PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Wonderful news!!! We have been rather quiet about our plans thus far because we were waiting to be pre-approved by Buckner as potential adoptive parents to these two precious Russian siblings, but we got the good word today! We want to share our joy with you and even more to testify to the amazing power and grace of God!

Karl and I have known for some time that we would someday adopt older children, probably a sibling group. It is something that has been on my heart for years and that God has placed on Karl's heart over time. I have always told him that until we both felt called, I would not be willing to move forward. I didn't want him to make the choice to adopt out of a desire to please me; I wanted it to happen out of our mutual desire to obey God's call. We had come to the conclusion that we would adopt U.S. children because of the cost of international adoption, but sometimes we underestimate God's ability to make a way where there seem to be no way.

Karl and I both felt that we were supposed to pursue D & K, and we contacted Buckner. Then we got word of Karl's deployment. One week later, we sent our pre-application and questionnaire to them and have waited for approval, wondering how on earth this will happen when he can't be here for the home study. That's the catch, I guess. It's not about "how on earth" at all; it's about how in heaven. We don't have to be bound by the seeming limitations of earth!

Yesterday, our pastors spoke about the abundance of God's spiritual blessings that we don't even tap into. We live in spiritual poverty when all we have to do is jump into that "stream of living water," the abundance that we have through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Hello! And then one of the verses that popped up on the screen, mid-sermon, was from John 14:16-18: "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." As you can imagine, something inside me broke....broke in a wonderful way....and I knew that this was meant to encourage us. As the service ended, I prayed and told God that I knew He could do this and that all of the glory would be His because there was nothing we could do about the obstacles in our way.

After calling a number of home study agencies, I found one this morning that was willing to work with our situation, to do home visits with us before we had all of our paperwork complete (which is a 2-3 month process), so that they could do the necessary interviews with Karl before he leaves and complete our home study in his absence. Then this afternoon we received word that we had been approved by Buckner. So here we go....Final approval will not come until our home study is approved and we have traveled to Russia to declare our intention to adopt them. Then there will be another wait before we can go back and finalize the adoption.

God has the power to move, and move quickly, when we get out of His way! I am so thankful for the way that He has reminded us of His faithfulness. We are so blessed and ask that you continue to pray with us throughout the months ahead, that God will accomplish His will for us and for these children, and that He will give us strength through this process and the deployment.

And always, in all things......

PRAISE GOD!

Did you know???

If you open the dishwasher and stand on the door, you can reach a whole new world of wonderful electronics?!?!?! There are lots of buttons and numbers, beeping and doors that open and close!

I was on the phone when I walked into the kitchen and discovered this......

First Salon Haircut

Having done a rather poor job cutting Garin's hair the last two times, I decided to take him to a professional yesterday. As you can see, he was overjoyed at the prospect and found it all very enjoyable. Okay, so maybe not. He screamed the whole time and may be traumatized for life, but his hair looks good! I was only able to get one photo because I spent most of the time cheek-to-cheek with him, trying to calm him and keep his head still.

Busted!

Garin's obsession with the stereo has led to some creative ideas for overcoming the obstacles we place in his way. Here's the latest....

Grandpa's Little Aggie

Grandpa Charles took advantage of the equal-opportunity endorsment offer and sent Garin an Aggie outfit. Now the weather has finally warmed up enough for him to wear it!

We're hanging out at home this morning and getting Karl packed up, since he has to leave shortly to catch his flight.

WOW!

I just looked back at my post on April 12....the double rainbow....

April 12 was the day that Karl and I committed ourselves to pursue the adoption of D and K. It was the very day that we sent an email asking for more information on adopting them.

I can't believe I didn't realize this before, but WOW!

Exciting Developments

I've fallen behind with my blogging, but we've been so busy! We've got to get wills, powers of attorney, etc. all up-to-date before Karl deploys. Not to mention all of the extra briefings and training he has to do. And now he has to spend a week out of state, training to do the job he'll be doing while he's deployed. And in case all that's not enough, there's more.....

Karl and I have known for a long time that we wanted to someday adopt older, harder-to-place siblings. We just didn't know when. Recently, a number of things have occurred that have led us toward two particular children in Russia. It has been a series of what non-believers would call coincidences. For us, it has been the gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) prodding of the Holy Spirit. Russian families (or American either, for that matter) do not usually adopt older children. At the age of 16, they are no longer eligible for international adoption. These are sad things to hear but not necessarily a reason for us to rush to adopt them. But sometimes God has a way of pressing something into two hearts at the same time and making it clear that He has plans. We don't know what those plans are, but we know that we are supposed to look into this and follow wherever it leads. We are in the very early stages of asking questions and learning what is expected. Please pray with us that God will guide everyone involved in the process and that we would all be sensitive to His leading. It is our hope and prayer that God will provide a home for these precious ones. It is our desire that we be the ones to provide that home. We have committed to pursuing the call and letting God lead, knowing that there is always a purpose when He calls us to action, no matter the outcome. We are choosing to love them and call them our children in the hope that they will someday be a part of our earthly family. We are choosing to love them and call them our children believing that they will be a part of our heavenly family.

The Heat Is On!

Finally, after 9 days of this! I have gotten so used to being cold that I've had to actually turn the heat down because I'm overly warm!!! The guy left the space heaters just to be safe and avoid jinxing anything. He said he'd pick them up tomorrow. I'm so thankful to be done with this!

Brrrr...

Still no heat. The maintenance guys swear that they know now what the problem is, and they're waiting for another part that will arrive in the morning. I've heard this before, so I'll believe it when the heat is blowing through the vents and not a moment before. One of the maintenance guys mentioned that he expected that the new officer housing would be done sooner than we'd originally been told, and he thinks we'll be moving over the summer. Oh joy! This means I'll once again get to move without my husband here to help. I'm going to go talk to the property manager tomorrow to find out what the current timeline is for moving, so I can work around it for going to Texas. I'm just going to take a moment to whine....I have got to figure out what to do with the dogs in order to go to Texas for a lengthy period of time during Karl's deployment. That has me totally stressed out, as there are no easy answers. I wish I could just find a new home for them permanently. I really don't want to stay here for much of the deployment. Seven of my friends are moving away in May, and it will get lonely here I'm afraid. That's not to say that I don't have other friends, but it will get very quiet when these gals are gone. It would be sad even if Karl was still here, but this will make it worse.

On a happier note, I taught Garin how to 'high-five' during dinner Friday night, and we've had so much fun with it! He thinks it's so funny and loves to do it. We'll hold up a hand and say 'high-five,' and he'll grin, wrinkle up his nose, and slap our hand. Yesterday, I had a deja vu moment. Garin is now tall enough to reach new drawers and counters, and I discovered him holding a big black permanent marker from Daddy's desk drawer. For those who don't remember, when Matt was two years old, he found a black permanent marker when I thought he was asleep in his bed and 'colored' all over the walls, doors and furniture in my bedroom. I spent many, many hours, repainting, sanding, staining and varnishing to remove the evidence of his artistic adventure.

On another happy note...but not so good for the diet...the new Dover Sonic finally opened today! Karl is picking up dinner as we speak. He had a volleyball game tonight (which they won). It's their championship tournament, so he'll be playing at least a couple more nights this week, more if they keep winning like they have been.

Hope everyone is happy and safe tonight!

God's Faithfulness

There is so much going on right now: Karl's deployment and our plans surrounding that, a dog who is becoming a money pit of problems, our heat is out again tonight, and decisions to be made that will affect our future, among other things. I have spent the day getting increasingly anxious over getting things done and finding solutions, and then this happened....

A double rainbow.

Most of you know of my special attachment to double rainbows and how God has repeatedly blessed me with them when I was facing and dealing with hard times. There was one on a mountaintop in Colorado after a particularly painful year in college. Another one appeared when Tim and I first separated, and I was feeling lost and alone. Then there was one when I first started going to Shiloh, and I was trying to find my place in the world. I saw one after a very painful break-up in 2003. Each of these came at a time when I needed to know that God was in control and that He hadn't forgotten me. Each of them gave me hope for the future and peace that it was in His hands. Each one overwhelmed me with joy and emotion and soothed my spirit. And then this happened....

The top photo is looking to the right out our front door; the other is straight across the street. Both rainbows were visible from end to end and incredibly vibrant. Just amazing! I am humbled, thankful and relieved.

Such excitement....

Matt's dad is not exactly conscientious about getting him appropriate medical and dental care most of the time. Thankfully, Matt's grandmother will pick up the slack where necessary. She took Matt to the dentist today, since it had been 8 months since his last visit. She called me yesterday to ask me about Matt's teeth grinding. She and Tim have never heard it. I guess Tim sleeps too soundly, and she's never slept in the room with Matt. She had them check it out, and the dentist says Matt's teeth aren't meeting right, so his jaw is trying to compensate, hence the grinding. So Matt needs braces. His teeth are almost straight, but not quite, but the dentist had been putting off considering braces until all the teeth were in and settled. So here we go...

Also, my heat is out again. Just isn't working at all. Won't come on. Don't know why. Ugh. Hopefully they'll figure it out today, so we don't have to use space heaters tonight. We had a terrible windstorm (and rain, but the wind is so loud) last night that kept me up from 4 am on, and the wind blows right around the windows and doors in this old house. It's rather chilly in here this morning.

We're all fine, though. I shouldn't complain. It's just a pain. Hope everyone is having a happy and healthy day!

Deployment

It was bound to happen eventually....

We learned late yesterday that Karl will be deployed to the desert from May until October. You know it's going to happen eventually, but you're never quite ready for that phone call. Garin, Matt and I will spend some time visiting family this summer. We don't have any firm plans yet, as I need to figure out when I have to be here for OSC stuff (I will be serving as President next year.), and I have to make some kind of arrangements for the dogs. We will still make our May trip to Texas/Oklahoma, so Karl can spend some time with everyone too. Beyond that, we'll trust God to get us through. I'm just so thankful that he isn't Army; they deploy for 12-15 months. This will be hard for me but so much harder for Karl, as he will be separated from his little boy, too, and stuck in a very hot, dusty climate through the summer.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Homeward Bound!

We have scheduled a trip back home for May 11-May 20!!! As I mentioned yesterday, my grandparents are dealing with some health issues, and my parents are unable to come see us, so we're taking the show on the road. Garin and I haven't seen them since November when we made a short trip home for my Papaw's funeral, and Karl hasn't been home since last summer. Mom and Dad were kind enough to pay our airfare since they would have been paying theirs to come here had they been able to travel. I am excited because the first Saturday we're there is the "cemetery working" at Woods. This is an annual event for the tiny community, and many people return from all over to be there. We will spruce up the cemetery and then share a potluck lunch on the grounds. I remember it from my childhood and am so happy to be going back to see all of our relatives, close and distant, on Dad's side! Karl has never seen my grandparents' farm or the cemetery where we will someday be buried. I know it must sound morbid, but it is a very special place where many generations are buried. It is all family or very dear friends of my grandparents, great- and great-great- grandparents.) There is history there, and I am so excited to share it with Karl. And I can't wait to see our families!!!!

Snuggle Up!

Our heat's out until tomorrow, but I'm just thankful our house didn't burn down. The heater started making a loud noise everytime it came on, and I was watching it really carefully. This afternoon it started sounding more like an explosion, so I called the maintenance line for base housing. Usually you wait a long time for a response because they're so busy, but you oughta see how fast they come running when you tell them that you think the furnace is filling up with gas before it ignites! They were here in 15 minutes, and the poor guy took the cover off and had me turn the furnace on. It didn't do it the first couple of times, but the third time, flames shot about 20" (his guesstimate, with which I concur) straight out at his face. He ducked fast, thankfully. I thought he was about to lose his hair and eyebrows. He said that was definitely an emergency, and he was glad I called. He has to wait a day for the part, but he's bringing us four electric space heaters to get us through the night. MUCH better service than we got last spring when Karl was gone and the fan went out at the old house and 2-month-old Garin and I hibernated in my room with our bathroom heater for over a week.

Developments

We had a lovely little Easter! I baked a ham and made some veggies and fruit salad, so we came home from church and ate and then spent the rest of the afternoon just being lazy and enjoying some quiet family time. There never seems to be enough of that!

Karl learned today that his last day as the Wing AFSO21 Coordinator will be April 30th, so he gets to go back to the squadron in May. Yay! Rumor has it that his new desk job will be as a Flight Commander in the squadron. That will be a nice change for him, I think.

As great as it sounds to be the Worship Leader for the base chapel, I don't think it is what God has in mind for me right now. Our church is beginning plans for a second worship location here in Dover and will need worship leaders here, and even though we love the people at the base service, it isn't a true contemporary service. It's more like a traditional service with contemporary music. I have prayed about it and wanted it to be God's will, but I just don't feel a calling to it at all. I don't want to accept it just because it's ministry if it isn't the place I'm supposed to be ministering. I have a real peace about continuing to volunteer with the OSC and work on school for now.

Sadly, Karl's mother lost her cousin this week in a car accident. He was a Methodist pastor in his early 50's. Please keep his parents and the family in your prayers.

My grandparents are also dealing with some health issues and need prayer. Karl is hoping to get some leave in May so that we can make a trip down to see our families before our scheduled trip in July. Sometimes you just need to be home.

That's about all I know for now.

HMMMM...

Captain Garin is considering how to resolve the latest issue that has jeopardized his mission.

(I took this last night when Daddy got home. It's a new routine to greet Daddy at the door - actually, it's more like jumping out from behind the wall to 'surprise' him. Garin hugs Daddy and steals his hat and sunglasses.)

Karl's Got a New Ride!

I haven't felt like writing for few days. Matt flew out a couple of days ago, and I've had a hard time since. I usually am a little blue after he leaves, but this time was especially hard for some reason. Garin and I drove him to the airport through an awful storm, but thankfully we all got there safely. The ride home wasn't as bad. It's been cold ever since, and this morning we had an inch or two of snow!!! Thankfully, we had less than was forecasted, and it melted quickly as temps warmed up much faster and a little higher than they expected.

We've been looking at used trucks at the dealerships and online, and Karl found one he really liked. It is fairly simple, but it has the features he really wanted: cruise, CD, A/C. He likes the simplicity of the interior as well as the extended cab, which has room for all of his flying gear (those huge duffel-baggish things he has to take along). He emailed the dealer for a price yesterday, and they wrote back with a ridiculously high price ($2800+ above blue book retail), so I emailed them and told them that was too steep for us and asked about a different truck that he also liked, just not as much as the first one. This morning, they emailed back and said that if we would buy today, they would take $3500 off the price they originally quoted on Karl's favorite one. Obviously, we jumped in the car and took off to the dealership! So Karl now has a nice 2004 Ford Ranger 4X4 with just 15,000 miles!!! We even miraculously got $1600 for our trade in, which is $500 less than blue book, but it was a great deal considering it needs over $2000 in repairs. Here are some pics of the new wheels.

Height Comparison

I had a request for a photo of us all that shows Matt's height compared to ours. Here it is! It's nothing special, just a quick shot we took before dinner, but it will give you an idea of how tall Matt is.

Today, we went bowling and had gelatis at 'Rita's. Tonight, we're just taking it easy and getting laundry done.

Jealousy rears its ugly head

I flopped on the bed (which I'm ashamed to say I didn't bother to make yesterday) between our impromptu car-shopping trip and Karl's volleyball game last night to rest a minute, and Matt plopped beside me. Garin also joined us but found that sharing Mama wasn't his favorite thing. At first, he was stationed between us, adorably laying his head over on top of his big brother's and giggling.....SO precious to this mom. Then as Matt got snuggly, Garin started fussing and trying to wedge himself between us and push Matt away. It was rather funny to watch the two vie for position. Matt kindly gave in and Garin put his head on my chest and did more snuggling than he ever does in broad daylight, holding onto me very tightly. Of course, we missed the funniest moments, but Karl took a few photos after the fact. I look drugged in all of them, but they're good of the boys.

Back to the car shopping....We took the Regal in for an estimate on fixing the window, which wasn't rolling down right, and to see what was up with the "check engine" light. Turns out, the car's a mess all of a sudden, and the repairs will cost more than the car is worth. So we're looking for something else. We're torn between getting a minivan (practical, great for other moms, but ugh, I have such a thing about driving one) or a pickup truck. Either way it will be something a year or two old, but I think we're leaning toward the truck.

Music Lesson

Matt and Garin sat down to play at the keyboard yesterday and had a great time. I tried to get a few pics. As you see, Garin had some strong opinions about what Matt should be doing....he seems to have a lot of opinions in general. Note the one picture in which they both have their tongues out. Yep, they definitely belong to THIS family!

Need More Clorox

Well, I talk about how I miss being a day-in, day-out Mom to Matt. I guess I shouldn't complain then when I end up staying up with him half the night while he throws up. Yup, that's right. Another one down with the stomach bug. I don't know how I keep missing out, but I'm thankful. I am, however, no longer deluding myself that I am some kind of antiviral superwoman. As they say, the third time is the charm, and I'm just waiting for it to hit me. But I am prayed up, and God has been informed of just how much I don't want to be sick with Matt here...or at all. Either way, we'll get through it. I've been through more Clorox wipes this week than in the entire year previous, wiping down everything after each episode. And my hands are screaming for mercy from all the handwashing. I feel like the last six months have been a test of my endurance with all the colds and tummy bugs we've seen, but spring is here, and I am claiming this round as the very last of the illness for our family this year. Except for feeling tired today, Matt's almost back to normal and making plans for the rest of his time here. I made some chicken noodle soup at his request, and he ate a full bowl. He feels that homemade chocolate chip cookies will bring him back to his normal self, so we're working on those now. There isn't much else to tell, as this has been a very lazy but not altogether horrible day for us.