And about the inspection...

On Tuesday afternoon, Nana took the girls, and Dan and I waited at the house. The social worker (whose name was also Christie) was young and sweet. She's an alum of APU as well, and we were disappointed to learn she won't be OUR social worker when we are assigned one.

The first hour, she did the house inspection. Although it's not a pass/fail thing, we definitely passed! We had everything in order and she didn't have any concerns whatsoever. Woo hoo! This is where I insert a huge shout out to my hubby for all the work he did on the house, to Nana and Papa for taking the kids that day, and to our small group who helped us prepare the last minute stuff this past weekend. Whew. We made it.

After that, we dove into the first interview - which essentially covered Dan and I's entire story together (from when we met, to engagement, through marriage, jobs, ministry, family, decision making and parenting...) - and it took 3 more hours! She took notes the entire time, and will eventually write a 22-page paper on our story and history. Crazy!

I do have to stop for a moment and give the Lord some glory here. When Dan and I have a chance to share our history with others, it never ceases to amaze us how blessed we are, how Jesus is the only reason we have a story, and how it is only with a firm understanding of His grace can we have a "healthy" relationship. Isn't grace a beautiful thing? Maybe because it's been 12 years of practicing, maybe with age comes wisdom, but it is so evident to us that the health of our marriage entirely depends on the grace, forgiveness, and relentless love of Jesus!

Okay, so to sum up - Tuesday went really well. THANK YOU for your prayers! We felt them! So what now?

There are two more interviews. I have one with her this Tuesday, Dan has his this next Thursday. After that, it is our understanding that we will then be certified and ready for placement! We are also still hopeful we could get placed that following week - the first week of June. :) Although it feels so much like we're "almost there", this is in reality just the first leg of the marathon. Placement is "really" the beginning!

Continued Prayer Requests:
- Chloe had a stomach bug this last week, and although she's better now, we haven't gotten sleep in a week. Would you pray all of us would sleep through the night and be renewed?

- A quick process. Would you pray that even after next Thursday, things would move quickly and we would be placed soon? If we aren't placed by June 1, I will need to come up with a childcare plan for the girls.

- Our family. A smooth transition into our home for everyone, good bonding time this summer, and wisdom on how to parent 4 kids!!

- Those boys. For wherever they are now, for sparing them of heavy trauma, for their little hearts even now to be longing for Jesus' love.

And to end on some adorable:
Today in preschool, Chloe received a few sand toys as a party favor for one of the kids' birthdays. As we are leaving, she says out of the blue, "Mommy, I going to share my sandcastles wif my brudders, okay?" (everyone insert the awww sound...) May her heart still be as willing to share with them when her 'brudders' are actually here!

Thanks, team! We will keep you posted!