First month of forever.

I know, I know.

I am AWFUL at this blogging stuff. The last time I updated the blog was in September. We found out that we did not pass our first court hearing and were waiting for our second hearing on the 26th of September.

Well...I have some catching up to do, but in case you didn't know...our sweet Maya Pallavi is finally HOME!! Back in the beginning of September, I really thought that we would go another Christmas without our daughter, but the Lord made a way for her to be home before Thanksgiving!

We arrived in Phoenix on November 20, 2016 at 12pm after being in India for a month!

We've had an awesome first month home! We're finding our new "normal" and she is adjusting better than we ever could have expected. Yes, there are extremely hard moments, but this adoption process is continuing to remind of the grace that we can extend because of the grace we are so freely given.



My amazing sister in love took these photos for us on Thankgiving! Never have to hold a picture frame again! It's still so surreal to see her in our family photos! We are so very thankful.

Our little Christmas blessing. We prayed for this. God is so faithful!

Things to remember:

• You weigh 33lbs. 4oz. and are 40 inches tall! You've gained about 2 lbs! 
• Your goofy dance moves.
• How absolutely terrified of the dogs you were...it took 8 days for you to be OK with them. You're still not so sure about Miles. Molly is becoming your little puppy pal! You like Mitzy...Mitzy is afraid of you! 
• You have had your share of meltdowns, but are calmed by rocking in the glider with mommy. Usually, at the end, you open up about your past. You love talking about Babies Home and all your friends there. 
• You learned how to how to pedal a tricycle.
• You're learning to speak in phrases and short sentences. You understand so much of what we say to you!
• You love music and dancing
• You are very expressive. You have the best facial expressions!
• We ordered your first pair of glasses.
• How you ask to be carried in the Tula carrier. 
• You love your baby cousins Edison and Lylah.
• You sing "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jingle Bells".

Likes:

• Minnie Mouse
• Eating (Seriously, you can eat man-sized portions of tacos and spaghetti...you also like pizza, carrots, apples, bananas, oatmeal, salmon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and potato chips. You LOVE chips.  )
• Sleeping (you sleep from 7:30pm-7:30am!)
• Princesses and playing dress up
• Playdough and painting
• Trolls
• Playing outside
• Dancing and listening to music
• Playing with your brothers and their friends! You love all the Nerf guns, superheros, and toy cars that we have here! ;)

Dislikes:

• Cheese
• Not getting your way
• Sweet breakfast food like cinnamon rolls, muffins, or donuts (we're working on it! LOL!)
• When other people have shoes on in the house and you don't!

And as if that wasn't enough picture overload, here's a little slideshow of our first month home! 

And if not, He is still good.

Sometimes things just don't go the way we want.

Sometimes you can pray all the prayers, believe all the things, have all the hope...

And still find yourself in a place of disappointment.


This is where we are after our court hearing on Wednesday. A familiar place of sadness, disappointment, and more waiting.

Unfortunately, we did not pass in one hearing, and our next hearing is scheduled for September 26th. A little over 3 weeks from now which seems like an eternity, but I know it will come quickly.

Today, our family coordinator offered a bit of encouragement. "It's not the movement that we had hoped for, but it's movement, and any movement is still good." She's right. She will come home. It may not be in my timing, but someday we'll finally get the call to book plane tickets and hotels. Until then, we just have to keep trusting, praying, and hoping.

The crazy thing is late that night on the 30th, something in my heart knew that things wouldn't go the way I wanted. The same experience happened on the way to my OB appointments where we found out that we were miscarrying a few years ago. As I scrolled on Facebook, these two posts were literally one right after the other. God really used these words to comfort me, even before the hurt began...

"Really, right now: you're going to be okay... 

There is a plan & there is a purpose & there is a God in heaven who didn’t just ink you onto the palm of His hands but etched your name right into Himself with nails & He’s hasn’t just got your number, He’s got your heart. He sees you, hidden in Him, & you aren’t ever forgotten because God can’t forget those right in Him.

His perfect love absorbs all your fears tonight & His perfect grace carries all your burdens, & your story is a happily ever after because Christ bought your happily ever after --- so you *always know how this story ends*: 

You’re going to be okay."

-Ann Voskamp

"..sometimes it's ridiculously hard to know how to live through the stuff we're facing & you know, maybe this is it:

"Be cheerful -- no matter what; pray -- all the time; thank God -- no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." 1Thess5:18

So maybe there's our map through our Wednesday -- we will crush our complaints with thanks -- we will not give in to cynicism, we will not give up to discouragement.

Let's be cheerful, prayerful, thankful -- to keep the day from becoming: awful.

Today's game changer: There is always, always, always something to be thankful for."

-Ann Voskamp

So, here were are yet again in another month of waiting. Please continue to lift our family up in prayer. We appreciate your prayers, hugs, encouragement, and support more than you'll know. I'm praying that September 26th will be our final court hearing.

"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." 

Daniel 3:18

It's almost court time!!

I can't believe that this day has come.

We've been praying and waiting for this day. And now we are  literally HOURS away from our first court hearing.

It's a bit surreal. August 31st could be the day that our little sweet P will become our daughter.

We pray that God would move mightily in that court room tonight while we are sleeping. That our case would be heard. That He would guide the judge's heart and mind to grant us verbal approval. That we would be one giant step closer to our daughter.

After 26 months in process we are SO ready to go get our precious girl.

Please be praying with us tonight! We will be sure to keep everyone updated as soon as we find out anything!

We appreciate your prayers, support, and encouragement more than you will ever know! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Closer than we've ever been

Last night, I couldn't sleep.

Maybe it was that cup of coffee that we had at 7pm, maybe it was the sound of the rain pounding on the skylight that we have in our kitchen (which is one of my favorite sounds, by the way). As I lay there in the dark, my mind traveled to Ind*a. I can envision her sweet little face. I've pinched and zoomed and inspected every single pixel of each picture that we have of her. That's just what you do when your daughter lives 8,854 miles away. You live for seeing new photos and you pray.

Sweet P, there isn't a day that you aren't prayed for. Not just by us, but by people we may not even know.

A week from today we will be going to bed, but on the other side of the world one of the most important days of our two year adoption process will be beginning.

Court day. 

I felt like this day would never come, but the fact is, it's almost here! If the Lord puts us on your heart this week, please respond in prayer.

Pray that everyone necessary would be present. 

Pray for the judge, that he would hear her case and that he would give us verbal approval that same day. Pray that he would issue written orders in record time.

Pray for our girl and our family. Big, exciting changes are on the horizon for all of us. 

Pray for God to move mountains so we can book our plane tickets SOON! 

It's getting real. Today we are one day closer to meeting the girl we've loved since we saw her face on May 1, 2015.

She turns 4 in a month.

Last year when we celebrated with Indian food, cake, and family, I thought that 2016's celebration would include a precious little girl.

With our August 31st court date, having her home for her birthday is pretty much impossible. I say pretty much, because I know God is powerful, and if it's His will, we will be celebrating with her. But, realistically and practically, I'm preparing myself to celebrate another birthday spent apart. 

However, I have to remind myself that one month from now, we'll be much closer to getting on a plane! Closer to embracing our sweet girl and never letting go. Closer to hearing her voice for the first time. Closer to telling her how much we love her. Closer to thanking her caregivers for loving on our girl while we couldn't. Closer to starting our forever with her.

I pray that this month leading up to her birthday, that she truly feels the love of Christ deep down in her little soul. That she has a joy, peace, and excitement about her new family. 

We're coming Sweet P, we really are. 

Happy almost birthday, my baby girl!! 

August. The month we've been waiting for!

It's been a long time since we've had official "movement" in our case. Our last big approval was January 20th when we got word that we received NOC (No Objection Certificate).

Today is a special day. A day we have waited over FIVE months for. A day when our family coordinator called with some of the best news we've heard in a LONG time.

"You have a court date THIS month!!"

When I heard her speak those words, my heart was racing, my hands were shaking, and tears were flowing.

Finally. One major step toward bringing our little sweet P home!!

If all goes well, our case will be heard in court on August 31st. Nothing about adoption is predictable, even a specific court date. There are so many ways that this could play out. Obviously, we are praying that everyone needed shows up on August 31st and the judge gives us verbal approval that same day so we can pass court. This is pretty rare, but it has happened before. The more common scenario usually has a few court dates. However, at this point, we're just excited to actually have a date. Please continue to pray for the remainder of our process and now, specifically for court!

Here's what we have left in our process:

Pass court (verbal orders)

Written Orders

Orphanage applies for P's passport.

Orphanage receives P's passport. 

Get on a plane!

We're getting closer sweet girl!! 

Another month has come and gone...

I've said it before. Adoption is hard. Lately, the waiting is taking a toll on my heart.

I am constantly thinking about P. I walk a fine line (not always that well, might I add) of keeping my focus with the family that's living right here with me in our home, and daydreaming about our precious daughter all the way in Ind*a. I feel so torn. I long for the day when we're all under one roof.

At the beginning of this month, the POA that we sent arrived where it needed to be and I had the hope that we would finally get the court date that we had been waiting for. Well, the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into a month. That month has come and gone.

June came and went. July has done the same. Unfortunately, we are still without a court date.

I feel so discouraged, so drained, so tired of waiting, and the worst and possibly ugliest of emotions...so jealous. I see families that were matched after us traveling to bring their little ones home, or have been home for a while now. Yes, I rejoice with them. Each and every child home to their forever families is a huge victory that must be celebrated, but I wonder why we aren't celebrating this victory yet? Why after 25 months in process, and 15 months since we've laid eyes on our precious daughter is she still not home?

I'm really trying to lean into Jesus. I'm asking and praying for His strength to sustain me in this time where I feel so hopeless and impatient.

I know this post sounds so gloomy and depressing, but some days, that's reality. I want to be real with you all and share both the mountains and the valleys that I experience throughout this adoption process. It just so happens that we've been hanging out in the valley for a while.

I know that we won't be waiting forever. Someday, we'll finally be boarding that plane, driving to the orphanage, and holding our girl for the first time.

Please continue to pray with us. Pray that AUGUST will be the month that we have our first hearing. Pray for a quick court process so that we can bring our girl HOME!

2016-2017 Homeschool Curriculum {1st grade}

Here's a little peek into the curriculum we'll be using this school year! So far, each year I've done exactly what I HAVEN'T wanted to do...switch curriculum. When we first started, I promised to myself that I would never do such a thing. Each year, I SWORE that I had found THE perfect curriculum. But, the more I learn about my kids and their learning styles and the more we find our homeschool groove, it just happens. That's the beauty of homeschooling for us so far. I have the liberty to change things up. BUT, I'm hoping that what we're using this year will stick! ;)

So, here's what we have planned for the upcoming school year!

Mason :: Age 6 :: 1st grade

{DISCLAIMER}
I am not affiliated with any of the following companies. The views and opinions expressed are my own. 

Reading/Phonics - All About Reading level 1 and 2

We started level 1 last year and are just about to finish up. However, reading has been very challenging for us this year. Mason has worked so hard, but he's really struggled through this subject. He's definitely not ready to move onto level 2 yet so we're going to go back through the lessons at a faster pace. I recently bought the games with Ziggy Zebra so we'll play those too! Our goal for this year is to gain confidence in reading and have lots of opportunities for practice. We'll move on to level 2 when he's ready!

Math - RightStart Math level A

We're still working through this level since we started mid-year last year. We made the switch from Horizons K math and never looked back. RightStart has been a perfect fit so far!I love how RightStart engages the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses. Yes, this program is expensive, but so far it has been worth every single penny. The bulk of the cost involved all the manipulatives, which will be used year after year.

Handwriting - Handwriting Without Tears K

We're still working through the K level. With math and reading struggles last year, handwriting got put on the back-burner. Such is life. We'll start 1st grade once we're done. He'll also be working on Tapestry of Grace copywork using memory words.

Science - Elemental Science (Intro to Science)

I needed a science curriculum that was full of fun science experiments that I could easily have younger kiddos sit in on, but still be engaging enough for a 1st grader. The experiments look fun and cover basic chemistry, physics, geology, meteorology, botany, and zoology.

Bible/History/Literature/ - Tapestry of Grace Primer

I am SO excited for Tapestry. I'm slightly overwhelmed with how to plan out our year, but mostly excited! This curriculum uses great books, interactive hands on projects, games, and a conversational approach. We'll be taking a broad sweep through history from creation through modern times through various unit studies.

Devotional- Adventures in Obedience

We saw this program at our local homeschool convention and are planning on doing this 3 evenings a week as a family! We'll go through character development cartoons using the Cat and Dog Theology books along with reading missionary stories from the I Heard the Good News Today! book. We read a few missionary stories with Sonlight last year and the boys really enjoyed them!

Two years.

Two years ago we sent the initial application to our adoption agency. Some days, it seems as if that was forever ago yet, other days I wonder where the last two years went.

Part of me expected the process to take this long. Part of me was hopeful that's we'd already be a family of five by now...

Regardless, I'm thankful for this journey so far. Literal blood, sweat, and tears (LOTS of tears) have been poured into this fight for our precious daughter. I can't fully express how thankful I am to have connected with SO many amazing people who have adopted/or are in the process of adopting from Ind!a. This journey has taught me more about faith, trust, patience, obedience, and the gospel than any other experience I've gone through in my life. And for that, I'm extremely thankful.

I thought June would come with a court date, or at least notice of a court date. Instead, June threw us for a loop. We found out we don't have to travel for court, needed to send a new power of attorney, and send new passport sized photos. Just when we thought all the paper work was done.

So now we hope and pray that July is the month we will have our first (and hopefully only) court date. We're praying like crazy to have our sweet girl home for her 4th birthday. Each day that passes this seems more and more impossible, but I know God is working together all things for good (even if it's not the "good" that I'm envisioning).

Unexpected answers in the wilderness

The past couple weeks, our process has been heavy on my heart. The pain of the wait and silence were really getting to me.

The Lord was really speaking to me through His word, sermons at church, and through song. Everything that I was reading or hearing seemed to have a common theme.

Wilderness.

In Numbers I'm reading about the Israelites and how they were so hopeful to move to a land full of God's goodness. Their travels and wanderings had lasted years, but God knew what he was doing. In his sovereignty, He allowed the Israelites to take this "scenic" desert route not only for their protection, but to learn from their experiences.

In church we're going through a series called Broken People, Big God where we spend time studying how God used broken people like Abraham, Samson, and this past week, Elijah. Elijah also had to pass through a painful season in the wilderness. Literally, God sent Elijah to the wilderness where he has to rely on the Lord to be fed by ravens, drink from a brook in a land during a drought, all while being alone. He literally had nothing to do but wait on God. And trust me (and Elijah), waiting is HARD. Eventually the brook dries up and God sends Elijah elsewhere. He ends up with a widow and her son and is put in yet another situation where he must  put his trust in what little resources the Lord provides. A small amount of flour and a little jar of oil. He has to have faith in God that they won't run out. God used Elijah's wilderness waiting to protect him, provide for him and sustain him, and prepare him for the next chapter (literally, 1 Kings chapter 18) in his life when he would need to stand up against the false prophets of Baal. 

A blog I had read about Elijah said, "Wilderness seasons are brutal. But God is powerfully at work in the 1 Kings 17 season of our lives."

God uses these wilderness situations. In the wilderness we can feel His presence, worship Him in a more authentic way, and have a clearer picture of what obedience looks like. Our faith is strengthened and our relationship with Him deepens.

My wilderness looks a bit different from the Isrealites or Elijah. I'm not part of a nomadic tribe wandering around in the desert, and I'm not relying on God for food and water via ravens and brooks. However, I can relate. We've been waiting for over a year with very little updates or answers about our girl. There really is no other way to describe this wait other than brutal. It just flat out stinks. We were matched with a 2.5 year old and she's about to turn 4 in a few months.

This Monday I posted a prayer request asking for BIG MOVEMENT on my Facebook page. So here's the update you've all been waiting for, though it's a bit unexpected.

Today our family coordinator called and let us know that we do NOT need to be present for our court date. Basically, our case will continue like a "typical" Ind!an adoption. So we don't have to take two trips anymore! We do have to send yet another power of attorney document (yes, another) tomorrow to our agency and once that arrives back in Ind!a, we should be able to be registered for court and find out when our first hearing will be. We are now praying for an early July court date. We really don't have any details on how long the court process will take. We were given estimates of anywhere from 2-6 hearings over a course of 2-4 months. Hopefully we'll get more details in the next few weeks.

So there it is. Our unexpected answer. Just a reminder that God is always in control. Even when we think things are going to happen in a specific way, he allows us to see his sovereign hand in every situation. I'm at peace because I know that this was not unexpected to God. It's already passed through His hand.

Please continue the prayers. We felt them and appreciate them so much! 

May 4th

Today is the day one year ago that we were officially matched in the system with our little sweet P.

We knew the moment we saw her face on a Friday morning, that she was ours. Despite the unknowns, (and there were A LOT) we made the decision to email our family coordinator Saturday night and request to be matched with her. By 6am Monday, May 4th, 2015 my phone was ringing. Our family coordinator was calling to let us know that we were officially matched with P.

What a year it's been. I feel like we're on this crazy rollercoaster and we have NO idea when the ride will end. But it's also an amazing rollercoaster, and I feel blessed to be on this ride called adoption. The highs and lows have taught me so much about Jesus. His longsuffering patience. His unwavering love. His pure goodness.

We stepped out in blind faith this day one year ago. We felt a peace that only God could bring to our hearts in this situation. A peace that allowed us to move forward without any real information other than 4 pictures.

Today, one year after our match, we are waiting for a court date to attend. This is where a judge in Ind*a will legally make her what we've known her to be for a year now. Our precious, chosen, daughter. A Salonga.


Here is how you can be praying for us:

• We ask that you pray for our attorney. We won't share her name with you, but God knows who she is. Please pray that she will receive our affidavit and register our case in court so we can have a date set. 

• Please be in prayer for our court date. We are boldly praying for a June date. 

• Pray that our judge would be for adoption and would grant us verbal and written orders in record time. 

• Pray for our last moments of a family of four. That all of our hearts would be prepared for this new transition to a daughter and a little sister. 

• Please continue to pray for P. Pray for her little heart. What she has known for 3.5 years is about the come to an end. The loss and pain that she will experience is so huge. Pray that we would be able to be a source of comfort for her and we could help her to handle her grief. 

I'll leave you all with this picture of her. I could stare that those adorable little feet and that cute denim skirt all day! 

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Waiting and Praying.

It's so crazy to think how much can happen in a year...yet, so much can be very similar.

February 21, 2014: I went in for surgery to remove my molar pregnancy and began what I thought was the most trying times in my life. The weekly blood tests and doctor appointments all began. We waited and we prayed.

February 21,2015: Our home study was registered on the database and we began to wait for Ind*a's approval. Again, we waited and prayed.

Today: Here we are yet again, in a time of waiting and praying. This time, we're closer than we have ever been in 3 years to a child! Our daughter is so close to coming home. It's crazy to think we're in the home stretch, but it still feels like we have so many mountains to climb.

Please pray with us that we will receive our court affidavit soon so we can finally get a court date. We're praying bold prayers for a summer court date...which means we need that affidavit SOON. We would love to celebrate P's 4th birthday in September with her HOME.

Remembering :: The days leading up to our referral

I'm notorious for using this blog like a diary. I'll write and write posts because I don't want to forget how I felt at certain points in the process, but often they get left as drafts because I either never finished my thought, or because I'm waiting for the right approval before I share more details about our process. Of course, there are quite a few details that I won't be able to share until we have our girl in our arms, so you'll have to wait to hear about those!

But, I want to begin sharing some of these stories because they are such wonderful reminders of how faithful God is and how much He has sustained us through this journey.

I can't believe that I wrote these posts so long ago!

::April 30, 2015:: 

After 12 weeks of waiting, our home study was approved by Ind*a! This meant that we were finally ale to be matched with a child!

Thursday night at my women's Bible study, as I was sharing the excitement of our approval with my sweet sisters in Christ, I also asked them to pray for a few specific things:

• That we would be matched quickly.
• That we would be open to the daughter God has for us, even if her special needs were different than we expected.
• And of course, my constant prayer to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and for patience. 

On the way home from Bible study, Stephen Curtis Chapman's song, Something Beautiful was playing on the radio and though I've heard that song so many times, the chorus stuck with me and was playing on repeat in my head. Seriously. All. Night. Long.

"And God says,
I'm gonna turn it into something different,
I'm gonna turn it into something good.
I'm gonna take all the broken pieces
And make something beautiful like only I could.
So put it all in the hands of the Father
Give it up, give it all over to
The only one who can turn it into
Something beautiful,
Something really beautiful."

At that point, I was thinking, "Yes, God really does have a reason as to why everything took SO long in the beginning of our process. There is a reason our approval took over 2 months. He's got this. We WILL get our daughter, maybe not on our own timeline, but when has His timeline failed us? Never!"

::May 1, 2015::

Friday morning our family coordinator sent an email just checking to see how close we are to finishing up our dossier. (Which by the way, TWO of the three documents we needed came in the mail the day before, so YAY for answered prayers!) I let her know that we were pretty close to being done with it.

A little less than an hour later, around 9:00 AM my phone rings and I notice it's our agency. I picked it up assuming our caseworker wanted to discuss what to do once we're ready to send our dossier to her.

Instead, this regular phone call, turned in the THE phone call!!!! Just ONE day after we had finally been approved to receive a referral! 

I'll never forget the words she said:

"I have a little girl that I'd like you to consider. I think she'd be a perfect match for your family."

She began to describe the little girl known as "P", who was two and a half years old . After describing some delays we might encounter due to the particular state she's in, the need for two trips (one for court, and another for pick up), and some serious unknowns about her special need, she asked if we would like to see some pictures of her. 

Of course?! Why wouldn't we? What an answered prayer! A potential referral after only a day of being approved in the system?! Pinch me!!

What a blessing to finally open that email and see not one, but FOUR amazing pictures of this precious girl...one even being a picture of her as a newborn baby!  Let me tell you, she is SO beautiful. We were pretty much in love with this girl from the start. When Mark saw her picture for the first time he immediately said "that's our girl!" My emotions went from extreme giddiness to fear. You see, we were given no information about this sweet girl's special need other than a brief, obvious description. No why, no diagnosis, no medical report, no child study, nothing. It was slightly terrifying...but at the same time, we knew in our hearts she is the daughter God had for us.

We decided to take the weekend to really pray about her. To be honest, for a short time I struggled with the known delays we would face due to the fact that she's in a state that's known to be much slower. All I wanted was to bring home our daughter as quickly as possible. The Lord really revealed my own selfishness in that. This whole journey to a third child has NOT been on my own timeline, but I can say with complete confidence that God has worked everything out for HIS good in HIS own time. The other immediate hesitation was her special need and the lack of medical information pertaining to it. Seriously, we had four pictures, and a name. That was it.

::May 2, 2015::

I got to spend the morning at Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market with my best friend, who also happens to be a nurse. We spent the morning talking about little P and her special need. She helped me so much that day. So much back and fourth, so many whatifs, still so many unknowns. But as we talked, I began to feel at peace. I really just felt that the Lord was calling us to step out in faith and say "yes" to this little girl. To trust that He would work out all the unknowns. After talking and praying, Mark and I decided to email our family coordinator  and asked her to match us with P. She was ours and we would fight for her no matter what.

::May 4, 2015::

My phone rang at 6:05am and I used my best "I've been awake for an hour already voice" to answer when I saw that it was our family coordinator. She informed us that we were officially matched to P! She reminded us of the long wait that was ahead of us due to the region she lives in. So, here we go! We're buckling up for what I'm sure will be a huge rollercoaster of emotions and some serious practice in patience as we wait for our P to come home.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"
Psalms 27:14

Let there be...PINK!

Yep, there is finally a room in our home that is PINK!!

As I was prepping P's room to be painted today, it was such a surreal feeling. I've dreamed about the day that I would finally get to have a little girl's room to decorate (although decorating the boys' Avengers room has been pretty fun too)!

We've been slowly working on her room and collecting random things here and there, but since getting NOC, we decided to celebrate the occasion by working on her room a little more!

A while back, I found EXACTLY the bed I was looking for on Craigslist...and it was a great deal! Mark re-painted it white and it's absolutely beautiful!

Over the weekend, my mom and I went shopping and found the prettiest quilt for her bed! The $19 price tag made it even prettier! ;)

We painted her room today and it's such a sweet shade of super light pink. I can't wait to share the finished room with you all!

Pinch me.

Really. I must be dreaming!

Today started out like any other day. There are some days where the adoption process weighs more heavily on my heart than others, but today I was just going about my day as usual. We happened to be right in the middle of a reading lesson when my phone rang. I knew that area code. It was our family coordinator.

Friends, we have NOC (No Objection Certificate)!!!!!!

What a flood of emotions!! Honestly, I think I'm still in shock about it! I was really expecting to wait quite a while for this approval. We were told to prepare to wait AT LEAST 3-9 months. But you know what?! God crushed those time lines and moved some serious mountains!

I am amazed at God's faithfulness. I am at a loss for words to describe just how good He is to us. Even in the times when I felt weak, hopeless, or upset, I knew God was walking this journey right alongside us.

So, now that we have NOC, we finally get to make and send a photo book to the orphanage for our girl to see. Once she gets this book she will finally know that she has a family: a mommy, a daddy, and two brothers who have prayed for her daily and love her deeply!

Here's how you can continue to pray for our family:

1. Photo book: I know it seems silly to ask for prayer for a photo book, but our prayer is that her caregivers will share this book with her. That they will help prepare her for what is coming. That she would feel joy and peace and excitement when she sees our faces!

2. Court: Now our case is all up to the court. Right now we are praying that God would continue to move in mighty ways and we would receive our affidavit very quickly. We are praying for all the people that will be involved in our case: lawyers, advocates, judges, whoever. That they would be sympathetic toward adoption and they would move cases quickly.

3. Maya: As usual, pray that she is being well taken care of and loved on until we can wrap our arms around her. (Can. Not. Wait. For. That. Day!!! Eeeeeeek!)

Waiting (yes, again).

This Christmas, I experienced feelings I never imagined I could feel. You see, I LOVE Christmas time and would love to seriously slow time down during that season. However, this year felt so strange to me. Part of me still did want to freeze time. I loved doing Truth in the Tinsel with the boys during our homeschool time, the Jesse tree at night, and all the fun Christmas traditions that we have to fill our month full of great memories. But, the other part of me knew something was missing: our daughter. Last year, she was just a thought. Sure, we loved her and were excited to day dream about her,  but we didn't know her yet. This year, she is so real. She has a face, a name, and a place even deeper in our hearts. I found myself  torn between focusing on the present, and wanting to fast forward to traveling to Ind*a to get our girl so we can all be together. With that being said, I don't think I've ever been so excited to take down Christmas decorations in our house before. Normally I dread it, but this year it gave me so much excitement! Taking down those decorations meant time was moving forward. Each day brings us closer to our SweetP and that is exciting! 

When we started this journey in the summer of 2014, (wow, where does the time go?!) we thought that maaaaybe we'd have a little girl in our arms by now. 

So far, 2016 has already been quite the rush of emotions. I began the year really thinking we'd see some major movement in our case because a few other families in similar stages in the process saw movement. That first week of the new year was hard. Each day I was feeling less and less hopeful that we'd be lucky enough to move forward in the process so quickly. 

This past Sunday at church (because God has a way of reminding us at the most perfect times), during our prayer meeting and the sermon I was reminded of SO many great truths and promises. 

God knows. 

My God sees me. He sees my longing for Maya. He sees her too. I wanted her home yesterday, but He has something far better planned than I can ever imagine.

He has a plan. 

He is using this whole process from miscarriages to adoption to form me into the woman that I could never be on my own terms if things were going smoothly and "easy". 

He made provision. 

He will make a way (He always has), and in the meantime, I will cling to His word because it gives me life.

So, you may be wondering where we're at in the whole process and when we'll get to bring Maya home. Welcome to the club, we're wondering the same exact thing! ;) But, here's what's left in the process:

• NOC - This is Ind*a's federal level approval that we are currently waiting for. This approval could come tomorrow, or nine months from now. We really don't have any idea. We're hoping sooner, rather than later!
• Court affidavit - This is unique to to P's region in Ind*a. Once we get NOC, we wait for the advocate and lawyers to draw up these documents. This could take months. Once we get them we'll sign them and send them back to Ind*a. Once those are back, we will find out a court date.
• Court - We will finally get to go and travel to meet our precious daughter and take to her court (again, unique to P's region) and get verbal approval from the judge. 
• Return to USA - I am dreading this part of the trip the most. The part where we will have to hug and kiss our girl and return home without her until we get the written orders from the judge.
• Pickup-Fly back to Ind*a, get our girl and finish the remainder of the adoption process in Delhi.

Here is how you can be joining us in prayer:

1. For approvals: The next step in the process is such a huge one. Please be praying for the committee that meets weekly to grant these approvals. We know that these approvals are being issued fairly consistently lately, but we also know there are cases that have been waiting for too long.  
2. For our SweetP: As we inch closer to the day that we bring our girl home, I know the grief and loss that she will face will be so hard. Please be praying that her heart is being prepared to receive so much love from a mommy, daddy, and big brothers. We also ask that you keep her health in your prayers, as well as the women who are taking care of her. 
3. For the whole court process: Though we are not in the stage of the process yet, we want to begin praying for whoever will be involved in our case. That everything will go smoothly and without delays.

"...And do not be grieved, for the JOY of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10