Goodbye Comfort Zone

Grandma Martha's Legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 02:27:00 +0000

After recommitting my life to Christ in 1997 there were many times when I wondered why I was still alive. After all the things I had done, both bad and just plain dumb. Why? While looking through my grandma Martha's bible the weekend of her funeral I got my answer. There in her hand writing was my name on the list of people she prayed for. Although it shouldn't have been surprising to see my name there, it caught me off guard. As I sat there looking at my name, it started to sink in, all my grandma's prayers were the answer to the question I had been asking.
As I sat at the breakfast table this morning and listened to my young daughter, who is named after her great grandmother, pray for our meal I started to think again about all of my grandmothers prayers. Although not biologically linked and never having the opportunity to meet, they are very much alike. Our daughters infectious smile, her amazing hugs, her laugh, the joy in her heart in-spite of tremendous suffering, her heart for prayer and one day soon her commitment to Jesus. I believe that as the years pass their similarities will continue to surface.
Thank you grandma Martha, for the example of the impact a life lived for Jesus can have, for your legacy.
Brent.

First months together

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 18:56:00 +0000

Yeabsira, Leyou, Eli, Jack & Henry

Leyou at the neighborhood park

Yeabsira & Eli

Sweet sibling love. :)

Yeabsira's birthday

The kids made a b-day card for Brent's b-day

Yeabsira & Brent on Brent's Birthday

Yeabsira & Henry

Leyou cheesing for the camera

riding bikes together soon after Yeabsira learned to ride bike without training wheels

Jack & Leyou

Yeabsira & Leyou

Yeabsira, Leyou, Jack, Henry, & Eli
(at the guest house in Ethiopia)

Adoption Update-Home

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sun, 25 May 2014 14:33:00 +0000

Henry got his most desired birthday gift. One month after the boys and I returned from Ethiopia we are all home. God is good.

After having some tests run, we decided to change Yeabsira's birth certificate. This caused us a couple week delay. She will be turning 8 in July rather than 6. She also informed Melanie that she wants to be called Martha, not Ruth. We are pretty confident in our choice of the girls names, so this will probably be the first of a long list of injustices we will inflict on her. She is in good company though, her older brothers have survived so far and we think she will too.
Brent

Adoption update-introductions

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 14:29:00 +0000

We passed court on April 22nd and are now a family of 7. Ruth Yeabsira is named after Melanie's maternal grandmother and is almost 6 on paper work, but told Melanie the other day that she is 8. We are still trying to sort that one out. Martha Leyou is named after my paternal grandmother and is 3. We had some really sweet times in Ethiopia as a family, but now me and the boys are home and waiting for our three girls. Once the girls get their visas Melanie can bring them home. It looks like it will be at least a couple more weeks, but we are praying it will be less.

Brent.

Adoption Update-Court

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 01:48:00 +0000

It has been quite a week at our house. March 28th we received unexpected pictures of the girls opening the packages we sent them and wearing their new outfits. This was a surprise, because we didn't think the girls were going to get the packages. We were misled by the shipper, instead of getting there several days early, they did not make it to the person that was going to take them until the day after they had left. We were disappointed, but we have gotten used to such things. These pictures of the girls and their big smiles made our day.

Then, even more unexpected, April 2nd we received an email saying we have a court date April 22nd and in the mail was our Pair letter. We are leaving for Ethiopia April 18th to adopt our girls. We are still a little bit in shock and concerned how we will be ready to go in less than two weeks. When we made our travel reservations we found out we will be flying a 787, I'm not sure how much more excitement our family can take. We are willing to give it a try though. Ethiopia here we come.

Brent

Eli turned 9

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:56:00 +0000

The last day of 2013 Eli turned 9.

He chose bubble bread for breakfast.

No peeking!

I think he likes it!

After all that excitement Brent and Eli went to Fizz for lunch.

Melanie got to take him to watch Frozen.

Christmas 2013 Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 21:24:00 +0000

We got to be home on Christmas day this year. Most of us stayed in our p.j.'s all day long.

We started the day reading "What God Want's For Christmas" before we saw what we got for Christmas.

Sadly I didn't get any pictures again this year. We video tape the morning, and I usually forget to take pictures.

Melanie's parents came over in the afternoon to play with all the fun gifts. We had a fun day.

Christmas 2013 Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 21:21:00 +0000

December 23rd we spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Coppocks. The next day we celebrated Christmas with Brent's family.

Christmas 2013 part one

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 21:20:00 +0000

The Sunday before Christmas both Melanie's sisters families and her parents came over to celebrate Christmas.

The kids all had a great time together.

It was great having everyone over.

We missed Melanie's Brother and family this year. The weather didn't cooperate. Hopefully we get to see them soon.

December Birthdays

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 21:17:00 +0000

The Saturday Before Christmas we got together at Melanie's sister's house to celebrate Birthday's.

Eli and Lily enjoyed celebrating with cousins.

Lily's B-Day is the 29th and Eli's is the 31st. They get to be the same age for two days each year.

We also got to kinda celebrate Melanie and Monica's B-Day.

Thanksgiving 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 21:17:00 +0000

We had a Thanksgiving get together with part of Melanie's family the weekend before Thanksgiving at our house. Plans had to be changed at the last minute and her sister and brother's families couldn't make it. We are glad that doesn't happen often at all. It was still great getting together.

Thanksgiving Day we went to Brent's parent's house and had dinner with Brent's parents, his sister's family and some extended family from Kansas City. It's always great getting to see everyone.

On Black Friday, we had our biannual shopping/kids hang out with dad's day.

We are so very thankful for our families!

WHILE WE WAIT

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:06:00 +0000

Okay, so it takes me awhile some times to catch on. When we started our adoption journey we read a lot of books. One of them was The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis. I remember liking and agreeing with the book, but over time my perception was skewed. I was talking to a new friend about a month ago and she mentioned a conference she went to called Empowered to Connect. I quickly recognized it as the works of Karyn Purvis and her team. After asking a lot of questions and hearing her story, I decided I'd better look at the information for myself.

I started rereading The Connected Child, I also found the Empowered to Connect web site, Institute of Child Development site, and Tapestry Ministry site. All with loads if information about how to bring hope and healing to children from hard places.

It didn't take long for us to realize that parenting children who have had a hard life may be more than we can handle. My attitude has been, learn as much as we can, and wait to see what we are dealing with. After this last month of sucking on a fire hose of information from Karyn and her team, my attitude is memorize all this stuff so we have a plan.

We are already using the information we are learning with the boys. I'm blown away by how our relationship with our boys has become more of a team. We are working more together instead of against each other.

I've gone from being scared with no plan to being scared but prepared with a plan.

Referral 2

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 22:04:00 +0000

Our adoption journey has taken another turn. Girls! We received a referral for 2 and 5 year old sisters. We got the referral Oct. 5th. Our excitement is mixed with hesitation. The past has caused us to be a bit guarded with our feelings. I'm not sure it will feel real until we are getting on the plane to bring them home.

first day of school

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 02:00:00 +0000

It was a big 1st day!

Henry started middle school. He has to get up an hour earlier this year while his brothers sleep in. He had a lot to tell us when he got home. He had a few little adventures that I'm sure were not funny at the time, but he managed to laugh about them by the time the day was over. I'm so proud of the way he is jumping into this new experience. I'm looking forward to watching him grow even more during this year.

Jack started 5th grade and has the same teacher Henry had last year. He brings home so many stories and Henry loves to compare his experiences from last year. I can't wait for parent teacher conferences. I have a feeling we will have plenty to talk about.

Eli started 3rd grade. He is very excited about his teacher and that they get to earn tickets for good behavior for different auctions put on throughout the year. I know he's going to have a great year!

I got to sneak in and get a picture of Jack and Eli at their desks.

Brent will be starting school very soon too. I doubt I'll get a picture of his first day, but I am very excited for him.

Colorado

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 01:58:00 +0000

We left for Colorado on Brent's Birthday this year. We stayed at the cabins we've been going to for about 7 years now. It is always so good to spend time in the mountains. We also tried camping for a few days.

As you can see, camping is a little harder to pack for.

Melanie's parents took us to a Mexican restaurant in Estes the first night and enjoyed catching up.

The boys were so excited when they found out we got the cabin with the loft. :)

The first day we hiked to Ypsilon Lake. We tried this hike 4 years ago and we didn't finish it.

It's a hike that gains 2,180 ft. elevation in 4 1/2 miles.

We discovered how gifted Eli is at spotting wildlife, dead or alive. Here's a dead bat he found on a rock.

We made it to the top!

The next day we hiked with Grandpa and Grandma to Cub lake and around to The Pool. We all liked the way this hike looped around and was mostly down hill.

Six months earlier a forest fire came through the area.

This is Cub lake. Moose are spotted here often, they love eating all the lily pads. No moose this time, maybe next year.

We stopped at the pool for lunch. This ground squirl or chipmunk, I can't tell the difference, tried to help himself to Henry's food.

That evening we drove up old Fall River Road. It's a great evening activity, we always see wildlife and almost always see snow.

The last day at the cabins we decided to take it easy and enjoy the local wildlife. Every morning the turkeys entertained us during breakfast.

The humming birds were thick. The feeder could be filled 3 times a day and still not be enough.

We discovered a new bird this year. We got to watch a few Magpies from our cabin.

This has turned into a tradition. This huge rock is in the cabin area and it has to be climbed multiple times each year.

We took a short drive before lunch and got to see some big horned sheep.

On Friday morning we packed up and left the cabins for a camping adventure. The camp site was near Idaho Springs Colorado at Fall River reservoir.

The first day we set up camp and played with the camp fire.

Saturday morning we went for a hike around the reservoir and tried to fish a little. The fishing was not so good, but the hike was great.

We had such a great time and are looking forward to camping more in the future.

Swim lessons with the Cousins

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 00:14:00 +0000

The last 2 weeks we've been spending time at the pool for swim lessons. We decided to take them to the public pool this year and it's been a great experience. We were able to sign up the same time my sisters kids have lessons. It's been great getting to see them everyday.

Henry, Jack, Eli and Lily were all in one class.

Max and Lincoln were in another class at the other end of the pool.

4th of July

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 00:14:00 +0000

We had full day on the 4th. We spent the morning at the Zoo. We lost part of a tree in a wind storm recently. Brent had a great friend come over to help cut it up and haul it away. We rode our bikes to the fire work stand. Then we went to the neighbors pool party. Later in the evening we got out our fire pit and my sister and her family came for smores and fire works. It was such a great day!

STARBASE

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 00:10:00 +0000

In the middle of June Henry and Jack spent a week at STARBASE Camp at McConnell Air force Base. They built and shot off rockets, built and programmed robots and learned a lot about both. We are so excited about this program. It has been such a wonderful experience.

Shooting off rockets on the last day.

Jack and his flight team (Echo) during graduation.

Henry and his flight team (Hotel) during graduation.

Eli and Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 12:55:00 +0000

While Henry and Jack were at STAREBASE for the week, Eli and I had some fun too.

We ran errands and went grocery shopping (this was a lot of fun for me one on one). We watched a movie together, went to the Zoo and to Exploration Place. The Dinosaur Exhibit was at Exploration Place which

was perfect for Eli.

Here we are in the flight simulator.

Very tall tower of wood blocks.

Eli with one of the Dino's.

Here he is experiencing very high winds. :)

We will never meet

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 15:20:00 +0000

We no longer have a referral.

These 2 children A & A live very far away. They have been moved around from place to place. Told they have a new family wanting to take them home. Not long after they receive this news they are moved again and told they will not be getting a new family after all.

This is the hard part. Hearing these stories of innocent children living as orphans and watching time after time as a law, a piece of paper or someone's bad choice keeps them from joining a family. This is the world we live in, things like this happen everyday. I knew this all starting the adoption process. Somehow it's different now. I know their names, I've seen their pictures, I've dreamed about them becoming part of my family. Now I'm just supposed to toss these kids aside and wait on the next ones to come along. How do I do this? These children may never have a family.

The reality is the only thing I can do is pray for them. Trust that He will take care of them. He is in control and I'm choosing to wait on Him to tell us what's next.

Henry's month long birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:32:00 +0000

Henry's birthday fell on the first day of summer vacation. Brent took him out for a birthday breakfast. They came home, opened some gifts and we left for Iowa.

After arriving we celebrated again with our friends.

We all had a great weekend. The boys are making T-shirts here.

They are very proud of them.

It rained a lot that weekend so the boys and dad's set up an airsoft war zone in the barn. They even got the mom's out there for a battle. We all had a lot of fun!

About a week later, my parents and sister's family came over to celebrate.

The next weekend we celebrated with Brent's family.

12 years old! I can hardly believe it. He informed me the other day that he can start driving in 2 years, somehow 14 sounds longer.

We are very proud of the young man he's becoming.

Twists and Turns

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:07:00 +0000

This sign is good picture of the way I see our adoption journey. The only thing I'd change is a lot longer road between the turns.

On Friday we got a call letting us know that some new information was discovered and the children they had referred to us might not be adoptable. We will now wait for the 1st court date to see what the judge says. It doesn't look like we will be bringing these children home this summer or possibly even at all.

You'd think we'd be good at waiting by now. It just doesn't get any easier. We are very sad and not sure what to do with all this information we've received. One thing we do know is that God's perspective is completely different than ours and his plan is perfect.

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." Psalm 18:30

"for I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

Referral

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Sat, 11 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

We are waiting for these little feet to be coming home.

We received our referral for a 5 year old boy and his 3 year old sister on Wednesday night and officially accepted today. We are now waiting for our court date, so that we can go meet and adopt them. After that we can show pictures. The boys are really excited to finally see their siblings. It had been a really hard week with lots of prayer and giving the adoption to God and his timing. Wednesday night our prayers were answered. It still doesn't feel real to me, maybe I am just guarding my heart? I want to be excited and I have had brief moments, but not like I expected. I guess nothing about this has been what I expected. God is good and he is in control, that I can count on.
Brent.

It's all about me.

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:27:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago one of my friends at work mentioned that he saw on Facebook the Traxxas Torc series was coming to Dodge City. We don't do Facebook, so if it hadn't been for Brian, I probably wouldn't have known until it was long over. I am a fan of short course trucks and since Melanie is a fan of road trips, I thought it might work out. I prepared my self for the inevitable scheduling conflicts that often change plans. As the date grew closer, my excitement continued to grow. I tried to focus on making sure Melanie had a good time, but the thought of getting to see those trucks live made it hard to stay focused. A couple days before the race I found out the boys could get in free, so the decision was made to take them along. I knew this could really change how much time I could spend checking out the trucks and maybe even how much of the races I would get to see, so I continued to prepare myself and not get too excited. The day of the race Henry said he didn't want to go. I convinced him to come along and we headed for Dodge City.

Henry and Jack taking a couple RC short course trucks for a test drive.

Eli in the pits next to Scott Douglass' Pro 4. Eli has the 1/16th Traxxas version, so I guess you know who we were cheering for in Pro 4.

Getting ready for the start of the Pro Lite race, my favorite class.

One of the Pro Lite trucks flying by.

The boys got pictures of several of the trucks that were autographed by the drivers. They were able to test drive RC Short Course trucks and before the big trucks raced the Pros had a RC truck race. At the end of the night Henry wanted to go back to the pits and check out the trucks again. This made my day. Needless to say we had a blast, even Melanie is ready to go back next year. Fortunately it wasn't all about me in the end.
Brent.

Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Brent and Melanie) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:42:00 +0000

Easter weekend my parents and my brother and his family came to watch Jack's soccer game. Then my twin sister and family joined us at our house for the afternoon. It was great to see everyone.

Henry, Jack & Eli very happy on Easter morning.

On Sunday we spent the afternoon at my parents house. Both my sisters and their families were also there.

Lily & Eli finding eggs

It was a beautiful day.

Kaylie finding a few.

Jack searching for a good one.

Henry & Eli showing off their finds.

Lily, Makenzie, Kalie,
Jack, Eli, Lincoln, Max & Henry