Life as we know it... straining forward.

Yes, we've been home for a little over two weeks, and in that time life as we know it has changed.

- We have officially began the adoption process for Laila and Noah and should have an adoption date this week!

- We received some heavy diagnosis for Laila and Demetrius in terms of their past, and how it has effected them. Things like R.A.D. (Reactive Attachment Disorder), O.D.D. (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), and P.T.S.D. (Post Tramautic Stress Disorder, which is diagnosed massively higher in children who have been apart of the foster care system in our country than soldiers returning from war in Afghanistan and Iraq.) They are heavy heavy things, things that we will not use to define their futures, but labels that do put pictures to their pasts. Labels that mean we must remind ourselves of this calling to help heal hurt, and to not stay safe, or clean, but to dive into the mess of this life with our babies.

- We are also in the process of buying a house with foundation problems:D Which seems like no big deal to me, we are in the business of fixing foundational problems, so it seems fitting for us, prophetic, and perfect really, if you ask me. (I'm not sure the lender or my husband share my same passion for this particular foundational problem, but we shall see;)

- We have determined that there are some severe allergies with Demetrius and Noah and are undergoing several different tests for this.

-Demetrius has a severe stigmatism which explains why he is always running into everyone and everything (Not the R.A.D., thank you very much!), and is always hurting himself and others and spilling the entire kitchen:) He will be in really cute, but much more importantly, NOT BREAKABLE glasses from here on out.

So with these factors, combined with my computer that is teetering on the brink of life and death, I am afraid to download any of the photos off my camera from  our trip. Some day I will, and it will be wonderful to relive our "month of family", to look back and remember how amazing the time was and recall what God was doing in us during that time. But for now we are looking ahead at what is to come, we are believing the best for our children, their hearts, their heads, and their bodies. We are looking forward to our new home, wherever and whenever that is. And we are looking forward to completing this tribe once and for all. As we begin our new life as an official family of seven!

"... forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies in front..." (Philippians 3:13)

This is the verse for our family right now. And I just want to remind my self what straining involves from my good friend Dick- tionary:
1 [ trans. ] force (a part of one's body or oneself) to make a strenuous or unusually great effort • injure (a limb, muscle, or organ) by overexerting it or twisting it awkwardly• [ intrans. ] make a strenuous and continuous effort • make severe or excessive demands on • [ intrans. ] pull or push forcibly at something • stretch (something) tightly2 [ trans. ] pour (a mainly liquid substance) through a porous or perforated device or material in order to separate out any solid matter: strain the custard into a bowl.

(Note to husband: This is why we need massages so much, that and our accident in Nashville:)

So as we strain with our family to move forward into what God has for us we must remember that forgetting the past, letting it go and not letting it define us or our children will take an unusually great effort, we might get injured, it will be strenuous and continuous, not something we often like to hear together, not something our society often signs up for. But we have.
We will experience severe and excessive demands, pulled and pushed forcibly, and stretched tightly.
As we are daily pouring our selves out, so that all that is left is what is solid.

We are doing this so that we can make forward progress, so that we can help our children leave what is behind them and enter in to what is destined for them. And that is worth it. (Happy Father's Day baby!)