answering

God is answering our prayers in a big way!! We got word that the last relative of Hope's that they needed to talk to agreed to relinquish, AND they had the hearing and gave the orphanage where she was brought custody! And then today, we got word that we already have a new court date for June 27!!!
I know that all of these details and steps may not make sense to someone outside of the process, and I wish there was an easier way to explain, but basically we needed 3 steps to happen for our case to continue moving forward, and they have all happened in 2 days!!! I was expecting things to be much more drawn out, like weeks longer, but God has again exceeded my expectations, and done far greater things than I even dared to hope for.
There is truly nothing beyond His power and ability, and I will continue to ask Him for the desires of my heart until He leads me otherwise. I am praying, and have been for months, that He would allow Hope to be home by her 1st birthday, July 30. It will be a miracle if this happens, and only because of His power.
So, June 27 will be a big day for our family, and one we will cover with prayer!

Ephesians 3:20
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Psalm 126:2-3
"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.'" The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."

update

I have been thinking for a few weeks now how to write an update post about our adoption. Let's start with the good news. There have been 19 cases that have been finalized of our group of 30 families waiting with our agency! These families all had court dates, but did not pass due to an investigation. We all needed an approval letter from an agency called MOWYCA before our adoptions would be finalized. We are so thrilled and excited for these families, several of them we traveled with and spent a week with in Ethiopia. Seeing their children's faces, and knowing they are one big step closer to bringing their kids home is awesome.

So, now for the interesting news. It's not bad news, but it is unexpected and interesting. For the last 9 1/2 months we thought Hope had no connection to any family. We had no information about her family at all, and believed we really never would. Well, that has changed. Steps are being taken now to make sure adoption is truly the best and only option for her. If it is, there will be an additional hearing and paperwork that is necessary for her file.

About two months ago I went through a pretty rough time, feeling dread and fear, and just this thought that I could not bear to lose her. And now here we are, at a sort of crossroads. The Lord met me then, and I can honestly say that right now I have more peace about this than I ever have before. I have been praying for miracles, and taking comfort in His plan and purpose. He is truly close, and His presence is powerful and readily available.

I don't know what the outcome will be, we will hopefully know more soon, but I know and trust the One who does know that outcome. I am believing and holding onto His word and goodness. And praying, praying, praying. For wisdom, clarity, and that Hope's best interest would be the most important factor for those making decisions.

Psalm 112:7
"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."

Psalm 130:7
"O, Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption."

Celebrating our littlest superhero!

Isaac turned three one week ago today! It was fun to see him really "get" his birthday this year, and we tried to make it so special for him. He woke up and was excited to see his decorations and presents at the table. (As a side note, Aaron asked me what we would do if we had 10 kids since decorating for each birthday takes so much longer than we think it will!) We had our traditional chocolate chip teddy bear pancakes for breakfast and he opened his presents. We gave him his own superhero cape that a friend made for me (he had been wearing his brother's), a huge semi-truck that carries a bunch of matchbox cars in the back, and a new soccer ball. We played with his toys the rest of the morning, and then met Aaron at McDonald's for lunch, Isaac's favorite.
For supper we had what he requested, cheese pizza and Cheetos. I made him a little cake for his actual birthday, but we were going to have some family over to celebrate Thursday so I saved his big cake for that. After supper we gave him the choice of going fishing, on a hike, or to a park, and he picked going on a hike. After he asked what a hike was. :) It was a great day celebrating this little guy, and thanking God for giving us this precious gift.

Some facts about Isaac at three years old:
-he hardly ever walks anywhere, he jumps, runs, or bounces.
-he is big (wears a lot of size 4 clothes), and is quickly catching up to his brothers!
-he LOVES breakfast which he calls supper, and hates supper which he calls breakfast. he will eat all breakfast foods (eggs, oatmeal, cereal, etc.), but takes one bite of supper almost every night, regardless of what it is. unless it's chicken strips or pizza. :)
-he has been potty-trained for about 6 months, and was SO much easier to train than his brothers.
-he sleeps with his "baba" and "blankie".
-he is super ticklish!
-he is my buddy, and wants to be wherever I am.
-he hates to be left behind, but will play happily by himself if he can choose to. one day after his nap he requested to have "rest time" in which he played by himself in his room for an hour and a half.
-he is so cuddly, and still loves to be held and rocked.
-he likes being the baby, and reminds me all the time that he is my baby.
-he is super coordinated and loves soccer and baseball. we had to take an unfortunate trip to the ER and he was perfectly fine, but the doctor commented a couple times how coordinated he was and that we needed to get him into sports.
-he will always be my littlest, but he calls himself my stinkiest!

waiting

I read this poem this morning, and loved the message. This is what I desire my heart to be like during this wait, not that it has been this way, but so thankful for the Lord's grace that meets me moment by moment.

Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting!
Till next steps made plain shall be;
To hear, with the inner hearing,
The Voice that will call for me.

Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting!
With hope that need not grow dim;
The Master is pledged to guide me,
And my eyes are unto Him.

Waiting! Expectantly waiting!
Perhaps it may be today
The Master will quickly open
The gate to my future way.

Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting!
I know, though I've waited long,
That while He withholds His purpose,
His waiting cannot be wrong.

Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting!
The Master will not be late;
He knoweth that I am waiting
For Him to unlatch the gate.
J. Danson Smith

a bit of a rough patch

So, I haven't really felt like writing lately. I think that may be directly related to the fact that life just seems hard right now. We have still not heard anything definite about our adoption. Basically, we could get the news any day that we have been approved, but it could also be weeks or longer. I read somewhere that waiting for something that you felt like God led you to do, but He now seems to be so quiet about is one of the hardest things. And I think i agree. I know He could change things in a heartbeat, He can move mountains, and if He doesn't there is a good reason. It's just hard. Hope B. is now almost 10 months old, in the last picture we received she was sitting up and playing with toys. It's the first time we have received a picture of her doing something other than lying in her bed. :) She is the sweetest thing, and letting go of her over and over (figuratively) is the hardest thing I have done.

In little boy news, Isaac is done with his pacifier (bobo), and Eli has stopped sucking his thumb! Both victories for our little family. Isaac chewed through his pacifier when we went to Oklahoma and I had not brought any others, and really did not want to buy more. So, that was the end of that. He actually handled it SO much better than I imagined he would. He had a couple of rough nights/naptimes, but nothing major.

Eli has sucked his thumb since he was probably 2 months old or so. Up until recently, he would suck it pretty much any time he was doing something quiet-being read to, watching t.v., riding in the car, etc. We started making it a "find" to suck it outside of bedtime, and I really never saw him suck it anymore. And we said if he gave it up completely he could have a party at Chuck E. Cheese, and although we don't have hidden cameras in his room, I think he has actually given it up. Micah has verified and confirmed he really doesn't suck it anymore. :)

Life is marching right along, and I am trying to figure out how to march here along with it while part of my heart is on the other side of the world.

Easter 2011

We had another special and fun Easter this year. I decided a little late, that I wanted to make Hot Cross Buns for our family. I have never made them before, and learned you are actually supposed to make them for Good Friday, but we had ours Easter Sunday instead. They were good, although time consuming! Not sure I have really mastered yeast dough either, but I think it was a good first try.
After breakfast we went the our church's early service and then came back home and did the resurrection eggs with the boys. They really got into them, and liked going through each one again and again. After we finished Isaac hid them all for himself, and we had quite the time trying to find them all. :)
We spent lunch with my family, and the boys had their first candy hunt. They seriously look forward so much to going to Chuck and Lydia's and getting lots of candy, and their chocolate bunnies!
After that we spent the evening with Aaron's family, and had another great meal and Easter egg hunt. I was reminded what a precious gift it is to have such wonderful family. We are so blessed to be surrounded by people we love, and have the chance to spend time with them often.

Things I want to remember about life lately:

1. We started a new chore chart system for Eli and Micah. It's the Dave Ramsey system for kids, and it has been great so far. We thought of chores/jobs they could do each day and receive commissions at the end of the week. Micah's ideas for jobs included 1)putting his coat on before we left anywhere, 2)watching out for the hot oven when I opened the door 3) bringing in firewood during the winter. :) They also receive fines for certain behaviors, which they call "finds."

2. We were having our Bible time before bed a couple of nights ago and read the story of Adam and Eve and how Adam was formed from dust and Eve was formed from Adam's rib. Isaac piped up and said, "Is this my wibbon? (ribbon)", pointing to his chest. :)

3. Last week I had a LEGO day with the boys. We played all morning with LEGOS, which basically consisted of me putting things together for them. My brain literally felt like I had just taken the ACT when we were done, so many little tiny pieces! And all our LEGOS are just in a big bin all mixed together so it takes forever to find what you need. It was fun though, and I realized whenever I don't want to think about adoption stuff, I can just play with LEGOS because when you are building things you can't think about anything else!

4. I think one of the things I have learned so far through this adoption, is how much there is to be thankful for. I also feel like I can more fully appreciate when things are good, because there have been so many hard days.

5. On the way home from church yesterday (Easter), we were talking about how Jesus rose from the grave. Isaac says, "Jesus is not in the tomb, He went to McDonald's and got hangabers (hamburgers) and french fries." Any guesses what Isaac's favorite restaurant is?