our adoption story.

We are very excited to share what the Lord has been doing in our lives the past few weeks. However the story does not start there. About six months ago God started placing people in our lives that had adopted. It was great to have some first hand information and to see where God would one day take us. So we decided to contact a local agency about more information on adoption. We received a packet from the agency and after reading it felt a peace about waiting, saving and letting God tell us when to move. We continued to feel such a peace about waiting and knew we were where God wanted us. In January I started a new job at a local church where multiple people had adopted and I continued to hear first hand how God used adoption in these families lives. In February I started to feel God change my heart; I started to have major baby fever. I had a longing for a baby to love. I just knew God was teaching me patience because Michael and I had just discussed our plan to pay off debt to save for a baby. The plan was to save and wait for God tell us when, however we were prepared for a few years down the road. But God was preparing our hearts for something bigger.

On Friday, February 22, We received a call from my OBGYN, who knew our situation and desire to adopt, that he had a patient in labor who wanted to give her child up for adoption. As I heard him say these words I couldn't help but to cry. I immediately called Michael who was stunned, as was I. We were not prepared for this, but this is what wanted, a baby. We had not planned on this time, but if was God's time then it was perfect and we decided to do anything and everything in our power to chase this child and make it ours. My doctor informed us that he had contacted us and two other families and the birth mom wanted to meet each family and make her decision from there. We just started praying and calling on others to pray with us. I talked with my boss who prayed for us and suggested I contact a lady in their church who ran an adoption agency, the same one we had previous contacted. After speaking with her and knowing legally we hadn't been open to adopt this would only happen by the hand of God. So we prayed more. We were broken before the Lord not knowing what was going to happen but our desire was to be completely obedient no matter the cost.

We met with the adopt agency and the birth mother on Saturday morning and within 2 hours we received the call that she had chosen us. We both cried and just sat in silent awe of God. He had given us the desire of our heart. We had no idea how we were going to afford the adoption or live month to month, but we knew we were in the center of God's will. It was then we decided to name our baby girl Vivienne Grace Moon. Vivienne means alive and Grace means an unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration and sanctification. That is Vivienne, she is Alive by his Grace. We got to meet our baby girl for the first time that evening. She was healthy and beautiful and our hearts were overjoyed. We spent the next few days doing everything we could to speed up the adoption process. We filled out paper work and gathered documents for 2 straight days. We were originally told that she would need to stay in the NICU for about a week because she was congested and that made it difficult for her to take a bottle. However we received a call Monday that she was ready for a "room in" and then to be released on Tuesday. We knew the paperwork and background checks wouldn't be done by then, not to mention home studies. But we had peace about her going into the agency's "cradle care" until everything was done. Monday evening we did the first part of our home study then packed our bags to stay with our baby girl for the first time. It was great to spend all that time with her, bonding. The next morning our adoption specialist came with the lady that would keep Vivienne until our child maul treatment check came back clear. The agent told us she was trying to expedite the child maul treatment background check but they wouldn't do it and it would take 7-10 days. We had a peace knowing that our baby would get the best care and she was right down the road and we could see her anytime we wanted. We started packing her bag and getting the car seat ready to hand her off to the cradle care family. Then our agent stepped back in the room and told us, "well I guess he didn't want to hear from me every day so you can take her home!" They expedited the background checks and we were clear and legal to take her home!

 The Lord kept exceeding our expectations. We knew one day, when the time was right he would bless us with a child, but we had no idea it would be in this surprising, wonderful way. We knew he could move mountains  but we couldn't imagine how quickly and perfectly he could. He revealed so much about himself and ourselves during this process. We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he was calling us to be obedient. He knew we wanted a baby and he was giving it to us, but we had to be completely obedient and be willing to fully surrender. Surrender our financially comfortable life, my job, objects and things, our complete selves. And we did. We came to the ends of ourselves and he met us there. He has given us a wonderful birth mother to our child. A lady who is not only beautiful outside, but in. A unique relationship where we have been able to share his name and constantly pray for her and encourage her along this journey. Our prayer now is that we give him all the glory. That people know how faithful, how bold and how gracious our God is. We pray that we can give Vivienne that life that her birth mother wanted for her.  We pray she knows our Savior in a personal way. We pray she is a blessing to him and dedicates her life to him. We also pray that one day she will be able to write out her testimony and send it to her birth mother. We pray she impacts the world.

Although she is home with us we still need your support. You can first and foremost pray for our family. Pray that God will give us wisdom as we continue in the process and raise this baby girl. You can "Like" our facebook page "Alive by Grace" (just look for the Sweet Moon Baby Book picture) for updates and information on fundraisers. You can give to our paypal account michael.s.moon@gmail.com saying "donation." We still have adoption cost that need to be covered so Vivienne can be forever ours. We pray and know through faith he will provide exactly what we need, when we need it. Once our sweet baby girl is forever ours we will be able to post more pictures that will actually show her face. 

First family photo

 

He was curious but excited about his new baby sister

He is totally smitten over his sister

Thank you to those of us that have supported us, words can never express how much it means to us. We give God all the glory for gives us this precious life. 

Lindsey

happy birthday Jesus and holiday treats.

Last Saturday my mom, sister and I made holiday treats. There is nothing better then homemade gifts, especially when they are covered in chocolate! There was fudge, s'mores mix, brownies, peanut clusters and more! My favorite are peanut cluster. They are easy and the recipe makes a lot!

Peanut Clusters

You will need:

2 pounds of dry roasted peanuts (1/2 salted 1/2 unsalted)

48 ounces of white chocolate almond bark

4 ounces of sweet German chocolate

10-12 ounces of dark chocolate chips (you can substitute with milk chocolate)

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours. Then turn off crockpot and let sit for 20 minutes. Stir mixture completely. Drop by tablespoon full onto wax or parchment paper. Let it cool and harden. Store in airtight container or ziplock bag.

Making memories in the kitchen.

While things were cooling we threw the kids a Happy Birthday Jesus party! We made salt dough ornaments with cookie cutters and they had a blast painting them. Then we read the Christmas Story, colored a nativity sheet, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and dug into some cupcakes! My sister got the kids veggietales coloring books. They had a wonderful time. Michael and I knew we wanted to make a Happy Birthday Jesus Party a family tradition since we don't celebrate Santa Claus. We wanted Gavin to focus on the true Christmas story and that everything is about Jesus. He is starting to get it but is still constantly focused on presents.  He is understanding the idea that God gave us the ultimate present on Christmas by giving us his Son and it melts my heart. 

The difference in how boys and girls eat.

Be sure to find time during this season to slow down, spend time with your family and make memories. And squeeze the kids in your life a little tighter. 

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, 

for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

hair.

Let's switch gears for a moment and talk about hair. My hair and I have had our ups and downs, trust me. I like to switch things up with my hair so I normally fluctuate between short and long, brown and blonde.  I recently settled on the bob length again and love it. I feel like this style really suits my features and personality, plus it gets lots of compliments. I give lots of credit to my hairstylist who can really grasp what I want and products! I've had people ask me what products I use so I thought I would share.

During all the ups and downs with my hair I really discovered, that for me, starting with a great base really shows great results. Shampoo and Conditioner. I love Bed Head. It really works best with my hair and has given me desired results. I rotate between Self Absorbed and Moisture Manic. Plus they smell amazing!

I always use a thickening spray or root booster before I dry. I have two that are my favorite; Catwalk Root Boost and BedHead Queen For A Day. You don't need both, just one will do. Just spray onto your roots around your crown and part before you dry for some added volume.

Then I roll my crown with Velcro rollers. These things are such a gem and wish I had been using them for years! They add lots of volume to my hair and cut down on styling time. I normally let those set for a while. After I remove those I just run my fingers through my hair and do a few touch ups here and there with a straighter. Finally I add some Osis Dust IT to the roots around my crown. This is a volumizing texturizer that has become my hairs best friend! It adds volume and holds it there. You can either apply directly to the root or add a little to your fingertips then rub in the roots while pulling the hair up for added volume. Then add a little hairspray and done.

So those are my secret go to products. Every hair type is different, so just play around and see what works for you. Be sure to leave a comment with some of your "go to products" for others to try. 

"The hair is the richest ornament of women."  -Martin Luther 

thankful.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to slow down and reflect on things we are thankful for. We all have lots to be thankful for and this year one thing really stands out. This year I am very thankful to have my husband alive and by my side.

On April 25 my husband went out to dinner with his best friend, Josh. He got home about 9:45. 20 minutes later we received a text from Josh's wife, who was working the night shift at the hospital, that she couldn't get him to answer his phone and she was beginning to worry. Josh had been diagnosed with diabetes a month earlier and his wife was beginning to worry that something could have happened to him. Michael dropped Josh off at his house just 20 minutes before so we all began to think something was wrong. Michael headed back over to Josh's house to give every one a piece of mind. When he arrived he called Laura and began knocking on the door. After he received no response he began to knock on the windows. He even knocked on the windows by there bed...still no response. Michael then talked with Laura and she suggested knocking the door down because she feared something was really wrong. So he set the phone down and began to knock the door in. After a few kicks Michael heard some loud pops and felt some pressure. As he looked down he realized he had been shot in the chest. He yelled at Josh who opened the door. Laura recalls hearing loud noises then hearing Michael say, "Tell Lindsey I love her."

I told Michael I would stay up until he got back. I knew enough time had passed for him to be at Josh's house so I texted him. My text was followed by a phone call. Michael called and I was not expecting what I heard. I heard lots of noise then Michael's voice got stern and very direct as he instructed me. He told me Josh shot him and I needed to meet them at the hospital. He gave me specific instructions to tell Gavin he loved him everyday and that no matter what to never forget how much he loved me. I can not describe the feeling in my stomach. It just felt so unreal. I kept asking him where he was shot and he refused to tell me. He just kept saying "It's not good." Later Michael told me that he knew he would never see me at the hospital. He knew being shot on the left side of his chest and coughing up blood that this was the end. So He just talked to God, not pleading, just ready to see his Father.

As I was preparing to head to the hospital I received a call from Josh apologizing and telling me Laura arranged medflight to pick Michael up. At this moment I still wasn't sure where he had been shot. The race was on. I had to see my husband and have that assurance before he got on the helicopter. We arrived right as they were loading him onto the helicopter. I ran down the service  road yelling "That's my husband!" over and over. I got to see him responsive and smiling. A nurse even told me he was going to make it! phew! Just what I needed to hear.

Upon arrival at the hospital every one was stunned that he was the gunshot victim. He vitals were perfect and he was responsive. The bullet grazed his pericardium (the sac containing the heart), hit "something" and pierced his right lung. They inserted a chest tube to drain the blood off his lungs. No doctor or surgeon could explain what the bullet hit to make it change direction and pierce his right lung. It was a miracle. A miracle from the Most High. The Holy Spirit changed the direction of the bullet and saved my husbands life! The Holy Spirit also gave me a peace that really does pass all understanding. I had no idea how I was functioning or even not freaking out! It was very unlike me. Michael went home from the hospital a few days later and went back to work the following Monday!

We realize God performed this miracle for his glory. We were able to share his miracle and his workings in our lives to detectives, surgeons, doctors, nurses and visitors. Our God is still alive and working miracles! And he wants his people to share for his glory! The Lord saved my husband for a purpose and used our family for his glory.

I am very thankful to have my husband alive and that we are able to share all these moments together! This Thanksgiving I am extra thankful.

You can see the bullet on the left of the picture lodge in a rib sitting right above his liver.

A few weeks later at Baby Akers' gender reveal party. 

Oh did I mention she was 18 weeks pregnant when this all went down

There is no place we'd rather be then right in the center of the Lord's will.

favorite thanksgiving dish.

With Thanksgiving less than a week away I find myself thinking, wishing, dreaming of the food. The glorious spread of food that usually only comes around this time of year. I think back over many Thanksgiving meals and try to decide what my favorite dish is...or at least the one I am looking forward to most! There are too many to just pick one! I always love my Mamaw's dressing. After she got too frail to make it my aunt would do it, with Mamaw's supervision of course. It's the best! Although she will not be joining us this Thanksgiving my Mom and I will be attempting to recreate it, but I'm already prepared that it will not taste the same. However, her pumpkin pies will be there! She taught me that recipe and I do it way better than my Mom! :) So I am definitely looking forward to that. Just to bring a little piece of her to our table while she's feasting at the King's table.

Besides the pies, my favorite part would either be the Yams or Hash Brown Casserole. However this year my Mom and I decided to try a sweet potato-pecan casserole. I'm quiet excited about it. Since it is one of my favorite dishes I thought I would share my Mom's Hash Brown Casserole recipe:

Hash Brown Casserole

1 2lb bag of frozen Hash Browns
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1 or 2 cups shredded cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted (yes that's a whole stick)
1 cup crushed Corn Flakes (enough to cover the top of the dish)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a large bowl, mix together the frozen hash browns, onion, cream of chicken soup, sour cream and cheese. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the corn flakes on top and pour melted butter on top of the dish.

3. Bake in oven for 30-45 mins, until the cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!

What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? What are you looking forward to most? Leave a comment and let me know! Share some of your favorite dishes. Don't keep them to yourselves, let us enjoy with you!