"Did you know you are gonna be a daddy??"

My Happy New Year's present...found tons of pictures of the boys on our agency's Snapfish account last night!!! Stayed up to 3am just staring at their beautiful faces!! It was pictures I had looked through before, but now that I know their sweet faces, I can pick them out of a group of kids. Our big guy's long face and big, pouty lips (any woman would be jealous!) and the little ones receding hair line and mischievous smile...I can spot 'em anywhere now! I CANNOT wait to share with all who care...They are seriously handsome!!

I fully intend on printing out each and every picture of the boys I can find. If this is all they will have of this part of their lives, I want to make sure to have all the pictures I can get my hands on. I'm going to put together a book with all these pictures so they can look back on their ET friends. And somewhat selfishly, it will be their "baby book" of sorts since this is all we will have of their time before they come home. Ha...my "sonogram" pics are way better than those black and whites!! : )

So, tonight my favorite Jolly girls were hanging out with us...and Emma, who has asked for the boys to be her cousins (how sweet!!), was sitting in my lap looking at their pictures. As each picture would pass, she would point them out and say their name. Then we came to a picture of our little one sitting in the lap of an unknown male subject. Our conversation went a little like this...

"Is that his daddy?"
"No, you know who his daddy is."
"No I don't...who?"
"His daddy is going to be Kenny." This is followed by a complete look of bewilderment..."Do you know who his mommy is going to be?" Bigger eyes and a finger in my chest...
"You??!!"
"That's right...WE are gonna be their mommy and daddy!"
At this point, she flew out of my lap and straight to Kenny...
"Did you know you are gonna be a daddy??" Kenny just smiled and nodded...

This was followed by great excitement from Emma that WE were gonna be the boy's mom and dad, as well as a little "family relationship" lesson, as Emma was unaware that Nicole had a mom, her grandmother had a mom, etc... :) We also proceeded to talk about how every single thing in the house (the bathtub, the bed, their room, etc) would be theirs when they came home and how Emma is going to be a BIG cousin and how she is going to teach them pretty much all they will know (how to slide, how to swim, how to make cookies, how to like pizza...just to name a few). Every few minutes she would look up and remind me or Kenny that we were going to be their mommy or daddy!! This apparently brings her great comfort...I guess in her 3-year-old mind she just thought we were all gonna be one big group of cousins!! Maybe in Alabama...

She also asked me if I thought they would like her when they came home...Of course they will!! How could they not just LOVE you!!


(I can't post pictures of my own, so.......! Emma & Grace helped me make chocolate chip cookies...well, Emma picked out the chocolate chips, while Grace reminded her that daddy says you aren't supposed to eat cookie dough!! Always a stickler for the rules! Sorry Dwayne, I tried to stop her, but she is sneaky!)

Maguire & Hudson

We got to visit a little while with some of Kenny's family after Christmas. I've been told little Huddy (who is not so little) takes after Kenny with his size! (Apparently Kenny had SO many rolls as an infant, he was dubbed "Michelin Man"!)

1,274 miles of Christmas

Last week over a period of 5 days we drove over 1,274 miles, between 4 different states and spent over 24 hours of that time in the car. And attended no less than 8 different festive get-togethers...yeah, you did the math right...that was definitely more than 1 a day.

Whew...Merry Christmas!

At least we weren't in an apparatus powered by foot pedal! (Ty's favorite Christmas present...'course, that's because we gave it to him!)

I'm exhausted.

All this Christmas excitement and traveling has just about worn us out! Although I didn't fall asleep today during lunch like Ty did, I felt like it...

Excuse me...What did you say?

The preschool teacher that lives inside of me got very excited and came out the other night when I found this book...


One of my bigger concerns with bringing home an older child is the language barrier we are sure to face, seeing as neither Kenny or I speak Amharic. (Funny. That wasn't one of the languages offered at Pinson Valley High School...) This book is similar to the "My First Words" books that you are sure to see in any decent preschool (or at home) in order to help build language development. This Amharic version labels items such as body parts, food, emotions and even has short phrases such as "I love you!" written in English and Amharic. My hope is that this will be one of the bridges between us and the boys as they learn English...especially during that 15+ hour plane ride home!!

I ordered the book from Amharic Kids...Merry Christmas boys! :)

Overboard?

The Christmas Lights Fairy threw up.

Merry Christmas to all...

It's already Christmas in Kentucky.
It's almost Christmas in Alabama.
It's 8:45 am on Christmas Morning in Ethiopia...wonder what the boys are doing?

And Merry Christmas to us...the Scott's sent us about 20 new pictures of the boys today. Most of the pics were of them getting the goodie bag we sent over. I really almost cried seeing her show them pictures of us...They have seen our faces!! Don't know if it will mean anything to them when they see us in real life...we've seen pictures of them, I think it's only fair that they know who we are, too!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!! Have a great day with friends and family!

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ..."Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:11 & 14

Based on previous comments, maybe I should tell you now to find your tissues...

I can remember stating multiple times before we started this adoption process..."We would adopt now if it just wasn't so expensive!" Excuses, excuses! Little did I know, this was just my own disobedient heart and unfaithfulness showing it's ugly self to the world! (My mouth does that a lot...shows my verbally uncontrolled side, that is!)

Let me be totally transparent with you: Kenny & I are not independently wealthy. We haven't recently won the lottery, don't own a money tree, haven't obtained any sort of inheritance from a deceased relative, been given a job promotion, or been made privy to information that would make any sort of betting profitable for us...Needless to say, when God finally got through to us and we made the decision to begin the adoption, we didn't have the $20,000 to $30,000 we knew we would probably need, just laying around. #1 stressor for me as we started this process: We are obviously nuts...how in the world are we going to pay for this!!??

God has TOTALLY blessed us and provided for us throughout this ENTIRE process...and always just at the right time. I can remember sitting in the office of our adoption agency towards the end of October, crying, and wondering just how this was going to work. I vividly recall thinking, "God, you called us to this...now what?" "Have faith, my child, and trust in me and me alone." Just weeks later, we got news of a matching grant and were able to send out support letters to friends and family, letting them know of our intentions to adopt and need for support. (This, of course, came on the heels of several fundraisers by Kenny's office!!) We received so much unexpected support through the letters alone...and just last week, received news of a 2nd matching grant!! With news of the 2nd grant, that put us in a position to be able to pay our adoption agency IN FULL for BOTH adoptions!! How awesome is it to know that our God knew from the very beginning that He had TWO boys waiting for us!! He knew we would need the funds to pay for TWO adoptions!! He knew we would need TWO grants!!

But we still needed funds to pay for travel for 2 to Ethiopia and for 4 back to the United States...

So, here's the kicker: Saturday night while at a Christmas Party, we received news that made my heart beat so fast I thought I might be sick. I'm literally shaking as I type this just thinking about it again. (...Where's my kleenex?) A gift was given to us that, along with matching funds from this individual's employer, will probably cover most of our travel costs to and from Ethiopia for all four of us!!!!! There goes my heart again...

I don't really feel like I can convey via blog just how excited we are; just how blessed we feel!! I also don't feel like I could ever put into words what this type of experience does to your faith........... FAITH!! This whole process has been based on faith and is extremely humbling...to say to our friends and family, we can't do this on our own and have the response that we have had, is overwhelming to say the least! And we could say thanks a million times to the people who have helped us bring home our boys, but know that it was just God using each of those people in a very special way.

Let me also just remind you that most of this has taken place since November 14th, just barely over a month!!

We still have some fees, post placement visits and readoption/attorney fees once back in the States with the boys, but it is incredibly refreshing and a huge burden lifted from our shoulders to know that this part of our journey is almost behind us!! I see the light...

Please, please let our story be a testimony to how God will provide for you in the most unexpected ways if you will only trust Him. And don't get me wrong, this isn't a story about how big Kenny & Jana's faith is...this is a story about how God took our tiny, pathetic faith and grew it into a story that we and our boys can hopefully use for a lifetime to show what a BIG God we serve! If your only excuse for not adopting is money, then shame on you! (I've been in your shoes; I can say that to you!) Our Almighty God already has a plan for each orphan in each country in each city...that plan could include YOU if you would only step out and trust that He will make a way!

I can't wait until the boys are old enough to truly understand the story of how they were brought home...they are starting their lives as Cook's with an amazing testimony that I pray they will carry with them throughout their lives!

Somewhere in Ethiopia...

My mom buys an ornament every year for each of the kids and has continued to do so even after Kenny & I have gotten married. She always makes her best effort to get an ornament that depicts some event or life status from the past year...for example, "Our First House", "Happy Graduation", "Baby's First Christmas", etc. This year was no different, as we received a package today from Cafe Press...enclosed was an ornament picturing the country of Ethiopia with the flag and the words "Somewhere in Ethiopia...my heart beats".


Good job Mom! We love it!!!

How far to Canada from here?

So, beginning today, I can return to my Winter Wonderland I've often referred to as "Canada" in the past. (Although, I was surprised to find out recently from a Canadian friend that they aren't covered in snow all winter...I just assumed the second it got cold, that it snowed and stayed that way until almost Summer! Who knew!??!)

I digress...

It snowed today. Real, school closing snow. (That's really the only way to measure if it's really worth anything, because unlike Alabama where school would have been closed last week just because we were talking about snow for this week, it actually has to snow in order for schools to close here. Some concept! Man, I'm really having trouble staying on task with this...) We got a nice covering of snow overnight and woke up to a fresh blanket of pretty snow! I'm still in awe of the fact that life just continues when it snows, so I get pretty excited and wound up by snow. Although, this morning as I was standing outside in my PJ's, boots and gloves, I couldn't help but wonder how much fun it will be to go sledding down our driveway with the boys, build a snowman, have a snowball fight...instead, I cleaned off the car, threw a few snowballs just for good measure and went inside to get ready for work. Bummer!



I tried to talk Kenny into going outside to play in it when we got home from work, but he just laughed at me...Happy Winter!!

Please don't fire me.

I used to be a fairly productive person. I wasn't a procrastinator, doing all my work in the mostly timely of fashions. My house was usually kept clean for the most part, minus the clutter that comes with each week's activities. Dinner was usually ready about 6 or 6:30 each night. Laundry never really piled up around me. We never ran out of the staples like toilet paper, milk or shaving cream.

Now, all I do is stare at pictures of the two most beautiful boys in the world!! I am most easily distracted by other people's adoption stories or pictures and today...by a most wonderful email! The Scott's, who took the boys their goody bags, are in Ethiopia RIGHT NOW!! This is part of an email that was forwarded from them this morning...

We also saw some of the other kids that are being adopted by other familes...they all wanted their pictures taken on our digital cameras. JANA COOK....I LOVE YOUR BOYS!!!!! I loved on Jana and Kenny's "kids" for a long time while Thom held Yirdaw...I promise you pictures before Christmas!!! The boys carried around the bags that you sent and all the kids were following them around looking at what they had. I pulled out the pictures and I showed the boys pictures of you and Kenny!!!! I had a gathering of kids while we looked at the pics - the kids at this orphanage are amazing.

This little bit of "contact" with Ethiopia left me a blubbering idiot!! Something about knowing that someone I know, has had personal contact and met our boys, just makes this even more real! Yeah, we have pictures of them...I know they are real!! But now someone can actually tell me about them! Very selfishly, I can't wait for the Scott's to return!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been totally distracted at work. My 2-week-cleaning-rotation, has turned into more of a 3-and-a-half-week-possibility. Laundry has taken a total backseat. Leftovers have become a staple and we have most definitely run out of toilet paper, shaving cream and milk (twice). I've been useless. Couple this with unattainable expectations at work (story for another post...just glad it's over for right now!) and Kenny inviting strep throat to spend the weekend at our house, and I have found myself more than behind schedule. And I believe Christmas is next week, right??

I just can't wait to bring these two joys home! It should do wonders for my attention span and decrease my procrastination considerably. Don't feel sorry for Kenny...he feels the same way!!

I have to go fix supper. And swap the laundry around. And I think we have toilet paper........

(And sorry, but no word on a court date yet...it could be a couple of weeks before we hear about a specific date.)

Q: What makes Jana's day?

A: Receiving four TOTALLY unexpected pictures of our little boys at the end of an incredibly long day!!

That's right, we were able to see some more pictures today. I really wish someone had been at work today when I got the email. I screamed, ran into the hallway, noticed all the closed office doors and proceeded to pout that everyone had left early and I had no one to show my precious boys to! We are thrilled to have pictures (that were taken just this past weekend!) that really show what the boys look like!! Of course, they are beyond adorable...already taking after their dad!

A couple at our church is going THIS Saturday to pick up their little boy Eli (Check him out...he is handsome!) from Ethiopia. Guess where Eli is?? In the same orphanage that our little guys are at!! Soooo, we are sending them a little bag of goodies...all that I could possibly squeeze into a gallon sized Ziploc bag! More importantly, we hope they are able to take some more pictures for us and maybe give us a more accurate picture of how big (or little) they may be.


Yeah, I took a picture of a Ziploc bag.

WARNING:

• I'm in love with children I haven't met yet.
• I'm in the process of adoption.
• I'm subject to cry at any moment.
• Please bear with me until I'm on the plane to Ethiopia.

(Taken from a t-shirt...but, none the less true.)

"As far from football as love will reach..."

Let me appeal to the more football-minded of our friends and families...This is a video about University of Georgia's head coach, Mark Richt and his family, who have adopted two children from the Ukraine. Yeah, yeah...I know, it's Georgia, but get over it. This isn't about football, it's about God's calling on our lives to adopt...

Turkey, cont.

Well, Thanksgiving was last week, and given the recent excitement and commotion in the Cook household, I never actually posted about it. Not much to post, except that we did go to BAMA for the weekend. (Can I say "Roll Tide" here??) We have spent the last 3 years in KY on Thanksgiving, but decided to shake things up a little since Kenny's parents couldn't come up this year.....(now you see why I put up my tree BEFORE Thanksgiving!) We spent time with both sides of the family and some friends, stuffed ourselves to the point of gluttony, and spent way too much time in the car on the way home Sunday afternoon...

And since my side of the family was blessed with a new little life this year, most...er, actually all...of the pictures I took, revolve around him! So, enjoy Ty's first Thanksgiving...I hope he enjoyed it, cause next year, he'll have to share the turkey with his new cousins!


Hi! I'm 7 months old now!


...and I can crawl, which means I can't wait 'til they put up the Christmas tree!


This is my FAVORITE aunt...just don't tell Katie!


Please...Please! Let me play with those glasses!


And, of course, we did watch the Alabama vs. Auburn game with both sides of the family. Alabama crushed Auburn, but we won't rub that in since they just lost their coach, too. Ouch!

Minor celebrities, that's really all we are.

Lifesong for Orphans is the agency who has so graciously assisted us with fundraising to bring home our little boys. I recently posted a story and letter from Kenny's aunt and uncle about how God has had plans to bring our little guys home since 1960!! Well, Lifesong got wind of our story (a little "adoption" birdie told them) and we appeared on their blog on Tuesday! You can check out their article on "Giving the Gift of Adoption!"...

Ha! How awesome is that?? We have totally...and I say that with complete meaning of the word...been overwhelmed by God's goodness and grace throughout this process! The support...both prayer and financially, as well as the hugs, encouragement and excitement...that we have received from our friends, family and church family has TOTALLY overwhelmed us. I'm officially out of tears. (I say that, but will be crying again first chance I get.) "Thanks" will never be enough...I don't think they make a word for what I need to say.

I cannot wait to tell these boys how much you guys have loved on them from the very beginning and to tell them the awesome story of how we got them home. And most importantly, raise them to believe in their Lord & Savior who prompted us almost 7 months ago by a simple video to trust Him...

And I'm joking, of course, about the celebrity thing...we live in Spencer County, for goodness sakes. I can see cows out my windows and I'm pretty sure there is a tractor driving down the road right now. Just not possible.

Brothers!

"I've got brothers."

This is the statement presented to Kenny and I last night. So, to quench your curiosity...We are proud to let you know we have accepted a referral for brothers, ages 4 and 1!! ...........I'm really speechless!!!

We got the information on the boys last night and after a night of praying over them and just staring at their sweet faces, we decided these were the two precious boys God picked for us and we called our agency to let them know! It really wasn't a hard decision. If you could only see their sweet faces...(Since they aren't legally ours yet, I can't post pictures.)

What's next? We will hopefully get a court date in Ethiopia for sometime in the next 6-8 weeks. And once we pass court and they are officially OURS, we will travel to go pick them up about 6 weeks after court...assuming all goes as planned!

I am totally worthless right now. I can't eat. I have done absolutely NO work today, and that is not an exaggeration! Kenny can't stop smiling. I can't stop moving. So, if you are expecting anything from me in the next 12 weeks, just go ahead and postpone your plans, 'cause it probably ain't happenin'!!

We are in totally awe of how God has provided for us so far and really can't believe that we are about to be the parents of TWO...count them...2! precious boys! Funny Fact: The oldest brother has actually been alive longer than Kenny and I have been married. I'll just let people figure that one out on their own...

Please pray that all goes smoothly...paperwork, etc...over the next few weeks. We do have to make some changes to our "dozer" (ie, dossier) because it only approved us for up to 24 months old. I don't anticipate that being a difficult change, but I never assume anything.

I told y'all I'd bring you pictures home at Christmastime!!!

Good? ...Great!

..."He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes."
1 Samuel 3:18

Turkey. Yum!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope you all had a great day and didn't eat too much...I, unfortunately, cannot relate to the second half of that statement...


They wouldn't let me have any turkey...all I have is this yummy teething biscuit...you wanna bite??


Maybe I'll find some leftovers down here on the floor...Where's Aunt Jana? She let me have some of her sweet potatoes earlier.....

An Early Thanksgiving Blessing

As we approach Thanksgiving, we have so many things this year to be thankful for...the opportunity to serve our God freely, an awesome church family, great friends, wonderful family, good jobs, a roof over our heads, food on the table, clean water to drink, medical care if we need it...and last, but most certainly not least, we are thankful that we are "expecting" our first little one and that God is providing for us to expand our family in ways we never, ever expected!

We received a letter a couple of days ago from Kenny's aunt and uncle in Alabama and I wanted to share with you (with their permission) a story that had me in tears and struggling to see the road as Kenny read it to me over the phone...

Hi Ken and Jana (we always know it's Kenny's family when it's addressed to "Ken"...)

We got your letter when we got back from vacation to the Great Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee today. We really enjoyed the beauty of God's creation in the mountains.

I must tell you this story. The week before we left for vacation, a check came to me in the mail from an insurance company. I thought, boy what a blessing to come out of nowhere. I was really busy before leaving but got the phone number and was going to call when we got back. Today I called to reluctantly inform them that surely it was a mistake because I had never heard of this insurance company. They asked several questions and it was NOT a mistake. It was a policy my Mother had taken out on me in 1960. That was one year before I became a COOK. The insurance company had changed their name and I was not familiar with it. This policy was a small endowment that matured at my age 65. God works in mysterious ways!! NOW I know why I got this unexpected check at this very point in time.

THE MONEY IS TO HELP BRING OUR NEWEST COOK BABY HOME!!

I set here writing with tears running down my face as I feel so blessed that we can be a part of this with you. We will continue to pray for you and this or these babies that God is sending your way...

May God continue to bless you as you follow His calling.

Much love to you both!

We started this process about 6 months ago, but I think it's pretty cool that God had this in the works back in 1960...over 48 years ago!! It's hard for me to wrap my head around the reality that our God cares so much for this unknown child of ours that He begin working on bringing him or her home in 1960! We know no name, we wonder what he or she looks like or what their favorite foods are, we wonder how old they are or what they like to play with...But our God knows a face, knows a name, knows the number of hairs on their head. And knows the exact day they will become ours. Wow...

Happy Thanksgiving to us!! (And "Thanks!" Uncle & Aunt Cook...you have blessed our socks off!!)

"The Map"

Last night we had Combined Worship, and for those of you not familiar with a multi-campus church, this is where all six of our campuses get together for...well, a combined worship service. I love Combined Worship! Anywho, I took a picture of "The Map" while I was at Fegenbush. I don't believe that I've referenced "The Map" before, but I have told you that our church has a great adoption ministry and is very supportive of adoptive families. We have a ginormous map in the hallway...


...that includes many of the families that have already adopted or are waiting to travel or for a referral. As you can see, we have families that have adopted from ALL over the world, both domestically and internationally. I love the map and often looked upon it with jealousy before...But LOOK! Now we are on "The Map"!




I can't wait for that picture to include a couple more smiling faces! And for our status to be changed to "Home Forever"!! I love, love that our church is so supportive of adoption and believe that the support and encouragement they have provided is very much part of the reason that this season of our lives is where God prompted us to pursue adoption.

(Props to Tera for keeping up the map and for leading an awesome adoption ministry at Highview!)

They do have good grits...

The tree is up.

Yeah, I know it's before Thanksgiving and you can judge all you want, but my tree is up and it smells wonderful in my house. And apparently we started a new tradition in the Cook household today. Kenny loves (as in, slightly obsessed with) Waffle House. We NEVER go there on account of eating there once means you get all the calories you need in one week in one meal. Waffle House just reminds me of grease and cigarette smoke. Yuck. But he talked me into going this morning for breakfast, then decided that could be our Christmas-tree picking morning tradition. We both survived the ordeal...we'll just see if the new "tradition" sticks next year...Is it safe to take a baby into Waffle House?? (No offense to those who may frequent Waffle House, I just prefer Cracker Barrel.)


Don't want to lose it on the way home!


Magnificent! We went scotch pine this year which was a first for us. We are Douglas Fir people, but they all looked rough. I'll let you know how the scotch turns out...

My guardian angel's name is Carl. His girlfriend is Sarah.

Let me start with saying that last night, it was absolutely freezing. Literally. And it had been snowing. And the wind was blowing fiercely, making that freezing temperature seem more like 47 below zero. Literally.

So, I met with our adoption group last night for desert and coffee and had a grand time. Upon leaving, I discovered an unfortunate occurrence. I had a flat tire. Seriously? I'm beyond cold and at least 30 minutes away from my Knight in Shining armor...that's Kenny, in case you didn't know. I didn't realize my tire was flat until after everybody else had pulled away and now, here I stand in an empty parking lot.. Then Carl pulled up. He and his girlfriend had actually stopped for desert and were leaving too, when they notice I was just standing outside, staring at the Explorer. This was odd, because I mentioned above, my contacts were literally frozen to my eyeballs. This kind soul stopped and offered a helping hand, which turned out to be more than he probably bargained for, since obtaining my jack to change the tire required moving no less than half a million boxes from the back of the car. (Operation Christmas Child had landed in the back of the Explorer after our service project with the kids on Wednesday night.) And to our most pleasant surprise, it was SO cold, the tire was literally frozen and wouldn't release its fierce grip to be changed. After tug-a-war with the tire (the tire won!), we decided to go the fix-a-flat route.

The point of this story is that I had a random person, who didn't know me from Eve, stop, help me, actually left to go buy fix-a-flat for me, and then followed me to Kroger to fill my tire back up...and, here's the kicker...followed me home!!! 30 minutes away! He didn't want me to get going and have trouble so he insisted that I let him follow me. I know, I know...y'all are probably thinking, you shouldn't have let this stranger know where you lived, follow you, be alone with them...but Kenny knew where I was and what was going on at all times and I at no point felt threatened by either of them. It just goes to show you that there are actually still good people in the world who are just willing to do the right thing. While I would have much rather just gone straight home to my warm bed last night, I spent an extra couple hours with a very sweet couple who I would have never met otherwise. God was definitely looking out for me...because, it would have been humerous to watch 7 ladies trying to change a tire that was frozen to the car!!

Note to those who unfortunately have a flat tire in the future: Fix-a-flat ruins tires. Promise. It eats the rubber and if left long enough will eat through the rim. Fortunately, I took the car in this morning to get the tire patched (I had a nail in it) and minimal damage had been done, although we ruined the tire valve which has an automatic sensor to tell me when the tire pressure is low (and has a hefty price tag to replace). I opted for replacing it with the FREE regular tire valve. I can check the pressure myself. Who needs a little light to tell me? The fix-a-flat had literally eaten the aluminum off the sensor, making a big melted mess. But just word of warning...that stuff should be renamed..."Ruin-a-Tire"...

Need I say more.

Why, you ask? This is why..........



I just mailed over 125 letters to our closest family and friends. This may be your first visit to the blog and I hope this video opened your eyes to the tremendous need in Ethiopia. More than that, I hope it helped you see a little bit of where our hearts are right now. And where they will remain for a lifetime, as we forever connect ourselves with this foreign country on the other side of the world...

A picture worth a thousand words...

Our friend Gracie was visiting the other day and drew us a picture. (Grace is 8...not all of our friends love us enough to draw pictures for us when they visit!) She knows we are adopting and they talk about it often at her house. So, she drew a picture of an airplane (we are in the airplane) flying over a building that is well labeled as "orphanage"...spelled correctly, mind you. At the "orphanage", is a window with a tiny face saying, "Hi!". She did this all on her own and without any prompting. It just makes me smile to think that she knows what adoption is and knows well enough to be able to put it into a picture. My best friend growing up was adopted, but I don't think at age 8 I could have told you what adoption was! I'm impressed! This picture will stay on the fridge until our little one comes home and then will definitely be added to the scrapbook!

There's gonna be a wedding.

My little brother and sister-in-law-to-be had engagement pictures taken. (It is NOT the pictures you see below...) But if you would like to check out their smiling faces, you can do that here. Interesting fact: My madien name is Hill. I married a Cook. Cliff is a Hill. (You can laugh...Yes, my parents named my brother Cliff Hill. Fortunately, they didn't continue the trend of naming their children after land elevations. Believe me, I got my share of, "Haha...Your name could be Jana Mountain!" in highschool...Yeah, funny. Like I haven't heard that a million times. By the by, Clifton is a family name, so I guess we can't blame them. Still slightly amusing though.) I digress...He is marrying a Cooke. Funny, huh? He didn't want to take Heather's name so we could have matching last names again...I don't know why...



So, there's gonna be a wedding...sometime in the next couple of years. Until then, I guess we can just gaze at these lovely engagement pictures. You kids and your long engagements...

Waiting? Praise the Lord!!

I don't really have much in way of any update, because all we do now is wait. Wait to find out when. Wait to find out what. Wait to find out how many. Wait to find out how old. Wait to find out what color to paint the room. Wait to find out what size clothes to buy. You get the gist of what we are doing these days? In case you misunderstood...we are just waiting. But waiting with prayerful and joyful hearts! I keep reminding myself...All in God's timing. All in His most perfect timing...

And the praise...we found out Tuesday from Lifesong (which is an agency that works closely with our church) that they will be able to support us in our mission with a $2500 matching grant!!! Yahoo!!! The Lord is AWESOME and provides for all our needs! Words really can't explain how much of an answered prayer this is!

For my sweet, football-obsessed husband...

Can I just say...Roll Tide Roll!!! We went to the wedding of one of Kenny's co-worker this afternoon. Problem: Alabama was playing LSU at 3:30 pm right in the middle of full mass and communion! Kenny's solution: To have his dad call him with updates on the score throughout dinner! What was even funnier was all the guys coming up to him wanting to know the score for this game or that game as the evening progressed! So, Bama pulled it out and we won...Kenny was overjoyed! And we go another week undefeated...

Kodak earning their money...

The [normal] pictures I promised you from the girl's trip this weekend. You put the four of us together with a camera and we go crazy...this is a very small sampling of the pictures taken. Please remember that we have all known each other for 15+ years (20+ for me and Dara!) and tend to act like raging idiots when around each other. Ha! Makes me laugh just thinking about how many goofy pictures we took...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Costume Night @ AWANA's

Last Wednesday night at AWANA's the kids wore their costumes...might as well get another wear out of them!


This is our Cubbie class...as you can see, had there been a fire, we would have been fine with our Firefighters Jake & Joshua!!


This is one of my favorites...all is right in the world when you have two Jedi Warriors and a baseball player to protect you!


Nicole as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (the kids didn't know who she was, which made it funny..."Hey, are you that lady that clicks her shoes together?") and Baby Jana...any excuse to wear my footie pajamas!!

Welcome to the 80's!

My 3 college roommates came from Texas and Alabama this past weekend and besides being completely exhausted, we had a super silly time! There is just something about these 3 girls that can make me laugh until my stomach hurts, which we did until the wee hours of the morning (big shout out to Kenny for tolerating us all weekend!).

Spencer County Campus participated in "Trick or Treat on Main Street" on Halloween Night like we have for the past 3 years. We set up a mini-festival of sorts on Main Street with games, bouncies, food...the works! (It was a super success, by the way, with a huge turnout, going far smoother than we could have ever expected...besides the popcorn machine breaking...but we can improvise and fix anything!) Then the 80's busted on the scene... I feel like we should play some Madonna or Bon Jovi!


Dara, Emily and Jennifer decided they would dress up with a throw back to the 80's. Lots of blue eyeshadow and 2 cans of hairspray later, they emerged for their public. If you can't tell Dara was the mom of the group, sporting her black sparkle sweater! Emily and Jennifer were sporting the layers and they all three had the jewelry going on, too!


I have to say I was impressed...they really looked the part.

More [normal] pics from the weekend to come...

Dossier Where-a-bouts?

The paperwork that has consumed much of our life for the last 4 months, requiring several trips to multiple courthouses and Frankfort, has arrived in its final resting place. As of 8:06 am this morning, our dossier is in Ethiopia!

Part of us is in Ethiopia...I've never been so thrilled about the location of paper!

That's far. Real far.

Did you know that there is 7,595 miles between our house and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia? Unfortunately, I was unable to pull up directions on MapQuest.

Random. Welcome to my life.

Boy or Girl?

So, I liked having a little interactive blogging going on and since our I-171 has arrived, let's change the poll...

We are now basically at the point of waiting on a referral. Question is...will it be a boy or girl?? And yeah, we could potentially get a referral for two, but just to simplify things, let's just assume we are only getting one referral. Check out the sidebar and place your guess...I'm interested to see how this will turn out...and to clarify, we are open to either sex and haven't made a request one way or the other! So, VOTE!! ALL of you!

We met this evening with Susan (our link to Ethiopia right now!). We were supposed to be at a class all weekend that Susan was teaching...adoption education, but around 3:00 this afternoon, it appeared we were the only ones coming, so the class was cancelled. We were still able to meet and just chat for a little while about what is going on and the progress that we had made. I don't think I can say enough about how thrilled I am that we are now in the same city and state as our adoption agency. This gives me such a piece of mind that I didn't have before.

Now we have a "free" day tomorrow since I thought we were going to be in a class all day...why do I have this uneasy feeling that it will involve football? All...day...long... But Roll Tide!

The news you've all been waiting for...

Okay, so maybe not THE news, but you have to admit, now you are interested...

I pray almost everyday on the way home that our I-171 approval papers will be in our mailbox. I'm not really sure why I was so anxious to get this because I still feel like we will have a while before we will get a referral...I guess it's just a milestone of sorts, another step in the process. So, today, me and God were chatting and I threw out my normal request for my mailbox contents. You probably have figured out where this is going...we got our I-171 TODAY!!! Yea!!! (It took 51 days!) My favorite part is the top line..."It has been determined that you are able to furnish proper care to an orphan or orphans as defined by section 101 blah, blah, blah..." I'm glad we have been deemed appropriate parents by our great government...I feel honored [enter sarcasm].

So, all you yahoos that voted for October 16th or the end of October (a total of 60%) can split the $1000 Monopoly money prize...

And I checked on our dossier and it is making the rounds in DC this week. Our I-171 is on its way to Ethiopia and our dossier will hopefully be following next week.

Now we wait for the REAL news...

Virtually Tagged

I've been tagged. I've never been tagged before. You know, virtually tagged...I was the king of tag in elementary school...well, not really...I was a slow runner. I have actually been tagged twice, but I only chose one "list" so as to not bore you with random facts about myself.

Without further ado, 7 random things you may, or may not, know about me...

1. I took piano lessons for 3 years as a child. I could probably pick it up again pretty fast if I tried. I must publicly apologize to my mother for hating every second of those piano lessons...I really wish now that I could play. Sorry Mom. You were right, I was wrong. (How long have you waited for that??)

2. I have decided this week that I like hamburgers. For the majority of my life, I have refused to eat hamburgers, not out of a dislike of beef, but a dislike of the burger combination itself. I am turning over a new leaf...a hamburger-eating leaf. Hot dogs, mind you, are still strictly off limits.

3. I cannot stand to be in the same room as someone else who is brushing their teeth. As I have aged, I have learned to deal with this strange phobia in situations such as camp, retreats, marriage, etc when I must share a bathroom. But I still find it quite repulsive to listen to or watch someone else brush their teeth.

4. Kenny and I met in August 1999 and within a year I knew that this was who I was going to marry, despite the fact that we both dated other people during this time. Hey, I didn't say we were smart! (There was only a select handful of people...like maybe 2, who knew my secret.) On the other hand, it took Kenny no less than 3 years and 7 months to come to this conclusion and another 10 months to ask me. What was he waiting on?? :)

5. I was once hovered over by a rather large and ominous cow, while sun bathing at a desert hotel in New Mexico. I then received a painful skinned up knee and elbow after falling out of my chair when I realized that the shade I was enjoying was coming from a drooling dairy cow. (Note to New Mexico travelers: In parts of the state, they allow their animals to roam wild among those who are not used to dodging cow pies and chicken poop.)

6. I have no less than 15 holes in my left knee. And have had more staples and stitches than I care to count (all of which I have removed myself, not allowing a doctor or tech to remove them...I've done it so many times, one doctor even let me remove them at home and told me to give him a call if I had any trouble). I can not feel the flesh from my knee cap over and most of the way down my leg. My goal: a knee replacement by age 30. (Not really, it's just a joke...but as I get closer to 30, I often wonder...)

7. I cannot walk around my own house barefoot. Each foot must don socks or shoes before hitting the floor. Shoes are preferred since socks are still really close to being barefoot. Shoes or socks remain by the bed for when I first wake up...flip flops or crocs accompany me to the bathroom for immediate occupancy after a shower. For some strange reason, it is not as near a big deal to walk around someone else's house barefoot (although, socks are still preferred). My floors are clean. I know, I'm weird.

I'm tagging the following people. Please don't feel obligated to participate in this rousing game of virtual tag, but if you do, share with the world 7 random facts about yourself...

Jessica
Lauren
Nicole
Jaime
Kim

It's out of my hands.

Then again, has it ever actually been IN my hands...

I mailed our dossier (I just can't resist saying "dozer"!) to the Assistant Stork in Virginia yesterday...Hopefully, it will arrive there by Monday. They will do their thing in DC and it will be on it's way to Ethiopia towards the end of the week. All we can do now is pray that all the paperwork ends up in the right hands at the right time...

Is anyone else stressed out about this??

Four!

We walked through those church doors four years ago today, recently dubbed Mr. & Mrs., without a clue as to the path God would lead us down! We have learned lots (sarcasm = love in the Cook house!), cried lots (I wouldn't trade the trials we have faced for anything), and laughed lots (at each other, mostly).


And since it's been four fab years, here's the top four reasons to love Kenny...Okay, so there is like...13 reasons...but now I have a head start on year 13...And of course, this isn't all inclusive, just some of my favorites!

--Even when he snores (incredibly loudly), he looks cute!
--He rubs my back to put me to sleep at night...a necessary step if sleep is to be obtained before the snoring starts.
--He cleans the bathroom!
--He makes a mean pot of spaghetti with fun curly noodles...we are talking from scratch here, not Ragu!
--Although weird, it's cute that he has to have HIS pillowcase with him at all times. And I'm not joking when I say, ALL the time...just ask him...
--He is better than a can of Raid...killing most anything I need him to that has more legs than me.
--The way he helps me on Sunday mornings with the kids...not every man would give up conversation with adults to chase 2-year-olds and wipe snotty noses!
--Can we say dimples??!!
--He laughs with me at stupid things. (Now that I'm thinking about it, he laughs a lot AT me, too...)
--He takes care of me. When I don't feel good. When I feel fine. All the time.
--He kisses my forehead when I'm upset, making everything okay for the next few minutes...
--The way he prays for our family, provides for our family, loves Jesus, loves me...
--He's mine.

Can I get a collective "Awwwwww!"........?

Happy Four Years! I love you more!

Red and yellow, black and white...

I have bronchitis. And being banned from leaving the house by my "You need to rest to get well!" proclaiming husband, I am going a little stir crazy and have been left with far too much time on my hands. And it's only been one day! (Don't feel sorry for me...other than hacking up a lung, making me feel like I've done 1,437 sit-ups, I don't really feel that bad.) So, I've been perusing the internet...mostly reading/stalking random blogs of people who are or already have adopted. I am fascinated with other people's stories and how they went about each step in the process...My favorite part is always when they welcome the child home, of course, making me cry. And then cough again.

I've also been reading through the blog of Dr. Russell Moore, who is a professor at Southern and also a teaching pastor at our church, Highview Baptist. Dr. Moore and his wife have adopted two sons and are huge adoption advocates, even being mentioned in The Wall Street Journal! I came across a commentary that I have read before, but had not shared, titled Transracial Adoption, the Gospel, and You. I encourage you to read the article. Kenny and I realize that we are adopting a child that will have a different skin color than ours. You may (or may not) be surprised at the number of questions we get, regarding whether we realize this. (I'll spare you the sarcastic comments I would often like to respond with...) Our children will be black--100% chance of this. We are white--100% chance that this will not change. (I don't even tan well.) Doesn't change the fact that each child deserves to be loved by a mommy and a daddy, no matter the color.

I long for us (meaning, our generation and older) to look at each other through the eyes of a child. Many of our friends have children who are immersed in a culture that includes children and parents of different skin colors. For once, pretend you are 3-years-old and look past that smiling dark face to someone who is probably more like you than you realize. I hope that our children's best friends will make up a rainbow of colors...similar to what we will see in heaven...

...they are precious in His sight!

A clue...a clue!!!

Excuse the spoof on Blue's Clues...I'm really not even a fan. But I do have a hint for those of you who haven't voted yet in our little quiz over to the left...I made a trip today to the courthouse in downtown Louisville to make a change on our I-600a. (This is the form we are awaiting approval on...to receive our I-171.) Since changing agencies, our I-600a needed to reflect that change with the new agency name and address...and since neither Kenny or I could get anyone to listen to us over the phone, I just marched myself down there and took care of it!! I was able to get them to actually pull our chart and I physically made the change myself on the form. And the hint...they initially couldn't find our stuff (momentary panic setting in...), but eventually found it on the desk of the "approver". Meaning, they were actually working on it!!! (Panic gone, excitement takes over!!) So, I'm hoping we see that little I-171 grace our mailbox in the next week or so!

Deja vu! ...all over again.

Since we changed agencies, we added a couple of steps (very pain free, might I add) to our process and I had to make return trips to the county courthouse and to Frankfort to get some documents authenticated.

I would like to recount the conversation that I had with a sweet old lady at the county courthouse this morning...we'll call her Ethel. This conversation also voids the fact that I thought they knew what they were doing...

"May I help you, dear?"
"Yes ma'am, I need to get a few documents authenticated for an adoption."
"Huh? You need who?"
...noticing that Ms. Ethel is sporting hearing aids, I repeat myself, this time louder. At this point, Ms. Ethel cocks her head to one side, much like a confused puppy dog looking for a lost bone would, with a look of total confusion. I went on to explain further...
"I need to have the county clerk authenticate...sign a paper...for these papers that are notarized."
"Oh...well, I don't know how to do that."
She gave me a matter-of-fact look and I returned her gaze with my own dumbfounded look. In walks a sweet soul (we'll call her Abby) who helped me last time, who gave me a smile, kindly took my documents and told me, "I'll take care of that. Just give me 5 minutes." Ms. Ethel confides in me once Abby was out of ear shot..."I get confused with all these papers and I try not to do things and mess them up."

Well, that's one way to get out of doing your job!! Bless Ms. Ethel's heart...I would rather her not "mess" my papers up either!! :)


From the courthouse, I headed to the Secretary of State office in Frankfort. This time around, I had a little additional help. Faithful partner-in-crime, Nicole, was once again able to go with me and keep me company and her youngest one Emma, joined us as well (she thought we were actually going to get the kids today, so imagine her disappointment when all we did was get paperwork signed!). Don't you worry, Emma...I'm working hard to bring home your new friends!!


So, dossier paperwork is completed on my end and now I need to send it off to Washington D.C. I think...I think...that this is where we start really waiting...

Wet Dog Golf Scramble

Kenny and his co-workers hit the links early yesterday morning at Charlie Vettiner Golf Course. Once again, this awesome group of people got together on our behalf to help us raise support for the Cook Adoption Fund. We have been totally blown away by the generosity of our Summit Family and we are truly blessed that Kenny works with such great people! And while I appreciated their intentions and their support, I'm sure they actually had more fun playing golf and watching football afterwards! (Sorry, but Bama beat Kentucky!! I'm not gonna dwell on that though...I don't think it was a pretty win!)

FALL!

If I haven't mentioned it before, which I don't think I have THIS year...I LOVE fall!! The weather, the smells, the colors, the food...what more could you ask for! I could do with out the allergy crud...but I think I've found my new best friend: Zyrtec!! I think I would be okay if it was fall year-round! Makes me want to go camping...

More dark chocolate, you say??

Today we met with a wonderful lady named Susan, who is going to be our helper, our partner, our question-answerer (is that a word?) and help us bring home Baby Cook!! The main thing I am so thankful for after today, is just the ability to be able to sit down, face-to-face with who we will be working with through this journey. That would have never happened before we made our change, seeing as they were in South Carolina! We reviewed our dossier today and thankfully were only missing a few documents. On the other hand, we had done far more than we actually needed for some things...We will be ready though, no matter what they throw at us!! And we'll be making a second trip to Frankfort to get these forms authenticated...Oh, well...Road trip!!! If I had to guess, I would say I will probably have to drive back by Rebecca Ruth's Chocolate Cafe' while I'm there, where I will be forced to go in and buy more dark chocolate! (A side note: I'm 100% totally over the top in love with dark chocolate. Don't worry, it's a healthy addiction. My doctor told me so.)

So, what next? We continue to wait on our I-171...(Don't forget to vote--to the left!!) We will get the remainder of our dossier finished up and send it to the Assistant Stork (courier service--cute name, huh?) in DC where it will then be sent to Ethiopia!! Exciting! We also have to get in some education hours and will most likely be attending a training later in the month. Then, we put on our waiting hats and we learn to be patient!! I've always said I was a patient person...let's just hope that God doesn't decide to really test my theory!

I'm Letting Go

New favorite song for the week...So, it has a good, happy beat and makes me smile! If you will actually listen to the words...I think I'm making this the world of adoption's theme song...I'm Letting Go by Francesca Battistelli (She has a cool last name!)



My heart beats, standing on the edge
But my feet have finally left the ledge
Like an acrobat
There's no turning back

I'm letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I'm falling and that's what it's like to believe
So I'm letting go

This is a giant leap of faith
Trusting and trying to embrace
The fear of the unknown
Beyond my comfort zone

Giving in to your gravity
Knowing You are holding me
I'm not afraid

Feels like I'm falling and that's what it's like to believe
Feels like I'm falling and this is the life for me

A good old-fashion update on life...

Most of the blog (as well as life itself), has been consumed by topics related to adoption, adoption and--oh yeah, adoption! So, just a general update on life itself. We really aren't that exciting, but here's what's going on...

When we moved to Kentucky in August 2005, we thought we would be here 3 or 4 years while Kenny finished his MDiv at Southern...........Fast forward 3 years and a couple of months: We are both working full-time and Kenny is taking a sabbatical of sorts from school right now. He is about a third of the way done with his degree and the plans are definitely for him to finish, just at a much slower pace than we originally anticipated. Which is totally fine with us, because we have fallen in love with Kentucky, our church, our friends and really feel like we are exactly where God has called us to at this point in our lives, much to the dismay of Alabama and soon-to-be grandparents! :)

On other fronts, Kenny is also working on his skills as a craftsman...he and my dad built a stellar island for the kitchen earlier in the summer and it looks great! (Happy Birthday to me!) His latest project is a workbench for downstairs. Finally putting that saw I bought him to good use! And as to Kenny's where-abouts lately, he was able to head to Alabama a couple of weeks ago for the Alabama vs. Western KY game (boy's weekend!) and he got to go to the Ryder Cup which was hosted here in Louisville last week.

And you guys know what I'm up to...if I'm not at work, I'm working on adoption stuff. Our Wednesday night stuff is in full swing and we have about 6 weeks of AWANA's under our belts. We have had great numbers and lots of visitors in our first couple of weeks and I think the kids are having a blast which is really the main thing. On Monday nights the ladies are doing a Bible Study and we are going through a book called Created to be His Help Meet. It's been a great book so far, despite the fact that I think the author is a little...quirky (oh well, I am too!)...but what she has to say is totally based on scripture, so it's been challenging to see how I need to change to be Kenny's "help meet".

And my new secret desire (one of them...the other is to learn how to play the drums!) is to make our yard look pretty...like with flowers and stuff. Yeah, I know, it's not exactly the right time of the year, but I have big plans in my head...(that could be dangerous)! Maybe spring will afford me more time to work on that! My biggest dilemma is my own ignorance and lack of green thumb...don't tell anyone, but I kill things that were once pretty, living and growing! Let's hope that "killing things" issue is only confined to plants.......

And a side note, sorry for the lack of pictures lately. I like to illustrate as I blog. But here lately, when I try to transfer pictures from the camera to the computer, it shuts the laptop off and tells me I've committed a fatal error! Hmmm...my camera is trying to kill my laptop... Further investigation is needed before formal charges will be filed, but a new camera may be in our future.

So, this is what we do...

(Oh, yeah...I forgot to mention that it is imperative that we watch at least 24 hours of football each Saturday, no matter what else is going on. Which leaves little time for...well, anything else! Needless to say, I'll be more than fine when football season is over again!!)

1 year ago today...

A year ago today, we moved into our very first house (as in, not an apartment) in the large metropolis of Taylorsville, KY (think cows, lots of farm land and a permanent skunk smell). Not really large at all (the town), our new home reminded us of our old home...good 'ol Pinson, AL...and we have felt at home here since we started making the drive to Spencer County to come to church a couple of years ago. I can hardly believe we have been in the house a year! Although, when giving directions, we still have to say, "You know, Ty & Angie's house..." before some people actually know where we are talking about. Then, we usually get a knowing nod and smile! (If you don't get it, the nice folks that used to live here were Ty & Angie...your legacy lives on!!)

We had a crew move us out of the apartment in Louisville and a crew waiting here at the new house to move us in! We are so thankful that so many people helped us move and clean and just get settled. And although we had a rocky start...our realtor wasn't very nice to us, our neighbor yelled at me for using the wrong driveway, etc...we love our first home!

Roll Tide!!

I like to pretend that I despise football, and for the most part I do. But I actually don't really mind watching Alabama play--but only Alabama! I don't want to see or talk about any other team, I don't care how good they think they are! So, I'm gonna brag a bit...Alabama just beat Georgia, so Kenny and I just sang a rousing chorus of "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer". I tried to find the song on YouTube so you Kentucky people could get a taste of what you will hear next week when we beat you...........

I'm sorry, but we have to break up.

Here we are 4 months and 1 week into this little adventure we have going on...and we are making pretty major changes!! Due to some changes and uncertainty at our previous agency, we have decided to change our adoption agency. The last several days have been a roller coaster as I made phone calls, talked to this person and that person, received advice and much prayer support (Thanks...you know who you are!)...I knew as soon as I got off the phone yesterday, that God had a new direction for us...

The new agency that will hopefully take us under their wing is located in Louisville, which makes me very happy! (I have little faith in our United States Postal Service--Sorry, hope I don't offend anyone; It's not personal!--which consequently causes me much stress when I must mail documents miles away, that have cost me many hours and dollars to obtain!) We are also hoping (praying, fingers crossed, etc), that things may go a little faster than we had originally thought with the new agency...we'll see how things pan out! Although this has been frustrating, somewhat time consuming, and confusing, I have NO DOUBT in my mind that God orchestrated this change and it was part of His plan from day 1! We may never really know why, but I know that the path God sends us down is sovereign and well-thought-out. And if I've learned nothing else here lately, I have learned that there is always a reason for waiting; always a reason for a change.

And a pleasant discovery as we looked into this change...we have REALLY gotten a lot done in the last 4 months!! Our homestudy is complete, we have filed with USCIS and simply await approval, and our dossier is complete and only lacks federal authentication before it can be sent to Ethiopia to be translated into Amharic! Our prayer now is that our dossier won't need much added to it or changed to be ready for this new agency. Application for the new agency will go out in tomorrow's mail...I'm pumped!

I'm sorry, but we have to break up. It's not you; it's me. I've found someone else...

Got wisdom?

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 (NIV)

Wondering, Not Wandering

Kick back, grab your morning coffee, and let's read...this is part of a devotion I was reading this morning and I loved it so much, I wanted to share it. Excuse the sappy, emotional post, but even if you aren't dealing with these specific issues, this is a good reminder that our awesome God is in total control...whether we like to admit it or not!

"The Bible says that God knows the exact number of days in our lives and that He plans each day for us before we are born. He knows us intimately, long before our mothers were born or felt the first twinge of pregnancy. We see the linear progression of our lives. God sees the eternal past and future and knows how all of the events we face will fit together to accomplish His will.

Only God knows why your waiting to conceive [or adopt] is a necessary, critical part of His plan.

Because we can't see our situation through God's eternal perspective, we feel tempted to slide toward generalities. We simply want a child. We don't know what might lie in the balance of when we conceive [or adopt] and which child we are given, so we think we could get any child at any time in order to be fulfilled.

But right at this moment God is orchestrating so much more than your life. His care and control over the events of the world do not diminish in the slightest His care for you. Rather, He is moving the world together for the perfect time for each child to be born.

The Bible insists there is an ordained day for every baby to be born, and so it follows that there is an ordained day for every baby to be conceived. If you are waiting to become pregnant [or adopt], you have the assurance of knowing that God is not putting you off or ignoring your request or wasting time. If God has chosen to grant you children, He is even now moving you toward an exact day and time for you, or a birth mother, to conceive, and an exact day for this sweet baby to be born. It is hard to understand why we must wait for the appointed day when we feel we would be happy with any baby we could conceive [or adopt] between now and then. And it can confuse us to know whether or how we should pursue medical treatment, since God already has pre-ordained everything.

But we know only part of His plan for our lives; He reveals to us daily how we are to live in each moment. We are asked to entrust the whole of our lives--including this struggle--to Him. Because we know He plans each birth and life so carefully, we can take comfort in the knowledge that He is a God of specifics. We may be wondering about the road we're on, but we're not wandering on an aimless path. It may seem that time waiting is time wasted, but in truth, each day that passes brings us closer to the specific day that God may have appointed for our child to be born."

Some of you know our story; many of you, I'm sure, don't. In my effort to hopefully use this blog to encourage another, I'll divulge a little. At this point in our lives, we have not been able to have children biologically. But to clarify, adoption is not "second best" for us, rather "God's best" as we seek to start our family. God may choose to bless us with biological children in the future. He may continue to bless us with children through adoption. But for now, we wonder...is our child already conceived? Are they already born?!? Where are they? What are they doing? Are they safe? Do they feel loved?

And although I don't always claim it, I know that God doesn't have us just wandering on an aimless path! The wait is hard. It's frustrating. It doesn't always bring out the best in me. But...

"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16

Hurricane Ike hits Elk Creek!

No, I'm not comparing us to those hit much, much harder in Texas, but Sunday we had our share of hurricane force winds...category 1 winds to be exact! And how far off the coast are we?!?

It was partly cloudy, the sun would peek through every little bit, not a rain drop in sight and wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour!! Sunday when we got out of church, it already looked like a disaster area...trees down everywhere! Fortunately, we only lost a few shingles and quite a few branches from trees in the front yard and only lost power for a few seconds. But...Metro Louisville is apparently a disaster! This is day 2 for me of no work because our building has no power and no sign of it returning anytime soon! Jefferson County schools have already told parents to plan on schools being cancelled for the WEEK and LG&E is saying it may take up to 2 weeks to get all power restored...all from wind!!

This is really weird...the weather is great and here I am, hanging out at home in the middle of the day! I'm enjoying my "free" time off, although it was quite unexpected!! :) (And yes, poor Kenny has had to work!! Believe me, he is definitely giving me a hard time about not having to work!)

Take a right...no...wait...a left!!

Today I ventured to the state capitol of Kentucky to visit the Secretary of State's office and get our dossier authenticated. Fortunately, I was accompanied by good friend Nicole (Thanks for giving up your Thursday!), because finding the Secretary of State's office isn't quite as easy as it sounds!! Who would have known this office would actually be in the State Capitol building?!? After following some faulty MapQuest directions and giving ourselves an impromptu tour of Frankfort, we marched ourselves up the million stairs of the Capitol building and straight into the front doors. Once inside, we signed in, were given small green circle stickers (very official!), walked through a metal detector (minus our purses...because if I was packing heat, I wouldn't have put it in my purse!), and sent on our way with vague directions down the hall. We walked straight past the governor and lieutenant governor's open office doors and actually past the lieutenant governor, Dan Mongiardo, himself, enjoying a cup of coffee in the hallway! Only in Kentucky would security be so lax that we could have probably sat down in the governor's office with no questions asked!!

So, forms were authenticated with no problem and we headed on our way, making sure to retain our "official" green stickers so we would be allowed to exit! We grabbed lunch and hit up the Chocolate Cafe' on our way home, where I was persuaded by the chocolate shop man to indulge in my very first ever Kentucky bourbon ball. Don't worry...since I was driving, I only had one!

"Dozer's" next stop: A trip to our adoption agency to be checked before heading to Washington, DC for federal authentication!! (Don't forget to vote!!)