Grateful

Tonight in my home there are dishes that need to be washed, a floor that is in dire need of vacuuming, and as always, laundry that needs to be done.

There are also:

Four people who have full stomachs following a fabulous family dinner, which is what caused the dirty dishes.

A little boy who is sleeping soundly after a full day of making messes and causing said floor to need vacuuming.

And a little girl who is also fast asleep, worn out from all of the wardrobe changes that every princess requires. 

(Notice Bunny Bear is in every one of those pictures. Oh how different our lives would be without that little guy!)

Tonight, even especially amidst the messes and the chores that need to be done, I am so grateful for my life. So grateful that I am the one left with the task to clean up after these little miracles, to make sure they eat healthy meals each day, and to provide clothes for them to wear and a safe place for them to sleep. Humbled at the thought of the life they and I would be leading if not for the miracles of adoption and even more in awe of the sacrifices which two outstanding young women made to allow all of these possibilities to become reality.

Each time I get discouraged or overwhelmed with all of the "work" I have to do I try and remember that there are two young women out there who would do anything to be able to switch places with me and do this "work" for these little miracles. Luckily, today is one of those days where I don't have to remind myself. I'm already aware of how blessed I am and it's a great feeling.

So no matter how high the pile of dishes might get or how many crumbs may be ground in the carpet, or even how full the hampers may be, the four of us are bound together for Eternity, and at the end of the day 

that is all that matters.

It's official!

We are finally approved to adopt through LDS Family Services! It took almost 6 months and a lot of patience but we are so grateful for this blessing. We know our Heavenly Father has placed us on this path of adoption and has been preparing our hearts since before we were even a family and we are so glad He did! We know what a truly inspired process adoption is and feel honored to be able to participate.

Now comes the roller coaster of waiting to be matched with a birthmom and preparing ourselves for our next family member. If anyone happens to hear of a situation where someone is considering adoption we would greatly appreciate you keeping us in mind. We will be keeping a separate adoption blog for potential birthparents to look at and our LDSFS online profile should be up and running by the end of the week. We appreciate every one of you for your love and support in our lives, something that makes this process a lot easier.

In honor of Kiara's upcoming birthday and thinking about her adoption story I thought I'd add this picture of our angel at only 2 days old. That week was such a whirlwind at times but yet I can still feel all of those same emotions and excitement that I felt when we first got the call that a baby had been born and her birthmom was wanting to meet us. 36 hours later we took that baby home and not a minute has gone by since then that I haven't been so incredibly grateful that we were chosen to be her parents and guide her through this life. She has taught me so much and inspired me to be the best person I can be to one day become worthy of her.

I know our road to become parents wasn't near as long as many other's and my heart breaks for those of you who are still waiting for this blessing or are wanting to add more blessings to your family but I have seen first hand that our Father in Heaven and His son are so mindful of us and our children and will bless us all for our faithfulness. They want us to become eternal families even more than we do and they will provide a way if we stay obedient and follow their promptings. I am sorry to be so preachy, I am just overcome with emotion and gratitude right now and I don't know another way to express what I'm feeling. Anyway, thanks again and please keep us in your thoughts and feel free to contact me with any questions.