2 Hours on the Phone and $8,000 On Credit Card and....

We are leaving for India THIS Thursday!!  Ah!  Please send lots of prayers our way.  These next few days of preparation will be totally nuts for us!

 

 

P.S.  I'm holding my itinerary confirmation like that to cover up the reservation numbers and such ;)
 

Too Big Not to Share TONIGHT

I just got word that D's passport should be picked up today in India.  

What does that mean?


WE ARE GOING TO INDIA!!


Our tentative date is to leave December 31st.  I'll keep everyone posted as we get more details.  Please keep us in your prayers!

Getting Settled In

Well, it's official.  We are in Tucson.  On Friday David drove in to Phoenix from Tucson and went to a concert with friends. Saturday we loaded up the rest of the things we needed, packed my dad's trailer full of the girl's therapy equipment and other larger items, and drove to Tucson again; this time to stay.  My parents came as well to drive the trailer, help us unpack our cars, and help us get a little more settled, which was very helpful.

Saturday was a hard day for me emotionally.  This has been the hardest and most challenging year that David and I have faced since getting married 12 years ago.  David has really struggled at work, our adoption has had so many delays, we had family members that we loved that passed away, there were seizures and shunt surgery, there was the stress of trying to prepare the house to sell, keep it spotless, and wait as it's on the market, we lived separate for a few months, there was financial stress, struggles with Ramya, and so much more.  I tend to just keep on pushing through life without stopping to let myself process everything, and I think it all hit on Saturday.  Suddenly things felt so final and that year of struggle finally sunk in. After lots of tears, a few phone calls with friends that understand and had words of comfort and wisdom for me, and lots of prayers, I came to a place of acceptance and peace.  Though I still do not love Tucson and I am saddened to move away from friends and family, I know that Tucson is where we are supposed to be.  Although I cannot change that fact, I can change my attitude about the move.  I am looking forward to seeing how God uses our time in Tucson and what these next few years bring for our family.   

 Our house has still not sold but we do have a few families interested.  We received an offer (long story there!) and countered the offer as it was very low, but still have not heard back.  There were two other families that loved our house and were considering putting in an offer as well, but both have to sell their houses before they can buy.  For now, we wait and keep praying it sells before we bring Deena home.  One thing I do not miss is having to keep it constantly spotless!

So far we do not have any updates on when we can travel to India to bring Deena home.  We were told they would apply for her passport on December 4th.  Normally passport wait times are about 4 weeks.  If that's the case, we should be traveling in the beginning of January.  We are praying there are no more delays and we are able to have her home VERY soon!  Her birthday is January 10th and I would love to be able to celebrate with her.

I think that's all for now!  A big "thank you" to everyone who prayed for our move.  We are getting all settled in and have already had a few fun outings.  Please continue to pray for our house to sell in Phoenix before Deena comes home.  Also be praying for safe travels to and from India, no seizures for Madi while I'm gone, and a smooth adjustment period for us all. 



 

An Adoption and Life Update

First off I would like to apologize for being so quiet recently.  I have no excuse other than to say that we are dealing with a lot of hard "stuff" right now and by the time the day is over, I'm just plain tired!  Don't get me wrong, we have had so many moments of laughter and joy, and we are still so beyond crazy blessed, but it seems like life just keeps throwing us new curve balls.  Our amazing kids always keep us smiling though!

 

The last few months David has been in Tucson while I have been in Phoenix at our house with the kids.  We see each other on the weekends and Facetime often, but we don't love being separated.  We both have our routines, though, and things are going pretty smoothly, so I am thankful for that.  Madi did have a seizure a few weeks back when we were in Phoenix and David wasn't with us.  Thankfully my parents were able to get here quickly to stay with Conner and Ramya so that I didn't have to leave Madi's side.  We were in the ER until 3 am but thankfully her shunt and everything is working great! 

We are still trying to sell our house, so the kids and I have to keep it super clean and show-ready at all times.  We spend most of our days homeschooling at my parents house, in therapy, or out with friends, which helps keep it clean.  It's also been nice to see friends and family so much since we will be moving soon.  The kids are loving that part!  We are blessed with so many people we love, and we will miss these moments for sure!

 

We are praying for buyers soon so that we can sell the house by the time Deena comes home.  We are trying really hard not to feel discouraged because we are still within the average sale times in our neighborhood.  We are just both struggling because we put a lot of time and money in to making it look move-in-ready and felt like it would sell quickly.  We both have peace, though, knowing God has the perfect buyers out there and that they will come along at the perfect time.  Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of it OFTEN, but we do truly believe it.  My prayer always has been, and still is, that it will sell before Deena comes home.  We would love if you would join us in praying for that!

David was doing really well at work and getting his groove back and then he had this really crazy circumstance that totally knocked him back down.  We are worried about finances, especially having both a mortgage and a rent right now and with how much it will cost for us to bring Deena home from India, so I know he's feeling a lot of extra stress at the moment.  We ended up owing quite a bit more to state taxes than we planned on and haven't gotten our federal tax refund yet so we are just kind of scraping by until our house sells.  I know he is feeling defeated.  Please be praying for David and for peace that surpasses all understanding.  I fully believe he will get back on his feet; there's no doubt in my mind.  We are both working on trusting God during these trials and are praying that God uses our circumstances to strengthen who we are in Him.  We both feel at peace, even though we are feeling extra stress, and we are thankful for that. 

We were expecting to be in India (*we* as in myself, Conner, and my friend Kariann) this week or next to bring Deena home.  Our written court orders were received about 3 weeks ago and all that was left was passport, which takes about 2-4 weeks normally.  We just found out yesterday, though, that her passport hasn't been applied for yet.  They go on December 4th to apply, and then we have about a 2-4 week wait after that.  At this point it's not looking like she will be home for Christmas, which we are sad about.  We also found out that they did surgery last week to remove a rod from her thigh bone.  The doctor didn't feel like she needed it any more.  I think this is what I'm grieving the most over.  We were granted a full and final adoption, so legally she is now ours, but they did not tell us they were going to do this.  I'm worried she will get home and then need it put back in and she will have gone through all that for nothing.  But, most of all, I'm saddened that I could not be there to hold her hand and hug her through the pain.  I'm her momma and I can't advocate for her yet, and that is a really terrible feeling.  I cannot wait until she is home and I can be there for her.  She will never be alone again!  We did get her carseat and bed in (though she will sleep in our room for quite a while), so that was a lot of fun.  It was nice feeling like we were able to prepare for her and celebrate her a bit.  Even Hope thinks her new bed is super comfortable!

 

We have two more weeks of homeschool co-op and then we will officially join David in Tucson after that.  We have already said "good-bye" to our Church family, which was hard for us as we are very connected there and love our community so much.  We had our last attachment therapy session as well.  It looks like next week will be our last week for speech, occupational, and physical therapy in Phoenix too.  After returning home from India I will find new therapists in Tucson for the girls.  I would like to take a month off, though, when Deena comes home so that we can focus on our family for a while.  I will, of course, continue all of their therapy goals myself in the meantime.  I have always believed the biggest strides aren't necessarily made in therapy, though I think therapy is really important, but instead by practicing therapy goals throughout the week. 

Here we are "wrapping Ramya in our love" on our last day of attachment therapy...

 

I think that about sums up life for now!  Thank you all for following our journey and praying for our family.  Thank you to those of you who have come over to help me pack, have messaged me to check in on me, or have had us over to visit.  We love each and every one of you and appreciate you so much!  Please continue to pray for Deena's heart and her transition in to our family.  Her whole life is about to change!  Pray for a safe trip to India to bring her home, safety for David and the girls while they are here and Conner and I are gone, that everyone will remain healthy during and after the trip, and that Madi will not have any seizures while I am away. 

 

Beginning the Next Chapter of Our Lives

This weekend was a big one for us.  We signed a lease on a rental and moved everything out of storage and to our new place.  We still have some furniture and toys at our house in Phoenix, since that is staged to sell, but about 2/3 of our stuff is now settled.

Though I don't love the house and the rent is more than we were prepared to spend, it will work well for our family, and that is what counts.  

 

The kids had a lot of fun rediscovering their toys that were in storage and helping set up our house.  Conner's new room is huge and he is loving all the space.  The girls also go their play house back, which made them very happy!

 

 

 

Our rental house has beautiful mountain views.  I love that we can eat at the table and enjoy the scenery!

 

 

 

For now the kids and I will continue to travel back and forth from Phoenix to Tucson for the time being.  It's not fun but it works. We are staying mostly in Phoenix until 1) I go to India to pick up Deena or 2) This semester of homeschool co-op is over; whichever comes first.   We are trying to get settled in Tucson too, though, which is why we travel back and forth for now.  David is in Tucson most of the time working.  Our house hasn't sold yet (please pray it does before Deena comes home!) so the kids and I have a place to stay here in Phoenix, which is nice. 

 

There has been a lot of craziness between travel plans to bring Deena home, adoption paperwork, passport issues, selling our house, finding a rental, moving, and the rest of life.  I'm so thankful we are starting to get settled and are moving towards being together as a family again.  All that's left is to find a trundle bed for the girls, get Deena a carseat, sell our house, move the rest of our "stuff", and bring Deena HOME.  It's a big list, but I know God's got a plan for it all and find comfort in knowing that. 

 

Tonight I came home to a beautiful, thoughtful letter from an amazing friend who is very gifted at writing.  She sent the perfect reminder at the perfect time, and I am so thankful for the gift of her words.

 

 

 

Please continue to pray our house is in escrow before Deena comes home, for safe/smooth travels to and from India, for no seizures for Madi or any emergencies while I am in India, and for protection for Deenas mind and heart as her whole life gets thrown upside down. 

 

 

Madi Turns 7

On Wednesday Madi turned 7!  I cannot believe how big my "baby" is getting.  She is such an amazing, smart, spunky, joyful girl.  I am so blessed to be her mom!

We had Madi's birthday party early on October 30th.  Normally I wouldn't have it so early but we were needing to find a rental in Tucson and start moving.  I wanted to celebrate early so that her birthday didn't end up right in the middle of the craziness.  We had a costume party and it actually worked out great!  Madi had SO much fun!

On her actual birthday I let her chose where she wanted to go to dinner and she chose Panda Express.  She knows how to party ;).  She enjoyed her dinner and we topped it off with gluten free vegan donuts from Urban Cookies.  Yum! 
Here are some pictures from her special day (please excuse how blurry they are.  I couldn't find the charger to my regular camera

We made swords, did crafts, and did makeup, all per Madi's request



We had her party at the park this year since our house is up for sale

Even Hope joined us :)

Happy birthday beautiful girl!

Big Changes Headed Our Way

Well, it's officially official.  We are moving to Tucson for 2 years (or at least that is the current plan, but I have moved beyond the point of thinking I can plan anything ;)).

We found a rental.  It's quite a bit more than we were planning, but it has flat enough land to take walks and go on bike rides.  It does have a step down in a few places, but they can be easily ramped, and it's only a small half-step.  There's also a nook for homeschooling for me and a small extra room for guests, since my parents will have to stay at our house and help if one of the girls has a surgery.  There's also a nice sized yard for the kiddos.  Oh, and it's close to Sprouts, so I'm a happy girl.  I don't really like the house, but it will work, and that's what matters!

This Saturday a moving company is coming to move everything out of storage there.  The kids and I will stay here during the week to finish up at co-op and continue therapy.  We have enough furniture and beds in storage to make it livable, though, so that's nice. 

We received written orders of our adoption so that is moving forward quickly!  All that is left is to get her passport and bring her home.  It should be within the month and then I'm off to India! 

Everything is happening quickly and at once and feels a bit overwhelming right now.  Our house still isn't sold so we are praying it sells soon.  Having double payments until it does is going to be rough.

I will not be able to get a big van before D comes home, because we just aren't there financially, but I am sure it will all work out.   She probably will not use a wheelchair in the beginning anyhow, as I have to wait and take the time to teach her how to use it, how to listen, about dangers (like streets and cars) she hasn't experienced before, and things like that.  It should buy us a few months until we really need something bigger that will fit a 3rd wheelchair.   

Please be praying that Madi does not have any seizures while I am gone, for David as he cares for the kids (though Conner may come with me), for Deena as she goes through so many huge changes in her life, for safe travels, and for a smooth adjustment once she comes home.  Please also be praying for us as we leave our friends and family, move to Tucson, and adopt, all in one month.  There's never a dull moment around here!!

Thank you for all of your prayers and for