you imagine?--again, totally breaks my heart).  We need to teach her that there is something special about us that makes us different from all of the other people in her life.

What does that look like?   
In a way, it's kind-of like treating her like a newborn--but way more carefully than I ever did with M and T and taking into account that she is living through a great loss.  We need to help her build trust in our relationship.  Very practically that means that J and I will be the ones who feed her, change her diaper, comfort her when she cries, snuggle her and be within arms reach.  Ideally, for a little while, we'll be the only two people who do those things.

Some things are pretty similar to what we've done in the past.  But there are a few things that will be different.  To promote closeness and bonding, we'll be carrying her in a sling a lot during the day.  And for the same reason,we'll be giving her a "bottle" for at least a year after she comes home (making up for all of the lost special bonding time in her early life.)  We'll be together a lot.  :)

In those first few days and weeks we'll probably be staying home more than usual.  We'll be catching up on sleep from that lovely jet-lag and also because of late-night feedings. :)  And then we'll be working on getting into a daily rhythm (this always took me like a month or two with M and T).

As Little Girl is learning more about who we are in her life and adjusting to her whole new world, we'll continually be looking for signs of healthy attachment (crying when we leave a room, following us with her eyes, good eye contact, shyness with strangers, looking to us for comfort, etc.).  Over time, we won't have to be quite as careful (though, this is a life-long process).  Over time her little heart will be mending...    

Our note to you.
We want to say how incredibly grateful we are for our special family and friends.  You have all been so supportive in this process.  We really feel so blessed by that--more than you probably know.  And we are incredibly excited for you all to meet her!

We already love her so much and can hardly believe that this moment is finally here--on Sunday she'll be in our arms forever!  Thank you for walking this journey with us.

Our Little Girl waiting for her family...

New Video of Our Journey...

Last summer when I was driving for work, I had a lot of time to think.  My mind often wandered to different parts of this adoption process.  Especially trying to figure out how to wrap my mind around the loss that a family experiences when they give their child up for adoption--which can happen for many reasons (sickness, death, extreme poverty...).

One late summer night I pulled over at CVS to write down some of my thoughts.  (Little Girl was born in the summer.)  I have wanted to find a way to express what I was feeling, but I wanted to know more of the story.

A few weeks ago we met Little Girl's birth family and were able to hear a little more of the pieces of her life.  Her name is very special.  It means, "Savior."  Her family gave her that name, because soon after she was born they were unable to provide what she needed to live--she needed a "Savior."  And out of their love for her, they prayed that she would be adopted...

They were praying for us.

We were praying for them...

This is a short little video that I made to try to creatively express this part of our adoption story...



We found out today that our paperwork was submitted to the US Embassy in Ethiopia.  If it all looks good, the best case scenario is that we would leave late next week to bring her home.  Can. Not. Wait.

Book Withdrawal: Infidel

A few days ago I finished reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.  I could not put it down.  It is a book that has opened my eyes to see another world.

This book is the autobiography of a woman who grew up as a Muslim in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Ethiopia.  It is her story of breaking free from the dark aspects of her childhood and her fight to bring woman's rights to her culture (at the expense of her own life).  You can go here to read the blurb.  But this is the short and sweet of why I loved this book.

• Her first-hand account of her childhood drew me in to her world--a world that is very foreign to me.  A world of great contradictions.  And a world where it is acceptable to beat, mutilate and kill women.
• I learned more about Islam--again something that I don't know much about.  It makes me want to know more--so that I can understand it better.
• It's a compelling, modern-day real-life story of a woman whose life is in danger because of what she speaks about--freedom of women and children and men, too.  It's a book that is so relevant in light of what is going on today in world news.

I definitely recommend this book. :)

Leaving...the tears overfloweth :)

A Confession--if you haven't heard, I'm not a huge fan of flying.  I know some people LOVE it!  Right now I'm not one of those people--but here's to hoping that I will be! :)

And for the plane-lovers, I know this might sound a little crazy--but it is one of my little rough spots to overcome.  There is nothing quite like a flight away from the people I love to make me face my own mortality.  A bit dramatic, yes, but I think that the perspective that comes from it can be helpful. :)

Anyway, I've been feeling sentimental (I come by it honest, right Mom and Dad?) around here for the past few weeks.  A good thing mostly--out of that comes extra patience (not always, but more often than not--right, J? :), a few extra snuggles and taking the time to really hear what M and T are saying.

For months I've been collecting little gifts for M and T to open each day that we're away.  Last night I wrote a little note for each one of them to open with each gift (that's 18 notes if you're counting :).  Then I bundled them together with a daily count-down note.  Fun!




Then after that I totally soaked through the sleeves of my shirt as I wrote that just-in-case note for them.  Ugh.  So, my thoughts on this.  There are very few for-sures in the life.  But I do know that someday I will indeed die.  I really hope that it's when I'm an old, old woman surrounded by children and grand-children and great-grand-children. ;)  Anyway, but in case that's now how the future looks, I would love for M and T and any other children that join our family along the way to have some special words written just for them.  I want them to know my hopes and dreams for them (not just in their memories of things I say to them) but written down so that they can always know my heart for them.  And to know what a privilege I count it to me their mommy and how proud I am of them.  Having that done feels so good!  Whew! :)

All of this said, I am feeling surprisingly more excited than anything else.  I mean, what better reason to fly?!  Hardly feeling apprehensive at all--yay!  :)

Oh, yeah, and besides the whole facing my fears stuff, there has also been the emotional weight of putting together a photo album for little girl's birth family and then writing a letter to give them full of our hopes and dreams for her as well as expressing our almost incommunicable gratitude for the gift of the honor of being her parents  (J actually took that task on).  Thankfully all of that is done now, too.

Alright, enough of the sentimentality--today I move onto really packing!

Heartbroken and Thankful

Today I read a blog post by a family who just came back from visiting the places that J and I will be going to in less than 2 weeks.  She so beautifully describes the beauty and pain in one of the orphanges in the city (not Hannah's Hope).  (Please click here to read the full post.)

Then we entered the next room - the baby room. Again, the smell of urine and feces was overpowering. My eyes were burning, but what I saw hurt even worse. There were a few cribs and one bouncy seat. The babies were tiny and there were 3 in one crib. The one in the bouncy seat was crying, so I knelt down to soothe him. That's when I realized they had no diapers. None of them. They were laying in blankets, and most were soaked with urine. We stayed in the room for a few more minutes, but then had to leave.

Outside in the fresh air I was struggling to wrap my mind around what I saw. Tucker's nursery here at home is bigger than the room that held all Bethzatha's babies. Some of our closets are bigger. We take for granted that our children are bathed daily and get a fresh diaper whenever the one they're wearing is soiled. I've been at baby showers where we make "cakes" out of diapers and then THROW THEM AWAY when the shower is over simply because they were generic brand and only for decoration. We have the resources to not think twice about these things. But I saw women who were doing everything they could to care for these children and not even be able to give them diapers - I saw these women SMILE. They were able to still have joy. They were doing the best they could with the little they had and I believe it's for that reason that they could smile.

... and it's for that same reason that I couldn't smile. Am I really doing the best I can for the orphans of the world with the resources I have? Am I really doing all I can for them? No. Part of that is because I truly didn't know. It's one thing to watch an infomercial or a you tube video that expresses the need. It's quite another to be there to see, smell, and feel it all yourself. Now I get it.  (Continue to read more about how to help with "1000 Cloth Diapers for Ethiopian Orphans.")

This reality completely breaks my heart.  While we also have read about the needs in books and on blogs, we have yet to experience it ourselves.  I can only imagine how it will change our lives.

Over the past few days, J and I have been overwhelmed with the generosity of our friends, neighbors, co-workers and families.  It's hard to find the words to express how grateful and touched we are by how many people have given donations for the little ones we will meet in Ethiopia.  Thank you so much--please know that you are really making a difference.

This Is Why...

This is a huge part of why adoption has moved our hearts.

I see M...  I see T...  I see little sister...  I even see me...



Ethiopian Orphans from Simon Scionka on Vimeo.

Donation List :)

When we travel to Ethiopia in just 3 weeks, we have the privilege of bringing donations with us.  Love (and honestly I am humbled) that we have the opportunity to make a really practical difference for little ones (and those who take care of them) who have so little of what we take for granted. 

From blog and facebook friends who have recently been in Ethiopia, diapers appear to be a huge need.  I can't imagine not having something to cover my little one's bottom.  They sometimes have to wash out and re-use disposable diapers.  (Can you imagine?)

We are hoping to bring 6 Rubbermaid bins.  The list of items below, including diapers, are things that are either hard to find in Ethiopia (like specialized formulas) or that cost much more there than here. 

Donations for Ethiopia

Diapers of all sizes (including preemie-sized)--cloth or disposable
Baby Wipes
Bibs
Hand Sanitizer
Infant and Children’s Vitamins
Powdered Similac Formula (regular, vegetable– and soy-based)
Avent Bottles (8 and 12 oz sizes)
Rice Cereal
Organic Flaxseed (unground)
Desitin
Baby Shampoo
Baby Oil
Towels
Toys for infants 0-16 months
Sidewalk Chalk
Deodorant (Men’s and Women’s)
Twin Sheets (pink, purple, red, blue or green—solid or printed)
Adult-sized slippers (They don’t wear shoes inside.)
Scrubs (All sizes)

(Friends and Family, with absolutely no pressure, if you want to donate, but live far from us and don't want to ship items to us, you can send us gift cards to purchase the items you would like to donate.)

Thank you so much for making a difference!

Love,
Us

Sharing Her Story

Hmmm...I've been thinking about this post for a long time--but actually putting it into words has seemed a bit daunting.

As you know, about 5 weeks ago we received a referral for a, if-I-do-say-so-myself ;), gorgeous tiny, little 6-month-old girl in Ethiopia.  How we longed for that phone call!  What an unbelievably precious moment in time.

But what I didn't expect was the sadness, or maybe heaviness is a better word, when we heard what little we know of her background.  And while this is a lifelong process, it definitely took the better part of a week to get my head out of the fog as I worked through the emotions of it--confusion, guilt, sadness, anger, doubt.

And what is her story?  Ahh...this is a question that I would love to answer--an answer that I think would show the real-life personal not-so-pretty implications of extreme poverty.

But it is also an answer that I have come to realize is something to be guarded.  It is our daughter's story to share someday.  I would never want her story to be exploited or used in a hurtful way.

Adoption happens because there has been a loss--a deep, never-in-a-lifetime-would-I-chose-this loss.  It could be the loss of a parent, the loss of an ability to care for a child due to extreme illness (malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS, etc) or the loss of an ability to provide for a child because of hopeless poverty (no job, no food, no hope). 

But adoption is also about redemption.  Out of the loss comes a new hope, a new story, a new life.  I firmly believe that God has seen the lives of our little girl and her family.  He knows it all.  And while I don't understand it--I do know that He has chosen this little girl to be a part of our family.  I know that our lives are changing for the better because of her.   

We're still working on the right words to the questions, "Does she have a family?" and  "What is her story?"   In short, the answer is that "We don't know very much.  But we do know that because of the effects of extreme poverty her family is unable to provide for her basic needs.  And they love her very much..."   

And so do we...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

A glimpse of what we've been doing the past few weeks...

Decorating the tree...

NYC

The tree at Rockefeller Plaza.

Carriage ride through Central Park.

Times Square at Night.

M's Preschool Holiday Sing-a-Long.

Making "Gingerbread" Houses

M's pink confectionary creation.  Poor roof collapsed soon after from all of the icing.

T's masterpiece and the poor snowman who lost his smile.

Peanut-Butter Blossoms (Yum!)

Santa on a firetruck. (Who knew?)

Add in lots of Christmas music, tons of wrapping paper and tape (all being used exclusively by M--today she wrapped a box of granola bars and a pack of gum) and fun Christmas cards from friends and family and it's quite festive around here. :)

On a slightly different Christmas note, there are seven families who are planning to leave for Ethiopia within the next few days to bring HOME their little ones right over Christmas.  Today, though, they found out that the Embassy isn't yet confirming their appointments (they need to get their visas to bring the little ones back into the US) and all of the their plans are up in the air.  Praying tonight that tomorrow will bring good news and praying for peace in their hearts while their plans are unknown...

A Letter

Dear Sweet Girl,

Today I want you to know just how very much you are loved.  We have been waiting for you for such a very long time and not long from now we will see your face for the first time.  Sometimes this waiting seems like it will go on forever, but I am realizing that this part of the journey is just another part of our story.  I am wondering where you are and what is going on in your little life right now.  Know, that even though we may never know the details, you are so constantly in our hearts.  Our prayer for you when you are not with us is that you would know that you are so very loved--that you would feel a full belly and a cozy bed--but most of all that you would have warm arms that hold you tight and that let you know how beautiful and wonderful you are.

Longing for you...
Mommy

Waiting for the story to unfold...

Hmmm...I wanted to write a quick post about being in this moment--this small (although it doesn't feel that way) moment in our lifetime when we're just waiting to see her face.  The moment when I watch the clock to see if our agency is open yet, when I jump every time the phone rings, and at the end of each day when I realize that today is not THE day--but maybe tomorrow.  

We've been sitting as number 1 for only ~7 days and a lot of that was the Thanksgiving holiday.  It's a really fun place to be and also an excruciating place.  On the surface it's totally awesome to be the next one to get "The Call."  But underneath there's so much more...

While pondering these thoughts has been a huge part of this process--wondering where she is--is she at Hannah's Hope, is she at another orphanage waiting to come to Hannah's Hope, is she still with her mother?  How old is she?  Is she hungry, cold, afraid?  What is her story?  These thoughts are such a huge reality now.  This is the time that she is living out a part of her life that we will never know.  And while I get that is completely a part of the process--it grieves me...

And so we wait--with great excitement, with humbled hearts, but also with peace.  Knowing that through this all, God has put a desire in our hearts for a little girl on the other side of the world.  Some day soon the pieces of the story will fall into place...

Keeping the "Little" in Your Girl

When the world wants girls to grow up too fast, how do you help your daughter navigate boy craziness, modesty, body image, media, and Internet safety? The foundation for an emotionally healthy teen girl is built between the ages of 8 and 12. Mothers of tween girls can direct and guide their daughters by developing a close relationship with them. In Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl, Dannah Gresh shares six ways to help you grow confident, godly young women. Also included is a quiz to test your relationship, fun activities to do together, and Scriptures to use in prayer.

As the mom of a little girl who is not all that far away from 8--I thought it would be good to get a glimpse into what's to come. Yikes!  I must admit it's all a bit intimidating, but I LOVE that there are resources like this book to both give me creative, insightful and inspiring ideas to connect with my girls and to be proactive in guiding them through the tough questions/phase of life ahead.

I highly recommend this book to moms (and dads) of little girls.  For more information and books and cool  ideas head on over to Secret Keeper Girl (www.secretkeepergirl.com).  I  have a few more books from there in my pile to read.

[Now off to, first, find my phone and then to make sure that it is charged. ;) ]

On the Edge of Something BIG

We are unofficially Number 2.  NUMBER 2!  Wow...  What an amazing place to be...  It feels like we're sitting right on the edge of a moment that we have been longing for for such a long time--a HUGE moment.  The moment when we will see the face of our daughter. 

I alternate between wanting to (and even occasionally actually) screaming in great excitement, "Ahhhhhh!" To being in complete speechless awe of what's to come.

How cool that referral phone will be!  It's the conversation that will make us parents for the third time.  M will be a big sister again.  And T will be a big brother for the first time. 

Years of a heart's desire.  Years of reading and research.  Months of paperwork.  Classes.  Vaccines.  Waiting.  Numbers.  All culminating in the words, "I have a little girl I want to talk to you about."

Oh sweet girl, we can not wait to meet you!"

Perspective

What money can buy...




Update: The Blair family sold all 650 CD's in ~24 hours that they needed  to keep their adoption file open! You can still pick one up at http://theblairfamily-dawn.blogspot.com/

Orphan Sunday

November is National Adoption Month.  Today is Orphan Sunday.  A day to be reminded of the opportunity we have to make a difference in the lives of the unfathomable amount of children who go to bed each night without a mom or dad...


Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.

For more information about adoption or orphan care go to www.cryoftheorphan.org or www.orphansunday.org or www.showhope.org.  Thank you...

Behind the Scenes

I LOVE being a mom.  There is truly nothing else in the world that I would rather be doing with my time.  What an awesome privilege to walk through life with these little people in our family.

And, wow, what a refining process!  Whew...  We have just bumbled through some tough weeks.  I have to admit, I have felt a bit beat up in the day-to-day struggles.  But with a lot of talks, confiding in close friends, changing and adding some new routines, redefining some of what being a "good" parent looks like and a ton of prayer--we're finally seeing some light at the end of this tunnel.

So thankful for our precious children.  God has created them both so uniquely.  It is our hearts desire that they would grow to know him more each day and that their strengths and weaknesses would be used for good.  In this life-long process it is my prayer that I would be an example of his unfathomable love in the face of challenges.

Love you, M & T!



P.S.  Thank you sweet friends for always having time to listen.  And for yummy soup and toasted-cheese sandwich lunches.  Love you guys! :)

Change the world for a dinner out: Operation Silent Night

Operation Silent Night - Wiphan Care Ministries from Wiphan Care Ministries on Vimeo.

Choosing to SEE

I've been listening to Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman tell their story on Family Life Today.  My heart hurts for the unbelievable tragedy that they are walking through, but I am so encouraged by their candidness and vulnerability in sharing their journey.  Small glimpses into their lives give me tangible models of how to live life well (not perfectly, but with great hope and humility). 

You can listen to them share more about their new book Choosing to SEE on Family Life Today here (there were 5 shows in total--air dates 8/30-9/3).  I laughed out loud when they talked about how they met and his mullet.  Good stuff. :)  They were also recently on Focus on the Family and you can listen to that here and here.

And while I haven't read it yet, it is on my "Must Read" list--check out Mary Beth's book Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope.