6 Months Together as a Family of 8!

Six months ago Joel and I said "yes" to a phone call that forever changed our family... again. We had no clue what saying "yes" really meant, but we knew clearly that we were being obedient to The Lord.
The past 6 months have been challenging emotionally and physically, but The Lord has been faithful to give me His strength each day. Court dates, weekly visits with Mom, social workers, attorneys etc... The Lord has (and is) taking me on a journey I would of said I could never do. I have fallen in love with a little girl who I might not get to be "Mom" to forever. However, each challenge, the chaos, my fears and every tear cried have been worth it! We have watched our baby girl transform. We have had the joy to watch her take her first steps, say her first words, learn to smile, laugh, have sass and sparkle. She is full of personality, she is stubborn, she is determined, she is happy, she is cuddly, she loves to play outside, she loves animals, she loves dirt and her and Cian are best buddies!
We continue to journey thru the emotional roller coaster of the reunification process. At this point we know 2 things: we get to love and care for our sweet baby girl until at least January 2014 (when we have our next court date) and that if she becomes adoptable, we get too! I'm so thankful and excited that she will be with us for the holidays! It's going to be one fun and crazy Christmas!

Fun memories we've shared as a family of 8 so far:
Camping, twice
Water-slides
Bike rides
Hume Lake
Being asked..   Are they twins?
Being asked... Are they all yours? (Gavin's favorite)
Celebrating Cian's 1st birthday (10/8) and our baby girl's 1 1/2 birthday (10/6) together.

But by far the most amazing thing has been watching the boys and Savannah fall in love with her (and her with them). I'm reminded daily how God has given my kids unique hearts. It's been a huge adjustment with 2 babies
and it has required a lot of their help. They continue to do it willingly and with happy hearts!  Their attitudes are an encouragement to me.
After Cian was born Merek told me Cian needed a buddy. I was quick to respond, "That's not going to happen! Don't you think 5 is enough?"
At dinner this past week, Merek reminded me of that conversation and He said "Mom did I tell you I prayed for that? I just had no idea God was going to answer it like He did. I love being a big family." These are the moments that I know our family is right smack in the middle of the Lord's plan! Our house is crazy, our car is squished, our presence is very noticeable where-ever we go and our Costco bill is outrageous, but we are a Forever Family!
Thanks for continuing to pray for us!

The Lord reminds us again, Our plans are not His plans...

I had to smile at my last post which was over a year ago... baby #5, the shock and the anticipation that awaited!

Well, our precious boy Cian Christopher arrived on October 8, 2012 and he arrived VERY quickly.  We walked in the hospital doors and we welcomed him into this world 20 minutes later!
We are so thankful that God's plan was different then our plan because for the last 7 months Cian has brought us nothing but joy! He is the happiest, easy going baby with the most contagious smile.  Our family can't imagine life without this little guy.




And once again His plans were not our plans...

The Lord made it very clear that He was growing our family again!

The morning began as usual, the kids headed off to school and Joel headed off to work.  I sat down to feed Cian and read Jesus Calling.  This is what the Lord brought my attention too...

"Don't let unexpected events throw you off course. Rather, respond calmly and confidently, remembering that I am with you."

 I sent it to Joel in a text as I knew he had a full day and I thought, wow Lord this is great encouragement for his day. When I had finished, Cian had fallen asleep in my arms and I decided I was just going to cuddle and enjoy him. Two hours later we woke up!  Shortly after our nap we headed out to pick Savannah up from school and continue about our day.. lunch, dishes, laundry, etc.
Then my phone rang with a very, very unexpected phone call from Koinonia (the agency we went through to adopt Savannah). We hadn't pursued adding to our family again through adoption or as many have asked, "Had our name on a list:)"
When I answered, they proceeded to tell me that they had a 12 month old little girl to place right away and no homes available to take her too. They asked if we could take her?  In complete shock I asked to call Joel. She said yes, but that I needed to get back to her right away.
I hung up and quickly prayed Lord I need two things, I need clarity quick and I need Joel to answer his phone.  I knew Joel was in a meeting which often means he doesn't have his phone with him.  I called and he didn't answer, so I sent him the emergency call me ASAP text!
Sure enough he called back quickly and I told him about the call.  His response was "Sarah you are telling me there is a little girl that needs some where to sleep, why wouldn't we take her?" God answered my prayers within minutes. Joel answered his phone and Joel's response was complete clarity.  I called our agency back and said yes.  They let me know that a social worker would call me and get me details.  I hung up and was speechless.  Then God reminded me of my morning devotion...

"Don't let unexpected events throw you off course. Rather, respond calmly and confidently , remembering that I am with you."

(He had prepared me that morning for what would take place in the afternoon and I had rested and snuggled my little guy. What a gift!)

I just keep saying to myself calmly and confidently, calmly and confidently!

Within just a few minutes the social worker called and she was on her way to our house.  From the phone call to the arrival of this sweet little girl was 45 minutes.  The social worker was at the house for a very brief moment and then she was on her way. As I closed the front door I had Cian on one side and this precious baby on the other, I just stood there thinking now what do I do? All she had was a blanket.

Calmly and confidently Sarah!

God had it all figured out..

I was able to get a friend to bring my boys home from school, as I didn't have a car seat and Savannah was all about a girl playmate.  Then within 24 hours we were able to get all that we needed...  diapers, bottles, car seat, clothes, etc...

Well, it has been over a month now that we have been blessed to have this sweet little one in our family.  It has been CRAZY with 2 babies (her and Cian are 6 months apart) and 6 kids!!!  However, The Lord has surrounded us with amazing people to love and support us during this transition.  

But the most amazing thing has been to watch our kids welcome her in, love her and help care for her.  God has given our kids unique hearts and that is why He knew we could be a big family.  Crazy is probably an understatement to how some of our days have gone, but the comments from the kids have been "we love her and we want her to stay" and Savannah loves having a buddy in her room! 

Please pray for us!
Please pray for Our newest little one!
Please pray for her Mom! 

We have no idea yet what all is ahead.  We begin each day thankful to have her another day and as apart of our family.   We are bonding more and more together and our love for her is growing greater and greater, which means the more attached we are all becoming the more difficult it will be if we have to say goodbye.  We said yes without a clue of a time frame or details and a month later we really don't know anymore. 

We trust in the Lord's plan for His daughter! She is His and we have been given the amazing blessing to care for her at this time. My prayer is that she would know Jesus' love for her, even at this young age through our family!  Would Joel and I honor The Lord and bring Him glory as we love the 6 beautiful kids he has entrusted to us!

Thank you for joining us in prayer on this new journey!

     

Our Unexpected gift...

I thought that I had finished blogging about our growing family, but God had a different plan.

We are expecting baby #5!!!

Here is our miracle baby's story:

These past few weeks I haven't been feeling well and really couldn't figure out why I couldn't kick the nauseous feeling.  I just kept thinking maybe it is exhaustion.  Then, over this past weekend it seemed to get worse and I started to have pregnancy thoughts.  However, I new this wasn't possible as I had  surgery last April to close my tubes.  In July an x-ray was performed and the surgery was confirmed successful.  Finally, Monday afternoon I decided I just needed to rule it out.  I couldn't believe what I saw when I read the test.  The shock, the tears, 5 kids, starting over and you have got to be kidding me were my first reactions.  Fortunately, Joel is amazing and could help me calm down.  After the panic came the worry.  If I am really pregnant is the baby ok?  I didn't sleep well that night and prayed and prayed that I could get in to the doctor in the morning.

Fortunately, the Doctor's office did call me back Tuesday morning and got me an appointment in the afternoon.  They were also in shock for us and wanted to make sure everything was ok.
Tuesday my heart was heavy and I was blessed by this quote that was sent to me...

"Trust and thankfulness will get you safely through this day. Focus on Me, entrusting your concerns into My care."

When the Doctor (the very one that confirmed my surgery successful) came in the room I could tell he was hesitant not knowing what to expect from us.  Joel and I were smiling and laughing, so he quickly relaxed and these were his first words...
"Congratulations you are our first failure!"
All Joel and I could do was laugh.

He proceeded with a sonogram and right away there was our baby, right in the correct place.  I felt so thankful... and then we heard the heart beat.  There was our unexpected gift!  I really was pregnant again.  I am 7 weeks due October 10th.

Our family is very excited and though this is definitely a life changer, we know it is a blessing from The Lord!

We would totally appreciate your prayers:
For a healthy baby and pregnancy
For me to not be fearful and to have strength each day as I am not feel well
For Joel as he has a very full plate (preparing for Mexico) and now I'm not 100%
For our sweet kids to have patience as they are so very excited
For peace as we adjust and plan for the arrival of our baby

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you" 1 Peter 5:7

Thank you again for being apart of our journey as we go from a Forever Family of 6 to a Forever Family of 7!

Memories...

We are excited to share the amazing pictures that Grover Style Photography http://www.groverstyle.com/ captured of our adoption celebration at the court house.  Thank you so much Amber for using the talents the Lord has given to you to bless our family with an incredible gift.

Check them out!
http://gallery.groverstyle.com/Our-Galleries/Family-Galleries
Scroll down and click on Boone Family Adoption
Password is: Savannah (make sure the "S" is capitalized)

Enjoy our video (just in case you missed it) of this amazing moment captured by our close friend at  http://jeradhillphoto.com/.  Thank you so much Jerad for the precious gift you have given to our family and especially our daughter. She will forever be able to see the joy and celebration we experienced the day she became officially ours!

Boone Family Adoption Hearing on Vimeo

Love The Boone Family... our adoption journey is finished!

887 days... WE ARE FINAL!!!

Our adoption journey began August 5, 2009...
Our paperwork was completed August 10, 2010...
We got the call for Savannah October 13, 2010...
We met Savannah "our sweet girl" on November 1, 2010...
Savannah came home on November 5, 2010...

And....
Monday, January 9, 2012 all 6 of us sat in court together, surrounded by family and friends as we signed our final paper and heard the greatest words come from the judge's mouth,
"Savannah is officially yours!"

My eyes were filled with tears of joy!  I was finally, officially and forever Savannah's Mom!

Enjoy our video of this amazing moment captured by our close friend

Boone Family Adoption Hearing on Vimeo

As I walked out of the courtroom, I held my daughter's hand tighter then ever!  The fears were gone, the what ifs disappeared and I looked her in the eyes and with absolute certainty I told her.. I am your FOREVER Mommy and you are FOREVER my Savannah Joy Boone!  It was amazing!

We celebrated after at IHop for breakfast and then headed home to decorate for her adoption party.  It was a "Sweet Love" theme with a picture timeline of her last fourteen months with us, as well as a candy buffet and cake pops!  She was beyond excited.

We get to move forward... 

I no longer have to write two names, show documentation I have legal care of her, call the social workers when we are leaving town, only leave her with a babysitter for less then 4 hours, fax medical check-ups, document any medicine she takes, keep her picture off the internet, answer any questions, etc... The Lord has given us the most incredible gift, we are her Dad and Mom.

Her birth certificate reads:

Savannah Joy Boone

Name of Father: Joel Boone

Name of Mother: Sarah Boone

The Lord has been faithful to complete our family in a beautiful way and I wouldn't trade any of the 887 days!

We couldn't imagine our family any other way!

Thank you for all your prayers, encouragement, hugs and celebration you have shared with our family as we walked through our journey of adoption.

Court Date!!!

The first couple weeks of December were a roller coaster of emotions for me.  We were told that "the" papers we signed would be filed with the court the first week of December and then our finalization court date would be a week or two after.  Everything was to be done in December.  I was so excited and SO ready!!  It has been a long and emotional 14 month pregnancy/labor and I was ready for the delivery:)...

Unfortunately, everything didn't go as planned.  "The" papers took longer and then "the"papers took longer and then there was one paper missing... I am really done with papers!
We were now waiting for one last paper from the county Savannah previously lived in and they hoped to release it to our social worker by December 13th... hoped... ugh...

I found myself extremely anxious, frustrated, discouraged and bitter.  I didn't want to wait anymore.  I wanted to drive and release the paper myself.   I had a plan and it wasn't happening.  I didn't like that and I didn't understand why. I am thankful for my sweet hubby, friends and family that listened to me, prayed for me and reminded me that the Lord was in control and that His plan was the greatest even if I couldn't see it.  Each morning I would ask the Lord for patience, some days were better then others and some days I had to ask a 100 times. I began to feel His peace and release my plans.

On Friday December 9th I got the call that "the" paper had been released (music to my ears), but it couldn't be faxed, it would be mailed.  Ahhh... really?  Ok, I could do this.. waiting that's what I do.  I was told that by the middle of the next week everything would be filed.  I was praying for a miracle, that "the" papers would be ready Monday and that there would be one more court date available in December.

SURPRISE... Monday morning (December 12th) we got the call that "the" papers were here! Our Lord is amazing! "The" papers were being hand delivered to the court to be filed and I would receive a phone call in the afternoon with our court date.  I knew chances of a December court date were slim and I was prepared to hear January, but I was still praying.

Around 2:00 our social worker called with the date...
January 9th!!!

The Lord chose not to answer my prayer for December, but finally WE HAD A DATE!  I was thankful for  His peace.. it was filling my heart and I wasn't disappointed.  He answered my prayer for "the" papers to arrive on Monday and I didn't want to forget that! Finally, we had an end date to all of our waiting!

Our 2-1/2 year adoption journey will come to an end in 10 days.. what a journey it has been..
from Day 1 till Day 887 we have experienced every possible emotion, but through it all we have experienced the Lord's perfect plan in bringing our daughter home.  Thank you for all of your prayers... what a blessing they have been to Our Forever Family!

Now it's time to plan our Adoption Day Party!!

Our Family 3K Fun Run

Our Adoption Signing celebration continued...

Just an hour after signing "the" papers, we headed down to Monterey and Pacific Grove for a night away and to participate in a 3k Family Fun Run for Atheletes for Adoption.  When we arrived in town, we went to Chili's for dinner and were joined by my parents, Joel's parents, my brother's family and Joel's brothers family.  It was so fun to all be together for my birthday meal!  After dinner we all headed back to our hotel in Pacific Grove and tucked  into bed.

Saturday morning was the 3K Run.  We had so much fun getting ready.  The kids were so excited to put on their AFA shirts and bib numbers.  They were ready for the race.  As we walked down to the start line (all 17 of us) the day was beautiful, there were lots of people and so much excitement.  

We arrived at the start line a few minutes early so we got to talk with other families that were there running for athletes for adoption as well as take lots of pictures.  At the 5 minute warning they played the National Anthem.  As I stood there listening to the song and looking around at the 17 family members there with me, my eyes filled with tears.  Today my family joined with me in my passion for adoption and my daughter's journey. They booked hotels, paid race registration fees, drove hours and set aside time in their schedules to be here with us.  I had never felt so supported and loved.  It was overwhelmingly awesome!  My family rocks!  

The gun fired and the race began... 

and for us it wasn't about the race but about the fun.  We ran for about 1 minute then chased, played, laughed, walked and talked all along the ocean.  It was such an amazing hour.  Yes, it took our family just over one hour to go 2 miles, but we finished!   I think we literally were the second to last group.  However, that hour will forever be a sweet memory.  Our families had the best conversations over those 2 miles and my heart was so happy watching all the kids play together.  I am so thankful it took as long as it did!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to our friends and family that sponsored us for the run!

We raised $500 for God's Grace Adoption Ministries which will  help bring children home to their forever families! 

Also our family won for greatest family participation for The Athletes for Adoption Team

http://athletesforadoption.org/twitter/705/ (click for photo)

Add Todd and Tatyana's daughter, Katya got youngest participant

http://athletesforadoption.org/twitter/703/ (click for photo)

A Burden Lifted...

We were always told that Savannah was here to stay, she wasn't going any where and that no one would move her... but it wasn't till after signing "the" papers that I realized I had those thoughts in the back of my mind.  As I look at my precious daughter, I realized that burden had been lifted and I could squeeze her that much tighter.  We are one step away from officially knowing that no one could ever take her from us.  I can't wait for her Adoption Day!!!

Please join with us in prayer as we wait again for our court date...