Welcome to our story.  It's a story of love...and mostly one of God's love for us.  Of course, the real beginning of the story came long before we recognized it.  It's woven into the threads of stories long before ours.  But that's a pretty long story, so we'll talk get back to that.  And I'll try not to use the word story again for at least a couple of paragraphs.

We're just your everyday American family.  We might be slightly more messy than the average family. The way I look at it, though, is that life is short, and I have a lot more on my list of what I want to do in life besides clean things that will be dirty again in about 4.2 seconds.  Anyway, we have four kids, ages four to 17. We have two daughters in high school and a son in sixth grade.  Our youngest daughter is adopted from China.  It's funny that when we first talked of adopting from China, I didn't know one person who had actually done it.  Now my world, virtual and otherwise, is filled with people who have adopted from China, among other places.  So writing that doesn't make us all that unique.  But it sure does make us blessed.

And that's where our tale takes the turn that led you here.  I can tell you the exact moment that turn occurred and that I knew we had a daughter in China.  It literally changed my life...all of our lives...forever.  I was at a concert almost exactly eight years ago.  And I heard God whisper in my ear so distinctly that I looked around to see if anybody else had heard it.  My husband was with me, and he clearly thought I had finally lost my mind when I told him about it during intermission.  He humored me, though, to the point of asking friends to pray about it a couple of days later.  The very next day he lost his job.  Which sounds like the end of that wild idea.  But, really, it was just the beginning.  

I'm going to cut to the chase and tell you that, where adoption is concerned, when the heart is willing, God is ready and waiting.  When we asked our friends to pray for Him to show us what He had in store for us, He did exactly that.  He faithfully led us through experiences that would strengthen our faith and prepare us for the journey.  It's a cliche, I know, but there's really no other word for it.  It's a journey from where you are to where God wants you to be.  And, trust me, it's a trip.  A journey isn't just a passage from one point to another.  It's a process that changes who you are.  

So back to the story (I did wait three whole paragraphs)...Caroline's adoption was not an overnight process.  As much as I dreamed of a my baby girl every single day, it took over four years for me to get to hold her in my arms.  Four. Years.  We went through unemployment, job searching, moving, living with family...and more waiting. Most importantly, my husband came to a peace about trusting in God to provide all that we needed to bring Caroline home.  Finally, in December of 2004, we sent the application to America World. For the next few months, we were in high gear, getting that dossier completed. On August 5th of 2005, it was on its way.  I'm not even kidding when I say that the adoption train in China screeeeeeeched to a halt the absolute minute our paperwork arrived.  A fairly reliable six-month wait for a referral stretched into 15 months.

I might not have mentioned it before now, but I absolutely hate to wait.  In light of the current wait in China for an NSN (non-special needs) referral, it pales in comparison, but it was excruciating at the time. And as hard as it was to wait...and not know where the end of the wait was...I learned a lot about my relationship with God.  One of the most important things I learned was that He truly works all things for His purposes.  If I'd had my way, we wouldn't have our Caroline.  And I would honestly wait another four years for one day with her.

The call came on November 30th of 2006, and we fairly leapt upon the FedEx man. Made the poor guy stand in  a blustery wind for a picture.  A few weeks later we were on a plane. You can read all about our first great adventure to China at Hope for Caroline.  It was a grand time...one of the best of our lives.  We had a glorious time exploring Beijing with our newfound family of travel companions.  Our group then jetted south,  giddy with excitement, and became parents of eleven of the most charming baby girls you'll ever meet in a crowded hot conference room on February 5, 2007.  As I wrote in my journal that day, it was everything I expected it to be and not quite what I imagined.  Our girl didn't really cry when they gave her to us.  In fact, as soon as our eyes met, it was as if there was a knowing between us.  We belonged together.  I wish I could say that it went as smoothly on the bus ride back to the hotel and in the hours that followed, but it all makes me chuckle now. And as much as Caroline gave us a run for our money those first couple of days, I knew in my heart that it was just part of the journey.  And I was already thinking about a return trip and another baby girl before the plane left China for home.

And that brings us to why you're reading this, wondering who these crazy people are that want to sell 2000 tutus. Little did you know, we fell into the crazy category long before now.  We didn't exactly get a round of applause when we announced our first adoption.  I can't even tell you how many times I heard the word crazy.  Don't get me wrong.  We had many friends who rallied behind us and served their Father faithfully in helping us to bring Caroline home.  While they lovingly smiled at us and called us crazy.  Just so you know, I've come to accept that word as a compliment.  Crazy, you say?  Oh, yes.  Insane, even.  Did you know one of the definitions of crazy is intensely anxious or eager? 

Truthfully, from a worldly point of view, the idea of us adopting another baby is ludicrous. We already have four children that keep us pretty busy.  I'm in the midst of my busiest photography season ever.  It's also the middle of marching band season for our two oldest, a consuming culture of practices and performances at least five days a week. And, let's face it.  Having kids isn't cheap, especially now. Our oldest is a senior, and we're looking at college expenses next year, with another daughter right behind her two years later.  Add in homework, laundry and the inevitable daily meal provision (notice I didn't say meal planning), and we are seriously out of our gourds to consider adding to the mix.  And, I mean, we are in our forties, for heaven's sake.  We're practically senile.

I could list another dozen reasons why we shouldn't adopt another child.  But, from this mom's perspective, there's not one reason on that list that would be convincing enough to keep me from my child. Because, beyond the shadow of a doubt, this little one to be known as Mary-Kate is ours.  And loving her will write another chapter in the story of how God loves us.  I hope with all my heart that each person who reads this will have the opportunity to love an orphan, whether it's through adoption or otherwise. It's a love like no other.  And, despite the circumstances of this world, it's quite possibly the easiest thing you'll ever do.

Now click on over to 2000 tutus?! to read a little more about this latest adventure of ours.