Divin' In...in more ways than one

Blog updates have taken somewhat of a backseat for the past month or so...what with Spring Break, two very exciting concert experiences and the beginning of 7-year old Summer baseball. We had a great Spring Break week of wild fun and some relaxation in Gulf Shores...a bit unseasonably chilly, but a cool day at the beach is better than a...well, you know. Trevor and his very courageous, dedicated father braved the low 70's-some-odd degree Gulf waters and went wading chest deep to "swim" in the waves. Yeah, that was a whole bunch of fun. :) "So sink or swim we're divin' in." Brandon had a big time on his first trip to the beach, where he played in what he called the "snow" (sand) all day and the pool all night. And, oh yeah, he got out of the habit of enjoying sleeping in his own bed. On a brighter note, though, his and Marcie's seashell hunting was a big hit and his vase full of shells stands in our living room as a proud reminder of this accomplishment. Thanks for a great week Nana and Papa!

A few weeks later we had the awesome privilege of seeing Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith (the United Tour) at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. What an amazing night of entertainment and worship with these guys...and Mary Beth sat down right across the aisle from us! And since we enjoyed that night so much...and because sometimes our great God has a wonderful sense of humor...we saw the same concert two nights later in Paducah. Nashville was special, being their current hometown and all, but Paducah showed some serious love for their "original hometown boy". Now THAT was an amazing night of worship...celebration...tears...awesome. We were blessed to have Trevor and Karla share this one with us...and Steven even acknowledged Trevor and his homemade sign. But the most fun/special time at the Paducah show was the opportunity to volunteer with the wonderful folks from Show Hope, Steven & Mary Beth's orphan care/adoption foundation. Trevor went early and stayed waaaaay past his bedtime to help us (sorry Mrs. Carner). As you can see by the picture, he was pretty worn out. The week was far more special than any words we could come up with to describe it. We will simply say thanks to the One and the other ones who provided the opportunity for us. With all that has transpired in our lives the past year or so, we can definitely say this week that we have never felt more secure and faithful in our decision to follow God's will and begin the process of uniting with our own little Cinderella. Closer every day baby girl...we love you and we will see you soon. God Bless!

We have a LID ! ! !

No, we didn't get a new hat....we received our Log-in-Date with the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA)! In all His infinite wisdom, God decided our annual two weeks of celebration between two most special occasions - Brandon's birthday and Trevor's birthday (with a couple of very special dates in between) - needed to be extended. So now, every year until we are united with our daughter, we will celebrate March 20, 2009 as our place in line for that most special occasion. What a week! It started Sunday, which was appropriately titled "Adoption Sunday" at FBC Paducah, with a kick-off event to empower our congregation's heart for adoption. Amazing message of the Gospel and Adoption that morning...and a chance to have lunch with the guest speaker/pastor and our own pastoral staff that afternoon. Had a chance to see Lucy, the executive director of our adoption agency at the church luncheon, as well as meet Emily face-to-face for the first time (she is the agency's China coordinator). Hugs and smiles all around! And now a LID...wow! God is so good and He is in control! Thank you for your prayers.

We Are DTC ! ! !

That is the first of many initials we hope to be explaining in the days and weeks ahead. As each of you know, we began a paper pregnancy 6 months ago that recently culminated in the completion of our dossier (the "D" in the title prompt). We mutually agreed :) that since Marcie had pretty much handled the first two pregnancies, I would take care of this one. While it was at times labor intensive...I would have to say it really wasn't as bad as all the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" experts say. And I am extremely pleased to report that it was accomplished with no pain medication whatsoever...not even the smallest dose. OK, I'll stop being funny (by my definition of the term anyway) and get back to it. It was truly a team effort, as is the case with every aspect of our wonderful life together...and we are better spouses and parents today because of the process...and to God goes the glory for what we learned about each other, about our plans as parents and about our hopes and dreams as a family. I love and adore my wife, and I am a better person because she is here.

OK, back to DTC. The "T" and the "C" stand for two of our new favorite words these days...to China. Put it all together and our dossier was shipped to China TODAY (Friday 3/6/09)! Everything the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs ever wanted to know about us (and believe me, that's a lot) is bound up in a DHL envelope and headed for some airport. Don't worry, we'll be tracking its every move via the internet and look forward to "seeing" it reach its final destination. Once there, we will anxiously await a LID...but I'll save that explanation for another day. Until then, we are happy to be one milestone closer to meeting our daughter. Don't worry baby girl...mommy and daddy are coming. And, by the way, your big brothers are turning two years old and seven years old as we speak...oh my sevens. Thank you God for this opportunity...help us to use it for Your purposes. Love to all and thanks for your continued prayers.