Keira's 1st birthday present!

This little lady just turned 1!

 

 

She is pretty darn cute.

And seriously, we are all obsessed with her.

She is absolutely so much fun!  Even when she is naughty we kinda can't get over that little sneaky bugger always trying to climb the stairs, throwing her sippy cup, or drooling up some of her bros legos. 

<3

She got a pretty cool birthday present this year.

When we were convinced that we were meant to *try* to bring Max and Denys back for Christmas, God spoke something to my heart.  He said "It will be a birthday present."  I don't know if you have ever put yourself completely out there, well KNOWING that you had no capability to do something, but *trying* anyway. 

(I say *trying* because I knew that *we* were not the ones who were able.  We didn't need to *try* we just needed to obey

.    And let He who is *able* do whatever it is that He has planned.)

But, even knowing this... still...

yikes

3 weeks passed, and we were blown away with how God moved on peoples hearts to donate, and how awesomely generous people were and the gap was shrinking!  But, we were still a little less than $2,000 from bringing the boys back for Christmas with 4 days left.

Ok, I know you all will think I am a bit thick... but I honestly thought the birthday He was talking about was mine!  I thought it had to do with something else I've been talking about with Him.

(stop thinking I'm thick!  not nice!)

Anyway, on Keira's big day, in perfect timing, within a half hour, I kept getting notifications that donations were being made on our youcaring, we had a few donations come in the mail that day, and BAM,
we didn't have to *try*, we just needed to obey, and wait!

It was awesome.
because He is awesome.  And I am becoming more and more convinced that He does things in such a way as to show his awesomeness, and to leave us in absolute awe.

I shared the news with Ellia and she couldn't stop "Woot-Woot" ing! ha!  She raced to the bus stop and told the bus stop moms that "Max and Denys are coming for Christmas!" 

We told Jake when he got off the bus. And Sean when he came home.  Such a happy happy day!

Later that night, as I was walking down the stairs it hit me, I remembered his words I had tucked away from a few weeks earlier.  "It will be a birthday present."

I literally stopped halfway down the steps, as the realization hit me.  "Oh! wow!"

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEIRA!

It was a really happy day for all of us!

Depraved Indifference

I am determined to stop suffering from depraved indifference.

Powerful reminder for me.  The words God spoke to this man, are part of what he spoke to me.  (well, go figure - guess we do have the same God!) 

Some people will look at my circumstances and say, "you all don't have it together enough yet."  I am glad I am going on God's spoken words to me, and not on advice of family members, or friends.  Your points may be valid- we are not perfect, we are not wealthy, we have not arrived at some (unreal) false Christian idea of perfect pretty people.  We simply want to follow Christ and are struggling through it daily.  So, when God says go - we. will. go. 

When you tell me to get perfect and then go.  All I want to know is WHERE that is written in the bible?  I want to know what kid would rather have nothing because he is waiting on perfect? 

I am frustrated, friends.  & I have to stop and remember what The Truth has said.  And let everything else fall.  Honestly, Depraved Indifference is being obliterated in my life, the more I have come to understand my relationship to the person of the Holy Spirit.  The more He confides in me, the less I can get away with ignoring the father's heart and where he is leading us.

 

Intertwined

It has been a while since I have had the courage to blog about the boys!

It took a lot to say good bye to them.

And can you believe that they have nearly been gone for 2 months?

Sigh

Missing those little guys.

Tonight I was going through the junk drawer and I pulled a little brown notepad out to jot something down real quick.  I flipped it open, almost missing what was on the first page... Ukrainian writing. 

sigh
It was a list of names. 

It was precious.  & my heart was hurting.   Denys, Mama, Kira, Makc, Ela, Jakab, Papa, Babushka, Dedushka, (and 2 more I can't share).  My heart was pretty much bleeding....all over my freshly scrubbed kitchen counter... I wanted to give that boy a squeeze...  And he is just too far away. 

I loved how he intertwined our families names, It wasn't us & them, it was all mixed up together! 

Like a family. 

sigh.

He has a father

His name is the Lord -- rejoice before him.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.
Ps. 68:4
Throughout this whole process it has been so amazing to see how much God clearly loves these boys.  From the beginning when he put the desire in my heart to host them he let me know how much he loves them.  Every time God provided a need, I was reminded wow- God loves these boys.  He is seeking them out. 

About half way through their time with us it hit me.  I am loving them and trying to make a difference in their lives.  I am playing with them and enjoying their company.  I am feeding them heaps and heaps of food 5 times a day and watching them grow physically... but their biggest need I am incapable of meeting.  They need the Lord!  I got to praying that day for a way to teach them about God.  The language barrier would make communicating the good news very confusing!  I wanted to be able to tell them that they were loved by God, they were wanted.  That God loved them so much and that he made a way for them to have a relationship with him- through belief in his son Jesus.  I wanted to tell them that Jesus loved them so much that he gave his whole life so that they could live.  (Can you imagine the charades I would have to perform to communicate all of this? haha I am pretty sure it wouldn't work out.)  So anyway I got online and started searching for Ukrainian churches in the area.  I thought man, a Ukrainian speaking VBS would be perfect!  I wish I could find one.  But, I couldn't.  All  I could find was a local Ukrainian catholic church.  I prayed about it, and left it at that.

The next morning, a friend of a friend who I really barely knew (though now we have become good friends), texted me.  I was blown away when I read her text.  She said, I don't know if you would be interested but my parents go to a Ukranian speaking church and they have a VBS next week!  umm, ok God, thank you for showing up!   The VBS was a 45 minute drive, but well worth it!

I am soo excited to share, that one night, after hearing the truth of God's love, Max trusted in Jesus!  Our charades conversation that night after VBS was so awesome.  He was soo happy.  And he told me "Max,.. Pray, ..God."  Beaming from ear to ear.  "Max, Pray, God -(points up).  God...(then swoops his hand down to his heart)  shooooom Max"   He was trying to show God is in his heart.  It was so cool.  That night he prayed before bed in Ukranian.  Really wish I knew what he was saying.  He was very proud of himself and happy.  I was able to explain to him that I also believed in God.  And he was like "Mama??!!"......"oooooh!"  hahaha

Good things. :) 

He once was fatherless. 

"Just like a drum, I can feel their hearts beating,
I know my God, won't let them be defeated,
Every child has a dream to belong and be loved."



My prayer for our boys is that God would not let them be defeated.

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.

With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.
I am loving my husband extra lately.  He has been such an encouragement to me when I get overwhelmed.  Because, no, it is not always easy loving kids who come from such hard places.  Sean reminded me a few days ago that this is not meant to be fun but it is meant to be purposeful.  We are purposefully loving these boys.  No, loving them is not always fun.  There have been tears, tempers, & tantrums. (um, not just from them..) But yes, there is power from God to sustain us in our choice to walk with God, and love these boys.  There have been victories, hugs, cooking lessons, lots of laughter, forts made of sheets, connect 4 tournaments, storytimes before bed, & one little boy told this mama "I love you" tonight. 

Jeremiah 22:16
"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well.  Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord



 

The halfway mark

3 weeks ago

two brave little guys boarded a plane.  They were at least a little nervous, I am sure-  but I doubt they showed it.  3 weeks ago, they spent over 16 hours travelling to get to America so they could experience 2 things.  Family, and fun.

3 weeks ago

as we drove these little guys home from the airport they fell asleep- hard.  They slept like babies for the second half of the ride home.  And you know how it is when you sneak into your kids room at night to look at how precious they are sleeping... it was that moment of "aww look at them sleeping" that I could. not. help. but cry.

3 weeks ago, I was overwhelmed with the fact that these little guys had no one.  No mommy or daddy was missing them, or worrying over the fact that they were half way across the world.  No one was calling and seeing if they had made it safely, no one was wondering if they were scared, or had eaten a healthy meal in the last 24 hours.  No mommy, no daddy, no person, was worried about them.  No one.  They were alone.  It just felt so weird and unjust to look at these little babies sleeping in the back seat of my van, and realize these things.

3 weeks from now

Max and Denys will be driven back to that airport.  (Yes, I will probably have to be silent the whole time to keep from sobbing and making things that much harder.)  But, there is a good that has come of Max and Denys travelling over 16 hours, just to come to America and be a part of our family.

3 weeks from now

when they are being picked up by bus, or van, or the orphanage director, and shuffled back into their daily life as part of the crowd-  On that ride home - that day when no one is looking at their precious faces asleep in the back of the van-  On that day there is a mom who is loving them, worrying to death about them, praying for them, hoping they are not scared or sad, and missing them oh so deeply. 

3 weeks from now, Max and Denys will not be alone in this world-  They will never be alone in this world again.

So much can change in a couple days!  My last post was so positive, and I don't think todays post is going to be quite as optimistic. 

Today I called my husband crying hysterically.  I was in the midst of an emotional breakdown!  embarrassing. but true. 

These boys are priceless.  They are.  I love them.  Already.  They are full of joy and they are so interesting to experience and be around.  I am glad they are here.  I promise- I am.

And I have to remember that they are simply products of their screwed up environment.  They are not "bad".  Life has been bad to them.  They have spent a significant amount of their lives unloved by parents, in group care, and are untrained in "they ways of family life".  This can be very difficult.

Have you ever watched an episode of Supernanny where your jaw just hits the floor?  (I am glad there was no camera crew in my house today!!!)


The amazing thing about Max and Denys is that they respond really well to the talks we have with them after their timeouts.  The timeouts themselves can be ridiculously draining, because they will fight like mad for control during the timeout!  But afterwards I feel like we are making awesome progress from our little chats.  They say sorry, they do show remorse for their bad choices.  They do like us and do show the ability to love and bond with parental figures.  They answer our questions, and hug us afterward.  I do not think these boys have any bonding issues!  That is a plus!  I do think they need a loving, stable, structured and secure home for a period of time before they will trust enough to let go of control and realize they are safe. 

That they can listen and obey because we have their best interests in mind may not be a concept they can grasp yet. 

Pray that God will remind me to show His love, and not my own.  Because on my own, I will fail.  I promise.

cake time!

A whole week has gone by!

Ah!  I am exhausted!  But it is a good kind of exhausted.  The kind of exhausted you might feel after completing a marathon.  You worked your booty off and you finally crossed that finish line! (You deserve some cake, girl.  Go eat some cake) Each day is a mini- marathon around here these days, and the finish line is bedtime.

I love the feeling of tucking all 5 into bed, telling them I love them, knowing they are safe, fed, cozy and happy.  They have fun memories to think about while they drift off to sleep.  I feel like screaming "victory!" (and then devouring some CAKE) ;)

Just like a marathon, it hasn't been easy.  It has been a whole lot of work.  These boys come from hard places, and have some hard behaviors to break or emotions to work through.  But each mini victory is a sweet sweet joy! 

Today I took all 5 to bouncetown.  I was scared.  You know that feeling as a new mom when you are afraid to take your baby out for the first time on your own?  So much responsibility... and they are so unpredictable...  Every what if scenario is running through your head.  I felt like I had 2 newborn twins today and I was going out for the first time!  Add onto that my own kids- 2 preschoolers, and another baby- and I promise you, I was legitimately scared.  I am NOT supermom, supernanny, or superwoman. 

I was scared!

God gave me awesome peace though.  And we had an awesome time.  Up until today, I had to say the boys names over and over and over and over, (and over and over and over), before I would get a response.  It was time consuming... and... not fun.  Today, at bouncetown, every time I called their name, the first time, they turned and looked!  WHAT????  I kinda couldn't believe it.  AND, when I would point for them to get down, and give them the mom-eye, you know the one,

they . would . get . down .  !!!

Come on now and rejoice.  My buddies have accepted me as an authority!  They called me mama from the beginning, but today they actually acted like I was their mama. 


That is some good cake.

...worth it.

Welcome to America!

So, the boys are here!

If this post seem choppy it is because I am past exhausted and staying up a few more minutes because I really want to share a few updates and highlights with you friends!

Day 1:
Sean and I were super excited heading to the airport to pick them up.  We waited and waited outside of international customs and finally, we saw a group of way too warmly dressed adorable kids, emerging from the doorway!  Everybody started calling their kids names and moving forward and I ended up in the back of the crowd, so Max and Denys were kinda lost looking for a moment or two.  Sweet little faces looked so nervous and lots of blinking...
Sean said "call them" and I did... I felt awkward at that point.  But Max saw me first, and I held up my sign and smiled and he rushed to us and HUGGED us both so tight ... like both at the same time!  It was pretty neat how he did that.  I was definitely happy.  Great first introduction.  Max called Denys to come over, and Denys was more shy but Max told him to say hello.  (They said Hello in English and what is your name in English.)  I had all these Ukranian greeting memorized, but when it came down to the moment I forgot everything and started spewing English at them.  "Hi!"  "I am so glad you are here!" ugh... I am speaking English!  Woops! " Prive-et, prosihmo!"  "Choo-Do-Voo!"

 

 

The ride home was so entertaining.  Sean and I were like ..... in awe..... of their amazed expressions and reactions to things.  highlights -max wanted to play right away.  He had a little ball in his bag and wanted to play futbol!  (would have been more fun if it wasn't in a McDonalds parking lot but, hey... we made it work!)  First time using straws, and ketchup was a hit, and cold water to drink shocked them.  Their smiles were just so fun!  They are very expressive. I love it.
lowlights- Max puked on the ride home.  poor sweety.  Denys is a wanderer at heart it seems... no concept of the street, or waiting for us.  Stressed me OUT! 

Day 2:
The playground!!

It seemed it was their first time on swings!  It was awesome experiencing that!  They were VERY awkward at first... gripping, and slipping off the back.  They were stiff and were not pumping their legs at all. Instead just froggy legged, hanging on and LOVING being pushed.  They screamed with joy like girls and said "Mene Papa muoy muoy!"... something like  "My turn Papa!"  It was so hot out, Sean was a trooper.  What an awesome Daddy/Pappa.  Pushing 4 kids on the swings and laughing. I loved every second of it! 

Later, we took them to a family BBQ.  It was fun!  They got to play slip and slide... which they turned into the Max and Denys steal the hose and spray all the kids show.  POHANO boys!  (bad boys...)  Lol... they have soooo much energy, and are NOT shy like I assumed they would be.  It is hard to keep up with them, which we learned today for sure.  But they are worth the exhaustion and worth putting ourselves in a hard place.  God calls us to hard places... he doesn't usually call us to the couch.  ....
..............though, I am on the couch right now :/

Day 3:
Pet Store and New Shoes
Thanks to an awesome donor we got the boys some sneaks! They blazed through the store like wildfire, but... I think the cashier forgave us when we explained it was only day 3 in America.  :)  maybe she didn't...oh well .. there are plenty of shoe stores out there.
 
The pet store was ok, Max liked it more than Denys.  Denys wanted to bang the cages .. and wasn't lsitening too well.  sigh... Nakazan! (timeout)  kids will be kids! 

NaDoBranyeech!!!! (GOODNIGHT!)

Paralyzed vs. Action

Do you ever feel paralyzed?

Sometimes, as a person who truly believes that every child deserves a loving family, the numbers can be staggering, shocking, even paralyzing. 

Because, according to my statistics via google search, there are an estimated 132 million orphans worldwide.  Maybe that would look more daunting if I included the zeros-

1 3 2, 0 0 0, 0 0 0
Sean and I joke, that if we win the lottery, we could make a bigger difference.  But the reality is, even the lottery wouldn't take away a single zero from that number.  So you begin to feel like what is the purpose.  Why care for one, (or two), when you know that even as you care for that one, another one is having his finger eaten to the bone by rats as he sleeps in the night -
(As my good friend Linny posted about today.  They have an orphanage in Uganda.) 

That is impossible for me to comprehend.  A world where little ones are not safe in the night from nasty rodents who literally eat them while they sleep?  That is horrifying.

So, I get discouraged.  What am I doing? What am I doing that really makes a difference?  I open up my fridge, I turn on my faucet to clean water, I have warmth and shelter and clothes and luxuries that are completely unimaginable to a good percentage of the world. 

& I think in my heart I will always want to do more.

Because 
Proverbs 24:12 tells us that "Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act."
Yes, we are called to act, but there are just. so. many. ...

and then,

I am encouraged by this verse.

Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.   Mark 9:37

I'm thankful for this reminder.  God knows we are human.  He calls us to the one.  He calls us to do what we can for the one.  To care for them and love them.

And it is effective, and it is worth it.

So welcome the one!  We are excited to welcome our two in just 10 days!
And just as I was writing this post I read some amazing news about a little one in China.  This news has made my whole day absolutely happy! 

Over a year ago Sean and I fasted and prayed for a little girl name Maya in an orphanage in China.  She was one of the "ones" that God called us to care for.  At less than 6 months old and only 10 pounds, through a miraculous chain of events, Maya was found to have a 2 pound cancerous tumor.    2 pounds of this 10 pound baby, was made up of cancer cells.
 Lord. 
She also had cleft lip and palate and pneumonia...

But she always had these gorgeous smiles in her pictures,

And despite the chemo... her hair just kept growing! 

Seriously, I love this little girl.  Her personality shines through all her pictures.


Maya became special to me and I prayed and checked up on her often. 

So, why care for the one?

Because recently....sweet little Maya....

Took her first steps.
.
.
..
.

AND, she has been found CANCER FREE!

So pray for the one!


James 5:16 ..pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

If you need your daily does of cute Chinese babies...
*and to see a pic of Maya's first steps
http://newdayfosterhome.blogspot.com/search/label/Maya

Proper Boys  <3


I was thinking today that I cannot wait to have more than the 2 pictures we have of Dennis and Max.  They are the pictures we recieved of them from the host program- sitting on the couch -Dennis is smiling, and Max is smiling, but looks kinda nervous. 

I was thinking I cannot wait to see more sides of them!  Their goofy silly side; their "boy" tree-climbing-mud-stomping side; their pouty cranky "I want more candy" side;  their "don't make me take a bath" side, their brotherly looking out for eachother side;  Their snuggly movie-watching side. 

I wonder what they are like!!  And I really don't know!  And it is very exciting, almost like pregnancy when you just cannot wait to know what your baby is - boy/girl, dark hair/light hair, husband look-alike, or your mini-me!  This is even more intrigueing than waiting on a baby, because these are KIDS!   These are kids with already developed personalities and we get to really figure them out.

sidenote: (This is funny coming from the person who never thought she could get into the whole older child adoption idea.  I always thought, hey, awesome, but I don't think I could do that.  Now I see how neat it is!  Loving someone for who they are.. not saying hey give me a baby and I will make them who I want them to be.  In a sense: I will make them fit me.  People who adopt older kids must say "I'll grow and stretch and ache and bend over backwards to meet you where you are and love you selflessly.  That is a.ma.zing.  Y'all people who have adopted older kids... let me know who you are.  I am going to bake you a cake or something cause dang, y'all are inspiring!) 

----to get back on track----

As I was thinking about this, and about the picture thing, it hit me!

(duh)

I do have more pictures of them! 

When we committed to host them, a woman who adopted her two sons, (same age as Max and Dennis), from the same orphanage, sent me a few pics of the boys in an email.  She had taken some pics of them when she had traveled to Ukraine to adopt her little guys.  OH YAY!  I looked at them multiple times that first week or two, but then I completely forgot they existed! 

wanna see?

I especially like this one.  (Max is on the left, and Dennis is on the right)  I am assuming this is the proper picture taking stance?  Right hand over left.  These guys are going to teach Jacob and Ellia a thing or two about propriety.  ha!

Wanted to share another awesome thing going on!  The program we are hosting through is a nationwide program.  Which is cool!  There are just over 100 kids coming and they are going to be scattered all over the US, spending time in our pretty awesome country.  All different parts of it!

 

When we signed up for hosting, we were told that if they didn't end up with 10 kids coming to the Northeast, we would have to fly elsewhere to pick up the boys.  It meant that we would have to fly to Georgia, and pick up our boys, and then fly back with them.  After an already grueling 16 hour flight, the LAST thing we wanted to do with them was pop them on another plane.  Not to mention the price of flying us to Georgia, and then all of us back to Pa.  Well, we ended up with 10 famililes flying into the Northeast!  Woo hoo!  We were definitely relieved! 

So, anyway - these kids are scattered all over the place.  But there are some families that are hosting that have a friend in town who is also hosting!  I think that is so neat.  I whispered to God more than once how neat I thought this was.  And how much I really wished I had a friend who shared this passion with me.  Most people, even the encouragers were less than "woo hoo" when I shared with them this awesome thing we were going to do.  I secretly had my fingers crossed with a few people I told about hosting that the light would flick on and they would say

 

"WOO HOO!  Where do we sign up!?" 

It didn't happen.  No, not once. 

So, I kept sharing it with God, and secretly getting jealous ;) when other hosters were scheduling playdates with their host kids.  I wanted someone to lean on when things were difficult, someone to celebrate with when the kids arrived, someone to just be in the boat with us!  Someone real... not just people on our yahoo hosting group.

God showed up!

Bam

I got an email from a hoster who signed up that lives just 45 minutes from me!

That was great God!

Thanks, God!  I am always impressed when you show up.

We could do little trips with this person.  Meet at the zoo or something!! Call eachother up!
And then...

I got an email that another family  in. our. church. family. was hosting!  WHAT!  No way! 

Not only was another family in our church hosting....they were hosting from UKRAINE!  They could have been from Russia, Latvia, China. 

Nope.

ukraine!

How cool! our little buddies will be able to speak to each other in Ukrainian at church!

Some people would say "oh, cool coincidence."  I say... Listen... God actually cares about our desires.  He loves us.  He provides!

Whisper to him!  It is more than awesome realizing he listens and wants to meet our needs.

Lacking nothing.

Psalm 34:9

Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

I did a quick post about how amazingly God provided for us recently, but I wanted to elaborate a little more on God's goodness and give you a little glimpse into the kind of God he is!
When we decided to say yes to summer hosting we knew that the $money$ would be a challenge. After we responded to the call to host 2 boys, the expense doubled, our financial situation changed, and we were definitely worried, nervous, stressed, FEARFUL that we wouldn't be able to do it!
That ended up being the truth. WE could NOT do it.

God had something better planned. He wanted to show us who could do it. He wanted us to realize that we are in a relationship with the one who owns it all. We knew this principle in our heads, but there is just something about seeing it in real life that reminds us of his tangible promise. Phillippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will CARRY it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 

(even when your bank account is empty).... you can take that promise to the bank!  hahah cheesy

On our last day to send in payment for the boys' tickets and visas I woke up stressed out!  We were still $1,400 short and had absolutely no means to come up with the money.  I truly believe God wanted the glory for himself.  He didn't want us to be great fundraisers or have a successful yardsale!  He wanted to show how much HE LOVES MAX and DENIS.  That he was the God who would carry this process through to completion.  So, on our final day ....money came pouring in!  People we did not know, or had not expected to donate were emailing, texting asking how to give!  It was crazy!  We had people give from Alaska, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee (all people I do not know at all), people from Florida and a couple family members suddenly giving.   He was completing the process, in his time, and for his glory.  He wasn't joking when he told me that he loves those boys more than i love my baby girl.  He is a good father.  Good fathers provide completely.  It is that simple. 



I am going to be resting on that verse above, and that completion word... because we are not through yet.

We said yes to having 5 kids in a townhouse for a whole summer.  We said yes to having 2 orphan boys who do not speak English here all day every day, no breaks.  We said yes to attempting  to show a kind of love that we definitely do not have mastered, or perfected, because we are not perfect pretty people.   (do they exist?)

hmm...

Psalm 34:9

Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

Today has been our best day yet for fundraising for the boys of summer!  Can't help but smile knowing the GOD of the universe is working behind the scenes... all across the country... to achieve HIS purposes.  

 

 

Our breathtaking God.  Always full of surprises, excitement and beauty. 

We passed!

Sorry it took me a few days to let you all know how the homestudy turned out.  It was awesome!  Everything went smoothly, the kids were in great moods, and we were able to meet a sweet amazing life changing social worker on top of it!  Thankful to have a connection in social work now so next time it won't be so hard to find someone.  Which really was hard people! 

Maybe it is true that the harder you have to work for something, the more you appreciate it when it finally happens. 

Finding a social worker willing to do this for us was not easy.  But meeting Cathy, and finally achieving this is SUCH a relief. 

Not to mention, it is just nice to hang with people who are like-minded and have a passion for kids. 

Home Study Countdown!

The countdown to the homestudy is on!  Monday night at 7 pm a complete stranger is going to judge our home and declare our family as "good enough" or "not good enough". 

Nothing like THAT to get you cleaning every nook and cranny. 

The past few days have been a little stressful.  No matter what activity I am doing with the kids in the back  (front) of my mind I am thinking about what nook is dusty and what cranny needs fixing up.  Eyes darting from toy to toy... about. to. snap.

Thankfully we have had 2 rainy days in a row, so staying home and getting work done has been possible. 

The attempting to perfect things around here doesn't just apply to the house.  Kids have gotten haircuts, momma's working out...(as if abs are going to make a difference! ha!) 

.....maybe they will........... I will let you know on Monday!

The boys of Summer

Orphaned. 

Institutionalized. 

 

Familieless.

                                                              

Alone.

       

Waiting to be loved.

     **** Waiting to be recognized. ****

Maxim and Denis.  Not only have you been recognized, you have been chosen! 

Chosen to be created by The Most High

Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

And chosen to be a part of a family this summer. 
  Our family.

Psalm 68:6 God sets the lonely in families

LUCKY US!!

We are praying everyday that GOD will place you in your forever family.


Welcome to our blog.  We are dedicated to advocating for our "boys of summer" to find their Forever Families.  Let's wait and see what surprises God has in store for us.  We feel pretty honored!