Two + one = love!

We are beyond thrilled to announce that two more feet will be running around our house some time this summer!

We have recently accepted a referral for our daughter Havalah.  And now that we have PA (pre-approval from China), we're sharing the incredible news here.  She is 14 months old and hails from the Shanxi province in China.   That's about all we can really say without getting too specific.

Since we accepted her referral late one evening, we had to wait until morning to tell Caleb and Madeline.  Patrick wanted to be there for the big reveal, but he didn't think it was fair to the kids to keep the news from them all day.  So I printed out her photos and videotaped their reaction.

Aren't they precious?!  Oh, the references to Micah are for their younger brother.  Now we don't know if we'll be adopting a fourth child  or not.  I mean, we're still working on #3 here.  lol  But Micah will be his name if we do.  In the meantime, the dumplings will keep holding out hope. 

Anyway, thanks so much for sharing in our joy.  We are still pinching ourselves to make sure we're not dreaming.  We are over the moon in love with her!  

We love you Havi!!!

Our Havalah

Dear Precious Little Havalah,

We feel so blessed to be called your family. We don't know who you are yet, but we know that Lord has hand-picked you for us. And us for you. We have been praying for you for quite some time now:

that peace fills your precious little heart, that your mind rests in the knowledge that you will one day have a family of your own, that your nights aren't so lonely or cold, that a gentle hand wipes away your tears when they fall, that your boo boos are kissed and bandaged up, that you know the love of your caregivers until we arrive to bring you home.

Yes, precious girl. One day, when you least expect it, your world will be forever changed. You will be taken from all you have ever known and then begin your life with us, your forever family. You will be sad and traumatized, and we recognize that. How you cope with this transition, only time will tell. Our prayer is that God will equip us to help you the best way possible. One thing we know for certain, we will be there for you...to be patient, kind, and, most of all, loving to you. In fact, we already love you because God has called us to be your parents. We are so blessed to answer His call. We pray also for your birth parents, that God may give them peace and comfort to know their daughter will be loved and cared for by her forever family.

We can't wait for the day that we can finally hold you in our arms and kiss your sweet face. Some day soon, as the Lord has designed it, our hopes and dreams will be realized. In the meantime, our love for you, precious one, will only grow. We love you, dear Havi.

love,
Daddy, Mommy, Big Brother Caleb, and Big Sister Madeline