REFERRALS!!!

Friday April 19, 2013, at 4:47PM I received "THE CALL" that changed my life... 

I was talking to my mom and stepping onto my elliptical machine as I heard someone beeping in on my call with my mom. I looked at the number and it said "Austin, TX".  This was not a number I had saved for IFS or my caseworker, so I told my mom that I had someone from Texas beeping in and "I think I should take this call", although I was completely prepared for it to be a telemarketer.  My mom started screaming, literally...she just knew that Texas calling equaled a referral, and she was right!  

I answered the call and heard Carol's voice telling me, "We have two baby boys for you!"  We talked for about 10 minutes during which time she told me our boys were 1 and 3 months old, in the same care home, and healthy.  And did we want to see pictures?  YES!

I called Isaac even though he was still at work and got no answer.  I had no patience for listening to his forever-long voicemail message and hung up and texted him, "Call me now!!!! Carol just called!!!!!!"  30 seconds later, "Hey!!!!!!!  Call me!!!!!!"

Isaac called back about a minute later which felt like an eternity.  "Isaac, Carol called."  Isaac:"Who is Carol?"  SERIOUSLY!?  "The adoption agency!!!"  "What did she say?"  Me, crying now: "She has two baby boys for us!  And they are tiny!"

Isaac came home immediately and the referral packages started coming through on my email.  We opened our younger son's email first and saw the most precious, tiny baby boy in a little girl onesie with multi-colored hearts all over it staring back at us.  He looks handsome even in little girl clothes!  The next few pictures showed his sweet cheeks filling out and personality coming through his big brown eyes.  Next, we opened our older son's pictures and both started giggling with giddiness because he is just so stinkin' cute!  And, he looked like our Elijah we've been dreaming of for over 3 years.  So our older son will be named Elijah Harlan, and our younger son will be named Isaiah Roberts.  After reviewing all of the documents, we believe Elijah is truly 4 months old and Isaiah is 3 months old.

Isaac emailed Carol back and told her, "They look like Treesh babies to us!!!"

Then, we proceeded to call our parents, siblings, and friends to share the good news.  There were tears of joy on both ends of the line, and lots of praising God for these little blessings.

We met up with our close friends, the Chaney and Nichols families, for dinner and shared our big news and precious pictures on our phones.  We had a great night celebrating God's goodness and smiling over how incredibly adorable our boys are!  They truly are beautiful babies!!

Proud Daddy & Mama

 Neither of us could sleep Friday night due to excitement.  Saturday was filled with more phone calls, emails, text messages of well-wishes and congratulations.  On Sunday our car was decorated when we came out of church and one of our BSF class members brought us the cutest outfits for the boys.

I was so excited to go to church and praise the Lord for the great things He has done for us that I wore two different shoes!  I have babies on the brain, apparently!  Everyone was so busy looking at our brag books that I doubt anyone noticed!

 Today we signed the official paperwork to start the process of making our boys officially "ours".  We are expecting it to take several months to bring them home.  We are hoping to meet them for the first time in July/August and bring them home in September.  Our USCIS approval expires at the end of September, so please pray with us that we can bring them home well ahead of the deadline.

 Thank you all for your prayers, love, and encouragement these last 3+ years as we've walked this journey to adoption.  We couldn't have made it without you! Please pray for our boys as they wait together in the care home for us to bring them home, for peace, comfort, health.  Pray for speedy court dates and for all the paperwork to go perfectly and quickly.  Pray for us that we can wait patiently through this last stretch of the race and with peace and hope for the future.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."  Psalm 103:1-5

We are praising the Lord for the great things He has done for us!