CONFIRMATION!

I’m thrilled to announce that we are CONFIRMED to go to China and BRING LILY HOME!  We received confirmation on our China Consulate appointment and that means…THIS IS IT!  We are off to China in 2 1/2 weeks!  And we shall have our Lily in our arms on March 10th!  It’s been a year and 1/2 since the official start of our journey and we can’t wait to bring her home to meet her big brothers and family & friends!

This confirmation reminds me of SO many confirmations along the way in this amazing yet challenging journey.  

One confirmation that particularly stands out happened 1 year ago TODAY!  Dale, the boys and I took a family vacation to Beaver Creek CO for President Day’s weekend.  It would be the first time the boys would ski and they were very excited.   I was very excited too and was already wishing that Lily was with us.  We had not been “matched” with Lily yet so we had no picture of her.  But we certainly already had immeasurable love in our hearts for her!  Anyway, she had been on my mind and I had been a bit discouraged with the wait, the paperwork and the anxiety that goes with it.  It’s not an easy process but we knew it was well worth it and we knew it was God’s plan for us (that’s a whole other story I hope to write about soon).  But like I said…I was a little discouraged.  So I prayed for encouragement from God.  I never thought really to do that before…but I’m a firm believer!  And boy did He ever answer my prayers!!!

So on the first night at our hotel, Noah and I were walking and waiting for Dale and Jake.  We passed by this cute shop with a window full of stuffed animals.  Well, naturally Noah wanted one and zoomed in there to see.  Immediately he picked out this snow white owl.  And my eye went straight to the cutest little white bunny with paisley like ears.  I picked it up and asked Noah…”who do you think would like this bunny?”  And Noah answered, “Lily.”  I was thrilled he answered that because I thought the same!  There was only 2 left of those bunnies.  I told Noah that if he did well in his first day of ski school that we would come back tomorrow to get the owl for him and the bunny for Lily.  He agreed.

Well, the next day the boys did great in ski school.  We were so proud of them!  And Noah was quick to remind me of what I promised!  So before dinner we all went to the cute shop.  Noah went straight to his owl and I picked up the cute paisley eared white bunny for Lily.  I noticed that this was the LAST one.  Someone had purchased one since the night before.  Dale took the 2 stuffed animals and as we all turned to walk toward the register our mouths dropped to the floor (at least me and Dale’s did).  Dale’s head whipped around to look at me with that look of …do you see what I see?  And I gave a huge smile with tears in my eyes with a silent look of “yes”!  There in front of us (the only ones in the store) was a family of five….a mother, father , 2 boys the age of Jake and Noah (the younger one holding a white owl like Noah’s) and a little asian girl holding the other cute paisley eared white bunny just like Lily’s.

And I knew.  I knew that THAT was no coincidence.  I knew that THAT was my confirmation from God…our encouragement that we really truly needed.  It was God’s way of saying…"This is really happening and here’s what your family will look like…THIS is what I always planned for you.”  Confirmation & encouragement!  Thank you thank you thank you!