Ten Months Waiting for a Referral

Has it already been another month?! Poo. Yet another week slides by on our calendar. Ten months sounds so long, so I am going to focus more on our new countdown. We've been at #1 for 2 1/2 weeks (or at least that is how long we've known). So, we will continue to pray that next week brings good news! Please continue to pray with us. We need it!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was a beautiful day. We celebrated after church at Mom's house. We even got to go to a near by park to hunt Easter eggs. The kids had a fabulous time!

Sun Run for the Fatherless

Today was the annual Sun Run for Youth Horizons. This is a great organization that pairs mentors with the fatherless. The Sun Run is a race put on by our church to benefit them, and it is a fun event each year! Chris and I ran the 10 K; Sydney, Jackson, Chris, Dad and Jeanne ran the 2 mile; and Raegan, Mom and I walked the 2 mile.
Here are Sydney and Dad rounding out the first mile.
Here is Jackson finishing strong at around 18 minutes!
One of the best parts of the race is the food afterward! Here, Craig, Jeanne and Raegan are eating hamburgers and cookies!
Chris ran a personal best (even though he was injured and hadn't run all week!), around 41 minutes (I'll have to get the update from him). I also ran my personal best of 48:13 (or so) and even placed third in my age! Fun!

Overall, it was a great morning of getting together to pitch in for the fatherless in our community. Love it!!!

Celebrating with Color

Well, I was so hoping to have good news, making Easter even easier to celebrate! Each time a holiday arrives, I am hopeful. Back around Thanksgiving, I thought it would just be perfect to get a referral. What sweet news for which to be thankful! Then, Christmas crept up. Again, I believed this must be God's perfect time. But, it passed. Presidents Day, Valentines Day, Groundhog Day, St. Patrick's Day, and now Easter will all pass without a referral. These are a lot of holidays! But, especially as Easter arrives, I'm learning that I need to be willing to celebrate what God has done despite my disappointments/circumstances. Yes, it would have been sweet to celebrate our little boy this Sunday; however, my heart will be more free to completely celebrate Jesus and His saving grace. And, I am so thankful for what Jesus has done for me. So, this weekend, we will all celebrate! I wish all of you many blessings as you celebrate what Jesus did for you.
On another sweet note. . . Here is Raegan posing by some of the hyacinths that are blooming. She and I planted them last fall. It has been so sweet to watch them grow this spring and provide our somewhat barren landscaping with some color!

We Have a Number!

We join the ranks of those who know where they stand in this waiting process. After my pleading for some information, our case worker took pity on me and revealed that we are next in line for an infant boy! What?! Next? As in #1 on the list? Yes! We are.
We were at a place where we needed some encouragement. This does it! The next little boy who becomes available will be ours. She said there are little boys in the orphanages. She just can't tell which will get all of his paperwork first. (Serious thought--wow! There is a little boy right now in the orphanage waiting for us.) Oh, I can't wait. I feel like I finally have permission to really be anticipating THE CALL. I hope it is our next post; however, our case worker reminded me that she may call tomorrow or in a month. So, we will see!

Spring Break Recap

Our spring break was a great week. We packed it full of fun activities.

First, we painted Jackson's room. We were hoping to know more about Baby Ethiopia by now so that we could know more about what we will need to add. But, for now, it has a fresh coat of paint! (I should add an "after" picture.)
Then, we were treated to some horse-back riding lessons. Sydney was the brave one who started.
Jackson finally mustered his courage to ride. (He was wearing his knight attire under the jacket, after all!)
Even Raegan got on and rode. Thank you, Katie! The kids had a great time, and you were an excellent teacher!
Our good friends, Harley and Kerri, came on Thursday. We watched March Madness. . . and played a lot of games. Ah, this is heaven! (Until, of course, KU lost--so sad!)

Finally, the girls got to go to Pinkalicious at Crown Uptown while Jackson went to a birthday party. Fun for all!

Secret-Keeper Date

Sydney and I got to go on a vintage shopping trip for our most recent Secret-Keeper Date. Boy, it was so fun! I have never done this before, so it was fun to do something new. Here are some pics:
Sydney in 1800s garb.
Here is the 1920s Flapper dress.
Moving on to the 1930s. . .
. . . before finishing with the 1960s! Fun!