Foster care update

We are in the phase now where things happen VERY quickly and this whole idea is quickly becoming a reality. Our home study is complete and on Monday we will review it to make sure we agree with everything. On Tuesday, our home study is presented to DHS and from that moment on, we could get calls for placement! It's exciting and somewhat overwhelming all at the same time. We are in the final stages of child-proofing our house and I now understand why parents complain, it's a pain in the rear! I know it will be worth it in the long-run, it's just so time consuming and adds extra steps to everything. I think this first placement will be our most difficult because we can't really buy baby/kid stuff until we know what age we get...and we won't know that until we get the call. I was thinking the other day how there is no way I would have signed up for something like this in the past. I'm a planner through and through and to have so many unknowns, I would never agreed to this! This is definitely outside of my comfort zone and yet I'm at peace with it all because I know God is fully in control. I know He will help us with all the details, purchasing furniture and clothes, and adjust to parenthood which will need to occur all at once it seems. I know there is no way to fully prepare for this journey we are about to start and I'm actually okay with that fact too. I'm sure I'll have my meltdowns, tears, and frustrations in the future but I'm totally excited for this journey. It's really becoming more of a reality to me and I can't wait to see who God brings into our family. I understand that kids are a gift from God and so hope that changes the way I parent in a good way. So, now we wait for the call....

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a safe, and happy New Year. We spent Christmas at my sister's and had a lovely time. I had a blast playing with my nieces and seeing how much they have grown and changed since the last time I saw them. The fact that I got to play and enjoy this time cancer-free was not lost on me, I'm thankful for this "extra" time. Mark and I also really enjoyed this Christmas being just the two of us as we know it is very likely we will have kids next Christmas. It was a place of total contentment and excitement for whatever this next year brings too.
While I'm not a big new-year-resolution kind of person, I do take the time to reflect over the old year and think about what I'm hoping for in the new year. We have a LOT to be thankful for in 2011, lots of personal growth took place and yet there is still plenty of growth to work towards in 2012. The positive side of my low blood counts is that it snapped me back into focusing on what is truly important and letting the little things go. I was somewhat surprised at how I had slipped back into my old habits and way of thinking. It's so easy to take good health for granted, to place our focus on minor things, or to let our eyes wander instead of keeping Christ at the center. I really relate to Peter while he was walking on water and the moment his mind wandered, he started to sink. The hard part is realizing that you are sinking before you start to drown. I want to be very vigilante this year on where my focus is and keep track of my decisions and why I make them the way that I do. If you notice, old habits start creeping in one small step at a time. It only takes one negative thought, one small poor decision and before we know it, we are completely off track, our focus has shifted and we are going down a road we never intended. It's going to be a daily battle to take my thoughts captive but I'm determined to do it in 2012 because I don't want to waste time. I don't want life or fears to dictate my choices, I want to live purposefully which is a lot harder these days than it sounds. Anyway, I'm very excited for this year and for all the changes that it holds. I'm becoming a little more comfortable with change and a little less rigid and that's good because God never promised I would be comfortable.