It's a BOY :-)

Yep, it's offical... another boy in the Hall house! We couldn't be more excited. We were able to get a sneak peak at our precious boy thanks to a great friend of ours, Dr. Cutrer. I'm have been able to feel him move once in awhile. That has to be the coolest thing ever... knowing that I am carrying a precious gift from the Lord. I am thankful that the Lord has allowed me this gift and I am often mindful of my many friends who have been unable to become pregnant and/or had miscarriages. I continue to carry a heaviness in my heart for them and pray that the Lord will be their comfort in this broken world.

I had a precious friend from college with me this past week and we talked a lot about suffering. We talked about how, as believers, we often fail to encourage/mentor/teach each other to prepare to suffer well. That sounds weird at first, but when I look through scripture, I see a consistent pattern of suffering as a normal and expected part of the life of the believer. Rather than preparing each other for this, we spend much more time trying to pray each other "out of suffering". It seems unusual that I would reflect on this during such a time of joy, but truly, this time of joy has really reminded me that every good and perfect gift is from the Lord. And yet, in this fallen world, it has also impressed on me the potential that exists for such deep suffering. I hope and pray that we have a healthy child and that we live to see him grow old and strong and I don't live in a constant fear of the "what ifs". I have been confronted though, with a desire to learn how to suffer well, expecting that it will be a part of our lives. I want to be found faithful to my Lord all the days of my life, even those marked by suffering.

On a lighter note, I went shopping for the first time today for my son. What fun :-) I will say though, there are so many more cutie girl clothes... That just means I'll have to search more often I guess!! I can't wait to officially join the mommy club, complete with playdates, kids clothing sales/hand-me-downs, and sleepless nights! Here is a little picture of our baby boy! Not to clear because he wouldn't hold still for one second! Precious nonetheless!

Important Hall family update!!!!!

Happy New Year!! As we look over the past year, we can definitely say it has been full of surprises and excitement. This past year we began our adoption journey, finalizing our home study this past October. In November we held two fundraisers, a fun run/walk and a holiday shopping open house. Between our two fundraisers and gifts we have thus far raised $561.67 towards bringing a child home. So you may be wondering what has been going on the last few months as I haven't updated recently.

Well... as we were excitedly awaiting a match with a birth mother, the Lord surprised us once again. We found out that we are expecting a baby due in July 2011. We are thrilled and so thankful to the Lord for this blessing and are so happy to be able to share our joy with you, our family and friends. We will still, Lord willing, adopt after we are settled in as a family of 3. After seeking much wise council we have decided to hold off on showing our profile until after the baby is born to be able to fully enjoy both the pregnancy and the excitement of our adoption.  We will continue to save money to fund our adoption and it will be combined with the money we have already raised/saved.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers are we start a new journey as parents.  Specifically, that I will continue to have a healthy pregnancy and that our child will grow strong and healthy, that we will seek the Lord’s face as we begin our new journey as parents, and that we will have wisdom as to when to once again begin our adoption process. We have definitely learned throughout this past year that only the Lord is in control of our days and that His plan and His timing is best. We are doubly blessed to first have the opportunity to bring a child home through the miracle of adoption and now to also have the blessing of a biological child. The Lord truly is to be praised!!! We'll keep you updated!!