Lists

With the holidays over now I feel like I am really focused on getting ready for our trip!  I have been planning things for months but now it feels like the time is getting so close and I am so EXCITED!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love working off a list.  I love getting things crossed off my list and love being organized.  Sometimes I just write things on a list to cross it off.  These days my list is long.  Our agency provides us a travel packet of all things to get ready to pack and to bring.  It has been super helpful to know what we will need.  There are many details not in that packet though that I need to still complete such as completing the list for a house/dog sitter, planning Isaac's school work while we are gone with his teacher, travel appts, calls to the bank, credit card companies, work HR, and to our insurance companies etc.

We are anxiously awaiting a call from our agency with a travel date of when we are invited to come to the country and have heard that there may not be a lot of turn around time once we have that date so we want to be prepared.  I have been keeping busy gathering things that we are going to need to take on our trip.  I have a few friends that I have met along this journey that have been wonderful resources and have travelled to meet their children a little over a year ago.  I have been sending a lot of emails or messages their way with many questions!!  I was also able to connect with another family who was just recently in country and talked with them while they were there!  It has been so helpful talking with each of them and messaging when I have a quick question.   I spoke with one friend Megan on the phone for a few hours one night.  She was so helpful and so insightful.  She lives locally so we hope to get our families together soon!!  My friend Carol lives in Michigan and her blog has been helpful.  She even created a list of what she wished she would have known to bring.  We are so thankful for people's eagerness to help us along on this journey!

This weekend we had a family church retreat scheduled but being that Jeff is taking a J term class on Friday night and all day Saturday for the entire month of January we figured we probably would not be able to make it.  Our friends volunteered to take Isaac with them for the weekend so we would have some time to get things in order.  What a blessing that was!! I spent Friday night getting paperwork together and making lists of all that we need to get done in the next couple of weeks.  I spent Saturday finishing small projects around the house, cleaning, shopping for gifts to bring with us for people that will be helping us once we are in the country.  I also layed out the things that I have for baby A and made a list of things that I still need to get.  Jeff was teasing me that he thinks the nesting is setting in! HA!  We were able to sneak in a a date night to Stella's on Saturday evening.  Many of you know how we are groupon junkies and we want to make sure we use them up so they don't expire!  It is on the list!! :-)

It is so fun to look through the little girl things that I have.  It moves me to tears when I sit in her room almost every time I go in and I find myself just sitting in there rocking and praying.   I pray that she is safe and healthy and pray that we will get to hold her in our arms soon.  I also thank God for those caring for her while I am not there.  We have been told by several families that have adopted their children from the same private home that she is in great care.  This was such a blessing and so comforting for me to hear.

Please continue to pray for us while we wait to hear.  Please also pray for us to stay focused and enjoy our time as a family of 3 in anticipation of being a family of 4 as schedules are a bit hectic!!