Travel plans are set!!

I'm leaving on Sunday, March 17 and returning home (WITH KENZIE!!!!) on Sunday, March 24.

God is so good and we are so blessed that we finally get to bring Kenzie home to join our family!  Our family of four!  (I love how that sounds!)

Our AIT/Embassy appointment is on March 21.  Please pray that everything goes smoothly!

We still cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has joined us on this journey.  We could not have done it without you! God has truly blessed us with some of the most amazing friends and family!

“Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.”  Proverbs 25:25

For those of you who have adopted from THOGL you know that when you see that verse at the beginning of an email it is going to be good news!  

That was the verse that came across our email today!

WE GOT OUR FIRST DECREE!!!!!!

Kenzie is officialy ours and we are so excited.  

The only thing left in our process is for our Final Decree to be issued and to have our AIT appointment.  So I am leaving the week of March 18 to head over to Taiwan to (Lord Willing) finish up our adoption process and bring our baby girl home!  

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and we see it!  

Thank you for your prayers and keep them coming!  We are not quite done but one HUGE step closer!     

We have a due date!!!!  

One of the hardest comments that has been made to me through this process is "well at least you do not have to wait as long as a pregnancy" or "your wait isnt that bad...when you are pregnant you have to wait 9 months".   If you are reading this blog and you have ever said that to an adoptive mommy or have thought about saying it.....either apologies or refrain.  That comment hurts! 
With a pregancy you have an END DATE.  You know that around a certain time (due date) your baby will be in this world, with your family, part of your life.  When you are adopting you have NO IDEA when you will bring your baby home or when you will have an END DATE.  One of the hardest things about adoption is the unknown.  So friends....I ask you....please DO NOT compare it to a pregnancy.....it is completely different. 

But in saying all of that.....
I actually have a due date!  I know about when I am going to get to see my baby girl again!  PTL!  Richard and I have been praying for the past couple of weeks about when I could return to Taiwan and bring our baby girl home.  Well the courts are not cooperating with us on the paperwork (ha ha) so we changed our prayer.  We began praying that God would open a door so that I could be with our baby girl again soon.  Since the moment I have left Taiwan I have missed it.  I miss the smells, the weather, the people, the orphanage, the babies....but most of all my precious girl Kenzie.  I have been so jealous of the mom's who have gotten to stay in between court and decrees.  But I knew because of Kyler I could not be gone that long.  So.....

This last week my school sent me an email letting me know that they had approved for me to not come back after Spring Break until the end of the year (and still get paid).  They wanted me to have as much time as I could with my baby girl!  Plus with the class that I have this year it would make for an easier transistion.  So that got Richard and I thinking.....what if we could work out the details where I go ahead and go on over to Taiwan during my Spring Break and then spend time there until our adoption is final and I can bring Kenzie home.  We knew a few things would have to work out for Kyler and we also wanted to make sure the orphanage was okay with it, but we got confirmation this morning that it is a GO.  So...

Around March 17 I will be leaving to head to Taiwan to help out the orphange and spend time with our precious baby girl until I get to bring her home.  I am so excited! 

We are still praying that all of our paperwork will come together before then so I can just go for the week, finalize things up, and come home.  But if not....at least I know that I will get to be with her while Richard and Kyler hold down the fort at home!

The biggest obstacle we still face is financial.  It is going to cost more for a plane ticket right now because of a few reasons.  It is Spring Break, I have to get an open ended ticket, and we have to pay for a plane ticket for Kenzie (we'd have to do this regardless of when we go).  We know that God will provide for us.  I would like to be able to book my ticket in the next week or so in hopes of getting a cheaper rate but since it is going to cost more we have to have more time to save (waiting on paychecks).  So the closer that it gets to the time....the higher the tickets go.  So please pray that it will all continue to come together and we can get a great deal on a ticket!

So with all of that said....
Pray for us! 
We are so excited to have a DUE DATE but also trying to trust in God to work out the details!

Love you all!  

It has been 4 1/2 weeks since we appeared in court.  These past weeks have been the hardest and longest of my life.  I just sit and stare at Kenzie's picture wondering if we will ever have her home.  It still all seems like a distant dream.....not a reality.
This week the courts are closed for CNY.  So in a weird way I am relaxed this week....I still really want to have her at home with me and in my arms.  But I also know that I do not have to wake up each morning wondering if I have an email or if today will be the day. 

So I am going to be honest....I have a goal for this week while the courts are closed....
My goal is to spend this week praying, fasting, and working on my heart.  I have had a lot of jealousy over the past week.  Their have been couples that have brought home their babies home recently and it is very hard to see their excitment and how their babies are growing and changing when my sweet girl is thousands of miles away....and right now we have no end in sight as to when we will bring her home.  So God and I need to have some time to work through these issues!

We celebrated Chinese New Year with our THOGL friends this past weekend.  It was so much fun!  I enjoyed catching up with new and old friends.  I am so thankful for the people that adoption and THOGL has brought into my life.  Some of my very best friends!

Please continue to pray for us...

*Pray that as soon as the courts open back up we will get our first decree.
*Pray that Kenzie remains healthy and safe.
*Pray for our finances (we are still short on plane ticket money....trusting God to provide).
*Pray for my heart as we wait.

Love you all!

SLEEP......

I long for the day when my entire family is under one roof.....then maybe sleep will come.  During this entire process their has only been a short time where I have felt rested.  It was right after we got the call for our court date.  My body relaxed and I was just able to enjoy life. It was wonderful.  I know that once we bring Kenzie home my sleep will be different because I will have a baby but when I do sleep it will be peaceful.  I wont wake up through the night checking for an email.  I wont go to bed with thoughts of her and how she is doing on my mind.  I will finally be able to relax.  I so desperately want to enjoy this season....to be patient...to wait on God's timing.....to rest in His goodness and peace.  But I know that it is not going to happen.  I know myself.  As much as I try to fake it to everyone around me....I am a mess.  I feel discouraged about everything.  I just want an email....I just want a call.....I just want to be with my baby girl....

This week we are praying for BIG news!  Next week the courts shut down for Chinese New Year.  We have been praying since we returned home from court that we would get our first decree issued by the week before CNY.  So we are praying that it comes this week.....I am sure that if it doesn't there will be lots of emotional moments for me....but I have to remember that God is in control and His timing is perfect.

There is another possible BIG news item that could happen in our family this week.  We would also love for it to work in the way we have been praying but we also know we have to trust in God if it doesn't.  I hope to be able to share that news but I can't until it is final! 

SO needless to say.....we are praying for a BIG week for our family this week.....will you please join with us?

Also if you look at the below post there are several items that I listed that need to be prayed about....please continue to pray for those items! 
We appreciate everyone who has prayed for us and who has walked this journey with us so much!  We COULD NOT do it alone!

Love to you...

5 months ago....

Richard, Kyler, and I had been at my mom's house celebrating Labor Day.  It had been a fun day with cousins and siblings.  The entire weekend I had been in a weird mood.  More than once I had mentioned how much I wish we could adopt from Taiwan again.  Even that day I had mentioned to my mom and sister...."I feel like we should just give up on adopting again....God is going to have to clearly show us what He wants us to do because I am so confused."  My mom and sister really didn't know how to reply.  They were both "wishing" we could adopt from Taiwan again too. 

Backstory:
9 months earlier we were told that we would not be able to adopt from Taiwan because the new laws were really weird and THOGL was no longer adopting to second child families.  We were crushed, frustrated, and confused.  I felt like we had waited to long to pursue adoption again.  If only we had contacted THOGL several years earlier maybe I would get my baby girl.  But God had other plans. After being told "no" by THOGL we told them we appreciated their honesty and that they could take us off the list because we would be praying about other adoption options.  That email broke my heart but we both really felt like God was closing this door. 

Over the next several months Richard and I would still have various converstations about adopting from Taiwan (even in the midst of another country failed adoption attempt), neither of us could shake the longing but we knew we had to find peace in the situation...it was out of our hands.

So Labor Day...
After we got home that evening we were all getting ready for the work/school week.  Kyler was in bed fast asleep, Richard was in the living room watching TV, and I was in our bedroom getting ready for bed.  It was 10:30pm.  As I was climbing into bed my phone began to buzz.  It was from a number I didn't recognize, I knew it was an international number but it didn't register.  I almost didn't answer but because it was late I figured it had to be someone we knew and I was praying it wasn't "bad" news.  As soon as I said "hello"....I knew!  The person on the other end didn't even speak yet but I knew it was THOGL calling.  As the converstation began (and I ran into the living room to get Richard on the phone) small talk was made.  I remember thinking is Ted just calling to check in or what is going on?  I honestly was confused until he said...."So the reason that I am calling is because we have a precious 5 week old baby girl that would love for you to be her mommy and daddy".  CUE the tears....no seriously....like ugly snotty nose tears.  I couldn't even talk.  For those of you who know me you know that is nearly impossible!  The next few moments were a a blur as Richard and Ted talked.  I finally got myself together long enough to ask "Are you sure?"  Ted laughed (not quite the response most would probably give).  I was just in so much shock that I thought he had made a mistake.  Over the next 30 minutes we learned details about Kenzie and how the new laws would work.  It was an amazing evening with NO sleep.  Richard and I just laid in bed talking, rejoicing, and thanking God was faithfulness and miracles.

So 5 months......
That is how long ago since we go our referral.  It has been the longest 5 months of my life but some of the happiest 5 months of my life because I know that we are over the half way point.  We will get to bring our sweet baby girl home soon.  And all the glory, honor, and praise will go to God!


Please Pray:
*That we will get our first decree issued before next Friday (that is when the courts close for Chinese New Year)
*After the first decree is issued pray that we will quickly get our second decree issued (this is the point we will be able to go get Kenzie).
*That Kenzie will remain happy and healthy
*That we will enjoy our final days as a family of 3 as we prepare for Kenzie to come home.
*Please pray for our friends who are also on this journey with us.  They have the exact same emotions we have and long to have their babies in their arms soon!
*Finances.....we thought we had all the money we need for our plane tickets but we found out we have to purchase a plane ticket for Kenzie because it is an international flight.  So we are about $500 short.  We are financially maxed out (our first trip tickets cost more than we had planned for) and so we are asking for prayers and help!