A Journey for Love

Today is our little boy's first birthday! We want so desperately to be with him today, but that is not the story we are walking. So, we decided to each write him a letter on this day to share with him later in life. It's the best way we can think to celebrate him... to share just a glimpse of how much he is loved by his mom and dad. ..................................................................... Hey my little man! First of all HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! Yay for you, and I must say one is a very big deal! Daddy wants to tell you something about your birthday that you may not have known. So you were born on October 30th 2016, but mommy and daddy weren't there. In fact we weren't even with you when you turned one, crazy I know, but you will understand someday... Anyways mommy and daddy pastor a church in glenpool, and on October 29, 2016 we were busy setting up for a candy walk, and a movie on the lawn at our church. We got it all built/set up and the night starte...

I feel as though it's time for another update in our wonderfully crazy life here in the Sanders home. Summer is almost over... can I get an amen from all the mama's? Listen, I love my kids fiercely. Don't come near them with any intent of harming them or I will gladly take you down with whatever force necessary. With that said, it's time for them to stop saying my name one million times a day, and telling me they are bored, or eating another meal every second I turn around. Summer is great and I really enjoy it through the month of July, but by the time August roles around I'm ready for my sanity back. With school comes structure, and some much needed time for us to have a chance to miss each other again, and Lord knows that is needed (especially with siblings!) If I break up one more fight.... Anyway, I think you catch my drift. This summer has brought many ups, downs, and life changes in our home. We saw our sons face for the first time, we are stepping into a ...

You know those moments in your life when time sort of stands still? Like a good photo that focuses on one thing and everything else is blurred? There are a few moments in mine that have this description: Bodie getting down on one knee... Taking my dad's arm right before walking down the aisle to be married... The birth of both our girls... A few specific moments spent in the presence of Jesus... And a few sudden tragedies that took my breathe away... There isn't much else that fits in this category, or at least there wasn't until June 1, 2017. The phone rings. Caller ID reads America World (our agency) and literally everything else goes blurry. I knew that it could be any day and had already been driving myself crazy with the waiting even though it had only been a week! I was actually on the phone when I got the call and I couldn't even find the words to say so I actually hung up on the person without saying a word so I could switch lines (I later called a...

To be at this point already is completely surreal. As you know, we started this adoption journey in 2012. 2012! So, to be honest, you almost give up on the dream after that many years. The thought of there being a child on the other end of this hope becomes nothing more than a fantasy, a passing thought when you see a child in Target, or a longing that comes in the quiet of night right before you go to sleep. But it's certainly not a daily reality. It can't be. It's too hard. We got the email on May 26th... "Your family's CARINGS registration has been received and is under review!" CARINGS is the adoption "list" for India. Once you are registered on this list and approved you can be matched with a child. Gulp. But our email stated that it could take up to 6 to 8 weeks to be approved, so we settled in to wait for a bit. You would think after all these years that the waiting would be easier, but its so much harder right now. We feel so close and ...

Life over the past two weeks has taken me on a trip. My oldest child turned 10. 10! TEN! I planned a little surprise trip to OKC for just her and I and we had so much fun. I just kept looking at her and thinking "my goodness, she is mine. I have spent the last decade falling more and more in love and I can't believe she is growing up so fast!" Needless to say, I spent a few nights staring at her while she slept and being a super annoying (and somewhat creepy) mom who hugs and won't let go, and tells her every few minutes to stop growing up and stay my baby! Insert alot of eye rolls from Ella here. I gave birth to her so she can just get over it! But, you get the picture... I was in an emotionally fragile place. Well, just hang on cause the roller coaster didn't stop there.  This adoption paperwork, y'all... it's no joke. I have said it before and I will say it again... it's not for the faint of heart. And this is not my first rodeo! I have done all t...

I'm gonna be honest... I don't really even know where to begin with this blog. I feel like there is so much to talk about with you all, but yet the words are a little hard to come by at this moment! I also don't want to leave you feeling overwhelmed with information when you get to the end of this post. So, bear with me people, and here we go! Our family began the journey of adoption in 2012. We were officially placed on the waiting list to adopt from Ethiopia on March 1st, 2013. Which means that we just passed the 4 year mark of waiting. This is just as brutal and painful as it sounds.  We never dreamed that we would still be in this stage, and we knew that with the current adoption trends in Ethiopia as they are we could be looking at another 3 maybe even 4 years! This is just almost too much to take. We were prepared for waiting. We knew that this was a big part of the journey, but about a year ago we began to really pray about what the Lord wanted us to do.... 
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