A minivan?!

Yes, we bought a minivan.  No, I still can't believe that we went through with it.  But here's why we did:

1. We needed a bigger car.  Will had a small truck, and I had a Toyota Corolla.  With the baby coming in the fall, we knew we needed more space. 
2. We wanted to buy a car that would last us the next 4-5 years.  We know that we are not finished building our family yet, and at the rate we are going, in 4-5 years we could have 8-10 more kids! (haha- totally kidding on that point!) But in all seriousness, we could legitimately see 1-2 more kids in the next few years.  We don't want to have to buy again in a year or two.
3.  We talked about getting an SUV, but we knew we'd need one with a 3rd row (see above), and Kristen really struggles to get in and out of Will's truck, and also my dad's SUV on her own.  I didn't want to have to lift her into the car everytime she needed to get in or out.  Also, when we looked at SUV's with 3rd rows (that we could afford) there was NO storage space unless you took out the 3rd row, and we wondered what we would do on vacations.
4.  Kristen is at the age when she wants to bring friends with her when we go places.  We want to support that.  Of course, there are some friends whose houses we don't mind if she goes over to, but there are many friends of hers, from school especially, that we don't know the parents, and we don't feel comfortable letting her go with their family places.  So... we want her to be able to invite those friends to go places with us, or to come to our house, so we can keep an eye on what's going on.  We want to set this precident now, so that it will continue when she's a teenager.  We needed more space in order to do that.
5.  So we began looking Memorial Day weekend, thinking we would just start the process of looking.  We had a tight budget, and had a very specific idea of what we were looking for.  We figured it would take a while to find what we wanted, but that was fine, because we really just wanted it by Octoberish.  But then we found this van, that was way under our budget, and was a much better van than we thought we'd be able to get, so we decided to pull the trigger.

...and that, my friends, is how we became a minivan family, and I have to say, that although my "coolness" level has significantly dropped (not sure there was much to begin with), it's a sacrifice I am willing and excited to make, because it means that the children that we have prayed for, for so many years, are *quickly* filling our home. :)

Adoption Day!

Kristen's adoption was May 29th at 9:30.  This was when she legally, and forever became Kristen Rene' Thomas.  We have prayed for this day for a long time, and it was so sweet the way the Lord answered our prayers.

The judge began by asking us if we understood the committment we were making, and we had to answer a few other "legal" questions.  Then, she talked to us about how this was simply a piece of paper that we were being given, but a real family is made through the love and bonds we share together. She said she was thrilled to legalize this adoption.  It was such a sweet moment for our family.

I wanted to share some of the wording in our adoption ruling.  One paragraph says,

"The child, from and after the date of the filing of the Petition, shall be deemed the child of the Petitioners, and shall be considered for the purposes of inheritance and succession and for all other legal considerations, the natural, legitimate child and heir at law of the Petitioners, the same as if born of their body, with all of the obligations, rights, and privileges of a natural child and heir...."

Whoa.  What a beautiful statement.  "...the same as if born of their body..."  We truly want Kristen to understand that there is no difference between her and any biological children that we have.  She is just as much our child as any other children who may come along. 

Graduation!



Our ever-growing family! We started seminary as newlyweds! 
Look at us now! A 7 year old, and 1 on the way!

This post has been a long time coming!  Yesterday, we celebrated Will's graduation from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He earned is Master's of Divinity in Theology.  It was a beautiful ceremony, and yes, I cried through almost the whole thing. ;) 

I am so proud of my husband and all of the hard work he has accomplished.  Unlike many Master's Degree programs (mine was 36 hours), his program was 96 hours, and it only took him 4 years! 



Will's mom and step-dad made the trip from Georgia to be here!

When I originally thought about this post, I thought I would go into great detail about all of the crazy things that have happened to us during this time, and could have prevented us from ever finishing.  I was going to detail the times that we thought we should just give up.  Yesterday at graduation, however, one of the speakers talked about how everyone of the graduates and their families could give unique stories of God's faithfulness during Seminary.  Every graduate could share how their faith has been tested- and how they've come out stronger for it.  When he was saying this, I realized that we are not the only ones who have experienced great challenges, and great rewards and that God uses experiences in Seminary- academic and nonacademic- to prepare us for this life that He has called us to.


My brother and sister-in-law came down from Indy.  A pretty
big task when you have a 21 month old, and a 7 1/2 week old! 

So what's next for our family???  Good question!  This sweet baby growing in my belly kind of threw us for a loop. ;)  We were planning to continue Will's education (PhD) at Midwestern Theological Seminary in Kansas City, and we were going to start  this fall.  However, we feel like our family needs to catch it's breath.  2 children in 10 1/2 months is a bit of an... umm... transition.  Also,  Will and I got married, and moved to Louisville 2 weeks later to begin Seminary.  We don't know what it's like to be married without 1 or both of us in school.  In fact, since we met in college, we don't know what it's like to even be in a relationship without school!  So... we are going to take a break for at least a semester, maybe a year, and then we'll reevaluate.  We are also thinking now that our time in Louisville may be extended a few years, which is great, because we love Louisville!  Will is looking for other jobs/ministry positions, and we are looking into a different housing situation because our 800sq. feet is feeling a bit umm...tight.. these days, and we will need another bedroom with the baby coming.  Also, much to our dismay, we are looking into getting a minivan so we can haul our kiddos and their friends around.  So that said, our family has LOTS up in the air, and we are currently in the midst of a few transitions, and some major decisions that need to be made-soon.  Keep us in your prayers! 





Kristen's dedication

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6


Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. -Ephesians 6:4


 Tonight at church, was Kristen's dedication, along with several other children.

So, what is a dedication, and why do you do it?

A dedication is simply the parents of a child promising before God, and the church, that they will raise their children in the love of the Lord.  Usually, this is done when the child is a baby, but since we didn't have Kristen when she was a baby, we did it the 1st chance we had.  It in no way has anything to do with her salvation.  She will make that decision when and if the Lord leads her to do so. (Please pray with us that He will call her as His own).

Okay... so here are the pics. :)

This is our certificate of dedication.  It says, "We, Will and Melissa Thomas, commit ourselves to the Christian Nurture of Kristen Rene' Thomas entering into this commitment at Ninth and O Baptist Church as a part of the congregational worship on May 6, 2012."

P.S.- Yep- that's an announcement of Kristen's new name! She will take my middle name.  It's also my mom's middle name. It was important for us that she have a family name so she understands that she really and truly is part of this family.  It will become her official name once the adoption is finalized (should be in May).

P.P.S.- Thank you Jenny for taking these pictures!!!

Mama said there'd be days like this...

I wrote this post on Saturday, May 5th, but published it today.

Warning: This post is going to be vulnerable, so don't read it if you're not into that. Also, it's long, and there aren't any pictures.  :)

My emotion for today: frustration.  When I ask my daughter to brush her hair, and she throws a fit, I'm frustrated.  When we go to the grocery store, and she asks for everything she sees at the store (7.2 million times) and I've already told her "no," I'm frustrated.  When we go WAAAYYY over our grocery budget, I'm frustrated.  When my daughter loudly says, "Mom, this checkout guy is SLOW!" and I ask her not to say that, and she continues, I'm embarrassed, and frustrated. 

When we get home, and she puts the toilet paper away, and in the process dumps out the entire box of q-tips all over the bathroom and then she pours half the bottle of jelly on her PB&J, I'm frustrated. 

When my to-do list is too long, and our house is a wreck, even after I've cleaned, I'm frustrated.  When I'm tripping over things in our too-small apartment, I'm frustrated.  When I can't take a nap because of said to-do list, and even though I'm in my 2nd trimester, and it's supposed to come back, my energy level still hasn't reached 100%, I'm frustrated. 

When I haven't seen my hubby all week, because he's been working at the Library to finish up projects, and papers, and study for finals, I'm tired of being a single mom, and I'm frustrated.

When I start to think about the million things we need to do before this baby comes in November, and how they need to get done this summer before school starts again, and I'm in my 3rd trimester, and teaching a new grade- I'm frustrated, and I question God.  Does He really think that we can handle the transition of a 7 year old with special needs, and a new baby in 11 months? And didn't He know that I needed to lose about 50... err... 100 pounds before I got pregnant? 

Then.... I get frustrated with myself.  Isn't this everything I've prayed for?  Didn't I pray for a husband who loves the Lord, loves his family and works hard?  Haven't we prayed for years that God would fill our home with children?  Aren't His blessings overflowing in our lives right now?  So I feel guilty for being frustrated, and I get frustrated with myself. 

I didn't eat very healthy today (I didn't even cook), and I didn't exercise- not so good for baby, and I didn't have a quiet time: frustration and guilt. 

I'm concerned about my husband who has been working too hard, and sleeping too little for the past 4 years, and I feel frustrated.  (Will finals PLEASE be over soon!)

It's just been one of those days, and I've been praying all day that God would give me a better attitude and help me see my blessings...

and then...

My mom sends me a picture in the mail that she took of K when they last visited.  And K is smiling- really, genuinely smiling- and it's one of the 1st pictures I have of her where she's really smiling... and of course, it makes this momma burst into tears.

I take my daughter to Hobby Lobby, and she does not ask for 1 THING! (and they have toys and candy in that store!)

My husband's work goes quickly today, and he's able to take a short break to join us for dinner (if we meet him at a restaurant close to the school), and when he gets home late after hours, and hours, and hours, of studying- sees that I've had a tough day, and immediately leaves to get me my favorite ice cream.

I remember that tomorrow is Sunday... a day we've set aside to worship our God, and to spend together as a family (aka- no school work!) And tomorrow we are jam-packed with church, pictures, and Kristen's dedication at our PM service.  I won't have to be a single mom tomorrow!

 And I realize that I am blessed beyond measure.  Some days are tough because we live in a fallen world, but God's mercies are new every morning.  And He is NOT finished with me, or my husband, or my daughter yet! 

 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.- Lamentations 3:22-23

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.-Philippians 1:6