Quote of the morning

By the way, we just discovered that Owen's issues are not just the medicine: we also have the stomach flu floating around our already infested home (Kole was up in the night and threw up 3-4 times!) But that's not why I'm posting this morning.

Kole and Owen are watching Franklin and the Green Knight about Franklin getting a baby sister. Owen randomly came up to me and said, "I gonna be nervous when my baby sister comin and she wipe poop on my nose." I started cracking up laughing to which Owen responded, "No! I not funny!"

I'm still laughing, little man, just a little more quietly. What in the world is going on in that little mind of his?!?

What a week/the Great Composer

This week has been filled with many ups and downs. Frankly, I have many good reasons for not having blogged. The two hugest (yes, I'm sure that's not a word) are that I can't stop checking the three families' blogs that have been in Ethiopia picking up their little ones this week AND I've been to the doctor three times (and, consequently, the pharmacy four times) since last Saturday. Even with Karl and my best efforts, the whole family contacted strep. Well, except Owen, but since he was on augmentin (another antibiotic) for a nasty ear infection, he's safe anyway. Then, there's the whole Owen-can't-stop-having-diarrhea-and-vomiting-from-the-strong-antibiotic-thing. That one may be worse than all the actual strep floating around our house. Ah well. Such is life, and while, I must admit, my anxiety has been a little rough lately, I do feel really thankful that at least we have doctors and medicine that will, at some point, make us well!

Now, I'm going to do a 180 degree topic change. I've been trying much harder to be faithful about my Beth Moore Jesus study. I figure I really need Jesus at this point in my life (I guess, though, when don't I?!?) so maybe it would help to make myself a little more available to be led. Ha! ANYWAY, so I have been reminded as of late how simply AMAZING God is at the details. Now, I'm sure there are hundreds and hundreds of times in my personal life alone where I don't see the big picture and how God has worked everything out for His glory. However, the amount of times when He does "peel back the heavens" and give me a little glimpse of His grand design makes me beyond thankful. He is so good at orchestrating things!!! Like the time this week when Karl and I were having a "discussion" and I was reminded of something that had happened earlier that I'd wanted to do and hadn't felt the right timing...and then, after some amazing prayer and repentence time (on my part!) together...the timing couldn't have been more perfect. Or our new friends, the Carpenters, and the story of how they ended up with their two precious children that are, probably at this very moment, sleeping in their own beds for the first time (I don't know if I can divulge the details since it is such an intimate thing, but trust me, it's beautiful!). Or, another adoption story, how our friends Adam and Carrie had dreams about these three children they would be bringing home from Africa (they had only agreed to two, God!) and how, low and behold, Homeland Security made a mistake on their approval and here is Abraham...even complete with an "A" first name to go with the rest of the clan! There are so many stories like these. "Coincidences" that are way too perfect to be only that; rather, they are perfect stories that have been mapped out by the master designer. Oh, let me do one more example from the Bible: have any of you studied the Jewish feasts? Oh my goodness! The way that these feasts, ordained thousands of years ago by God, were so perfectly fulfilled in the person of Jesus and His life (and death) here on earth. If you haven't, there's an AMAZING study for you to do.

So, you get the point. I had prayed that God would give me something to ignite my passion again for Him. How can this not do it? He is SO incredible. HE LOVES US SO MUCH! That's why he composes these great symphonies...his great love for us. So, I guess the real question is, why don't I trust him more?

Good ole strep

I wish I had Karl take a picture of the back of my throat, but, for the more squeemish of my reading audience, it's probably better he did not. Needless to say, it's red and filled with spots and puss pockets. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have strep throat. And not just ANY strep throat, the worst sickness I've had since kids, and maybe longer than that. I know that because since becoming a mommy 6/12 years ago, I've always been able to "suck it up" and mother (albeit begrudgingly at times) despite my illness. Today this has not been the case. However, after spending $100 on an urgent care visit, some juice and soup, and a prescription (and some great parenting by my dear husband), I think I'm on the road to recovery. This is good news, since Karl is now complaining of some redness. I wonder if that kissing two nights ago was really worth it?!? Ah well, the things we do for love :)

And now--hopefully!--the real waiting begins

Hi everyone! I am writing as all of our paperwork (aka dossier) makes its way via that beautiful (okay, maybe not so beautiful) UPS truck towards Virginia and the America World headquarters. Yes, you heard right: our dossier is done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am. I say "I" simply because it's one of those weeks for Karl (work-related commitments four nights of the week on top of everything else) so we haven't communicated that much, I'm sorry to say. I'm sure he's thrilled, too, but we would both admit that while our family is in this together, I've taken the bull by the horns. We joke--truthfully--that our infant daughter would be eight by the time Karl got everything done for the adoption. I hope this doesn't communicate a lack of enthusiasm, just some realism about the organizational gifting of our dynamic duo. ANYWAY, we're done, we're done, we're DONE. There is just a little bitty piece of me that hates to say that until we hear from America World that it all looks good to go, but I'll try to have more faith! Thanks to everyone for their prayers. I'll update more as soon as Duni (our new family coordinator) lets up know if there are anymore updated timeframes now that the paperwork is in.

On another note, an America World family just received a referral for an infant girl today. This is the first news in this department since the referrals mid-October, so it is thrilling, both for Mel and Steve and the rest of us, that things may be moving again. GOD IS SO GOOD!

(The above "We're almost done!" pic was taken by our precious Kole since Daddy didn't get home until around 11 p.m and we dropped the package off to UPS around 6. Do you see the exhaustion in my face? I think I've gained at least 3 dozen new gray hairs over the last four months :) Just kidding...just two dozen. Thanks, Kole. He's a pretty terrific photographer for a four-year-old standing on a barstool! I just wish you could see from the picture just how thick the stacks really were!)

PRAISE!

I think I've just resigned myself to the fact that these days I won't be blogging as much as I'd like. There's just too much to do!!! However, tonight, at 11:35 while Karl's watching National Treasure II, I can't resist as we've gotten two pieces of very big news.

First, (and this isn't one of the two pieces) our first t-shirt order went REALLY well. Thanks to my aunt and uncle's generosity with printing, we made over $500.00!!! The shirts look great! We are in the process of putting together another order and plan to get it to Three Cord for printing in the next week or two. This may be our last order, but you never know :) The above picture is from yesterday's pizza and movie night with Grandma and Grandad proudly wearing our shirts.

Second, WE GOT OUR I-171H in on December 31st!!!! This is huge. Originally, we thought this would come in February, so to get it on New Year's Eve was such a blessing. Now, I am frantically trying to get the last couple of things notarized and last reference letter in hand to send everything to the state department at the beginning of the week for certification of all our notarized documents. When these come back (should be in about 1 1/2 weeks), we'll have the final picture pages and copies done to send our dossier to America World, the Embassy...and Ethiopia! This will end the main portion of our "paper pregnancy" and will begin the months and months of waiting for that referral call. We're so close!!!

Lastly, we got a call from Lifesong for Orphans (formerly Life International) with word that we have been accepted to receive tax-deductible gifts from family and friends AND Lifesong is giving us a significant matching grant for money that people give!!! This is SO amazing. While we've applied for several grants, the fact that we're requesting a single, healthy infant girl from Ethiopia...I just didn't expect much, if anything. Again, WHAT A BLESSING. I always felt in my heart that God would provide...though I didn't know how...and this was just a piece of that puzzle.

Thanks for all your prayers. I've thought much in the last few days how smoothly everything has been going for us (very strange for an international adoption) and wondered what part of this is due to everyone's prayers. There is still such a long way to go, but I am as convinced as ever that God is walking beside us every step of the way and will continue to be faithful, even though we don't know what that will look like specifically. We're hoping to get a letter out in the next two weeks (on top of everything else!) sharing our hearts/adoption journey and FAQ. We are hoping it will shed a lot of light on where God has led us to this point. Blessings to all!!!!! We'll tell you when the dossier is in the mail! :)