And...We're Growing Again!

I know it's been quite some time since I last posted. Life has been, well, life – exceptionally busy and hard to keep up with at times. In the last 10ish months, Jhon Paul has continued to be homeschooled which has come with its challenges and rewards. Lately, we've really been enjoying some new curriculum covering Earth Science!

Another little-known fun fact of our last year – we've been journeying through the process of adopting our second child. As with our first adoption, we started the process a second time expecting a several year process before bringing our child home. However, also like our first adoption, God has blessed us with an accelerated timeline.

We are excited to announce we will be adopting an 8-year-old boy, Whitaker, born in Thailand! As I write this blog, we are on an airplane to Florida to bring him home. Yes, you read that correctly – we're thousands of feet above the ground quickly making our way to our son. The above picture is us waiting to board the plane in KC. We couldn't be more excited! Jhon Paul is excited and nervous to be a big brother – his parents feel pretty much the same about becoming parents again. 😊 We've rearranged the house…again…for the 4^th time in 3 years. The boys will each have their own bedroom and our "school room" is now shared with the living room. Ben thought I was a bit crazy for that change, but he now says he loves the living/school room!

As we've prayed over this decision the past several weeks, God brought peace to both Ben and me. He has brought answers and signs that Whitaker is our son, just as He did with Jhon Paul. In particular, God brought me to a place of praying for strength, hope, and courage. These are honestly not words I use or ask of God frequently, so I know it was the Holy Spirit guiding me in praying for what I would need: strength for the challenges ahead, hope for the joy to come, and courage to continue walking the path He has for us.

By the time I post this blog, we may already be back home adjusting to life as a family of four. Given the accelerated timeline of our trip, we actually have to do all the adoption paperwork chase post-travelling this time, so I'll have my hands full in the coming weeks. It might be some time before I post again, but we wanted to keep our family and friends updated on the amazing family update in the meantime.

Prayer Request: Lord, please be with our family as you continue to grow it and bring us together to glorify you. Fill Ben and me up with lots of strength, hope, and courage as we parent the precious boys you have entrusted to us. Be with both of our sons as they process this big life change. I pray for Jhon Paul that he would be a caring and generous big brother. I pray for Whitaker that he would find joy and security in our family.

Until next time – all our love!