Deadline declared!

After fetching the mail today, my oldest daughter came to me and let me know that she had declared a deadline for receiving a baby referral.  What prompted her declaration?  It was the flyer we received from Gymboree.  You see, I've told her all along that we would not purchase Brother Baby's clothes until we received a referral.  Apparently, Gymboree's semi-annual baby sale ends on September 14th and she says we MUST receive our referral before the baby sale ends.  Ah, the power of mass marketing to a 10 year old.  So, my friendly Gladney caseworker, if you're reading this,  September 14th it is!

Sisters

There were many dreams I had as a little girl.  Most of them have either come to pass or I have abandoned them for a more realistic take on life.  For example,  I have come to terms with the fact that I will never be President of the United States- I have even let my mother get rid of the boxes full of childhood mementos I insisted that she save for my presidential museum.  I know now that I will never be an archaeologist.  I no longer sit through every solo wishing God had given me the gift of a beautiful voice like I did through all of my elementary and junior high years.

But, there is one dream that I really wish I could have experienced, and that was having a sister. I have always wanted a sister.  A few months ago, we were sitting in a restaurant and I was facing a table that was obviously two grown sisters and their mother along with their children. They were so affectionate towards one another's children and so obviously happy in their familial bliss that I couldn't help watching them.  Then, they ordered an entree to share and I found myself doing the stupidest thing- I started crying!  My husband looked at me as if I had 7 heads and asked me why in the world I was crying.  My response was, "I always wanted a sister!" followed by a series of reasons why.  He just shook his head like any confused male would as I turned to my daughters and said, "Girls, you are so lucky to have each other- don't you ever forget that!" 

Now, those of you reading this post who have sisters are probably thinking I'm nuts.  I even had a good friend (the youngest of 4 girls) tell me that it's not all it's cracked up to be.  She explained that sisters can be complicated and sometimes they bring more frustration than joy. But let me tell you- her sisters were there when her babies were born, her sisters are faithful to remember her birthday, her sisters are helping her care for her aging parents, and her sisters most certainly "remember when."  

God has blessed me with lots of wonderful girlfriends along the way.  I have friends from the East Coast to the West Coast and on several continents as well.  However, I've had 16 addresses in my 13 years of marriage, and the constancy of a sister through all of those moves would have been welcomed.  Let's face it, you never have to reconnect with a sister- they just are!

But, the bottom line is, I don't have a sister.  I'll never have a sister.  Yet, I take great joy in the fact that I'm raising three sisters.  They consider one another their best friends.  I delight in the fact that they'll have the opportunity to share all their major life events.  They'll have each other's backs when it comes to boys, bridesmaid dresses, babies, and bad days.  It makes me smile when I help settle their disputes and I am careful to remind them that their sister is their friend forever.  

Uninspired

Okay, so it's been a month since I've posted on the blog.  Window day has come and gone, and there's really nothing to say.  I have been waiting for some fabulous post to come my way, and I've given up.  I'm uninspired.  So, I've decided that I will give a quick update on the last month, and that will have to be that!

Obviously, there is NO NEWS on the adoption front.  We are at the any day point in the wait.  We are carrying our cell phones faithfully and checking messages frequently knowing it could be any day.  But, realistically looking at where we are on the unofficial list, we don't think it will happen in the next few weeks.  The referrals seem to be coming very slowly, and so the wait goes on.  We still think and pray about it often, but it often seems so unreal and I have to admit I sometimes get discouraged.  God is faithful to remind me of his goodness and his faithfulness when I am willing to listen.

The summer is coming to a busy end for our family.  This is Ryan's busiest season at work. Being a children's pastor who has to oversee the Sunday School promotion of 600 children  and the recruiting and training of 200+ volunteers can make August and September pretty demanding.  I have a good friend whose husband is an accountant and I often refer to this period at our house as our "tax season."  

His busyness this month has been compounded by the fact that he spent two weeks in Asia teaching English classes.  He had a fabulous time and is excited that he should get to return next year.  Of course, he was enamored by the children and would have brought many of them home if he could have.  He certainly favored the children over the pig ear and liver he ate while in the mountains.

One of the many faces that captivated Ryan

Ryan eating some swine part with one of his students

One of Ryan's biggest thrills was being in Beijing on the day of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics.  He got to see the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest

The kids and I have started full force back into our school routine.  This year we are studying history from the Medieval Period up to the American Revolution.  Lizzy just wants to know when we're going to get to the castles and princesses.  She's tired of hearing about the Goths and the monasteries.  We meet every Friday with about 15 other families who use the same curriculum and that started back today.  It's such a great way for us to keep working at a good pace and for the kids to have age appropriate activities to reinforce all of our reading and work at home.

I am going to try to post more regularly.  The period we're in right now reminds me of when you're pregnant and you hit those last few weeks when people call to see if anything is happening.  They say things like "Are you feeling ANYTHING?"  or "When's your next doctor's appointment?"  or "How long are they going to let you go before they induce?"  That part was always a chore for me and I feel like this is the same thing except it could go on for months.  It's gonna be okay though.  I know that on the timeline of eternity, these few months are but a blink of the eye and that it will happen in God's perfect timing.  In the mean time, please pray that my heart will remember what my head already knows.