An Announcement

I've been thinking for several days the best way to share some big news from our household. I think Billy and I have caused those of you who already know to question our sanity, but rest assured that we have made the following decision prayerfully and thoughtfully and are at peace with it. In fact, we are quite excited!

We will begin fostering a newborn boy sometime this week!

Last Friday we received a call from CPS informing us that Joe and Daniel's birth mother had just given birth to another baby. Because the goal is to keep siblings together, we were asked to be the placement. We were given less than 24 hours to decide if we would accept the baby into our home. To be honest, we struggled at first. That very week we felt like we had finally reached a point where life felt somewhat relaxed: the house was finished, Billy was finished with summer school, and the kids were in a comfortable summer routine. Our selfish natures struggled with the idea of disrupting our relative peace. But we've always left ourselves open to a fourth child, and a closer look at the timing led us to believe this is what God wants for us. Unlike his brothers, this baby was born full term. Had he been born a week or two earlier, while we were neck-deep in home repairs, I don't think we could have said yes. Billy still has a few weeks left before school begins, so he will be home to help during the initial adjustment period. We're also still current on our foster care certifications and trainings. If we waited a year before taking in any more children (which is what we thought we would do), it would be a lot harder to get our license renewed simply because of all the classes we would have to re-take. Deep down I wonder if we would really have done it.

I do worry too much about what people think. I don't want people to think we're crazy. I don't want people to think we want attention. I don't want people to think we're doing it for the money. I do want people to understand that Billy and I love our children and want our family to be everything that God wants it to be. We believe He will give us the strength to not just survive, but to thrive as a family. We also understand that there is a real possibility that this may not be the last baby this woman has. I would ask that you pray not just for us, but for her to get the help she needs to get her life on track.

Right now the baby is still in the hospital. We don't know if he has a name, and we don't know when he will be released. The kids, especially Joe, are excited about their new baby brother. We really don't know much of anything else about the case, just hoping that if it is God's will for us, that this little baby will someday become another permanent addition to our family! I'll keep you posted. :)