Guilty as charged...  I have been neglecting our blog, and I'm kind of sorry if I have any readers left.  I'm only kind of sorry because I have this amazing 20 month old sweetie that keeps me too busy and tired to do much writing, and I just can't be sorry for that!  Since my sweet hubby gave me an evening away and took care of A, I have just enough energy and brain power left to do a short update.
  Current adoption:
  Well, it's amazing the difference knowledge and peace can make when going through the paperwork phase of an adoption.  Things so far have gone so much smoother with our second adoption than with Aerin's, or maybe that's just my perspective this time around.  A couple years ago all of our hopes and dreams were wrapped up in the adoption paperwork, and still are today, but now it's obeying for future plans, not every day having hope deferred.  We pray every single day for the future children that God has for us, but I'm at peace now when I pray that, not struggling with a constant war within.  I am so thankful that we have obeyed God to adopt again so I can experience adoption this way.  This doesn't meant that there won't come a time that we go through those same emotions again, but for now we have peace to enjoy the daughter God has already placed in our care as we go through this adoption.
  So you want an update on the process?  Ok!  Our homestudy is complete! YAY!  I'm waiting to get it in the mail and then should be able to promptly send our dossier in to get waitlisted.  We're hoping to be on a waitlist by the end of next week.  That being said, (warning,thoughts on what I wish somebody would've told me last time coming up)  I know that is just our hope and the timing is completely in God's hands.  I HOPEFULLY learned my lesson last time of trying to control everything.  I want this time around to be able to easily surrender everything to God's control (not that I really have a choice in the matter, just much easier on me if I readily surrender).
  What's next?  We wait...and wait...and wait...and wait some more.  We're expecting this wait to be years people, so don't expect a whole lot of updates on our wait coming up.  I mentally, emotionally, spiritually, can not get wrapped up in the month to month hope built, then dashed, of the wait.  I have a little person who needs me present this time.  So, I'll update when I can, but maybe not monthly.
  Update on A: LOVE TO!  God is SOOO good to us.  A is 20 months old now and still in the 90th percentile.  She is smart as a whip and fiery.  Her latest favorite book is Brown Bear, of which she can already recite and can tell you what all of the animals are in it and what color they all are.  She says her ABC's and on a good day can count to 20.  She LOVES to sing and dance.  Her favorite song right now is Jesus Loves Me and she is super cute when she sings it.  She also sings Come Thou Fount with me every night before bed, all three verses.  Like I said, God is so good to us.  Daily I thank God for our sweet, silly little girl.  Daily I love her more and more.
  I was reminded today as I looked at a picture of God's sovereignty and perfect plans.  I was showing somebody a picture of our travel group that we went to Ethiopia with for court.  I was explaining who everyone was and was reminded that one of the families' dossier was submitted minutes before ours.  Not sure why our adoption coordinator shared that with us, but it has always stuck in my head.  God's timing was perfect down to the second.  That same family was matched with their son the same day we were matched with Aerin.  God determined that by making sure their dossier was reviewed minutes before ours.  God had the perfect little girl for us.  That people, is why I know that God is perfectly in control and I can fully rest in His timing.  I've seen it at work.  I snuggle with it every night at bedtime.
-amory