Summer Pictures

Just sharing a few pictures of Zion's summer activities. Parker refuses to let me take his picture...so just Zion for now.

Adoption News

Well, we have adoption news...but not the news that I wanted to share. We thought that by now we would be sharing the news of a referral of a beautiful Vietnamese daughter. As we all know, adoption is a very unpredictable thing. A lot has taken place over the last few months with the Vietnam program, too much to write about here. In a nutshell, the Vietnam adoption program will be closing September 1st. What does that mean for us? When we first began this adoption, the wait for a referral was estimated at 6-9 months. As we approached our 9th month the waiting time changed to 12-15 months. September 1, will be during our 14th month. If we haven't received a referral by then, our paperwork will be returned to our agency and our money invested so far lost. It is possible to receive a referral since we are in the top 5 on the waiting list, but there is also the chance that we won't. There are also some more things to consider other than just getting a referral by then. It looks like families that receive their referrals by Sept. 1 will be allowed to complete their adoptions, but there are still so many unknowns. There are lots of new regulations that could slow down the process between referral and travel. There is also the chance that we would not be allowed to finish the process after referral due to problems with the DNA testing and other complications. We've been there done that! I don't ever want to experience that again. I know the pain of falling in love with a child, watching her grow through pictures for 16 months and then not being able to bring her home. I feel as though I'm having a reoccuring nightmare.

So now what??? Our agency is looking into each one of their cases right now on an individual basis in order to present each family with their options. We made it so far only to have our dreams shattered once again. We started this adoption 16 months ago and have been on the official waiting list for over 10 months. Even though we knew from experience that something like this could happen, we really didn't think it would happen to us again. We are sitting on pins and needles right now waiting to here what our options are.

The one thing that we do know for sure will never change in the adoption process is that God is in control. I can't imagine not having the assurance and faith that there is a plan for us. It's what gets me through each day. Maybe our child is not in Vietnam but somewhere else. Maybe our next child is meant to be another boy. Maybe our two boys are the only two children we are meant to have. We just pray that we will know what to do and make the right decision for our family. Please pray for us during this time, but especially pray for the children that will be left in Vietnam with no family of their own.

I'm ending this post with some pictures showing just how much I have to be thankful for...God has truly blessed us. I refuse to let our adoption process bring me down and keep me there. I've shed some tears, been angry, but now I've made my mind up to remain strong, positive, and to enjoy every moment God has given me with my family.

Saying Goodbye

This past Sunday my 96 year old granny passed away. She was still remarkably healthy for her age, so her death was unexpected. She lived alone and was able to take care of herself, which was amazing considering she would have been 97 years old on the 8th of this month. She lived next door to my parents and my dad took her newspaper to her every morning. Last Sunday, he found her laying across her bed. We are so thankful that she passed peacefully. She was such an amazing woman. She was smart, funny, and known for being spunky! She played such an important role in my life. I lived next door to her all of my childhood. I had a bicycle trail beaten through the field to her house. I remember spending many hours playing dominoes, shelling peas, fishing, or just talking with her. I will always cherish the memories I have of her and I'm so thankful that my boys were able to know her and spend so much time with her...I just wish she would still be here to meet our daughter someday. Her family was so important to her. My dad was an only child and he only had my brother and I, so we are a small family. We all live within 7 miles of each other, so we are together constantly. It is going to be so hard not having her here. Just last night we sat down to eat at my parent's house and it was difficult seeing her place at the table with her not there. She taught us a lot...how to laugh, love, and live for the Lord. We are really going to miss her.