We figure 6 to 9 months...

So about 8 to 10 weeks ago Heath says to me "Andrea, I've been thinking about something that I think God wants us to do. I've been thinking and praying about this for about 6 months or so. I want us to think about becoming adoptive parents." So I looked at Heath, coughed (to remind him that I was still sick with pneumonia), and essentially said "I don't think God wants me to do that." He looked confused and mildly annoyed with the coughing (which had been going on for months by the way) and said "Well, you can think about it for awhile." I thought this was a good response- if I'm just going to think about it that means the ball is in my court, and my plan was to throw the ball out of the gym and never go look for it.
That worked for about 6 weeks. And then I woke up one night at about 3 am and realized something that made me think I might be pregnant (I'm not, but I had a real legitemate scare). I confirmed by 2 o'clock the next day that I was in fact not pregnant. But in the roughly 11 hours that I didn't know I considered something that I had not considered for a solid 4 years. And that was the possibility that maybe, just maybe, our family wasn't done. That was all it took really. Just something to make me seriously consider it. By 8 that night I had found the dept of Child and Family services and reviewed some of the qualifications we had to have.
So, we are going to adopt some children. We've filled out a small truck load of paper work and turned it in to the right people. We have to wait for our back ground checks to go through before we can begin training (the last 6 years of parenting don't count). Training takes about 6 weeks followed by home studies (because our house might not be safe- even for the children we already have!!) and then they'll try to match us with some kids who need happy homes.
We are not trying to adopt babies. We like babies but infants have an easier time finding parents then older children. We also don't think we have the parenting skills yet for children over the age of 6 or 7. Also, siblings are less likely to find a home where they can all be together then just 1 child alone so we want to adopt a sibling group. Heath thinks 2 but I'm pretty sure 3 is the magic number (I'm a real all or nothing kind of girl- from "NO" to "at least 3"). So we could get a baby if it comes with a couple of older sisters- we're pretty good at parenting girls so far, I think we could handle up to 1 boy if he was pretty small to start with (again, Heath and I are not in total agreement on this- he doesn't seem to think that we should have a boy- I'm not worried though, things usually go my way when it comes time ;))
Thats the story so far. We could have more kids by christmas. It could be longer. We don't really know exactly. We know it's kind of crazy. Please don't warn us how hard this could be. We know adopting older children through the state out of foster care isn't going to be simple. But here is something we do know: God loves abandonded , parentless children and wants them to be loved by a momma and daddy. We can, and strangly, already do love them.

Thanks to computer applications in art I have made a photo of our new family. Sort of...;0)


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Anabelle's graduation pics + trip to LR

Here are some of the pictures from Anabelle's Kindergarten Graduation. I'm afraid I must admit that Heath and I had a difficult time seeing this as a monumental event but so many people talked to us about it as if it was that we felt compelled to treat it as such (really we kept thinking of that line from "The Incredibles" were Bob says "they keep coming up with new ways to celebrate mediocrity...") It was in the gym which was really hot and Heath had to take Ava out early because she looked like a wilting flower. All in all, I thought it was very sweet. There really is nothing as cute as seeing your 5 yr old sing "I've been working on the railroad" with all the hand motions along with 200 other 5 and 6 yr olds.





Seriously, how cute is that?


I think the video is in an earlier post.


Early this last week we went to visit my sister and her family in Little Rock. It was really fun. I love my niece and nephews so much and always love to see them.
This is Liza. She likes apple sauce. She is a really happy baby.


This and Alice, my older sister, and me and also it looks like some herbs. Alice is older, but I'm taller and I think if we got in wrestling match I would win :)


We went swimming at their neighborhood pool and this is how things went down when we got back- it was pretty close to supper time but there no supper yet and the people were getting restless with the chex mix we gave them to try and appease them while they waited. As you can see, delaying supper for 4 children 5 and under who have been swiming can lead to climbing on the table in revolt.

We went to the zoo and this was almost the last picture I took. I got some animal pics but this one is my favorite. its very telling.

Another Hiking Adventure

It was a great time, but the pics don't exactly convey the full range of emotions experienced on this outing. The mile hike down to the waterfall was fine. We rested there while listening to the flowing water and drank Yoo-hoo and ate bananas. Paradise was restored for a brief time.

Experienced and shrewd parents will be wincing right now, though, because you will have realized that I have committed a cardinal error of parenting: giving the fun snack only half way into the hike. I knew this was a mistake as I was doing it, but that is how it happened. ("The good I want to do I do not do...")

The mile back was, to use good Christian language, an opportunity for developing more patience and character and all that good stuff you would rather avoid. I had to carry Ava back the whole mile because she said her legs couldn't move anymore. Anabelle had to go #1 "real bad" so I took her behind a tree but I couldn't get her to assume the right position, so I told her she would have to hold it. About 1/4 from the end Ava started crying and repeating, "I have to go poo so bad, I have to go poo so bad..." Right before we got back to the parking lot, both girls said, "I never want to do this hike again." Like I said, the pics don't tell the whole story.

I am happy to say that both girls were able to maintain control over their excretive systems until the proper facilities were made available to them, and I was able to maintain control over my nervous system the whole time (well, most of the whole time).

Another Family Graduation

Ava's Birthday, Laundry, Backyard Painting

Ava's Birthday was actually at the end of April- it was an exceptionally busy April and May so I'm a little late with the birthday post, but here it is, none the less.
Ava turned 4 this year. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe- it doesn't feel like that long ago that she was that adorable little baby that cried all the time. Or that 18 month old who broke down into total melt down when a stranger would smile at her in the grocery store. Or even the 2 year old whose face was just never really clean- dirt of food, all the time. I really enjoy knowing Ava. And I really look forward to the girl she is growing up to be. I know there are very exciting in store for her because she is wild and tenacious and confident and fearlessly loving. I am so glad I'm her momma.



Ava couldn't decide between chocolate and strawberry cake so this is what I did. I was pretty good.

Love that crazy pre-cake smile.


The day after my last final (the longest hardest essay test I've ever taken) I pretty much crashed with pneumonia for a solid week. Essentially I laid on the couch in my pajamas and wished I was unconscious. There were loads of laundry on the other couch that I was too exhausted to fold. I enlisted some very good helpers. They sorted and folded and put away all their own laundry. It was great and I think we might just keep on doing it.








The weather has been great so we've pretty much been outside all the time that we're not sleeping. The other day the girls did some painting and they are just so cute when they're getting along. They've definitly got talent.

Graduation!!

Heath graduated from seminary last weekend! I thought it was so great. I knew I was proud that he was so good at school but there was something about the ceremony that just made me crazy proud- now there is a document validating what I've always known. He graduated Summa Cum Laude (Thats the highest one :)) and looked so smart in his hood and cap- just look at him (I actually think he looks really happy in this picture because it was over). So there he is- he has mastered Divinty.


This is Clayton and Irving on either side of Heath. I love these boys so much and I am so happy they came- it was very meaningful.


I heart Heath Bradley, M.A., M. Div.

Easter girls

They do look sweet in this picture. I think its my favorite.
It was pretty cold on Easter. They bravely and proudly wore the Easter dresses that we picked out together a few weeks ago. We did opt not to wear the open toed sandals that we got to go with them since it was all puddles on sunday.