News!

I'm finally back on my blog after forever away! It feels good. Now I'm committing to updating it more regularly since we have such exciting news! We've started the process of adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia! For the most part, it's still so long away and and too much for me to wrap my head around. But we're so excited and can't wait to get started on all the paperwork!

At this point, we have submitted an online application, been approved, signed some forms, and are waiting to be assigned a social worker, hopefully in the next day or 2, to start our paperwork and home study. We also have to complete 10 hours of online training on international adoption so I've been working on that and have completed roughly half of it. It's pretty long and tedious, but very worth it!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.... I have a "new" wonderful friend who moved here this past summer who has 3 children just about my children's ages. The first time we ever got together for a play date, she said they were going to adopt a baby in the near future. I thought that was the craziest thing I'd ever heard of. The woman had 3 kids, just like I do, the same ages and she wanted another one?? I couldn't even comprehend it. But this is what I chalk up to God planting the seed in my heart last summer. Months go by. I read her blog. She has links to a lot of other blogs and they're all families who've adopted who also have multiple biological kids. I get hooked reading these blogs, and Jesus begins working in my heart and opening it to adoption. I have another great friend who adopted last year but she only had 2 biological kids when she adopted so she wasn't crazy to me. Anyway, I kind of wanted to talk to Luke about it but was afraid to. I knew he would think it was beyond crazy. But I finally did, when he came home one day to me sobbing reading an adoption blog. He liked the idea! And then slowly over the next weeks, after Orphan Sunday at our church, we both just knew it was for us. It was what Jesus was calling us to do.

We prayed for clarity and to know exactly if it was His will, for Him to shut the doors if this wasn't from Him, and all He did was open the doors, and give us such a peace about it that it's changed our whole family life just in saying yes to Him. We haven't even adopted the baby yet and we feel God's blessing and favor on our family!

Luke and I both have had a heart for Africa and the utter poverty and desperation there. We joined the organization ONE 5 years ago which lobbies on behalf of Africa and what we as a country can do to help. So Africa seemed the natural place to go to get our baby. Plus, I've always had a special place in my heart for African American babies and children. The agency we chose recommended Ethiopia and it just fit. We knew that was the place.

So the way it will work is for us to do crazy detailed notarized paper work for 6 months, have interviews and social workers visiting our home and talking to Kate, Will, and Hudson, and then we will get a referral of a baby. When we say yes, within a few months, we fly to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, go before a judge, visit our baby. Go back to America without her (sad) and then go back a month later to bring the baby home. It will hopefully be completed by about a year from now.

So that's the scoop. The kids are excited and Hudson has already brought in the high chair from the garage to get ready for his new baby!

We'll keep you updated! Please pray for us and for the whole process.

So long

It's been sooo long since I've written anything. A couple cute things....

• Will and I were talking about when he grows up and how he wants to "do" college online so he doesn't have to leave home, but if he does leave, he'll always come back and visit me, and take care of me when I'm old, etc. etc. So tonight, he got so mad at me because he didn't get his way about something, and the meanest thing he could think of to say was, "I'm NOT going to visit you!" Disrespectful, but still funny that that was the lowest blow he could come up with.
• Hudson is talking so much now and repeating everything we say. When he wants to be held, he puts his arms up and says, "Hold it". It's pretty cute. I've heard of kids saying, "Hold you" because they've heard their parents say, "Do you want me to hold you?" but never hold it. He also babbles gibberish all day so I guess the Lord thought I could handle one more non-stop talker in the family! I would've thought at least one of my children would be quiet and reserved like their father but it doesn't look like that's going to happen!
• I put this on facebook but Kate was complaining today that she's the only one in her class who doesn't have an ipod. And I did notice that several little kids had one when they were at running club this afternoon. So I guess I'm going to run out and buy her one tonight. Just kidding. To quote my mother, "I wasn't born yesterday."

I'll hopefully post some cute Christmas pictures soon. I can't believe they've all 3 just had their birthdays in the last month and 1/2 and are so old now!