What family...

Who would welcome your family with open arms night after night for well over a month...
What teenagers would give up their beds and bedrooms for almost 5 weeks...
Who would share their home with your family of ten and could literally make it feel like home...
What wife would cook day after day for a crew of 19 without complaint...
What family would turn their holidays upside down to allow a birth mom, her older child, and your      whole crew share in a one of a kind Christmas Eve and Day...

What family would cry and pray with you as your longed for adoption fell apart right before Christmas dinner...

What family would put up with sharing their beds, bathroom, bikes, Lego's, etc. for an unlimited unknown amount of time...
What family would cart you all over town picking up medical records, carting around your birth mom...
What family would put up a newborns cries in the middle of the night...
What family would love you and your crew like family...

This family... that is who...

Seriously, before we came many asked where we would be staying out here...

When I mentioned that we were staying with friends, almost every single person asked for how long we would stay with them.  Even ahead of time I knew that I would probably need to stay on longer than the rest of the family and I made it clear that when the time came that we had stayed long enough that I was more than willing to get a hotel if need be... They assured me... No way!!! 

Not one of us ever dreamt that we would be here for 5 weeks.  Not one of us dreamt that our paperwork would take this long to clear all three states... 

But even more importantly...Not one of us probably thought that being together for this long would go soooooo incredibly smoothly... 

They so joyfully shared their home with all of us, except Greg, for 2 weeks.  And again so sacrificially allowed Anna, Jojo, Kaliyah and me to stay for 3 more weeks.  

And to be honest as much as I want to get back to my home and the rest of my family... I honestly am sad... It has been such a special time...

We have all said it has TOTALLY been a GOD thing...

Seriously, after 5 weeks of being together... the kids did not have one disagreement with one another... They have had a blast and have enjoyed every bit of their time together... It has been so sweet to watch them together... 

After 5 weeks of sharing the kitchen, meals, bathrooms, laundry rooms, my dear friend Kimmey Sue and I have not gotten tired of one another.  It has been a total joy... It has been such a special time... While I longed for our paper work to get done more quickly... being here in their home with their 7 beautiful children was a absolutely a delight.  It has been fun and such a gift to actually spend so much time with them.  

I know having others in your home, especially for an indefinite amount of time can't be the easiest... But not once did she and her husband Bruce or the kids make me or the kids feel like a Burden,  like they were tired of us, or like we should be gone any sooner than we will be... 

We have laughed that our time together sweating in the African sun on missions trips wiping snotty nosed kids and holding orphans with soaked through diapers prepared us for this extended time together... we have lived with each other... 

And so we leave late tomorrow night to get back to life as it should be for both of our families... 

But we leave with somewhat sad hearts, but especially extremely grateful hearts... 

Grateful for great friends...

Grateful for God totally paving the way for the last 5 weeks to be such a special time...

Grateful for God working behind the scenes to use these friends as a special part of our journey to Kaliyah...