Waiting...

I have been meaning to start this blog since November, but sometimes life intervenes. Just after we'd finished with all the paperwork and were just waiting for the visa to be approved, we had a house fire. it was the night after Thanksgiving and we were back East with family when we got the phone call in the early hours of the morning that our house was on fire. To make a long story short in many ways we have been very lucky. A problem with the floor heater started the fire under the house and it burned in the foundation for about an hour and had just started coming up into the house when the firemen broke in. The firemen went above and beyond to save our belongings and we are so grateful. Although we lost one cat because she hid, a fireman ran out with our other cat with his own mask over her face trying to revive her which he did. There are some wonderful brave men in this world, and thank goodness so many of them showed up at our house that night. The outside structure of the house looked good except for the roof. Two rounds of demolition later the burned foundation has been replaced, we have new wiring, new plumbing, new roof, will have new floors, walls, kitchen, bathrooms etc. etc. It will all be better than ever when it's done! JUST IN TIME TO SELL!!!! Yup, before the fire we were just about done doing those odds and ends to put the house on the market in the Spring to be able to buy a larger house for when we bring home the babies. That's still our plan, now the house will be even better than ever for the next owner! So when Gladney says find something to do while on the waiting list, we have! Building a house, moving back in, selling it, finding a new house, moving again, fixing up whatever we need to, then we hopefully will time it well to get our referral. Perhaps a vacation in there?
It has been nice as things settle down a little to look forward to the next year and the upcoming adoption. Our 11 year old is so excited. She has been asking for siblings since she was 5, and wants to know often why it can't just happen now! I am so happy about her enthusiasm. She is a lovely, kind, bright, caring person and will be a wonderful sister and role model. I am so happy for her that she will have the opportunity to be an older sister, and how lucky for the babies to have her in their lives. Sometimes people have commented how lucky these children are to be adopted which is kind, for John and I though we feel profoundly fortunate and blessed to have these children be part of our family and our lives. A family will have had the courage and faith to put their children up for adoption and will entrust us to raise them. Being a parent that is so humbling.