Adoption Update

We received a phone call from our adoption agency last week that the final clearance we had been waiting on had come in and they were sending out our finalized, approved Home Study immediately!  Yippee! One major step accomplished in this journey.

Next comes our USCIS (Citizen and Immigration Services) approval. So we filled out another long form, included a copy of our Home Study, birth certificates and marriage liscense, and a lovely check for $830.00, and paid extra to Overnight it via FedEx on Saturday.

Average approval time is around 40 days right now. Of course, we're hoping for LESS than average, but we'll see! This is the last piece of paper we need to assemble our dossier (the paperwork that actually goes to China for approval).

Keepin' it Real..

We have four children, with one "on the way" via adoption. Four honestly doesn't seem like that many to me, although five does start to sound big. Now, when it's laundry day--twice a week in our home--I feel like there must be at least 8 children living here, dirtying clothes, dumping them in the laundry hamper, and then hiding. Seriously. But, I digress...

Anyway, you know you're starting to have "too many" children when you start getting the comments. Heard any lately?
"Are they all yours?" (Actually, I'm running a daycare. How many daycare centers take their children grocery shopping??)
OR
"Wow. You really have your hands full."
OR one that I've been getting alot lately, especially if we mention our adoption:
"Better you than me."

We believe children are a blessing because GOD said so, and because we know. Four live in our house! They truly are a blessing and we hope to have as many as God allows. I'm praying this blog can be an encouragement to other Momma's who are drowining under the laundry pile, too parenting lots of little ones.

But I don't want to just share the positives, the blessings, the good days. Because while there are plenty of those, there are also many difficult days. The kind most people don't blog about, but that all of us experience at one time or another. Sometimes I'm afraid to be transparent enough to share about those times that stretch me as a mother for fear someone will have the attitude--"Well, then stop having kids!"
Here's the simple truth, though. Hold on, cause it might be revolutionary to you.....

We all experience rough days, trials, and sin (whether in our life or someone else's life). I remember at my six week checkup after the birth of my fourth baby, the midwife asked me how it was going. You know, how am I doing with all these kids. I told her the truth---well, I have good and not-so-good days, but I bet you experience the same at your job! Her face lit up with a smile as she responded, "You are so right. Every job has its joys and challenges." It's what you make of it that counts. Momma's with four children, or eight children, or NO children. Doctors and nurses and Pastors and their wives. We ALL have good days and those days where everything goes wrong not-so-good days.

Where am I going with all this? I am challenged, in beginning this blog, to Keep it Real. To share what God is teaching me and hope it can be a blessing to you in some way.
To not be afraid of what someone might think but to share what God lays on my heart.

To be real.

My Very First Blog Post

After several years of enjoying other people's blogs, and several months of Daddy "B" encouraging me to start my own blog, here I am, writing my very first post. The funny thing is, I have a million posts swirling around in my head, but none of them are a "perfect" first post. (No pressure here!)

So, I'll just end this unimportant, boring first post so I can get on to my probably still very boring second post!