pumpkin patch 2013

We made it to the pumpkin patch today. The weather was great and the place was packed. We were apparently not the only ones to wait until the last minute!

Hay rides, corn maze, pumpkin doughnuts, animals, apple pie....lovely day!

 

haircut time

This boy really needed a haircut! (His mama's kind of lazy in this department.)

Last night we accomplished our mission. The lady gave him a spiky "do" with product that Ethan says smells wonderful!  :)

adoption update - one year

Today we have officially been waiting one year. One year since our home study has been done. One year since our dossier has been done. One year since our file has been sent to Ethiopia. Just waiting - for a whole year. And if the predictions are accurate - we still have a long way to go.

The wait has been hard. People warned me that it would be. I don't think I believed them. But it's hard because I feel helpless - there is absolutely nothing I can do to make this go faster. Nothing I can do to get to my daughter any quicker. It's hard because when I tuck my children in at night I wonder who is making sure she's warm enough. And when I care for my kids when they're sick I wonder who is making her feel better.

They say becoming a mother is like walking around with your heart outside your body. Becoming a waiting adoptive mother is like walking around with your heart on another continent. So yes, there are hard days in this wait.

I've had some doubts along the way. Did we pick the right agency? Is this the right country? Should we look into other options? Thankfully, my husband has no doubts. Only faith. And with his leadership, we are choosing to remain steadfast. Enduring the wait - and knowing that this labor of love is part of His perfect plan for our family.

God has been faithful in the wait. Through the tears and the fear and the longing He is molding me and shaping me into the mother I will need to be for her. For that I am grateful.

fall sports

All three kids are playing sports this fall. The practice/game schedule has been a bit hectic - but they are all loving them - so it's worth it.

Audrey is playing volleyball for the first time. She was placed on a team with great girls and a very sweet coach. She's having a ton of fun, and last night they won their first game! They were SOOOO excited.

Liam is playing flag football. He has a great coach, their team has been very successful, and Liam is having a ball. He's played a lot of sports over the years - but he says this one is his favorite.

And Ethan is enjoying his first year of soccer. I had forgotten how much fun kindergarten soccer is. No one quite knows what they're doing - but they are sure having fun!