Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Update on Moore... and LOVE MOORE


I am not sure that I mentioned anything here about the boys summer project... After going and serving in Moore back in May, they decided to print more of the T-shirts that they had designed initially for serving there... to sell them and raise money for the victims of the May tornadoes that hit Oklahoma.  

To date they have raised more than $1,100 to donate... They gave away some of that money to people that they met and who were in need when they were just down serving there last week...And they will give the rest of it away in October when Greg plans on taking another team from our church down there  to volunteer again.  

I am really proud of them for the hard work they have done in raising these funds for these people who have such great needs.  (If you are interested at all, they are selling them for $15 and all proceeds go directly to needy people in Oklahoma... just leave a comment and we can connect somehow!:)


This time they spent most of their time in Shawnee... I had heard from others that this area has been fairly ignored when it comes to get aid and help.   They went into the area where the poorest of the poor live... Many of them had lived in trailer homes that were swept completely away in the storms.  

They are now living in tents... Can you imagine living in a tent in the 100+ degree heat of Oklahoma??  Having lived in Oklahoma for 5 summers... I can not even begin to think about not having AC down there... (I know I am so spoiled:(  so so sad to admit my selfishness... I am a work in progress!)

 This was a memorial wall that was built on the property of the grade school where 7 children were killed by the storms last May in Moore.   

The team from St. Peter assembling a 6 X 10 foot hut.  These people in Shawnee can use these air conditioned huts to have a place to escape the heat.  They were tiny, but the people all around were asking how they could get one of those huts for themselves.


 It is almost like a little tent city... They had a lot of heartfelt stories to tell when they returned.

It is amazing all the work that has been completed...(To me it seems a bit more quickly than the Joplin tornado... maybe because people are more quick to volunteer or maybe because Moore has been hit before by a terrible tornado)  but there is still a lot to do and Greg felt they would be moving to the rebuilding  phase soon in a lot of areas... that was so good to hear... 




I absolutely love the support that St. Peter's church gives... They change this sign frequently, but I loved that they acknowledged the hard work of the team that went to serve...  The team did have one of it's members have an accident with the table saw.  He had to have surgery to repair 3 fingers and lost a portion of one.  If you think of it would you please pray for Ken... he will have much therapy in the coming months to rebuild  the strength and the mobility of these fingers.  Greg was amazed by the great spirit and attitude this gentleman possessed:)

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A blessing to my mama's heart


Today we got to share part of our day with Levi's biological mom, her mom, and her 2 sweet children.  (She is the one who allowed us to adopt Levi, and 6 other embryos back in 2010:)  I love love love this picture... Two mama's who love this little guy so so much!

This was a picture from the very first time we had met in person after Levi was born... my little guy has changed so much... 


We took a little walk to the park that is on the church property and got to play together.  I love seeing where Levi gets some of his precious looks from and some of his personality too... He definitely looks more like his biological sister but probably acts more like what his brother was like at his age.  
To me it is like getting a little glimpse into his future in a way.  


These two little girls seemed to pick up right were they left off last year when we met them for a day at the zoo.   Today they had a great time making duct tape creations, playing house and just being together.
  

It is funny now that Levi is getting older... last night I was talking to  him about today and who was coming over.  I know he didn't really get it... but I was already thinking that a year from  now he may actually understand more of his story... I tell him ALL THE TIME what a MIRACLE he is.  

He can't understand now how God creatively made him, allowed us to adopt him as a tiny little embryo, made him grow perfectly inside me (his adopted mommy), and brought him full of life into our family.
  
He can't understand now all the healing his precious life has brought to all of us over the years...

I do think he can understand how much he is loved!  To me allowing his biological mom into his life just shows him he is loved by even more people than just our family.  

It is going to be pretty amazing when this precious little guy CAN understand his story and  the plans that God had for his life... He is a treasure!  

Monday, July 22, 2013

CHERRY ON TOP...

 
(Time with cousins and new friends!!  God is good!)
 
 
I think of the 7 moves Greg and I have made this was one of the smoother moves but harder as well...
Is it because we now have 7 kids living with us and last time we only had 4?
 
I think it is mainly because the kids are getting older...
 
When we received this call to serve at a church in Illinois many things went through our minds... There was much to pray about... All of our kids would  be leaving many great friends... our older boys would be leaving a very active youth group...  There were some very hard days for our kids, especially our older boys before we left...
 
 
 
 
(Levi with his sweet Godmother cousin Ella!)
 
One of the HUGE bonuses of the  move is that we are now less than 2 hours from a bunch of my side of the family... But really that is how we look at it... A TOTAL bonus... kind of like the cherry on top... not really something that weighed in our decision AT ALL! (sorry mom, dad, brothers and siblings... you know how much you are loved!!)
 
If the truth be told... After I returned from Africa last January there was MUCH discussion about the Lord possibly moving us there, most likely Uganda... we were doing our research... and had this call not happened, I KNOW Greg would have made the call to synod to check further into it...
 
So if you are willing to move to Africa... being 2 hours from family is like a whole bowl of sweetness with a cherry on top!
 
(New... old... friend Elissa, We knew Elissa's family at the seminary... but have been reunited here at St. Peter:) 
 
God has been so gracious to bring us close to cousins where it is possible to literally plan a sleepover last minute and make it happen.  And he has been slowly but surely bringing friends into the kids lives... (Elissa, above, even had a bunch of friends over and invited the boys so they could meet some of her friends. That was sweet of her) (And this girl rocks by the way... she has showed up on my doorstep 2 different Sundays when I was alone with all the Little's and offered to help me get them ready for church!!! Hello awesomeness!)
 
Cute story... the other night the head pastor hosted a youth party to say hello to the boys and goodbye to some volunteers that have helped here... Well the little 5 came home with me after dinner and the boys stayed with all the youth kids to do some planning... While we were praying before bed, Jojo says, "Oh God, please help the boys to be making some good friends tonight!"  He was so concerned about them... The sad thing is Jojo is really the only one who hasn't made a buddy yet... Would you pray that he will soon find some special little buddies here... He is starting to think he might never... But I keep reassuring him, it is just a matter of time... I know that the Lords has sweet friends planned for him. 

 
We are so thankful that the kids love spending time with their cousins and that now we are close enough to make that happen... 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

BRIGHT AND EARLY...

Bright and early tomorrow morning Greg, louis, Caleb and a team from our new church will head Down to Moore Oklahoma to serve in disaster relief from the tornado that devastated
that city back in May.
 
If you think of it, please pray for the Lord to use them mightily as they serve Him and the people of Moore. 
 
They will be taking with them over $600 that Louis raised by selling his Love Moore shirts to put directly into the hands of those people whose homes were destroyed by those storms.  
 
We are really happy, excited and thankful for the chance to be able to bless the people in Moore... We will miss the boys and Greg but are excited to see how God uses them this week!
 


Friday, July 19, 2013

THREE YEARS AGO...




Three years ago... and 5 days... this little man was just an embryo, a ball of multiplying cells in a clinic in California... just waiting for the perfect warm womb to call home...

Of the 4 remaining thawed frozen embryos that were still growing at that time... was he the one they would give only a 30% chance of making it or was he one of the other 2 that they gave only a 25% chance of living inside of me...??

We obviously will NEVER know... Those weren't great odds for survival, but even that proves more and more what a miracle he is... having been frozen for 5 years... there he was growing... and hours later growing inside of me... only God can arrange that kind of creativity and power... the power to breath life back  into him!

These days this precious little 2 year old... is TWO!!!  He is funny, silly, cuddly, and feisty!!  He can be a little grumpy, which I think is caused by the fact that he isn't a big talker.  I think he knows what he wants to say... but just can't get it out and is totally frustrated.  I am looking into seeing if he needs any help speech wise.... I know he will be so much happier when he can talk more.   He will sign a couple of things and is repeating more and more, so that is good!

I will never forget flying to California for the embryo transfer.... wondering if it would be successful... Knowing that we had friends and family who probably thought we were crazy.  We also knew that they were worried that if it didn't work, how would we cope and what would our reaction be like after losing Samuel, Joel (the baby we were supposed to adopt), a miscarriage, being in the middle of a Hope's crazy adoption... not knowing if we would get to keep her... (They had a fair amount to be concerned about )

We knew there was a decent chance it wouldn't work... yet to us it was worth the risk.  We knew that God would still be good and faithful even if it wasn't successful and we didn't get pregnant... But wow!!!  We were so grateful that God's will was to give Levi a longer life here on earth.   Now, there is no way I could EVER imagine life without him... We get such a kick out of him... (Honestly, I think about those other 6 embryos, babies... To have another like Levi would be pure joy... but I trust in God's plan for the number of days of their lives... sometimes I miss that none of the other embryos made it...)

I am so thankful for God's miraculous work to 1.  Allow us to adopt him and the other 6 embryos  2.  Breath life right back into him and work in him to grow and thrive  in my womb 3.  Be born healthy and alive  4. Bring us such great joy after such sorrow.  5.  Heal a place in my heart I never knew would be healed without a baby growing inside of me again...

I look at Levi Ryan and see the goodness and faithfulness of God staring me right in the face... such sweetness..

Thursday, July 18, 2013

She teaches me...



This four year old... Hope Jubilee Marie teaches me soooo much....

3 years ago today we got the call we were waiting for... after loving her, cherishing her, longing for her to truly be ours... we received the news that indeed she would be able to stay...  She would be ours! 

She had been in our home for 7 months... when I didn't think about the fact that she might not stay, time passed beautifully... but when I remembered there were legal fights going on regarding where she would grow up... Legal fights that were thought to have the potential to change Oklahoma adoption laws,  it was a long 7 months... What an answer to prayer that phone call was that day... We had anticipated many more months of legal proceedings and then boom... shockingly... it was all over. 

She has taught me that God has great plans... even when we CAN NOT SEE THEM AT ALL!

She has taught me patience... she was worth the wait!

She has taught me to appreciate life... she is feisty and lives with a zest for the crazy things in life... that is our Hopie girl!

She has taught me... to not underestimate the prayer life of a four year old... Wow, can she pray... so precious!

She has taught me all about the miracles of adoption... My first adopted child... what a gift from God.

She has taught me to continually rely on the Lord for daily strength... she has given this mama a run for her money:):)

She has taught me more about being affectionate and compassionate... those are her gifts for sure... so sweet!

I could go on and on...   It is good to reflect on the ways God has shown His faithfulness... I am so thankful for an adoption agency that would walk through the difficult journey with us and for that precious phone call that told us the waiting was over... Hope would be a forever Hintz~

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Answered prayers!!



I love that absolutely crystal clear drool from a baby... so sweet!

 
Isaiah James Hintz 7 months old:)
 


This precious little man has brought us so much joy over the last 7 months and we are sooooo very privileged to be his parents and family!

Last week this little guy had his first visit with his new pediatrician here at our new home... I was a little hesitant knowing that our previous pediatrician was recommending some intervention for Isaiah.

At his 2 month appt.  he was seeming to be slightly behind on development.  It didn't at all surprise me given that he was between 4 and 8 weeks premature or given his rough start in the womb...

At his 4 month appt... she was even more concerned but was willing to let us get resettled at our new home and then look into the what kind of therapies he might need...

Well, low and behold... I took him last week and he seems to be almost right on track... PRAISE GOD!!!

He is all caught up growth wise... you should see the thighs on this little man:):)  And he is doing really well with other physical milestones like sitting up, grasping, rolling etc...

We will see what the future holds for him, but right now we are rejoicing in the great news on this sweet precious little man. 

He has had a case of thrush, but besides some crankiness with that...he is one of the most easy going babies we have had... He goes to almost anyone... is a cuddler... eats great... smiles so easily...

He is downright precious and such a gift from our gracious God...
I love that even though he is biracial... I have to remind myself that he didn't come from me... I love that the longer we have our last 3 kids, the more I am in awe of the gift of adoption in our lives and even more so the gift of our faithful God adopting us into His kingdom! What a precious gift... and looking into the faces of Hope, Levi, and Isaiah there are constant reminders of that blessing! 

Friday, July 12, 2013

Losing my baby... subfertility... and being a part of a prolific family... part 2

So last weekend... I did something I hadn't been able to do in a long time...

I ventured up north to my parents cabin, with the kids...

I think we have been up there a few times since Samuel died... But never with the whole family, meaning extended family...

You see, our family tradition has always been for everyone to go up to the lake house the week of the fourth of July and the week after Christmas... I think prior to Samuel dying we had only missed one or 2 Christmas's and maybe missed one 4th of July.   I wasn't sure if that would ever be possible for me again...

When I look back over the last 4 1/2 years since Samuel died... there are many prevailing thoughts...

First and foremost... I am ASTOUNDED by the miraculous work the Lord has accomplished in my heart and life... only He could do the healing He has and only He could bring beauty from the ashes...

Of course that is my heart now... but for a long time... there was just so much turmoil... so much pain that I knew I had to avoid certain situations... for the sake of myself, my health, and the emotional health of my family.  Certain circumstances or situations would put me on a downward spiral and I had a very hard time rebounding from that... feeling that way for a long while... If I could avoid that, for the sake of my immediate family, it was so worth it...

As much as I truly was happy for my siblings and friends when they would have another child... and another... or another child:)  I knew amidst my struggles to conceive that spending a week with them and those little babies was more than my heart could take.  I am sure that may sound selfish to others... and I guess I would ask that if you haven't walked in my shoes... please do not judge... It was just too hard to see what I was missing and so heartbroken over right there before my eyes... for an extended amount of time. 

So the precious gift for me this past week was to spend a few days with my newest niece and nephews... It was nice... I feel like I actually got to really know them for the first time... I have met them all... but with every other visit there was trepidation in my heart... a holding back... This time I felt way more free to love on them and truly enjoy them...

This time was different for me and so so sweet!  Was it hard?  At times, yes... My heart and mind couldn't help but go to the place of wondering what my Samuel would be like with the mix of 4 boy cousins, which would have been 5 had he lived...He would have most likely been the dark haired one amidst the blondies. I am sure he could have been the ring leader... or maybe the obedient play quietly by myself type... We will never know... These kinds of thoughts just make me long for heaven... I pray He comes back soon...

But for now, I am so thankful that the Lord has brought me to a place where some of those parts of me, that were oh so natural before are being revived again... Honestly, it might sound like nothing to some of you... but to me it once again shows me the mountain miracle moving God we believe in... He can bring what was dead in our hearts back to life.  It amazes me!  He is so faithful and so good... through the beautiful precious moments when your heart has renewed joy and new life and through the heartbreaking times when maybe life is taken from you too...  always good... 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

losing a baby... being subfertile... in a prolific family...

I know crazy title for a blog post...  but it is truly one of the most challenging things for me in the last 5 years...

I bet if you would have asked anyone of my siblings or parents, " Who is the biggest baby lover/kid lover out of the family (or maybe even out of anyone they knew) ????" Hands down, the answer would have been a resounding...SARA!!

I remember as a teenager choosing to stay home and babysit the foster baby when I could have gone out on a Friday night.

That love only grew stronger after I got married and had babies myself.... Becoming a natural childbirth teacher and a birth doula is what I spent my free time doing... It was a passion of mine...

So isn't it quite ironic (more like a part of God's plan) that me, being the baby lover of the group, would be the ONLY one out of the the 5 siblings that would have a hard time conceiving... Of the 18 other grand kids (besides our 8) I think most were conceived in the first couple of months of trying and quite a few with out any trying at all... hmmm...

Enter me... sub fertile... (as the fertility specialist officially labeled me after Samuel died... ugh...)  Obviously, not infertile since we have conceived 6 babies... All but our little Caleb took A LOT of effort... (i think it is funny that it is Caleb, who just surprisingly happened... because if you know Caleb, you know that he one determined young man who must have been determined to get here!! )

So after MANY MANY months of trying... like years of trying for some of the kids... some of them coming with the help of basic fertility medications, it is interesting to hear all the things people say to you when they know that you are having trouble conceiving... just relax and it will happen... Ummmm yeah

Kind of like the things people say when your baby dies... You will have more children...  Really?  Because I think it took me adopting 7 embryos to conceive again??? 

 I know most people have the best of intentions and don't mean to hurt you by the things they say... (and I am not bitter and have forgiven anyone who maybe unbeknownst to themselves hurt me)... Let me just say... validation is best... don't try to make it better... just listen... having trouble having a baby is hard... For me it didn't matter if I didn't have any kids or had 3 or 4 other kids... when I was desiring another gift from God and it wasn't happening, it was hard... An emotional roller coaster EVERY.SINGLE.MONTH... A constant surrender to the will of God and His plans, not my own...


I know that I have no idea of how it must feel to be infertile... I can only  imagine just a bit... because there were days I wondered if that was going to be my path... How thankful I am that the Lord saw fit to bless us with all the children we have... I don't claim to know what it must feel like to be barren... so so hard...

So what does that all look like after you try for 2+ years and finally conceive that little miracle, only to have to give that sweet baby boy back to the Lord long before you would have liked or planned on??

Well for me... many moments it didn't look pretty... more like down right ugly... some moments it looked lime a hopeful scene.  More to come on that tomorrow...

Right now... I  am going to cuddle my sweetie Isaiah before bed... he has a case of thrush and could use an extra cuddle...

Till tomorrow...




Monday, July 8, 2013

home again

 The cousins at the cabin... only missing 7 more cousins who couldn't make it up this year:)


Gotta love the crazy photo bombers in this pic of levi, Luther, and Chambers...



Lou and caleb with callie and will!  

 We are finally back at home...

It feels so good to sleep in my own bed again:)   That was a lot of driving to ok and back.
 And then the trip up north to the lake house.  Eventually it sort of wears on me to drive without greg!  I think it is the solo parenting that truly wears me out:)

I am determined to get the majority of my unpacking done this week.  I am really wanting to have a little summer before we have to get back to school... summer is flying!!:)

I am so thankful for the Lords protection on us over all of those miles!

Monday, July 1, 2013

happy 16th lou!!


Louis and his friend Hannah who made them both mugs... they were adorable and such a thoughtful gift!


Louis' cake with our coop friends:)  It
  .                                              looks like the cake is on fire!

We had a great and busy day celebrating, seeing old friends, swimming... and planning last minute sleepovers with dear friends...

Louis... my first born...
Great christian young man...
Loves disaster relief... specifically tornado relief...
Loves working and caring for orphans...
Huge helper with his little siblings...
Funny guy.... loves to make people laugh...
My social kid...
My tenderhearted one...
One amazing gift from God!

I am so glad and proud to call him my son... I cant wait to see what the Lord has in store for his life!!