Summer is here!!

We're done with school and the warm weather has arrived - it must be summer!

Our Adoption Family

One of the blessings of adoption is the group of friends we've made in the adoption community. We have several friends at church who have experienced the joy (and frustrations!) of adoption. A couple of Saturdays ago, some of us went to the Build a Bear Workshop to make free bears for orphans around the world and then we let the kids build their own. We had lots of fun making bears (and dogs and cats...) and eating lunch afterwards.We also got to spend time with the family of one of Sarah's China sisters. Anna, Sarah and Lucy had lots of fun playing dress up and being silly. We feel so blessed to have their family so close by so that the girls can stay connected.

checking in

Do you ever feel like you should be doing something but just don't know what it is? Well, I've kind of felt that way with the blog - I should post but dont' really have anything earth shattering to report. Still waiting on our LOA (or RA) which is our Referral Approval - Day 40. We are anywhere from half way to a third of the way through our wait. Trying to get school done with the boys and keeping up with all the normal stuff in the house. Today we get to sit in line for Anna's dance recital tickets. Five loads of laundry, carpets being cleaned, a trip to the grocery store with 4 kids...a normal day at the Weikel house :)

Perspective

I find that I've learned more about my Heavenly Father and my own childish tendencies from being a parent than any other experience. He nailed me again the other night with another "kid truth". I was attempting to put the girls to bed (yes, that is the proper verb to be used...) and the girls were begging me to let them go to sleep together in Anna's bed. Now before I sound like a complete ogre, let me tell you a little bit about Ms. Sarah and bedtime - it isn't always pretty. Once asleep, it is like waking the dead. But to get her to that point is often a painful experience. So, knowing that she would most certainly keep her sister awake, I answered no. Anna, her ever diplomatic self, said, "I'll give you a dollar!". I smiled and bit my tongue from responding,"Honey, I don't need your dollar". Instead I reminded her that mommy could not be bribed (at least not that night and never for anything less than some high quality chocolate) and that Sarah was definitely going to her own bed. But nano seconds later, God hit me with the reality - I can often be like my Anna. If God will just give me what I think I need or want, I promise to give Him XYZ. And I'm sure He just bites His tongue thinking, "Child, I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I created the universe. I know every hair on your head (even the gray ones). I cannot be bribed. I love you too much.

Technical Difficulties

Thanks Jennifer for letting me know about the pictures. They were there this afternoon and had disappeared by this evening. I've edited the post and put them back in. Hopefully they'll stay in their place this time!

Spring Has Sprung-Finally!

After a cool spring, we've finally had several nice days to get out and have fun. We enjoyed the park last week during one of our homeschool group's picnics :)

We also had our annual Mother/Daughter Banquet Saturday. The men always do the food and serving (Ken is usually in charge). This year my boys were old enough to help and they seemed to have as much fun as the girls :) Mom, me and the girls...

The Blessing of Bugs?

We received more information about Caleb and his SWI. The reason the visiting mom didn't have pictures of any of the kids under 2 was that all the children that age have been moved to foster care because of a "bug issue" and will stay there until the new dormitory is completed. Of course we have no idea when that is so it is possible that Caleb will be in foster care now until we are able to go get him. At first I was not all that happy about my little guy enduring yet another transition just months before his biggest transition ever. But God reminded me that He is the Creator of the Universe, the Protector of the Weak and that He loves my son more than I do - He has it all taken care of. So, I'm trusting Him in this one. I'll never really know the details in this move and that is one of the hard parts of adopting. I want to be there, to be the one holding him and taking care of him. But, I wait and trust God that when we are all ready, He'll bring us all together at just the right time. Until then, I'll just have to keep those mama bear instincts in check.