FAMILY of FOUR

We passed!

Just taking a little break from writing a paper...can I just say that I'm going to be the happiest person in the world once I'm done?  Can't wait to present this next week and kiss this whole process good-bye.  I know that Aaron feels the same. ONE more week.  I wish I could elaborate, but no point in being grumpy.

Anyway, we're a family of four!  CRAZY, yeah?! 

I just have to say that I'm so thankful for all of my AGCI buddies, family, and friends who continually pray for the boys, us, the process...so thankful.  :)  From here, we wait for paperwork to make its way to the proper places.  Can't wait to get that call from our agency to buy those tickets! 

This week, I keep thinking about how much my world has changed in the almost-a-year process. 

A couple years ago, I was walking through this woman show thing in Portland.  My friends and I walked past the booth of an adoption agency and it made me tear up.  I was drawn.  Seriously, drawn.  I went home and stared at their website.  There was this yearning to adopt in my heart and strangely, I had no desire to start a family at all.  Those two conflicting feelings created that MOMENT -- that divine moment -- I knew I was called.  Because it wasn't about me.  It wasn't my dream.  Once in a while, I'd read through adoption packets...many of you understand that dabbling.  Then I read a book about restavek children in Haiti and my desire to adopt really began to fester.  And then the guy who leads our "church" told us that the one thing we'd never regret was ruining our life for "good".  Yeah, you had to be there.  It's better than it sounds.  THAT was the day we decided. And still, the journey we started, is so different than THIS journey.

Despite knowing that we were adopting, both of us had all of these requirements that one by one, just fell away.  I giggle at these now...

-Should we really do this?  We HAVE to "make" kids first because blah, blah, blah. (okay, this isn't soooo ridiculous when I remember that we are getting old)

-We only want to adopt an infant because blah, blah, blah.
-We can't accept special needs because blah, blah, blah.
-There are probably others that are so embarrassing that I've blocked them from memory.

And still, I found it impossible to prepare for my infant.  I spent hours going through special needs lists, broken by the thousands of children rejected because they are too old, too white, too black, too not perfect, too whatever.  It took EIGHT months for us to listen and open up so that we could even have the potential to be blessed by our two little boys.  You know what we needed?  Proof.  Yeah, we're pretty wimpy like that.  I needed to "meet" an orphan turned world-changer.  We heard his story and then sat outside of Trader Joe's (by the way, someone needs to open a neighborhood TJ's in my neighborhood -- you'd make bank and have crazy adoptive parents occupying parking spots longer than you may please) making one of the best decisions ever. To accept the unknown.  To listen.  To be a part of the solution.  To not let fear beat down passion.

So, I guess what I'm saying, is do it.  Let go of your blah, blah, blahs. You know what it is...whatever it is.  Believe, trust, and be blessed!  (And remind me of this post when necessary.) For some of you, your "do it" is to adopt.  Uh huh. :) AND I can't wait........I can't wait!!!

 

p.s. The whole infant v. older and healthy v. special needs stuff...those are our issues that we needed to work through...and not at all intended to be anything more than exactly that.  It's simply a part of our journey...

SMITH CURRENT EVENTS

We have one more week before we go to court...just trying to get stuff done as we wait to hear good news! Please continue to keep our little guys, the process, the paperwork, etc. in your prayers.

1.  Working on putting in a sandbox...I was working too...just stopped to get something to drink and take a pic!  We've got a way to go -- maybe just one more Saturday.

2.  A few of the many temporary plantings I did in an effort to rescue our dying plants...until we finish the garden.  Okay, so maybe it's not going to get done and we'll just eat six lettuce leaves one day soon.

3.  Finished the albums to send to the boys.  Sorry...can't spoil you with a peek of the cutest boys EVER!  However, our doggy is pretty cute too.

4.  Ordered some furniture!  Um, not for the bare bedroom, but still, it's for the boys.  I've been on the lookout for our "creative cabinet" for the dining area and I finally found one.  It's handmade and it is awesome!  Also, we got what Aaron calls a "cuddle couch" -- yes, the whole family will fit, plus a couple more if you want to come over and hang. 

5.  Finally, I was able to bring myself to purchase some clothes.  Really, in my mind, the goal was to buy most clothing previously loved, but for a couple reasons, I ended up purchasing some new shorts on Sunday.  Um, by the way, it's just about impossible to buy stuff (other than shorts) that isn't an advertisement, social stereotype, or made in a country that is abusive towards other humans and/or God's beautiful, magnificent creation.  Does every boy really need to wear Batman or sports-related attire? And not to pick on China, since over half of what is made is exported to fill the demand for cheap products, but it's estimated that over 1/4 of Chinese deaths are caused by polution-inflicted respiratory illnesses...is the cheap price worth the lives of those precious Chinese children and those living in nearby countries?  No, it's not, and I just paused to find out where those albums (bought them online) were made and guess what? Made in China. 

Ugh. 

I'm going to start sewing. 

I just don't think it'll be possible for me to sew cargo shorts like these so that they can match daddy.  They're a little big right now, but after we feed our boys some poi, they'll fit just fine.

6.  A while ago, we received these little guys from our agency.  Our niece, Eli, already came over and gave them both some love. Kisses and cuddles.  :)

7.  In an effort to finish our remodel, we got cracking on our kitchen backsplash this weekend.  Can't decide which to use.  The right side of our kitchen is slate and the left side is sporting the tumbled marble.  Got an opinion?  And, soon enough, on to the electrical, trim, front door, random holes in walls...I think we're at a point that we are going to hire someone.  Sad. :(  Oh, but it will feel sooooo nice to have it completed!

8.  Shots are done!  Aaron was puking on Monday, but he thinks it was food poisoning.  We haven't started our typhoid pills yet, so we'll see if the good luck holds.  I'm going to start mine right before the long Memorial Day weekend...just in case.

    

COURT DATE

Our case manager called today with our court date!  It is scheduled for May 25 -- three weeks from today.  There are several things that need to happen in order for us to pass, so please just keep that date in your thoughts and prayers. We do hope with all of our hearts that we will pass on the first try.  I really can't stand the thought of more WAITING...we want these guys home.

So, Sunday evening, despite a little bit of a sore throat, I felt a little urge to get going on the OTHER room.  There's nothing like those faces -- just makes me want to prepare and get ready like never before!  Since two boys are coming home, we thought we better get another room done so that it's ready before we have our hands full. :)  I absolutely LOVE our quirky home, with all of its random add-ons and stuff, but it also comes with its problems in the form of ridiculous paint jobs and leaky pipes. No, we did not spend 40 hours painting PDX and countless flying objects all over the place, but "Vanessa" did in 2000.  Really, this scene is much worse in real life.  This room not only had a flying pirate ship, but was also the victim of some bad plumbing  about a year ago.  So, say hello to our brand-new ceiling!  We still have lots to do, but here's how far we got from our work on Sunday and Monday night.   

The bunks are for a bit later of course, but we're thinking that bottom bed will come in handy soon enough...lots of cuddling space.  It's going to provide us with one more sleeping "zone" if needed.  Can't wait to get some more things in there.  We're keeping our eyes peeled for some older, loved furniture.