NEW BLOG!!!!

We have moved our blog.  Follow us at www.herndonlife.com for all the latest Herndon family updates.

Another Adventure!

  The future of the Herndon home will be expanding soon!  We have begun the journey of adoption and are very excited with anticipation of when God will bless us with a child.  This is not a new thought for us as a family, Drew back in college had the compassion for adoption & Carolyn has been open for quite some time as well.  Even after getting married we talked about adoption being an option for us if we could not have our own biological children.  God has blessed us with two amazing children and yet we still have the heart tugging to adopt and expand our family.

  We began our current journey in February of this year (2012) on a date night over dinner.  With both of us having younger siblings we have discussed many times the size of our family.  The Bible leads us to visit the orphan and widow in their affliction, James 1:27 and we both know that there are many children whom are orphaned throughout the world.  We began talking about what it would look like to adopt and where would we even start?  How much will this cost; can we afford to adopt; do we adopt domestically or internationally; are we open to any child regardless of race; how will our current two take this?  We made a resolution to spend time praying about these questions and many more.

  Since this time God has clearly shown both of us that He is calling us to adopt a child.  We have met with Bethany Christian Services for an introduction to their organization.  We heard about BCC through a conference we attended this past spring and after researching them.  God has laid on our heart to adopt an infant domestically regardless of race.  We have begun talking with both our children about adding another child to our family and Rhodes is really excited and wants another sibling, Piper just smiles!  It is our desire not to go into debt through the journey and have begun looking for grants and interest free loans.  Through this we have learned some about the "Bush Tax Cuts" that expire December 31st.  One of these is the Adoption Tax Credit for those who adopt a child, this credit would help us tremendously yet it is set to expire unless renewed.  We have contacted our congressman about our support of this tax cut and hope many others will as well.

  Today we are working through the steps and know that the journey ahead is one that will bring us closer to God, as He has adopted us into His family, and to a child in need of a home.  We are asking for prayers and support through this journey as there will be some ups and downs, we know that every step God will be given glory.

Costumes and Candy

 Sweet time together on Sunday morning before church.  They love each other so much.

 Spidey costume just for fun.  He used "his" money to buy this really cool web shooter.  In order to use it he needed to also wear his Spiderman costume.

 Rhodes was Woody and Piper was a cute little monkey for Halloween.  They loved going to a few houses to get special treats.

Fall

Fall is here.  Rhodes had a Harvest Party at school Friday with a pumpkin patch, hayride, games, and face painting.  He absolutely loved every minute of it.  

 Aunt Bonnie made this adorable jumper for Piper.  She got so many compliments on it at church.

 They are so sweet to each other. Rhodes adores his sister!

Catching Up- September

We have had a very busy month which means the blog was the last thing on the list to get done.  Here are a few pictures from our September happenings.  

 We spent Labor Day in TX where Rhodes got his birthday present from GiGi and PaPa.  He played with it from the moment he unwrapped the box until we had to pack it up to bring it home.  He loves it!

 Piper enjoyed playing in the kennel with Belle and as you will see in other pictures below, she really likes playing in the kennel with Belle.

 We started a saving system for Rhodes.  He has 3 banks to split his money between.  Save, Spend, Tithe

 Piper is now big enough to climb in the little red rocking chair and is so very proud of herself.

 Saturday morning play time in the kennel for both kids.

Rhodes 4th Birthday

Rhodes celebrated his 4th birthday with some big gifts.

 His new puppy Belle.

 A new Lightning McQueen bike.

 more presents and money!

First Day of School

This sweet little guy started back to school this week, he is slowly getting used to the early mornings and wearing a uniform.

Beach Trip - Tybee Island

We spent a fun and relaxing week on Tybee Island with family.  Lots of pictures below.

 playtime on a rainy day.  PaPa enjoyed working puzzles with Rhodes and Kenadie.

 We took a day trip to Aiken, SC where GiGi grew up.  We enjoyed a yummy Carolina BBQ lunch with Cousin Lee while we were there.

 

 We took a Historical Trolley tour of Savannah, which was a lot of fun for the kids.  Rhodes loved being on the train.

 After a lunch at the Pirate's House we walked the streets of Savannah and made our way to the Savannah Candy Kitchen.

 The kids all loved being at the beach and getting to play with each other.

  

 For Drew's birthday we ate at the Crab Shack where the kids were able to feed the alligators.

 birthday dinner

 blue crab found on the beach