Day 3,338

The Third Year With Our Bub!

He’s THREE!!!

October 31 and we all know what that means: ADOPTION DAY (and special donuts!)!!!!!!!

It was just three short years ago in the foyer of our church, that the five (now 6) of us officially became a family, following a phone call with a judge in Washington who gave his own congratulations in his declaration that Bearett John Conley was indeed our own son! We were brimming with emotion and thanksgiving unlike we’d ever experienced. The sweetest, most life-changing and beautiful earthly transaction happened that day: a picture of the gospel so vividly realized. My heart rejoices. A child chosen into a family. By no merit of his own. Loved inexpressibly by the father and given all the riches of inheritance as an heir. A new name. A new family. A new life. Rescued from the constraints of sin and given freedom and security in righteousness. 

Adoption. 

Oh, what a glorious thought!

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 

5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  (Ephesians 1:3, NASB)

The Lord brought Bearett into our lives not long after the news of his life was realized in my sister’s womb. From the earliest of days, we prayed for endurance and perseverance even through the most difficult of times, and God did honor those prayers and my sister’s striving to provide. I love you dearly, Morgan.

 He wouldn’t become our son until he was four, but from that first conversation with my sister, he was loved in a capacity that went far beyond his place in our lives as a nephew. Bearett’s ties to Adam and I already ran so personal and so deep that when the opportunity came, we knew immediately that this specific boy would have an immediate and permanent place in our family. 

And we’ve only looked forward since. Our Bubba has seamlessly entered our family and found his rightful place as eldest sibling and shepherd to his girls. He has assumed the role of leader, has maintained his tenderheartedness, and has shared his love and trust with us in a way only a son could do. 

We are absolutely crazy about this crazy little boy. He has changed our lives and hearts forever and we are thankful in ways inexpressible to the Lord for preserving his sweet little life and bringing him into ours. Our God is merciful and so kind and we are in awe of His provision and mighty work in bringing Bearett to us. 

This year’s Adoption Day fell on a Saturday—I can’t imagine a more fun way to celebrate than with donuts and baseball!

GO Brother!!

And not only donuts and baseball, but the park too!

Oh, what a fun and sweet life!

Bitsy agrees too!

And Fall Festival is (usually) like the cherry on top! (Although this year, between the cancelling of Fall Festival and some consequences of Bub’s sin, we didn’t quite fully enjoy our October 31st evening)

Regardless, we enjoyed such a full and exciting day and capped it all off with the opening of a special card Amelia picked out for Bearett that all of us wrote in. And now that Bear can read, he got to personally read all our notes to him for the first time ever! It was the perfect way to end our most special of days. 



I love you more than you could ever know, my sweet sweet son. You are such a precious gift to me and I look forward with prayer and great anticipation to the day that you look me in the eyes and declare that not only have you been adopted once, but that you’ve been adopted TWICE by the King of Love himself. 

The King of love my shepherd is,

Whose goodness faileth never.

I nothing lack if I am His,

And He is mine forever. 

Where streams of living water flow,

My ransomed soul He leadeth;

And where the verdant pastures grow,

With food celestial feedeth. 

Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,

But yet in love He sought me;

And on His shoulder gently laid,

And home, rejoicing, brought me. 

In death's dark vale I fear no ill,

With thee, dear Lord, beside me;

Thy rod and staff my comfort still,

Thy cross before to guide me. 

And so through all the length of days,

Thy goodness faileth never;

Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise

Within Thy house forever.

The King of Love My Shepherd is 

by H. W. Baker (1868)

Happy Adoption Day, Bearett John Conley!!!!!