Following Him.....

We are PREGNANT!!! Yep, we are. Can you believe it?! I am sitting here in shock eating waaay too many Coco Puffs.

I thought we were done at 4. 4's a good number! Four and no more had become sort of my motto. And then, well.....

And then He laughed.

Funny how I continually think I know what is best for me.

I'm. So. Lame.

I can so clearly recall the many conversations John and I had when we had just two boys about how perfect it was....

And then He laughed....again.

Then(in all of our, ahem, grand wisdom) when we decided to have just two more 12 months apart and ended up with the twins we thought, ok now it is really perfect! And then...well....

And then He belly laughed. (I think if the Lord was a Facebooker his status would have read, "ROFL")

Uhhh, yeah...so lame are we. Two sets of two has been incredible. But little did we know He wasn't done with us yet (even though my bre*asts were screaming,"Please Woman! No More!" and were contemplating a lactating strike).

We are newly pregnant so we have quite a ways to go.

I did have an ultrasound the other day though and found out we are expecting another BOY! Here he is:!!!!!!




But wait! There's more! There's TWO!!!!!! (Because if ya'll know anything about us we do things in pairs of two!)





Yep, that's them! Aren't they cute??? I. Am. In. Love.

So yes, WE ARE ADOPTING.....from Ch*ina!!

We are at the starting line of this process and will take our first baby step, the home study very soon! We are taking the special needs route so we will be a part of the Waiting Child Program. This list includes a vast array of kiddos, some healthy older children and other kids from 6months-14years with some minor correctable needs such as cleft lip/cleft palate, heart defects, etc as well as those with more severe needs. We are asking for two boys between the ages of 5-10 with minor correctable/treatable special needs. Each family has their own fit and this is ours.

This process will take a a lot of time(about 10 months from start to when we finally get that first hug), a lot of money(PB&J anyone?) and most importantly a lot of prayer. Ch*ina doesn't typically allow couples to adopt more than one child at a time however our agency will be seeking special permission from the CC*AA (Ch*ina Center for Adoption Affairs) to allow us to do so. If they say yes we will rejoice in the Lord's plan and go once. If they say no we will rejoice in the Lord's plan and go twice.

Please join us in praying that they will make an exception, it will financially be slightly less(though all of our fees will still be double, it would obviously cut some pricey airfare in half) to go once and with our military(read transient) lifestyle and a move approaching it will slightly complicate a second trip. Mind you it won't stop us of course, it will just give us a few more hurdles to clear. So with that, let's open the floor to questions!....ok, who am I kidding. I actually have no floor to open questions to...I am a housewife....so I make up my own floor....bear with me.

Why adopt? Because Phineas and Ferb is our favorite cartoon. Ferb was adopted so we thought it sounded good.

Or not. Though we do love us some Phineas around here we aim to be followers of Christ instead of following an animated character with bright red hair and a startlingly triangular face. There are 143 million reasons why but I think the better question is why not? There are 143 million orphans in the world. One hundred and forty three MILLION. Let that sink into your noggin for a minute.(or let it hit you upside the head like a mack truck like it did to me...whicheva! :) 143 million little kiddos with no family to call their own. No one to tuck them in. No one to laugh with them. Cry with them. To share the love and saving grace of Christ with them. To wipe their nose. To celebrate with them. To fully provide for them. No one. So we are choosing to be Some one. It is no wonder that innumerable times in the Word the Lord instructs us to care for the orphan. (More on this coming soon in future post!) So why adopt? Well why not?!

Why China? Glad you asked! When Ch*na instituted their one child policy in 1979 it had some massive, heart wrenching, horrific, unforeseen consequences(much more on this in future entries) and having a disproportionately large number of orphans compared to the rest of the world is one of them. I am fully aware that there are many, many orphans and children in fost*er care in the US but I am also aware that most if not all of those kiddos will have a few hot meals everyday and will have access to education and necessary medical treatment. Not so much for the children trapped in these orphanages and last I checked God is the God of the Universe, not the God of the US, nor the God of North America. He cares just as much for them. So why Ch*ina? Because that is where the Lord is sending us and that is where our boys are!

Are we crazy? Probably. Next question!

What do the boys think? Well, if you can't hear their screams of excitement from where you are then listen a little closer because they are shouting it from the rooftops! As I type this Justin is standing next to me buck-neked out of the shower telling me that, "They are the coolest! They can eat with chopsticks and we can teach them stuff like Spanish!" I think we will start with English but the boy is on the right track! As for the chopsticks, I am completely inept. Thankfully, last I checked, proper chopstick rendering was not part of the home study process. Whew. They are incredibly excited and we cannot wait to walk this journey with them!

When did you decide to adopt? Yesterday. We were bored. The laundry was done and we had nothing else to do. Uhhh, yeah...notsomuch. (Though the laundry is actually done.....holla!) This has been a process that has brought us to our knees seeking the will of God. His will/His opinion/His direction is the only one that matters and filtering HIS voice out of the voices of our me, me, me consumer driven selves & society takes a whole lotta prayer and a whole lotta getting my butt into the Word. We seek to please Him and Him alone and there are only so many times you can sing, pray or say, "Here I am Lord, send me." before He takes you up on your offer.

So that, in a nutshell, is where we are at! We welcome you to join us in our journey, crave you supportive comments and invite your questions! More soon! I'm off to the store to gather the necessary supplies for peanut butter milkshakes...my pregnancy craving of choice. I am allowed to gain a few pound for this "pregnancy" right? Right. I thought so. Thank you for validating my addiction.


Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphan and the widow in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27