Well, LOTS has happened
since the blog went quiet! Ha! Tanner is obviously older…started Kinder this
year…and we added a sweet, spunky daughter to our family-Hadley! But the big
announcement and main reason for resurrecting the blog is that we’re adopting!
Part of me can’t even
believe I’m typing those words and that it’s really happening…but it is! We
have officially started the process and been accepted by an agency to adopt a
little boy from Ukraine.
For me adoption is something
I’ve wanted to do since 8th grade when my family lived in Ukraine.
Living there and then going back to both Ukraine and Russia to work in
orphanages has always stuck with me, and I’ve known I’ve wanted to adopt…and my
heart’s desire was to do it from Ukraine or Russia. It was a topic Lance and I discussed
early on in our relationship and has been something we’ve revisited often.
Since those early
conversations, lots of changes have happened on the adoption front-ups and
downs. Late last year, we decided we wanted to add to our family through
adoption, but were kind of stuck as to what that was supposed to look like and
where we would end up. We thought for the longest time, we’d adopt from Russia,
but Russia is closed, and Ukraine had changed its laws so we thought that was
off the table too.
We contacted several
different agencies and even considered different countries, but ultimately found
Grace International Adoption Agency and are excited to be starting our journey
to add a little Ukrainian to our family!
Tanner is beyond excited.
Lance mentioned the possibility to him in passing and it stuck! He immediately
came downstairs and told me we were going to “get a kid from another country!”
He’s got his own list of names going for his brother and has started announcing
to anyone who comes over “We’re adopting a kid!”
Hadley isn’t quite sure what
all is going on, but when you ask her if she wants to be a big sister, she’s
game for that!
Big brother pointing out Ukraine to lil sis
We’re excited (and a little
nervous if I’m honest) about the adventure we’re embarking on! Should be quite
stretching for this control-freak! Ha! Or maybe just a good, hard exercise on
trusting God because it’s completely out of our control! But he’s taken care of
us this far…even when I’ve wondered what in the world he was up to or accused
him of putting me in the wrong family (back in 8th grade when moving
to the Ukraine was the worst idea I had ever heard of). He’s proven Himself
faithful over and over and over-in small things and big-and He is good.
Can’t wait for this journey
and really can’t wait to introduce you to Bailey kiddo #3!
