the big news (a video)

In July (and what seems like a hundred years ago, we found out we were expecting not one baby, but TWO.  And as much as we wanted to share the news with our parents, we wanted it to be creative and special.

So after coming up with a plan, we set out to share the news.  Both sets of parents received the packages that enclosed the information within a day of each other.  Jason's parents skyped with us late one evening (American time) and were wide awake.  My parents drew the short stick and skyped with us early the next morning.  My mom certainly wishes she'd known then that it was being videoed, as she was all decked out in her robe!

Despite some shady internet in some places and a few sleepy parents, we were so happy we caught in on video and wanted to put it together so we could always remember their reactions!  So, if you are interested, here's how parents react when you tell them you are expecting TWINS.  Enjoy!



Babies from Sarah Marlin on Vimeo.


(If you have trouble viewing this, you can click this link and see it directly on Vimeo. [Watch the Video])

five on friday.

1.  I've been sitting here for 1 hour trying to think of five things to tell you.  Obviously it's been a slow week, so today, you're only getting four!

2.  We're about ten days away from leaving India.  No- we're not coming home to America, but we are headed to Thailand to await the arrival of these babies.  We are excited about a change of scenery and unlimited hamburgers, but I'm not excited about all the packing that comes with the trip!

3.  I'm coming up on 28 weeks, and things are getting TIGHT!  Makes me wonder just how elastic skin can be!

(Warning:  Shameful self-photo below!)



4.  Max told me this week that I was fat.  I've added "a muzzle" to his Christmas list!  He really could use a filter or something!

5.  Here' s a confession... I have NEVER sent out Christmas cards!  It's my goal to do this at least one year.  If this were that year, ours might look something like this...



So if you're reading this, let's' pretend like your received this in the mail full of love from our family to yours!  Merry Christmas!

how do you celebrate?

I love Christmas.  I love the magic of it.  The way it brings families together, puts smiles on faces, and creates traditions that last a lifetime.  We love presents and blessing our boys like everyone else. The Marlin boys wake up anticipating gifts like children all over the world.  But a few years ago, we tried to change our focus so that we were more intentional about the Christmas experience in our home.  One can easily get caught up in mysterious elves that appear each morning, magical reindeer, and a jolly old soul that delivers presents to good little boys and girls!  But if you throw in a little extra effort, I think our kids can walk away from the holiday season with a renewed sense of Christ and the tiny, yet majestic Savior that  made His Bethlehem debut so many years ago.



So how do we do that?  I find myself to be easily bored with routine.  I can't seem to force myself to do the same thing every year, so we've consistently changed our celebrations the last few years... partly out of choice, and partly because we moved around the world.  So if you are looking for some ideas to spice up your holidays, here's a look backward and forwards at some of the things we've done along the way!



The first year, I was in Lifeway and saw a kit called What God Wants for Christmas.  You can see an old blog post on it here, but here's the overview.  The kit includes a series of ornaments that you open.  The ornaments are different characters that help tell the Christmas story.  It was very poetic, so I had to do LOTS of revamping.  But it got us started and the boys seemed to like it.



The second year, we moved to India, we barely managed a tree with a few presents, and we just "made it through" our first holiday alone.  (the honest truth)

The third year, I came across a link called Truth in the Tinsel.  We loved it.  I ordered the eBook which gives you a short Scripture to read together, explicit directions to make an ornament as a reminder of the story, a way to talk about the story further, and something fun at the end to help apply the story.  Although I did have to gather the supplies for each ornament, I found it easy (even in India) to substitute missing items for things I had and the results were equally as fabulous.  And it's only $7.99.  I would certainly be willing to use this kit again, but this year I just needed something a little simpler.



So that brings us to the present.  We won't actually be at our house this Christmas.  We are traveling to Thailand a few days before to await the arrival of these babies.  But I didn't want to the boys to miss out on an advent countdown.  I searched for a few days and considered quite a few things.

First, I ran across the Jesse Tree.  There are lots of options out there.  One of the most widely known was created by Ann Vonskamp.  It's based on a scripture found in Chapter 11 of Isaiah:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

Basically, the point of a Jesse Tree is that you trace the life of Jesus back to the very beginning of Creation, read portions of stories that lead up to the Christmas story, and color or cut out an ornament to place on your tree each night.  Ann Vonskamp is a beautiful writer, so descriptive and colorful, but for my two boys, it was just a little too wordy.  I wanted something that I didn't have to change and reword each night.

I also found a few other options by googling "Jesse Tree," and I found that I liked so many different pieces from different kits, so I just decided to create my own.

We love The Jesus Storybook Bible.  It's beautifully written and every story really does lead towards the coming of our Savior at Christmas.  We've already read through it twice, but it's been a year or so.  So it was the perfect base for us to use.  I found a kit that offered some free printable ornaments that somewhat match up with the stories in The Jesus Storybook Bible, and for the ones I'm missing, I'll just make up a quick, simple picture for the boys to color.



So here's what we are doing each night.  We read the day's corresponding story from The Jesus Storybook Bible.  Following that, we talk about what we can learn from the story and one of our family members prays a specific prayer that I have outlined.  And finally, we color and attach an ornament on our tree for the evening.  It doesn't take much time, much preparation, or much thought. But I have two boys who are anxious to read the next story each night, are seeing how they all weave together, and are anticipating the night when we see that Baby make His way into the world!

A look at our plan:

Day 1- Creation (Genesis 1-2) Read pages 18-27

(Ornament: Earth/Creation)

Prayer: Thank you for making the world.
Day 2- The Fall (Genesis 3) Read pages 28-37 (Ornament: Fruit Tree)

Prayer:  Keep us from doing things that You unhappy.

Day 3- The Flood (Genesis 6-9) Read pages 38-47 (Ornament: Rainbow)

             Prayer:  Thank you for keeping Your promises.

Day 4- Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) Read pages 48-55 (Ornament: Tower)

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making a Way for us to go to

Heaven.

Day 5- The Promise to Abraham (Genesis 12-21) Read pages

56-61 (Ornament: Stars in the Sky)

Prayer:  Help us to trust You to do what You say.

Day 6- Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22) Read pages 62-69

(Ornament: Ram)

Prayer: Thank you for all the ways You provide for us.

Day 7- Jacob, Rachel, and Leah (Genesis 29-30) Read pages

70-75 (Ornament: Stalks of Grain)

Prayer: Help us to remember that You love us no matter

what!

Day 8- Joseph (Genesis 37-46) Read pages 76-83 (Ornament: A Rainbow

Coat)

Prayer: Help us be kind to everyone, even when others aren’t kind to us.

Day 9- Moses and the Flee from Egypt (Exodus 3-13) Read

pages 84-91 (Ornament: A Burning Bush)

Prayer: Lord, thank you for always providing for us (ex.

Family, house, food, health, friends)

Day 10- Moses and the Red Sea (Exodus 14-15) Read pages

92-99 (Ornament: The Split Waters)

Prayer: When we feel like we have no where else to turn,

remind us You are there to lead us.

Day 11- The Law (Exodus 16-17) Read pages 100-107 (Ornament: Stone

Tablets)

Prayer:  Thank you for giving us rules to guide us.

Day 12- Joshua and Jericho (Joshua 3-6) Read pages 108-115

(Ornament: Trumpet)

Prayer: Help us to trust Your plan for our life, even when

we don’t understand it.

Day 13- David's Anointing (1 Samuel 16) Read pages 116-121

(Ornament: David the Shepherd Boy)

Prayer: Thank you for the special plans You have for

each of our lives, no matter how young or old we are.

Day 14- David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) Read pages 122-129

(Ornament: Slingshot)

Prayer: Remind us when things in life seem too big that You are bigger and more powerful than ANYTHING!

Day 15- David the Shepherd (Psalm 23, 51) Read pages 130-

135 (Ornament: Lyre)

Prayer: Thank you for the Good Shepherd, Your Son, to

watch over us and care for us.

Day 16- Naaman (2 Kings 5) Read pages 136-143 (Ornament: A Heart)

            Prayer: Thank you for healing our bodies when we are

sick and our hearts when we disobey You.

Day 17- Isaiah (Isaiah 9) Read pages 144-151 (Ornament: Crown)

Prayer: Help us to tell the our friends and family the wonderful plan that You have for them to go to heaven.

Day 18- Daniel in the Lion's Den (Daniel 6) Read pages152-

159 (Ornament: Daniel and a Lion)

Prayer: Help us to trust You and love You more than

anything else.

Day 19- Jonah (Jonah 1-4) Read pages 160-169 (Ornament: Big fish)

              Prayer: Thank you that You never stop loving us!

Day 20- The Prophets (Nehemiah 8-10) Read pages 170-175

  (Ornament: Party Hat)

  Prayer: Remind us to celebrate You and all you have done for us daily!

Day 21- John the Baptist (Matthew 3) Read pages 200-203

 (Ornament: John Baptizing Believers)

 Prayer: Forgive us for the things we do that displease

 You.  Change our hearts.

Day 22- Mary and the Angel (Luke 1-2) Read pages 176-179

 (Ornament: An Angel)

 Prayer: Thank you that NOTHING is impossible with You!

Day 23- Journey to Bethlehem (Luke 1-2) Read pages 180-

 181 (Ornament: A Donkey or a Stable)

 Prayer: Please guide us wherever we go and in whatever

 we are doing.

Day 24- The Shepherds and Wise Men (Luke 2, matt 2) Read

 pages 184-188 (Ornament: The Three Wise Men)

 Prayer: Help us to find Jesus in this Christmas season

 and remember what He did for us!

Day 25- Jesus is Born! (Luke 2) Read pages 182, 190, 192-

 198 (Ornament: Baby Jesus)

             Prayer:  Thank you for the most wonderful gift- Your Son!

And the ornament pictures I'm using came from the following link:
Healthy Family Website

There are so many fun ways to celebrate the holidays, and these are just a few ideas.  When asked to name the characters in the nativity scene this week, Max quickly identified "Baby Jesus" and "MOseph!"  So I have my work cut out for me.  Children will keep you on your toes and show you why being intentional is so important!



So how are you celebrating?  Found any great ideas on the web?  I hope this is your most memorable year yet!

five on friday.

1.  I started my Thanksgiving week with a fabulous night at a local hotel with the girls!  As if the great food, unlimited hot water showers, and soft fluffy bed weren't enough, my sweet friends gave me a surprise baby shower!  I am not usually surprised, but I had NO IDEA this was coming!  These babies actually have diapers, some clothes, and I get to do a little online shopping of my own, thanks to their graciousness.  So thankful for the sweet girls I've had the pleasure of doing life with in India.  Beth, Danielle, Emily, Katie, Sarah C., Brandy, Shanee, Christy, Bonnie, and Amy---- You are awesome!

2.  Thanksgiving is over.  This is our third holiday season to spend out of America.  Of course, we miss time with family, but we do what we can to make it special!  This year, we gathered together with our team of 13 at our house for a full spread.  It was complete with turkey rotisserie chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, carrot soufflé, deviled eggs and what seemed like a million other dishes!  I couldn't even bear to visit the dessert table after my second helping of food, but I'm sure they were equally as great!  We are so thankful for friends that double as family and opportunities to get together!











(Few photos courtesy of our teammate, Katie.)

3.  I forget sometimes some of the things our kids miss out on living outside of America, but holidays seem to bring out the most confusion for them!  Yesterday while finishing up some Thanksgiving crafts with the boys, Max asked if I'd help him with his "peacock."  While the peacock IS the national bird of India, we were actually going for a turkey!  I have so many things to teach that boy about America!



4.  And roughly one day after consuming all that food, our family has moved on to Christmas.  We won't actually be staying at home this Christmas, so we had to get a head start on all things merry and bright.  That means decorations, christmas music, and advent lessons are in full swing.  The decorations are limited because I don't want to clean up a million things.  The music includes some old favorites, as well as some new ones like Duck Dynasty's "Duck the Halls!"  And the advent lessons- I'll tell you more about what we are doing later, but we are using the Jesus Storybook Bible.  If you don't own this and have never read through it with your kids, DO IT!  I'll just bet you'll get something out of it as well.  And it makes a great Christmas gift!

(Click on the picture to be directed to Amazon.com and read more.)



5.  Have you seen this new Bible App for kids?

(Click on the picture to be redirected to the iTunes store for more information.)



Jason downloaded it for our kids a few nights ago, and they fought over it from the beginning.  It narrates a story, shows some fun interactive pictures, and even gives quizzes.  It's still very new and doesn't have many stories at this time, but it's been added to all our devices.  If you are looking for a new app to fill that time spent traveling during the holidays, I'd suggest you add this one!

Hope your Christmas is off to a wonderful start!

his words.

Our evening routine.  It's one of my favorites.  I swoon over clean little boys with pruned hands, damp, just-out-of-the-bath skin, and the sweet smell of shampoo and soap on their bodies.  They usually crawl in their cozy beds willingly-- maybe because  they get 30 minutes of uninterrupted television to wind down.  But as soon as the television timer shuts down their favorite movie, the best part begins.

We spend the next few minutes reading books together, traveling to places with our minds that only books can take us.  My boys may never have a love for reading alone, but they plead to have just one more chapter each night.  And as we close the cover, we sing a song together... an old hymn, a long-lost children's classic, or something crazy that requires me to start the calming process all over again! And then comes the highlight, the encore, the best part of my day...

They pray.  It's simple.  Sometimes routine.  Funny at times.  Short for some, long for others.  But they are their words.  Max has a bad habit of forgetting just one special thing, and he's faithful to interrupt any person that is praying when it hits him, just to be sure he doesn't forget again.  Some days they roll through familiar sentences of thanks, and other days, they offer thanks for unique gifts they saw the Lord grant throughout their day.  But sometimes, they say something that takes me totally off-guard.

A few night's ago, Jack's simple statement of thankfulness resonated in my heart long after I closed their door and climbed into my own bed.  In his sweet, boyish voice, he simply said,

"God, thank you for GIVING me a family."

I know the beauty of adoption.  I've dreamed about it, prayed about it, lived it, celebrated it, been awed by it, and a million other things.  I KNOW how much it changed his life (and ours.)  He was an orphan.  No mother.  No father.  No hope.  No joy.  The family he was born into just didn't play out like it does for most of us.  It was torn out from under him before he had completed two years of life. And as the 8-year anniversary of the first day I saw those big brown eyes draws near, those words couldn't be sweeter to hear.  I couldn't help but say my own heartfelt prayers to the Lord as I laid in the bed that evening for giving him not just any family, but OUR FAMILY. 

But those words reminded me of so much more.  They brought back memories of my own adoption.  Not an earthly adoption, as I was raised by my biological parents.  But I couldn't help but recall my spiritual adoption.  The one that I too often forget to be grateful for.  I, too, was once an orphan.  One that was lost, lacking hope, and joy.  But God gave me a family.  For free.  No strings-attached.  The most beautiful gift I've ever received, and I walk through so many days without ever stopping to utter those simple words, "God, thank you for GIVING me an [eternal] family."

My days are busy.  I wake up thinking about to-do lists, homeschooling, meals, and laundry.  I can easily make it to bed in the evening without "my adoption" in Christ making it to the surface of my heart.  But it's WHO I am.  It's the cornerstone of my life.  It's my eternal hope and joy.  And it took the words of a sleepy ten-year old boy to remind me of the beauty of that gift I was given so many years ago.  

I often stress over the overwhelming task of leading my boys spiritually.  It's daunting to think how influential my words, actions, and decisions will be along the way.  I pray that those slow, laid-back evening routines will someday lead to God-fearing men who passionately seek after Christ.  But tonight, I'm thankful for simple prayers of thanksgiving, times with my boys, and how his words change my heart for the better.

five on friday.

Well, as long as I'm back posting on the old blog, I thought I'd throw in a little five on friday!

1.  Christmas will arrive in India in 39 days.  That panicked me a little last week when I realized we had not purchased ONE gift for our boys.  Thankfully, some sweet, sweet friends helped us out.  I did a little online investigating, sent them a list, and they delivered all the gifts during a recent trip to India.  We currently have an entire basket full of gifts hidden under the bed for our boys.  They are going to be so excited!!!  Thank you again, Christy and Chad!



2. And speaking of being excited about goodies... another American friend was visiting our city last week and came armed with possibly one of my favorite things ever... Hellman's!



I was completely OUT, prior to his visit.  And Hellman's for me is equivalent to oxygen for others.  Maybe this jar will get me through a few weeks!

3.  The weather is changing in Bhopal.  I've tried to explain our seasons, or lack there of, before in this post, but we are now entering what I'd refer to as our Fall/Winter.  Our temps are hitting the highs in the upper 70's/lower 80's.  That's a far-cry from the warm temperatures we experience most of the year.  This week, I actually voluntarily turned off the AC in our room, and we are currently sleeping under only the fan.  This is definitely my favorite  time of year in India!

4.  With changing weather comes a slight change in our wardrobe.  Last week, my boys sported their first pair of blue jeans of the season.  What is it about a few yards of denim that can add years to the look of a little boy?  It's almost too much for me every year.  There's a small possibility that my boys are actually growing up, but I'm refusing to believe that and blaming it all on those pants they are wearing!

5.  Thank you so much for all the sweet comments and congratulations on our fun news of expecting twins!  We are thrilled, and I promise to throw in more details in the coming months!

coming soon.

13 years ago, we pledged our lives to each other.



And after many years of prayer, tears, and heartache, the Lord blessed us through the gift of adoption.



The void we once felt has been replaced with full days of love and laughter.



And just when we thought it couldn't get any better...



Our family is about to grow again.



But this time, we are getting two for the price of one.



Coming soon:  TWINS!
March 2014