Kansas City Part 2

Mark's Brother Brett's Children Graham celebrating 2 !
Tyler is 4!!
Party Fun!!
Swinging Around!

Kansas City Part 1

Stephanie, Ginger & Shannon Mommy's in waiting, and waiting, and waiting!
Kianna & Makenna
Malaine, Tucker & Sawyer

We had a great time in Kansas City last weekend. We had the chance to lunch w/ Stephanie, who is LID 6/22 and waiting for her baby girl Tatumn. We are FOR SURE travel buddies! She has 3 boys, 1 of them above. Taylor, Tanner and Tucker. I know their little girl will be a perfect fit in their family and turn their world pink!! ;) Ginger and Danny also joined us, they are LID 6/10. We had hoped and prayed that we would all travel together, but that was not God's plan. Kiana and Makenna had a great time, and though they won't be in China together, they will still be able to visit and remain good friends. Kiana is offically a big sister! They have a 9 month old baby girl waiting for them in China! We are so excited to see the pictures of their new daughter!

Sawyer Graduates PreSchool

Sawyer & his Buddies! Twins Ty & Trey
Have to love his Fake Smile!
Getting his diploma.
Now this is a real smile! Gift certificates for free game rentals from Grammy & Papa!

Beauty in our Future!

This was taken from our porch, we get to see this beautiful sunset often, when we actually take the time to stop and look. Seeing this picture tonight reminds me of the beautfiul plan I know God has for us, i just needed to stop and look. It was a difficult day Tuesday. But after I got over it, I have felt much, much peace. We have no doubt we are next. We don't have to wonder and wait out the month to see what is going to happen. Referrals have been running on average at 4 weeks. That puts us at June 20th. I can make it till then. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, i am sad that we do not get to travel w/ some great friends we have made, but I know that this was Gods plan all along. As we have learned over and over again, our plans might not be His plans! And we will be traveling w/ a great friend I made way back at the beginning of the "process"! Stephanie is in Kansas City, so we have had the chance to meet and I swear I feel like I have known her forever!
It has been a long road. Much, much longer than we could have ever dreamed. But we are almost there! I see the finish line! Thanks for hanging in there with me. I can't wait to share my sweet, sweet Sage w/ you! Or my boy w/ no name becuase we can't agree! Time to get serious, we only have 4WEEKS!!!

Referrals are in, but not for me...

It is official, referrals have been made up to June 15th. So we missed it, again. The good news, WE ARE NEXT!!! No doubt in my mind, no wondering, we will be next. And our friends have babies on the way! So I will live through them for the next month. But oh, it is going to be a long month. My apologies in advance to those around me.

Wild Weekend & More Rumors

We had a busy, but fabulous weekend! The highlights, and more details w/ pictures to come...

• Sawyer Graduated from Pre-School on Friday morning!
  
• Celebrated at Chuck E Cheese along w/ at least 1 million other children.
  
• Drove to Kansas City in Rush hour St Louis Traffic & stayed at 2 different hotels due to our original double booking us. Thanks alot Cardinal Fans for making KC a hotel nightmare! Go Cards, anyways!
  
• Had lunch at my adoption friend Stephanies(LID 6/22) beautiful home & met her family!
• Also met adoption friend Ginger(LID 6/10) & her family. Their daughter Kiana(8) is traveling to China so we are PRAYING that we will all be together so Makenna will have a travel buddy!
• Celebrated Birthdays with my neice Tyler(4) & nephew Graham(2), saw their new home for the first time, and had lots of fun playing.
  

We have lots of great pictures so will hopefully post those over this next week. Makenna will be out of school on Thursday, and we hope that means life will slow down! HA!
Ok, on the rumor boards... Have I mentioned that I LOVE rumors when they benefit me, but boy, if they don't, I HATE THEM!!! So, Friday morning, right before I head out to Sawyer's graduation, I read a posting from Spain, saying they are cutting off at the 15th. Yes, last week spain said the 20th. They are not allowed to go backwards. NOT ALLOWED, I tell you! So which is right? I have no idea. I am literally sick to my stomach over it. Now that Makenna has met Kianna, she is sick over it! She really had a great time w/ her, and really wants to go to china w/ her. I am trying to remain calm, and remember that God is in control. I know He is, and His plan is bigger than our plan for sure. HOWEVER, I also BELIEVE that God can perform miracles here, and He can send our referral. It is going to be a long week, and I just want to get it over with, so we can know one way or the other. Is May our month? Please, oh please, oh PLEASE, let it be our month!

Let The Rumors Begin....

I am not sure if I can really get excited over this yet or not. I want to, I really really want to. However, am I setting myself up here? Rumor has it that referrals will go through June 20th. For a few days I heard through the 21st, now today Spain mentioned the 20th. And for some reason, Spain is in the know. I am praying, you know I am. With all my heart,soul and being I want it to be true. Sage is so close and I can just feel her! It is kind of like being in that last month of pregnancy. Of course I have been there for way longer than any pregnancy. but you know how it is. You are so crabby, tired of being pregnant. you signed up to have a baby, not to be fat, swollen, sleepless. You just want to see that tiny face and meet that little one who has been kicking you in the gut for the last 9 months. So maybe I don't get the big ankles, or big belly. But Sage has been kicking in my heart for well over 9 months now. She is as real to me as if she were about to come out of my own body. I could not love her anymore if she were tucked away safe inside of me. She is mine, and has been long before she probably even took her first breath. My arms ache to hold her and find out exactly who it is we have been waiting forever for. I am way beyond my 9th month of pregnancy. It is like I have been stuck in the delivery room now for months. I don't get the pleasure of an epidural to dull the "pain/wait". All natural for this baby!
So please, continue to pray for a may miracle! My fear is that they will go to the 19th of June. I am not going there. I am trusting and believing that God is going to bring a miracle, and that my time to "push" is almost here!

Are You Still Adopting?

This is a common question I have been asked recently. It is almost getting to the point where I am embarassed. Here we were last year, just sure we would have a baby by January or at least a picture. People who I have not seen in a long while, will ask, weren't you supposed to get a baby? YES we were, and YES we are, someday. I swear it is not all made up, though I am pretty sure Malaine must think we are telling a big story to her!
Now it is May. Almost 1 year ago we were mailing off our paperwork to China. But I am praying for good things this month! Monday, Malaine and I were at Target. We went down the cabbage patch aisle and she insists I read everyone's name to her. Well what do you know, the first doll she pointed at was Sage! I would have bought her if she did not have red hair and blue eyes, not the vision we have of our Sage! But I did check out her birthday which was May 23. And it went through my head, that is our referral day. Now the chances of that happening are very, very slim. But you never know I suppose. Then later that day, a laybug flew into our car! I was very much enjoying my first day of May!
Tomorrow is National Day of Prayer. On my yahoo group we have asked everyone to pray together at 9am and 6pm. Join us will you in praying for a referral to come this month!