My baby is graduating from Air Force Tech School!

We are in Wichita Falls, TX, to see Zach graduate from Tech School tomorrow. He has been here at Sheppard Air Force Base for several weeks (we haven't had him at home since last April)! His next assignment is at Shaw AFB in South Carolina...and he has to report there by Saturday!

David and I drove up early this morning and will head back home Friday. Thanks, Grandma, for keeping all the kids for us!

And congratulations to my first baby...I am so proud of you!

I am a sad, sad Mommy. I asked my husband and the kids to clean out the van today while I was teaching my piano students, with the idea that we would rearrange the carseats to make things a little easier to get the baby into his seat (currently in the middle of the WAY back) and give Grandma a nice, comfy easy-to-get-to seat in the middle.

Right now, we regularly transport 7-8 people, and we are using one regular adjustable carseat, now facing forward, for Andrew. We are using two booster seats with backs, armrests, and headrests for Thomas and Mary Clare, and John sits in one of two fully integrated carseats that came with our van...interestingly enough, seats that no one knew were there until my oldest, Zach, was messing around one day and flipped one open by accident! I know that the van salesman didn't know they were there, or we would have paid dearly for them three years ago when we got the van! :)

Things went a little too well today.   :(    I am now the regular driver of a van that looks quite decidedly UNbaby... The WAY back now holds two small regular booster seats (no back...just the van headrests!) for Thomas and Mary Clare and an ADULT seatbelt in the center for John! Aaaack! Andrew will move into the middle seat and use one of the integrated seatbelts, leaving plenty of space for Grandma! I agree with my honey...it is the best use of space. But I am a sad, sad Mommy.

Time for a new baby?  :)

Goodness, has it really been that long since I've blogged? Bad blogger! Bad blogger! Oh, well...at least I'm back! :)

We've done lots of digging and looking and reading and praying and cost-comparing and have finally made some decisions about our curriculum choices for next year. We'll have two in First Grade (Congratulations to our recent Kindergarten Graduates, John and Thomas! Way to go, guys!) and Mary Clare will be in Kindergarten. Andrew is now 16 months and he'll continue to ransack the house and chew on unsharpened pencils while we're schooling! Sigh...

We'll be doing Saxon 1 for Math, Five in a Row for Language Arts (with Science, Social Studies, and Art combined), Explode the Code for Phonics, and a mix of workbooks for handwriting. We're also going to try a new Co-op group that I was invited to join. We'll let you know what we think!

Gotta run...did I mention Andrew is also a world-class climber and he likes to scale the kitchen cabinets now? Pray for meeeeeeeeee........!

My daughter...my precious angel girl...is now MY SISTER IN CHRIST! Woo Hoo!

Mary Clare has been very close for a while now in her understanding of salvation and her own personal lostness, as well as Christ's perfect atonement for her sin through the cross. She has watched the boys accept Christ and seen others in our corporate worship services accept Christ and follow our Lord in belivers' baptism and has taken it all in with wide open eyes.

Well, tonight her conversation turned toward my Uncle Tom, "Grandma's baby brother" (who happened to have been the only 6'5" man in this family of "you're lucky to have made it to 5'4"ness...)! He passed away about a year and a half ago, and we speak often of missing him and, since he had asked Jesus into his heart a long time ago, getting to see him again in Heaven. 

Well tonight, Miss Priss said, "I miss Uncle Tom." And we talked again about the joy we have in Christ in that Uncle Tom had Jesus in his heart, and if we have Jesus in our heart we will get to see Uncle Tom again in Heaven. To this, Mary Clare replied, "And have a big party, right?!?" That's my girl!

We went through the steps of salvation and just asked question after question, not pushing her but kind of guiding her conversation as she clarified to herself and to God what was going on in her heart and mind. She prayed her own sinner's prayer, telling God exactly what she was thinking and doing and why. Our eyes were open the whole time as she just talked to God like He was sitting right there at the table with us...and He was! How awesome is that?

Afterward, she wanted to call all of her friends to share the Good News! That's the best way to spread the Good News that I know of!

She is excited to go forward at church tomorrow to share her decision publicly with our church family. She is thrilled that Daddy will be baptizing her soon, and she is so excited to be able to participate in the Lord's Supper service ("I get to eat the bread and drink the juice now, right Mommy?")! Sweet.

Please pray for Mary Clare and her decision. Obviously, a four year old's understanding of salvation (albeit extremely accurate and on the money!) will grow as she gets older and understands more and more about Christ's sacrifice and our response, but she said it best in her prayer. "Jesus, I want you to come into my heart and take away all my sins and be my boss." It doesn't get any simpler than that!

I may not get any sleep tonight! :)  

Our son, John, has been asking lots of questions about salvation lately (especially since his brother, Thomas, accepted Christ and was baptized a couple of months ago). Well, we were on a family vacation in Disneyworld last month (Dec. 7-12...it was awesome! Thank you, Grandma!) when things came up again.

Picture it...Epcot Center...World Showcase...Mexico Pavilion...the San Angel Inn Restaurant...table for seven for lunch... The kids were coloring in their children's menus, we were trying to decide what to eat, and the baby was gnawing on a Ritz cracker... and John leans over to me and says, "Mom, I want to ask Jesus in my heart." cool.

I said, "Ok...why do you want to ask Jesus into your heart?" (This is because his answer to this question several times earlier than this has been, "So I can eat the bread and the juice in church like Thomas!" He really wanted to participate in the Lord's Supper when Thomas did!)

He gave me a "Duh!" look and said, "Because he died on the cwoss for my sinses (sounded like senses) and I want to yive in Heaven wif him yater when I'm dead!" Ok! Sounds like he's figured this stuff out!

We prayed together right there at the table and my baby became my brother in Christ! So cool. He made his public profession of faith the next Sunday (after we got home from Disneyworld...they refused to let us stay there without paying for another week! :) and Daddy baptized him on Dec. 28. It was even more special because our beloved Bubba (our oldest son, Zachary) was home from the Air Force for Christmas break and got to watch the baptism.

John, I am so proud of you. I love watching you in worship as you give so fully your love to our Lord. You are a special boy and I am so happy to be your Mommy. 

...is my son's new title! Zachary graduated from Air Force Basic Training and we are all here in San Antonio to celebrate with him!

He will be here on this base about two more weeks, waiting for Top Secret Security Clearance (wow!) stuff and then he will get his orders to report to tech school.

We are so proud of you, Zachary!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Way to go, Bubba! We love you!

Love,

John, Thomas, Mary Clare, and Andrew

We are in Abilene, TX, getting ready to leave for the court house...Andrew's adoption day is here! We brought the whole family, including Grandma, with us, and David's parents met us here. We'll meet with our lawyer at his office at 10:15a.m., Court is at 11:00a.m., and then we'll go back to Christian Homes (the best adoption agency ever...check it out at christianhomes.com ) for his Consummation Celebration!

Thank you, Lord, for strong healthy babies and for the wonderful birthmoms who love them enough to choose life for them!

And thank you, Lord, for Andrew Charles Eastland!

Grrrrrrrrreat news! My son, Thomas, asked Jesus into his heart!

He is only 4 years old, but he has been asking tons of questions ever since Vacation Bible School. At the end of August (before our evacuation saga), we were finishing up a worship service with the invitation hymn and he leaned over to me and said, "I want Jesus in my heart!" His Daddy (and my wonderful hubby) took him in the back to talk further about where he was in his understanding of everything, and a few minutes later they both came back in the sanctuary beaming! David said he really had a good understanding of what salvation was and what Jesus did for us on the cross!

He told the congregation that Sunday, but we didn't push the idea of baptism on him. I figured when he was ready, he would bring it up. Well, he did! This Sunday, he went up to talk to "Uncle Carl," our pastor, and told him he wanted to join the church and get baptized "and stand there so everybody can shake my hand, too!" He and Daddy toured the baptistry after church and talked about how it would work, and he seems very excited. His biggest request was a towel RIGHT THERE (indicating his left hand) to use on his face as soon as he comes up from the water. That's how my poor water-fearing baby gets his hair washed, too, so I wasn't surprised at the request! It doesn't matter if the towel is dripping wet, just as long as he can wipe his face with it ASAP! :)

My heart is so full...thank you God for your promises!

We made it back home to the land of email, internet, and cell phones! Yeah!

But ya know what? I kind of miss our little house in the country where the boys could run freely and we watched three channels (3, 6, and 12 baby!) and worked on scrapbooks and played Mexican Train Dominoes and visited with old family friends and could get away with looking a little ratty (we were refugees, after all!)

God protected us and our house and our jobs and church from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike! God even helped us make it home in a record 11 hours with very little crying from Baby Andrew! Thanks be to God for His many blessings of the last month!

And thank you, my bloggy friends, for praying us through this time!

We are safe in Northeast Texas, but I am without cell phone and internet and it is killing me! ...Uh...what I really mean is...Thank you, Lord, for providing us a place to stay free of charge while our parish recovers from Hurricane Gustav. Even without my usual technological vices. Amen.

OK, I feel thoroughly chastised. But I want to be transparent, and I am definitely not used to being without my trusty cell phone and laptop!

Praise Reports:

Our house is OK!

I survived a 13 hour van ride with a screaming baby and 3 restless preschoolers! And me!

Daddy is OK, but away from us right now. He evacuated to MS and has already returned home. He has been very busy at his funeral home and their partner homes and doing some Disaster Relief Chaplaincy work, too. We miss you, Daddy.

The boys have been in heaven here in the country. In fact, they were out in the pasture area as I was driving away (I am at the grand metropolis--NOT--known as the Naples, TX Public Library in the computer) playing with the neighbor's goats and looking at the horses. There is an old barn they've been playing cowboys in and an old garage has been the site of many "Texas Ranger" play scenarios. They come in each day covered in dirt and cobwebs and are as happy as can be.

May Clare, on the other hand, is enjoying being inside away from the boys and the dirt and the (ew!) bugs and has enjoyed having Baby Andrew all to herself cuddle. He has been great, eating and crawling and pooping and drooling...your typical 6 month old on an extended "evacu-cation" as we have begun to call it.

In fact, all the kids have been great through all of this. From watching Daddy board up the house to packing their favorite toys in a box to bring in the van "just in case the mean storm takes them" to driving so far and sleeping on pallets on the floor for two weeks and then to be in the middle of nowhere without their regular stuff...they have been remarkably adaptable and sweet and loving. God is gracious and good and has loved us through this...and He continues to lift us up when Mommy misses Daddy so much and would love to be home again.

Thank you for your prayers for us and for everyone displaced by Gustav. We won't be returning home until their is power and gas and a regular supply of diapers and milk (even Wal-mart is still closed).

Jennifer and David (and Grandma Clara)

Zach, John, Thomas, Mary Clare, and Andrew

We have evacuated from New Orleans and are staying in Northeast Texas with friends (which, incidentally, is supposed to get tropical storm force winds the day after the hurricane hits...sigh...). Unfortunately, the expected landfall for Hurricane Gustav is west of New Orleans, right over our house in Boutte, LA. Please pray for us and our neighbors and our church (my husband is on staff at First Baptist in Harahan, LA). My children are ok and we are ok, so ultimately everything else is just stuff...but it sure is hard to watch WWL and see the track headed right for us.
Thanks,

Jennifer

We are leaving as soon as I get off this thing and get everyone into their carseats in the van. David has to work a big funeral tomorrow and has been put on stand by as a North American Mission Board Chaplain, so he is staying here until the mandatory evacuation that is being announced for noon tomorrow. I will be driving with the four littles to my aunt's house in Texas, my mom is already headed that way in her car, and my oldest is into Day Four of Air Force Boot Camp (he missed all the fun of boarding up the house)! When he is forced to leave, David will drive to Brandon, MS and stay with his parents. We are torn--praying that the storm go elsewhere and leave our house alone essentially means that we are praying that it hit someone else's house, no? Thy Will be done, Lord...

Thanks for praying for us,

Jennifer

We are in full out evacuation mode at the Eastland home. Daddy has put the blocks up all around the ouside of the house, ready to screw in the boards to cover all the windows. I'm packing up what we can't live without...the children, diapers, formula, snacks, the van DVD player (never evacuate without it--my new absolute truth), the most special scrapbooks, the laptop, various financial papers...

Pray for us. Pray for everyone making plans to escape this area. Pray for those who live wherever Gustav decides to make landfall.

Thanks, friends!

Jennifer 

We are about to take the final leap into homeschooling (our first year ever!  :) by joining our local homeschool group. There are actually three in our area--a small one close to our house, and two larger ones if we cross the bridge into the New Orleans area from where we are in Boutte.

Anyone have any experiences to share--good or bad--about being in a homeschool group? Just wondering...

Heading to bed soon (after I suck copious amounts of snot out of the tiniest member of the Eastland family...poor Andrew has a yucky cold...) G'nite!

Happy Anniversary, Love of my Life! Fourteen years has flown by, and I fall more in love with you every day!

I love you,

Jen

Our most recent baby, Andrew, is now 5 months old and growing bigger (and less baby-like, Boo Hoo) every day! He is also adopted from our favorite adoption agency, Christian Home and Family Services of Abilene Texas (www.christianhomes.com ). It took us 18 months to get John in 2003, and only 6 months to get Thomas in 2004, so we weren't sure how long of a wait it would be for this baby.

On one hand, we knew that race/culture wasn't an issue (we already have babies of several different ethnic backgrounds in our family), and that this would help us to be chosen by a birthmom looking for a culture like her own in which to place her baby. On the other hand, any birthmom that chose us would have to be someone who wanted lots of siblings for her baby. We were content to let God decide who and when we would be called, since He was the One putting this desire to adopt in our hearts again.

After seven months, we received an email from our worker about a possible placement the week of Mardi Gras (Feb. 5, 2008 this year). The baby was due on Feb. 11 and the birthmom had narrowed her choices to one of three families! Eeek! I spent the entire week of Mardi Gras vacation "nesting" and making tentative travel plans, in case we were chosen. I jumped every time the phone rang and I hated to step outside the house in case we got a call! And then...nothing. No call. Not even a call from our agency letting us off the hook. By Friday afternoon, I called the worker myself and got the news that we were not chosen.

Even though I knew that God had an even better plan for us, I was so unhappy. Even though I have a house full of children whom I adore, I was upset. And I wasted my whole vacation getting ready for nuthin'! ..............hmmm................God used this time to "give me a talkin' to" about appreciating what I have and whom I have already been given to love and cherish. Ok, Lord. Got it. Lost my focus on You for a minute...deep, calming breath... Ready. And then the phone rang.

I got a call at school about another potential placement. Unlike our other infant adoptions (placement at 2 days old and 5 days old), this baby was already 5 weeks old. And also unlike our other three open adoptions, his birthmom did not want any contact with us at all. She loved her baby and wanted to place him with a good family, but she could not handle seeing him with us after the placement. The agency actually chose us to be Andrew's parents, and get this... He was born on Feb. 15, four days after the other baby I prepared for over the Mardi Gras holidays! God definitely knew what He was doing, I just needed a little more faith!

We traveled to Abilene to get Andrew in March, and were there almost two weeks waiting for paperwork to clear. My wonderful mom (Grandma to everyone else!) stayed with Zach, John, Thomas, and Mary Clare in LA! we will be heading back to Abilene in about another month to finalize Andrew's adoption (LA law requires adoptive parents to be monitored by a Social Worker for 6 months prior to final adoption). We choose to go back for to TX to finalize for two reasons: 1) It's a lot quicker than waiting on anything in the LA court system and 2) It gives us another chance to see our adoption worker friends and (usually, but not this time) the birthmom and her family.

And thus ends the ramblings about my babies. But I'd love to have some more...!

Our little princess, Mary Clare, is now 3 years old! John was 9 months old when we adopted Thomas, and when Thomas was 2 weeks old we got the biggest surprise of our lives...we were pregnant! We had been told for over 10 years that my PCOS complications would make it almost impossible to conceive naturally...but our God is good. He answered my prayers for children first with Zach, then our precious foster babies, then through the blessed gifts of two more birthmoms, and then by creating life in my very own womb. Wow!

I was so shocked at the two pink lines on the first test that I made my sweet David go get more tests...different types, different brands, and anything that would help my poor unbelieving brain to wrap around the wondrous event that was taking place in our lives! The Wal-Mart lady must have thought he was crazy!

Despite the length of time it took me to actually get pregnant, I had a fabulous pregnancy with absolutely no morning sickness and no complications. I gained quite a bit of weight, and there were some concerns about her size and my fluid levels, so I got several ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy (although she was always too "shy" to wave at us or actually look anywhere near the "camera!" No awesome ultrasound shots for us!

The day before my actual due date, I was still carrying high and things were still "closed up tight," according to my doctor. He and the high risk doctor dude decided that a C-section the next day was still the best plan, so we were excited to head home to get ready for a new baby! David's parents were coming to stay with Zach (14), John (18 months), and Thomas (9 months) so that my mom (an RNC and NICU baby nurse!  :) could be with me in the hospital. All went well and things got rolling early the next morning.

I got a spinal (NOTE: These last 90 minutes. This info will be important in 89 minutes.) and they got me set up in the OR. Things went fine and Mary Clare made her way into the world at 7:53 a.m. They began closing me up and I heard, "Uh oh. We've got a bleeder." They set about trying to find the tear that was bleeding. And couldn't. Right about now, the nice young anesthesiologist resident is telling me everything is fine. And I start telling him, "Uh...they're stitching something up right now, aren't they?" "Hmm? What's that sweetheart?" he says, nervous eyes twitching. "I said, they are SUTURING me, right? I can feel the thread being pulled through. Not pain. Yet."

He peeked over the drape that was blocking me from seeing the action and his eyes got as big as my husband's when I told him I was pregnant. "Um, doctor? She can feel that..." And then things got interesting! It seems that my spinal was only going to last 90 minutes, which would have been plenty of time if there had not been complications. But since there were, the spinal was wearing off. And since it was a spinal and not an epidural, they couldn't add more to keep me numb. Not good! The decision was quickly made to put me under, so my husband was hustled in (he had gone with Mary Clare to the nursery) to say his last goodbyes. Not very reassuring to a man whose wife had just presented him with child number 4, with the last 3 all under 18 months of age!

I survived the surgery (duh) but I almost needed a full hysterectomy. As it is, I am down to one ovary and fallopian tube. Bummer. We were so looking forward to making more babies with our newly-found ability to reproduce! We still might be able to, but it hasn't happened yet.

But what is NOT a bummer is my precious baby girl, redheaded like her Paw Paw John (my dad died in 2000 of pancreatic cancer, 3 years before we started adding babies to the household. Zach is our only child to have been blessed to know Paw Paw). She is a girly girl who loves her baby dolls and her tea sets and her Little Tykes kitchen, but she can mix it up with the best of the boys when the mood strikes! She is my shadow and Mommy's helper and Grandma's egg cooker (they love to do breakfast together). What a treat from God--we didn't know we needed a daughter until God sent her to us!

...is four year old Thomas! He was adopted at five days old, also from our favorite adoption agency ever, Christian Home and Family Services in Abilene, TX (www.christianhomes.com ). We got THE CALL about Thomas when I was again at school. His birthmom wasn't due for three more weeks, so we were asked to come to Abilene for a "Match Meeting" with her right away, and then would plan to return to Abilene when she went into labor. We drove 13 hours the next day and met her, took her out to dinner, walked around the mall with her, and took her to Dairy Queen, and then returned her to the Maternity Home (also run by our agency). We also got to meet some of her friends who were also living at the Maternity Home, waiting for their babies to be born. Some of them had already been matched with adoptive parents and some were still in the process of choosing.

After a nice visit, we headed home to LA to wait for her to go into labor...but about three hours into our 13 hour drive they called to tell us she was in labor! we immediately turned around and headed back--with NOTHING in the van for a long stay with a baby in a hotel! We were excited, though, and decided to play it by ear and see what God had in store for us!

Turns out, her labor stalled so they sent her home to the Maternity Home to wait. We went there to see her and get some more hugs, but were really undecided about what to do. Knowing the baby could come right away...or wait up to two more weeks...made us unsure about staying in town or heading back to LA. I didn't want to waste all my FMLA leave before the baby was even born, but I also didn't want to miss the birth! Ultimately, we decided to spend the night in town and head back early the next day.

We had only been home for ONE DAY when we got THE LABOR CALL! She was already 5 minutes apart, so we knew there was little chance that we would make it back to Abilene before the birth, but we rushed as fast as we could. Thomas was born at 10:10p.m. and we made it to the hospital at 3:00 a.m. We were able to go in and snuggle with him and take pictures and bond a little. Then we went back to our favorite hotel (Courtyard Marriott of Abilene) to get a little sleep.

We were able to visit with the birthmom and her family the next day. After 48 hours, she would be be able to sign relinquishment papers for him and we would be able to take him with us to the hotel.

...As it turned out, she wasn't sure she wanted to sign (she really wanted to be able to keep him, but she was very young and didn't have the support system in place that she needed). She actually refused to sign and left the hospital with Thomas. We were crushed. We drove 13 long, sad hours all the way back to LA. It was rough.

We returned home and went back to work and school and tried to console ourselves with the wonderful babies God had already given us (Zach was 13 at the time and John was 9 months old)! We knew that God had great things in store for us if we were faithful to wait for His timing.

The next night, the phone rang about 6:00p.m. and it was our wonderful adoption worker (Hi, Charlene)! She asked two questions..."How are you guys doing?" (to which I replied, "How do you think we're doing?!? We're crushed!") and then "Can I get you guys anything?" (to which I replied, "Yeah! A baby!") He next answer floored me..."He's right here in my office!" Yeah. Right. Not funny Charlene. "No, really! The birthmom changed her mind again and he's here waiting on you--all the paperwork is already signed!"

Turns out he was a bit of a crier (but not since then, thank you Jesus :) and she realized that he would be in a much better place if he came to live with us. We are so thankful that God gave her the strength to make such a difficult decision. He is a joy and loves Jesus with his whole being. He also makes a mean pancake!   

...is now a big 5 year old (just ask him). John was adopted at 2 days old from our favorite adoption agency in the world, Christian Homes and Family Services of Abilene, TX. I have PCOS and had always been told that I would not be able to get pregnant (and ten years of marriage had proven the doctors to this point...) 

So after adopting Zachary, we continued to foster babies and children for the state of LA. We were able to share our home with 11 month old Gabrielle, 4 month old Jacob, 7 year old Eric, 1 year old Joshua, 5 year old Cassidy, 3 year old Kayle, 7 month old Kevin, 2 year old Alexia, and 4 month old London. We loved it, and we really felt like we were helping to fill a need for the babies while their parents worked on problems in their lives, but we were ready to get a baby that we could keep forever!

One night while crying out to the Lord for a baby, He led me to the website for Christian Homes  (www.christianhomes.com ) and I clicked on their link for more information. The very next day I received an email asking if we would like to attend their upcoming orientation weekend, and the rest, as they say, is history. We rearranged work schedules, got plane tickets, and Grandma agreed to come watch the kids, and we were off to learn all about adoption!

It took eighteen months of paperwork, picture making, Home Studies, more paperwork, and lots and lots of prayer, but one day at school I got THE CALL! Our worker was calling to tell us that a birthmom had chosen us to adopt her baby! I asked when she was due (because customarily the call would come around the 7th month of pregnancy, giving us a due date to look forward to) and the answer was, "She is being induced tomorrow...can you guys make it?" CAN WE MAKE IT?!? We hit the ground running--took emergency leave from school, checked Zachary out of school early, went home to pack, got a last minute Home Study update at 7:30p.m. (Thank you, again, Mary!), and left for Abilene (yes, it is a 13 hour drive from Boutte, LA) at 8:00p.m.!

We got to Abilene the morning of the induction and checked into our hotel (we love the Abilene Courtyward Marriott)! John was born at 4:10p.m. and I was holding him by 4:35p.m. We were able to take him with us to our hotel after 2 days, and then we had to wait for paperwork to clear before we could go home (Interstate Compact rules mean we can't cross the state line until given the ok). After about 3 weeks, including time spent waiting on van repairs after I wrecked it...long story..., we were able to go home!

Big boy John is now 5 and will be starting Kindergarten this year. He is excited that Mommy will be his teacher! He is a sweet boy who loves his big brother and his little brothers and sister. He loves lizards and frogs and bugs (but not "croaches" because they are "sisgusting, Mama") and playing in the rain. He can most often be found on TOP of the playhouse on the back porch, because "Spiderman sits on buildings like 'dis, Mama." He holds doors open for "da yadies" and he is a world class snuggler. And he owns this Mama's heart. 

My baby, Zachary, is 18 and he graduated from High School this May (praise God and pass the Kleenex)! He is leaving on August 26 (gulp) for Air Force Basic Training!

It's been a long time since we first met Zach. He was six years old and we were brand new, wet behind the ears, shiny-as-a-copper-penny foster parents for the state of Louisiana. We were his fifth placement (he had been bounced around a lot--the state tried to keep he and his siblings together, but it didn't work out) and he asked us on Day 1 if he could call us Mom and Dad. Wow. Talk about jumping into parenting with both feet!

But God has blessed us tremendously through these rocky years. Zach made a profession of faith, asking Jesus to come into his heart and be his boss, fairly soon after he came to live with us. We worked with him and with his birthmom in counseling and with our state workers and two CASA workers, and eventually his birthmom asked us if we would adopt him. She loved him very much and could see how well he was doing with us. She made the hardest decision, but the best decision for Zach, by surrendering her parental rights. We were able to adopt Zach when he was almost nine years old--2 1/2 years after our first meeting!

We kept in contact with Zach's birth family, sending cards and pictures to them, and we were blessed to be able to let him spend this past Thanksgiving with them. He is now able to claim two sets of family members who love him--what a lucky guy.