WOW!

I am overwhelmed by the response from all my friends over our news!  God is so good, but I want to tell you what is on my heart right now!!  This is not about US, this is only about what God is going to do, and He is merely using us to do it.  I'm going to be honest and real here, it is so easy to get caught up in the "look what WE are doing" mindset, and I never want us to forget that God gets all the glory!
I am so encouraged by so many of my friends whose hearts have been stirred by our announcement.  I have had many friends email me, or talk to me and say, God touched my heart through this email.  I pray, with all my heart, that those friends and acquaintances whom feel that stirring of :  "is this something God wants for us?", will fervently pray about it and step out in faith if God calls them to! 
For we walk by FAITH, not by SIGHT.  II Cor. 5:7
I am not saying all people are called to adopt, God may call you to do other things for His kingdom, but I do know that if the Lord touches and stirs your heart to seriously think about adoption, He is working!  I know this, because to care for the orphan is right in line with what God cares about.  Your heart is seeking what His heart seeks.   The Lord watches over the strangers.  He relieves the FATHERLESS and widows (Psalm 146:9)
Timing is different for everyone, but let me give you a statistic I found:
60 % of people THINK about adoption at some point in their life and less than 6% actually pursue adoption.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss the opportunities God has for me on this side of eternity!

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement and support and please keep me in check if this ever becomes more about me, than about the amazing God we serve!

Now for some updates because I do love my other children with all my heart!  ha! 
I will share a few pictures of happenings lately.
Well, we found a turtle, in our backyard.  Not some little thing, a big turtle!  We kept him in a box for about 2 hours as our pet, named him Bob, and then, with great pain and reluctance, my kids released him back into his habitat.  I for one, was happy to see Bob swim away! 

Wills had his first baseball game and that boy just loves it!  Wait....I mean he loves the dug out and hanging with friends and socializing, and laughing!  Every now a then, he has to go out on the field and catch a ball or go up to bat, but then he is right back in that dug out hanging with his team.  Go Pirates!!

Owen had his birthday...boy did that drag on.  It was like the never ending celebration!  He is finally REALLY 6, and now, is actually telling the truth when people ask him how old he is.  Please look at his hair. I need to take him to get a hair cut, ummm LIKE NOW!

Finally, we had some fun in the rain!  It poured last Saturday and my kids had a ball.  Matt and I were so tired last Saturday, that we just let them go wild.  It was so cute to watch, but not so cute to put in the bath.  They were pretty muddy!