School is out for the summer .... we are ready to travel

Ok so Joshua's school is officially out for the summer.  He is going to summer camp at a local church three days a week and then be home with me the other two weekdays.  He's excited, but NOT as excited as what happens when little Miss Lauren comes home from India.  He knows that he will be pulled OUT of summer camp and will be home FULL TIME with mommy and his little sister!  He's so funny, every now and then he says, "mommy, I don't want to go to summer camp - it wastes your WHOLE summer"... then I remind him I'm taking him out of camp when Lauren comes home - so he can be with us during the bonding, etc. That perks him right up!!  Honestly, I'm looking forward to having the extended leave time from work as well to be home with both my babies.  I know raising children is hard work and I also know the transition period with little Miss will be challenging too - but I'm looking forward to it.  So summer is here... and we're ready to travel for our precious baby girl!  Big brother is anxiously awaiting ....and so are we.  Pray it's June :)   

Adoption Blog Panel

So I've been invited to join this adoption blog panel and I'm trying to discern whether or not to do it.  I'm seeking all of your advice.  I've used this blog as a forum to share my heart, my struggles, my joys, and my faith.  So it's hard to decide if I want to start blogging on technical issues of adoption.  The way it works is they funnel topics that they want their panel participants to write on -- and you decide if you want to write on the topic on your blog -- then it all links back to resource page.  Initially I was very excited (my dream is to be an author one day), now I'm not so sure - 1.) Do I want to be that "exposed", 2.) Will I have time, 3.) Will people get value out of it, 4.) Does it take away the personal aspect of our blog and become some academic resource, 5.) Should I set it up on a separate blog ... the list of questions go on and on.  

But then I was looking at all the people through our live traffic that check out our blog - and I noticed that someone googled "what is a service plan?" - and their search brought up our blog -- so now I'm trying to figure out - do we have any responsibility to share the journey we've been on with families that are just starting out?  Is God calling me to give back in some way?  I recall reading open blogs early in the process and how very much I loved seeing families bring children home....and the hope that provided to me as a newbie.  So what's a girl to do.....to blog or not to blog?  That is the question..... and just what if someone discovered Jesus in some mysterious way through adoption and blogging? 

Passport has been applied for.......

Oh my....oh my..... word is Lauren's passport has been applied for.  Those typically take about 2-3 weeks to get issued .... at that point, we're probably going to hear we are approved to set travel plans.  Our agency said, it could POSSIBLY be in June :) 

Things are getting busy at work ... June / July are the two busiest months of the year for us :)  Not to worry, when travel approval comes..... I'm going!  We have a game plan in place and I'm certain all things at work will be fine.

We had a great Mother's Day -- as a family.  I got up early (not on purpose....just woke up)... and did some Bible study, ate a protein bar and started my day off to a healthy eating plan.  THEN Joshua woke up, came downstairs and said, "Mommy, daddy is going to the store so WHAT would you like for breakfast?"... as I sat and struggled with the thought of saying, "I already ate"... I opted for the other alternative, "you know those little white powdered donuts that YOU love so much?..... how about some of those, some milk, and why not throw in some peanut butter toast?"..... his eyes lit up - because he knows we don't eat those powdery donuts very often :)   So off they went and upon return came back with a plate of donuts, toast, and milk.... along with flowers (one in a small pot that Joshua has been working on growing from school)... the other a beautiful bouquet from Brad :)  Love my guys' heart.

The rest of the day was church, lunch with mom -- at Smashburger!  - and then Orange Leaf with Joshua later --- so much for the protein bar breakfast :) - Church sermon was another great one - on being Supermom and Proverbs 31:10-31.  It's not what you think.  Pastor Chris challenged families to put our lives in proper priority: 1.) God, 2.) Spouse, 3.) Family, 4.) Extended Family, 5.) then whatever else we spend all our time doing....career, facebook :), shopping, friends, entertaining, blogging :)..... etc., etc.   He really is a gifted pastor with the courage to tell us things ... we might NOT want to hear... but his grace and love sharing the Word of God in humility is beautiful ... and it's what we need on this journey of life. 

Then in the afternoon - we packed luggage for our trip.  This might seem strange, given we don't have a travel date -- but I'm a planner - and I needed to see how much room we have for OUR stuff :)  - We have two large suitcases, and one small already -- ALMOST full.... but we can fit in our stuff -- and we plan to take one other smaller one.  One large is for orphanage donations - can't wait to give these things to BAT! The other large is for Lauren - and it's mostly care items, pullups, etc... stuff on our travel guide list - with only a few outfits, dresses, PJs, and shoes.  I had to scale back a bunch to make sure there would be room for our clothes too - but no big deal, especially since we know about how big she is, we know what sizes to bring.  Joshua loved helping pack -- and for a brief moment, we discussed how badly we want him to go too - but that's not part of the plan.  He's fine and said, "that's ok - because I get presents" -- UGH, yep he's right, when we leave to travel overseas for any length of time - we leave him small gifts to open about every other day with notes, letters, etc.  It helps the time pass -- and he LOVES it!

My mom's ankle is healing - but she's still on a cast - pray that all gets better before we leave.  Brad's mom is also planning to come down while we're gone -- isn't it great to have TWO wonderful moms??

So for now .... counting the days until school is out, busy with church, and life ..... passing the time until we hear ... "Passport has been issued"!  (let it be June....let it be June.....let it be June) :) 

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the moms....in adoption world, and otherwise.  Our Lord LOVES your sacrificial heart ..... isn't it the GREATEST job on this earth???

Introducing .....Lauren Anjali Blunt

Hi all -
Had a great surprise today, our agency rep sent an email with updated pictures of our Little Miss.  She also said that since she is "officially" ours, we can share her pictures.  I can't even tell you how blessed we are to have received these pictures, especially those with her Ayah.  I love the one where she is looking right at her Ayah to see if, "is this lady ok??" -- our agency rep (Lisa) was in India and got these pictures.... Lisa was trying to give her a lollipop -- which it appears she did eventually take, but she still wasn't sure of Lisa just yet.    I think Lisa was trying hard to get a smile, because Anjali is fearful of strangers...yep, she's crying in each picture... but that is totally ok with me... I know she is well loved there...and she loves them.... this is going to be so hard to take her away from everything she's ever known... please pray for her little heart to be prepared for that transition...and pray for me too that I can handle it as well.  I know we will be strong, because we want this more than anything...to bring her home...but boy, make NO mistake about it, it's gonna be hard!  But I love how she is loyal to what she knows and loves so deeply.... I know that's a great indication of how well she's been loved :) 

Pictures in order:
1.) first pair were her referral pics.... yep, the one picture is the outline on our blog header!!  She's finally revealed! :)  - I believe she's about 15-18 months here.

2.) second set are followup pictures taken in November of 2011 (she's a little over two there)

3.) last set - received today.... she's about 2 1/2

We love that she is growing and looks to be doing so well.  They say she's a very happy child and plays well with other children...she's just not sure about strangers :)  - That's ok with me.... she will eventually learn to trust and will stay close to us.... I'm sure there are many adoption families that will have lots of advice on going through this phase.... I'm ALL ears, friends and open to any help you can give us :)

For now, we continue to wait and long to hear those wonderful words, "it's time to travel, book those flights!"

Referral pictures..... YES!  We want her as our daughter!!

Opps - not sure how to turn this upright :)

Not really sure if I trust anyone with a camera......

Is she ok?  Can I take a lollipop from her?

I'll take two ....but I'm still not sure about you.

Isn't her Ayah beautiful!  .... It's ok little one ....it's ok.  We promise to love you and take the very best care of you and send pics to your friends in India so they can see how big you get.  We can't wait to meet you,
Love... Mommy, Daddy, and Joshua.

Just realized somthing

Apparently the High Court (Mumbai) closes from mid-May to June for about a month - it just occurred to me that if our court documents aren't completed and sent before court closing  - we may not be traveling in July.  Pray the documents are well on their way to completion and this court closing has nothing to do with our travel date, please :) 

Many people ask me, "How have you been able to handle this two year process....and all the waiting"...  here has been my strategy, for the most part.  Don't follow too many blogs and don't join any email yahoo groups, etc.  Keep your circle fairly small and trust in God through all things.  I think sometimes the more we know in the adoption process, the harder it is.....because at the end of the day, we can't control any of it....and the unmet timelines and expectations can be heart-breaking....so sometimes it's better not to know.  Also, I've learned that each of our stories are different, each region is different....and certainly the needs of each child is different.....so it's quite dangerous to measure one case against another, compare timelines, etc... it seems this will only set us up for disappointment...so even though I know court closes soon... I'm trusting in God to bring our little girl home in His perfect timing.... and relying on all of your prayers too :)

Happy Monday - Have a great week!

Never a dull moment

Quick update on the library book -- funny...ordered the replacement book from Amazon and it was very mis-advertised and came in the mail about 2 inches by 4 inches instead of the full size hard library book.  So instead of "Where's waldo"... the joke was, "where's the book??" -- I mean really, the print was sooo small you could not even read it.  Through strange luck of events - found the right book at "Half-Priced Books" store ... so after amazon price and half-price book -- about $30 into this adventure.... brought the large book to the libarian - after a full inspection, she approved it and took it.  ....Picked up Joshua that same day...and in his backpack was the book again - only it was our half-priced book ...Joshua said, "librarian found the original book ON HER DESK!!"....UGH... lesson learned, don't overreact... when the librarian says she is missing a book..... give her a few days to "clean her desk" - before paying the cost to replace :)  It's ok - lesson taught to Joshua that we will work as a family to resolve our problems. -- so it's all good :)

Soccer - keep praying - it is working, Joshua is still loving his soccer - and accepting his role / position within the team gracefully.  Another game tomorrow - pray for sweet spirits and nurturing coaches.

Drama- my mom fractured / broke her ankle ...she fell down stairs at our house because she was carrying her dog and couldn't see the stairs.  It's been a real struggle to see her on crutches struggling - but hey, she's tough and is sticking with it -- and even going to work when she can. 

I wonder if God gives us all these distraction as a measure of grace? A measure of coping or dealing with stress?  Adoption waiting can be really challenging and painful.  I don't think people really understand unless you are in it.  One thing I've noticed is, I cope much better with the wait and the unknown, when I'm distracted with life. (And a friend spent the day with her boys really living "in the moment" and I just love that and was so inspired by her joy in the suffering of waiting for adoption news - hugs Miss Mer.).  I can't wait for the process of adoption to be over and the waiting ends.....for us and for many of you too :)  I really just want to be a family enjoying life, growing together, developing, changing.... and seeing what God has in store for us.  I just want our little girl "safe and sound" (as they say) and home in our arms.