So much stuff has happened since the last time I blogged, I don't even know where to begin. Since I asked for prayers for Amney, I will start by saying that Amney passed away December 6. She had a strong faith and I have no doubt that she is in Heaven and would never choose to come back to this earth but she sure leaves us missing her. Abigail was a mess for several days and after a lot of internal debate and prayers, I took her to the visitation and funeral. I really think that it helped her but she still talks about Amney often. Of course, as an eight year old, she has a selfish side to her that also worries that she will not get to see Lauren anymore so I have made it clear that she will still get to see her friend often. Prayers for Lynn and Lauren are still needed as they adjust to not having a wife and mom.
As for our family, so much is happening. Our home study worker submitted our approved home study and information to DHS on December 30! From that point, DHS has 60 days to approve or deny us as foster/adoptive parents. We really had no concerns about being denied since our lives have been pretty uneventful as far as things that would cause concern, but the waiting was going to be hard. A few weeks before all this, the little boy that we are interested in adopting was taken off the website because enough people showed interest that they were going to start the interview process. I fuh-reaked out but through some frantic e-mails, found out that we would still have time to submit our information. I got an e-mail on January 11- TWELVE days after our home study was submitted that we get to set up a meeting with this little guy, we got 24 pages of information about him, AND we get to interview with DHS to possibly adopt him! I got to talk to his current foster mom for about an hour and set up a meeting for TOMORROW!!!!! Then we set up our interview with DHS for February 1 (Sophia's birthday!) at 1:00. Everything that we learned about him only makes us want to adopt him even more. He sounds like such a awesome little guy who has been through a lot but has come through everything with flying colors. AND THEN (yes, there is more!), later in this same day, I got an e-mail from an unrecognized sender but it was a DHS address so I opened it and we received our ADOPTION APPROVAL!!! What was supposed to take 60 days only took 12! Just another time that God has shown Himself through this whole process.
Sooooooo... tomorrow we get to meet our possible future son/brother. The kids are going with us and are so excited! This is how our conversations about it have been going... we will be excitedly talking about meeting him and possibly adopting him and then I will tell the kids, "Now, Kids, don't get your hopes up. This doesn't necessarily mean we will get him. He will go wherever God feels he needs to be." Then Tim turns to me and says, "Now, Carrie, don't get your hopes up. This doesn't necessarily mean we will get him. He will go wherever God feels he needs to be." Tim has always had the ability to live in the moment and be content with whatever will happen. Me? Not so much. I am trying to be patient and I have really prayed for peace with whatever happens. Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don't. The thing that helps me the most is to know that it is our of my control anyway. It does me no good to sit and worry about what will happen. The hardest thing for me right now is just the not knowing. Hopefully in about a month, our days of waiting will be over and we will know for sure if we will be a family of 7!!!
