Looking Back...

I was reading in one of my old journal notebooks today and came across an entry marked 2-12-10. In it I talked about the kids being home from school again (in our school district it seems like the kids are off all the time...), how Madalyn was doing (she was still working on sitting up on her own), and how grouchy and frustrated I had been feeling. And I wasn't sure why. We were still foster parents at the time and I had been wanting another placement, specifically, a couple little girls. We hadn't had a placement in over 5 months and the placements we'd had were just not quite right for us. I had been really spending a lot of time on the Reece's Rainbow website dreaming of and falling in love with some sweet little faces. Here is a quote from part of my journal entry:

"It just seems like the things I want are just out of reach always. I would like to adopt the little ones in Eastern Europe, but it just doesn't seem possible. Besides the fact that you have to fly over there...and that would stress me out badly, but Mark isn't totally convinced to do it and it's a lot of work, money, etc. But it would be so worth it I know! I pray God will show us the way and bring Mark to it if it is His will and show us something different if we need to do something else. I know in my heart we are supposed to be doing something and we would really like another little girl with DS to grow up with Madalyn."


I would never have imagined on that day, one year ago, that I would be sitting here blogging about it, with my 2 new daughters sleeping in their beds down the hall. God was whispering to me, telling me about it, but I just didn't know it yet. It may not be that meaningful to all of you, but it is just amazing to me! How God is at work in our life and we don't even know it! And now looking back on the last 2 years of our life, it is so neat to see the pieces and how they have fallen into place. I could even talk about what was happening 2 years ago today (Feb 09). And how I was pregnant with Madalyn and how I knew something wasn't quite right with how I was feeling and it would be a month later that we would find out our baby girl had Down syndrome. I never dreamed 2 years ago today that we would have 1 little girl with Down syndrome, let alone 3! (But that is another post...)

It was on Valentine's day last year that I read Meredith Cornish's post about the first 2 little ones they adopted from EE to my husband, and I couldn't even get through a sentence without breaking down in tears. And I believe that God used that post (please read it!) to move in my husband's heart as well. (Thanks Meredith for that post! You never know who is gonna read it and be inspired! :) And we were privileged as well while we were in EE adopting the girls to get to meet Meredith in person!) Pretty cool!

Anyway, it was after that that things really started moving and within about a month we had committed to adopt Anna and Victoria. I am so happy and thankful to Him that even through our fear, we were willing (and able) to follow His call to adopt these 2 little girls. Looking back now it seems so easy, but it was NOT at the time. I was very afraid and sometimes doubted that we would ever be able to complete the adoption. As a matter of fact, I wasn't totally convinced until I was actually in the girls' country and saw them for myself!

It is also awesome that here in our little southwestern Colorado community, so many people now know about these precious orphans with special needs and about Reece's Rainbow! We are so thankful for what God has done in our lives and that he brought a beautiful baby girl with Down syndrome into our life so that He could show us two more!

And I'm thinking that there is another reason for all this and that someone else around here is gonna adopt a little Reece's Rainbow angel... or two. :)) Just saying.