Brandon Heath - It's Alright - Lyrics

This song is my prayer for our little boy that we are anxiously waiting for.  We don't know what you look like but we adore you.  We don't know how you are doing, but Jesus does and He wants you to know that He's with you and everything will be okay.  We are dreaming of you little one.  We love you.

The Home Study Begins

Last night Nate and I and the kids traveled about an hour and twenty minutes to Lima, Ohio to meet with AWAA Social Services.  The woman we met with was so nice and helped to make a lot of things clear with the paperwork involved.  She isn't our social worker that will be coming to our house, last night was an orientation.  Our social worker, Patty, will be calling us either today or early next week.  She will then set up the appointments to come to our home and get to know our family and how we function.  The kids are nervous because she will be interviewing each of them individually.  I keep telling them it's not an interrogation, just a time for her to get to know them.  =D  They have been real troopers through this process and we are so proud of them.  Therese, the woman we met last night, was very impressed with how much we've gotten accomplished in the paperwork.  I think my parents would be proud of me, all those years of desperately trying to instill organizational skills and responsibility (and keeping a filing cabinet for important papers) has come to fruition!  Because of their teaching, I didn't panic last night when Therese said she needed the first page of our 1040 tax forms all the way back to 2006 to present because my dad has always said to save important papers because you will never know if and when you'll need them.  Thanks mom and dad!!  We are very excited to have taken this big step forward and continue the paper chase.  There are still some concerns and fear that, at times, creeps in about the issues that come with adopting an older child.  Thankfully we know that the Lord is in control and there is a little boy out there who needs us.  The Lord will lead and direct us to the one meant for our family and He knows what's best for him and will give us what we need to raise this precious child for Him.  Please pray that we remember this whenever the fear of the unknown sneaks up on us.

Blessings

I have been learning a lot through this adoption process.  One, I realized that I can be a total nut about paperwork and insisting at the strangest times of day (like midnight) that we sit down and fill something out.  Two, that I'm not as patient as I once thought.  Three, that my life is so full and blessed that I need to slow down and enjoy what I have right here and trust that the Lord will see this adoption through and my obsessiveness will not make it go any faster or smoother.   I don't deserve the many blessings in my life, it seems that they keep flowing and flowing and I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness to my Abba Father.  I am learning to count my blessings every day and take note of every moment of Grace given to me by Him.

We are progressing, probably more that I feel at times.  Just sent out some more paperwork to the home study agency and it feels really good.  We are hoping to have the dossier and the home study complete by Thanksgiving.  I don't think that's too much to ask, it's better than what I have been aiming for. ...I wanted things done by September.  I'm so delusional sometimes.  :)  Anyway, the Warners will keep living this wonderful life, loving each other to the fullest, dreaming about our little one out there, and praising our Father every step of the way.  He is so good.

Let's Build!

We are now well into the dossier building process!  We are happy to finally have been assigned a Family Coordinator, she called today and introduced herself and sent us an email with documents that needed to be printed out and signed.  I believe I just printed out 8,963 pieces of paper.  The printer was smoking by the time it was all said and done. :o}  We also recieved a call yesterday from AWAA-OH social services and was also told there was an email with documents that needed signing.  Another 212 papers so that wasn't nearly as bad.  Sooooo, we now prepare our eyeballs for reading all documents, buy plenty of Visine and make sure we have a 50 count pack of brand new pens.  We are off and running!  Like I mentioned in my last post, I have indeed begun ransacking the house, decluttered and started organizing like I never have before.  Hey, I know it's not necessary, but it keeps me sane and if I'm sane, the whole family is sane!  Until next time!