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

OUR SON HAS A NAME!

......AND WE CAN'T SHARE ALL OF IT YET!!!!!.........

WOW!  I am amazed at how much EVERYTHING in adoption requires waiting!  Uffdah!  I SOOOO want to share with you our son's first name, but I can't yet because.......WE ARE OFFICIALLY KEEPING HIS GIVEN NAME AS HIS FIRST NAME!  

The name is so special that when both Jeff and I heard it, a sense of amazement and peace overcame us!  We always planned to carry on his given name ~ as a second name ~ but immediately upon hearing it, the name went straight to the top of our list!  We waited a few days, still considering other names we had previously thought of, but no name seemed to fit as perfectly as K*******.

So, K******* it is!

Our sweet boy will be named............

K***** WILLIAM JEFFREY MARQUEZ!!!!

Wait until I can share the meaning of our sweet son's name with you!  It has GOD written all.over.it!!!!  But for now, the precious K******* story will have to wait.

I can, however, share with you how we came up with William Jeffrey!
William is for my maternal Grandpa (Clarence William), who was a very special man and leader in our family, as well as a wonderfully dedicated Christian.  May you rest in peace, Grandpa ~ and be looking down from heaven with that big huge grin of yours that I still carry with me in my heart.


Jeffrey, of course, is for Daddy.  Jeffrey means "Peace" and my husband is THE most peace-filled man I know ~ and I know such peace comes from his solid faith in God.  I pray our son carries with him this same God-given peace all the days of his life!

His entire name is FULL of God, love, peace and faithfulness........while also grafting him into both Jeff's and my family!  Sweet son, Mommy and Daddy WELCOME you not only into our hearts and immediate family, but into our entire family heritage as well!

WE SO LOVE YOU, BUDDY!!!!

Love In Our Absence...

Oh, MY, has life been busy since first "meeting" our son on Thursday, May 19th!  That first week was such a blur of GREATNESS!!!  We have been busy signing and sending photo consents to families who  have kindly reached out and offered to love on our sweet son, take his picture/video, and/or bring him care packages we are putting together for him!  We are extremely blessed by these families!

You can imagine what JOY it brings our hearts to know that the very people we have come to cherish and love, through this amazing adoption world, want to take time out of their visit with their own child or children, to love on OUR BABY!!!!

Words cannot express our gratitude, excitement and utter awe at their loving hearts!  WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!!  You are not only gifting us, as parents, a precious gift of watching our babe grow through pictures; you are also providing our son a priceless gift of pictures for his baby book!  AAAHHHHH!!!!!!  LOVE IT!!!!!!

The Rowells' already blessed us with our first pictures and video (other than the 2 pics at referral) last week ~ they caught so many different expressions, it was so fun to see!  Oh, and the VIDEO!  To see our little man in "real life" made me cry!  We were laying in bed the morning we received the pics and video and it felt like another "meeting" of our son!  He is so alert!  THANK YOU ROWELLS'!!!!


The Sorensons' had a court date Monday this week, and did not pass (waiting on MOWCYA letter).  They were one of the first families to offer to photo our son!  They have sent us a couple of pictures, and plan to send us the rest (and video too!) now that they are back on US soil!  WE THANK YOU, JOEY AND CRISSY!!!!


In addition, the sweet Nichols and Hendersen families were quick to offer to love on him and photo him when they travel; and we sent a care package to the Wanderers' ~ who will likely deliver it next week!

The adoption world ROCKS and 

AWAA families are truly A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Before I show you pictures of the care packages we sent, I want to ask you to PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYING FOR THESE PRECIOUS FAMILIES!  Please pray for The Rowells' ~ that they receive Embassy Clearance soon;  The Sorensons' ~ that they pass court and get a swift Embassy Clearance;  The Nichols ~ that their union with their son is amazing and that they pass court the first time; as well as for The Hendersens and Wanderers as they travel to bring their children H.O.M.E!!!!!


The Mullis family is another very special family who has volunteered to take a care package when they travel.  For various reasons, their wait at every.single.stage. of their adoption has been longer than normal.  Including now, as they continue to wait for Embassy Clearance for their 10 y.o. son and little baby girl!  Please pray that they soon hear they are cleared to travel and get their kiddos!  THANK YOU, JACKIE for offering to take a second care package when you get cleared to travel!

GREAT movement was seen last week with passings of court, embassy clearances, etc, and we hope to see this continue!  We cannot wait to see the same movement for these particular families who have ~ or are planning to ~  love on our son!!!!!

Dear Lord,

We know that you have brought every one of these families this far in their adoption process, and we know that you WILL push forward on their behalf.  May you shield each family ~ and their children ~ from any attempt of the enemy to thwart your loving plans to join them as a family.  The enemy loves delays in this process.  May you remove any and ALL obstacles that could slow their progress forward to bringing their children HOME!  FOREVER!!!!  Bask them in your love and in your divine peace as they walk out the remainder of their journeys.  They are so excited to start the new chapters WITH THEIR KIDDOS.  May you bring them to their "new beginnings" smoothly and quickly!  We thank you for blessing us with these families.  We thank you for their generosity to love on our precious son.  May their visits help him to feel their love, our love, and most importantly, Your love.........

Okay.  So, now I can show you pictures.......

Here is Mommy and Daddy signing 

YES!!!!  

WE WANT THIS SWEET BOY TO BE OUR SON!!!!

CARE PACKAGE!

Here is a care package I rushed out 

to the Wanderers' ~ his first delivery!

Isn't the monkey surfer theme sweet!?!? 

Along with the outfit, we sent along little booties that have a little rattle sound whenever he kicks his feet.  We also included a soft blanket and a few small packages of baby lotion ~ in hopes that maybe she will massage it into his sweet little arms and legs......a loving touch goes a long way, right!?!?!?  OH, how I wish that could be US massaging him!......SOON!......Praying it will be us SOON!!!.......

ENJOY THE LOVE IN OUR ABSENCE, SWEET PRINCE!

MOMMY AND DADDY SO LOVE YOU
and CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

U2!......

........Need I say more!?!?!?!?

Jeff and I joined our dear friend, Lisa, for a quick down and back trip to Salt Lake City, UT for the U2 360 degree tour ~ yes, we saw them in Phoenix Fall 2009, but they were SO GOOD!  The concert was only days after getting the referral of our son!  We got THE CALL Thursday, May 19th.....Jeff returned home Saturday, May 21st.....and we were off to SLC Tuesday, May 24th!  Great way to celebrate our wonderful news!  That week was so eventful it felt like a blur!  

Weather was rainy the days leading up to the concert, but that evening the sun was shining and the weather truly could not have been more perfect!  I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Having lunch and margaritas at 

Red Rock before standing in line!

Wow!  SO CLOSE to the stage!

(Waiting in line paid off!)

 Hangin' with Lisa pre-concert.

 Guess who opened for U2!

 .....oh, yeah......he was THAT close to us!

"THE EDGE"

.....is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!

 U2....we love you!

 Cool red-lit mic that Bono sang into......

.....and swung through the air on!

BONO!  So close we could see his facial expressions!

Rock It, Bono!

YUP!  360 degree screen pretty much ROCKED!

The Days After......

Although I cannot share our son's name with you, yet........and I cannot publicy share pictures of his sweet face with you, yet.......I can share the days following that Amazing and Life-changing call with you!

So once family was notified on Thursday, I moved on to sharing with a couple friends (it was getting pretty late by then).  Dear, Sweet Lisa wanted to come right over to share in the excitement with me!  She brought with her a sweet ballon and flower that said, "BABY BOY!" and "IT'S A BOY!"  They were wrapped around a bottle of champagne................which we immediately popped open to celebrate!  We were bummed that "Honey" couldn't be there to join in the celebration, as he (Jeff) was in Philadelphia, if you remember.  THANKS for being so excited, Lis!

Lisa.

Overjoyed "It's a Boy!" was celebrating OUR SON!!!

Everyone was so ELATED to hear the news throughout the weekend!!!!!  Little man, you have been prayed for by SO MANY MANY PRECIOUS PEOPLE!!!!!!  And they are all joining us in praying you HOME!!!!!

We were overwhelmed in a beautiful way by all the Joy, Love, Excitement, Celebratory wishes on Facebook, and Happy Comments here on the blog!  We were so surrounded by LOVE and we FELT it!!!!  Still do!!!!  Please know that each and every one of you ~ family, friends (both old and new) ~ enrich our lives, and we are so excited to have our son grow up knowing such amazing people!!!!!!

Friday night, the day after "meeting our son," was our first ever Girl's BUNCO night!  A few sweet friends asked if I wanted to cancel, as it was going to be at my house.  I just responded giddily (is that even a word.....giddily...?),  "Sure!  I can still host it!  But I was sick yesterday, and since getting to see my son's face, I have done NOTHING toward getting ready to host a BUNCO party, so we'll see how this goes!"  My friends were great about it, and I did manage to pull off making a lasagna that day.  That's about it, though!  I was just having too much FUN Friday chatting it up with friends and family about our little bitty baby!!!!!  Thank goodness I had bought the BUNCO prizes the previous weekend!

BUNCO ROCKED!!!  It was such a treat to share the evening with eleven of my sweet, amazing friends!  Krista asked me how I could even concentrate on the game.......and I just pointed out how poorly I was playing!  Ha!  "I don't mind," I proudly stated, "I have the best prize of the night ~ the day! ~ the YEAR! .......OUR SON!!!!!!!!!"  {giggles and grins}.

Caycee and Allison gave me a few gifts to help all the Amazing Goodness seem real, and sink in a bit.  They brought me a sweet baby boy blanket, and INeSSCENTS African Shea Butter (great for diaper rash, chapped lips, dry skin).  How sweet are they!!!!?????!!!!!????

 Allison, me, Caycee.

My dear friend, Erica, came to BUNCO with a sweet Congratulations gift as well...........

me, Erica.

 Can you just see our precious babe in this outfit!!???  

OMGosh!!!!

I'd have to say the whole evening was a priceless gift!  As much as I wished I could be with my husband to celebrate, I was surrounded by amazing and precious friends, which made for an epic night!  My house may not have been cleaned to perfection (was feeling better that day but not great); my previously planned Tiramasu dessert never got made (was busy staring at my son's beautiful face and sharing our incredible news that day!).........

..............but my heart was overflowing.........

At one point in the night I stared into my son's picture and THANKED GOD (again) for him.  I then scanned the beautiful women surrounding me, and again THANKED GOD!  THANKS, girls, for a wonderful night of Celebration, Worship, Friendship and FUN!!!!  Looking forward to next month's game!

 Erica, Krista, Andrea (holding Catherine), Allison, Sonia.

 Amber, Caycee.

Sonia and her sweet daughter, Catherine.

Bummer that the pic Connie, Karie and Torrie did not turn out!

Next time, girlies!!!!
(We missed you Terra and Abby!)

Friday night was a late one, so I slept in on Saturday.  I laid their for about an hour having a wonderful chat with Doreen, my step-mom.  We went on and on about our sweet baby ~ how beautifully God orchestrated this family union and how blessed we feel as a family!

This was followed by me sharing the news with my sweet friend, Wendy, who wanted to drop her studying right then and there and come over to share in the JOY!!!!  She even brought me my most fav coffee drink!........a Skinny Milkway from Moxie!!!  Her congratulations card was Perfect!!!!

If you can't see the card, it is a boat full of 

kiddos of different ethnicities!  So sweet!

Well, before I knew it, it was time to go welcome hubby home!  I met him at the airport with the "IT'S A BOY!" flower and "BABY BOY!" balloon Lisa had brought me the night before.  I wanted him to be experiencing the love I had been showered in since he left!

F.I.N.A.L.L.Y we were TOGETHER to celebrate the news of becoming parents!!!!  I cannot explain how complete this made things for me!!!  As much love as I had received over the previous two days, hugging my husband and calling him "Daddy!" filled that empty space in my heart that only my husband could fill!!!!!  

Knowing the face of my son and being in my husbands arms.  Now my heart was whole!

WE LOVE YOU, SON!!!!!!!

OUR GIFT FROM GOD!!!!!

WE GOT THE CALL!!!!!!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

A PRECIOUS MOST AMAZING BABY BOY!!!!

A 2 1/2 month old sweet baby boy

 with the most gorgeous big brown eyes!

We are SO BLESSED!

Since we cannot share his photo with you until we officially pass court, we asked our dear friend, Rick, to make us our own Ethiopia ultrasound!  I've been saving it to post with our REFERRAL announcement!!!!!  

And-it-is-FINALLY-time!!!!!!

MAY 19, 2011 at 1:51pm 

our lives were changed 

FOREVER!!!!

Yes, you read that right!  We actually got THE CALL on THURSDAY afternoon!!!  Why have we waited until Saturday to "go public" with our AMAZING news!?!?!?!?  

Jeff was out of town (can you believe it!?) when I got the call (details next post)!  He spent all Thursday traveling, and worked literally all day and night Friday in Philadelphia.  Given this weird travel and work situation, I phoned my family throughout the day Thursday while Jeff travelled (MAJOR bummer for Daddy!), and we tried to conference call his side of the family once he arrived (LATE) in Philadelphia.  

He was so jam-packed full on Friday that windows of opportunity to contact other friends and family were very limited for him.  So, once again, I got to enjoy phoning friends all Friday and Saturday, while Daddy worked!  It was SOOOOOOOO hard for me to not post our glorious news on FB or the blog, but I did not want to steal Jeff's thunder and have the world know before he had a chance to share our news with others personally.

We apologize if we did not get to call you!  It is NOT that you aren't important.........it's just that we have been sitting on this MOST WONDERFUL NEWS long enough and are about to EXPLODE with JOY!!!!!  

We can wait no longer to share with the world........

WE HAVE A SON!!!!!!

THANK YOU, GOD!!!!!!!

Lord, I am so incredibly sorry for my moments of impatience on this journey. You DO know BEST and your timing IS Perfect!  We stare into the face of our ever-precious son and we know that we know that we know that HE is THE CHILD you hand-picked for US!!!!!!  

We are OVER THE MOON HAPPY!!!!!  

We praise you for your faithfulness, Lord!!!  Each time I come to you in prayer to praise and thank you for our son, I am moved to tears.  I strive to find a way that captures our gratitude, but no words seem to suffice.  A dear friend reminded me that raising our son as best as we can.........and to teach him to know you as Lord of His life.......this is the best way we can say THANK YOU.  Lord, you know this is  our deepest desire.  To love him, cherish him, encourage him, provide for and protect him.  But most importantly, we want to teach him to know you intimately and to respect you as Lord of his life.  We praise you for the ways in which you are preparing us to do just that.  

We love our son, Lord.  He is perfect.  He is worth every tear cried.  Every moment spent waiting.

We love you, Lord.  Not just for what you have just given us, but for what you have already done for us~  dying on the cross and creating a way for relationship with our Heavenly Father.  But tonight, and these past two days, we humbly come to you with a deep sense of awe and gratitude for this most precious gift of life.  Our son's life.  How you orchestrated this family will forever amaze us.  It will forever remind us of your love, faithfulness, and desire to bless us beyond our wildest imagination!!!!!!  

THANK YOU, LORD!                                                   

 AMEN.