Lots of fun!

I know you are dying to know about the visit....it went really well! He was shy at first, but he started talking more and joking around as the day went on. The kids just loved him to pieces! He is very gentle and mild, and so sweet. He and Bailey really got along great, she is smitten by him! We just kept the conversations casual, although Kody kept asking if we were going to keep "M"-and "M" just laughed at it, so I guess he was ok with it. We hope to have another visit this coming weekend-the kids can not stop talking about him! This is a picture Kody took-so you can sort of see just how tall he is next to me(I'm itching my nose or something) and he's leaning over, too!

He is such a sweet, polite guy and we feel so blessed that we get to know him. We just can not believe he hasn't been adopted yet! Bailey said "because God wanted us to have him!", I have to say I think she's right!

We also had our Fall Festival at church, which of course was fun as usual! Candy, games, dunk tank, music, and friends-couldn't ask for more! The boys were Star Wars themed, and the girls were Cleopatra and Taylor Swift.

We can't wait to spend time with our new guy soon-I'll update you!

2 days!

Oh my goodness, in 2 days we get to meet M! I cannot even tell you how excited we are! Bailey is not able to sleep because she is so excited thinking about what it will be like (she's just like her mom)! I forgot to tell you that the kids are able to come and besides that, when M's case worker talked to him about the meeting, M told him he didn't even need his caseworker there! So, he is comfortable enough to hang out with just us! Not suprising, as I have been praying that God would give him(and us) peace about each other, but still, it's awesome!

Bailey at her Fall Dance

We will have so much fun this weekend! Besides meeting M on Saturday, we have Kody's Fall Festival at school on Friday.....so cute, and our church Fall Festival/Trunk n' Treat on Sunday! Our kids LOVE Trunk n' Treat, they look forward to it every year! If you have no idea what Trunk n' Treat is, basically church members park at church, set up their trunks and the kids trick or treat to the different trunks. It's great because we get to include families in the neighborhoods surrounding the church and minister to them in a fun way. Our kids love handing out candy and "helping", Bailey is able to volunteer with face painting, games, etc, and she just LOVES it! We haven't gone traditional trick or treating in probably 5 years-we don't like to make a big deal of Halloween, and this is a perfect blend of the "fun" of Halloween in a safer, less worldly way and fellowship and ministry all in one-good stuff!

Other news...our chicken laid her first egg-and two more since then! She has been very vocal lately, we weren't sure if maybe she was missing her sister, who passed away, or just felt like she could voice her opinions now, but apparently she was getting ready to lay! They are cute little pinkish, brownish eggs. Haven't eaten any yet-we aren't big egg eaters, so we might be "gifting" some lovely "organic" eggs soon!

This is just our little diva, Kristyn. She was getting ready for church and she just loves to accessorize.....two headbands, a scarf, and an assortment of necklaces, oh and sparkly shoes! What a cutie! Well I'll let you know how our weekend goes-I must get cleaning and laundry done since it won't get done this weekend!

We finally get to meet him!

Yes, we will get to meet M on Sat. Oct. 29th! A lot of people are saying " Haven't you already met him?". Well yes, I guess we have, but we haven't talked with him, heard his voice, had a conversation, looked into his eyes. That's what I'm excited about! I am very nervous as well, afraid I won't be the type of person he can see as "mom", but even if that's the case, I still want to get to know him and love him. You all probably think I'm nuts, but I already love him-in fact WE already love him. We talk as though he is already part of our family and we assume he always will be. Dangerous maybe-especially knowing that he is leery about adoption, but I am still certain that God has arranged every bit of this process and He has plans for good for all of us. We aren't sure if it will be just Kevin and I meeting him or if the kids are coming too, but I'll let you know. They will be very disappointed if they can't meet him yet, but we don't want to overwhelm him:)
Also on a side note, we are going through some junk right now at home, so I would so love to have your prayers for our family. The enemy loves to attack where we are weak, so I just need to remember to be strong in the Lord. I know He's got my back!
Do you guys love this weather or what? Fall is my favorite season so it's nice that it feels like Fall now! Speaking of Fall.....Bailey has her first dance tonight-the Middle School Fall dance! She will love hanging out with her friends and getting down! She loves the fact that she is getting old enough to do things like this, but she still loves being with us too....she wants me to chaperone the dance! I'll post pics soon-she'll be in cowgirl attire. Yee haw ya'll!

Another crazy week.....

and I'm sorry for not blogging sooner about our disclosure meeting! We've had van issues, tee ball, cross country, various meltdowns, colds, and yes, still dealing with our little friends, the ticks!
But anyways, our meeting was Friday, and it went very well! We were afraid we would find out some deep, dark secret that would make us reconsider this adoption, since, so far this kid seems so great. Well, we found out that................ he IS that great! His family has a history of mental illness, and that's why he had such a rough start in life, but he does have biological family that loves him, that's for sure. He does well in school, has no behavioral issues or medical issues, and he's a great basketball player (at 6'4"-go figure!). Our next step, and the most exciting, is meeting him and getting to know him-yay! We are still starting as "mentors" for him, since he is not so sure about being adopted, but we're hoping he will get to know and love us and see that whether or not we move to "adoption" with him, we will still be here for him and care for him. We're all excited and nervous for this next "phase", but I still am 100% sure that God brought him to us, so whatever happens next is His divine will for us! His birthday is this month, he'll be 16, I hope we get to meet him by then! I'll let you know!