Here to stay!

We just got home from signing the 33's, which are the papers that give us physical custody of our newest daughter (though she's already been here for the past two weeks!). We also now have permission to use her name, so I'm instead of continuing to use her blogland name "Anne," I can now refer to her as Lindsey! I've had the hardest time writing blog posts using an alternate name! But Anne is her middle name so I actually was already using part of her real name. {grin}

Now, as her caseworker explained it, Lindsey is no longer a foster child because she's in adoptive placement. However, she is still in the legal custody of the state, so we'll still need to get permission to take her out of state and things like that. We'll have monthly post-placement visits from our caseworker and occasional visits from her caseworker until we can officially adopt Lindsey, but in our hearts and minds, she's already our daughter. It's just a matter of getting the legal papers to back it up.

Thanks to everyone who has prayed and continues to pray for us all throughout this process! We can feel it, and we all still need it!

July 4th Fun

Last weekend, we enjoyed a Fourth of July cookout at Ken's aunt Louise's house in south Georgia. They have land, horses, and a really long tree-lined driveway I love. Kathryn was away for the week with her dad, but our other two kids went with us. "Anne" got to meet a whole bunch of family on Ken's side, including his mom and maternal grandmother. We had almost forgotten that two of Ken's cousins are adopted (because they're just though of as cousins, not "adopted cousins"), and his aunt Louise is raising her two grandsons (though they have not formally adopted them). So everyone was very supportive of our adoption, and welcomed Anne into the family. She's fun and personable anyway, so it's easy to like her.

Anne and Brandon played briefly on the little kids' obstacle course. She enjoys gymnastics, so it's not uncommon to find her cartwheeling in the living room or doing round-offs in the grass.

We went walking down the long driveway to meet the horses. Twister really liked Anne, and probably would have followed her around like a puppy all day.

Anne spotted a swing she wanted to try out, and big brother Brandon helped her climb in.

She played Tarzan on the rope, too, and almost landed in a large pile of horse manure. Ewww! By the time we got back to the house, we were really hot and oh-so-ready for some tasty homemade ice cream!

Later that evening, not long after we got home, we were called for a NILMDTS session. We'd already told Anne about this volunteer work we do. She went with us and waited in the lounge near the hospital room while we did the session. She loves children, and whole-heartedly believes that no baby is ever a mistake in God's eyes, so although she doesn't think she personally could do what we do, she does see the importance of it.

After church on Sunday, Ken taught her a few guitar chords, since she'd expressed an interest in learning how to play. We may end up with a quite a musical family, since Brandon is going to pursue a degree in music education, and we plan to start piano lessons for Kathryn this year.Yesterday we took Anne to get the rest of her belongings from her foster home. I think the whole day was rather bittersweet for her. Mostly happy, because she is very excited about being adopted by us, but saying goodbye to her foster mom and the other girls there was harder than she expected. She also had her last visit with her current therapist--one she loves dearly--and they said a tearful goodbye. (She'll be transferring to a therapist closer to us). All this happened because tomorrow we sign the "Intent to Adopt" papers that mean she is officially in our custody now, though the state still considers her a foster child until her adoption is finalized, something we hope to happen before the end of this year. Things are going really well, but she could use prayers as she makes this big transition in her life, and we could use prayers for wisdom and discernment in how to help her and support her, as well as how to best parent a teenager we're just getting to know.

Heart of the Matter -- July Edition

The July edition of Heart of the Matter online homeschool magazine is up and full of great stuff, as usual! Check out the standard blog format version here or the funky flip version here.

Please let me know your thoughts of my article, God Fills in the Holes.

Now, go enjoy some great summer reading!

The Real Deal

We watched the movie Fireproof again on Friday night. In it, there is a scene where two guys are talking about one of their coworkers, who is a Christian. The two guys don't share the faith of their Christian friend, but they both agree he is "the real deal."

Saturday evening, after we returned home from an afternoon with family (I'll do a separate post about what we did over this holiday weekend), I got a NILMDTS call from a mom whose baby had just passed away (at birth). We headed to the hospital right away.

The baby's grandmother and a family friend were at the hospital with the mom. They were all so thankful that we came out on a holiday, and told us we were wonderful people for doing this. As they said these things, I thought, I want to be "the real deal." Even if I don't have an opportunity to witness with words, I want my life to reflect Christ. I don't want to be a Christian who sits on the sidelines. I claim to be a Christ follower, so my life should look different than those who don't. I'm still human, and I won't ever do things perfectly, but if I give my whole self to Christ, and submit to Him anew each day, then I can glorify Him with my life.

Yesterday's sermon continued along these lines. If we claim to be Christian, we must serve the Lord sincerely and wholeheartedly. No straddling the fence; no Sunday-only Christianity; no other idols like materialism, success, or "the god of personal autonomy," which is doing whatever we want, even if it's not pleasing to God, just because it's what pleases us. Lukewarm Christians make Jesus want to vomit (Rev. 3:15-17). We all have a choice to make: who--or what--we will serve?

I've made my choice...

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Summertime Family Photo

I'm happy to share our first family photo with all three of our kids. (Yes, I got permission to do so!) That's our 14-year-old daughter on the left, then Kathryn, me, Ken, Brandon, and Diane (Brandon's girlfriend). The only one missing is Lacy, but doing a self-timed photo and getting a dog to cooperate is really difficult, so we'll add WonderDog in another photo later -- like in this year's Christmas card. {grin} We're hoping to sign Intent to Adopt papers in the next week or two, then she'll officially move in. We did get some good news this week: the powers that be said "yes" to letting us sign her up for the accredited hybrid homeschool program at church. Hurray! More good news: it looks like we have a solution everyone agrees with for the time we'll be in Botswana next month. I just love when God works out the details.