Homestudy here we come!!!

If I've seemed like I have been MIA for a bit, it is because I am DROWNING in PAPERS.  You know how as a woman you tend to forget how awful your last pregnancy and delivery were and actually decide to do it again???  Adoption = Same.  Except China wants 1,236 things notarized for every 3 Colombia wanted.  I even needed a letter to prove that my outdoor cats were up to date on their vaccinations.  Le sigh.

A quick update on our process:

- We are about to start home study with our agency, Villa Hope.  I'm hoping it flies by.
- We changed placing agencies.  We were originally with CCAI and now we are going with AAC out of Colorado.  Nothing wrong with CCAI.  It was just going to be a longer wait with that larger agency  than we should experience with AAC.
- The sweet little girl, whose file we were reviewing, was matched with a family who viewed her file before us.  Bittersweet.  But SO happy she has a family on their way!!!
- We are currently viewing another file of a little girl that just turned 2.  We have a couple of phone calls out to different specialists who should be familiar with her medical condition to see what that would look like day to day in terms of care.
- We should have a short match with our boy after our dossier is approved in China.  Over 70% of children in China orphanages are male.  This is why we are viewing girl files first since they are often harder to find at the younger ages without an extended wait.
- We could be look at travel as soon as the end of the year.
- We are about to start a couple of fundraisers if you would like to support us in that way.  Posts coming soon.
- We are still earning money when you click over to your right before putting items in your Amazon basket!  Easy way to help out.

So, short of drowning in papers, we have just been doing life over here. Enjoyed a brief reprieve with a FREE reward trip for all of Brant's tireless work, trying to catch up on homeschool (insert eyeroll), getting the house ready to sell (want to buy our house??), and trying to start building a new one (because 7 kids). As with our other adoption, the minute we started praying about it and pursuing it, all H*LL broke loose.  I mean a vehicle needing a $4,000 repair, health issues requiring extra doctor appointments for the kids, discipline issues above and beyond any we have dealt with before in our home, crazy psycho mommy moments, etc.  One thing I have learned in the past few years is this:  Satan hates families.  He hates yours and he hates mine.  He detests the thought of two precious, little children from China finding theirs.  And he will fight it.

But here is the Good News: My God is a good, good Father.  I have been dwelling on that song lately.  Then it popped up as a new song we would be singing as a worship team this week.  The Lord loves to give me those little drops of confirmation in my journey.  I envision them as tiny paint drops on a canvas that eventually become a beautiful, undeniable work of the Hand of God.  It's just who He is.

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