NO big red!

For those of you who thought my vanity about my new minivan was amusing, check out the post from this adoption mommy.

Big Red

No, there will not be not be a big red in our future :) (Just in case you were wondering.)

First expenses...

I know what you're thinking! If you know me well, you know this may very well be a healthy decoration in our kitchen... especially with MY cooking skills :) Actually it was our very first adoption expense. In order to get your foster care license there are many hoops you must jump through. (FYI: you have to have your foster care license to adopt out of the foster care system, because when a child is placed in your home they don't become your forever child until 6 months later when the adoption is finalized.) One of these hoops was a fire safety inspection of our home, which requires the fire extinguisher. Thus, I wrote my first "adoption expense" check for $54.70!

The fire marshal inspector brought the boys some little reminders about fire safety. They both kind of followed him around in awe at having a real fireman in our home. Daddy on the other hand was a little nervous that the fireman might try to take off his shirt :) While very kind and informative, this fireman was NOT a candidate for the fireman calendar (unfortunately :)

Landon went right to town coloring in his fire safety book. 

To hear him say "Look Mom, this is me and this is my sister!" not only stopped me in my tracks, but it nearly made me sob. I am blown away by the way God continually prepares his heart for a new sister as well as ours. Now if we can only work on Keaton!

I could have made this particular picture an entire post of it's own. It was actually our first expense but we can't totally write it off as an "adoption" expense. I've been driving around with Keaton's feet in my back for the last couple of months. We grow em' big in this family and he ran out of leg room a while back. I'll admit I had a love for my Nissan Murano that I really shouldn't have had. We knew when we started thinking about adoption that we would need a bigger family vehicle. I vehemently refused "A minivan.. I am not even 30 yet! How many 20 something women do you know that drive a minivan? That is just crazy! I am NOT doing it!! NO WAY!!" 

One of my BFFs Nicci has a minivan. I always comment on how much room it has, how practical it is, and how smoothly it drives. I loved that she can load up her twins and all of their beach gear and head down to Galveston without trying to "cram" stuff in the van to fit. 

So... last week at church our pastor talked about living simply, for God, not ourselves and not storing up treasures on earth. It went right in step with our family financial goal of living debt free (except for our home, which will be the next big goal) this year. God really spoke through that sermon. We paid off my Murano at the beginning of the month, then last week we went and****GASP*** bought a minivan. (Actually we made an even trade so we did NOT incur a new vehicle note!)

I love it! It has so much room, it's so practical, and the drive is so smooth. I love how I can load up the kids, and a couple of extras, and head wherever we're going without trying to "cram" stuff in. I'll be honest and transparent. The first few days, I kind of rode ducked down in the seat so no one would see me. I know it's pathetic. God had to work hard :)

Landon, who loves the van, proudly proclaimed one day after school, "Mom, this is just like the Joker Van!!" Thank you son. Thank you!

"Children Of God"

I know I've neglected the blog. For those of you who used to follow it to keep up with our wild boys, you've probably stopped reading. Sorry! It seems other than a brief set back with Landon's eye, we haven't had much to report. But there's big news brewing in our neck of the woods.

Jeremy and I have been talking for a while about adoption. We've been feeling that heart tug that only comes from God. The one that makes you stop and say "did He really just say that?" Yea, that kind of a tug. Our hearts have been tugged by God to add to our already wild household. We're adopting a daughter! We are beyond excited, beyond scared, beyond completely understanding any of the terms, processes or requirements, but we're marching full steam ahead out of obedience. Our prayer is that by this summer we will have a sweet girl running around with our wild boys. I could go on and on about the need for adoption and about the Biblical call of adoption for Christians. There are far too many children and not anywhere near enough parents.

We've chosen to adopt out of the foster care system. There are plenty of jumbled up thoughts and emotions that I'll soon be spilling on here so that I have somewhere to lay them, other than my already full brain!

Listen to the words of this video. It gives me goosebumps and makes my heart beat fast. It truly says it all! More details to come soon :)