It's getting exciting around here!

I heard a song today on the radio called "Only One Life to Love" by 33 Miles and the chorus really spoke to my heart:
"You only get just one time around, you only get one shot at this,
One chance to find out the one thing that you don't want to miss
One day when it's all said and done, I hope you see that it was enough
One ride, one try, only one life to love...."
This journey to Max is one thing that I don't want to miss... I have been praying about this for years... I have wanted to adopt a child for as long as I can remember... to have biological children (and God has blessed me with 3 beautiful and wonderful children) but to also have one by adoption! I can't explain it except to say that He put the desire in my heart long ago and I have been waiting! I can look back in my journal 13 years ago...10 years ago... and since then and see prayers for this child! I can't explain how excited I am that this is finally going to happen! And I am so thankful that I have the most wonderful husband in the world that has the same heart to take the journey together! And my wonderful kids are excited to share their world with a brother who they haven't met yet but they love with all their hearts! All I can say is "Thank you Lord -- You are so faithful!"

Getting ready for Max!

We travel next week and have been very busy trying to get ready! We put up a wall in our playroom, painted and decorated Max's room! Thanks so much to Glenn and Ann Powell for helping us get ready for him -- Glenn and Greg spent all weekend building the wall and Ann helped me paint his room so now we are almost ready! Yay! The kids start school on Monday so I am glad that they will be back on a schedule before we leave ... but I hate leaving them for so long ... Nana and Grandma Judy will be taking care of them while we are away... They are so excited that hopefully the time will pass quickly! Please pray for safe travel and a smooth process while we are in country... I will be updating the blog while we are there!

Traveling soon!!!

We received the word today that our dossier was accepted and we have an appointment in Ukraine on August 27th to meet with the adoption officials! We are so excited! We actually got a little more notice than we expected because the week of August 18th to 25th government offices are closed due to an Independence day holiday -- this gives us time to get our tickets, make our travel plans and get the kids in school -- they start back the 24th and we will travel the 25th! Perfect timing in my mind! Wow, it is amazing to me that we will be meeting our son in exactly 3 weeks! I am jumping for joy! I am so thankful for all the wonderful family and friends that we have that have supported us wholeheartedly in this calling! Here we come, Max!!

Our dossier has been submitted!

Things seem to be taking on speed now! We mailed our dossier one week ago and it has already been received by our facilatator, translated into Russian and submitted to the governing body in charge of adoptions! We should hear sometime this week if there are any problems with our paperwork and if not, when we will be able to travel! It seems we will be traveling by the end of the month (or much sooner) if all goes well! Please continue to keep us and Max in your prayers!

The dossier is in the mail!

My kids and I drove to Austin to get our final paperwork apostilled today. We only had one glitch (apparently the bank notary was not official so had to hunt around Austin for another notary whose stamp doesn't expire for at least a year) but the woman at the Secretary of State's office was extremely nice and we got it done! Then we walked 2 blocks to the UPS store and mailed all of the documents overseas! They should be there by Thursday! Happy day!

We got our I-171H!

Our I-171H came today! This is a big step in the process! Now, I can send our dossier off after I drive to Austin on Monday to get it apostilled!!! It shouldn't be long now -- hopefully, our dossier will be in Eastern Europe in our facilitator's hands by Friday! Thank you Lord!

All in His timing...

It is so difficult to wait!!! I eagerly check the mailbox every day for that coveted 171H that will allow us to finally send our paperwork to Max's country. We have everything else done -- even apostilled -- it's all sitting on a shelf waiting for that last piece of paper. It very much feels like being pregnant and waiting, waiting, waiting although at least with pregnancy, you know that there is a definite time limit! I have to keep reminding myself that it is all in God's timing... He has the perfect plan... I have seen it over and over in my life so why is it so difficult to trust Him again??? I am going to trust again that He is taking care of all the details and although I would get this adoption done as fast as possible, He knows my all of my days and all of Max's days before one of them was yet to be ...

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My framewas not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." Psalm 139:14-16