The Call

It was a week ago today that we received the long awaited "call". Yes, friends...we have a birthmother who wants to match with us!!

It was like every other Monday, waking up and making breakfast for Jacob, starting my work day, getting ready for noon yoga, yet the Lord was waiting to bless us, waiting to reveal the next part of his perfect plan, all of heaven waited in anticipation. And me, I was putting on my mascara.

Yes, getting ready and standing at the mirror. As I stood there, lost in my routine, I thought about the last month...how painful it had been. Two and a half weeks before we had lost another precious baby. Ten days before that I stared at a positive test, the third in my life. We thought this pregnancy would surely last, God surprised us with a gift....he changed the plan because we had fully surrendered our will to Him and totally laid down ever having biological kids. And, we were beyond excited to adopt, we love adoption and God in his great power had raised $35,000 for us to adopt! But, we celebrated and trusted in a Dad who's been so good to us. We once again gave our hearts over to joy and to the life growing inside of me. It honored God to celebrate his gift of life, no matter how short-lived that life was. So, again he only took what he first gave. And he took away thinking about last Monday. He took away watching our hearts fail within us, but he thought about little hands and little feet, and he looked ahead to the joy He is going to reveal. But, we were shattered and our hearts ached. I felt numb in those first days after our loss...I sat in my bed and wondered if this was truly necessary. How could it possibly be for our good? He sent me here:

1 Peter 3:6-7 "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." emphasis mine

I wrote the date 2/19/11 by this verse and the words, "one day we'll know fully". Friends, God was once again testing the "genuineness of our faith". He had deemed this pain necessary for our faith to be further increased. He was asking us to trust Him in the fire knowing the eternal purpose.

And all the while, he was thinking about last Monday.

Our precious community rallied around us, and we just love them so much. They fed us, wept with us, washed us in the Word, and "bore our burdens" with us. True biblical community, what a precious gift it is!

Back to last Monday morning, as I put on the mascara which in a few short hours would be all over my face, I had this overwhelming thought in my heart that our caseworker was going to call, and not only was she going to call, but she had a baby for us. I quickly dismissed and pushed this thought away, a lot of self-talk on how silly I was being. Looking back, the Holy Spirit was preparing me for this call. As I drove to yoga and exited the freeway, my phone rang and Gladney came up on the screen. I about wrecked off the road, I quickly pulled over and answered. She did have a match for us. As she spilled all the details, I literally couldn't keep it together...and even more overwhelming than this precious birthmom choosing us and the baby she is carrying...was the fact that an hour before the Lord had revealed it to my heart!! I wept. Such an amazing feeling, and one week later, I'm still just as amazed at how the Lord choose to reveal all of this.

Friday at 5pm was the most nervous I've ever been for any call in my life. All day I had butterflies. Our phone rang and I answered knowing who was on the other line and Jacob and I began a conversation with the young woman who wants to give us her baby to be our own. Surreal doesn't even cut it. She's precious and we love her already. It was an amazing and natural conversation. And in two weeks or so, we will travel to meet her and her family. She's due June 19th and with a precious baby

GIRL!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, can't even begin to descrive how elated we are about this baby girl!!We hope and believe that no matter the outcome in the end, God is for us. So, today we celebrate how good Jesus is! We celebrate and we believe he is sovereign and that his plan for our lives is perfect. I know so many of yall have prayed and prayed your hearts out for this day to come, and we are just so thankful for those prayers. God is good.

"Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up." Hosea 6:1

Puppy Love

Aren't they precious? These two bring me so much joy and laughter. However, I got a bloody nose this morning by this guy who decided to adjust his leg while snuggling and elbowed me right in the nose! Still love him....

This little girl is my snuggle buddy. She loves to sleep curled up right next to me, sometimes down under the covers, head on my knee. Lola girl, you are the cutest!

That face can change your life too!

She's so dainty and yet she means business!