About to POP!

Why not celebrate our Embassy appointment tomorrow with an updated photo of our sweet girl?!?!?!??!

The star in the photo is a gift we sent (recorded our voices singing "twinkle twinkle") and it just melts my heart to see her holding it with a smile on her face--hoping she's hearing our voices over and over again!!!

 

Tell me she isn't the sweetest thing ever!  I can't even stand how stinkin' cute and squishable she is!  Oh my mommy heart is truly about to pop!  I WANT HER HOME!!  I want my baby girl in my arms, sleeping on my chest, and giving me slobbery kisses all over!  

 

Please keep Addy in your prayers as she'll be "interviewed" tomorrow and then we begin our LAST wait of this process--her visa being issued. In the mean time, we continue to push on with life, tyring our hardest to keep busy! 

 

Big brother Eli started Kindergarten yesterday!!!  He is having a blast and is sure growing up too quickly!

 

 

Hoping I get some zzzzzz's tonight---anxious for tomorrow and the continued unknowns! 

Birthday Party, Visas, and Preparation

This is going to be a real quick "update in a nutshell" post.....

Eli turned 6 yesterday.  Yes, my BABY is growing up on us!  He had such a great day...the weather was beautiful, he had a great Lego party with friends, and enjoyed an evening get together with family.  In the midst of all the fun and celebration he looked at me and said:
"The best thing about my birthday is it means daddy and mommy are going to get Addy soon!"

I'm telling you 4-6 year olds that are reading this crazy lady's blog right now...he's going to be a catch in about 30 years....but until then, he's all mine!

Here's a peek into his birthday fun!

Eli got to spend the day Saturday in Baker, MT with Cain, Ally, and Walter at their small town fair and tonight he's out camping with Uncle Jesse---yikes!  AND this week he starts KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!!!  What a busy week for the 6 year old!

We're busy on the home front getting everything set to go meet our sweet daughter (and parenting 5 kids---the foster daughters are lasting longer than expected)!  I am hoping/thinking we'll get a picture of her this week--probably the last update until we meet her in person!  Last week we got a little note stating that she is a very good baby that only cries when she messed her diaper or is hungry.  They also said she sleeps a lot and sweats a lot:)

I got home today to a nice surprise in the mail...OUR VISAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

PLEASE be praying for Addy these last few weeks in her current "home."  Pray that she continues to be healthy, and that she is enjoying her time with all her caretakers and friends in the home!  We would also covet all prayers about the embassy appointment and visa process.  Her embassy appointment (interview) is THIS FRIDAY!!!!!!  After the interview they will do an investigation before they will issue her visa.  As soon as her visa is issued
WE CAN GO!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Right now the trend is for the consular to require a birth parent interview (which would mean they would have to track down her father for the interview).  Please pray that the embassy/visa issuing process is speedy and that there are no bumps in the road!

I'm feeling so blessed today!  Getting our visas in the mail reconfirmed that this long process is almost over and
Addy Rose will SOON BE IN OUR ARMS FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy Beautiful

These past two weeks have been crazy, stressful (it takes me a lot to get stressed but I can be honest and say it's been S-T-R-E-S-S-F-U-L), fun, hard, long, but beautiful beyond measure.

I work part time as a literacy coach for the public schools.  It's a job right up my alley...in leadership, time with kids, and learning/teaching about literacy!  With Addy soon joining our family and the lack of maternity leave, I've been working MUCH more than part time to build up days off!  In addition to work, I have the day to day crazyness of being a mom and wife, and preparing to bring Addy home.  Bobby's been working sooooo hard on our new house and is often BEAT when he comes home that we've had hardly any time to just sit down and chat! 

All this and then we receive a phone call to bring in two foster girls. 

WHAT?  God, why now?!??!  I don't get stressed, but I'm stressed right now and you want to throw this at me?!?!??!?! 

We brought the girls into our home on Tuesday and were unable to leave the house (even to the park next door) until Friday. (I did get a breather as my mom came over to watch the kids on Thursday as I worked---PHEW!!).  Needless to say, Wednesday was a L-O-N-G day. 

But it was BEAUTIFUL.  I had no clue when we were called to take in the girls that they were black...no clue that bringing them in would give me a great initiation into black (natural) hair care!  I had no clue how sweet, loving, fun, and silly these girls were.  I had no clue they would bond as closely with our kids as they have.

As I sat down on Wednesday night, all five kids finally tucked in, Bobby gone at a meeting, I began to pray and reflect on the day (that long, hard, noisy day). 
From my journal Wednesday night:

"....I'm surprised I have any hair left after today.  Sugar coating aside, it's been a LONG 30 hours.  The girls aren't bad (they are actually wonderful), but having 5 kids stuck in a house in the middle of summer is not fun!  I had so many plans for this week.  Errands we needed to run.  Work that needed to be done.  But I've been pulled elsewhere.  I've been pulled exactly where I WANT to be....at home being a mommy...to many kids.   

Foster care, adoption, biological...whatever it may be, it's tough.  Yet my ups and downs are MINIMAL compared to so many (like these two beautiful girls lying in a stranger's bed trying so hard to rest their eyes for the night).  Yes a glorious, easy, comfortable life would be tempting....but I'm continually reminded that even our Savior  beared sweat and tears leading to the very day that He gave His life for ME... 

My sweat and tears are NOTHING compared to the price He had to pay.  God has reassured me time after time again that this is exactly where He wants me to be...and I can assure you He NEVER told me it was going to be easy.  It's time I tuck my tail in, stop complaining, and put my best foot forward in this CRAZY-BEAUTIFUL life I've been given."

Here I am, 3 days later, all 5 kids tucked tightly in bed, Bobby gone (this time out of town for state softball) and I'm refreshed.  I spent the last 24 hours with 7 girlfriends in Bismarck for an uplifting women's conference (with Lysa Terkeurst).  I'm ready to face what He has in store for me.  I believe Him enough to obey this calling He's placed in my life through the thick and thin.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2
Love from my crazy-beautiful family to YOURS!