Introduction to our family

So exciting to have a blog. Our first attempt...after 7 adoptions already....we look forward to our next as well as celebrate our 7 other miracles. So here goes. My husband and I started our journey over 8 years ago when we signed up for a foster/adoptive class. Through the foster care system in Iowa we fostered & adopted 3 beautiful children- Abigail now 9, Andrew now 7, & Matthew now 6. Then moving to another Christian Camp (Uskichitto Retreat Center) in Louisiana we stepped out if faith and took the foster adoptive class again. Three years later (March 19th, 2007) we finally adopted Joshua now almost 7, Sarah turns 5 next week, and Elizabeth 3. As soon as we finalized their adoption - you guessed it- we jumped in again and filled out our beginning paperwork for All God's Children to begin another adoption from Ethiopia.

So within weeks we had an e-mail about a little girl that needed a family. She had some special needs - she had spina bifida as well as severe scoliosis, but she needed someone to be her mom and dad, and we said yes! We rushed like the wind through all the paperwork. We wanted to get her adoption done before the Ehiopian courts closed. Almaz the director of Hannah's Hope Ethiopia had helped push her case forward. We had a date August 4th for her Ethiopian adoption. The week before her adoption her little body started to have problems with circulation, and our baby angel went to be with our Saviour! We grieved deeply over the loss of our little angel girl- our Hannah Grace. Telling our 6 children that their baby sister had died was the hardest thing we have ever had to do. On the other hand we prayed for a complete healing...which took place that day! Now her brothers and sisters talk about how they are happy that when they get to go to heaven they will get to meet their baby sister.

All God's Children was the best through everything! They prayed with us, cried with us, and supported us. We couldn't have asked for more!!!! Almaz's e-mail about our precious daughter just makes me cry everytime because you can sense that she must be an angel herself...after meeting her- I know it's true!!

Then we were matched up with our precious Jonathan (almost 2) on August 14th, 2008. He had the best "cheeky" face ever and we knew he belonged in our arms. After waiting for the courts closure in Ethiopia for a month and a half, and then for the "system" to make some slight changes.... we got the call on December 9th saying that our 3rd court date had finally gone through (December 4th). We were flying on December 26th to pick up our son!!!!!

So we started our new year with 7 beautiful children! So when people ask us- are these kids all yours? Our answer is an emphatic - YES!!!! We have gone through a lot of emotions, heartache, paperwork, social workers, extreme pride, hard curt dates, love, joy, and sooo much more. They were each born in our hearts with the seeds of love planted by God Himself. We will gladly have as many children as God calls us to. Our obedience so far has lead us to a home full of joy, craziness, fun, crying, loving, pinching, pulling, diapers, and so much fullness we could not even conceive it all.