On Our Knees

Ever feel like you are ALWAYS asking your friends and family to pray for you and your family?

Ever feel like you are on a roller coaster ride ~ a fun ride (most of the time) ~ but a ride with so many ups and downs you really think it would be great fun to be OFF and on solid ground again?

Ever feel so FILLED with love your heart is overflowing.......yet there is still something missing that creates a void in your heart?

That pretty much sums up where I am at today.  SO AMAZED by Kaleab and experiencing how my heart can totally overflow with LOVE for this sweet precious gift from God!  Yet, until Big Brother is HOME there is still a space of void in my heart.  In my life.  A space that only "S" can fill.  This void doesn't take away from the pure JOY of having Kaleab HOME at all, it's just that there still feels like something ~ someone ~ is missing.

Our third Court Date is WEDNESDAY!!!!  In a matter of DAYS Big Brother could become legally OUR SON!!!!  We could reveal his name and his beautiful face if we pass court!!!!

Asking, once again, for all of you to join us on our knees.  Praying that this.is.it!!!!  That Wednesday is OUR DAY to call our son OUR son according to the law!!!!

You should be waking soon.  Enjoy your day today, sweet "S".......may it be your last day of wondering if this adoption will really happen.  May it be your last day of wondering if Mom and Dad are really coming back for you.  May it be your last day of fitting the title of orphan.  May your hope of coming HOME......be soon replaced with KNOWING you are coming HOME!!!

I pray you already know deep down in your heart how much Dad and I love you.  And I pray that officially becoming a Marquez help instill in the depths of your heart the TRUTH that we ARE coming to bring you HOME!  Just as soon as we can, dear son.  Just as soon as we can!

Until then, may you carry within your heart the knowledge of our love for you, and even more importantly, the knowledge of God's love for you.  God has you safely tucked under His wing, sweetheart.  You are never out of His sight.  You are never far from His thoughts, as He completes your adoption details for us.

Waiting on Him...............and loving you every minute of the wait.

AS WE SLEEP TONIGHT.....

As we sleep tonight.....likely in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.....our dear friend, Shannon DeVol and her husband.........will be loving on our sweet son, "S," in our name!!!

They will bring "Big Brother" our care package!

This will be his very FIRST CARE PACKAGE!!!!!

In this package our sweet boy will find a photo book FULL of photos of his family members!  From Jeff, me and the doodles ~ to his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!!!
He has seen a few pictures of me, Jeff and the doggies (which we included in our Dossier) but this photo book will introduce him to his WHOLE FAMILY!!!!

We also included a shirt, some toys, healthy snacks and candy for him.  Oh, how I wish it was US loving on him and gifting him the package! ~ though I am grateful to Shannon for doing it in our place!  She is currently in Ethiopia to MEET her precious baby boy, and before leaving for ET, she was kind enough to offer to love on BOTH of our sons while over there!  THANK YOU, Shannon!

We sent another package over to Baby K as well, and given that the boys are not at the same orphanage, Baby K was given his near the end of the week, and "Big Brother" gets his tomorrow/tonight!!!

As I lay my head on my pillow tonight, I will pray ~ as I do every night ~ for my dear, sweet sons.  But my heart will carry with it an extra beat of JOY knowing that "S" will soon be receiving his first package of LOVE from his Emaye (momma) and Abaye (daddy).

We Love You, Son!!!!

MARQUEZ DOUBLE BLESSING!!!!!!

DO WE EVER HAVE B-I-G NEWS!!!!

WANT A HINT?!?!?!?!?!?........

THAT IS RIGHT!!!!!  YOU GUESSED IT!!!!!  

BABY K HAS A BIG BROTHER!!!!

TODAY WE HAVE ACCEPTED A REFERRAL 

FOR A 10 YEAR OLD BOY!!!!

Jeff and I are AMAZED!!!  HUMBLED!!!  Truly AWED by the works of our Heavenly Father!!!  EXSTATIC and EXCITED!!!  OVER THE MOON HAPPY!!!  And YES, feeling BLESSED beyond our wildest imagination!!!!

Cannot WAIT to share with you the details of how beautifully God orchestrated these details of blessing  us with another son!   

God REALLY IS a God "...who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." (Ephesians 3:20) and we are soooo doubly blessed by our TWO BOYS!!!!

In addition to putting ourselves on a list for an infant boy, God prompted us several months ago to place ourselves on a list for two children......because. He. knew. from. the. very. beginning. that He had TWO amazing sons He wanted to bless our family with!

Flying HIGH and walking on Cloud NINE!!!  Still soaking in how distinctly he pointed us to this sweet boy, and now we have been blessed with accepting his referral in addition to Baby K!!!!

God is SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!  I want to capture every single step that brought us to our second son!!!  Details of God's amazing work to come!!!!!

THANK YOU, GOD!!!  THANK YOU for helping me cling to the belief that you are still working amidst the darkness.  Amidst the extended waiting.  Amidst what felt like the absence of you.  THANK YOU for blessing me with a better understanding of our "hold up" with court issues, so that you could create this beautiful tapestry of our family!  THANK YOU for your faithfulness!  THANK YOU for loving all FOUR of us!!!  

THANK YOU for drawing us to "S" and him to us!!!  We will be eternally grateful for such a precious gift as this!  What a story!  Both our boys will forever know-that-they-know that YOU had your eye on them from the beginning of time, and Jeff and I will always remember your faithfulness!!!

"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