Goodbye Virginia, Hello Ohio

Yesterday we spent the last little bit of time we had left at the resort before heading to Ohio. To end our trip we took the girls on pony rides and to the petting zoo at our resort. It was a great way to end the trip and the girls had a blast riding the horses. Honestly the horses was well worth it but the petting zoo could have been a little better. Then again kids enjoy anything. It took all day to get to Ohio because we head to head through West Virginia which was completely unenjoyable. The mountains were horrible to drive through because we had to go so slow which really just made the trip dreadful. But we made it here.

As for Ohio. Today we woke up, ate breakfast, wasted some time, and then headed to meet the kids social worker. That was just usual going over paperwork. THen from there we got to meet the kids. The kids came right up to us and were super excited. Honestly we are still shocked at how well they took to us. It was totally unexpected. Keith and I kept joking yesterday that we might encounter a scene like in the movie Problem CHild where the kid kicks John Ritter in the shins and runs away. Nothing like that happened. Zach was cute because he referred to Keith and his dad when he was talking to his foster sister. Heather just started rambling on to me about all the things she likes to do. Target is her favorite store which made me estatic. Logan took to the girls right away and went into full big brother mode. Honestly we could not have asked for it to go any better and the kids seem pretty excited as well. Logan is a little skeptical about moving so far away but the worker and foster mom assured us that he is getting more used to the idea and we should have nothing to worry about. I don't know what I am allowed to do legally so I am not posting pictures of the kids just yet.

Thanks to all who have kept us in your prayers.

Virginia and just 2 days away

For Spring break Keith and I took the kids to Virginia for vacation. Tonight is our last night here and I have to say we have certainly have had a good time. We are in the Shenandoah Valley and have thoroughly enjoyed our trip. We got here Saturday night and of course the kids had to hit the indoor pool. Both of our girls are like fish and love being in the pool so being at a resort with an indoor pool is a bonus to the kids. Also at our resort there is an indoor waterpark which of course the kids have loved. We spent all day Sunday and Monday there. I have to say it was definitely a good waterpark for the kids and it was a lot like the waterpark we visited last July when we visited Wilderness in the Smokies. We also have lots of lakes, ponds, mountains, and just about everything else here. We figured we would take advantage of the surroundings and take the girls to feed the animals while we were here. The girls loved feeding the ducks and the geese and also managed to feed some fish they had in the pond near our condo. Anyway yesterday we took the kids to visit the Luray caverns and an antique car museum. Lennah was not really into the caverns plus she totally needed a nap. She may not have been into the caverns but she instantly found a friend that happens to be staying at the same resort as us and lives in the Atlanta area. Lennah just has that personality where she can make instant friends. Today was the best day of the trip (at least for mommy and daddy it was). We took the girls to see Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and visited Michie's Tavern. Monticello was wonderful and an all day adventure. Luckily they have kids activities there. The girls had a blast pretend cooking and playing with some of the replicas of writing utensils and other stuff. I have to say the grounds to Monticello are beautiful and the view of the mountains incredible. It was also a great history lesson and I really hope that Keith and I can instill a love of history in the girls that we both have.

Unfortunately tomorrow afternoon we have to leave Virginia but we are cutting our trip short to go meet Heather, Logan, and Zack. We are nervous and excited all at the same time. I think it was be a totally different experience from what we had when we adopted the girls because these children are so much older and will already have developed strong personalities. We are just praying that everything goes well and we have a great meeting with our new children.

Just thinking

So I need to become more diligent about posting especially documenting our newest adoption journey. So Wednesday we are going into the office and having a conference regarding everything that will take place with the placement of our new children. This is a totally different ball game for us compared to adopting internationally. We need to also iron out details with the agency on traveling to meet the kids. So as of now the plans are to cut our trip short to Virginia and head to Ohio to meet the kids. Unfortunately we will not get to take them home with us since they will need time to get to know us. So far the plans for them to be placed with us in June; which works out perfectly since I will be home from work for the summer.
Since we made the announcement that we are adopting we have had so many mixed responses from people (I think this is important to share). When adopting Lennah we got the questions why not just adopt a US baby or why pay for Invitro so you can have your own baby. When adopting Delylah we got the questions about why we were adopting a baby that was African and not white. Now we have had the responses like you don't know what you are getting into and these kids are going to be crazy.
The truth is no one knows what to expect when they adopt or have biological kids. We know not everything will be roses and we will have major stress and battles ahead of us. But we definitely know that we will try our best to parent these children as best as we can and show them the love that we can. Of course our biggest concern is Lennah and Delylah's safety so from everything we know these kids are not violent so we are not putting our girls at risk and nor would we so we truely believe we are making the right decision and following the path God has chosen for us. We feel that with every direction God has led us down the path we are supposed to be down. I guess what I am trying to express is that people who have little to no clue about adoption really don;t think about the comments they make to us or about our families. I really wish more people would think before they make these comments and be more supportive of people who choose the life we have chosen. I also wish they could understand that millions upon millions of children go to sleep at night without someone to tuck them in, kiss them goodnight, say prayers, or even read to them.

Lots to Share

Mother Daughter Tea at the Southern Museum

So it has been a long time since I have blogged. That was because my laptop was in the shop for a month (yes a long time) so I haven't been able to upload photos and all that fun stuff so I figured I would hibernate while I waited. Since the last time I blogged we have just been having some good family fun. Last month my mom, myself, and the girls went to a mother daughter tea. It was a fun gathering and the girls had a blast playing dress up, making crafts, and meeting new friends. We have also had some great weather the past several weeks and that gave us the opportunity to head to the park and have some fun with the girls. For some reason the kids cannot get enough time at the park. For some reason the past few weekends we have also had a lot of birthday parties to hit. We even have one this coming weekend. So every weekend has been jammed packed with stuff to do.

And finally today we got the phone call we have been waiting for since January. Back in January our agency called us and shared with us that we were sort of selected for a sibling group of 3. Well they had to wait for the other worker to have a matching meeting before we were officially selected. So today we got word that the meeting took place this morning and we will officially be becoming a family of 7. Yes you read correctly a family of 7. We are going to meet the kids next month after we head to Virginia for vacation. They will then hopefully come here for a visit in May and then June they will be placed with us. It's hard to image that soon we are going to go from two little girls to having two boys and another girl running around the house.

Happenings

Happy Birthday Delylah

A hug goodbye

Lennah, Delylah, & Sheridan

So we have been busy in January and actually had some snow here in GA. Yes! Snow which caused me to be out of work for a week and now I have lost my February break because of it but I did get to spend some great time with the kids so all is well. The kids loved the opportunity to play in the snow and just have a good time. So we had a lot of girls nights and did make your own pizzas which the girls loved to do, have movie night and hot cocoa, and just have fun. We were lucky because we were able to get out of our neighborhood so by the end of the week when most had lost their minds from being stuck in the house we were lucky enough to have a play date with our friend Sheridan. The girls had not seen their friend for a while so we headed to jump for joey's so the girls could exert some energy from being stuck in the house. They had a great time and were super excited to see their friend.

Delylah also had her official birthday on January 20th so my parents came over and we just had a small cake like we had done for Lennah back in December. It is a lot easier since we combined birthday parties but we still want to have a little something special for each of them on their birthdays.

Last weekend we also had a good time at the Disney store. They had a garden party for little girls and they got to come dressed up as their favorite princesses. They had games, crafts, and just a good time. Luckily for Christmas Uncle Billy got the girls princess costumes so Lennah went as Mulan and Delylah as Tiana. They loved it and lucky from me they were very good waiting in line and waiting for their turn to participate because Daddy had to work.

Lastly for news we have been matched with a sibling group. We do not want to get too excited because we had a potential match last month and it feel apart quickly so we have kept all of that info low key. But our social worker said that yes this is a match and the other social worker wants us for this group of kids. We know that whatever is meant to happen is truly in God's hands and he will expand our family when he sees fit. So hopefully we will have more to come on that as the process progresses and we know that nothing is going to fizzle out. For now just enjoy some pics of the kids from this past month.

Oh and I had the girls 3rd and 4th birthday pictures done. I don't know what happened to Delylah but it was like getting teeth pulled that day because she barely smiled and we only got 3 smiles our of like 20 shots. Oh well at least she did great for her Christmas photos. Enjoy.

Birthday Party and Snow

Lennah and Daddy on the ice

Our 2 Birthday Princesses

The Birthday Cake

Saturday we had the girls birthday party. It was the second year in a row that we combined the girls birthday parties. They decided they wanted an ice skating party. Lennah has been asking to do this for a while especially since her Big Ba is famous for watching the NY Rangers on TV. Mind you the girls had never been ice skating before but still wanted to forge ahead with this choice. Anyway it started out as a lovely party a lot of great friends showed up and we had pizza and cake. Then came time for the open skating session. I grabbed Delylah and Keith grabbed Lennah. Delylah had a hard time and freaked out. She counted figure out how to hunch a bit forward so her time on the ice was cut very short. Lennah also freaked out and gladly dashed off the ice. Low and behold Lennah got a little brazen and ventured back out with Keith and my friend Nicole holding her up on each side. Well she loved it. She wants to go back and go ice skating again. I am thinking that if we could go with another couple then Delylah would be able to be held up on both sides like Lennah did and she may actually like it. Which brings me as to why she never got to go back out and give the ice another whirl. Anyway we had about another half hour left on the ice and all of a our friend Lisa took a tumble on the ice. Well it was pretty bad and she had to get rushed to the ER for stitches. So it cut our party time a bit short. You always think it is a kid that is going to wind up having an accident and it turns out to be the adults. All was ok and she just wound up with a few stitches. She felt so bad that it happened but we are just glad she is ok. Good thing open skating was after the pizza and cake (just trying to look on the bright side). Overall we are still thankful the girls had a great party with family and friends.

Anyway, the day after the party we got hit with snow for the second time this winter season. It started Sunday night and stopped sometime during the night. Anyway, I have not had to work since which has been nice. The kids have enjoyed playing in the snow and spending some extra time with us. Keith's job even shut down for two days which is an anomaly. But it was great just spending quiet time together as a family since on the weekend's we have to go go go between errands, church, and whatever else it taking place.