Hi, Cows!

You might remember our last trip to see the cows...it was sort of a huge success. So, I decided to schedule a trip there this fall with the moms group. It was epic. I'm actually a little nervous about the costume party we're having this coming week because I don't think anything can top this trip.

It started out the same way as the last trip by seeing the big cows at the front. They are very friendly, and the kids were thrilled to get so close! As you can see, in the back of this picture, the encouraged the kids to hold their hands out and let the cows lick them. Their tongues are surprisingly rough. I know because I got licked by many cows while I was taking pictures and not paying attention!

"You don't even blink, do you?"

(bonus points to anyone who knows where that quote is from!)

The cows all moved in and they desperately wanted to be at the front to be pet by the kids! This picture shows the desperation of the cows in the back to get to the front!

Then we moved to see the babies.

Daddy came too!

The calves were especially friendly. They have no teeth, so the kids were encouraged to let them suck their fingers since they couldn't bite. They loved this!

I somehow missed the picture of the calf actually sucking his finger...

Then they took us to the birthing barn where we found out that if a cow has boy/girl twins, that share a sack, the girl will not have functioning reproductive organs. A random fun fact for you all. The kids also had an opportunity to pet a calf that was less than 24 hours old! Allie didn't leave his side!

They took us to see the "teenagers" again, but the kids were much more intrigued by the hay. The farm owners were fine with them climbing, so the kids spent about 20 minutes climbing all over the hay. They slept very well that night. Very, VERY well!

A group picture. The couple on the right showed us around.

We headed back to the milk house and found the milk truck there! We were just in time to see the milk pickup - including stepping over the giant hose that connected the milk tank in the milk house to the giant tank on the truck!

The kids all washed their hands, waved goodbye to the milk truck, and then had snack time! If you ask the twins, this was their favorite part of the trip...figures!

Snacking with our friend.

It just so happened that they had a combine just around the corner that wasn't being used, and they invited us all over for the kids to check it out. The field that it was in just happens to be one we pass on an almost daily basis (so we still talk about the combine EVERY time we go by...)! This was a big highlight for all of the kids.

All of the kids loved sitting in the tire. It was the perfect size of seat for them!

Each kid had a turn in the cab - pretending to drive and honking the horn! This was so exciting for them!

Ry-guy.

Allie

I told one of my friends that I really think the farm life is the absolute best life for kids - lots of time outside, lots of animals, and they learn responsibility as they help care for animals and crops. I think there is a confidence gained in having so much knowledge about animals and crops and how to grow/care for them. We are not, and I can't imagine we ever will be, called to be farmers. So I'm always looking for opportunities for them to experience farm life - to see the animals and the equipment, to meet the people who work so hard day in and day out, and to see what goes on behind the scenes to bring us things like the jug of milk in our refrigerator. This trip was the most perfect farm experience I could imagine!

Surprised by Rain

You might read the title and think this is a post about the terrible weather we've had lately. It is true that our weather has been crummy the last few days, but that isn't what this is about. This story is about God's overwhelming and uniquely refreshing faithfulness.

We've shared bits and pieces of the story along the way - of loss and hope, of a call and our response, and even a fundraising update. But to be honest, the theme of the last 10ish months has been "How on Earth Will this Ever Happen?"

Because adoption is expensive. We're talking a little over 3/5 of Lucas' annual salary expensive. And we are not people who have that kind of money lying around. We only had a rough idea of what the expenses were when we first started praying about adopting (in all honesty, I kind of assumed we would end up adopting domestically because it would be more realistic financially). I remember praying, "God, if you really want us to adopt, please let us have $7,000-8,000 by the end of our 6 months." That amount in that short of time seemed pretty enormous to me, and would truly confirm both our calling to adopt and God's providence. 3 1/2 months later we had $8,500 in our account. Wow. We were over the moon. This was it! The same week we hit that mark, we discovered an agency with a program with the country that had been on our heart all along. We were ready to fill out our application that day! God had answered all our prayers! But, we had committed to 6 months of prayer and preparation. "We should stick to that," I insisted "We don't want to miss God doing something amazing because we rushed a timeline we set." 2 weeks later, we sat down and looked at the specific costs of the specific program with our specific interests in mind (we'd really like to adopt 2 children). The actual cost was so much more than we thought that a part of us truly despaired actually ever having the money to make it a reality.

For me, it was almost a crisis of faith. My head said, "The amount of money may have changed, but God didn't. He can give $80,000 as easily as he can give $8,000. No amount is too big for Him." But I found my heart almost whispering, "It's ok, God. This is big, and I know there really isn't a feasible way to bring this amount of money in. It's ok if you can't do this. We will be patient until it can happen. I understand. It's just too big." I felt ashamed that I felt this way, but, as I told one person, "Money would basically have to rain from heaven for us to even have the portion of the cost we would like to have before we apply." And the reality was that I truly didn't believe it could happen.

And then I felt a sprinkle.

It started slowly. We put out a request for donations for a yard sale, and not only was there an overwhelming response, the sale also brought in way more than we ever expected! And then money started coming from really unexpected places - a check from the hospital that double-billed us, gifts from unexpected places, accounting errors. It was incredible. At one point, Lucas said to me, "It feels like money is raining down from heaven." He never knew I said that to someone else, and when my words came back to me I started to cry. In my heart, I knew that it really was.

And then Lucas remembered his airline rewards that he has been collecting for years. After many calls to Delta to go over and over how it all works, how many reward points we need, ways to get extra points, an incredible offer where Delta matched all points gifted, and generous friends who gifted significant amounts without hesitation, we feel confident we have enough points to cover our tickets round trip, and tickets for our children to come home! That is about 1/3 of the budget! And, the amount it covers added to the amount we have in the adoption savings account equaled almost exactly the amount we had as our goal for application.

I am overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God despite my complete lack of faith. I lost sight of how big God is, and believed that the cost of what He was calling us to do was too much for Him to provide. I sing this song to the kids almost daily, but these past few months have been a very tangible reminder of how great our God really is!

So we sent in our application. In fact, we have signed all the consents and contracts, sent in our first agency fee, and have our program orientation next week! At one point we couldn't imagine being in this place for at least a year, probably 2. It feels a little surreal to be here now.

There is still a lot ahead. We have been told that from application to bringing your child(ren) home it takes about 18-24 months. Potentially more. I keep trying to imagine what life will look like in this time in-between - home studies with a social worker, getting all of our documents together to send overseas, the business of preparing and then the unbearable still of waiting to be matched, our trip there, and our incredible trip home. The one thing I know I can count on? More fundraising. Seriously, we still have a significant chunk to pull together in the next 18-24 months! But the one thing I really know I can count on? God, who will provide according to our needs and His purposes in His perfect timing.

Fall Fun Up North

Total side note: the twins' favorite show is Little Einsteins. It just so happened that the episode they watched this morning was set at the Great Lakes. Specifically Lake Huron (Nana & Poppy's lake where we just were), and the Mackinac Bridge! Usually they recognize things in their everyday life because they saw it first on Little Einsteins. It was fun, for a change, to have them recognize something on Little Einsteins because they just saw it in real life! I think it made them feel like part of the show :)

OK, back to the story at hand. One of the things we have been looking forward to forever has been a trip to the awesome orchard while Up North. We finally got to go!

There were these crates where they were dumping what was leftover of the apples after they were pressed for cider. I thought it looked cool and textural, so I took a picture. This ended up being the last picture I took the entire trip because my battery died and I forgot to pack the charger!

We tagged along with a preschool field trip, and they explained that the cider leftovers are saved to use as animal feed. I was excited to hear it didn't go to waste. They make use of everything! They invited the kids to touch it.

Allie jumped right in!

Ryan needed to be encouraged by Daddy.

After an educational talk (where the twins had their first ever taste of cider), we went on a wagon ride to the orchard.

In the wagon!

They each had the opportunity to pick an apple from the orchard (lift & twist!). Due to some camera confusion, we didn't get pictures of the picking...

Ry-guy shows off his apple.

Allie hiding under the tree to eat hers.

The wagon ride continued through the orchard and the pumpkin patch and ended at the petting zoo & play area.

Hi, goats!

All aboard!

The biggest hit ended up being this plane. They loved driving...and riding...and offering rides to the other kids (Ryan could be heard saying, "Come on, kids! Sit down! We go for a ride!" They still talk about this plane the most of anything from our trip!

For me, the most exciting thing was seeing a bald eagle! I saw another on the drive home! I had never seen a bald eagle in the wild ever in my life until this summer, and then 2 in 1 weekend! Too cool.

"Cool" bus indeed :)

During nap time, Daddy & Poppy created a leaf pile, and the kids spent the rest of the afternoon jumping and playing in the leaves. Classic fall fun!

My only complaint about our trip Up North: Too Short! We were trying so hard to fit in all the fun things we had been saving to do that the time went way too fast :(

Poppy's Boat

I don't know if we've ever mentioned this, but Poppy works on a boat. A giant boat. We went to visit Nana & Poppy while he is off the boat, and he took us to see his boat, to see what it's like to go through the locks, and even to see where he gets the mail we send!

Watching another boat in the lock while we waited for Poppy's boat.

"It's a boat alligator (elevator)!"

Poppy's boat!!!

(disclaimer: this isn't Poppy's actual boat...but it looks the same)

After watching it go through the lock, we went ahead so we could see it sail by.

Allie knew how to keep busy while we waited!

Then the twins found the giant anchor (I think it is actually what the anchors look like on Poppy's boat, but it just looked like a giant replica of the little anchors we have seen)

Playing on the anchor.

And then it came by!

Then we went up to the fountain, and the twins had fun playing up there.

Throwing in some coins.

"Isa ladybug!"

On the way back, we took a detour for a scenic view of "Mighty Mac." It was a little hazy, but it was still amazing to see...and then drive over. The twins have officially seen and experienced more of Michigan than I have!

Happy Birthday, D!!

Continuing the tradition of forgetting my camera...I totally missed an entire weekend full of our college homecoming! It was Lucas' 10 year reunion! We had so much fun! And I have no pictures to record the fabulous memories. Sad bear. Then...because I spent about 2 weeks completely forgetting my camera (and therefore taking no pictures) I forgot that I had my camera to take pictures at D's birthday party.

Thankfully, Lucas reminded me about the camera just in time to get pictures of the most important part - the cupcakes! The twins are obsessed with cupcakes. To them, a party must always have cupcakes and cupcakes always mean a party.

Lighting the candle...and then she tried to grab the flame...and then they decided not to light the candle!

She really wasn't sure about the cupcake...

The twins did not share her reservations!

It's so hard to believe an entire year has gone by since meeting Baby D! She is such a sweet girl, and a treasured addition to our family!

And...she likes it!

Happy Birthday, D!!

Goin' to the Fair!

I always know I have been very absent when I go to download pictures and I don't have a folder yet for the month...almost 2 weeks into the month! Needless to say, we have been busy! I've already spent about an hour downloading, organizing, and (barely...due to time) editing pictures, but I have little to show for the effort. Still, in an effort to catch up (and satiate the grandparents' desire for updates and new pictures), here are the pictures from our not-so-recent trip to the fair!

This particular fair is near and dear to my heart. I attended this fair every year of college. It claims to be the "Most Popular Fair on Earth"...I can't help but wonder if that is really true. Although it truly is the best mix I have ever seen of rides, midway, and animals. Most fairs I have been to either lean toward animals or midway, but this one is fairly even (no pun intended...).

The twins and I spent a morning earlier in the week, with a friend and her girls, seeing the animals, but we promised a trip back to ride the rides. BIG mistake. The weather of fair week is traditionally (at least according to MY memory) cold and crummy, and this year was no exception. We held off until Friday, the last day we had available to go, and wanted to cancel due to the weather, but the twins woke up asking "Go to the fairy? Ride the rides? I wanna ride the dinosaur. I wanna ride the merry-go-round like Great Schubert!" Not only did they not forget, they connected the fair (which they constantly referred to as the "fairy," and I never corrected because it was so cute!) to a favorite Little Einsteins episode, but they scoped the rides during our quick walk-by earlier in the week. They picked out the rides they remembered from the show, as well as a few (such as the dinosaur) that they spotted that I didn't even see. They spent the whole day claiming their right to go to the fair (I promised if they slept well we would go...they didn't make a peep). So we went. It was cold. It was wet. They had a blast. Sadly, I forgot my camera. These pictures from my phone will have to do...

The Merry-go-round. Great Schubert's favorite ride...and Allie's!

The bumblebee ride. They loved going up and down. Unfortunately, it was POURING during this ride!

Driving the boats ("Like Poppy!"). We were just thankful for a covered ride.

The dinosaur ride that Ry-Guy spotted from afar and didn't forget. Notice the sunshine. The rain stopped and the sun peeked through the clouds for this one ride!

After rides, we went to check out the animals. Partly because they were in buildings that provided shelter from the rain. Partly because we actually didn't see all of the animals when we went to the fair earlier in the week!

"Hi, duck!"

Baby Chicks

Allie checking out the chickens.

Ry-guy securing his balloon (way more important than any animals).

On our way out (like, Lucas was actually sitting in the parking lot waiting for us to come out), the kids got to pet 2 baby calves! They were so excited!