It Is Travel Time!

Thank you to everyone who has helped us get to this point! I have been in awe over the last couple weeks at the way everything has come together. Thank you. It has been amazing. We are getting ready to do some incredible, super fun, super hard work. You have all helped us to be able to do it. You have given these kids a chance for a new life. You have given us the chance to love them. Thank you!

My husband is now officially on his way to meet the kids! We are all so, so excited. This will be his first trip to get referrals and meet all of the children. He will be coming home after that until court. It should be a whirlwind to travel back and forth all over the country and head back home as quickly as possible.

Side note: Yes, my husband is traveling alone for most of this adoption. This isn't something every family can do for this country, but some families qualify to adopt as married individuals. It adds a bit of extra paperwork and expense at the end, but it is the best option for some families like ours. You do need a reason to adopt as a married individual. Families who have kids with special needs at home already can qualify. Families where only one parent meets the guideline of being at least 15 years older than the child also qualify.

As we have signed documents and packed bags, we have also prepared our kids here at home for what will be happening over the coming weeks. The more we talk, the more it is obvious to me how crucial adoption is. Kids belong in families.

We talk about how we did this whole process just a few years ago to bring them home. We talk about the children we hope to bring home to our family. My kids ask hard questions, and I try my best to explain truthfully at their developmental level. I have held my great, big boys as they cry in my arms about their waiting friends. I have watched their faces fall in disappointment when they ask about friends who still don't have families. I have listened to them talk about being scared when they were transferred to new orphanages, and how their friends were scared too.

This life we have chosen is not always easy. Sometimes it is very, very hard. Our lives are messier in a lot of ways. That is okay. Messy lives sound like a decent trade off for kids to have a chance to have lives of their own. These kids are worth that much, and more. Plus, most of the time our lives are pretty spectacular. I am surrounded by the most fascinating, strong, gentle, loving, caring, silly and sweet group of kids I could ever imagine. And they are mine! How unbelievable is that!

This is an amazing, hard, incredible journey. We need more families, and fewer kids waiting in orphanages. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and allowed us to make this happen. You are playing a huge, awesome role in this story with your support. Thank you!