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Showing posts from January, 2013

Baby Judkins #5

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"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them" ~ Psalm 127 We are excited to announce that God has blessed us with another child.  This time there will be no paperwork or plane ride.  We have no picture to share or past story to explain.  This time, baby number 5, has been placed in my womb.  I have been through ever emotion under the sun the past few weeks, but overall I am excited.  And the rest of the Judkins team is over the moon. The symptoms had been obvious for atleast a week or more, but I was in a bit of denial.  I decided to finally just go buy a pregnancy test because either I was pregnant or their was something horribly wrong with me.  I went to the Walgreens up the road.  It is always empty and I figured it was my best shot at not seeing anyone I knew.  I couldn't believe I was buying a pregnancy

Learning to Care for the Orphan - An Event for the whole Family

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Every November people all over the world host purposeful events and services for Orphan Sunday. A day set aside to bring awareness to the Orphan Crisis and to empower people to get involved.  The idea behind the worldwide organizational effort was inspired by a trip to Zambia by Christian Alliance for  Orpha ns.  They witnessed firsthand the love of the body of Christ in Zambia and how even in their own poverty they desired to care for the fatherless.  Since 2003 their organization has equipped churches, groups, and individuals to reflect God's heart for the orphan.  Their website is amazing.  Stuffed full of great ideas and resources.  One that we love: Orphan Table .   The idea is simple and very easy to put together.  You order these Kids Against Hunger food packets from their website.  Gather with family and friends.  Make the meal together. Have some discussion prompted by the wonderful discussion guides provided on their website. And just enjoy fellowship as families

Longing for Separation Anxiety

Six months ago today I looked into my daughter's eyes for the first time.  It was a brief glance.  Long gazing would take much longer to earn.  She smiled and laughed.  She loved playing with the toys we brought.  Especially the bubbles and a talking Elmo phone.  The social worker from her orphanage told us that she would adapt very well to being in a family... she was very good at adapting.  And they were right.  Her adaptation skills are remarkable.  Only six months home and she has accepted her new environment, learned a new language, and understands most of our rules/boundaries. I stood in the hallway at the therapy office today right outside the door of the bathroom.  Eliana doesn't need me to go in with her, but appreciates if I stand by the door.  Down the hall a little toddler screamed as he pushed his walker down the hallway with his therapist.  His mother followed a distance behind.  The child complied with the therapy physically but emotionally he was terrified.  W

Six Months Ago

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Six months ago today Kevin and I kissed our three babies at home good-bye and boarded a plane to meet baby number four waiting for us in China.  Six months.  Really?  That was only six months ago.  So much life has happened in the past six months that Kevin and I both agree it should count for at least a year.  I counted it up today and our current grand total is 49 medical appoinments.  No wonder it seemed busy.  But this precious gift is more than a diagnosis, she is more than a number of specialists, she is more than a stack of medical bills.... she is Eliana Hope and she is my daughter.  A word that means more and more to me as each day passes by.  Her name literally means "my God has answered me with hope".  Hope.  Her life is daily teaching me more about what that word truly means.  I have been stretched in ways I never imagined before and learned more than I could have dreamed six months ago.  My little Elie is a gift from my Heavenly Father.  Only six months in a

The Sniffles, Drive-Through Groceries and a Recipe for Sick Days

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Today I woke to discover my head full of sinus pressure and a congested nose.  I wanted to scream "Hallelujah"!!  This was the moment I had been waiting for over the past 48 hours.  The moment when the place on my face that used to hold a nose but had now become a faucet would finally turn off.  The fever is gone today too, along with the need to sleep in full fleece under two down comforters and a wool blanket.  I am now left with the lingering fatigue, the already mentioned stuffy nose and an awesome cough that I am hoping will result in six pack abs.  This beauty of a virus that started in the baby of the family seems determined to wreak havoc on every family member before we can kick it out the door.  The most current victim is my poor hubby who hardly left his bed today.  And for him, that is huge! It really does seems like someone in our house has been sick since October.  And before you point the blame to the newest member of the family, it should be told that aside

Resolutions

It seems everywhere you turn this past week -  TV, radio, internet, the check out woman at the grocery store.... everyone was talking about their feelings about making resolutions.  There are a few times a year that I spend intentional time to stop, reflect and dream.  New Year's is one of those.  We had the most beautiful holiday break.  My husband's company shuts down between Christmas and New Year's.  Yes, I know, we are spoiled.  We had talked about doing a huge trip, or even a small trip, but in the end decided that 2012 needed to wrap up by some serious down time at home snuggling our people.  And that is what we did.  We stepped away from  our relationships, our responsibilities and turned off our phones and computer....yikes...and just had days of focused time to love, laugh and rest.  At first it seemed weird but after a few days of hibernating it was actually a bit painful to turn everything back on.  Resolution number one, to do more of that in 2013. Whether