Thankful

Piles of laundry, half unpacked suitcases, a boy home sick from school with the stomach bug that won't quit, dirty dishes, Christmas tree lights twinkling right next to fall decor that still needs to be put away....the aftermath of a wonderful weekend of celebrating Thanksgiving with our family.

Since meeting Cooper on November 28, 2009, my heart swells with thanksgiving in a way I never thought possible. This orphan no more has stolen our hearts.

Watching a solemn baby boy with no one and nothing to call his own morph into a happy, boisterous three year old has been one of the greatest joys of our lives. When God put Cooper in our family, He blessed us far more than we could ever bless this little boy. It has been humbling to be a part of God's plan for Coop's life.

Maybe looking forward to the next couple months has made thinking back on this Metcha Day a little sweeter. Because, Lord willing, these two sweeties will be a part of the Spore family in the very near future!

The First Time Ever

Two years ago today was the first time we laid eyes on this boy. The pink jumpsuit bamboozled the eye as we gazed at his picture over and over again. "The letter did say 'boy', right?" Chad asked me. "Yes, I'm just sure he's a boy," we both said over and over again. We memorized each feature, printed 25 copies to share with friends and family, and showed random strangers who displayed even the slightest interest in our adoption.

And two years later (how can it possibly have been two years already?), we absolutely can. not. imagine our lives without him. Coop, you are smart and handsome, curious and funny. We love you with all our hearts. As we welcome a new little brother and sister into this mix called the Spore family, we want you to know that you will always belong with us and to us. And we are so grateful we get to be yours.

Halloween 2011

This year was the first year we had a kiddo declare herself too old to trick-or-treat. She had her two bffs over to watch Tim Hawkins DVDs, put on make up, and hand out candy. I think a good time was had by all.

As for Chad the Builder, Larry Boy (who seems so sad in this picture but later came out of his funk), Boba Fett, the Dragon, and the Leopard, they made quite a haul of candy. We all had a fun evening with friends.

First Day of School

So much has happened in our family since my last post! I've missed several birthdays, our 15th wedding anniversary, Chad's kidney stone drama, a major storm in our little town that caused lots of damage, all the work we've done on finishing our basement.....the list goes on and on!

I have been hesitant to share some adoption news because of its sensitive and unpredictable nature. What I can share right now is that, Lord willing, we will be adding a three year old boy and one year old girl to our family in January. We are so excited to meet them and learn how to love them. If you'd like to pray for us in this process, please pray for favor for our family with the judge to whom we will be assigned. You can also pray for our little guy as he is really scared of the dark and of being alone at night. We're so excited that he will have two brothers in his room with him at night when we get him home. (And, if that's not enough, we're getting pretty used to having a makeshift bed on the floor next to our bed for whichever kiddo is having nighttime issues.)

Ok, on to the title of this post. We sent four little ambassadors off to school today: a seventh grader, a fifth grader, and second grader, and a kindergartener. We really didn't anticipate sending our five year old this year, but class sizes were really small and he is ready. So, Cooper and I will navigate the homefront battles on our own for a few months. He seemed pretty lost without his playmate today, but I was able to spend some special alone time with him.

Happy Birthday, Hallie!

As Chad and I were talking through our day this morning, we couldn't help but remember what we were feeling twelve years ago on this day. It was a Wednesday, and I was very pregnant with our first baby (due the day before, in fact). I had resigned myself to being pregnant for at least another week. Chad had just returned home from his third day of working for John Deere in the Quad Cities. I had the table set, potatoes in the oven, and hamburgers on the grill. As I was flipping the burgers, I felt the now familiar, then terrifying, drip of amniotic fluid down my legs. That was the beginning of the excitement, and it hasn't stopped since.

Hallie was born the next morning, just before lunch. She has been a joy since that day. Compassionate, verbal, and artsy are a few words I would use to describe her.

Happy 12th birthday (tomorrow), Hallie! We love you!

Times, They Are A Changin'

This post has been a few months in the making. We wanted to share but just wanted to be sure. Sure of what God is calling our family to next.

It seems we've seen the ultrasound, heard the heartbeats, and we're ready to share a small piece of what God's been up to. The Spore Seven is on its way to becoming.....The Spore Nine.

We can't share much right now except that we have accepted the referral of two little treasures in East Africa. Our little guy is one month older than Cooper (think 2 and 1/2 year old twins!) and our little girl just turned one.

We are not deluding ourselves. This is a life changer. Our ministry opportunities will largely be to our seven (yes, you read that right...seven) children. There will be days when I will need to be reminded of what God has shown us. He has shown us the relationship between parent and child has the most profound influence in a person's life. How blessed are we that we get to invest in the lives of seven people in this way?! To God be the glory for all He has done and will continue to do in our family!

One last thing. Could you pray for a court date still this summer so we can bring home these two precious ones before January?

Cooper's Citizenship Ceremony

Sunday was a really special day for our family. We attended a citizenship ceremony for 92 Iowa children. They came from all corners of Iowa, and before that they came from all corners of the world. All the rights and responsibilites of a United States citizen were bestowed on these kids, many of whom will never remember this day. Governor Brandstad and former Governor Ray shook each child's hand. Cooper even gave Gov. Brandstad a high five!

We're thankful to have finally received Cooper's certificate of citizenship. We now have to apply for a passport and social security number, and then I think we will finally be done!