Love Anew

Le and I have been married for over 4 years now. Sometimes it seems as if time has flown by and at others I am reminded how long we've known one another. I am fond of telling him that I love him more and more the longer we are together. I think these statements hurt his feelings, as if I didn't love him when we got married, but the truth is the more I learn about him as a person and the way we handle challenges as a couple, my appreciation for him just continues to grow. This weekend was another example. He had the entire weekend off of work and we got to spend a lot of time together (which is usually pretty hard for us). We laughed, argued and had a blast! Thank you darling for two days that reminded me what an amazing man, husband and soon to be father you are! I am so thankful that the good Lord answered my prayers about a companion, a side kick and a partner. I wouldn't want to be on this crazy roller coaster with any one else.

Agency Approval!

Two more steps were marked off our "to be done" list today. I can't really describe it as a "to do" list because a majority of the things are not able to be accomplished by Le and I and are considered to be things beyond our control. We received notice from our adoption agency today that we have received our official approval through the agency. We now move our focus to preparing our dossier (the packet of documents to be sent to Ethiopia). We also received word that our home study was finalized and mailed to CIS today. This is the last documentation we need in order to finalize our dossier and have our documents sent to Ethiopia. Once our home study reaches CIS, we will be provided a date and time to be fingerprinted. Once we have been fingerprinted, then CIS will approve us and our approval letter will be sent with our dossier (this is called receiving your I-171). Once we are placed on the wait list, then the real "waiting" begins. Yeah for another step completed! Don't worry our precious children, mom and dad are coming for you!

Sweet and Sour

We are back from our vaca with our niece and nephew from Orlando. It was fun to be away and enjoy being with the kids, but the longer we were away, an overwhelming longing filled my heart and hasn't yet left. I know our children are coming. I know that every thing happens in God's timing, but the longing for my children grows with each passing day. I tried really hard to not spend a lot of time this last week online, blogging, or obsessively checking my email from our agency regarding our application status. I didn't even work, which for those of you who know me really well, know that not working sometimes equate to not breathing for me. I wanted time to clear my head, pray, spend time with family and just enjoy a week away from the office. I just couldn't shake the dreams each night that perhaps our next family holiday would include our children. I saw our children in the faces of every dark skinned child I encountered. I fantasized about how old they would be, what they would look like, and whether or not we would be picking out shades of pink or blue. I know that we have not yet begun to wait, but I am, at least for awhile, have to be content with seeing my children in my sleep.

How Sweet The Sound

I've been lazy this week. Well, not exactly lazy (we've been at Disney World with our niece and nephew all week), but I haven't blogged for several days. When Le and I began our adoption journey, we knew that having children of our own would change things a lot. Our niece and nephew are the only kids in our families and they are, how do you say, really spoiled. Having cousins around will be challenging, but Le and I wanted to give them a trip just for the two of them that reminded them that they are special. So we packed up this last week and headed to Orlando. Since it is just the four of us on our first out of town excursion, I of course, have had the responsibility of getting Alexis and I ready for dinner every night. Her hair is so thick that it takes FOREVER to dry, so we spend a lot of time underneath the hair dryer. While we are getting ready, I always turn on some praise music, or an upbeat country tune. This week my favorite CD still remains Micheal W. Smith's A New Hallelujah. There is a great rendition of Amazing Grace and I haven't noticed until last night, that Lexi has been intimately paying attention to every word. Last night, as I was finishing up her hair, I heard her belting out Amazing Grace! It was so moving to hear such big words coming from a tiny voice. Thank you Father, let me be more like a child!

The List

Awhile back, Le and I were driving to Tulsa. During the ride, I broke out a pen and a piece of paper and Le and wrote out a list of all of the places in the world that we wanted to see before we died. We made a pretty impressive recitation of places we were looking forward to visiting. I remember very specifically asking Le if he ever wanted to go to Africa; he said not really and I left the country off of our list. Over the last several months, Africa has not only become a place that Le and I want to go and see, but a place where we have sent our hearts and the ONLY place we want to be. Today, as I was going through the papers on my desk, I found our list. I laughed and wrote "AFRICA" across the top.
Thank you Lord for allowing our dreams to be flexible and for having your desires become our own.

An All-Round Great Circle

I have written a lot about my family. Family has always been a big part of my life. I knew that when it was time to get married, that my husband's family would be an extension of a new part of my life. What I didn't expect was to have hit the in-law jackpot! When I showed Le's mom my engagement ring almost six years ago, she burst into tears and told me that her family was finally complete. I didn't know at the time how much Le's family and friends would complete my life. Every holiday, birthday, and special occasion is celebrated, not just by my biological family, but the amazing group of people I married into. When I graduated from law school, I know I had the biggest group of supporters than anyone else. And through this adoption process, nothing has changed. This past mother's day, for the first time, I received my first mother's day cards. Although I am not yet a mother, Le loves to tell everyone that I am "paper pregnant". My mother in law and husband sent me flowers and a wonderful friend donated money to Mocha Club in my name for mother's day (Meg, I still can't tell you how cool that was of you!). My mother and sister came for dinner to celebrate together and I had to give thanks for such an amazing group and thank you all for continuing to celebrate our children who are not yet here; I know that love is felt even across an ocean.

Much Needed Rest

This weekend, Le was off of work and we got to be together for two whole days. With his schedule at the fire department, this only happens every three weekends, so being together for so long on the weekends is sometimes a little crazy. Last post, my wonderful husband hacked into my blog and recorded a very sweet message for me; I was blown away. Thank you my love! This next week is going to be quite the challenge at work and it was nice to spend some time at home, relaxing. Also, if any of you need some great beads from Uganda, I have the place for you. These beads are made from TRASH! and are made by individuals living in Uganda. Brandi, who works closely with Children's HopeChest is selling them on her website. All the money goes straight back to Uganda. So go get as many as you want!