May Numbers

#4 for boys

#8 for girls

I had a long conversation with my case manager last Thursday night. It was encouraging to hear that even though our agency is recognizing that there may be significant delays ahead, they have not seen any yet. This includes cases that have been referred before & AFTER the new March 8th announcement. We are so very thankful for this movement, but we're still in the boat of "you just have to wait & see" how things continue to play out. There are several families from our agency that are going to Ethiopian court in the next several weeks. Please be in prayer for them - that all of their paperwork will be ready {including the all important MOWA approval letter} & they pass. AGCI thinks the way these cases go will be very telling in predicting future timing.

Sorry for the delay in getting out the May update...blogger wasn't working last Friday morning when I tried. Plus, I had to jet off to see these little girls in action:

They had their dance recital & did a tap dance to 'We are Siamese' from Lady & the Tramp. It was precious! We also celebrated my mom's birthday & went to Old Folks Singing on Sunday {...if only I had thought to take pics...OFS deserves a whole post for itself!} Anyway, here's a few more pictures from the recital:

Pretty girl!!

P.S. Those are chopsticks in their buns ;-)

Asked her to sit on the steps so I could take a picture, & this is what I got! HAM!!!

Look at Olivia's face...makes me laugh every time!

Meet Kati Morrow. I nannied for her the summer she & her twin brother were born. I'm old! Just another set of children {along with their ornery older brother :)} that I consider "mine."

Love this picture of my mom & Grace.

& can't forget about this cutie!! I am blessed :)

Happy 5th!!

Five years ago today, I married this guy, & my life has not been the same since. :)

Have I mentioned that I grew up in a house full of girls? Needless to say, the most adjustment to marriage was figuring out how to live with a boy...oh, the stories I could tell ; )

I love this man. The Lord knew what He was doing when He created him for me; he compliments me so. Matt's patient & laid back...I am a perfectionist. Matt is fun loving & can easily relax...I am a planner & have a constant "to-do" list running in my head. Matt likes to be funny...I laugh at anything. Matt is a starter...I am a finisher. Matt loves the Lord & recognizes his constant need for saving...I do too. We are not a perfect couple, but we realize God ordained our marriage so that He can have glory & He uses us to refine each other.

It has been amazing to see how instrumental our complimentary personalities have been/still are in our adoption process. When we started the process in January {2010,} the paperwork was overwhelming. We were using 2 different agencies, 1 for our homestudy & 1 for everything else, so we had things to go through for our homestudy to make sure it complied with both agencies, paperwork to put together for our dossier, plus a ton of education materials to complete. I became paralyzed every time I even thought about where to start. As Matt noticed this, he began to quietly work on things- he sent off for all the official paperwork we needed from the state, drafted his biography, etc. It gave me time to sort through all the details in my head & get a grip on all of it. By the time tax season came into swing mid-February, I was ready to take charge {& have been point person ever since.} While details get me bogged down & at a loss to start sometimes, Matt is enough removed where he can just jump on in. On the other hand, it is sometimes the details, especially in this process, that make you successful upon completion...& this is where my personality comes into play.

There is no other person I would rather have by my side as I wait to bring home my little one. He reminds me to be patient as he listens to me on the days the unkowns are too much for this planner, & he's good to keep me grounded when I start going down the "what-ifs." There are times that I would rather not have to remind him that I'm trying to be serious, but the fact that Matt can always make me laugh is a true gift from God. In fact, there is a list that I made in a high school Bible study of characteristics I would want in a husband & "sense of humor" is one of the tops. :)

May the God who gives endurance & encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart & mouth you may glorify the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:5-7

Thank you, Father, for this happy day!