Thankful Thursday

I know I haven't finished the JP story yet, but today I feel compelled to thank my amazing Father God. As many blessings that He has poured over us this last couple of months, it's also been bery trying. Dealing with Indie has been a gigantic challenge. For one, she's two. Two year old's are difficult under the best circumstances, and hers is hardly that. I pray for patience and strength all the time. He is so faithful though, and she is improving nearly every single day.

After they'd been here a couple of weeks, I was still trying to maintain a piece of that "they're leaving in a couple of weeks" distance. JP and I had just gone to bed, and we were chatting a bit, as we are known to do. I told him, " I just don't think they are ours, honey." And all of the sudden, I was off and running. Indie was crying. I'd get her settled and she'd cry again. And then Sassy would start. This whole scenario ran for about an hour and half. During this whole deal of soothing and settling, mostly for Indie, I felt that tug. I can't explain it, but I knew that He was trying to tell me something. Finally, I settled Indie down in bed with me, because she just couldn't sleep. I finally managed to give up that piece I'd been holding back. I think He was telling me that I was wrong. They are ours.

So, today, I am thankful for my God who is fulfilling his promises, even as we speak.

Blessings Abound

Hey there bloggy land!! I've missed you all. I have just been soooo busy for my two newest babies... you know, the ones that we were only supposed to have for 6-8 weeks? Well, we just passed the two month mark, and it looks like a miracle of God sized proportions has occurred!!

We may just get to keep them!!

The girls were supposed to go to a relative placement, but that's probably not going to happen. We aren't sure what will happen from here, but His works are amazing, and I can't wait to sit back and watch.

Just several weeks ago, I was talking to a friend about how funny it was that we started this whole foster care thing for a chance to adopt, and we end up with three unadoptable kids. Ha. Ha ha. My God loves long odds. Within a couple of weeks, we go from three unadoptable kids to one kid in the process of being adopted!!! Our beautiful, wonderful Tinkerbell. I am so excited to share her with you guys. The very same worker that I was complaining about a couple of months ago is trying his hardest to get this adoption to go through. So far, it is going very well. I desperately hope I have concrete news to share soon.

So, the two new little ones have court on August 4th. This should be a non-issue. After that, it looks like they are going to try for TPR. Oh could it be that all three of my unadoptable babies will be all mine?

I humbly ask that you pray for all three of these girls, particularly "Indie". These babies have been through Hell, and are still trying to work their way out. Both are making tremendous strides. Sassy is a happy, joyful, normal baby these days. She's gained several pounds and is learning to talk. Indie is doing so much better, but there's still a long road ahead.

Thanks again, and I love you all!

-Beenie!

Check out this Thankful Thursday!

Guess what, guess what, bloggy land!!

Never mind, you can't guess, I'll just tell you!!!

We very well may get to adopt our Tinkerbell!!! I'm so excited, and I'll update you guys as soon as we can.

Thankful Thursday

Well, I haven't posted as much as I hope, but here I am, at last! We are doing relatively well here. The new girls are coming along. Sassy is doing really fantastic. Temper tantrums are down to a minimum. Indie... well, we're working together to get her on track.

Tinkerbell is doing fantastic!! She accepted Jesus this past Sunday, and she got baptized. God is so faithful in answering our prayers!! We have prayed over this child for 7 months, thinking it might be years before this prayer was answered. Thank you, Jesus, for sending us a beautiful surprise. I wish more than anything that I could post pics of my girl getting the holy dunk, but I can't. Maybe on her 18th birthday I'll have a special Tinkerbell post where we'll post all the pics you've missed!

But, on to the mission at hand... Thankful Thursday!

Today, I'm thankful for none other than my partner in crime, John "JP" Paul, lover of Christ, handyman extraordinaire, incredible father, faithful friend, and amazing husband. But, let me tell ya, it did not start out that way. So, for today's thankful Thursday, I present the story of me and JP.

My sophomore year in college was a rough year. I almost died of appendicitis (no joke... really. I had gangrene and everything), and I had finally broken up with the guy I thought I would marry. It was Christmas break, and I was visiting a college friend because I was very lonely at home. I had asked if I could use her AOL to check on a friend (Eyes of Amber!!) who I was supposed to be visiting over the break. I went online to see if she was there, but she wasn't, so I decided to camp out and wait for a bit. Back in the day, AOL had a little button that just plunked you down into a random chat button, and I hit it. Totally God... HAD to be!!

Because immediately, I started chatting with "Beowulf129". This was way before the movie, so the name was really unusual, and as an English major, I was intrigued. We talked... and talked.... and talked. I still didn't really think anything of it... I mean, online chat room? Who really meets someone this way? Besides, he lived several hundred miles away. I can't really say what happened, but the conversation took a turn.... and it turned into a long-distance relationship. We had a ton in common, and we were looking for the same things in someone. We knew very quickly that we wanted to get married. We were "it" for each other. Of course, we thought that it would be years down the line. Ha.

.... to be continued....

One Big Thankful Thursday!!

There's just so much to be thankful for!! I'm now, officially, a stay-at-home mom. Hooray! I'm still not used to the idea. It's amazing how weird it feels, after that's all I've wanted for forever. So, first of all, I'm thankful for early retirement :)

Most of all... I'm so incredibly thankful and blessed to have my Tinkerbell. She is my friend, my fellow housekeeper/babysitter, incredible big sister, and amazing daughter. How blessed are we to have her? My cup overflows. She's watching all four kids right now (and did I mention she's incredibly brave?).

For Jonathan and Juli... for having open hearts for new brothers and sisters.

And, finally, for our two new little ones. They've been with us a week today, and it's been pretty wild. Suffice it to say that they've had it rough for quite a while, but we are making progress. The oldest is 2 1/2. She is completely Miss Independent, so for here we'll call her Indie. She has really bonded with all the ladies of the family. Still working on JP and poor little outnumbered Jonathan. The little one is a very complex little creature. Sassy she is, so Sassy we'll call her. She can be vulnerable, sweet and funny, or just downright mad. I fear her fiery orange hair may indicate an infamous Irish temper. Yikes!

And so, God has fulfilled his promise, and ultimate thanks be to him!

Summer guests

Hello Bloggy Land!!

Well, it looks like we will temporarily be a family of 7, at least for the summer. Last week, we were called about a placement of two little girls, ages 1 and 2. We knew absolutely nothing about these little ones, except that they might need a home. So, today we found out that we will be providing that home, but only for 6 to 8 weeks. We will enjoy this while it lasts!

Thank you for your prayers, and I'll update soon!

God, you are hilarious!

So, if you've been reading my blog, you know how hard I've struggled with the idea of taking another foster care placement. I've spent several weeks trying to find direction. This morning, I decided to read through my blog entries. I thought it would be enlightening to experience this journey we've been on all over again. And it was! I remembered that we've been called to do this, and that this is a ministry for us. I began to get excited at the prospect again...

... just in time for me to get an Email. We were offered another placement!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!! More to come soon!