8th Hearing

Our 8th hearing will take place while we sleep tonight. We were told this week that the judge has said he will issue a final order at this hearing! That is so encouraging to hear, but it's also India and Britt and I are very guarded on getting our hopes up. So please just pray along with us that the judge will keep his word and everyone that needs to be there will be.

 

 

Today is Britt's 40th Birthday! So we are hoping he will have a great belated birthday present of passing court tomorrow morning!

 

 

We will be working the Hope 4 Houston 5K in the morning. I will update everyone as soon as I can. Keep praying!!!

 

 

 

We had a great family getaway to the beach for Fall Break last week. It was just what we needed! I can't wait to take Mary-Lynn!!

 

 See the rainbow to the left? :)

 Sting rays were everywhere! We even had a group swim up to and around us while we were playing in the ocean!! Really cool and a little scary!

Dolphins were everywhere too! LOVE watching the dolphins! See the one Caleb is watching?

 

 We celebrated our niece's 2nd birthday this past week! I can't wait to see her and Mary-Lynn together!! 

 

 

Please pray that tonight is finally the night that we pass court!!

 

Once we pass court there is still some waiting. We have to get written orders certified and then her passport before we can travel. But passing court will be a huge hurdle to overcome...we have been in court for 6 months now.

 

 

 

Thank you for praying for us and our daughter! Keep them coming!!

 

 



15 Months...

It has been 15 months since we were matched with our precious daughter!
15 months!!

On July 15, 2016, Ms. Pat called and said she found a match for us. We really had our minds set on being matched with a younger child. So when Ms. Pat said she was 2 years old my first thought was "We have a 2 year old, and he is bad!" Hahaha! But as soon as I opened my email and saw those big brown eyes, and the resemblance between she and Matthew, I knew she was ours and fell head over heels in love!! I never knew I could love someone so much that I had never met over 8,000 miles across the ocean from us. But the love came immediately!

When I found out I was pregnant with Matthew, of course since we had 2 boys already, we were really wanting a girl. But early on I started thinking it would be so cool to have a boy and a girl, twins! I know now why I was thinking that, God was preparing me for Mary-Lynn. She and Matthew are just 8 1/2 months apart in age. Isn't God just amazing!?

Coming into the holiday season...Pumpkin Patches, Trick-or-Treating, Thanksgiving, Christmas, 2018...I know it is not going to be easy. I never dreamed that we would still be waiting to bring our daughter home at this point. My sister and I ordered matching Thanksgiving dresses for our girls a few months back. It makes me sad that she will not be here to wear it. It makes me sad to think of a second Christmas without our daughter here with us. God may work a huge miracle and have her home by Christmas, but we just don't know. All we do know is that He is good and His timing will be perfect for Mary-Lynn and for us and that He will redeem the time lost between us. We just have to trust Him!

My momma shared this with us on Facebook this week. So good!!

We do not know what the future holds, but we know the One who holds the future! And He is for us, and He loves us, and we can trust Him and His ways for us and for our daughter!

We have our 8th hearing on October 28 (night of the 27th). I have been talking to a few other momma's that are or have adopted from the same state as Mary-Lynn. Once they passed court, it was about 2 weeks give or take that they had their written orders signed by the judge and in the orphanage director's hands. They need that to get Mary-Lynn's birth certificate and then passport. The passport has taken 6 weeks give or take. It's India, you really can't compare one adoption to another. But it does give us somewhat of a timeline. So even if we do pass court on Oct. 28 (let it be so, Lord!!) we still have a few weeks wait on writtens and even more weeks wait on passport before we can travel.

 Please pray for our hearts and minds as we endure these waits. Pray God's protection over Mary-Lynn. Pray the judge will get no rest until he passes our case with signed written orders! Pray for a quick passport process. We are so ready to be on a plane to India and have her in our arms!!

Just a little of our week...

Preschool Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

 I need one of these corn bins at our house, haha! Matthew loves it!!

 Big boy getting his tubes checked at the ENT

 Beautiful sunset!

 Holiday Market with my sister, niece, and Matthew

 Silly brothers at the Cotton Festival

 2 cute buys for Mary-Lynn at the Cotton Festival today!

I'm really trying to learn to be still in the busyness of our lives and listen for God's voice. Praying for wisdom as we wait. Praying God prepares us for Mary-Lynn, and Mary-Lynn for us! Praying for her little heart as we will soon be taking her from the only world she knows.

Thank you for praying along with us!!



Please continue to pray for our adoption!

As most of you know, we did not pass our 7th hearing on October 3.

 

A positive is that our case was heard because the last 2 hearings have said strike. So now we will have our 8th hearing on October 28 (which will be the night of the 27th for us).

 

October 27th is Britt's 40th birthday! We are praying he will wake up the next day to "Case Disposed." When we see that on the court website we will know we have passed court! On my 36th birthday, back in July, we got 5 new pictures of our girl! (Like how I slipped my age in there so you know I have a few more years until I am 40? Haha!!)  

 I can't wait until we can share her beautiful face with all of you!!

 

 





We were disappointed and frustrated Tuesday morning after seeing we still had not passed court. Caleb's usual Monday homeschool classes were moved to Tuesday, so we all went to Montgomery and just spent the whole day together as a family. It was very much needed!

 We found a nice park to hang out at while Caleb was in class.

 Hanging out on the back deck

 

 

Proverbs 31 Ministries has a website with daily devotions on it. It has become one of my favorites. Here are some that helped me out this week. I hope someone else can use it also...

Christian music has also been a HUGE help to me during our adoption process. If I start feeling depressed I put Christian music on. These have been some of my favorites during our process...

 

 

 

 

Just some pictures from this past week...

 Eli's art from class this week!

 We bought a hamster...happy boys...therapy hamster??

Homeschool Service Club with cousins! Decorated cookies and made cards for 911 dispatchers.

 We celebrated my sweet momma's birthday!

 Had a sister date...sushi and pedicures!

 

 

 

My momma saved my Cabbage Patch Kid Dolls...Cathy Dory and Buck Willy (hahaha!) Cathy is in an outfit I bought over a year ago for Mary-Lynn that is too small now. Buck is in the outfit that Caleb, Eli, and Matthew wore home from the hospital. They are both sitting in Mary-Lynn's room waiting for her to come home!

 

 

Matthew was up bright and early Saturday morning. As he was playing he said, "I want my baby sister!" Her brothers are so ready for her to be home just like her mommy and daddy are. I will leave you with a video of Matthew. He prays this prayer every single day...

"Thank you to ask God to bring baby sister home, to give us sweet dreams; MattMatt and baby sister and momma daddy and Caleb and Eli. Amen"

 

 

Hearing #7

As we sleep tonight our 7th hearing will take place. We found out that it is our judge that is not convinced about our adoption. Our adoption agency and orphanage have been working closely together to try and get help from higher authorities in India. So we are praying that everyone that needs to be there for us to pass will be!

 

 

I was thinking about the number 7. We call it the number of perfection. When God created the heavens and the earth He rested on the 7th day. It was finished and complete. Namaan in 2 Kings was told to bathe in the Jordan River 7 times, Joshua was told to march around Jericho for 7 days, 7 pairs of clean animals were put on the ark, 7 things the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:16, 7 parables in Matthew 13, 7 woes in Matthew 23, 7 churches in Revelation, and so many more. The number 7 is used over 700 times in the Bible.

 

 

My favorite part is that 7 can mean complete and finished. Oh how I am praying our 7th hearing is it...that court will be finished and complete!!

 

 

 

We do not know what the future holds. There are so many unknowns...when will we pass, will we get writtens and passport quickly, when will Mary-Lynn be in her forever family, will she attach and bond well, how will the boys do with all the change? But a sweet friend shared this from Pastor Chris Hodges today...

 

What we can know in the unknown:

1. I know that God knows. He is all-knowing.

2. I know that God is at work. He is all-powerful.

3. I know that God is with me.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to an all-knowing God. When you know God is with you, you can face whatever comes against you.

 

Another great quote I heard today is, "The plan for the future is to be faithful today."

(Katy McCowan)

 

 

A final thought...Jesus could have healed Lazarus. His glory and power would have been shown. But how much more was it shown by raising him from the dead 4 days later? God knows what He is doing and we just have to trust Him.

 

 

 Mary-Lynn and Mommy shirts made at Woven, our church ladies craft night!

 

Sweet gift from a very special family in our church!! I can't wait to play with baby dolls with Mary-Lynn!

 

Our niece, Zoe, and Matthew trying out Mary-Lynn's bed! I can't wait for Mary-Lynn and Zoe to have spend the night parties together, where I am sure Matthew will bug them!

 

Thank you so much for the encouragement, giving, and prayers during our adoption process!! We are praying it will be coming to an end soon, and a new beginning for Mary-Lynn and our family!