Carson - Party of SIX!

We've been itching at the gun to share this with you since we found out. Keeping secrets is hard! Seriously, I'm horrible at it when it comes to something personal that I'm thrilled about. I wanted to tell all of our families and friends. But, it's just not the same as when someone gets pregnant and can excitedly share with the world the day they found out. 

A matched adoption through foster care can be a beating. And everything can unravel at the last possible second. But speaking from experience, it is all worth it. The paperwork, the waiting, the getting irritated at the waiting, practicing patience, feeling nervous and excited, reading thousands of documents, and preparing for the unknown. 

Matched adoption with kids in foster care goes a little something like this:

July/Aug 2014: 

Go to classes (30+ hours and a binder full of paperwork)

Oct 2014: 

Home Study Interview

Dec 2014: 

Home Study finally approved

Jan 2015: 

Let our agency start searching for our future kids!

Jan-May 2015: 

NO news

June 2015: 

Would you be interested in this sibling group? 

Yes! Submit our home study!

July 2015: 

Staffing (CPS meeting to pick the family)

WE ARE SELECTED!

Read through the thousands of pages of PDFs from the past two years of their lives. 

Make a decision to move forward.

Aug 2015:

Yesterday: Hold final meeting with all parties (minus the kids) so they can ask us questions and we can ask them questions. 

TODAY: 

Formally say YES - and officially become "Matched"

*For those wondering, yes, you accept the role of being their parent before meeting the child(ren). As crazy as it sounds, there is such beauty in this! Just like how God chooses to accept us as His children, no matter what our past is or what baggage we bring. He embraces us for who we are and loves us unconditionally. There is no return policy, we are forever in His family.

Next Week: Meet our future sons!

So will you join us in praying that everything goes as smoothly as possible during this transition. We are all very excited, nervous, and so ready to meet them. We've longed for this moment for a very long time. And although everyone is very excited, we know that our family is only growing larger because of great loss. Help us press into Him who is able to guide our footsteps, actions, mouths, and hearts as we grow our family. Lastly, pray for our sanity. Mine in particular. I mean 5 boys and leaving me as the only girl? What am I thinking?!?! 

Of course the Lord gently reminded me that on my first date with Kelly, I told him I wanted 5 kids and for at least some of them to be adopted. Be careful what you pray for. The Lord loves to show how well He listens and bless you beyond understanding. He's kind of awesome that way!