Patience pays out once again!

Oh Lord - you are so amazing and know all things! What we have done to be worthy of these blessings is beyond me, but we are so thankful to have them!

As we were on our way to dinner at Mercado Juarez last night, we got a call from CPS. They told us about a 3 year old little girl who was removed from her home last night and needed a foster home. She was removed for physical abuse by her father and the mother was not being protective. Patrick and I said a quick prayer and called CPS back. We decided to take her in to our home. We have made it a full 24 hours (and Alex's 2 year old birthday party!) and so far so good.

This is a different placement than the one with Gabe and Alex. G & A were already in foster care before they were placed in our home. This young one was not already in foster care. She was removed the same day she was placed with us. This means that while we are "experienced" we are still entering a whole new realm of things here that we have not ever experienced before. First, we don't know anything about children dealing with physical abuse. Second, we have yet to see how things play out in the "process" from the very beginning. Third, she is a girl! While we are both relatively ok with the basics, who knows how this little one will be in comparison to our boys. It is all a bit exciting and scary at the same time! :)

We will likely not know much of anything for the next 14 days. That is when the courts have the official hearing to determine if this little one will stay in state custody or be returned to her family. Of course, reunification is always the goal, but you never know how long that might take to happen. So it could be we have her for the next 14 days and that is it, or it could be we have her for much longer. We shall see!

In the mean time, we appreciate your continued prayers, not just for us, but for this little one and her family. I can't imagine being resilient enough as a child or a parent to "bounce back" from something like this quickly. I pray that God's will be done in this situation and that all involved can find strength and peach to follow His path.

We will update as we know more, though as last time, we can only provide so many details - to protect our little ones but also because we will likely not know much anyways. :)

Ahhh....the Waiting Game

Well, it's been a month and we still have not had any additional placements. This time around, though I am feeling anxious and a bit impatient, I am finding it easier to just sit back, relax and really leave this one in God's hands. I don't know if it is because I have learned you just can't rush God's plan (ha! you know me better than that!) or if I am just enjoying what we already have and so I am not noticing the time passing like I did before. Either way it is a much less agitating experience being on the waiting list this time around than last. Who knows if I will be so patient in a couple of months though! :)

In the mean time, we still have lots of projects going on at the house and plenty to keep us busy with the boys. We have our Mommy and Daddy trio to Vegas soon and we were hoping to plan a long weekend trip with the boys - maybe Sea World? With so much going on I pray daily that we are ready for whatever God is willing to give us.

Of course Patrick and I continue to discuss and pray about God's plan for our family. Some days I wish my house was bigger so we could do more of what I know God has called us to do. Other days I am secretly (though I am smart enough to know God sees!) glad that it isn't. There is so much fear of the unknown and while most of you know me as the one who jumps first and then prays for a soft landing while I am still in the air, there are days that I tend to lean more towards Patrick's practical approach to examine all minutia before making a decision to consider moving forward. (we really do make a great team!) So as I tick down the list of "to dos" and prepare and plan and plan some more, I keep my phone close by....just in case that call comes in that could once again change our lives for the better!