Holding Pattern No More

May 6th, this is the day that we will take our first orientation class to become... FOSTER PARENTS.
I know, where did that come from, right. We have always talked about becoming foster parents when the time was right. Assuming that would be when Avery and our next child were older. I guess the right time is now.
We haven't abandoned the domestic adoption for foster care, rather we feel led to get licensed while we wait on the pieces to fall together for domestic. Depending on how and when we are matched we will continue fostering.

Oh, and can someone please tell me where my tiny little girl went? I now have this smart, (well she's always been smart), grown up, ahem... going to be FOUR year old on my hands. I am serious denial about her birthday in just a few days over a month from now.
On a positive note it looks like we are making some headway and she is sleeping alone in her own room. So it was one night, but tonight is looking good and she is super proud of herself.

Today we went to the grocery and then we planted some flower bulbs. I did the digging and she covered them back up. It was just one of those days that makes me just get all gushy.

Some Averyisms to give you a laugh for the week.
~ Did you know that lids, strawberry stems, and caps are "buns". Avery asks me to "take the bun off" of everything.
~ When she is tired of something or needs a break she asks for a "brief breath"
I'm telling you she is just an odd kid.

Long Overdue

I guess it is far past time for an update.

We are still in a holding pattern with the adoption. I'm not sure what all of this waiting is for, but I do know there is a reason. We can't wait to see what God is preparing us for.
We have been feeling a pull toward domestic adoption over the past few months. It seems like everytime we were ready to proceed with Russia, domestic would be put before us in some way, shape or form. Russia is still part of my heart and maybe we will go back and adopt again someday.

Avery is doing fantastic! I can't believe she is almost FOUR. In less than two months she will be a real big girl. Of course she already thinks she is one. Yesterday I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She didn't seem to care, so I specified, "Avery, what kind of job do you want to have when you get big - Don't you want to go to work like Daddy", to which she said, "No, not really!" I guess she plans to live off mom and dad until she becomes a Hollywood star. I mean come on, she is already working on the drama.

Detour Ahead

After a month of talking, questioning, and praying we have come to the conclusion that we need to switch agencies.
We made the call and have decided on a new agency that we are 100% comfortable with. It was hard to do, since the other agency had been so supportive. They just weren't the best fit for us. We didn't feel we would walk away from the adoption with a peace. After being in that position the last time, there was really no other choice.
So where does this put us, you ask. Not too far off from where we were. Ryan and I are working on the new application and hope to have that done quickly. We still have to complete our homestudy, so we are just a couple months behind of where we hoped to be. I am hopeful that we'll get a quick referral with the new agency, but I am trying to not have expectations about that. Just trust that it will happen when the time is right.

We are looking forward to 2008 with great excitement and hope!