Adoption and our Finalization!

     Well, I can hardly believe this day has come and gone.  February 3, 2014 we finalized our adoption to Ezra!  Those 6 months flew by and this little boy is officially ours!!

      When God put us on this journey, I was shocked!  It was one of those things like homeschooling was for me.  Are you sure Lord?  Is this really what you want?  Or is my heart just grieving for my daughter and other babies of mine that I am longing to hold again in my arms?  He made sure that we were aware that this was the journey for us.  We met opposition from close friends and from people we really didn't even know.  People questioned why we were doing this.  I wish I would have made clear to them that this was God's path, not ours, and only He knows why.  Alas, I just kept to myself about this.  This was a journey that our family dealt with mostly on our own.  From a fundraiser, to the paperwork, to the tears from waiting.  It was a very quiet journey on the outside, but on the inside I felt like I was falling apart.  Praise be to God for making  me stronger every step of the way!  I learned that my hope, peace, and love came from the Lord during this time.  His provisions are sufficient!  God was working in my heart and in my life every minute of every day.  His grace truly is sufficient!  I have been living in His grace for quite awhile now.  I walk in it daily!  Thank you God!!
     One thing that I have learned is adoption to me has been a life changing process that so rocked my world!  I almost don't even recognize myself anymore.  It has beautifully grown not just our family, but my heart, joy, and dreams.  It has been a beautiful, frustrating, heart-breaking, and miraculous journey.
     God chose us for this journey.  God chose us to have a son who is now 6 years old, lose a daughter that would have been 4 on the 19th of this month had she lived, and lose 2 more babies in May and December the following year.  God also chose us to adopt this beautiful little boy.

     He chose us!!!!  Despite what others thought, despite what we thought, He chose us to be the parents of this miracle child.  You see, God puts families together through physical birth and through adoption.  From the beginning of time, we were all ordained and thought of.  God knew all along that we would add to our family through adoption!  Sends goose bumps just thinking about that!  All those tears that I shed, were so worth it!  Every crack that has been formed in my heart, has drawn me closer to God.

     Some pictures of our big day!!

Patiently waiting!!

God sure has blessed me with 2 handsome young boys!!

The door to the courtroom!

Big brother getting the okay to bang the gavel making it official!!

I love this family!

Chocolate pudding for a celebratory meal!

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.  James 1:27

Not everyone is called to adoption.  Everyone is called to take care of the fatherless though.  I am truly blessed that God chose our family and that we were obedient in His calling.  I look forward to the coming years as He continues to work on our family and in making us closer to His image.

Blessings!!

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