We met Maggie...well via picture that is

Okay....today was THE day and I mean seriously THE day.  I don't have any idea how we went from #6 to #1 in a matter of days....but it happened.

Labor is easy peasy compared to waiting for your husband to get to where you are at so that you can conference in your adoption agency and get the referral picture......

(Side note:  Praise God for my friends who may have witnessed a mental breakdown....I lose it from time to time)

We can't show her picture to you because of child laws and I will totally respect that (cause let's face it - this girl isn't cut out for prison)  but let me tell you....she is honestly BEAUTIFUL!  truly.  I know that for months that I have prayed that we would all see her through God's eyes and not our own...but come on!  the kid is beautiful!

So, here we are.  We now know her face.......and her birth name.....and her history (somewhat) and well here we are.,,overwhelmed, excited, scared and overjoyed with what our future holds.

My good pal, Carol Bartholomai found this while reading a book that she 'found' (in fact she said it literally jumped into her hands) from off of our pastor's shelf last week while cleaning.....This little excerpt is from a sermon from C.H. Spurgeon, titled, 'THE BELIEVER NOT AN ORPHAN'.  It kinda sums up some things......

"There is one point in which the orphan is often sorrowfully reminded of his orphanhood, namely,  in lacking a defender. It is so natural in a little child, when some big boys bully him, to cry, “I’ll tell my father!” How often did we use to say so, and how often have we heard from the little ones since, “I’ll tell Mother!” Sometimes, the not being able to do this is a much severer loss than we can guess.

Had the father been there, the child would have had its rights, scarcely would any have dared to infringe them. But, in the absence of the father, the orphan is eaten up like bread and the wicked of the earth devour his estate." 

It looks like from her records that Maggie's biological parents are deceased......praise God that she will not live life without a defender.  You better believe if some little snot nosed kid says something to my baby girl.....heads will roll.  Mama Bear will be there....

Well...it's that time

I guess you want to know, right?

well...before I give our number away... I wanted to share something I just read with you.  I don't have lots of free time to read blogs and just play on the internet.....but tonight, I sat down to Jen Hatmaker (thanks Tammi for the link) and well...it really is greatness.  If you want to check out her blog just click 'here'

Here is something I took from a blog post she has:

As for me, I’m going to move with the movers.
When it is all said and done, when my grandchildren read about Joseph Kony and eleven-year-old sex slaves in Haiti and children sleeping on the streets in Ethiopia and foster kids in their fifteen home, and they say, “What did you do about all these tragedies?”
I am not going to say, “Well, I didn’t want to be labeled a white supremacist, so I wrote mean blogs about folks who threw their hat in the ring.”
I am not going to say, “It was complicated. So I didn’t do anything.”
I am not going to say, “People were extremely critical back then. It was PR suicide to engage difficult issues. I remained troubled but silent on the sidelines. I cared in my mind.”
I am not going to say, “I researched and debated and read a lot of books and articles. I was very, very informed. Believe me, I understood the issues. I waxed very poetic about it all.”
I hope to say, “I joined the fight, because justice denied anywhere means justice denied everywhere. I jumped in, imperfectly, even though I knew critics would come out of the woodwork, questioning my motives and methods and ignorance and intentions. I decided to use my voice and my resources, because that could be my daughter and my sister and my community. That mother is me. Those children are you. I didn’t get it perfectly right. I couldn't address it all. I couldn't even address the entire scope of one problem. I didn’t change the whole world. But I moved.”
May we not move foolishly.
Or arrogantly.
Or rashly.
Or naively.
But may we move.

amen sista!

So my sweet, dear friends.....may you move.  I can't say how you should move or what you should do- that is between you and our Lord.....but you CAN do something.  

May I be blunt with you for a moment?  I grew up in Holy Cross, Ky.  Never heard of it, huh?  I'm not surprised.  It's no man's land...literally.  If you know me - then you know how incredibly inept I am in most things.  It took a lot of prayer and A LOT of faith to get off my tushy and move....but I am moving.

I am still scared....REALLY scared, but I am more scared to spend the rest of my days conforming to this world......the expectations of what I should have (i.e. living a life full of more consumerism versus depriving myself of things (vacations, nice purses or shoes, etc) to bring a child into our home.  

I am a people pleaser - I don't want to upset anyone or put a little ripple in the water....seriously....it pains me to do it.....but for Maggie, Ethan and Reagan - I will. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

I will defend my children.  I will love my children.  I will provide food, clothes and shelter.  I will bring Maggie into our home - a child that has no biological, cultural or any other kind of connection with me (us)...not because of who I am but because of who our God is.  Some people still don't understand...I don't either to be honest.  I do know I have changed and my life has changed and though it is not required from me....i want to be a living example.  

This Easter Season I am reminded at my core that God sent His Son for me.  This man without sin bore mine and yours so that we may have everlasting life.  Who am I to say this world is more, stuff means more or that my comfort means more...

I can't do that.  

My heart hurts because I have a child that is out there waiting for me...waiting for parents and a family. Soon we will be blessed with our girl.  

Thanks for everyone that has kept us in prayer.  Thanks for your love and support.  

We are now #6.  :)  

Last but not least a video...

Thanks Dwan for the video!