BABY ON THE WAY!!!

No, we're not pregnant! But, after almost 5 years of trying to have another baby in the family, God is answering our prayers! We are adopting a baby! We are adopting an infant from the U.S. We have just been "matched" with a birthmom. She is due on May 11! We don't know the gender of the baby, but will hopefully find out in the next couple of weeks. We are all so excited, including Jack and Mariana. Please pray that all goes well. We desire God's will for this situation, and are trusting Him to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).

I promise to keep posting on this subject...

Mariana's Speech
Mariana has to give a speech each quarter for her 2nd grade class. This quarter each student had to give a speech on their country of origin. She gave a great speech on Holland, focusing on the fact that Holland is famous for tulips, windmills and wooden shoes. She also passed out mini stroopwafels (hooray for Trader Joe's) for the kids to experience a "taste" of Holland. My favorite part was when she said that Holland is "an extra special place because her family (especially Opa and Oma) live there!"

Jack's First T-Ball Game!!

Jack joined T-Ball this spring for the first time ever! He's loving it! Most of the kids on his team played last year (it's for 5-7 year olds), but he's definitely not behind in skills. His has a great coach, and is already learning so much. He's proving to be a good listener and imitator -- watching the coach carefully to see how to throw correctly, listening where he needs to throw the ball if he gets it, etc.

His first game was this past Saturday (March 15). He looked so great in his Giants uniform! As we walked across the field to join his teammates and warm-up before the game, he said to me, "I'm kind of nervous!" So cute!


When the Giants hit the field, his coach put him in the pitcher's spot. I overheard the coaches discussing who to put there and at 1st base, since they get the most action, and Jack was one of the three boys they mentioned. At the risk of bragging, this made me so proud! In that inning, Jack even fielded a grounder and successfully threw the ball to the 1st baseman and got the runner out! The first out of the game and the season! (in T-ball they play 7 batters or 3 outs, whichever comes first -- can you guess which usually comes first?) I think we got a total of one out for the game. AND, they give the game ball to one player at the end of each game (this was new to me...), and they gave it to Jack!! Way to go, Jack!!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Merry Christmas! We are wrapping up 2007 with thankful hearts for all the many ways, both big and small, that Jesus has loved on us. It has been a year of blessing, of growth, of provision, of waiting, a year of hope. Our Savior is truly our Emmanuel - God with us! He does not leave us on our own to figure things out. He loving and faithfully guides us, nudges us, sometimes pushes us...to grow and trust in Him, and not in ourselves or our understanding of things. He proves Himself with unexpected blessings, with daily provisions, and with sustaining us and teaching us in the difficult and, at times, disappointing times. Our faith in Him has been tested and strengthened this year!

We have traveled the world this year! Christiaan and Kristina had an amazing opportunity to travel to Israel with our church during the spring. (Christiaan's parents came from Holland to babysit!) The four of us were able to spend three weeks in Holland in August, reconnecting with all of Christiaan's immediate family. Then, in November, a special family from our church blessed us with a free 7-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera, for all four us! Our passports have certainly been well-used this year! Scroll down the blog for more pictures and stories.

Our big news is that we are currently a "waiting family", waiting to adopt a baby! We are with a non-profit adoption agency - Independent Adoption Center, or IAC - and plan to adopt within the U.S. We have completed all of our paperwork and requirements and could receive news at any time! We are so excited to bring a new child into our family, another hand to hold.

Our adoption website is: www.christiaanandkristina.com.

Christiaan continues to enjoy his work at Cornerstone Fellowship as the Director of Children's Ministry. He also enjoys working on computers and staying up-to-date on the latest technology. He's looking forward to becoming a new dad again!

Kristina spends her time as a stay-at-home mom and a part-time piano teacher. She has stepped down from doing music for the women's ministry at church, in preparation for our new baby, but still occasionally participates in the weekend services' music. Both kids are in school now, but it's still amazing how busy life has stayed!

Mariana just turned 8 in December. She is in 2nd grade at Valley Christian. She loves school and is becoming an expert reader. Her favorite subjects are science, math, art, music, and reading (I told you she loves school!). Mariana loves Jesus and knows that He loves her! She started piano lessons this past fall, and loves it. So far it's working out to have her mother as her teacher. We are embarking on our orthodontics adventure (yikes!). In January, she will have four teeth pulled, the first set of several. It's a bummer when both your parents needed lots of work done on their teeth.

Jack celebrated his sixth birthday in Holland and started Kindergarten at Valley in September. He loves school, too! He is a hard-worker and is so proud of the assignments he brings home. He loves transformers and all kinds of action figures. Jack is learning to pray and loves learning about the Bible.

That's us in a nutshell! We pray that you might experience the true Joy of the season, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the reason we celebrate at this time of year!

Come, let us adore Him,
Christiaan, Kristina, Mariana and Jack