He turns a no into a yes...over and over again

Over a year ago we began asking the Lord to show us what He was stirring up in our hearts.  We had no idea what it was but we both knew it was something.  We prayed we would be available to hear His word and be willing to be led by the Holy Spirit.  We had no idea where He would take us.  We could never have imagined it would be where it is.  And we are so deeply thankful for the journey with Him that has led us to where we are.  

In April we finally knew.  He had led us through prayer, tears, disappointment, friends, and family into joy, understanding, and a little girl who is our daughter.  He led across the world and through it all so we could meet a little girl who has struck so deep into our hearts that we can't not talk about her.  She brings tears of joy to my eyes daily and we are excited to finally be making great strides towards bringing her home.  

Through these last 18 months or so we have watched God do only what He can do which is work all things out for His purposes and His glory.  We've been told NO so many times.  Yet nothing can thwart that which God desires and over and over He has turned those NO's into YES's.

No, she is not eligible.
No, she does not have the right medical information to qualify.
No, we can't get the right papers to be signed.
No, no, no.

The picture was painted.  It wasn't looking good.  Yet truly one by one each no became a yes.  

Yes, we were able to get the papers signed by the right person.
Yes, we were able to take her to the doctor and he was able to accurately diagnose her.
Yes, she is now eligible.

I kept getting these emails from our facilitator saying things like,
this is very big...
this is very good information...
this doesn't usually happen...
this is important and fast for our country....

And now, here we are, finally filling out our paperwork, finally having a picture of when we will get to go and meet this precious little one who has changed our lives in every way for the better.  We love her so much, our kids love her, we all pray for her daily and look forward to her being our family and us be hers.  We chose this verse to pray months ago for our daughter and each time I pray it I am struck by God's goodness.  He takes notice & isn't forgetting the injustice and evil of men.  He knows the needs of the needy and His promise is to place them in the safety for which they long.  Thankful we can be a part of Him fulfilling His promise to our little girl and also to us.  Because she is part of His plans for placing me where I long to be.  Closer to Christ and His purposes in my life.  

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,

    I will now arise,” says the Lord;

“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

The words of the Lord are pure words, 

like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. 

You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.

On every side the wicked prowl

as vileness is exalted among the children of man."

Psalm 12:5-8

And here she is, the beautiful little girl who has stolen our hearts...

trip to the dentist

We are super blessed to have a local dentist give all staff families of Andrew's job free dental work.  So, with a 4, 3, & 2 year old, we headed out to the dentist...be jealous.  But, actually, it really did go well.  All 3 got x-rays & cleanings and all 3 did great.  Anna was like a pro with x-rays considering she had done them several times already because of her skull fracture.  They all like champs relaxed in the dental chairs & got their teeth cleaned and then were sent home with fun goodie bags full of cute little tooth oriented things.  Very proud of them all!  And since then Anna has been OBSESSED with brushing her teeth.  

he wasn't a super fan of the x-rays but was still very cute sitting there.  blurry but i had to keep it.  madeline went first and did so good. she looks so big!

oh.my.goodness.

pumpkin carving

we went pumpkin patchin' in October and had a blast.  kids could basically run all over the pumpkin patch and anna loved being pulled in the wagon.  then we carved and scooped and andrew designed a rocking smiley face.  love fun family days. 

family photos

Rarely do we get a moment or two when all little faces look and smile without threats or bribery.  And even then Anna pretty much always has her thumb in her mouth.  Have I mentioned she actually asks for her thumb sometimes?  As if it isn't attached to her body.  Anyway.  This day was a general exception.  Madeline & Simeon were so cheery and running around and when I said let's take a picture they said yea!  Or at least I will choose to think of it that way.  Because it truly was an easy & fun little impromtu photo session.  

preciousness...love these babies.

hawaii

Can hardly believe it but it truly happened.  Andrew & I spent NINE days on vacation in Hawaii.  Just the two of us.  Since having babies, I think we have spent at the most 3 nights away from our kiddos together and not once gotten on an airplane to go somewhere.  About 9 years ago we decided to start saving little by little for a 10 year anniversary trip.  We had no idea how thankful we would be for that!  Technically, our 10th anniversary is June 21, 2013, but we decided to celebrate a little early given adoption timing and other factors.

Andrew surprised me well with this trip because I was fairly certain (and excited about) that we were going to take a trip to California and drive up the coast & enjoy that.  It was more fitting to our savings account.  However, being the incredible husband he is, he had been saving airline miles and credit card points and anything else he could manage to get us to Hawaii.  So last Christmas he surprised me with airplane tickets and a tentative plan to go the following November.  11 whole months of waiting and anticipating and the first of November this year we were off!

So, we headed off to Maui, Kauai, & Oahu with 80 degree temps and a week of sunshine.  We spent the week sleeping lots, reading, dreaming, planning, exploring, swimming, laying in the sun, hiking, taking in the beauty of Hawaii, snorkeling, enjoying a luau, eating out, talking...it was so, so nice.  We actually started AND finished conversations.  We walked holding hands in silence and enjoyed one another.  We took in the beauty of God's creation at an incredible waterfall that required 8 miles of hiking to get to.  We had the best time.  So very thankful to be married to Andrew, to live life alongside him, to raise our children together, to pursue Christ together, to be such good friends.  So very blessed.  And so very thankful.

And now, Hawaii picture overload.  Enjoy!

anna & the ambulance

I've held this post off because I can hardly bear the pictures of my sweet little baby all hooked up in an ambulance and remember that frustrating IV that inhibited her self-soothing thumb sucking.  However, I am so incredibly thankful for her precious life and how God reminds me to entrust my babies to Him both now and tomorrow, both physically and spiritually.  She is such a beautiful, God given treasure in our family and watching her life unfold brings so much joy.  So, her she is, in all the sadness...