PA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caleb Jayce Symasek (CJ)

I have been writing this post in my head for months as we have waited for this little guy's file for what seems like an eternity. We are thrilled to be bringing home both CJ and Landon from New Day Foster Home! Currently, we are waiting for LOA! :-) Please pray with us for both of these little boys that the Lord would prepare them for us, and prepare us for them.

This post would have been much more eloquent and full of pictures if we all weren't suffering from the stomach bug! :-)

God Made a Way!

So, this post will be a little boring in that I can't post any pictures yet...But, if you refer back to my post about "Hope Deferred Makes the Heart Grow Sick"...Well, God made a way! We got our other little guy's file tonight! We are locking it and submitting Letter of Intent, and as SOON as we have Pre-Approval, I will post a picture of that precious little face!

Ahhhhh...a breath of fresh air

Recently, we have been getting bad news everywhere....phone calls from hurting family members, close friends with medical diagnoses...on and on. So, this morning we were thrilled when a little birdy brought this news to us. We had sent a package via "FriendEx" to New Day. A sweet, fellow adoptive mama had given me the idea of a blanket with a photo of our family on it (with Landon photo-shopped into the photo). Her daughter SO sweetly did the photo-shopping for me :-) I had fully intended to do the sewing, but why make a horrible creation when Mimi can do one perfectly? - thanks Mimi!!!
When Landon opened his package, this is what they said his reaction was, "He was excited to open his little package and looked closely at each one of the drawings. We pointed out "mama" and "baba" on the little blanket, and then I helped him carry the things to his bedroom. We put the blanket in his crib, and he insisted that the pictures go in there too. On the way back to preschool he softly said, "mama... baba...." "
God love him...we are THRILLED that the Lord has chosen him for our family!

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick..."

A view of our walk on Sunday

We have been pursuing Landon's foster brother since March...praying for him since January. We know that our flesh did not lead us to this little guy - his special need is one that I have always steered clear of. We fell in love with him and long to have him home. One of our prayers has been, "Lord, if he isn't meant for our family, please close the door soon so that our hearts aren't broken." We are told there is "hope" that his file is coming to us...then, nothing. Now that all our paperwork is logged into Ch*na, the travel timeline is ticking for Landon. If we aren't able to get his foster brother's file locked, we just can't do it...we can't travel twice.

Last night a new list came out, and we just knew that we would get his file. The timeline is ticking...we need that file. Yet, last night, our agency sent me an email with "Bad News" in the Re line. I didn't need to open that email, but I did. She was right...no file, this is bad news. She knows our timeline, she knows the logistics, and she knows this is bad news. I cried until well past midnight...how does my heart hurt so for a child that I haven't held or birthed? Why, Lord, are you answering completely opposite of how we have prayed? God is so good. So patient. He let me cry in His arms. He let me get angry. Then I realized something. He isn't answering completely opposite because one other prayer that I prayed was, "Lord, through this adoption give me a taste of Your love for us. Sinners saved by grace. Children adopted into your family." That is what He has shown me...love that is deep, wide, all-consuming, and willing to take risks and hurt for those whom He loves.

This morning, Mike so sweetly watched me cry, listened to me get angry (again), and ever so gently said, "Nikki, God can make a way." I said, "Stop. The hope is more painful than the silence." I decided to pick up my Streams in the Desert devotional...the verse for today, Numbers 9:19 "When the cloud tarried...then, the children of Israel...journeyed not." God made a way for the Israelites when it seemed as though Pharoh was going to kill them all...sea in the front - death behind. There was no visible way. Okay, Lord, I am hearing You...I know You can make a way, but this hurts.

I came downstairs to try to tell the kids the bad news, but before I could say anything Luke said, "MOM! I had a dream that Landon's foster brother's file came in the mail!" I just silently cried and said, "Kids...it didn't come. It doesn't look good. Please prepare yourselves that we most likely will becoming home with only Landon." Silence. Time for our devotional in the Jesus Bible Story Book (which tells every Bible story directing the kids to Jesus - showing that it all points to Him.) The title for our reading today, "God Makes a Way." The story of the Israelites, the Red Sea, and Pharoh. Sometimes the Lord has to tell me things a few times to get His point across. HE will make a way. That way may not be to bring Landon's foster brother home, but He will make a way...it may just be the way of showing our family to love like Jesus loved, to refine us and purify us. But as the Refiner, He is not walking away from the fire, He will watch over us, and when the fire gets too hot, He will turn the heat down, or take us out. Until that time, may we praise you Father for being willing to refine us, to watch us hurt and continue to refine us. Drew asked me, "Mom, does God like watching us cry because we don't have the file?" No son, He doesn't, but He loves us enough to purify us. Even when it hurts.

An Awesome...Exhausting Day...

So, our day began at 6a.m. when we got up to be ready for our Blow-Away 5K. The boys did a great job, and I was glad I was running it with them...it was the only way to stay warm.

The CC Flyers that were running today.

This weekend, our Sunday School class was having a camp-out at one of the family's homes...they have an amazing house located on a private lake with tons of land...it is beautiful, especially right now with the leaves changing color. I love being outside - I could be outside from sun-up to sun-down, I love to hike, run, play at the beach...basically you name it, but I don't camp. We have one tent (which I have never slept in), and I know that Coleman sells camping gear. That is the extent of my knowledge. So, we decided to head out to Lake Providence right after the race, enjoy all the fun activities, have a picnic, and head home for our beds :-)

Emily was thrilled with the rope swing over the lake...until she saw a water moccasin. :-) We all screamed and ran like the girls we are.

Abby - simply enjoying watching her sister swing out over the lake. She and Maggie were sitting on the over-turned boat that Emily and her friend were using as a launch to swing farther out over the lake.

Maggie really, really wanted to do the rope swing, but since I was the only supervision at the time, I didn't think that was such a good idea.

The boys were moving so fast the whole time that this is one of the only pictures that I got of them that isn't blurred.
It was a truly awesome day enjoying His creation...seeing all the brilliant colors of fall reminded me of the Lord when He says that if we remain silent and don't praise Him "even the rocks will cry out". I pray that we won't forget to praise Him for everything.

A Hug When I Might Have Needed a Spankin'....

This past Saturday the boys and I ran the Race for the Cure for my Aunt Jan and my friend, Laura, who has been battling metastatic (probably spelled that wrong again) breast cancer for over 4 and a half years now. She has been fighting hard. She is amazing. She is strong, smart, courageous, full of faith, and full of the love of Christ. She is also a woman who believes in the power of prayer.

Here is where I take my little "aside"...on Thursday, I was feeling so discouraged regarding our adoption paperwork and not having Landon's foster brother's file yet. So, I sent out an email to a few friends/family who I knew would pray. Thursday night we had our pre-race party. When I saw that Laura and her family had arrived, I went out to say "Hi". The first thing she says to me? HUGE hug, and, "Hey, Nikki! I got your email...I am so sorry that you are discouraged!" No judgment (thanks for teaching me how to spell that Laura). Just love and compassion. Seriously? This girl has been fighting in every way for over four YEARS, and I am discouraged after 6 months...and, still, there was compassion. I felt like it came straight from the Lord. I felt like He was saying, "Nikki, I know you are discouraged. You know you need to trust Me, but I love you anyway...I have this under control, and I am sorry you are discouraged. Focus on Me. Not the circumstances."

So, thank you, Laura...for ,once again, being an inspiration. For reminding me to pray through the discouragement. Keep fighting. We are all praying for your complete healing.

Laura (in the middle), Marie (our team captain in the pink), and me

Luke and Drew ready to run (the crowd really stressed Luke out...
all he wanted to do was run :-)



Emily...somewhat enjoying the velcro wall?

Laura's celebration tag...oh, and I didn't get a picture of her daughter Gracey's tag (she is 7)...it was precious...it said, "My mom is the best evin with canser."

Our Little Man Stands!!

I am so, so thankful for the home and the staff that takes care of our little man, Landon, and his buddy, Joshua. Check these little boys out - they are standing! Joshua's spina bifida was so severe that he wasn't supposed to ever be able to stand...But God.

Landon very carefully standing :-)

Both boys seem pretty proud of themselves...boys, we are proud, too!