I’m sorry not sorry for the lack of updates around the blog lately. I am in a season where my family has a front seat and the time to sit in front of a computer screen is few and far between. A year ago I would have been frustrated by it; today I’m soaking it in. The days will come again when I have time to sit and write (naptime did that for me for 7.5 yrs), but that day is not today.
Today I’m in the trenches of motherhood.
I’m have heart-to-heart conversations about wise choices and heart attitudes. I’m spending afternoons picking/dropping from after-school activities. I’m doing puzzles and building legos. I’m reminding two little girls that they are loved and accepted even when friends don’t tell them so. I’m helping a little boy gain independence as he tries new things.
Today is filled with busy days, a little chaos, and a lot of fun…
And it looks like we’re going to have a lot more coming our way!
We are thrilled to share with you that we received (& accepted) our referral.
The story of our referral started back in November. Just a month after our dossier made its way to Brazil our adoption agent at AWAA called and said, “We have an out-of-the-box situation that we’d like you to consider.”
Hmm, I thought. Sounds like what we signed up for.
He proceeded to share with us a unique situation that had come up. Even if we agreed to it, there was no guarantee. The court needed to approve this case before anyone could move forward.
So we prayed. We talked with family, we talked with our agent, and we prayed some more.
And we said yes.
We said yes knowing that it was all in God’s hands. He knows what’s best- for every child involved and He knows what’s best for our family.
We had profiles and pictures, but we had no idea if we would ever meet these kids. So I was cautious. I didn’t want my heart or mind to go places it shouldn’t. I didn’t want to start picturing our family one way only to have it changed (multiple times). I wasn’t sure of anything, but I knew that if this was something God was orchestrating then He would open/close the right doors in the right timing.
I continued to submit my dreams/ideas for our family to Him.
Weeks went by and Christmas came. The courts shut down till January. January came and went. No word. Just silence.
Movement started happening in the courts (not with our case). Adoptions were finalizing, and the suspension seemed to be lifting. The Brazilian government began opening up communication with the international adoption community and even began changing some of its laws so that more adoptions could take place. Good news.
But we didn’t know what would happen with our “unique” situation.
A few months ago I sensed something would happen soon. I wasn’t sure if it was positive or negative, I just sensed something. I was traveling a lot and began feeling unsettled about being gone. I spent nearly a month purging and cleaning out closets. Nesting maybe?!?
And then at the beginning of May we were told to get a document prepared. We didn’t know why, and we still weren’t sure if it would lead to anything, but “have it ready” is what we were told. That document had names and ages on it- it was a specific petition for specific kids- the kids we said yes to. But we were still unsure the outcome.
And then last week we got the call. “The court approved you to proceed. Your referral will be coming in this week.”
And just like that, everything changed.
It’s surreal and overwhelming all at the same time. Within an hour of that phone call I researched flights to Brazil, homeschooling options, and visa paperwork.
We received our official referral yesterday and we are working to finalize the paperwork/payments ($14,550 to be exact) to continue to the final stages.
I’m sure you are wanting more details, but you probably understand that I can’t until they are officially ours. (You never know what could happen. While we are one step closer to these kids being in our family, things are never final until it’s final.)
Two boys, ages 9 & 10, will hopefully be coming home before the end of the year.
