SURPRISE!!!

So here I am attempting to be a great mom by planning dinner and getting it in the crock pot (although 2 of our 3 kids don't even like ribs, hmmm), when the phone rings. I don't pick it up, which is typical of me except the past 2 months when we were waiting for the call of all calls. Then I hear sweet Natalie's voice and think maybe I should get this one. I truly was thinking she had something to say about her upcoming trip to Ethiopia (I think she leaves tomorrow) but instead she gave us a court date!!!



March 26



I know, I know, it often doesn't pass the first time, but HOLY COW, this is the FIRST time anything has gone quickly in this whole adoption process so far (besides our instantaneous smittenness with these kids).

How cool is that!!!

This afternoon I was planning to book our spring break trip, because Michiganders start getting a little irksome this time of year, as we continue to snow plow out of driveways. Well, looks like we will postpone the plans, and if our court date gets moved way out, let's hope for some REALLY good last minute deals.

No, this is not Antarctica, but Lake Michigan in March. It IS stunning. In these shots, we are actually about 100 yards out on the lake. Lots of massive ice build up. The kids found some cracks and holes (or death traps) that made it ultra-adventurous, but we just let the dog lead the way. If she were to bite it, well, at least the rest of us would be safe. Don't worry, she's fine.


And to think, in a few months, we will be swimming in this stuff.

TWINS!!!!!!!

Yes, it's true. We just got referred twins!!! It took us all but a half hour to think about it and accept the referral (actually we were ready immediatetly, but thought we better look like we weren't being too impulsive by thinking about it for 30 minutes).

Here is the scoop:

Natalie called me while I was sleeping, since I worked 3rd shift last night. She also called Farmboy and he attempted to wake me with a phone call, but our bedroom is pretty sound proof. When I got up from my nap, he was again calling and said, "Check your messages, Natalie called." Of course, I called and she gave us a referral for a 4 year old twin boy and girl with super cute dimples. We are ecstatic!!! We were always hoping for twins, but we knew chances were slim.

So, can I tell you about last night and this morning? I worked last night, and luckily there were no suicidal or psychotic people needing an assessment, so I basically had a chance to read my Bible. I read several verses on prayer, and felt compelled to pray earnestly about our adoption, praying out loud with hands raised as high as they could go at times. I felt so blessed during that time.

Again this morning, before I went to bed, I was reading in Matt. 18 and as I read verse 5: "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me, " I felt so touched. I thought of these children as the 2 lost of the 100 sheep that the shepherd celebrates for when they are found. In the margin I wrote today's exact date, which I never do, stating we will celebrate like that when we get the referral. God is good.

So, as I peel myself off the ceiling to complete this post, I also want to encourage you to read the post below, as my husband is SO funny. Hey, his birthday present was just a day late.

10 common myths to inducing adoption…

Dear Abby,

I am a 40 year male who is fast approaching his due date and I have heard there are some home remedies that could hasten the adoption process… Could you please shed some wisdom on these myths?

1.) Q: My Braxton Hicks contractions are painful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited, but they started like 4 months ago… Isn’t that supposed to be a sign?
A) Oh, you men are so wimpy! Pain is inevitable in adoption. Your timeline was 3-5 months remember? You think this is painful… try waiting for a court date!

2.) Q: We had a full moon just the other night. On top of that, a lunar eclipse. It sounds a little hokey, but I thought that just might work.
A: The gravitational pull of a full moon might stir your wife’s soul, but beyond that it’s no cure for a referral. Just hold tight to the truth that your kids look up at that same beautiful moon and stars from Ethiopia.

3.) Q: I’ve heard a brisk walk can spark a contraction. We’ve been on our share of walks and beyond that I play basketball almost every day. It’s hard getting myself up and down the court being “THIS FAR ALONG”, you know? What’s the deal?
A: Basketball is great for your heart, and if it keeps you away from Taco Bell over lunch keep it up… but sorry, it’s just a myth. My advice is to cherish those late night walks together dreaming and talking about what’s ahead.

4.) Q: I’ve been reading about Castor Oil. Sounds disgusting. I had a Molson the other night, and the lights were low. One could have mistaken it for Castor Oil at first glance… close enough?
A: Even castor oil is a myth my friend. Maybe ship a case of it to Natalie just to be sure she knows where you’re coming from.

5.) Q: I hear one of the most commonly used techniques is having lots of sex. Could you clarify some numbers for me? I was thinking every day for a while… you know… just to be sure. It’s important both of us are on board with this right?
A: Hey bub, you wrote dear ABBY… not dear Allen. Nice try.

6.) Q: Can I go back to question 5 for a second? I mean, it can’t hurt can it? It would never actually slow the process down would it? …maybe I should have written Dr. Ruth.
A: Dear Abby has declined to answer but suggests that a cold shower has also never slowed the adoption process.

7.) Q: I hear a way an MD can induce labor is by stripping the membranes. This sounds pretty painful, and quite frankly, I’m happy to tell you I don’t think I have the right plumbing for that. Secondly, those Braxton Hicks were strange enough. We will have to move on I guess. All these other medical breakthroughs such as Pitocin and breaking the water; we really don’t have a doctor for this, do we? Maybe the doctor that did our home study physical forgot to prescribe the “Adoption Pitocin” when we saw him last summer.
A: Believe me buddy, all men would die during labor. Maybe you should go eat some spicy food to induce your adoption.

8.) Q: Ahh, OK. My dearest Buttercup and I were planning a night out to eat Ethiopian Cuisine AFTER the referral. Could it be so simple? Some spicy veggies and Injera Bread will do it then?
A: Spicy food and herbal teas are a myth I’m afraid. It might help you enjoy a bit of culture some night though.

9.) Q: I hear an indicator that your time is near is a sudden burst of energy. Come to think of it, I skipped my Sunday nap the other day, and I distinctly remember helping fold the laundry just a couple days ago. A nesting instinct! We must be getting close!

10.) OK, so I give… nothing out there to guarantee a referral. How about a present? Tomorrow is my birthday… and normally I would wish for “obedient children” or “a world without crime”.

This year I’d settle for a phone call from Texas.



In case you didn't know, this one they call Farmboy.

Did I forget to schedule my ultrasound?

20 weeks and counting

Isn’t this the time for an ultrasound photo???

I always got ultrasound pics at about 20 weeks and it seems only fair to get a different kind of photo this week.

Natalie???

What to do during the wait – other than whine and complain.

God has been nudging me/us to do some things. We have sort of ignored them for a time, because, hey, we are adopting and we will be getting that referral any day now and will have a speedy court date and will be shopping and packing and preparing for travel….

Yep, it was time to respond to the nudge.

So, today we had our first get together about developing an orphans ministry at our church. It is just a first step, and we want it to be all about what God is leading our church to, so we are going to have a season of concentrated prayer with other families that also have a passion for orphans. This gets me incredibly fired up! Thanks, God, for the continued nudge. You just knew we would finally stop ignoring it.

Also, I just finished the book Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets. Fantastic. After reading the book and having some questions, I felt led to do a word study on the word “PRAY” in scripture. Well, there are 365 verses with the word “pray” or a form of it in the entire Bible (NIV), as obtained from BibleGateway.com. Going from Genesis to Revelation has given me a glimpse into how people have been praying throughout biblical history. Did you know Samson only prayed once? Probably should have been less wrapped up in Delilah and more into prayer…. Oh, please, like I should judge. It was interesting to read, though. I have written so many notes from what God is teaching me about prayer that I get an inkling this would someday make a good bible study. The thought of writing one makes me ill, though, so maybe I will just send my notes on to Beth Moore.

Another book I committed to tackle in the past month is Desiring God by John Piper. I was half way through it a year ago when I put it away to read some things on adoption. So as not to have it solidify into a permanent fixture on my end table, I picked it up again. It's definitely not a light read, but I can't stress enough the enormous benefit I received from reading it. In the 2nd half of the book, he wrote some incredibly convicting stuff on money, scripture and missions. My dear friend Laura and I sometimes say we feel like we're from a different planet from others we interact with, as we feel such strong convictions about a variety of things Jesus taught, and they don't seem to get our passion. How cool to see that Mr. Piper appears to be from our planet, too. Well, we are aliens.

Yes, I would love the referral, but God is always faithful. This waiting time is not fruitless.

ANOTHER SNOW DAY

This makes 5 snow days this year. One more and we will have to add on school into summer. Yuck!!!

OK, I actually like snow days. It gives us a chance to sleep in (but not this morning -- I couldn't fall back to sleep, thus, the post). I usually get in the mood to make some sort of yummy treat like cookies or brownies. The kids are always THRILLED. We often go to lunch, and although I know, I know, the food is horrendous for us, I usually treat them to my favorite fast food restaurant -- McDonald's. You truly can't beat their fries.

But it throws everything off:

Mondays aren't good because I love my prayer time at church and my walk with my dear friend Amy.

Tuesdays aren't good because I have such a great group of women to do bible study with.

Wednesdays aren't good because I work third shift Tuesday night and really need to sleep on Wednesdays.

Thursdays aren't good because I have got to get some errands done.

Now Fridays might work. Unless I am meeting Laura for coffee, or MJ and Marla for lunch. I guess I have to check my schedule and get back with our Snowmaker.

I am going to get flack from Farmboy for this post. Honey, I really am busy doing all sorts of important things for our family, this is just a great season until our newest children arrive.


Speaking of that, no news on the adoption front. I did cave yesterday and emailed Natalie hoping for a crumb of news. She just encouraged us to hang in there and that there were still sibling group "possibilities". Hope those possibilities turn into my children.


For all you homeschooling moms -- I salute you.

On the tarmac....

We are heading into 19 weeks of waiting.

I didn’t think I could ever wait this long….

This reminds me of a traveling experience a year ago. We sat on our plane on the tarmac at O’Hare for 7 hours. When we related the story to friends and family, they gasped such things as, “I could never have done that” or “How did you not go crazy" or “I would have demanded to get off” or such variations.

When we got on the plane destined to Germany with final destination to North Africa for a missions trip, we were initially told about some mechanical difficulties that would delay us about 30 minutes. I kid you not; the captain kept announcing similar statements about every 45 minutes, of course injecting nuggets of hope with each announcement that the part has arrived, the testing is almost completed, the problem is in final stages of being resolved, etc.... Well, 7 hours later we had to march off the plane, as the flight had to then be cancelled as the delays caused the flight crew to be beyond the legal limit for an hourly shift. Unbelievable. We (all 500 of us) then sprawled out at the gate for another 3 hours waiting for a promised flight out very soon until we were told a new flight would not be going out that night as there were no other flight crews available. We were instructed to come back the next day. This was at 2:30am. Shockingly (or not so shockingly as the trip was going so far), they ran out of hotel vouchers, so many of the travelers got to cozy down at the airport. We, luckily, met up with a very nice businessman (or angel?) who lived in Chicago and was able to assist us in finding a hotel even though most other passengers found no vacancies (Little did we know we really needed that sleep in the hotel, as the next several days of travel and on land had plenty more exhausting twists and turns. But that is another story...). The next day, we finally got off the ground and on our way, as a new flight was created to accommodate this whole group.

But…. some amazing things happened during that time. While sitting in the plane on the tarmac for 7 hours, we were able to walk around and, strange and "corny" as it may sound, this group of people really began to bond. We got to hear stories of many other passengers and share our own. Who does that??? A little small talk is typical, but we got to hear life stories several times over. Again, while waiting at the gate another 3 hours after disembarking from the plane, we were able to share, laugh, whine and bond some more. Finally, when our plane took off the following day the take off was muffled by all the loud cheers and whistles. Again, during that long flight we were able to connect with many passengers we met during that first fateful tarmac meeting. Our flight crew also pulled out all the stops. We were offered unlimited cute little drink bottles and extra meals and snacks (unlike domestic flights, international flight food is usually quite tasty). And lastly, when we got to Germany, there were signs up all throughout the area, directing those of us from flight #1044 (which we were) to a specific location. I think this may have been my one and only glimpse of "star" treatment. We were directed to immediate service at customs and at that point gave our final well wishes to the several hundred co-adventurers on 1044 that we had the privilege to spend time with. It was unequivocally the most memorable flight ever. I smile as I remember those hours and literally say, “What a blast”.

Well, all that is to say, I see this as a picture of our current adoption journey. Yes, it is difficult, yes, I just may have gotten off the plane immediately if I knew what was in store (or never booked the flight in the first place), but God didn’t allow us to know that, and that is for the best. Because the journey is long and hard, we are drawn to connect with others on this same journey for comfort, encouragement, laughter and a limited amount of whining. Basically, we know what you are going through, and you, us, who are all on this flight/journey together. What a blast!

Blessed to be a blessing

Once there was a people who surveyed the resources of the world and said to each other, “How can we be sure that we will have enough in hard times? We want to survive whatever happens. Let us start collecting food, materials, and knowledge so we are safe and secure when a crisis occurs.” So they started hoarding, so much and so eagerly that other peoples protested and said, “You have much more than you need, while we don’t have enough to survive. Give us part of your wealth!”

But the fearful hoarders said, “No, no, no, we need to keep this in case of emergencies, in case things go bad for us too, in case our lives are threatened.”

Time passed, and the others said, “We are dying now. Please give us food and materials and knowledge to survive. We can’t wait. We need it now.”

And then the fearful hoarders became even more fearful, because they were afraid that the poor and the hungry would attack them. So they said to one another, “Let us build walls around our wealth so that no stranger can take it away from us.” And thus they started erecting walls so high that they could not see any more whether there were enemies outside or not. And as their fear increased they told each other, “Our enemies have become so numerous that they may be able to tear down our walls. Our walls are not strong enough to keep them away. We need to put bombs on top of the walls so that nobody will dare to even come close to us.”

But instead of feeling safe and secure behind their armed walls, they found themselves trapped in the prison they had built with their own fear. They even became afraid of their own bombs, wondering if they might harm themselves more than their enemy. And gradually they realized that their fear of death had brought them closer to it.




(This parable, written by Henri Nouwen, speaks of the dangers that develop when we allow darkness and fear to gain the upper hand in our lives, when we find ourselves bound tightly by suspicion and greed.)

Struck by it's relevance for today... and it being a picture of me & us.

Posted by the one very few refer to as Farmboy