Sneak Peek

Yay for family photos!!!  

And yay for a photographer who was a great sport about working with our energetic little ones. :) 

I LOVE photos and I love when they tell a story and capture real life.  We got some fun photos of our whole family, but I'll wait to share those until I've decided how I'm going to update the blog header.  In the meantime, you can enjoy this sneak peek! 

Consider this photographic evidence of the constant state of motion enjoyed by our family:

This next one is possibly my favorite photo of the whole shoot.
I always thought Stephen would be a great father, but he has exceeded my expectations.  Our kids are so blessed to have such an intentional, involved, fun Daddy.   He works hard all day, then comes home and immediately jumps in, playing with kids and helping with dinner, bath time, or whatever else needs to be done.  He tells me he doesn't know how I do it, but I don't know how he does it.  I admire and love him so much.  Keeping our marriage a priority can be tough considering all the needs around us, and we're still figuring things out, but I can easily say my love for him grows exponentially as each child is added to our family.

This girl has spunk! Look at the life and joy in that expression.  She is so fun to watch and leaves much laughter in her wake.

Siblings, partners in crime, besties:

I adore my big kids, but have I mentioned how much I love having a baby again???

They love to "run" with Daddy.  This is a frequent occurrence at our house!

Have I mentioned that I love babies?  Yeah, I think I have...

Our little GQ model.  

There are times when he can definitely rival Karis's energy, and he makes us laugh a lot, too, but he's also still mellow and sweet.  He loves to cuddle and I hope that doesn't change for a long time!  Granted, he's a boy, so often his way of cuddling is to tackle me, but I'll take it. (Except when I'm giving Jonas a bath and he almost knocks me in the tub!)

I look at these photos and feel so incredibly blessed.  These moments are going by so quickly.  I love photos because they capture moments and memories that I want to keep close.  If I'm like this now (and my oldest child is only two) I can only imagine how nostalgic and sentimental I'll be in 10 or 20 years.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with this family...

Solving The Rubik's Cube

We like to nurture our children's intelligence, so Kai's task for this week was to solve the Rubik's Cube. ;)

Back in the day (when I was around 6) and the Rubik's Cube became popular, I "solved" it by peeling off the stickers and re-affixing them.  My parents saw the "solved" cube and were impressed, but it only took one request for me to solve it again before they caught me in the act of peeling off the stickers (...they may have been suspicious from the start).   

Funny enough, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  

Take a closer look at the cube in Kai's hands.  Notice the black square... and the yellow sticker (under his thumbs) that belongs in that spot:

And the missing red and blue stickers?  

Here's where I found them:

They look better there, anyway. :)

Next Stop: American Idol

This video cracks me up.  If you haven't gotten a glimpse of their personalities through the pictures I post, this video clip will certainly fill in some gaps!  Life in our house is far from boring.  

Hope this makes you smile!

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You Know You're Sick When...

How sad is that sweet little face?

And maybe just as sad is what he's using as a pillow!  The Diaper Genie was full, so I emptied it, left the room for a second, and came back to this.  It must have been comfortable (or the smell didn't seep through enough to bother him) because he was content to rest there.  I could only handle it for a few minutes, though, before I lifted him off and just cuddled with him.  

We've had a busy past few weeks.  Karis and Kai both had rough colds, but Kai definitely experienced the worst of it.  It's so sad when your kiddos don't feel well, and it can be tough on Mommy and Daddy, too (especially when Daddy is also sick!).  Sleep has been minimal with more than one child waking up each night (and sometimes 3, all at different times) but I think we're over the hump.  Here's to hoping for great health the rest of the winter! :)

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I still haven't gotten a good photo of all 3 kids.  Maybe someday...  

I'll share some cute ones I've gotten of the "big kids" having fun with Jonas, though.

(This is not the only onesie we have for Jonas, but apparently I like to take pictures when he's wearing it!)

Karis, who has been on strike when it comes to taking pictures, has suddenly become super compliant when posing with Jonas!  I've taken advantage of that and we've gotten lots of fun photos of the two of them.  Typically, the first thing Karis asks when waking up is to see Jonas.  And since she wakes up before Kai, she gets fun time alone with him.  So that's when I've taken most of my photos.  Unfortunately, it's before I've fixed her hair, so pardon the bed head!

The "Cheesy Smile" still makes occasional spontaneous appearances!

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"BUDS"

Okay, I LOVE the bald spot on Jonas's head!  For some motherly reason, I find it totally adorable and funny!

I think these two are gonna be buds.  I knew Karis would adore Jonas, but Kai has surprised me with how much he loves him, too.  We have our moments of jealousy, but all in all, it hasn't been bad.  Karis and Kai can't remember life without each other, and pretty soon they won't be able to remember life without Jonas.  Or our next little guy!

Even when Kai is being sweet, sometimes Jonas still needs some space!

So much love...  

It blesses my heart.

We got family photos taken this week!  It will be another week before we get them back, but I can't wait to update our home (and the blog!) with photos that include Jonas.  

Karis is getting to the age where she says really cute things.  Here are a few of the latest:

"Mommy, you need to cut my toenails.  My foot is too long."

"Mommy, what her doing, honey?" 

("Her" referring to me as I come in the door from Target.)

"Mommy, Jonas is getting chubby.  I go get him." 

(I don't think she understands what chubby means, so this comment makes no sense!  Jonas has been getting chubby, and it's so cute!  She's obviously heard us comment about it. :)

Mommy?  You take a shower??

(I was already dressed with make-up on and my hair fixed one day this week when I came to get her out of bed.  Typically at that time of day, I'm in my pj's with no make-up and my glasses on, so apparently there is a stark difference.  And she was kind enough to point it out.)

She also interprets for Kai a lot.  It's amazing that she can understand him when we can't.  And so helpful!

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In other news, we have no idea what we're going to name our next baby.  I'm 27 weeks now, so we still have time, but we got nuthin'.  I've said before that I think naming boys is harder than naming girls, so now that we're doing it for the third time in a row, our options have run a little dry.  Feel free to share ideas of names you think go well with the ones we've already chosen.  We love to give our kids names that have special meaning, so I'm praying that God will guide us to just the right name.  Aside from the name issue, I'm feeling great and enjoying the pregnancy.  This little guy is kicking up a storm.  Karis likes to touch my belly and tell me she feels him moving (even when I don't feel anything).  She also informs us occasionally that she has a baby in her tummy, too. :)  

We have fun trying to imagine life with 3 boys.  Stephen says we're going to be broke when they're all teenagers and eating enormous amounts of food.  But I pointed out that it should break even, because we'll only have to pay for one wedding!  

Life is busy and we've had a couple of crazy days, but I can't complain.  It's going to be even busier soon!  We're getting used to a house that's a little more cluttered and we're behind on just about everything, but as I've mentioned before, we're learning how to cut out the "fluff" and prioritize what really matters.  I'd rather read a book to my kids than be caught up on laundry.  And my meals are far from gourmet right now, but we have full bellies.  Life is good.

Before He Knew Us, He Knew Love.

Jonas is such a happy little guy!

I'm still in awe of how well he has attached to our family.  It's like he didn't miss a beat.  I credit that obviously to God, and thank Him for giving Jonas foster parents who were amazing.  He was loved so well in our absence.  They are truly phenomenal people and we couldn't have asked for a better family to love him while he was waiting for us.  I cannot tell you how grateful we are for them.  He could have come to us a very different boy than he did, but he came to us loved, happy, safe, enjoyed.  The day Jonas came home, we got to pick him up from their house and spend a good amount of time visiting with them.  They sent us home with a scrapbook and photo album, all kinds of momentos, a binder with information about his schedule, medical stays, daycare, etc. They gave us a daily calendar of what he had done (My mom pointed out they kept a better record than I could have!) lots of Christmas presents, and more!  We've kept in touch and they were so helpful early on as we had questions about his routine and history.  I shared with them that they although we will never get back the time we lost with him, they gave it back to us as much as possible.  I'm so grateful for loving families who serve the children of our country by being foster parents.  When I was little, my parents opened our home to foster children.  I still have memories of some of my foster siblings.  Welcoming them into our family was something I took for granted at the time, but that I value so much now for the lessons it taught me.  It's not often an easy task, but very few things of value are easy.  Did you know there are over 500,000 children in foster care in our country?  Did you know that if one family from every Christian church chose to foster, there would be a home for every one of those children?  Here's my plug: Do you have space in your home and your heart for a child who needs love and care?  Have you ever thought of fostering?  It may not be a fit for you, but it never hurts to consider it!

Houston, We Have A Pattern

Oh, what to say?  

Feel free to laugh.  Or be shocked.  But yes, the photo is what it appears.  That's a baby in my belly and it's not a photo from when Kai was in there!  Apparently our pattern is to add to our family in multiples.  Time to change the blog name again!

There really aren't words to describe our reaction.  Without going into too many details, let's just say that God definitely intended for this baby to be in our family!  :)  We've said for awhile that we liked the idea of 4 kids, but our assumption was that the 4th would be a few years away.  So, to say we were surprised would be an understatement.

Happy?  Yes.

Excited?  Very.  

Overwhelmed?  Yep, if we let our thoughts run away. 

Still in disbelief?  For realz.

Left to trust God's amazing and unexpected plan?  Absolutely!

I did some calculating late one evening and decided to take a test the next morning.  I'm pretty sure I was shaking when the little lines showed up!  Even though it wasn't expired, the test was a couple of years old, so I decided I should buy a new one just to be safe.  So that afternoon I tried again.  Another positive.  Well, both of those tests were generic brands, so I thought maybe it would be good to buy a reliable, name brand test...  Yep, they all agreed - a baby is on the way! :)

I hadn't mentioned the possibility to Stephen, so he was completely unsuspecting when I had the kiddos present him with this little wrapped gift (with the tests inside) at bedtime that evening.

    

It's funny to think about it now, but he was SO blindsided!  I don't think he even knew how to absorb the information he was holding in front of him.  Fortunately, as you can see from the first photo, there's a smile on his face.   But the smile looks a little dazed in the second photo! :)  After we got the kids in bed, I couldn't find him.  I went looking and he was on the deck, sitting and staring at the sky.  I asked if he was okay.  He slowly said, "Yes... I'm just processing this."  We laugh about it now, but it was a lot to take in.

Back in the day, I imagined getting married right out of college and becoming a mom by the time I was 25.  I had my little plan and thought it sounded perfect.  But reality ended up pushing each of those back about 10 years from what I expected.  And you know what?  I wouldn't change it for anything.  That's not to say it was always easy, but God used that time in significant ways.  Never, ever, ever in a million years did I imagine my life would look the way it does.  I couldn't have dreamed this up.  And this is SO much better than what I imagined.  God's timing is perfect.  Why do we always fight for our timing over His?  Why do we think we can author a story for ourselves that's better than one written by the Author of Life?

And I know it's going to be hard (believe me, I have moments when I think, "How in the world will we do this with four?").  Once the baby comes in late April, it may be a few years before you see or hear from me again! :)  But I couldn't be more thankful.  There was a time when I was brokenhearted, longing for a child.  It wasn't that long ago, and the memories of those years are still fresh.  So to consider where God has brought our family brings us humble gratitude and awe.  He has provided in so many ways.  He will no doubt continue to provide.  We will be pushed to learn a greater dependence on Him than we have ever known.  There's less room in our lives for things that aren't important, so we're learning to prioritize and be intentional with the time and resources we have.  And it's stretching, but it feels right.  After putting our kids to bed earlier this week, Stephen said to me, "Sometimes things feel a little crazy, but I love our little family."  These children are amazing gifts and worth every sacrifice and struggle.  They teach us each day that life isn't about us.  And you know what?  It would be easy to just shift our focus and think that life is about them, and to look to them to fulfill us.  But life is about HIM.  And through these children, we are learning that in important ways.

By the way...

It's a boy!!!  

Stephen was the only male to carry on his family name.  So I'm excited that we'll have 3 boys to keep it going.  And there's no need to feel sorry for Karis.  I'm pretty sure she'll hold her own! :)  She will mother her brothers and lead them in lots of fun.

There were several reasons we waited this long to share our news, but mainly we just wanted to wait until things were settled with Jonas.  It's been really great to finally get to celebrate both of these babies.

24 weeks pregnant!

So, Baby Jonas will soon be a big brother!  There's 5 months between Karis and Kai, 19 months between Kai and Jonas, and 7 months between Jonas and our as yet unnamed baby #4.  Four kids in 2 1/2 years!  If you know anyone with a similar story who can give me advice, feel free to share!

Here's proof that lightning can strike twice. :)

They Could Have Missed This...

This was their first morning waking up with Jonas.  They were SO excited to see him!  Jonas looks a little shell-shocked in this photo, but I promise he was smiling and happy with the attention. :)

And how sweet are these pics of Karis and Jonas???

Yay for brothers!!

I once heard an adult child of adoption share that he always wished someone in his family looked like he did.  I know that's not possible for most children of adoption, so I'm extra grateful that these two get to grow up together.  They'll share a history that I hope offers a meaningful connection.  I hope Kai and Jonas are just as close as Karis and Jonas are, and I don't want to differentiate between our adopted and biological children, but I realize that being adopted can present a unique set of questions and struggles.  My prayer is that Karis and Jonas will find support and encouragement in their shared history.  I'm so, so thankful these two get to grow up together. 

Melts my heart...

They could have missed this... 

But God made it happen.  

"He Will Accomplish."

We're forever grateful.

We ARE Five!!!

So, blogging gets a little harder when you add a third child.  Especially when you add a third child the week before Christmas.  Then go out of town for a week.  Then come back home and try to catch up on laundry and life.  But, I'm back!  And as I write that, I won't be surprised if it's still a few more days before these words actually get posted! :)  [note: it took 4 days!]  There's so much I want to write about and I'm not sure how to fit it all in!

First of all, Jonas is doing SO, SO well!  People ask how he's adjusting and I say that if he's struggling with the transition, he's expressing it through acting content and being smiley. :)  He is so incredibly precious and we love this little guy a ton!  He fits naturally and is already such a vital part of our little clan.  He definitely recognizes us and responds to us well.  He's very tolerant of all the affection that Karis and Kai lavish on him, too!  They are so excited about him and Karis frequently says, "I want to sit on Baby Jonas's yap."  (Meaning, of course, that she wants Jonas to sit on her lap. :)  Kai has this thing about leaning in and touching foreheads with him.  It must be the manly way of expressing love to your brother. :)  Kai calls him, "Baby Donas" and wants to see him the second he wakes up.  If Jonas makes so much as a peep while he's sleeping, they think he's awake and want to go get him!  It's amazing.  Sibling love is seriously one of the most gratifying things for me as a parent. :)

That's not to say that life with three kids (two-years-old and under) isn't busy or an adjustment, because even though Jonas is so easy, we're still figuring things out.  Like getting all 3 of them into church when we're running late and have to park far away.  Or doing diaper changes on road trips.  Cooking dinner while they're all awake.  Or orchestrating a photo of the 3 of them together (we have yet to get a good one).  We're figuring things out, and I'm sure we'll be challenged to grow in the process.  But we wouldn't have it any other way.  We think each of our children are miracles and we love our crazy little circus.

There's still a lot about the adoption that I want to share.  I want to tell you more about the hearings, the parents who loved on Jonas for his first 3 months, our birth mom, the other family who wanted to raise him...  And I will get to all of it.  God is in each chapter of this story and we continue to become aware of the different ways He is working.  Now that Jonas is home with us, it seems surreal that we've lived this experience.  Yet, I still think about it all the time and my heart continues to process it.  I'm filled with joy, but I'm still grieving, too.  I have a feeling that the growth and learning produced from this experience doesn't end now that Jonas is home.  And that's a good thing.

So, I'll get to more details soon.  But before I post those, I have some other things to share. :)  Stay tuned!

God Will Accomplish

Meet our newest son, Jonas!!!

How precious is he??? 

Soooo easy to fall in love with this little guy. 

As I'm writing this post, he’s been in our care for 8 hours and I can tell you already that he is worth it.  He is worth every single tear, every moment of anxiety, every sleepless night, every heartbreak, every road trip, every fear, every frustration, every little (and big) thing we’ve experienced in this journey.  

He is worth it. 

The name Jonas is super meaningful to us.  If you’ve followed our story from the beginning, you know that, from day one, God has accomplished the impossible to bring this child to our home.  Jonas means, “He will accomplish.”  We chose the name before the drama began, believing it was a very fitting name to honor all God had done to that point.  And once the difficulties began to unfold, it took on even greater meaning.  We were constantly comforted by the knowledge that God can, and will, bring His purposes about in our lives.   When circumstances seemed most dire, we knew that God had not abandoned us and that He would accomplish His plan.  And we constantly found hope in the knowledge that “what is impossible with man is possible with God.”  Now that our son is in our arms, we can’t help but marvel at all that God has accomplished to bring him home.  I haven't been able to share all the details on this blog, and there are so many more stories.  So many details or factors that barely kept us in the game.  So many things, if tweaked just a tiny bit, could have resulted in a totally different outcome.  But God is in the details.  We had some incredible people behind us and working for us, but in the end, if God hadn’t moved mountains, our son wouldn’t be with us today.  If you ever hear me doubt God in the future, please smack me upside the head and tell me to look at Jonas. :)  He is living proof that God is bigger than man’s plans, that God is faithful, that God is loving, that God is REAL.  It is a privilege and a gift to have walked through this trial, because I’m coming out of it with deeper faith and broader perspective than I’ve had before.  I am changed.

We’re driving home and I’m writing this as Jonas sleeps in the car seat next to me.  I keep looking over at him, holding his hand, touching his brow.  After all this time, it’s so surreal that he is here with us.  Yet, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.  He just fits.  He is so sweet, so smiley, so precious to us. 

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of our son. 

And thank you, Lord, for the gift of Your Son.

We’re so grateful that Jonas is home in time for Christmas.  A few months ago, as a friend prayed for our family, she acknowledged that God knows what it’s like to lose a son.  We almost lost Jonas.  We’ve had two scares with Kai needing surgery.  I’ve felt anguish over the potential loss of my sons.  And it was just potential loss.  And I am far from being a perfect God.  More than ever, I am so grateful for the story of Christmas, and that God loves us that much.   It’s truly reason to celebrate.

More photos (with the siblings!) coming soon.  I'm also going to write to share more details, so stay tuned! :)

It's official!!!!!!!!!!

Our son is coming home with us tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Best. Christmas. Present. EVER!

Pictures and details to come, but I wanted to share the news, even if it's just a quick update.  We are thrilled and blessed and thankful!  Thank you for your prayers for our family!  Woo Hoo!!!  There's no way to capture our joy with words right now!!!!! :)

Hoping It's Today

We have a hearing in approximately 7 hours.

So much is going on in my head and heart right now!

Each time we've had an event/hearing in this journey, I've been hopeful for a resolution, but also prepared for things to draw out.  However, this time my heart is wayyy more set on a conclusion.  We've been given lots of hope that this will be the day things are finalized.  And so I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that is the case.  

And I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that our son is placed in our arms.  Forever.  

I've let myself get excited.  I bought matching shirts for he and Kai.  I've been planning birth announcements.  I'm imagining Christmas day and celebrating with our family of five.

And these are very likely scenarios.  I'm so hopeful and so excited... and I'm also a little anxious and a little scared. This could be a huge day.

Even though we have reason to hope that this baby will be placed with us, I've kept my heart a little guarded as we wait.  I have no idea what the judge is planning.  I still (as always) need to trust God and not circumstances.  

And really (thankfully), we're not trusting the judge to decide.  We're trusting that God has a plan for our lives and that He will faithfully accomplish His purpose.  For each one of us.

For almost 11 months we've prayed for this child, loved him, and waited for him.  God has provided in amazing ways and He has sustained us through each moment.  He will definitely continue to do this beyond today!

As you think of us, we would love your prayers.  In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about being helped by the prayers of others.  I've been blessed to experience this kind of help, because so many of you have invested in us this way.  Thank you again for journeying with us.

I'll update as soon as possible!

Holiday Traditions

Sometimes I feel a little sad that my "almost twins" have cruised through babyhood.  The time has flown!  At the same time, each stage is sooooo much fun.  The kids have been really excited about Christmas this year.  Costco has had Christmas trees out for months now, and every time we go Karis says, "Mommy, let's go down this pile!" (a.k.a. "aisle").  They both love looking at the "pretty lights," and have memorized on which aisles baby Jesus and the snowmen are located.   So, they were beyond excited when we put our own tree up a few weeks ago. 

And I was beyond excited to start the first of many fun Christmas traditions today.  I have early memories of making sugar cookies and gingerbread men with my Mom at Christmastime, and I love that my kids are now old enough that I can begin recreating those memories with them.

I worked hard to get everything in place.  I got the dough rolled out and ready.  I helped the kids into their chairs.  Then, I turned around to get the cookie cutters...  

Little Man took advantage of the two seconds it took for me to grab them and dug right in!  Of course, I put the cookie cutters down and grabbed my camera. :)  

Karis saw what Kai was doing and there was no way she was going to miss out on the action!

I quickly realized they were going to be less interested in cutting out shapes and more interested in eating cookie dough. :)  However, after I did some demonstrating, they jumped right in. 

They spent some time doing this:

But in all actuality, they did a lot more of this:

If you look closely at the photo on the right, you can see that Kai even tried to do both at once!

Collectively, Karis and Kai probably cut out about 5 cookies.  It's a good thing that memories were my goal and not productivity! :)  

Kai even got in a little practice on his sharing skills:

And we finished it off with an...

We had so much fun.  I can't wait to do it again next year!

We're Getting There...

You know what I’d love right now?  A massage!

Our hearing started late yesterday, so by the time it was over, we’d been sitting in a freezing courthouse for 3 hours.  I spent that time tensed up from the cold, as well as from anxious anticipation about how things were going to unfold.  So, today my shoulders are achy!  But, I’m happy to say that my heart is not.

More than any other time, we feel hopeful that our waiting is almost over.  Another hearing is set for December 14^th.  On Monday we were told that it could be two more months before a resolution, so two weeks is a much easier pill to swallow.  My hope is still a little cautious, since we’ve had setback after setback.  But the people "in charge" seem convinced we'll have an answer on the 14^th.   Please, please, please let it be so!

I’ve mentioned before that having this baby’s sibling is a definite benefit to us.  We have the support of some key parties, but it will ultimately be the judge’s decision, so we are continuing to pray for the judge and trusting that God is guiding her decision. 

We got to see our sweet boy again!  He is so precious.  He has the same nose, mouth, and coloring as Karis, and he’s alert like she was, too.  He’s getting chubbier, which is great news because it gives testimony to his health.  His digestive issue seems to be under control and he is doing well!  I’m aching to cuddle him and kiss his sweet cheeks, and Lord willing, I’ll get to do that in 14 days!   We got to observe him with his caregivers again and it is more than obvious that he is getting lots of love.  It’s salve to my broken heart to see him being loved so well.  I think he gets to be held a lot, and I will be more than happy to take over that task!  If he does come home with us soon and you come to visit us, you may have to pry my fingers off of him to have a chance to hold him yourself. :)

While I would have loved a resolution yesterday, I feel at peace.  God is taking care of our son.  God is taking care of us.  He WILL accomplish His will for all of our lives.  We trust that fully.

And for now, it’s good to be home.  It’s wonderful to be back with our kids.  And the next 2 weeks can’t go by quickly enough!

Another Step Toward A Resolution

About 30 minutes ago I strapped my toddlers in the back of their Uncle Zach's Mustang, then watched them drive off to my parents' house.  My bachelor brother is armed with snacks, books, and, if all else fails, The Wiggles.  He will no doubt enjoy their sweet melodies as they travel. :)

Until our adoption got turned upside down, I'd only been away from my kids overnight once.  And that was for less than 24 hours.  I'm with them all.the.time.  And I like it that way.  It's great to get away with Stephen for a date night, or with a friend for coffee, but overall, I LOVE being with my kids.  And I really dislike being away from them.

I'm missing them already.

All that to say, leaving them while we travel for these court hearings is one more thing that tugs at my emotions.  This is our 5th trip since the baby was born.  We've taken the kids with us when we can, but considering we usually drive 8 hours there one day, then 8 hours back the next day, it's not a fun trip for them.  Fortunately, our families have stepped up and been AMAZING to help us out.  I don't know what we would have done without their support.  And, it's actually been great for the kids and their grandparents to get extra time together.  Our baby boy is worth all of the traveling, but this is one more reason I'll be glad when a resolution is reached.

Our next hearing is tomorrow at 3:30.  Please be praying for the judge as she considers our case.  We learned some news yesterday that indicates that the hearing tomorrow won't be the last.  [sigh... heart drops to my toes].  We've really been hoping for a resolution tomorrow, but if it does drag on, I'm glad we learned about it ahead of time.  There are lots of hoops to jump through in our legal system.  I know they're put there to protect people, but sometimes they don't make logical sense.   Even still, we are thankful for our legal system and we continue to trust that God is bigger than the legal system.  He is working even in the midst of things that seem pointless to us.  If nothing else, we can be grateful that this is another step toward resolution.  We're continuing to pray that the judge will experience an urgency to resolve this case ASAP.  We definitely value and appreciate your prayers, as well.

Since we'll be traveling, I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to update you, but I'll post an update as soon as I can.

Thank you, again, for praying!

Passing The Time

We're so thankful for the joy these kiddos bring us as we wait and continue to journey through our adoption.  Here are a few photos from the past weeks.

All good mealtimes end with making funny faces:

But I like this smile even better:

Karis loves her sunglasses!  She doesn't want to take them off, even inside.  So here she is at the grocery store, looking casual and cool, just chillin' in the cart while we shop:

Such a cutie!

And here she is being super sweet as she consoles Kai:

 

Of course, what the picture doesn't reveal is that he's upset because she kept hugging him around the neck and he didn't like it.  She was oblivious that she caused the distress that she was trying to console. :)  But I love that she wants to comfort him.  She is showing a lot of compassion and that's a beautiful quality.

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Last year on Halloween we were driving a moving truck to our new home, so this was our first chance for Kai to dress up (you may remember Karis's first Halloween).  We've traveled a lot for the adoption and weren't sure we would be in town, so when the 31st rolled around and we were home, we threw together the best costumes we could concoct out of what was in our closets.  Here is the result - can you tell who they are???

In case it wasn't obvious, this is Cruella Deville. :)  We hesitated at the idea of dressing up our sweet girl like a villain, but she sure made a cute Cruella. :)  The red lipstick didn't even last long enough for the pictures, but it made enough of an impact that she's asked for her "whisket" (i.e. lipstick) every day since!  She even thanked God for "whisket" in her prayers the other night, along with polka dots and boogies. :)

And here is one of her prized Dalmatians!  Kai sat so still while I drew on his puppy face.  I took him to the mirror for the big unveiling, thinking he'd love it, but he got really upset.  He said, "Spider!"  And that's when I realized it does look like a spider on his nose!  Haha.  Fortunately he was fine as soon as we moved away from the mirror!

Notice the purple sucker in the first photo.  And notice that his mouth is blue in the second photo.  While I pulled them in the wagon, going from house to house, he happily enjoyed a sucker.  It was dark outside and I naively thought it was the same sucker the whole time... until we got home, unloaded the wagon, and found him sitting on FOUR lollipop sticks!  We don't give our kids a lot of sugar, so this guy was going strong way past bedtime! :)

I think Karis's love language is going to be quality time.  In the past week she's started frequently using the phrase, "With me."  i.e. "Kai, wanna look at this book with me, Buddy?" (She patiently repeated this exact sentence probably 20 times, trying to get Kai to look at a catalog we'd gotten in the mail.  He was busy looking at his polar bear book, but I joined in and when he finally gave some attention to the new collection of Pandora beads, he found that it was actually slightly interesting. :)

In the photo above, Karis is saying words that she wants Stephen to spell.  This game can go on indefinitely. :)  And the Elmo costume was a fun 75% off score from the post-holiday sales. :)

Apparently it's really fun to put wet washcloths on your head.

"Wah-koff."  It's Kai's thing right now.

He'll cover his face and start running around!  He's pretty reckless and we learned the hard way that he would actually run straight into the wall.  And more than once!  Ouch!  So, we have to watch carefully to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.  But it brings him so much joy that we go with it and intervene when necessary. :)

Another lesson learned the hard way: 

DO NOT set up your picnic near the water where the geese can see you!!

 It was a rookie mistake and I should have known better.  We almost got attacked by 40 geese (I know because I counted later).  They saw our food, started honking loudly and came straight at us.  The kids were petrified.  They were screaming and clinging to my legs.  Somehow I managed to hold one child on each hip, pick up our lunch, grab our bag and make a getaway about 2 seconds before they started pecking our legs.  I'm sure it was a hysterical sight.  Needless to say, we stayed FAR away from the geese the rest of our time at the park.  But I did get this fun pic as we were heading to our car:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!