I know, I know its January 10....We hit Christmas wide open and I haven't stopped since!! Christmas was amazing (with the exception of one BIG thing-Olivia wasn't there).. The boys had an amazing Christmas...Santa brought a HUGE clubhouse/swingset combo for our backyard....We got to spend lots of time with family and friends.
Christmas Day night around 11:00 PM...me and one of my dearest and oldest (not old as in age because were still young O....K.... but as in been my friend since we were really young girls) left and went on a cruise....just me and her!!! We flew to Miami, boarded a boat and went to Key West, Bahamas, and Coco Cay....We had the most amazing time....We laughed, we read, we laid by the pool and beach, we ate, we worked out, we ate some more!!! You get the picture!!! Total Heaven!!!
While we were on the cruise,,,, we became DTC!!! That means in adoption lingo...our dossier (our paperwork) has officially gone to China... I am still waiting on a LID....I ask for prayers that our LOA (letter of acceptance) will come quickly!!
Two extra special things happened over the Christmas holidays and I want to post one of them here (I will post the other another day) so one day Olivia will know how much she was thought about and prayed for while she was still in China:
We had a Christmas dinner with my grandmother's extended family...One special cousin and myself were having a conversation at this dinner about Olivia...I told her that the hardest thing is going to leave my two boys and travel across the world without them...That is just about the hardest thing for me to do.....But I told her that on one blog I was reading, the lady had put on there about a story from the Bible about how you had to leave your 99 sheep to go find your 1 lost one....I told her I didn't know exactly where it was in the Bible but it touched me so much. I dont know but when I read that it was like a peace came over me...So I shared that with her....
A few days later, this awesome cousin had left Olivia Grace a present of a beautiful SHEEP and had left this typed letter:
Olivia Grace,
Our mommy told us how special you are. We wanted you to
have this little sheep. We are so excited for your arrival.
May angel wings surround you.
J-K & J-G (These are my cousin's children)
At the bottom of the letter was this!!! My new favorite passage!!!
Luke 15 4-6
"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it"? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!"
I can't even tell you how much this touched me!!! I love you special cousin!!!
