Homecoming

OK So we have actually been home 3 weeks now and I think I kinda forgot about blogging... guess I have had my hands full or something.... If we are FB friends you would see that I have been updating new pics and info on there but I just kept forgetting to make time to blog....
I arrived home with our sweet little boy Friday October 26th. Josh and I left September 16th and he came home after 2 weeks. My time in Uganda was amazing, hard, long, and too short.... I hope to write more about that time soon. There feels like way too much to update tonight but here are the pics of when we came home and our family and friends met us at the airport. 

Introducing....

We are thrilled to introduce our newest addition...
Levi

A Room For Levi

I am not able to post much right now so I wanted to share some photos of our little guys room that I took on my phone before we left. Josh had the vision and did a lot of it and I helped. :) I think it turned out really great and was fun to do. Something he can grow into that's not really babyish. Hoping he will like it and like his crib. I think he will really like rocking chair. 

Josh painted the Canvas's

We made the mobile from little stuffed animals from UG 

Can't wait to rock our boy to sleep :)

These were Josh's when he was young, made by his Grandma C

Teddy from Daddy (all the kids have one) 

Josh painted this, he made a stencil. 

2 Years Old

My littlest girl turned 2 today and we are so so blessed. We are thankful first for just being here to celebrate with her since we leave in just a few days! We had a party for her last weekend and then today made it special for her and focused on her big day! 

 Zoë Hosanna. You are a beautiful and sweet little girl with the most precious blonde curls and blue eyes. You love horses, pillow fights, playing at the park, wrestling with your sister, watching movies, climbing and snuggling. You have such a sweet personality and love to laugh. We are so blessed to have you in our family and pray that God does mighty things in your life and that you love Him with all your heart. 

She was So excited for her present! 

Loves loves horses

I love this girl. 

Surprise

This morning I set out early to run a few errands and then go to our church and help set up for a father daughter tea that my friend Heather asked me a few weeks ago if I could help her set up. As I was driving there I was thinking... wow I am crazy, I should be home packing or something ;) I texted her and told her I was there and she told me to come in since she was already there. Well turns out I wasn't really there to set up for a tea party.... I was seriously so confused as I walked in and saw a couple dozen of our family and friends shouting "Surprise!" 

My Sister-in-law Bethany had created a wonderful party with some of the cutest decorations and yummiest food {also must be noted, she had her wisdom teeth out like days before this!}. We were blessed with gifts and prayers for our little guy and our upcoming trip. It was such an unexpected surprise that we are so grateful for. Here are a few pictures.... {disclaimer, I am wearing no makeup and it is super obvious I have had numerous late nights lately.... wish I would have known I was going to be photographed before I ran out of the house!} 

My confused entrance

Such cute decorations

And this is so adorable, with notes to Levi

This is hanging in my house now ;)

My sister-in-law Beth and I, she did an amazing job

Heather and I

My mom, sister and I

Josh and his brother and friend Josh

 Dani and I 

Josh and his sister

The Steiners

Opening gifts

LOVE this blanket my mom made

Everyone praying for us

Court Date!

We got it! We got it! We got it! A court date!

Yesterday (Labor Day) we were getting ready to go to breakfast with Joshs mom and my phone rang... I didn't recogzize the number since after switching phones a few weeks ago my contacts have been a mess. I decided to answer it and it was totally not what I was expecting. Our agency contact said " I have good news and it's coming up soon!" She said she woke up to an email from our lawyer with our court date and despite the holiday she couldn't wait to tell us! Boy was I glad I answered my phone! Josh could tell something was up from the excited way I was talking and came in to see who I was talking to! I asked her if I could call her back so I could get the girls a snack and some toys to busy them while Josh and I talked over some details on the phone. When I got off I was somewhere between total bliss and "oh. my. goodness. I have SO...  much to do!" We got back on the phone with her and went over what we needed to do and when the best time to book our flights for would be. After getting off the phone we were just in a haze and sent out a mass text/FB post to tell everyone our exciting news!

SO our court date is...... SEPTEMBER 20th! and we leave September 16th! That's only like 12 days away! Feels totally unreal but now we are rushing around getting everything we need in order.  Honestly even though a Sept courtdate was my prayer I was thinking Oct was really more realistic so I had begun talking myself out of it so to say I am happy is a huge understatement!

-Please pray for us as we get stuff together.
-Pray for our girls as we will both be away from them for 2 weeks and I will be be away from them even longer!
-Pray for our fears and worries, pray Josh and I would be bound together as we face stresses.
-Pray for the details- flights, guest house, driver arrangements.
-Pray for our little guys heart as things will be changing for him and he will not understand completely.

And now back to Running around like a chicken with it's head cut off!

Fear

In our Women's Study at church we have been doing a study on Fear. I have heard quoted that the bible speaks on fear over 300 times. I don't know if that is accurate or not since I haven't counted personally but I do know it is a common theme. For me I often mask my fear using other terms to describe how I am feeling.. worried, stressed, concerned, anxious, overwhelmed,... but really it's all the same. I am fearing something or someone. This study is perfect for the season I am in right now because it is VERY easy for me to be feeling fear on a    daily basis. Some of my top fears are in some way revolved around our adoption and plans associated with it. 

I fear leaving my daughters and husband for 6-8 weeks.

I fear being in a foreign country alone without my husband.

I fear not being able to handle all the responsibility of handling money, legal stuff, court stuff, paying our driver, and traveling home on my own. 

I fear something happening out of "my control" and everything falling apart. 

I fear Levi getting sicker or something happening to him before we get him home. 

and then I even fear ridiculous things like packing for Levi and everything I bring being too small or too big or him not liking the formula I bring, or the bottles, or the baby food, or snacks. Or not getting every little thing done around the house I *think* I need to. 

Some of these things are legitimate concerns on some level but lets just get down to it... I can not control any of it and me worrying about it just shows my lack of faith. I know in my head that the Lord already has each step laid before me.  The word is clear I can REST knowing He guides me BUT how often do my actions and motives fail to reflect that?  

Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. Psalm 27:3

Lately I have felt like an Army has been rising against us. So many things feel crazy right now. We have some big trials that have been added to the regular old adoption stuff and it just feels like the "odds" are against us. BUT...


I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

OK so I can't say I am totally there yet (freed from all my fears) but I can rest knowing God is my stronghold, He knows the future and is working in my heart and life to sanctify me and move me closer to that place.