in the meantime

first, let me say that the response to our adoption news has been nothing short of overwhelming in the most wonderful way possible. i had NO idea that so many people would jump on board with us. of course, i should not be surprised. we are blessed beyond to measure to be loved well by SO many incredible people. thank you, thank you, thank you for the calls, texts, emails, facebook messages and comments! you have truly multiplied our joy, and we love sharing this journey with you!

for those of you who have not heard, we were accepted to the november 7 meeting! this is sure to be one of many amazing "god moments" throughout the next few months. thank you for interceding on our behalf! we are relieved that we will have orientation complete in the next few weeks. at orientation, we will receive our formal application. this is the "monster" of paperwork that includes everything from our pets' immunization records to our proof of insurance. i am NERVOUS. once we complete our application, which i'm told could take us a month or so, we will wait to hear about our home study schedule. the home study will consist of three separate meetings: one with just me; one with just kenny; and one with us together. basically we're doing all of this work, opening up our hearts and families and lives and home, for someone to decide if we're going to become parents or not. we can be approved or denied. after all of this work over the next several months, they could still tell us no. we would be heartbroken.

here's what we hope happens: we go to orientation on november 7. we complete our application by mid-december. our home study is complete by the end of january, and we are considered a "waiting family" - meaning we could get the call any time!

so what are we doing in the meantime?

well, i've gone baby crazy. seriously. i cannot stop myself from stalking every baby related item on every website known to mankind. i'm trying to keep myself in check, but honestly, it's just so much fun! i have to actively make my brain and my emotions just stop sometimes. i have to stop and remind myself that i am not running this show. it. is. so. hard. that said, i am beginning to piece together our nursery. i don't want to be overly prepared before it's necessary, because i'm not sure how wise that is. but at the same time, i want to have enough that if we got the call sooner rather than later, we are prepared. there's a fine line between praying expectantly and being hopeful and at the same time remaining poised and sober-minded. kenny doesn't care much for decorating, so my mom and i are having a ball looking at patterns and colors and cribs and all of those fun things. i know kenny will be interested in choosing the car seat. he is a safety nut. he'll want something with 22 straps, locks, buckles, bungee cords, padding, etc. he's gonna be a good daddy!

we are also starting the process of getting funds in order. yall. adoption is expensive. phew. this is going to be a HUGE financial commitment, but we are trusting that the lord will provide everything we need down to the last penny. please be in prayer for us as we make plans and preparations with our finances.

i would love to put together a group of prayer warriors - just a group of people that we can really count on to faithfully walk with us in prayer. i want to be able to send out a quick email or message to those of you who would be kind enough to cover that need in prayer. if you're interested, just shoot me a message!

we are so humbled by so much love. here's how you can be praying:

• finances to come together
• approval - that everything would go smoothly, and we would be approved to be a waiting family
• nerves/emotions/sanity!!

xoxo.