Next Steps

Brushing my teeth tonight I looked at the framed photo. I remember the day...over three years ago...August 6, 2012...the day Anellah legally became our daughter. 100% Royal. I remember I was (as usual) running late, we needed to get moving in order to get into the city in time to make it to the courthouse and through security. My phone was receiving texts and I had a 7 month old who needed to nurse before we left. I remember glancing at myself in the mirror and thinking, "Well, why change? This is as good as it's gonna get" and then realizing there would be a photo or two so I better at least put on a clean shirt. I imagined our friends who were going to meet us at the courthouse in support of this decision, I imagined that Nicole was already ready with adorable perfect kids and waiting in the car for Marco while he did a bit of what I was doing...scrambling.

Nicole the Amazing

Daniel was ready so I put him in charge of Anellah, she was always the easy one. He could handle getting her into the car. I changed and did a quick once-over. Running out the door I went through my mental checklist, "phone, keys, contacts or glasses (yes I forget them sometimes), glucometer, glucose, glucagon, diapers" anything else we could "make do" without. And we were off.

And we adopted Anellah. And it was perfect. And Marco snapped my favorite family photo of the 4 of us, just in the courtroom hallway. Next to someone yelling on their phone because their experience hadn't quite been like ours. And I forgot that I'd almost neglected to put on a clean shirt. And that's how God works with us. We're a mess, but he can make beauty out of the mess.

So here we are again. When we chose to foster Anellah it was because we had an open room, we had a whole house and just two people to fill it! We've downsized now, less square footage but there's still more room for more. And we're still a mess (at least I am!) but there's still room for God's beautiful. So please pray for us as we consider the journey of becoming foster parents all over again...or if not foster parents some way to give, to love, to share this home with more littles.