brothers for birthdays

Our adoption agency rep thinks we are a week or ten days away from receiving our LOA for John Paul (we've been waiting almost four months so its. about. time.!!!!!)

After LOA there are a few more steps, but they should go faster and more predictably, which means we are in a position to start looking at the calendar and dreaming of dates :)

This morning we prayed as a family that we could get John Paul in August.  (I'm dreaming big time of early August, but it's a loooooong shot at this point.)  And this is the conversation that followed:

Lydia: Yeah, I want to get John Paul for my birthday.  [August 15th]

Matt: Would you like that Lydia? That would be kind of fun, wouldn't it?

Lydia: Isaac got a brother for his birthday, I want to get John Paul for mine. 
[She's right, Luke arrived March 18th, two days after Isaac's 3rd birthday.]

Julianna: Hey, I wanna brother for my birthday too.  No, I mean a sister.  Yeah, I want a baby sister for my birthday. 

Ha!  This could easily spiral out of control!  No more siblings as birthday gifts around here! 

In all seriousness though, would you join us in praying that we could pick up John Paul in (early) August?  With Matt's university teaching schedule and other variables on his plate the summer months are super-ideal and the fall months are, well..... less ideal!  Another biggie?  My mom and dad will be here in August! 

Don't get me wrong, we'll travel whenever they tell us too, and sooooo many things that we have planned in our own minds have not come to fruition, so we'll continue to walk by the Lord's perfectly written calendar, not our own. 

But if you would pray with us?  And we'll keep you posted... as soon as our LOA rolls in I'll be here with lots of excitement and pictures and all that good stuff :)