Dec 29, 2014
2014: HIS PLANS ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN MINE
Faith, Motherhood, Motivation, My Books, Personal
I began 2014 overwhelmed about writing my book (which launches tomorrow — ah!!!). I struggled with oceans of self-doubt and often considered throwing in the towel. In January, I found out I was pregnant. I was excited but locked in my office writing, worrying about my manuscript deadline that had passed (and graciously been extended about four times by that point). In February, God took that baby home to be with Him. It was one of the hardest seasons. At the time of my miscarriage, I was in the middle of writing through some of the hardest parts of my life. That same week, I received a letter from the IRS stating I had been filing as the wrong entity type since 2010 and I had to re-do four years of business and personal tax returns thanks to an accountant’s major error years before. (Long story. God is good and praise Him it’s all over now.) Needless to say, that was a rough week. I didn’t understand why all of this was happening at once. Ari kept telling me to trust. This, like all the mess I was writing about, would be for my good. It’s hard to see when you’re in it. The winter seemed to last forever. But, ‘to everything there is a season, a time and purpose under heaven.’ I wrote in my book about how God did use that season for my good. He is faithful. I now look back and praise Him for the winter. After winter, always comes spring.
Above: Writing. Writing. More writing.
Hundreds of bulbs I had planted in the fall broke through the seemingly-dead frozen ground, giving me hope for the seasons ahead. I felt God encouraging me to plant new seeds in my life and in this soil that seemed lifeless.
I grieved and healed through gardening. I planted hundreds of flowers and crops: twelve types of tomatoes, six varieties of peppers, 200 onions, zucchini, sweet corn, eggplant, carrots, radishes, basil, pineapple sage, stevia, okra, beans, peas, cucumbers, cabbage, kale, sweet potatoes, lots of bee attractors, wildflowers, sunflowers, dwarf zinnias (one of my garden favorites), and more.
My handsome garden helper above, who built and filled my new veggie beds with rich soil.
My littlest garden helper who filled us with laughs : )
Harvesting above with Ari’s mom on one of her visits from California. Don’t mind Hootie the owl : ) He was there to keep the bunnies away from the soybeans, although he ended up coming inside to live with us because Gracie loves him so much.
The year before, I had planted an Elberta peach and a fig tree. Both yielded ultra sweet harvests in the summer — best peaches I’ve ever had. To our tiny orchard we added some wildcards for fun: a grafted apple tree that produces four varieties in one tree, a “fruit cocktail” tree that has grafted branches of apricot, nectarine, and peach, and we added a potted navel orange, kumquat, and another Meyer lemon.
I went a little over-board. Watering and tending and pruning this tiny farm was a thing, but it was awesome. Each day was an adventure in the garden. New life all around me. I started this new Instagram account to capture the growth. Every day brought new surprises.
During this season, God allowed me to connect with those who had weathered loss. I spoke with many women who had miscarried and I felt compelled to reach out and be a listening ear when a friend experienced loss. I felt that, in a tiny way, I could understand. If anything, I knew I could pray.
During this season, God also taught me that He is in control and that is a very good thing.
‘So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow‘ (1 Corinthians 3:7 NIV).
I can’t grow anything good without Him. Period. He wants me to plant good seeds in good soil, tend to them, prune, and generously share the harvest. But, I need His gifts of sun and water — I need His Son and the living water of His word — to make anything good happen. That is just plain truth in my life.
Ari and I prayerfully started trying to have a baby again. The months passed. I began to understand, in a very small way, some of what my two best friends, Emily and Gina, had gone through. And let me emphasize again in a small way. In the last couple years, I’ve become close with many girlfriends who are going through infertility or loss. Some journeys have been decades and some shorter, but all have carried with them tremendous heartache. If you are there right now, my prayers are with you as I type this. I don’t have the perfect words to offer, but I can offer prayer.
After a year and a half of trying, Ari and I felt that maybe God did have a plan and having another biological child wasn’t it.
Adoption has been a topic of conversation for several years. Last September (2013), I remember talking with Ari about it and him sharing his fears. “But,” He added, “if this is what God has for us I trust He will bring me peace.”
In the summer, we romped through the garden beds with Casey Chappell and her crew of 5 adopted littles. We pulled up radishes and plucked tomatoes right off the vine. Jack and Ezra loved the garden, and I loved picking figs, beans, herbs, and mint for them to sample.
I first became friends with Casey through Instagram. Nancy had posted about the Chappell’s visiting her in Raleigh, I clicked over to Casey’s account, and bam. My heart leapt out of my chest. Seeing her little loves and her passion for adoption, I knew I had to get to know this amazing woman. We became instant real-life friends. We sat on my back porch, ate hot dogs and sweet potato fries with the kids scurrying all around us, and we talked adoption. Ari’s heart started to crack open too.
It all still felt so scary though. Like why are we always talking about adoption we are not cut out for this scary. And yet we kept reading this verse in James and many others and God kept putting families in our path who had adopted. God wasn’t subtle.
We started the international adoption process, filling out a mountain of paperwork, gathering documents, and praying a lot. Our one step left was to get a letter of guardianship from another couple, stating that they would take care of our children if we were to pass away. No question, we were going to ask our friends Thom and Bek. Thom and Bek were our church family group leaders for a long while before they moved to Birmingham. They became two of our very best friends and faith mentors to us. Right before were were going to ask them, their daughter, Elizabeth Glory, went to be with the Lord shortly after she was born. It was heartbreaking. We couldn’t think of adding to our family while our dear friends were wading through such grief. Our whole hearts were with them.
One of the many things I love about God is how He uses sorrow to change our hearts for His good purposes. In that time, our hearts did change. A friend sent me this video and a million little pieces started to point us to a new path. We saw the great need right in front of us and felt God pulling us to adopt domestically. So, we started over completely.
We began to feel more urgency. There were so many children out there waiting to be loved and we felt that, with God’s help and grace, we could do that.
Ari and I ran into Courtney at the Influence Conference and both felt God saying okay, this is it. Let’s do this. Ari and I continued to pray and, after a long phone call with Casey and Courtney, we said yes.
I finished our new adoption paperwork on the eve of Thanksgiving. I thought about the cycle of life. My grandma Bunny was breathing her last breaths in the hospital with my mom, dad, brother and uncle by her side. I knew that night would likely be her last here on the earth. I don’t know if anyone else had ever felt this, but it’s in moments like that when I deeply feel God’s presence. I felt an all-consuming peace.
I felt peace about Grandma’s 97 sweet years on this earth. What courage and zest for life she had. She lived and loved well. I felt peace about our little family and totally surrender. I felt grateful for the gift of adoption and totally at peace about not having more biological children. It was the peace that transcends all understanding. I felt grateful. In awe of Him.
And then… I felt a little off.
I looked at the calendar, looked at Grace, and I nervously loaded her in the car to go to the grocery store while we waited on Ari to come home from work.
I thought for sure there was no way.
And then there were two pink lines.
I cried in disbelief on the bathroom rug with Grace and said, Gracie! There is a baby in there! God is crazy! She leaned over, pulled up my shirt, and looked as if she was going to blow a big raspberry on my belly. Her little lips got close to by belly button and with the biggest joy she squealed, “Hiiiii baby!”
Ari arrived home moments later.
Me: So I finished our adoption paperwork.
Ari: Great.
Me: And then this happened. I showed him the two pink lines.
Ari: Oh. Okay.
We were both in shock. We were in shock because this didn’t change our conviction about adopting in the least. We are still all in. And that’s all God. The peace that transcends all understanding. In our human hearts, there were (and still are) moments of complete panic and disbelief, but God…
But, God…
Those two words are true, not just in my life, but in yours too.
But, God isn’t a God of logic, He is God. He can make the impossible possible.
But, God didn’t want our marriage to fail years ago. He wanted our wholehearts. And He got them.
But, God didn’t want my business to be used just for making a living. He wanted it to be used to hopefully help many to live on purpose.
But, God had a different plan to grow our family than we expected. His plans are always far better than ours.
But, God doesn’t need us or you to be perfect, He just needs your surrendered heart and hands.
We know for sure that God is real. We also know for sure that we need Him. The year ahead will likely be crazy. We are, no doubt, going to fail a lot. But, God… can and has done greater things than help us raise three children — two infants in one year. If He brings you to it, He will see you through it. We trust Him.
We are grateful and nervous and listening and also cautious with all of this. While this is where He has us right now, He has been known to throw us some curveballs. We don’t know what God has planned for this life in my belly or for for us with adoption. We know that He could take this baby home to be with Him too, if that’s His will. All we can do is pray and trust and do what He says as each day comes.
Some things:
I’m due next summer, around August 1st.
God is so good and sweet in His timing. Grandma passed on Thanksgiving morning. After my mom told me she had gone to be with the Lord, I shared with her that there was a new life inside of me. Her tears of sorrow turned to joy.
“Morning” sickness is all day every day for me, so if you have seen me in person in the last weeks and I’ve been a little off, this is why : )
When I went in for my first ultrasound, the doc was very nice and excited for us. And then I handed her the medical clearance form that I needed for our home study. She looked at me like I was nuts for a second. Then, she expressed her excitement and told me about her sister adopting. She was awesome and is pumped for us.
I ate a turkey sandwich for breakfast. If you know me, you know that means something is up.
Grace is excited to be a big sister and we pray for the babies every day.
Between a growing business, five literal-in-house employees, and a busy three year old, we are plum out of space. With adoption costs, moving is not in the cards, though. So, we are getting creative and may be finishing part of our attic to stretch our space a little.
Needless to say, 2015 Goal Setting has been flipped on it’s head for me. I’m excited to dive in with you tomorrow with the first steps as I launch my book and walk with you in preparing for a crazy and purposeful new year. 2015 is going to be an adventure and I’m grateful to have you here to learn from your journey too! Goal Setting Part 1 is up tomorrow…
For now, thank you. Many of you have prayed for our family and I can’t thank you enough. We are so grateful. His plans are always better than ours, no matter what they may be.
P.S. I don’t have all the answers about adoption. Far from it. I still have more questions than answers at this point. We are still so new to adoption and just trusting God with each step. So, if you are looking for a resource, I recommend reading Casey’s blog as a start. There are so many great resources out there. I am still learning and listening.
keep reading
82 Comments
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:40 pm
I’m so excited for you and your family and all the goodness that lies ahead for you in 2015. Sending hugs and aloha across the miles.
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:41 pm
So excited for you Lara!
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:42 pm
Lara! I am so excited for you family and so humbled by your honesty. I am so sorry for the loss of your baby and know the Lord has walked you through some deep waters showing you His grace! Can’t wait to watch your adoption journey as we still research and pray in our own journey. xxo
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:46 pm
Lara, as I was reading your story, I said “Oh my gosh” out loud. So overjoyed for you! It’s certainly wondrous how God answers our prayers. I’ll be praying for your impending little ones. P.S. I love that we’ll both be having babies next summer (my first, due in June).
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:52 pm
This journey is SO His and it’s SO beautiful. I am just shaking with joy for all five of you. You’ve got this, and we are all here to hold you, uphold you, and be with you along the way.
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:52 pm
Oh Lara!!! Tears of joy are streaming down my face as I read this. Surrender has been on my mind a lot lately as 2014 comes to an end. This has been one of the most challenging years for me and for almost every one of the people in my life but I have faith that with every winter, spring comes. Three little ones is such a blessing. I’m so thrilled for you!
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:53 pm
Oh Lara!!! I’m rejoicing with you!!!! Praise God for His incredible, sovereign, majestic plan. Will be keeping you in prayer through this exciting time!!
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on December 29, 2014 at 9:59 pm
Dear Lara… My heart is floored and deeply moved by your heart. I’m not married yet (praying He brings that lucky guy into my life soon!), but adoption has been big on my heart for a long time. I am praying for you and the whole family. I am just at the place in my Powersheets where I’m ready to write out my goals and I cannot wait to read your new goal setting posts tomorrow. Love you, God bless you friend.
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:00 pm
I just cried happy years for you. God is so,so good. I’ve been following you for years and own many of your products but your words speak to me the most. Thank you for sharing with such honesty. I will be praying for you and your beautiful, growing family.
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:07 pm
Glory to Him! So grateful and excited for y’all! Praying for you every time I think of you!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:07 pm
OH MY GOODNESS LARA. God is amazing. All I can say in response to this is that I have been totally humbled in reading through your post and truly amazed at His perfect plans for you in this time. WOW!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:08 pm
When I read your post, I felt the very same thing I felt when I listened to your podcast with Jess Lively – I felt God has been making Himself known through your life challenges and that He is in control. All your life events may have made a normal person crazy and deluded and yet here you are, strong, inspiring and all faithful. I see God’s hands working on your life —thank you for being such an inspiration!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:10 pm
WOW!!! That is so AWESOME!! Im praying for you, and your growing family friend. It is so encouraging to see you so fearlessly follow God and see how He is making all things new. I thank you for your open heart and sharing your journey. You’ve taught me I need to surrender and trust again in God and leave the rest up to him. So excited for the 2015 journey!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:11 pm
oh sweet Lara!, I cried much needed tears as I read your post. I KNEW when you said on Twitter it was a BIG post that God had done something big and guessed it was baby!! I am thrilled for you ” If He brings you to it, He will see you through it” I have to keep repeating that this year. My sister in law who has never been on her own and who has a yet to be diagnosed mental/emotional problem is living with us. This is not where I thought I’d be with grown sons and I’m having such a struggle to see the good. But I have to trust. Your book should arrive tomorrow and I am so excited to read it
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:12 pm
Lara – I cried reading this!!!! I love your faith and how you share it so openly. My husband and I learned we would likely never conceive after a year and a half of trying and then miraculously, right before we were about to start trying invasive treatments to conceive, we conceived our little girl named Celia Rae (means Heaven’s Grace if translated literally in Latin and Scottish) who has been in our hearts for many years. God is so good and I don’t ever give him enough credit, but thank you for opening my eyes to it today. Life has its rough patches just as we are going through right now but our sweet angel baby is coming to join our family in the upcoming weeks and I can’t deny God’s faithfulness and love when I look at my belly. I’m so happy for you and so proud of you for not only sharing this so candidly but for continuing to pursue adoption. You have a beautiful heart!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:25 pm
I just cried tears of joy for you Lara! Miscarriage was the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life, but the 8 month old crawling all over me right now was worth that pain and wait. Even though it didn’t seem like it at the time. I’m so happy for you and Ari and Grace. I’ll be praying for you!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:25 pm
Congratulations!! What joyful news!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:50 pm
Congratulations Laura! At MTH last March I listed Adoption as one of my fears. Through prayer, reflection and God’s power we have started the process of adoption with hearts full of hope and love. Praying for you during this journey of Adoption and Pregnancy!!
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on December 29, 2014 at 10:57 pm
Lara, such amazing news! But God…he is so perfect in his timing and his plan…even when it seems crazy! He will grace you for this good work. Rejoicing with you!!
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on December 29, 2014 at 11:05 pm
Sweet Lara, I am so encouraged by your strength and incredible heart. My husband and I have been discussing adoption a lot lately, and it is so beautiful to hear how God is leading you. Gracie is definitely the most adorable girl, so I can only imagine how sweet your next little one will be. Love you friend!
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on December 29, 2014 at 11:18 pm
Lara, I am soooo unbelievably excited for you and your family. Wishing you the happiest and healthiest pregnancy. I’ll keep you all in my thoughts! xo
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on December 29, 2014 at 11:18 pm
Congrats Lara! I have been praying for your sweet little family! I am so happy for you!
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on December 29, 2014 at 11:34 pm
I’m beyond excited to read these words! I am so happy for you and your growing family! Keeping y’all in my prayers!
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on December 30, 2014 at 12:26 am
So great! Congrats!!
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on December 30, 2014 at 12:59 am
Congrats on your most exciting and happy news, Lara! Thank you for being so transparent and for also being a true inspiration! I got Power Sheets for Christmas (my first set ever) and cannot wait to dive into your #2015GoalSetting series! God is GOOD and a fabulous adventure awaits! 🙂
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on December 30, 2014 at 1:04 am
Lara, congratulations! Wow, what beautiful news. And in reading this (and agreeing out-loud to Cara’s comment above) I’m thinking deeper and deeper about ‘surrender’ (my word for 2015). It’s hard, but thank you for the positive tales and thus encouragement. Wishing you all the very best for your physical pregnancy and the continuation of your adoption “pregnancy”.
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on December 30, 2014 at 1:08 am
Thanks so much for sharing your story and congrats!!!!! What beautiful blessings you have coming your way 🙂
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on December 30, 2014 at 1:41 am
I sobbed reading this in my car, been praying for you guys a lot and now I know why God has placed the whole gang on my heart. Mostly because y’all are just such a blessing to others and so I pray for your strength and protection-so that you can continue to plant and water. It also give me such joy to hear you love and understand God sovereignty! What a joy it is just understanding how truly awesome He is, how much He is in control-how peaceful and humbling. It makes things, well make sense and allow is to surrender. I love you Lara and thanks for sharing this sweet news & raw truths that its no always easy-but its always worth it. He’s worth it.
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on December 30, 2014 at 1:45 am
I am so happy and excited for you and your family! God is so good, and I am so thankful that you chose to share that story with us. Praying for you and the babies! xo!
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on December 30, 2014 at 2:11 am
We got pregnant right in the middle of our adoption this year, although we also lost it. But five months later we met our beautiful girls, 4&2, through state foster care. There story is one that wakes you up at night in a cold sweat and reevaluate people and their motives–a very real depiction of how evil has affected this world. And for every tantrum and time out (both theirs and mine), every cuddle, every I love you and I hate you, I can’t stop crying at how grateful I am I even get to play this role in their lives. I so encourage you to keep on the foster adoption route. And if you want to follow my journey, I’m @lifewiththefrosts on insta. 🙂
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on December 30, 2014 at 2:16 am
Oh Lara, how amazing is God’s timing!! Prayers for a safe pregnancy and peace in adoption plan’s…what joy and beauty for your sweet family!
PS I just got my first set of power sheets ever, loving them already!! -
on December 30, 2014 at 2:33 am
what amazing news! congrats!
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on December 30, 2014 at 2:36 am
Oh Lara, what a story!! I am so happy for you, and hearing all you’ve been through this year makes me rejoice even more with this sweet season for you. My prayers are with you and your dear, growing family!
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:04 am
Congratulations!!! I loved reading every bit of this. So happy for you!
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:06 am
Ah!!!! Congrats! First, I hope this message finds you well! I’m pregnant and was so sick for months in the beginning! God is amazing. I never told anyone this but early this summer I was having a hard time and I prayed for help. I don’t do this often. I thought that the answer would be business-related or something, but instead I found out I was pregnant about a week later. It was totally unplanned and unexpected (we had been married for just a few months and weren’t trying/planning on children for at least a year or so). Fast forward a few months and I’ve never been more excited than I am now waiting to meet this beautiful creature inside me. I know she was an answered prayer even if I didn’t know I needed her at the time. Ah! Anyway, probably an over share, but this post really touched me! Congrats! There is nothing more precious than a new life!
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:47 am
I love you so much!!!! Thank you for sharing your journey. Doing so allows the rest of us to trust in His goodness and believe. Congrats! xo P
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on December 30, 2014 at 5:00 am
Lara, I’m so sorry for your loss. At MTH in the spring of 2014, I was 7 weeks pregnant and was just about to share the news with our family. At 10 weeks, I lost that baby. I can relate so much to your story. While feeling great loss, I also experienced so much peace with God and knew that baby was sweetly sitting in His arms. 2014 has been a year of ups and downs, but I know God’s timing is perfect. Thank you for sharing your story. I’ll be praying for you and your family and the upcoming decisions you will be making about adoption. I’ll also be praying that you will get to meet that new baby in August. And if you’re interested, you should ask your doc about Zofran. I had all day morning sickness and that was the only thing that worked. God bless!
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on December 30, 2014 at 5:10 am
Wow what a year. So grateful for this additional bun in the oven and for your healing garden. Looking forward to your book arriving on my doorstep!! Prayers for God’s will in this pregnancy and adoption process. Lots of love to you and yours!
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on December 30, 2014 at 7:36 am
Congratulations Lara! Crazy how God works things together for our good. He’s great. I’m due August 26 🙂 Have you tried taking vitamin B in the morning to combat morning sickness? That and Preggie Pops have helped me so far.
Your blog was very touching. I really love the way you are open with your life and add color and pizzazz. I got my email from Amazon today that your book will be here next week. I’m so excited to dig in!
Have a very blessed week,
Danielle -
on December 30, 2014 at 10:21 am
Crying tears of happiness for you. Congratulations on your book (read the sample yesterday on iBooks and impatiently waiting for it to fully download this morning). You, Ari, Grace, and the little one will be in my prayers. Sending you lots of love, hugs and strength. You can do all things with him. XO
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on December 30, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Wow. God is so faithful! Thank you for sharing your story. Blessings on your family through everything this coming year.
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on December 30, 2014 at 2:35 pm
This is so incredible Lara! I am so happy for your family and excited to see the goodness that God has in store for you in the upcoming year. You, your family, and your business are in my prayers as He prepares your heart and life for the new blessings that are coming up!
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Wonderful news, Lara!!! Congratulations – what an exciting year 2015 will be!
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Oh my gosh Lara! My eyes were full of happy tears reading the entire post. Congratulations!! I can’t wait to get the book on my doorstep (it’s shipping today) and I can’t wait for more Isaacson clan updates! xo Emily
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:29 pm
Wow Lara! What wonderful news! Last year I had a miscarriage and during Thanksgiving, while my grandmother was on her death bed, I also found out I was pregnant again. My due date was August first and my sweet little girl Haven was born ON her due date. She’s been the sweetest blessing and I’m just trying to navigate this whole being a mom and working from home thing. Absolutely sending up prayers for the protection or your baby!
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:37 pm
Lara!! I am SO stinking excited for you!! My thoughts and prayers and joy are with you and your growing family!!
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on December 30, 2014 at 3:51 pm
God bless you, Lara. Thank you for sharing your story and being so honest. Your words has given me such hope and comfort, more than you’ll ever know. I am currently in that winter season and it is just so sad, so heartbreaking, but His plan is greater than ours and I can’t see why now, but I trust Him. Sending prayers and lots of joy to you and your growing family!
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on December 30, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Lara, I am so thrilled for you and your family. What wonderful gifts from God. I couldn’t read the part after you found out you were pregnant for the tears that filled my eyes (eventually I was able to read on)! 🙂 You share such wonderful lessons of how God works and I’m grateful. Sending you much love and many prayers for the weeks and months ahead. xoxo
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on December 30, 2014 at 4:28 pm
Lara, I am so excited for you & your story has really touched my heart. Adoption has been on my heart lately but as a single woman its really scary. God is Good and you inspire me in more ways than you know!
{{{Hugs & Squeezes}} BTW Gracie is going to be an awesome Big Sister!
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on December 30, 2014 at 4:43 pm
Lara, I could not be more overjoyed for you!!
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on December 30, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Congratulations!!!!!!! And as always, thank you for sharing your life experiences with all of us. Love and Blessings to you in the New Year!!!
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on December 30, 2014 at 5:04 pm
God is so good! We experienced a similar story when we started building our family. After a year of trying, we started the international adoption process and were matched with two sweet girls. While we waited for them to come home, I found out about our miracle baby. She was born in April and we are still waiting for our older daughters to come home. I’ll be praying for you as your year unfolds!
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on December 30, 2014 at 6:04 pm
Lara… WOW! What a testament your story is to God’s wisdom, grace, mercy, perfect timing, and relentless love! I’m so incredibly thrilled for you and your growing family. 2015 is going to be a marvelous year for y’all, and I can’t wait to see what all is in store. The Lord’s plans are always, always better than our own! Thanks for being a constant source of wisdom, light, and encouragement!!
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on December 30, 2014 at 6:18 pm
I’m am so inspired by the way that God is working in your life! His plans are always greater than anything we can imagine for ourselves. Thank you so much for sharing your life and your heart so honestly. I cannot wait to see the rest of the story unfold in the coming year. Cheers (with a non-alcoholic drink!) to an incredible 2015 filled with His blessings 🙂
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on December 30, 2014 at 8:23 pm
Lara! Such happy, joyful news!! Congrats to you all! And thanks for sharing a little about your adoption story – I’ve always been keen on the idea, but my husband isn’t as enthusiastic. But I’m praying it’s in the cards for us someday. There are just so many littles out there that need us. As always, you’re an inspiration!
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on December 30, 2014 at 8:40 pm
Happy Publication Day, Lara! And huge congratulations on your happy news. I’m so excited for you all, and so glad you are continuing with the adoption journey alongside your pregnancy. I’ll look forward to following along and being inspired, as ever. Off to crack open the book now – can’t wait!
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on December 30, 2014 at 10:15 pm
Congratulations Lara and family!!! How exciting to have 2 new additions coming. I’m 6 months pregnant right now and adoption has always been on my heart. I cannot be more excited to follow your journey. Thank you for all that you share!
I’m looking forward to your goal setting this year. The past 2 years my husband and I have each worked through it separately and then come together to talk about it. It has become my favorite time of year, starting some great discussions and putting us on a path together. Thank you! -
on December 30, 2014 at 10:50 pm
Thank you for sharing this with the world! It makes it even more special to know your book has been released and is waiting for me when I get back from vacation! Congrats to you and your family with all the blessings! Can’t wait to see how your goal setting will change with all the new excitement.
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on December 31, 2014 at 12:43 am
Congratulations Lara!! I’m so happy for you. xoxox
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on December 31, 2014 at 1:11 am
You are such an encouragement and blessing to me, and we’ve never even met. Thank you for sharing such a personal story. All your kids are going to have such a wonderful role model for their lives. Congratulations!
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on December 31, 2014 at 2:52 am
Wow!!! God is good! Rejoicing with you❤️
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on December 31, 2014 at 4:30 am
Oh, LARA! I can’t begin to tell you how ecstatic I am for you, Grace, and Ari! The Lord is faithful, He is SO faithful!! I’m praying for you always.
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on December 31, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Lara, this post brought tears to my eyes and so much joy for you and your family. I can hardly believe how God works, and seeing Him work so masterfully in your life is such an encouragement. Thank you for sharing as you always do with such authenticity, eloquence and truth. Looking forward to your book, the goals I have for 2015 and seeing where God takes us all in His perfect way. Love, Kate
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on December 31, 2014 at 5:20 pm
I first started reading your blog b/c I am FB friends with Casey. I LOVED your posts on goal setting and I just sat down to reflect over the past year. I am happy to say that my blog is expanding into a beautiful community and that is because of some of the goals that I set at the beginning of year. I am also an adoptive mom and so it was neat to hear how God has worked in your life this past year.
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on December 31, 2014 at 9:14 pm
Talk about God answering prayers in His Perfect Timing! I am over the moon about all this amazing news! What a plan God has for you- can’t wait to see it blossom even more! Congrats to you and Ari and Grace! Lots of love!
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on December 31, 2014 at 9:30 pm
With tears in my eyes, I offer my heartfelt congratulations! I look forward to your posts whenever they come across my timeline, even more so now undertanding everything your sweet family has gone through in 2014. Thank you for always being a light, always being inspirational and for sharing your story with us. Happy New Year indeed 🙂
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on December 31, 2014 at 11:18 pm
Ach. This both spoke to and touched my heart. Atta girl, well done!
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on January 1, 2015 at 1:18 pm
This brings me so much joy to read. Watching you live your life which such grace and such surrender for the unknown has been one of the biggest inspirations. You are going to be the best mama of three and I can’t wait to hug you in March. Thank you for being YOU, Lara! I love you.
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on January 2, 2015 at 12:49 am
I loved reading this Lara! You are already an amazing momma and will also be for your two babies to come 🙂 Congratulations to you, Ari & Gracie! I look up to your obedience and trust in God. God’s plan is always the best plan and I can’t wait to see how your life unfolds with these blessings! Sending you a big hug from Florida! Love, Bonnie
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on January 4, 2015 at 9:52 pm
Oh Lara I’m beyond excited for your wonderful and happy news!! I’ve been off social media a little while as my sweet dad has been in ICU but thankfully now he is recovering. Praise God that His plans are always greater than ours and thank you for sharing your huge heart with all of us! What a couple of blessed babies coming your way to join their big sister in such an awesome family!! My condolence a for your sweet grandma but what a long and full life she lived!! Happy New Year and lots of love to you and continued prayers for a healthy pregnancy and a smooth adoption! Big Hugs! Ann
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on January 5, 2015 at 5:48 pm
Thank you, Ann! Sending prayers for your dad : )
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on January 6, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Oh my. This is the first blog post I’ve read of yours and I am so touched. I’ve been in search of a blogger that is real, loves God whole-heartily, and simply says through words not spoken, “It is okay, let go, and love the Lord.”. Thank you for sharing.
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on January 7, 2015 at 7:43 am
What a beautiful, honest post. Thanks for helping by publishing this and reaching out to people you’ll never know you reached. Wishing you and your family all the best for 2015 x
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on January 9, 2015 at 9:50 pm
Just stopping by for the first time today, after I heard about your blog/shop from a friend. And, of course, you’re talking about adoption! I just LOVE it when that happens! My husband and I have a little boy, Holden, from India. We’ve had 20 months with him so far, and just wow, we still feel like complete putzes and in awe of the fact that God has entrusted us with this treasure….. our fumbling hands…. with a treasure! Praying for you as you grow your family in many ways 🙂 And, of course, I always share this video because I know when I was on the waiting end of adoption, I loved seeing other happy adoptive families. https://vimeo.com/77858685
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on January 9, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with me! I am so grateful to meet you here!
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on January 17, 2015 at 11:06 am
lara, this is my heart’s desire for you and others who so desire precious little ones! praying for all five of you this morning!!! with love from Nonny!!
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on February 17, 2015 at 7:07 am
Lara!
What a hope filled story for my soul. May I ask- what route are you going for adoption? Are you using a consultant agency or anything?-
on February 17, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Yes, we are using Faithful Adoption Consultants : )
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on February 17, 2015 at 5:31 pm
Thank you! Loved your book, by the way :).
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on February 23, 2015 at 2:43 pm
I just read your December 29th, 2014 post in late February 2015. I am a procrastinator . . . anyway, I’m crying as I write this. First, I am so happy for you, Ari, and Grace! I also want to thank your family for continuing with your adoption plans even though you are now pregnant.
My husband and I are the extremely proud parents of three girls who entered our home as foster children and are now are adopted children. They are not biological sisters and joined our family at the ages of 3 months, 7 months and almost 4 years old, but all at different times. There are so many children in this world who need a forever family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping a child achieve that goal. Our daughters are now 13, 14, and 15 years old, and I still can’t believe I’m actually a mom.
God is certainly great!!
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on March 11, 2015 at 1:57 am
I found you and Ladies Bible Bunch through your business, and you have helped me live on purpose 🙂 Thank you.
Excited for you!! 🙂
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on March 11, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Amen! Amen! What a blessing. xo Thank you for sharing your gifts and blessings. Amazing!