What's Next...

Wow, it blows my mind to think about what God may be doing next in our family. He really does have the best intentions and plans for us, far better than we ever expected for ourselves.

Timothy was our miracle adoption, in so many ways. With three older children already, we just were not good candidates for a private infant adoption, as many birthmothers, I am told, tend to chose parents with fewer kids for their babies, and that is with the agencies that even allow infant adoption with more than 2 children in the home. Some do chose large families, but it is not as common. And we have not had any desire or felt led to do foster adoption. So, I always joked with God that if we were to have a baby in our home, He would have to literally drop one into our lap.

That is exactly what happened with Timothy. He was the unexpected, miraculous, much-desired baby for this mother's arms and heart. We went through an unplanned, incredibly difficult time to get him after he was born, and really believed that it was not going to happen after all, but when it finally did...it really does feel like all the heartache and struggle was so worth it! Not to mention the incredible things God taught me about Him and myself through it. I will never forget them.



So, here we are now, 2-1/2 years after Timothy's birth, faced with the possibility that it could happen again! I have not shared this with many yet, as we are approaching the situation so cautiously right now based on past experiences, but we are in a place now of beginning to share it more openly. There are still a few months to go before this second baby's birth, and still so many things that have to fall into place, by God's hand, if it is truly to be. But, when I allow myself to get excited, I can hardly contain myself. We could have another baby in just a few months' time!

But, that does not seem to be all God is doing in our family right now. Once we know for sure about the baby, whether he or she does indeed become a part of our family or God chooses otherwise, it looks like we will start down the road of international adoption once again.

I have had my heart set on a sibling group from Philippines, one from my daughter's orphanage there, but God seems to be saying "not now" with them. Instead, he has turned our hearts to a country I said I would not adopt from, simply because of the length of time required in-country. In the way God seems to be bringing about all of our adoption journeys, he has said yes to my never. ("I will never adopt older children. I will never adopt a child with attachment issues. I will never adopt a teenager." Ha! We have done all three of those!).

Right now, it seems like such a daunting, overwhelming prospect. We know that, as in our past adoptions, this is a God-sized undertaking that He will have to bring about. In our human capacity, we just cannot do it. We do need to take care of a couple of other financial responsibilities first that He has asked us to take care of. Again, we are trusting Him to show us the way. (He actually already has, now we need to step out despite our fears and just get it done!).

This time around, I am also really struggling with others - as in, others' opinions and fear of those opinions. I know that I know that I know that we are in God's will, but in light of these recent attacks on me by family members, attacks on my parenting and our being able to adopt in the first place, I am a bit gun-shy, so to speak. These attacks were based on untruths and inaccurate information, and they have no power over me or who I am in Christ. Yet, they still shook me to my core when they happened. God is bringing me peace and healing in this, and I know He will still reign in the end. Please pray with and for me as we step out in His will despite this.

And please pray for our sweet girls in Colombia. Kelly and Ana are currently 11 and 9 years of age. We have begun the preliminary steps to pursue their adoptions, but know it will take some time to be able to move forward with the majority of the paperwork in the process. Please continue to pray that God's hand will be on us and them over the next months, and that His will be done in our lives and in theirs.

Big, but exciting changes here!

School started last week. My oldest two are seniors. Hard to believe, especially when I have not had the privilege of being their parents for long. Alex has been here for nearly 6-1/2 years, and Jenalyn only for three. Still, I am enjoying it, and will get to be "Mama" even when the are grown and gone. Aren't they beautiful (handsome?) on their first day of school?



Alex is a stunter (?) for the cheerleading squad this year, and Jenalyn will finish out her high school career in speech and drama again.



My little Katiana is a beautiful 14-year-old eighth grader this year. She is home schooling again, and is really starting to learn study skills well. She has come a long way in the 6-1/2 years she has been here, especially in the past six months. We are quite proud of her.



Timothy is almost 2-1/2, and is finally in his own bedroom. It took a little shuffling around and moving Alex into a closed-off area at the end of the bonus room, then turning his bedroom into Timothy's bedroom, but we think it turned out well. He has spent the last three nights there and has done pretty well, better than we expected. It helps that he loves his room!

For now, all of our furniture is back in our bedroom, and we are enjoying having it back. At the same time, we are cautiously awaiting the strong possibility of a new little one in a few months. After our last experience, we are a little nervous about it and approaching it a bit more reservedly than before, yet trusting that God will still bring it about if it is His will. We know he is bigger than our hopes and dreams, and He holds the life of this precious little one in His hands.