Hmmm...not what we hoped for

We received word yesterday that we did not get the grant from Shoahannah's Hope. We are disappointed but still believing God will be faithful to provide the remaining adoption fees. We are doing our best to be prayerful and patient as we have a large sum due in a few short weeks.

We also received an email from our adoption agency that two papers need to be redone for our dossier. One was too old and the other had too much information. So we will have to get these notarized and apostilled again. Hopefully this won't take too much time.

Not the best news today but this is where we are at. Trying to stay as positive and patient as possible. Trying to hear from God about what is us trying to take care of it and what is allowing Him the time he needs to provide. That part of waiting is a part I really don't care for. Hmmm... Any words of wisdom? I'd love to hear them...

Knowing & Trusting...

Have you ever been so excited about something that it makes you feel sick to your stomach??? That's kind of how I feel. Tomorrow we will submit our dossier (adoption paperwork) to our agency. I can't even tell you how relieved I feel to finally have our paper work done! It has been a long haul but I couldn't be happier. We received our final papers in the mail yesterday all authenticated so we are good to go! No they go off the agency, then they go to Colombia for translation & approval... so now we wait.

Do you ever wonder why you even expend the energy to get anxious? Well today I did. I have been a bit anxious about the finances that it will take to submit these papers and just not sure where it would come from. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW God provides & knows exactly where it is coming from but sometimes I just can't shut my brain off to just trust. Today I got to talk to my dad for a while & he & Mom had already felt lead to send us some money for this part of the process. What a blessing! Poor Dad... I started crying on the phone! If you have ever been on the other end of the phone when I'm crying, it isn't pretty... I can't talk at all. Dad thought he had lost the connection with me then realized I was crying. Anyway - thank you so much Mom & Dad for being sensitive to the Holy Spirit! I can't tell you how blessed we feel!

We are still waiting to hear back from Shoahannah's Hope to see if we will receive a grant. Please pray that they will find favor in us. We are hoping and praying for this! We continue to covet your prayers and are so thankful for all our friends and family! We so appreciate your support!

Spring Fever...

Does anyone else get inspired by spring and the sunshine? Last weekend I went to some of my favorite nurseries just to look at all the beautiful flowers that I wish I could plant now. It is still a little too cold here for planting but looking gets me excited!

I am feeling better so we got to work on some things around the house. I picked up a load of gravel and Jeremy spread it in the driveway. I got a few junipers for the front yard and some black mulch. I love black mulch... I think it helps the plants really pop out. I weeded some of the garden and back yard, then the front yard, planted the new plants, took up all my periwinkle that wasn't doing too well at spreading and changed some things.

I replanted the periwinkle in my pots by the front door and just got things looking better. Looking forward to doing the hanging pots but those will have to wait for some more consistent sunshine.Today we finished tearing out the floor in the upstairs hallway. It looks so much better already. We need to decide if we will paint it black like we did in the bedroom or do something different. But at least now it is all prepped and ready for whatever we decide to do.
Anyone have any good ideas?

We are now getting ready to relax, eat some chili and enjoy the Red Sox game! Go Sox!!!

Last, but certainly not least.... Happy Birthday Caleb & Alethia! I can't believe they are two today. Jeremy and I love them so much and are so thankful they are part of our lives! They called me today and it is so fun to hear them talking! I hope you both have a wonderful day!!! We love you!!!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you feel the love of our beautiful Savior & are able to reflect on all He has done for us!!!

Mailing

Other than being home today sick, things are very good. Today I am mailing off all the papers that need to be authenticated (apostilled) in the state of Virginia. Once we receive these papers back, we are finished with our paperwork! Pretty amazing. We then mail them to our agency for approval and translation, then on to Colombia. Very exciting!!! This is where the process gets fairly expensive. We continue to thank you for your prays and support for this process.

Jeremy returned this last week from a short visit home (Oregon) to see his brothers, Mom, Dad and other family members. We also have a new niece (Jake's) that Jeremy wanted to see. Her name is Ember and she is beautiful. I'll share pictures with you soon...