One Year

Is it just me, or is it incredibly hard to believe that this was a whole year ago? (olivia)

The girls were so tiny, (brenna)

It was such an incredible whirlwind, (brenna)

It was hard to believe they were really real,

and really there,

after all the months of waiting, (olivia, brenna)

finally getting to see their little faces, (brenna)

and hold them (very carefully!) (brenna)

It was an absolutely magical time, and we are so thankful that we got to be there for it, even though we missed the next few weeks... (brenna) now, a year later, it is hard to remember ever being without these faces:

And, as tiny as they still are, when I look back, I can see that we have come a long way!  What an amazing miracle Brenna and Olivia are, our family would definitely not be the same without them.  :)  This is their birthday breakfast with real milk (PTL, the bottles and formula are FINISHED!!!) and of course, some toast with coconut oil, their favorite.  :)

Here are my big one year olds with their first "real" hairdos... well, at least Brenna.  Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your point of view) Baylee hid all the rest of the little colorful clips (and couldn't remember where they were despite being bribed by m&ms) and I didn't have enough to do Olivia's hair too... so she got some sweet little pigtails in the mean time.  :)  And, yes, I am very proud of this, it took forever, including a ridiculous amount of research into techniques and products.  But more on this later, for now, happy birthday to my girls!!!

 

Quote of the Week

My friends, adoption is redemption. It's costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous. Buying back lives costs so much. When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him." --Derek Loux

I have been a little neglegent with my quotes of the week.  Of course, the kid quotes have kind of taken over, but I want to make sure I continue with the QOTW because they are such a huge encouragement to me, and hopefully to you!  I saw this quote on an adoption blog I follow and thought it was pretty great.  When I think about all that it has cost us to adopt the girls (In the grand scheme it has not been very much) I always kind of shrug it off, all the time and effort and money seem like nothing... completely worthless... when I think about what we have now.  Of course we would give that, to get them.  Of course we would, and we would do it again, a thousand times.  They are worth everything that they cost and so much more.  However, when I think about what God gave, to get me, my mindset changes.  He gave SO much more.   Why would he want me anyway?  I will never know.  I do know though, that the LORD doesn't feel the way I assume he does.  He feels the way I do about my girls, only a thousand times more intense and more pure.  He wanted his children so much that he willingly gave Himself, all of Himself, for us.  What a mystery!  My adoption in Christ is the most miraculous thing I can imagine.  The girls have a family, I have an Eternal family that spans the globe, (and the ages!) the girls have a home, I have an eternal heaven to enjoy, the girls have food to eat, I have the bread of life to sustain and strengthen me.  My prayer is that my girls (and my other 3) are adopted by Christ.   Spiritual adoption makes this earthly adoption seem pretty pathetic in comparisson.  Sure, it is something that I believe in with my whole heart.  Sure, it has given countless orphans a second chance at a "better" life, (or for some, maybe life at all).  However, in the span of eternity, it really isn't going to matter so much, and the best thing I can hope for is that our adoption of the girls points people to a Spiritual adoption.  In the end, who you earthly parents were is not going to matter, but if you are able to call God your Father, that is the only thing that will matter!

Adoptive Placement!!!

Today, we signed adoptive placement papers. Really, it doesn't mean a whole lot, but we are excited that we no longer have to lock up our medications and hand soap! Now, we are looking at about 4 months until Finalization, which will be even better! Our visits from Kelly, our social worker, are fewer and further between... which is a blessing! Hopefully before I turn 29 we will finalize and officially have these girls forever. :)

Kelly agreed to take a family picture of us, since we still didn't have one. :/ You can see how well Aubrey cooperated! He is so funny lately whenever we are around someone he doesn't know very well. Really, he knows Kelly pretty well by now... usually he talks to her and is polite, but not today. He refused to take his hands down but I told Kelly that it was ok, this is how I will remember our family at this stage. Especially my little man.

The girls were looking so cute with all of their bows (Randi, you really started something over here!) I had to take a couple of pictures. :)

Especially since they had their "Hippie" onesies on. Usually, I would not buy such things. I'm not much into "peace" and "love", at least not the kind this world offers. However, I find myself buying things for these girls I would never have gotten for Baylee. They can just pull off more crazy and colorful things I think. I love that they are newborn onesies and they still fit. I do not love that they got glitter EVERYWHERE. I guess that is the price you pay for the cuteness.

Brenna and Olivia

Well, as most of you have heard, we are home. Our girl's mom decided to keep them, and boy do we understand her decision. They are absolutely beautiful, no mommy in her right mind could give these angels up. We had them for a couple of days at the hospital and loved every minute with them. They are precious and we don't regret anything about what we went through. It was an amazing opportunity to be a part of this young mom's experience and to get to know the girls a little bit. We hope that we helped her (and them) and they will always hold a special place in our hearts. It looks like for now, our adoption journey is going to take another route. God is in control and we can't wait to see what He has in store! Here are the girls, just in case some of you think we are making it all up. :)

Brenna Laine

Olivia and Brenna

Olivia Noelle

Brenna and Olivia :)
They are going to keep the names we chose for them. I'm not sure why, but I am pleased about it. We love those names and think they fit the girls perfectly! We definitely miss them, but know that their mom loves them very much. That is so comforting. More than that, God gave them life and has a plan for them. All we can do, as with any of our children, is pray for them. We know He is in control of their little lives and in His perfect wisdom will care for them the way that He sees fit.

Our Big News!!!

Well, it's not like all of you don't already know... but we have been (Lord Willing) blessed with twin girls!!! This is Baby A and her sister is every bit as adorable. :) We have been scrambling like crazy trying to get our paperwork in order (as we switched programs) and our house in order (as we switched from one to two, and from boy to girl!) Also, just because our house is never quite in order. ;) We are thrilled and excited and can't wait to bring them home. They are officially due on Christmas Eve. (I think) Their birthmother has a scheduled section planned for December 10th, but no one thinks she will make it that long and our social worker keeps telling us that it will be any day. Hopefully not, because we are not quite ready and would like them to get a little bigger... but God's plans are perfect and we can't wait to see what He has planned for us! It has been a whirlwind, but such an amazing experience seeing how God has worked this all out. We are so VERY blessed! Keep us in your prayers as we go through this process, it is very difficult and emotional and there is some risk on our side. We do feel like God is calling us to take that risk and want to be joyfully obedient to His will, no matter what that ends up being.

A while back, I posted this quote from Elizabeth Prentiss as I was musing about the idea of having more children. She had just become pregnant again.

From a (well meaning) friend in a letter to Elizabeth:

"You shall now have one more mouth to fill and two more feet to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music, and drawing."

No doubt Elizabeth understood this to be true. But look at her response:

"Well! That is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other. Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly servant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!"

I love it and hope I am able to maintain the same, biblical perspective! (Especially while I'm up at 2:00am with 2 little ones!) Thanks for your prayers, I can't wait to announce that they have come home! :)