Tuesday, January 26, 2016

And Here She Is!


We received our pre-approval today! Yay for PA! So, now we can share our beautiful daughter! She completely melts my heart! When she looks directly into the camera, I was a goner!
This collage was made from her video by big sis, Mia!
Some observations (personal and from her care takers) . . .
When she first sees the camera, she seems to enjoy it! (not camera shy)
She's fancy! (notice the pink frills)
She likes imitating her older brothers and sisters. (the stringing of the beads, she'll fit right in)
She learns quickly. (good fine motor skills)
She's focused and proud of herself when she accomplishes her task. (smirky smile)
She's happy and smiley! (confirmed)
She's a good sport. (laughing when tickled)
She's active. (a good sign)
If another child makes something wrong, she tells the teacher. (a hall monitor . . . we already have a couple of those, so it's totally fine)
When her caretaker teases her by telling her that she is going to hold another child, she responds jealously and tells the grandma that she likes her and to please hold only her! (the girl's got spice)
Sweet and spicy! (just how we like it)
She's absolutely adorable! (confirmed)




Friday, January 22, 2016

Journey to Presley Lan!

It all began on October 16th, a Friday. About a month prior to this I had seen a little one's picture and profile on an agency's waiting list. Three years old and absolutely precious. Her needs were scary. Complex heart disease. I prayed over her. I waited. I wrestled. She looked familiar. The caption above her video said, "Watch her sweet video and get ready to lose your heart." I did! A few weeks went by, and David and I began having conversations. We sought the Lord together, and we were open. I told David about the little one I was praying for and thinking about. Then it was Friday, October 16th, and over that weekend we were ready to take steps forward to begin another adoption. Well, I checked the agency's waiting list again, and she was gone. I actually rejoiced because I believed that she had gotten matched to a family. Come Monday, October 19th, I looked at the agency's advocacy site and clicked on the shared list link. (I never do that. It breaks my heart!) This is the list where countless children wait, children who are overlooked, children who do not get placed, children with complex needs. And there she was, her precious little face! My heart sank and leapt at the same time. She wasn't matched, she had gone back to the shared list. I showed her to David, he watched her video, and he said, "She looks like a Metzgar." That's all I needed to hear! At this point  I contacted the wonderful woman who manages the advocacy site, and I had my first conversation with her which would begin our 3rd adoption journey. She checked the shared list, and this little one's file was not there. So, that meant her file was most likely picked up by another agency. We prayed and felt God leading us to pursue her. We just couldn't let her go. We were told that if we applied to the agency, they could then try to track down which agency had her file. We felt peace. God had placed us in great hands, and we were confident that He would use our agency to lead us to our daughter. There were no guarantees that we would be matched with this little one, but we had to try. We quickly got the paperwork ball rolling and applied. On my birthday, October 28th, we were official. David and I went out to dinner to the Orchid Thai Restaurant, (Lan is her Chinese name meaning "orchid") and this flower was on my dinner plate. :)


The following Monday I had my first conversation with our assigned case worker who has just been a blessing and a delight. She began working on finding out information as to which agency had received the file. The next day we had the name of the agency! We were so hopeful as the team at our agency made the contact. The story was that another family was reviewing the file and that we could check back in two weeks. If she wasn't matched, then they would consider transferring the file to our agency. We waited and prayed diligently all the while trusting God that if she was our daughter, then nothing would thwart His plans! We were expecting to hear something the week of Thanksgiving. Our agency made the contact but received no response. More than a week later they finally responded and again said that they had families interested in reviewing her file. At this point it seemed as if the other agency was not willing to transfer the file as long as they still had families wanting to review it. So, it was decided that we would check back again after the holiday season and the new year. God continued to give us peace as we trusted in Him. Our team checked again, as promised, on Monday, January 4th. It was the same story again. Our wonderful, persistent agency checked again the next Monday, January 11th, same story. However, they did say that they would lose the file back to the shared list on January 19th (exactly 3 months as to when they received the file). I had a long conversation with our case worker on Tuesday about the possible scenarios. We were ready and prepared for whatever God said. We knew we would have an answer come Monday. Unexpectedly, the very next day, Wednesday afternoon, January 13th, she called! I heard our case worker's excited voice on the other end of the line. Goosebumps! "We got her!" she said. "They are transferring the file!" Praise be to God! The waiting was over! God had finally spoken! She was meant to be ours! We immediately submitted our Letter of Intent, and it was off to China one week ago today on Friday, January 15th. We are now waiting for our pre approval.



God had us wait. And He was in the waiting. He is in the waiting now, yet again. We may not fully understand this side of heaven why He does things the way He does. But we trust Him! He has spoken, and our hearts are confirmed! She is our daughter! Our little Lan Lan. The details of her life have been planned by her Maker since the beginning of time. We are naming her "Presley" which means "from the Priest's meadow". We will keep her middle name as "Lan" our beautiful orchid. She has been hand picked by God from His meadow. We pray that her life will bloom and grow and give praise to the One who made her with purpose and for a purpose!


"For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you." 1 Thessalonians 1:4



This story actually begins almost two years ago. My eyes were opened to children who wait due to complex heart conditions. We have a heart baby ourselves, our little Lindy. She was born with a serious heart condition, yet she was blessed with life saving surgery in China. The repairs she received have allowed her to live with no physical limitations. Sadly, we were not with her when she endured her surgeries, but we are eternally grateful that she received this gift! She requires ongoing cardiac care through monitoring, but her heart issues have really been a non issue. Two years ago my sister's family was in the process of adopting two complex heart babies who had not yet received surgical intervention. The past two years I have read story after story at 28daysofhearts.blogspot.com and at nohandsbutours.com about many more families who have embarked on this journey of adopting these special kiddos. Precious ones who have life threatening heart disease. It struck a chord deep in my heart. It's scary, unpredictable, and it brings pain. Yet these kids, these families! Such joy! They are living out their love for our Savior by adopting little heart warriors and turning them into warriors for the kingdom! They may run into the arms of Jesus before their parents. I'll be honest, the thought of that brings me deep sorrow. Yet, what greater reward is there than being thrust into eternity to dwell with the King of Kings forever! It's risky to love knowing that it may lead to loss. However, the greatest love of all given freely to us through Christ's sacrifice has to lead to love of others. Every child deserves to receive that kind of love. The love of a family, and most importantly, the love of Christ!


"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19


"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15



But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. " Titus 3:4-7



So, God has been preparing our hearts to receive a little one whose heart needs help. Physically, our little one's heart is quite unique and complex, and she will require serious medical attention. There are many unknowns, and we are stepping into unfamiliar territory. We don't know exactly what to expect nor what we will face. We will do our best to be educated and prepared to get her the best medical care we can find. We will be by her side, loving her and taking care of her every step of the way. And yet, we also certainly know that our little one's greatest need is for her heart to be healed spiritually. Praise be to God that we know the only One who can fully heal her, save her, and restore her. This gives us incredible hope! We are humbled and blessed to get the privilege to point her heart to Jesus, the One who made her precious in His sight.
So, this journey we're on is a wild ride! And it's only just begun! Yet we wouldn't be any place else because we trust the One who has it all planned. And we know that we can trust Him because He loves us, and He loves our little hand picked flower, Presley Lan!










Saturday, January 16, 2016

Jumping for Joy!

This is how the girls feel about their new sister . . .





Wednesday, January 13, 2016

We Have Another Daughter!

 After waiting, hoping, dreaming, and praying . . . today God has made it clear!
She's the one! Her Chinese name means "orchid", and she has been "hand picked" by God for us!


Our family is so excited! I can't wait to share more about her story and our journey. For now we are rejoicing and praising God for His perfect plans, His perfect timing, and His perfect, sovereign guidance.

We are coming precious girl, and we can't wait to hold you in our arms! xo


Sunday, January 10, 2016

Questions From the Backseat . . .

Last spring it finally happened . . . the little girls and I had what I refer to as "the talk". We openly discussed the fact that they both have a special China mommy who brought them into the world. For months I had dreaded this conversation grieved at the pain it was bound to cause my precious children. And indeed it did. As I tried my best to carefully answer their questions my voice broke with tears of emotion. The reality set in, and these children of my heart began to understand that they grew inside of another mommy. I explained that each one of them has a mommy who loved them first and sacrificed her own heart for the good of theirs. I passionately poured truth into my girls that God had planned before the beginning of time that I would be their mommy, that we would be their forever family. In a world of brokenness and sin it is difficult to understand why so many things are the way they are. Yet, to be able to share with my children the love of Christ and the hope that we have in Him is my greatest privilege. At the end of our discussion they both seemed to have taken it all in as I held them close and professed my deep love for them. We then got off of the couch and made pancakes together moving on with our day. Since that morning the discussion has been revisited several times, and the questions come . . . often from the backseat.


"Mommy, why didn't I have a family in China?" "Why couldn't my China mommy take care of me?" "Why did you adopt us?" "Why did I wait so long in China?" "How come so many children don't have families?" "How come many people in China don't know Jesus?" These are some of the questions that come to me from my two little daughters in the backseat. It seems to be that they ask theses types of questions when I am driving the car. Maybe it's because it's easier not to look me in the eyes? Or maybe it's because mommy sometimes cries when these questions get asked? Or maybe it's just that in the car is when the questions happen to pop into their minds? Whatever the reason, the questions come. Sometimes they are frequent and incessant, and other times they are rare and few. I prayerfully do my best to give the best answers I can think of. Sometimes the answer has to be I don't know. Humbly, I pray that God will speak love and peace into their souls. These questions are hard, and they will probably continue for a lifetime. Although, I am thankful that they ask. I am thankful, relieved even, that the discussion is open. I will always try to be as honest and truthful as I can be in the right time.


The girls watching our family go through the process of adopting another little precious has also probably sparked some of their questions. They are so excited about their new sister they can hardly stand it, and yet they are also thinking through their own stories. They know that their new little sister may feel scared and uncertain when we meet her. Joy remembers feeling that way because "she didn't know us yet". So, in one of our recent discussions she announced, "Well, I will just tell her that Jesus loves her, and He has a plan for her life." That about sums it up! Praise you, Jesus!!!


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11



Thursday, January 7, 2016

Two Little Ballerinas!

After the girls saw the Nutcracker it was all about ballet, ballet, ballet! So, tutus were definitely in order for Christmas! Here are some excerpts from their latest performance! I had the hardest time choosing the pictures because they were just so cute!


 Arabesque!
 Graceful arms (or maybe more like a touchdown?!)
 Flitting!
 Posing!
 Adagio! (meaning: fluidity and grace)
 Allegro! (meaning: brisk, lively motion)
Fluttering!
 Very graceful . . . and serious!

And the final curtsy . . . ta da! Bravo!!!



Monday, January 4, 2016

Catching Up! What a Year!

I have neglected this blog for quite a while. This past season has brought an abundance of change for our family! Last spring we began preparing to move, and this past summer we did just that. We planned, we packed, we bought a new house, we rented out the old one, and together as a family we trekked across the southwest to our new destination. We settled in, we adjusted to change, and God began doing many good things in our lives including calling us to another adoption. So much has happened, but here are a few of the highlights . . .



Our oldest son, Jake, graduated from high school . . . our first homeschool graduate!
Congratulations, Jake! 







We moved into our new house on June 12th, and our little Lindy turned 7 on the same day!
Happy birthday, Lindy!









The day after we moved into our house was June 13th, and Dean turned 17!
Happy birthday, Dean!


The following day, June 14th, cousin Dillon married his bride, Emily! What a blessing to be able to be a part of their special day!






We celebrated Lindy being home with us for 2 years on July 12th! We love you sweet girl!



We ventured to Colorado Springs for a fun family vacation! We visited the Garden of the gods, Focus on the Family, Compassion International, the Olympic Training Center, and the Royal Gorge!








We resumed homeschooling. And we took a pretty fun fieldtrip to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!





We also took a trip to the pumpkin patch . . . pumpkins and a petting zoo!
On October 29th we celebrated Joy's Gotcha Day . . . 3 years home!
You bring us such "joy" special girl! We love you!
Two little princesses went trick or treating!

And look who got glasses! Could she be any cuter?! What 6 year old wouldn't want mint green!
And big sis, Mia, got her braces off! What a beautiful smile on a beautiful girl!

In November we experienced our first snow right in our own backyard! Pretty excited girls!

Park day in the snow!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Before we knew it, it was December . . . time to decorate! "Be careful, Daddy!"



December was so much fun with many exciting activities . . . the little girls experienced their first Nutcracker Ballet, Dean and Mia performed a wonderful Christmas concert with their choir, the boys acted in a production of "It's a Wonderful Life", we sang Christmas carols, drank lots of hot chocolate, and of course, there was cookie decorating! Family memories that I will cherish forever!






And then it was Christmas! We celebrated our wonderful Savior and praised Him for all that He has done! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace goodwill toward men!


I am so thankful for these precious people that I get to call FAMILY!!! Great is thy faithfulness!