but God....

Reflecting on our adoption journey, I am reminded how out of our control the whole process has been. Yet much of my time was filled with worry...that act of worry so that i feel in control.
But God was in control and in every step of letting go, He provided.

Who could have predicted that the son we fell in love with and imagined our life with would pass away?
But God provided comfort.

Who could have foreseen that we would pray for a forever family for 2 little boys who lived at the same orphanage where Jivenson had lived, never thinking that family could be ours?
But God started writing a story and slowly invited us into it.

Who could have known that our youngest son would be provided the miracle of a medical visa and pro-bono surgery in NYC? And that he would be coming to Michigan pre and post surgery?

But God used people and opened doors to make a way.

Who could have guessed that so many people would walk this journey with us; those who love Haiti, our boys and those who are also adopting children from Hope House who fully understand the joy and heartbreak that adoption brings?

But God, only God could have orchestrated this outcome.

Successful Visa Appointment!

This morning at 9am was our boys visa appointment and it went very well! The lawyer will be picking up the boys visas next Wednesday, the day we arrive in Haiti and the day before we leave! What a whirlwind that will be :)
10 days until we are with our boys forever!!!

TICKETS!

We have tickets in hand and are flying to Haiti on Wednesday December 4th and coming HOME WITH OUR BOYS on Thursday December 5th! I can hardly believe it!

The Dirty Duel

This morning, as with every race I've ever run, solidified my love of running and racing! It was a tough race for me but I loved every minute of it! I came in 6th in my age group, out of over 70 women so I was pretty happy with that, for my first trail race. Now I have something to shoot for next time!

This is my favorite part, seeing my family at the finish line! As much as the girls can be grumpy about having to get up early in the cold to see mom run a race, which I totally understand, they are always so excited to see me come down the final chute to the finish line.

Team Orphans

This morning I'm running my first trail race. I decided to run to raise money for Team Orphans.
Athletes seek sponsorships for different events to raise money. All the proceeds go to Brittany's Hope. They offer grants for families who are adopting special needs children. This brings these children one step closer to their forever families.

The race is the Dirty Duel at Robinettes. There are 2 race routes you can choose from, a 5k and a 6k. The 5k is shorter but brutal. The 6k is a little longer, about 3.7 miles, but a faster, smoother course. To tell you the truth I'm not sure yet which one I'm going to do and you don't need to decide beforehand. I'll see how inspired I feel when I'm at the start:)

Boys Room

The boys room is all ready...the clothes, shoes, toys, coats....right down to their toothbrushes and toothpaste. Kevin and friends of ours, an architect and interior designer, designed and built the bunk beds. The height will certainly be new to Caleb but we're hoping with time he'll love sleeping up high:)
Now we just need our two boys!:)

***Disclaimer.... There will be a rail bolted onto the top bunk:) It's just been a work in progress.
I guarantee that we will not allow Caleb to be up there without it!

Visa appointment!

Yesterday Wednesday Nov. 13 we received the email informing us that we have exited USCIS and now would move onto the Dept. of State/Visa part of the process. We contacted our agency contact who informed us we would now await a visa appointment. We expected to get one next week but instead we received another email that afternoon stating that we had a visa appt! We were amazed!

Our visa date is set for November 25th, the Monday before Thanksgiving! We are in awe at how things are moving at this stage. Even though we have known that we'd get to this point eventually, you get so used to sitting in one spot for so long that any movement is joy.