It is accomplished.

It has been a mere 12 months since the first piece of paperwork got sent off to our adoption agency and we have finally completed our dossier (i.e. mega-pack of paperwork requiring much government approval and re-approval in order to be accepted by China). We had been told to expect roughly 9 months to reach this landmark, but 2 more were added by DCFS "losing" some of our paperwork and another month ... who knows where. Anyway, it is finally done and I am elated! It is accomplished!!

Praise the Lord!!

More good news! I just learned from our adoption specialist that we aren't going to have to wait as long as we thought! We are going to be part of a special needs program which should grant us a referral in 6-8 months!!! I am very excited about this rather drastic change in our timeline (3 years to 1/2 of one!) and hopeful to see what God has planned for our family in 2010 :)

What's new??

Changes in the Life of the Witzigs:
1. We got a piano donated to our cause :)

(Thank you to Andy's parents are letting us borrow it!)

2. Sammy got braces and turned 9 in the same week!

3. Wil broke through both bones in his right arm Nov. 30th

(He fell off a Rubbermaid box ... who knew they were so dangerous?!)

4. Both boys got new beds ... car beds!! Charlie still has not gotten over the excitement. Seriously, he wakes up nearly every morning and nap and says, with secrecy and excitement, "I sleep in a car. It's so awesome!" -or- "I sleep in my very own car last night" :)

5. Wil had closed surgery Dec. 4th to set his bones and just got his purple cast taken off Jan. 19th.

And there is a little snapshot of some fun we've had in the Witzig household the past few months :)

Are you still adopting?

I know I've not been updating this blog, but outside of our extremely hectic summer (and fall) there hasn't been much news (or time to blog, for that matter). Anyway, one thing we hear more than anything else is, "Are you still adopting?". Sometimes that question makes me sad - how could we have changed our mind? But I know they are well-meaning and love us ... it's just a really long process and there hasn't been anything to tell. But, in case you're still wondering, the answer is "yes! Yes! YES!" ... and though we've already gotten a run-around from one government agency which has slowed our timeline up by about 2 months, we said from the beginning that we knew this would be long and difficult, and we're in it for the long-haul!

Another reason people may ask (outside of the complete lack of updates ... since there are none!) is that we may not talk about it much. This is not because I don't want to ... quite the opposite! It's because I want to so much (and would therefore scare off any nice person with a willing ear) that I dare not overwhelm someone unless they ask for it :) It's not because I'm really that non-chalant about this life-changing event that I'm dieing to have happen!!

There are times that it almost consumes me (like today - right now). The first time it hit me was going through customs last June in a US airport ... without our child. At that point, I wondered if I could make it another 3 years. I want my baby girl so bad there are days that Zoe prays, "Dear God, please help mommy be patient as we wait to adopt our little girl" ... she knows. She knows that there are times when talking about adoption with my children I get teary-eyed and can hardly explain why. She prays for her own patience too! We all want her home!! We are praying, we are hoping, we are planning ... but we are waiting. And we must continue waiting until God says "enough"... and let me tell you there will be dancing in the Witzig household on that day :)

10

June 13, 1999. What a beautiful day it was... the sun was shining... and so were we! I can hardly believe we've been married for 10 years!! Wow. So much has happened since then that it's almost a blur.

We have lived in 3 apartments and 2 houses. We have had 4 children and are praying for more! We have been on tops of mountains and in the depths of valleys (literally, and figuratively). We have been through some things that we wondered if we'd ever make it out un-scarred... but God! God was always there and through it all He showed us His sovereign hand. God brought us together in a way man could never understand. God changed us and molded us more into His image ... more unified ... more in love than ever before.

But let's not forget some of the crazy times in the beginning (for better or for worse)...

like Andy having lost his license during our engagement, leaving me to drive on our honeymoon and first 2 months of marriage...

like getting up before the sun did on the day after our wedding to go to court (trying to win back the afore-mentioned lost license)... and getting lost on a dirt road along the way...

like having a scorpion in our chalet or taking Andy to the doc-in-a-box on our honeymoon...

like Andy yelling "That's my wife!" and the little boy behind us yelling "That's his wife! That's his wife!" after I shot a hole-in-one playing mini golf in Gatlinburg...

like me driving nearly an hour to get to work every morning - even though we lived right across the street from the preschool (and yes, it was due to Andy's lack of license and my driving him to work in Huntsville first)...

like Andy totalling his truck after his license was reinstated (hmmm)...

like going through an unfounded work lawsuit that lasted over a year...

like moving into a different apartment every year until we finally found our sweet little house at 101 Silver Poplar in August 2002...

like having 3 children in 4 years! and 4 children in 6 years!!

Nor shall we ever forget the struggles which brought us closer to God and each other (in sickness and in health)...

like 3 pregnancies with months of bed-rest (each with their own unique struggle)...

more doctors visits, lab-work, hospital tests and surgeries than we could've imagined...

being cared for by our dedicated parents and wonderful church family at New Life...

flying out to Bend, Oregon - not for a getaway, but for yet another surgery...

and praying it was the last.

And now we look expectantly to the future (as long as you both shall live)...

I love you, baby! Happy 10th Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!

Celebrating in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic together :)

Did you know?

One of the many blessings of homeschooling ~ and having daddy work out of our home ~ is our lunch time discussions. Today, Andy started "quizzing" the children on where we live, our country, our planet, etc... which led to a quick intro to astronomy... which took a turn for the worse when Wil piped in very confidently to say ~

"Did you know that everyone knows that the moon is made of cheese?"

(Thank you, Wallace and Gromit!)

Let the World Hear Our Cry

I was touched as I watched this presentation of one of John Piper's messages. It is bold. It is truth. And it's about time America starting hearing and preaching more of it.

Please listen to the words of John Piper to President Obama regarding abortion... and pray.

Blogging in my head...

... but not on the computer. I think about writing all these neat and fun things about our family for us to look back on and remember someday ... but by the time I finally sit down to it, I've forgotten most of the things I wanted to remember. It's a problem.

But we have to move on. So, a few little things that get me smiling lately are:

1. Charlie saying "one" at the end of nearly everything (i.e. - Where's my guitar-one? I like a banana-one! I want a car-one! and on and on-one)
2. Wil saying, well, just about anything! He just has a way of cracking us up :)
3. Zoe wearing her favorite pink pants ... which finally had to go to pants heaven because they were so raggedy and holey and waaaay too small; only to be replaced by the brown pants (another cotton yoga-type pant) which are also way too small already and not wearable outside of the house.
4. Sammy saying "I want to be a mommy artist when I grow up so I can teach my children to draw and be artists too!"

For Easter, I made the girls some little pink dresses and they have been wearing them to death. It's really fun though and I'm thankful they like them so much :) Girls are such fun!
During our Easter party with the Witzigs that night, our 4 took a turn to sing some songs and say a few verses together. They're cute when they're all together like that :)
Next is a picture of Charlie's latest accomplishment. I know it's a bit late to be finally potty training the littlest Witzig, but hey- it's been a busy year (or years, I should say!). Gone are the days of magazine and book reading when you've got some time to kill.

The first time he went on the little potty, he jumped up and said, "Look! I make water!" Now, he frequently asks to "show baby make water" (a very instructional time for the little doll, I assure you).
And here he is trying out the big potty, but not so sure he can handle it alone :)

Wil is now our upcoming reader and pushing Zoe to continue her learning! They're both doing great and love showing their new skill to anyone with an ear and a little time to give :)

One VERY exciting thing for the Witzig household is that Daddy got his guitar out after almost 1 year after we moved here. There was just a touch of excitement that first night :)

Notice that Charlie is sitting on the couch by Andy. This was not a quick-run-and-get-the-camera moment. This little guy stayed there for the entire time Andy played (pushing an hour). It was SO cute. He just sat there strumming along on his little guitar and thinking he was just as good as daddy. So here he is playing a duet of the "barnyard song" with daddy...

And here is what the other children were doing during this song...

Such fun! Well, we also got to see some barnyard animals up close and personal during MHS's annual farm event. We went with the Rassi crew and had a great time. There is one thing that stands out in my mind though and it is from this picture that I am reminded of it...

Ok, Sammy held a little chick while I was watching Charlie pet a baby calf. As we came back together, she told me something a little shocking. After we got home with Andy, I asked her more. Here was the story that unfolded...
Sammy, "Uh, mom - I think I killed a baby chick."
Me, "Don't worry, honey, I'm sure it's ok."
Sammy, "No, really. All of a sudden it's head went limp and fell over like this" (doing the motions) "I think it's dead."
Me, "Are you sure it wasn't sleeping? What did the lady say?"
Sammy, "Oh, she said that happens sometimes."
Me, "Really? Well, it'll probably be ok after it rests."
Sammy, "I don't think so. I think it's dead."
Me, "Where did the lady put the chick when you gave it back? Was it in the incubator?"
Sammy, "Uh, I think she laid it on a box behind her. I'm telling you - I think it's dead."
Ok, at this point, both Andy and I are trying to control ourselves. We're both cracking up, but she's just killed a baby bird. How are we supposed to deal with that?!??
And lastly, the Piggy Bank auditor hard at work :)

There you have it ~ 6 weeks in 11 pictures. I would say that I plan to do better, but it's best not to lie. Not that I won't try, but life just happens. And with 4 children and adoption paperwork/training, it seems to happen a lot faster. It's been busy. I've been doing my best though to forgo urges like cleaning (and blogging) to take in these moments that I'll never have back again. I know life won't be perfect - I know I'm not perfect, but I don't want to regret how I use this time. It's hard though. Very hard. But I'm learning and I'm trying (though I must say this post rather shot that as I continuously had to "push" away 2 little boys trying to get their mommy's attention - ugh). How's a mommy supposed to do it all? I ask this of myself frequently, but I can't say I've gotten a good answer yet. It seems that if one thing is stellar, another is lacking. But that's just life, isn't it? I mean, if I had it all in perfect order why would I need to cry out to God? Exactly. It never will be in order... I need Him too much for Him to allow it... and I will do my best to be faithful and thankful for what He gives. Thank you, Lord.