Wrap Me In Your Arms

I would love to say that I have been oh so calm these past 40 days of waiting to be chosen by the Oklahoma birthmommy.  The truth is that I am human...not perfect...likely to error.  My heavenly father knows this about me, about all of us.  That is why we are to daily seek His presence and allow Him to cover us with complete peace and assurance.

Assurance that He will never leave us.  Assurance that we will have strength for the journey.  Assurance that He has a plan for our lives that is far greater than we could think or imagine.  Assurance that HE IS...and ALWAYS WILL BE!

Through this journey I have relearned the absolute necessity of being in the presence of Christ all day long...resting in a constant state of worship...lingering in His word.  The only place to remain as war wages around you is safely nestled in His capable arms.

If you are reading this from the blog (not email) you can click below to be reminded of the love and comfort God has for you today.

This and That

I was so blessed to be asked to photograph one of my very favorite little girls!!!  I am NOT a professional but love the opportunity to spend time with this precious little one.  

It was difficult to catch a shot when my lovely subject would rather climb on my lap and be right next to me.  

But as you can see...no complaints here!  Neely time is priceless to me!

There is that winning smile!

I even found a way to get her beautiful mommy into a few shots:)

 Look at those cheeks....quite kissable if you ask me!!!

Over the weekend we FINALLY made it down to Myrtle Beach to visit with our dear friends.  They have only been asking for us to make the trip since....um...JULY!!  Of course the day was cold and cloudy...the exact weather conditions our families moved away to avoid:)  It seemed fitting somehow.

Where did the time go and how did our little ones grow up so fast?!  

We stopped by the beach and it was oh so cold!  This mama was not putting her feet in there!!  The highlight was watching three porpoises very close to shore.  OK...I guess it was worth freezing my toes off to catch a glimpse of them:)

Since the beach was too cold we took to shopping.  My hubby was a very good sport!

 These two have been best friends since diapers and he is still looking out for her needs:)

I have missed you friend!!  We can't wait so long to get together again.

 They were so hard to separate when we had to leave!!  We'll do it again soon girls!

What a fabulous time of the year to spend with loved ones!  May you take time to enjoy priceless memories with family and friends as you celebrate the Birth of our Savior!!

Baby gear and Christmas parties!!

You know I can't make a post without sharing about God's faithfulness during our adoption journey!  Our heavenly father has been so very gracious to us as each day of waiting continues.  It has been 34 days (yes, I have been counting) since we asked to have our profile shown for the twins in Oklahoma.

  Many sweet friends have asked how we can stay calm without answers or assurance.  First, I become very encouraged that I appear calm when I am jumping out of my skin with excitement!!  (My hubby would testify that calm may not be the best adjective to describe me right now)  But the reality is that I simply cannot walk forward with peace in my own strength!!  We have fasted, prayed, cried out to Christ in our weakness, and HE has carried us throughout the journey!!  He is the source of our peace and comfort!  

As some of you know, I tend to lean on the type A side with list making, organizing, and preparing.  (It is ok...God knows this about me...after all...He made me!  I am sure I have given Him quite the chuckle...or at least a head shake over my zealousness lately) 

So, my baby carry-on is packed.  It is still lacking a few things but could be used "as is" if a much awaited call comes in beforehand....Pick me....pick me!!!!

Car seats have inspired many thought provoking discussions in the Boutin home:)  We don't know how big the boys will be.  There is only one car seat that we have found that is approved for under 5lbs.  We have been offered a set of seats but need to find out if they are expired....expired...who knew they did such a thing!!  I think I just disclosed my age bracket with that comment:)  It has been several years since we have looked into infant car seats.  I am learning!  Because we plan to fly to Oklahoma, we would also have to pay extra (times 2) to fly the seats out with us.  So...unless the offered seats still meet the safety date....we will more than likely buy the seats when we get to OK so we just have to pay to have them brought back.  

Apparently it is quite cold in OK during this time of year...so we have two Bundle Me car seat covers to keep the boys snuggly warm!!  Thank you JJ and Natascha for the use of these beauties!!

My new research project is diaper bags.  I LOVED the bag I had for our first little ones but unfortunately I cannot find anything similar.  Ok...showing my age again!  Not only that, but I need to be able to fit two of everything in this bag.  If any of you in bloggy land have suggestions, I would love to hear from you!!

Well, as easy as it is to remain in baby land, the rest of our lives must go on!  

It has been a busy week so far...but as Christmas approaches...we are likely to become busier!  We have been blessed to have an extra friend with us during her track out from school.  Kylee has been trying to get her school work completed quickly each day to enjoy extra playtime:)  

Last night Mélika had a pajama party in youth group, and Kylee had a Christmas party with her M-Pact class as well.  They were so excited to celebrate with their friends!  

I was thankful that they humored me with the sweet picture above before the silliness began!

Kylee is so very blessed to have two fabulous M-Pact sponsors that love the Lord and enjoy working with our girls!  Thank you ladies for all your sacrifice and dedication!  

Ok...I know it is hard to take him seriously dressed in this festive gaudiness...but we are also very blessed to have Mélika in a youth group that is on fire for Christ!  We love you Pastor Wes and thank you for your heart and dedication to our youth!

Blessed beyond words!!

What a remarkable day we have had!!  

Church was fabulous as always!  I was blessed to do worship with  with our preschool through 5th grade this morning.  We have been practicing for our Christmas Worship Night.  Oh how those wee ones bless my socks off as they enthusiastically sing praises to our risen Savior!!!  

After doing worship with the kiddos, I slipped into service where we had a guest speaker.  Dick Brogden, author of the Live Dead Journal, spoke about dying to self and answering the call to minister to unreached people groups around the world!!!  I look forward to seeing how God chooses to use our family in the future as we continue to grow and step out in faith:)

After church we went to the farmer's market to pick out a Christmas tree.  Although we miss cutting down our own tree as we have in years past, I could get used to selecting a tree on a sunny 63 degree day like today!!!

It appears that folks in NC will do anything to see snow for Christmas:) This "snow" covered tree didn't seem to fit in with the weather conditions today, but it did put a smile on my baby girl's face:)

My manly man was busy securing the tree our girls picked out for this year.  A sweet gentleman from the tree farm gave him a hand.  

When we arrived home we had the BEST EMAIL waiting for us!!!!!  The referral agency that we are working with for the Oklahoma twins sent us a message stating that birthmommy is seriously considering our family!!!!  She has narrowed her selection down to us and a family from Texas.  Birthmommy's social worker will be out of town until December 15th so they are unsure if she will contact someone else within the agency when she makes her final decision or if she will wait until her social worker returns.  Oh how my heart soars with gladness!!!  We are extremely hopeful and excited to say the least!!!!   Thank you Jesus for continuing to answer our prayers and open doors!!!!

INSERT ME DOING AN EMBARRASSING HAPPY DANCE HERE!!  Luckily my family didn't catch it on video!!

I did however catch my girls during a giddy "we are almost chosen", and "Christmas decorating" silliness.  

 Merry Christmas ya'll!!!!  

May the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas resonate in your hearts and lives!!!!

Practice

I am so blessed to have my hubby back from his week in AZ!!  Had he not been here today he would have missed out on cuddle time with a certain smiley little man!!  Hubby doesn't often get the opportunity to love on little people because I steal them away...um I mean, because they are not often available when he is here:)  

What a blessings it was to see my hubby in his element!  He is a fabulous daddy and is looking forward to welcoming his boys home!  He decided it was time to pull out a baby carrier to remember how it works:)  As you can see his side kick took a liking to the little experiment.  

Ok...this one was priceless!  

In  the spirit of "testing" the true hands free capability of the carrier...hubby tried a little game of hockey.

Since our little charge was such a good sport...I took advantage of the opportunity to try out a sling.  I am not sure I have truly mastered the art of baby wearing...but hope to get much more experience in the near future.  

While Stéphane and I were fighting over...um, fairly taking equal turns with our littlest friend, our girls were entertaining the older siblings outside.  Our girls are great with younger children and a fun day was had by all!!

Mélika had another first tonight...Her first Ugly Christmas Sweater Party!  I think I did a pretty good job picking this little number out if I do say so myself:)  

Yep, accessories truly do make an outfit!!!  You have reached a whole new level of tacky tonight sweet girl!  I hope you win the contest!!!

God did it just because HE can!!!

My name is Joy and I am an addict...an adoption blog addict!  I have been tremendously blessed over the past several months to be able to tag along as numerous families step out in faith to bring children into their forever families.  I have laughed, cried, prayed, and been extremely encouraged while watching other families following the call to care for orphans.  One day soon I will spend more time sharing my heart and what I have gleaned from these families.  For tonight, I want to quickly share how God blessed this Mama's heart...just because HE can!!

As I mentioned I have been following adoption blogs for several months.  One of the blogs that I frequent is of a family that has 10 children (4 bio, 6 adopted).  Today this blogger gal sent out an invitation to her readers to contact her with prayer requests.  I strongly believe there is great power in prayer and decided to contact her, thank her for living her journey out loud, and share our prayer needs.  I explained that our hearts desire is the baby opportunity in OK.  We are praying that God will: open the doors for us to be chosen by birthmommy, and provide the remaining adoption fees and travel expenses.  This sweet gal contacted me back immediately...rejoiced over the possible adoption...and told me that SHE LIVES IN OKLAHOMA and would love to lodge us if she is in the same area of the pending adoption!!!!  Understand that I never picked up on the fact that she lived in OK!  I am so very humbled and blessed that a gal hundreds of miles away would extend such an offer!!!!!

I have no idea if this particular baby opportunity is God's choice for us.  What I do know is that God continues to show himself strong and able to provide!!  Thank you Lord for reminding me that where you guide you will provide.  My heart soars as my heavenly father continues to grow my faith!!!

Drivers and Littles

What an emotional day!  My baby girl completed her first day of behind the wheel drivers education today!!!  To use her words, she was terrified.  BUT she pushed through the fear and did a great job!!

Here she is behind the wheel at the end of her session.  I tried to zoom in from across the parking lot as not to horrify her while operating a motor vehicle.

But, after she was out of the car....horrify her I did:)  Sorry sweet girl, mama needed a photo!  

She will be back at it early tomorrow morning.  Before long she will be driving our new van!  Yep, thats right, a new van.

About 5 weeks ago I was in an accident.  Unfortunately it was quite a bad one.  All glory and praise goes to God that everyone was able to walk away from it considering two cars were totaled and a third was damaged.  It appears that God knew something about my beloved Ford Explorer that I refused to admit...it did not have enough room for our children to come!!!  So, after all was said and done, we found this beauty the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads with your faith journey.  You know that God is in control and has tremendous plans for your future.  You know that you are on the path that God called you to be on, and you see your hearts desire in the distance.  You want to advance with complete certainty, but at the same time you know that your heavenly father has said no to similar situations in the past.  At times there is a fine line between stepping boldly in faith and stepping ahead of God's plan.

Well friends, here I am...a planner....one who makes lists and over packs.  I am a mama who knows that there are twin boys that could be born at any time.  I have not been chosen yet to be their mama...I may never be chosen to be their mama.  They may be God's plan for us....they may not.  But I feel an urgency to "prepare for rain", take inventory, and have my bags ready.  I ask myself, does it really require so much faith if I wait for the answer to move.  One might call it practical or less emotional to wait for assurance.  But I can say with all confidence that my assurance is in the ONE that called me!  He knows my heart, for He created it and dwells in it!

So tonight, I began the list writing and pile making process!  I took stock in what I have in preemie and newborn sizes, and tried to imagine what we could possibly need for a hotel stay up to two weeks.

These matching sleepers look ginormous compared to the preemie sleepers but the tags read newborn.

Even Buddy got in on the action:)  He was less than impressed with the hand mitts and decided he would rather take a nap on my pile of onesies.  Good thing I haven't washed them yet!

Matching monkey hats.  There is a bit of a trend going on here...all my preemie clothes have monkeys on them!!!

The piles so far...complete with a list of have and have nots:)  Hubby shakes his head and reminds me that there are stores in Oklahoma.  I remind him that I will not be able to drag myself away from the littles long enough to go to those stores!!!