Unfortunately we have not yet found out the day in which we will be meeting the girls for the first time. We were on vacation one week, and then their Wendy's Wonderful Kids recruiter was on vacation last week. I was hoping to find out yesterday, but still no word from our caseworker. It is hard to believe that yesterday marked 3 weeks since the interview ...
However, I know that these 3+ weeks are not wasted time ... although at times it feels that way.
God continues to make Himself known in so many ways ... and I am continually reminded just how involved He is in this entire journey. One of the main reasons I blog is to glorify Him and to have a living testimony of how He touches our lives every day. Here is what He has been up to these past few weeks ...
Jonah - I shared with you in a previous post how Jonah seemed to take the news of having more than one sibling pretty well. He still mentions having a brother, so we will have to see about that. :) What I have noticed with Jonah is he is so ready to have some more kids around the house. I realize that it is going to be a HUGE adjustment for him, but this summer it is clear that he is yearning for some kid interaction BIG TIME. He does not seem content anymore entertaining himself. Jonah has always loved being around other kids, but he is also was always very content doing his own thing. That contentment seems to be dwindling rapidly.
Cory - This additional time to ponder and reflect on what it could be like to have more kids in the house is perfect for Cory. He needs time to process and so I believe it is no mistake that he has more time to get used to what could happen. He will make random comments to me that lets me know he is thinking about the girls often ... like "I need to get that 3rd seatbelt in the backseat of my truck fixed".
Our House - the biggest news in this area is that we were given a freezer! It is an upright freezer that is now living happily in our basement. I have wanted one for a long time, primarily so I could stock up on great deals on meat and frozen foods when I see them at the store. However, I find it no coincidence that we were given one now. We also are fully aware that we may be fixing up the third floor room rather quickly for another bedroom. In the interview, it was agreed that both girls would benefit from their own rooms, because there is some conflict between them. (more than typical) So, that is also in the back of our minds too.
Their culture - A family I have known for a long time is African-American and they were very excited to find out about the possibility of us adopting the girls. They insisted that I bring the girls to their house to have their hair done and to experience their culture. It was such an answer to prayer for me ... because of the willingness of the family to want to be a part of the girls' lives without me even asking. Although this family has been through a lot, they want to give back to me and that is something I think says so much. They are truly precious to me and find it compelling that the mother was the first African-American child in our state to be adopted by a white family 37 years ago. Again, no coincidence.
Me - well, I am always a work in progress. I find myself making more lists, trying to be more organized ... feeling like the house is way too empty and way too quiet. The sound of children's laughter and squealing is music to my ears right now.
Their names - I think one of the most frequently asked questions I get is about their names. If you know me or have been reading my blog, you know that the plan was to name our little girl Hope. We asked our agency about changing our child's name when we went to the orientation meeting last year. We were told that it was no big deal and that people do it all the time, even with teenagers. It was described as a fresh start.
When the possibility of adopting the 2 little girls was presented to us, we started to consider what we would name one of the girls. We wanted her name to be special and have significance, just like Jonah's name and Hope. We tossed around lots of ideas, and I am not ready to share them yet. I wanted the name to be biblical, however I do not like any patterns in names. I didn't want the names to all start with the same letter ... or have O as the second letter ... or all end in the same sound. I just wanted a name that was from the Bible and that shared some signicance to us. Well, there was a name that did create a pattern ... and I resisted it at first. Then I realized that it was special, and although it was not what I would have wanted .... I was clear that it was the name.
In the midst of all of this, we asked at the interview about changing the girl's names. We did not get a very good reaction. It was more like shock. Their caseworker said that she would not suggest it, or at least do it at first. She said that she believes that someone else changed their names (a pre-adoptive foster family), and then that did not work out and their names had to be changed back. She thought that it might bring back some bad memories to change their names again.
I was bummed ... but I knew that this would not be a reason to stop considering adoption. I put this all on the back burner for the time-being, because there was no reason to worry about it. Last week when I talked to the family I mentioned above, they encouraged me also to keep their names. Their names reflect their heritage, and they have been known by these names for quite some time.
I talked to Cory about this, but did not ask him for his opinion about it. I knew that he would also struggle with this. Naming a child is huge to me. I love names. I love that Jonah's name is so significant to us. I love that Hope would be significant for us. So, I knew that naming our other children was not going to be easy to just let go.
We have not made a decision yet, but I know in my heart what is the right thing to do. Leaving their first names as their names does not mean there are still not some choices. We can change their middle name, and perhaps call them that as a nickname. Eventually, it may become the name they prefer. We can also keep their first names and call them a shortened version as a nickname. We can do all of the above.
Jonah also had some suggestions for a second sister's name ... one of which is Chrysanthemum. I can tell you this much ...
that will not be her name. I had to look up the spelling of that one.
"Yes, I know your name
Every prayer you pray
I'm the one who brought you to this place
The voice who sings to you
The hand that clings to you
Oh my child, I've always known your name... known your name"
~ Michael W. Smith
at one o'clock
we finally get to meet the girls!
This is what the window looks like during the day ...
When you go through the doorway on your left, there is a small staircase area ... which leads up a 2 story staircase all the way to the 3rd floor. There is another stained glass window on the 2nd floor landing. This picture was taken before I painted that wall and applied an "Uppercase Living" word art.
Here is another picture of the staircase ... I love the banister.
A very cool light fixture ....
There are 4 doorways into this tiny little room ... one from the living room, kitchen, TV room, and foyer. We don't really have a name for this "staircase room" but it is kind of like the "town square" of our house. Here is a view from the staircase ... yes, there is a phone cord coming down from the 2nd floor. (you can see it on the rug) We need it for our DSL internet service and there is currently not a phone jack in the TV room. One of our minor little projects we need to take care of! 
The only thing that lives in this room is this cabinet full of our Fiesta Ware!
Thanks for visiting!
Today was gorgeous.
Three posts in one day? I guess I am still catching up.
What will tomorrow bring? 
I am participating in a Blog Hop this week ... sharing our favorite photo! Wow, this was a difficult decision. I have tons of favorite pictures. However, this is one of my favorites of Jonah, because it was his very first night of football practice and I love the anticipation and energy you can feel from the picture. He is at football camp this week ... so we have football starting already around here!
5 Days after getting home from the beach ...
dressed up in red, white, and blue
