Because I can't help myself....

I'd like to eat him up.

The No News Post

Nothing new around here. Basically what has happened is this: they were getting kids out fast last week. Our orphanage was having a hard time finding transportation for the kids at that point. Then stories started hitting the news about child trafficking and other horrible things. The Haitian prime minister got scared and put a halt to all adoptions for a few days. On Friday, things opened up again, but with a lot more processes to go through. The prime minister wants to see each child personally before they will be allowed to leave the country. Reese isn't on the priority list because he isn't in Port au Prince and isn't in grave danger. Still could be soon or could be awhile...so, we will wait because there isn't anything else to do! And, I'll probably go to a few hockey games while I wait.

Waiting

***UPDATED*** Really, I was somewhat nervous to start listing blessings, because I would forget someone. Can you believe that I missed and remembered without them reminding me that my WONDERFUL in-laws cleaned out my van, my van that is so messy that Dave thinks possums live in there. THANK YOU MIKE AND JO!

Hardly anything to report on, which is always boring. I've been trying to think of enough interesting things to warrant a blog post. I've never been good at waiting in these kinds of situations. I've been doing really good, basically keeping busy and my mind off of it. He will come home all in God's perfect timing.

I've been incredibly blessed by friends and family this week:

• A mom who organizes and organizes, and then organizes some more
• A mother-in-law who runs lots of errands and takes care of kids
• A sister who organized a painting party, made a fun trip to Target, and is always my go-to-gal. Reese is very blessed to have her for an auntie. She takes care of kids too
  
• A wonderful friend who got our Affinity Plus Credit fund going and who got Affinity Plus to donate all of our travel expenses to go and get Reese. She takes care of kids too (I have a lot of kids)
• A wonderful hockey family that pitches in and gets Dyson where he needs to go and houses him for the weekend
• Wonderful friends who find me furniture
  
• A father-in-law who picks up and delivers furniture
• Wonderful friends and strangers who donate furniture
  
• A wonderful friend who loaned me her beautiful crib
• Very generous friends who donated to our adoption fund
• Very generous friends who donated to Reese's orphanage
• Very wonderful friends who painted at my house and brought diapers
• Wonderful daycare parents who were so flexible with our new exciting news
• A wonderful husband who reminded me that Reese is God's child first
• Lots of friends who have blessed us with phone calls and texts
• Wonderful children who have put up with a skatter-brained mom this week
  
• Wonderful friends who put us up for the weekend and listened to my jittery heart
  
• Wonderful friends who listen
• A wonderful friend who makes silky blankets and puts herself in Reese's place and thinks of everything he might need
• A wonderful friend who helped me get the blog up and running
• A wonderful Bible Study group who share my joy and agree that God cares about the details of our lives
• A wonderful community full of people and friends who cheer us on
  

Who says it doesn't take a village to raise a child? It takes a village to get a child home!!!

I'm probably forgetting something, but THANK YOU! for all you do!

Reese's crib...I'm trying not to focus on that it is empty.

This used to be the computer room. It will be Sydney's room as soon as I get these cute boys and the computer out of her room. It has a fresh coat of paint on the walls and trim, doesn't it look nice?

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27-13-14

The Twists and Turns of Adoption

Well, if my last adoption taught me anything, it's that absolutely nothing is within the realm of my control. That continues to be true!

Things continue to change with our adoption of Reese by the hour. The Haitian government has no rhyme or reason to any of their decisions. At one point, we were told it was just the matter of arranging transportation, then it was he needed a paper visa, and now it's that the Haitian government doesn't know what it wants to do with the children.

Bottom line is this, Reese is our child. He is our child if we get the call to go get him tomorrow or in several months. We pray that it is sooner and not later.

We decided to come back to Fergus and wait here. We aren't sure of the timeline, so I'm opening my daycare and Dave is going back to work. We are going to enjoy our children, our life, and pray that our little boy comes home soon. It is comforting to remember that God loves Reese more than even we do.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

"God defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18

Surprise!

We got a call on Monday that our son, Reese, age 2, was ready to join our family from Haiti. We couldn't be more thrilled. Reese's birth mom gave him his name. We have given him the middle name, “Samuel”, which means, “I asked the Lord for him.” It has been a whirlwind since we have gotten the call. We weren't expecting everything to happen so quickly. Fabulous friends and family have jumped to pray for us, arrange transportation, and start an adoption fund-raising account for us.

Within 72 hours, we had just about everything we needed to bring him home. Wonderful friends and family have given us the things we've needed to help us get ready.

Right now we are down in the Cities waiting to hop on a plane to go get him. We've had a great weekend in the Cities enjoying good friends and good food. It was fun to relax as a couple as we wait to add our fifth child. Davey and I still laugh that we are the parents of five children. Wow, that is a lot of children!

We really don't know when everything is going to happen or how, but we are along for the ride!