Approved

We got our papers from immigration saying that we're approved to bring an immigrant into the U.S. for the purpose of adoption (at least I think that's what it says :). I'm always intimidated reading legal paperwork - I think I know what it's saying, but it's always worded in an unclear way. But anyway, I DO know that we're approved. We let our social worker know. She said she had gotten the same papers, and that we're DONE on the U.S. side - now we're just waiting for Korea! I'm HOPING we go the end of this month or at the very latest the beginning of April. Weeks away... I can't believe it! 'Kay, hope you're having a great Monday!

Good fun with friends

On Sunday we drove to the cities to see Aaron's brother and sister-n-law - some of our favorite people to hang out with. Aaron and his brother get so excited to see each other, and Aaron's brother married one of my closest friends from college. Yeah, such a bummer that we "have" to see each other on the holidays :). Anyway, a friend from college hosted an Oscar party for fellow college friends (thanks Brittnie!). It was great to see friends we don't get to see very often. She had printed off the selections so we could try to pick the winners ahead of time. I did real bad with that one, but it was fun to try.

On Monday and Tuesday we had a conference which was really good. And because other staff attended we were able to see some staff friends from other campuses which I always enjoy. We stayed with our friend, Lee, on Monday night and got to catch up with him. I played Guitar Hero for the first time. I got "booed" off for the first few tries, but then finally got the hang of it. It is a fun game, though. I'd be willing to try again :).

We finished the conference off on Tuesday morning. We were able to have lunch with dear friends, Dave and Joy, that have adopted and have walked through this journey with us. They've been a great resource and encouragement. And their daughter is 2 and adorable. She likes to pretend to make pizza behind her high chair, and then she'll walk around and give you some. She gave me a piece, and they asked if she'd give some to Aaron. She nodded her head no. It was funny. She also showed me some of her toys - such a cute little thing :).

And now it's Wednesday and the week is flying by! We hope you all are doing well.

Entering the "9th Month"

So for heading into this 9th month of "pregnancy" I'm feeling pretty good, especially since I don't have to go to the bathroom multiple times in the middle of the night :). But I am feeling some of the same feelings as when we were getting to that last month before we had Payton:

• "There's a baby coming... soon!"
• "There's a lot to do!" (nesting instinct kicking in)
• "Life is going to change, but I'm so excited!"
• "I'm so excited!"
• "I have no idea what I'm doing!"
• "I'm so excited!" :)

So we're trying to make the most of our weekends to get stuff done. With about a month (?) left to go, it's coming fast! Although it was a full week this week, and I feel like I need to catch up before I can get ahead :).

Also, a friend sent me the link to this website for an upcoming movie. It's very intriguing. The preview is a little lengthy but good. Check it out if you'd like! www.expelledthemovie.com And have a great weekend!

Photos of the husband

For Valentine's Day, I bought Aaron a fundu pot (see photo) and prepared food that we could cook together. We had a good time. It's a fun dinner to have together!

So Aaron's hair was getting REALLY long. It was time to either get a haircut or just get rid of it all together. So he went back to shaving his head. So now, the photo on the blog has the "correct" hairstyles again :).
Here's the before:

And that after:

Otherwise, not too much has been happening here at the Jones household - work has been busy but good. We just get to work with the best students. Hope you have a great weekend!

Olivia Jee Eun Jones

We finally have a name! We've been looking at names and praying for awhile about it. One thing I've been praying for was that Jee/Liv would have her identity grounded in the love and grace of Christ. We had been tossing around names, and I was looking in a book with Biblical names. It listed Olive - not as a name used in the Bible but for the significance of the olive tree. It talked about how olive oil was a valuable resource used for light and healing, and I thought that was cool. Then I was reading in the Psalms a few days later and came to Psalm 52:8 which says, "I am like an olive tree planted in the house of the Lord. I trust in his unfailing love forever." So I went to show Aaron, and Olivia (Liv) was the name! Now we're trying to get used to it :). We've been calling her Baby Jee for so long, it's taking a little thought to switch to Liv. But we like it and feel like it fits her. We can't wait to meet her and see who she is!

Welcome to February... a little late

Hi! It's a been awhile since my last post. Man, I'm so excited for spring. I was talking with my mom, and we both agree this has been the worst winter for awhile. But my parents were up this weekend, and we had a great time. Often, when they come up we take advantage of their Sam's Club membership :). So we were able to stock up on a couple things, and I don't think I've ever seen them have so many samples! I love when Sam's has samples cause their good :). It was practically lunch.

Campus has been good and full! I'm leading 2 new Bible studies this semester that I'm really enjoying. One is for the women's soccer team - that one started on Friday... we had 2 there :). But I know a few more girls that are interested, and I'm hopeful we'll add a few in the weeks to come. The other is on Thursday evening with 4 junior women who are wanting to learn and grow. I'm absolutely loving it - and great discussion so far.

We had a praise and prayer meeting for our church tonight. I had a memory come back of when Aaron and I were interning overseas. We attended an international church. There were families from Switzerland, Germany, England, New Zealand, Sweden, Africa, and America. It was AMAZING to be a part of a church with so many different cultures represented, but we just came together because we had the most important thing in common - Jesus connects people like nothing else can. And I think we all understood what it was like to leave our home (and miss home!) and live/work in a new country. One Sunday during the praise time, 2 people were up front singing and playing the bongos, and they kept singing the same refrain over and over. We were sitting in the middle of the room, and behind me the couple from Africa was improvising and singing with it in their African dialect. It was one of my favorite moments of that whole year. I could have sat there and listened for hours. It was beautiful, and it made me think of what heaven will be like - people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Anyway, that memory came to me because I'm just so grateful to be a part of our church. We're small but full of heart. It's such a blessing to be a part of a fellowship that really lives what they believe. I know we'll never be able to repay the blessing that our church has been to us.

No new news on the adoption front, but we don't really expect any until we travel to get her. ...And no name yet either! We keep tossing things around but haven't landed on anything yet. I've picked up a couple items for her, and my mom and I found the cutest little summer dress at Sam's. It's fun to begin to really prepare for her arrival.

Well, I have to get to bed if I'm going to make it to the Y in the morning! Hope you're all staying warm and shoveled out of the snow! Love the Joneses :)

Way tougher than me

Aaron and I went to the women's hockey game last night. One of our leaders for AIA (Athletes in Action) is on the team. It's amazing to watch her and the other women play. I was just amazed. And she scored a goal! I think I'm so amazed by their atheltic talent because I am so lacking in that ability. The other 2 women I work with are runners, and again, it's awesome to see their gifts and talents in their sport. I continue to be amused by the irony of where God has placed me - doing ministry in my area of greatest weakness. But that's usually how He designs it, I guess :).

And since I was talking about food in my last post, here's another idea to try. Aaron and I made cornbread pancakes yesterday which we'll have every now and then. You just take the little Jiffy cornbread box, and on the side it gives the instructions for how to alter the recipe to make pancakes/waffles. If you like cornbread, these are really good.

Here's what's "in" at the Joneses...

• Soup - I made my 4th soup in the last 2 weeks for supper tonight. I've just been hungry for soup with how cold it's been.
• My crock pot - cooking above mentioned soups in the crock pot - nice to have dinner ready when it's time to eat!
• Monk season 5 - an excellent show if you haven't seen it. We're borrowing the set from our co-workers. Since there isn't much on lately, it's been a good alternative.
• The Biggest Loser - the show we are actually watching/taping each week. I'm always amazed by the transformation by the end of the season.
• Ice crusted inside the windows - again REALLY cold and we're learning we have air leaks...
• Ticket to Ride - a great game by the makers of Settlers of Catan if you've heard of that. I don't like Settlers but I love Ticket. Aaron and I play this often, especially when we're between semesters and home more evenings.
• Lifting weights - Aaron and I go to the Y on Monday and Wednesday mornings and lift together. He's a good coach, and I'm getting stronger :). Also, a bonus, there's an awesome guy named Dick who is retired and his job is to go around the Y and talk to people while they work out. He's got a booming voice and always says stuff like "Can I help you with that?" and point to the speed buttons on the treadmill. And if it's a Monday, he'll ask if any of the "younger" people (I count in that apparently) have had a wild weekend, but if I've had a wild weekend, I doubt I'd be at the Y at 6:30... My first morning there this fall he had a shirt on that said "I get paid to talk". It was great :). I wish you could meet him.

That's all I can think of at the moment. But I'm including the recipe for my favorite soup (it's at least in my top 3). It's pretty healthy, REALLY good, and quite filling :).

Pizza Soup:
2 – 14 ½ oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 - 10 ¾ oz. cans condensed tomato soup, undiluted
2 ½ C. water
3 ½ oz. sliced pepperoni, quartered
1 med. Sweet red pepper, chopped
1 med. Green pepper, chopped
1 C. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. rubbed sage
½ tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Break
Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Simmer together until veggies are tender. Serve with garlic bread and cheese. You can also prepare like French onion soup with bread on top, topped with cheese and broiled. This cooks up great in a crock pot. Also, you can substitute V-8 for the amount of liquid in the tomato soup and water – about 40 oz. of V-8, and it doesn't taste any different. I haven’t tried Turkey pepperoni yet, that’s the next thing to try.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Wow, the weather this past weekend was enough to take your breath away. I know most of you have been experiencing the same. We went to the grocery store on Friday after work so we could just stay home over the weekend. I had to meet someone on Saturday, and we went to church on Sunday, but otherwise we stayed cozy at home. On Saturday we turned up the music and cleaned the crazy. It felt good to get the house in order. That's always the best feeling to be in your just-cleaned house knowing you've bought a little time until you have to do it again :).

Also, so sad about the Packer game yesterday. Yes, I am first and foremost a Bears fan, but I live in Wisconsin and married a Packer fan and so we cheer for them as well. We had students over to watch the game (about 15 or so came plus our staff team), and if you could have heard the roar when the Giants missed that field goal with 4 seconds left. Oh, and we also hooked up the video projector that we use for our weekly meetings and watched the game in a 5 foot by 5 foot picture on our basement wall :). Can I just say again how grateful I am (we are) for this house. It is such a blessing to have the room to have students over. I've just loved it.

Classes begin tomorrow - it was good to see the students last night and today. We met with our student leaders to get some planning done today. I'll keep you posted on how the start of the semester goes!

Birthday Trip

So here's my 3 best friends from high school. We were pretty inseparable. And even with jobs and husbands and kids, we continue to get together whenever we can and decided that this year, since we all turn shmlirty - oh, my hand must've slipped :) - we should do a celebratory trip. And because one of us is pregnant, and we'll be getting Jee in a few months, sooner was better than later. This past weekend we went into Chicago together and had a great time! Mostly, we went out to eat and shopped - all in all a good time, I think! So happy birthday ladies!

Update on Ben

Thanks for praying for Ben. He wasn't doing well at all heading into this past weekend. He hadn't eaten in a week and was deteriorating. But then Elizabeth reported on Monday that he got up, ate, and was walking around the house. Pretty miraculous, I'd say! I was so excited to read that. So thanks for praying, and I'll keep you updated.

Now we wait

Hi! Well it's been a long time since I've posted! We had a great Christmas with our families. From there we went up to our Christmas conference (TCX - Twin Cities Experience) which is a 4 day conference in Minneapolis. We had 70 students from the campus go - the most we've ever had! It was an amazing time. There were moments when the presence of the Lord was so sweet. It's a great time (for staff and students) to connect with the Lord and has always been one of my favorite things in the year.

On our way up to the conference, we stopped at our adoption agency to drop off the paperwork to officially start the process to adopt Jee. As far as I can tell, the paperwork should have arrived in Korea on or near the 1st. So I'm starting our 12-14 week wait time there - we have 1 week done :).

Also, I had asked for prayer for Ben a little while ago. Here's a recent update from their blog:
"We have all been sick with a flu like virus. Ben is really sick. His o2 [oxygen] level is in the low 50s. He says that he can't see again and that he is scared. He hasn't eaten anything in three days. He just sleeps all day. Please pray for him to feel better and to see better again."
If you could continue to pray for little Ben, I would greatly appreciate it, and I know his family would as well.

Special Christmas Gift

As Christmas quickly approaches, we have a special gift to tell you about. We got a call last week about a 6 month old baby girl from Korea. So we prayed for a week and this past Monday started the process to adopt her! We're really excited! The paperwork should take 12-14 weeks to process, and so hopefully we'll go mid-March to pick her up. She's such a cutie. I'm so sorry I can't get the pictures to post. They came in a document form, and I'm not super technically inclined to change that. But I'll work on it and try to get them posted soon. Her name is Jee Eun, which we'll keep for her middle name. For now we call her "Baby Jee" until we find a first name. So just wanted to pass on the news! We're really excited and can't wait to meet her!

If I don't get a chance to post in the next few days - Merry Christmas!

Please Pray for Ben

Those of you who followed our journey a year ago with Payton remember us mentioning the friends we met, Mat and Elizabeth, who were at Mayo for their son Ben who was born with half a heart and they adopted from Korea. They were part of the reason we started to pray about adoption. Anyway, this summer and fall, Ben was having problems, and at this point, there's nothing medically they can do to fix those problems. So Ben is now on hospice. So if you could just pray for Ben and for Mat and Elizabeth. Along with the stress and sadness of having a sick child, there's other very stressful things in their life at the moment as well. If you could just pray for them, we'd really appreciate it. My heart is so heavy for Elizabeth, but I know how the Lord sustained us and how he can sustain them as well.
We love you all, the Joneses

Let it snow...

December has come to say hello, a few times... We got 6 inches of snow on Saturday and more yesterday (I don't know how they officially measure, but it was about 5 inches on the ground?). So we've already got huge shovel/plow piles all over. I like it when I can be inside and watch it gently fall. Yesterday I had to be out in it - messy roads, brush off the car, walk through slush, brush off the car again, shovel... I was crabby :). So now we're supposed to get more tomorrow! Welcome winter I guess.

But I am loving all the Christmas lights and Christmas music and Christmas goodies :). We got the tree up last week, and I made some treats on Saturday (peanut butter balls, which I remember my mom making when I was little, and oreo truffles - my new favorite I think). Last weekend was our first home in 3 weeks; so it was SO GOOD to be home and go to church and do laundry.

It has been super busy the last few weeks. We've had a lot going on on campus. We're doing Christmas outreaches this week, and I'm just trying to get everything wrapped up (or start things and wrap them up) by the end of next week. The students have finals the following week.

We had a great Thanksgiving. We were at Aaron's family's house - fun to hang out and play games. Aaron went hunting the weekend before Thanksgiving and the Friday after. He did not get a deer, but he did get a speeding ticket. Maybe we should have gotten a picture with that instead... So overall, life is busy lately but good. We have not heard a word lately about adoption, and therefore the wait continues.

PS - If anyone is interested in the oreo truffles (which do not require any black beans :) ) you just take one normal size package of double stuffed oreos (I just made them with the regular, and I think you need more frosting to get it to mix well) and put the whole cookies (frosting and all) in the food processor until they're totally crushed and all crumbs. Then you mix the crushed cookie with a softened, 8 oz. package of cream cheese. Chill that mixture and then roll into small balls. Then chill or freeze those and dip into chocolate. They're really easy to make and oh so tasty! For me, they've made about 5-6 dozen (and mint oreos are very good as well).