{2.5}

(This was supposed to be posted yesterday but our internet was down)

Two and a half.

Today my baby is two and a half years old.

At what point do I stop calling him my baby?

Maybe never?!?! :)

This little man is such a joy to me.

I may be a little biased,

but I think he is one fabulous kid!

Unless he's sick, he's pretty much always happy.

Even when he's tired, he doesn't really get cranky.

He just gets more giggly!

And he has the best laugh ever.

He is a thinker,

he has a great memory,

he loves puzzles,

recognizes all the letters of the alphabet

and can tell you the sound most letters make.

He can say 7 or 8 word sentences

and knows way too many phrases

about trains

like, "couple them up"

and "elephant is in the freight car".

He loves to sing

and his most recent favorite song

is "The Muffin Man"

which I think is kind of a weird song to love!

But for him, I'll sing it a thousand times!

It is worth it to see that smile!

Every day I wake up and think

how blessed I am to get to spend the day

with such a precious little boy.

Two and a half.

Such a big boy,

but still my baby.

So I Think I'll Just Start Writing

I've been away for a few days as our internet was out all weekend, and now that I'm back I'm not really sure what to write. So I think I'll just start typing and see what happens :)

It seems that the theme of my life right now is "Things Not Going How I Expect". I looked forward to the long weekend, we made plans with friends for Monday expecting Brad to be off, and I thought we'd have a good old time as a family. Sunday afternoon rolled around and storms blew through the area, and it wasn't long before Brad's phone started ringing. He works for a power company, and when the power is out because of downed trees, he gets to go into work. Obviously I understand this and it's part of his job, but lately it seems to be happening at the most frustrating of times. He ended up being at work overnight on Sunday, came home for a few hours to sleep on Monday, and then he was gone again last night. It's been pretty lonely around here, so I was thankful to spend part of the day with some dear friends. We went to a Memorial Day Parade, which was very hot but lots of fun. Matthew just loved the marching bands, especially the drums and the tuba players (he loves the tuba because Larry the Cucumber plays one on the intro song to Veggie Tales!).


I think Matthew is finally over his most recent sickness and I kind of feel like if he gets sick again anytime soon I am going to scream. None of the sicknesses he's had this winter have been anything serious but it has just been one thing after the other since February. Enough already! I was hoping to get a little sleep before Nathan comes but that hasn't been working out so well.

Speaking of Nathan...he is coming two weeks from today!

My eyes just got really big typing that.

I can't really describe how I'm feeling at the moment. It feels very surreal. His visa was issued on Friday so now all of his paperwork is done. He is ready to come home to us. When I called and got that news on Friday, I sobbed like a baby. You'd think they would be tears of happiness, but actually I felt so overwhelmingly sad that we were not going to be going to Korea. I would probably be getting my travel call to go and get him this week if we were able to travel. I know I need to let go of this, but I am really so disappointed about it.

I feel a bit guilty that this post is kind of a downer, but this week has just been difficult and that's the truth of it.

The blessing in all of these challenges is that God has been so near. The hard days give me an opportunity to see God more clearly and to teach Matthew what it means to trust in Him. Last night I felt desperate for Matthew to go to sleep. The night before he had been up no less than 6 times and was up for the day around 4am. I felt like I might lose it if I couldn't get some sleep. So I told Matthew we were going to pray and ask God to help him sleep. We did pray, and I prayed again before bed. When I woke up this morning I found out that God had heard the prayer of this frazzled mama and had helped us to get a full night's rest. It may sound like a small thing, but I am so thankful that God cares about even these kinds of details! He has been teaching me so much about depending on Him day by day, and I know He will continue to help us as we embark on this new adventure of having TWO LITTLE BOYS!

Overall, I guess I feel like I'm on the edge of a cliff about to fall into the pit of overwhelmedness (that has to be a word, right?) at any given moment, but the Lord is ever faithful and is keeping me safe and at peace in knowing He is in control and He is taking care of me.

A Little Taste of How Giddy We Are Around Here

And no, I will not be revealing what I was doing to get him laughing like this. It is just too silly!

Ready For Some Good News? Drum Roll Please...

Our precious son, Nathan

is coming home!!!!

On Tuesday, June 14th

we will fly to Denver

to meet him

and bring him home!

Less than three weeks

until I hold my baby boy at last.

To say we are praising the Lord

for all He has done would be an

UNDERSTATEMENT!

He has answered prayers,

He has moved mountains,

He has shown Himself once again

to be faithful and loving and kind

and we just thank Him!

"I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify Your name forever."

Psalm 86:12

Preparations

The days are flying by, with each day bringing us closer and closer to becoming a family of four. While Matthew and I are definitely enjoying these beautiful spring days, I have been busy busy busy getting everything ready for Nathan's arrival. Let me tell you, it is so much fun!

The boys' room is coming along, and today I finished some picture frames that are just waiting for the cute pictures I am going to take once Nathan is home!

We really don't know how sleep will go when Nathan comes home (or if it will go at all!) so we have put up the crib knowing that we may have to make adjustments if that isn't working well. His foster mother said he was a "very good sleeper" but of course being taken from everything he knows could definitely impact that. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Here is Matthew's corner of the room:

And speaking of Matthew, of course the post isn't complete without a picture of my little guy (who isn't looking so little these days!).

Even more than preparing our house, we are preparing our hearts for Nathan's arrival. As we pray for him every night, I am so keenly aware of the loss he is about to face. It is hard to know that our joy comes out of so much loss. Nathan has lost his birthmother, and is soon to lose his foster mother, his culture, everything he knows and all that is familiar. While it is true that he is very young and will not remember this part of his life, these are still huge losses that will be part of him for all of his life. I pray so often for my precious child, that he will not be afraid, that he will very quickly feel safe and secure with us, that our family will be bonded together in a way that amazes even us.

The day is coming...

Monday Smiles