Virus/Spammers

I have been blogging for almost 2 years and have not encountered viruses or spammers....until my most recent post. Therefore, I have turned on the "administrator must approve comments before posting" and word verification for the moment. Hopefully this won't be for long. I hate to do this to my faithful readers and commenters, but I don't want my computer (or yours) to get infected with a virus.... because someone had too much time on their hands to be productive!

Now....off to the original post I had planned to blog about :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm the envy of the office.....the only one to receive something for Valentine's Day. My sweets really out-did himself this year with 3 dozen long stem roses and a box of chocolates! (even though the florist sent over a vase that could possibly hold 1 dozen roses) We'll just have to re-arrange them tonight when we get home.

We're going to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert tonight, as an early birthday gift from my mom and dad. I love SCC and have seen him in concert at least a dozen times through the years. I know tonight's concert will be great ~ especially with all the sweet songs he's written for his wife and kiddos!

Regardless of where you are or what your situation is today ~ always remember that you are loved! You are cherished! You are a treasure to God! You are unique! And there is no one who can take your special place here on earth. Love you all!

Yep....we're rescheduled....again....

That's right...another reschedule....to next Monday at 2pm. We have the day off for President's Day, so we'll meet with Robyn that afternoon.

And we wonder why it's taking so long? Oh well.....

Rescheduled....

Robyn called this morning and had to reschedule her visit for Monday evening at 5pm...thanks for your continued prayers as we take each day along our journey.

Thursday visit....

Robyn will be coming by our house tomorrow (Thursday) evening to visit with us for a while. I believe that it's just one of her "required" visits, as she has to book so many "face-to-face" visits with the 2 of us. Please pray that the visit goes well and that we get some sort of update.

We'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Stay tuned :)

Sharing the love....

In the midst of waiting, a crib gets worked in and the stuffed animals get some lovin' from 3 of the sweetest girls :)

1 year Anniversary

Wow...today marks the one year anniversary of my first blog post along our adoption journey. Sometimes it feels like we just started but most times, it feels like we've been on this never-ending road with lots of stop signs, yield signs and red lights. Can we say "GO GREEN" in 2008?!

Even though the journey has taken longer than we expected, Michael & I remain confident, hopeful and excited.

For those that have joined in on the journey late...you can catch up from the beginning....

Thanks for walking on this journey with us....we can't wait to share more with you in the days and months to come!

Tuesday

I want to blog today, but yet, no words are even coming to mind (as evident in the choice of my title today).

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately ~ catching a glimpse into others' lives ~ seeing pain and laughter, comfort and joy. At times, I find myself overwhelmed at what others are going through...and I think ~ geez, Court, get a grip...you have nothing to complain about! So what if the adoption process is taking a long time and going on a year now? You're not fighting a terminal illness, fighting depression, waiting for a transplant, watching your quads breathe each and every breathe in the NICU, lost your job, foreclosed on your house, wondering how to put food on my table at night, dealing with an elder parent's Alzheimers or dealing with raising children as a single parent. No, I am relatively healthy, all my organs are in working order, not living in the NICU, have a great job and home, have plenty of food in my frig, have healthy active (more active than me!) parents and a loving husband to come home to at night. I am blessed...but I still don't have my children.

I have realized that everyone has burdens to bear. And what might be a burden to one, might not be to another. And what might not seem like a burden to someone, could be the biggest burden for someone else. So, maybe we can just give ourselves a break, realize that there will be hard days, but keep pressing on KNOWING that God is in control and that His timing is perfect and that in HIS TIME, it will all be revealed to us and in His way.

I also want to enjoy life to the fullest during this waiting period. I keep telling myself these 3 things:
1. ALWAYS expect the unexpected.
2. Be flexible
3. I am NEVER in control, so don't sweat the small stuff!

We'll see how well I do with these.....

Pray for this family

One thing I love about the "blog"mosphere is seeing all the different blogs that friends have linked on their own blog. Just last night, I came across this blog and I have been so impressed to pray for this sweet little family ~ Nate, Tricia, and their new little one, Gwyneth. Won't you check out their blog and keep them in your prayers. I know that I will be praying!

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

The latest....

It's 2008! Hard to believe that another year has come and gone! Here's an update on us:

* We welcomed in the New Year just as a couple, watching the ball fall in Times Square on NBC, and then shortly thereafter, found ourselves asleep in our bed. Man, are we old, or what?

* Michael celebrated another birthday ~ I won't reveal his age, but he did say that he feels much older this time around. Of course, he never fails to point out that I'm older than him!

* Michael has started a small business venture with 3 of his friends and is staying very busy with the business side of things. He is really excited about it and allows him to do something with one of his passions ~ movies and film.

* It's day 12 of 2008 and I believe that I've been sick every day so far. I've had a severe sinus infection and bronchitis ~ which has been no fun at all. I'm finally feeling a little better, although the cough still remains.

* Robyn, our caseworker, has returned from her holiday break and FINALLY turned in a draft of our final homestudy to us for review. This is not a common practice, but she is so much in support of us, she wanted to make sure that we agreed with everything in the document. The document is 35 pages long! It's really more of a short story, I guess. This "book" is what will be presented on our behalf to an agency or committee, when we are being considered as the adoptive parents. Therefore, this document is priceless to us. It's what they will first base their opinions and decisions on. No pressure, right?! So, we are carefully reviewing the document this weekend and returning it to Robyn on Monday. Once our homestudy document is officially completed, then our name is officially in the database, and we can be informed of kids that fit our criteria.

It's hard to believe that we started this process a year ago this month. We never knew what we would go through to get to this point....and we know, we have a lot more to endure, but we are confident and ready, excited and blessed to receive the children God has picked out just for us.

We'll be sure to keep you posted! We feel so blessed to have all of you praying for us, encouraging us, supporting us and rallying with us. We love you!

How You Live

There's a song they've been playing on KSBJ for quite some time now, and I've always liked it, but now that 2008 has rung in, I've really listened to the words and it's moved me.....moved me to really evaluate where I am at, how I want to change and how I want to live. Read the lyrics to the song ~ may it also encourage you to really LIVE in 2008!

How You Live by Point of Grace

Verse 1:
Wake up to the sunlight
With your windows open
Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken
Wear your red dress
Use your good dishes
Make a big mess and make lots of wishes
Have what you want
But want what you have
And don't spend your life lookin' back

Chorus:
Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
Cuz it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

Verse 2:
So go to the ballgames
And go to the ballet
And go see your folks more than just on the holidays
Kiss all your children
Dance with your wife
Tell your husband you love him every night
Don't run from the truth
'Cause you can't get away
Just face it and you'll be okay

Chorus:
Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
Cuz it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

Bridge:
Oh wherever you are and wherever you've been
Now is the time to begin

Verse 3:
So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
E'en when you don't think that you can
'Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you
So think of your fellow man
Make peace with God and make peace with yourself
'Cause in the end there's nobody else

Chorus:
Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
Cuz it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

Good bye 2007....Hello 2008

There is only a little under an hour left in my 2007 year....some of you have already rung in the New Year, while others are even further behind. It's funny how with each year, the year seems to go by that much faster. Seems like we just said HAPPY NEW YEAR to 2007.....and here we are doing the same to 2008.

2007 has been a truly unique year for me and Michael. It was the year that we felt God calling us to adopt, even though we had come to terms with our infertility in a previous year. The journey to adopt has not been an easy one, but we have experienced the peace and joy of the Lord, unlike any other time in our lives. We started our adoption journey in January of this year, and honestly, we had hoped to celebrate Christmas with our kiddos at home this year. However, we have be reminded, many MANY times, that our plans are not always God's plans....and His timing, not our timing. But as we celebrated Christmas with the rest of our family, we took joy in knowing that this time next year, we will have our children home with us. So, we relished the quiet time Christmas morning ~ when it was just me and Michael. We enjoyed sleeping in until 11am (indeed!) and looked back over the past year, and just shared how God has blessed us so much in this year. We then welcomed the rest of the Crews family (those who were in town) in the afternoon and relished the excitement (and yes, there was PLENTY of it) and joy that Gabriela, Isabela & Maya brought to our home....making us look forward with excitement, when our little ones will share in the same exuberance next Christmas.

Michael & I have been blessed in our marriage, growing closer to each other and in our relationship with the Lord as we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary in November. We are so thankful in how God continues to reveal Himself to us in new ways each day. We are thankful for our family ~ those in town and those far away ~ who have walked with us on our journey, encouraging us, loving us and praying for us along the way. We are thankful for our friends ~ whose support, encouragement, references, prayers, shared meals, late night conversations, crying sessions and laughing fits have carried us through the ups and downs of this year. We are thankful for our employers, who have worked with us in our schedules and have been supportive of our adoption process. We are thankful for our caseworker, Robyn, who has been a true advocate for us as parents. Thank you, Lord, for all that you've done this past year, and thank you even now, for what you are already doing for us in 2008!

We are thankful for 2007 and even more thankful for 2008. May we all learn from our mistakes, accept forgiveness, mend relationships, reach out to more people, share our hearts and lives with those around us, be true to ourselves, love others and not be afraid to love ourselves!

Happy New Year to you all.

Christmas Eve

On this eve of Christmas, I pray this finds you anticipating Christmas with great joy and hope, knowing that our light and momentary troubles cannot compare with the great celebration awaiting us. This is the time of year where we should all make time for traditions, and marvel at the Christ child’s majesty. When I count my blessings, I count you. May you find much love this Christmas and in the coming New Year!

Encouragement

This morning I was reminded once again, of how blessed I am with the friends that the Lord has brought into my life. What an encouragement so many of you have been to both me and Michael, as we continue on our adoption journey.

Life is a steep climb, and it is always encouraging to have those ahead of us "call back" and cheerfully summon us to higher ground. We all climb together, so we should help one another! The mountain climbing of life is serious, but glorious, business; it takes strength and steadiness to reach the summit. And as our view becomes better as we gain altitude, and as we discover things of importance, we should "call back" our encouragement to others.

I read this today and wanted to share it with you:

If you have gone a little way ahead of me, call back -
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track;
And if, perhaps, Faith's light is dim, because the oil is low,
Your call will guide my lagging course as wearily I go.

Call back, and tell me that He went with you into the storm;
Call back, and say He kept you when the forest's roots were torn;
That, when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook the hill,
He bore you up and held you where the lofty air was still.

O friend, call back, and tell me for I cannot see your face;
They say it glows with triumph, and your feet sprint in the race;
But there are mists between us and my spirit eyes are dim,
And I cannot see the glory, though I long for word of Him.

But if you'll say He heard you when your prayer was but a cry,
And if you'll say He saw you through the night's sin-darkened sky -
If you have gone a little way ahead, O friend, call back -
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track.

I know that the Lord takes us on our journeys with a purpose in mind. May we always remember to keep moving forward encouraged by those who have traveled the road before us, and to be a witness to those who are behind.

From Our House to Yours.....

Merry Christmas from The Thompsons!

Our house ~ Christmas 2007

The BELIEVE mantle piece is one of craft projects I wrote about in an earlier post ~ thanks to my mom & Sally for all their help with it. I just love the word BELIEVE ~ it has so many different meanings, especially for us right now. As you can see, we have 4 stockings hung....BELIEVING in the miracle of what God is going to do in bringing our 2 little ones to us soon!

Our Christmas tree loaded down with ornaments ~ I still think we could put more on it, but Michael said it was perfect just the way it is :)

Our Department 56 Village. It's hard to see but each little house/shop has it's own light. When a light goes out, Michael & I come up with some story as to why the folk may have left the village, etc....silly, I know.

A full view of the tree and fireplace.

Our second Christmas tree in the kitchen...we can't have just 1 tree!

Christmas 2007

I can't even begin to tell you how fun it has been to decorate our house for Christmas this year. Those of you who know me well, know that Christmas is my favorite time of year and that I go ALL OUT with Christmas decorating. I spent all last weekend working on my crafts for the year with my mom and my friend, Sally. We didn't finish until 3am ~ now, that's dedication!

Now, that we're in a new house this Christmas, we have much more room and many more places to decorate. I'm a firm believer that any flat space should have something on it :) So, our 7 ft tree is all trimmed with white lights and ornaments from past and present, some gifts under the tree already, mantle decorated with a great message of BELIEVE with the stockings hung, our Department 56 village is shining bright - offering us stories of what is going on in each little home or storefront and plenty of other lights and candles everywhere. It has been so fun to get into the spirit of Christmas and pull out all the Christmas music :)

While all of the decorations, lights, trees, and music are fun, it is just a small part of what Christmas is. This is season that we choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. What an incredible gift God gave us the day His Son was born and given to us. Let us enjoy the fun traditions of decorating and such, but let us not forget the reason for the season.

I'll post some pictures soon of the house. Stay tuned.

Love to you all!

Amazed

You dance over me
While I am unaware
You sing all around
But I never hear the sound

Lord I'm amazed by You
Lord I'm amazed by You
Lord I'm amazed by You
How You love me

You paint the morning sky
With miracles in mind
My hope will always stand
For You hold me in Your hand

Lord I'm amazed by You
Lord I'm amazed by You
Lord I'm amazed by You
How You love me

How wide
How deep
How great
Is Your love for me

Amazed by Phillips, Craig & Dean

The Miracle

I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I know many of you have been looking for an update on our homevisit with our caseworker last Wednesday. It has been an emotional few days and I just haven't had the energy or time to blog anything....until today. Michael & I met with Robyn last Wednesday for about 3 hours. In the middle of our meeting, she felt led to pray for us. What was really neat about it was that she said that in all her years of home visits and casework, she had never felt led by the Holy Spirit to pray with a couple! God is working, even when we don't know it! That's all it took! We're done with the home inspection and home visit. Robyn felt that she had enough information from our two meetings, phone conversations and all of our paperwork to write an effective Home Study.

She told us the process from this point: Robyn will write up our Home Study and send to the Area Director for approval. Once the Area Director approves the home study, she will forward to the State-agency director for final approval and licensing. Then once we are licensed, we will be put into the system and wait to be matched. We thought that the final decision would be Robyn's and then we find out that 2 other people have to approve us before we get licensed by the State of Texas. Robyn said that the process would take about 4 - 6 weeks, especially with the holidays. Michael & I were good with that.

Without going into too much detail, we found out Thursday morning that there was a possibility that our Area Director might not approve our Homestudy. We were shocked. We were angry. We were disappointed. We were hurt. We were speechless. We were grieving. We just didn't know what to think, say or do. What do you mean "not approve"? We have been working with them for almost 10 months and not once along the line did they give us any indication that we might be denied. Michael & I were just beside ourselves and not knowing what to do. We shared the news with 2 close friends and my parents and just asked them to pray. That's all we knew to do.

Michael & I have known for so long that this is what God was calling us to do and when you're doing what the Lord desires for you to do, the enemy will attack...and attack he did!

In the midst of all the possible changes, we knew one thing for sure - God doesn't change! He knew the desire of our hearts and He was in control! He has a plan, has always had a plan, and He is working, though we don't see it and it sure looks like the enemy has a leg up at this point. As my mom so eliquently put it: "God is greater than the adoption system, He is greater than "this is the way that it's always been done" mentality, He is greater than people's prejudices, and He delights in doing the impossible! Because THEN He gets all the glory!" If things just went along routinely, then it's just man's job of getting it done right ~ and man, that sure would be nice and easy ~ BUT now, we get to see His power at work.

All the while, Satan wants to keep us in the anger/grief mode and keep us defeated. But when we can wrap our minds around the big picture and say, "Yes, this is the current situation and it stinks. But God isn't bound by this, and He has something unique, p0werful and amazing that we don't know about that this will make people say....WOW! How did THAT happen?! It HAD to be God!

HE DELIGHTS IN NOTHING MORE THAN OUR CHOICE TO BELIEVE HIM OVER WHAT WE SEE AND FEEL!

BELIEVE EVEN WHEN YOU DO NOT FEEL. KNOW EVEN WHEN YOU DO NOT SEE. HE GAVE THE LIFE OF HIS SON TO DEMONSTRATE HIS LOVE. BELIEVE!

Lord God, Your Word says that You love the just and will not forsake Your faithful ones. They will be protected forever. My justication is found in Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is faithful even when I am not. Thank You, Father, that I can be absolutely sure You will never leave me or forsake me! Thank you that a lack of faith will never nullify Your faithfulness. If I am faithless, You will remain faithful, for You cannot disown Yourself. Lord, help me to know that I belong to the truth, and set my heart at rest in Your presence.

COMPLETELY SURRENDER YOUR HURT TO HIM, WITHHOLDING NOTHING, AND INVITE HIM TO WORK MIRACLES FROM YOUR MISERY.

"Lord God, I am hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed!" 2 Corinthians 4:8

PERHAPS THE MOST PROFOUND MIRACLE OF ALL IS LIVING THROUGH SOMETHING WE THOUGHT WOULD KILL US.

"I pray that out of Your glorious riches You will strengthen me with your power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3: 16 - 19

We found out around noon on Thursday that the licensing committee from Austin was actually in the Houston office for some meetings. Robyn told us that they wanted an update on our case and homestudy and that she would update us as soon as she knew anything. Of course, Michael & I were on pins and needles al day. Hour by hour passed with no news. Michael & I went home Thursday night defeated and worn out and of course, every possible scenario running through our minds about why we didn't hear from Robyn. All we could do was pray, lay it at the feet of Jesus. He knew our hearts and how they were breaking. We were broken and even though things were not looking positive, we stood firm in the knowledge that this is what God called us to do.

After a sleepless night, Michael & I went to work and tried to press through our day. I can't tell you how many times we checked our personal email, work email, voicemails, etc...just hoping that something would pop up. Around noon on Friday, Michael decided to give Robyn a call. About 30 minutes later, Michael called me and here's a little bit of how the conversation went:

M: Did you get any emails from Robyn yet?
C: No, don't you think that if I had, I would've called you?! (a little frustrated, as I'm sure you can imagine)
M: Well, I just got off the phone with Robyn.
C: OK
M: Do you want the news? (his voice cracking)
C: NO! Don't want to hear it
M: (in a faint whisper I hear) We got licensed
C: WHAT?!?!?!
M: (a lot louder this time) WE GOT LICENSED!
C: What do you mean we got licensed?

This is when Michael proceeded to share with me his conversation with Robyn. Robyn met with the licensing committee on Thursday afternoon to give them an update on our case/file/homestudy/visits, etc. Robyn has been our cheerleader/advocate since the "get-go". She went in, told them about us, and how everything was going, the struggles we've had through the process and she recommended us 100% for adoption licensing. Robyn told us (as she told the committee) that she had never met a more precious couple. She said that our file couldn't be any better, our home any more perfect and that she knew beyond all doubt that we were called to be adoptive parents. Without hesitation, she recommended us for licensing. Now, please bear in mind, that this was just supposed to be a short 5 minute update on one of her cases. It was not to be a time to discuss anything at length or to have anything decided on. However, God had other plans.

After hearing Robyn's assessment of our case, reading our recommendations (thank you to those who blew us away with your love and overwhelming support) and knowing our story, Robyn got up to leave the room. The licensing committee stopped her and said, please tell Michael & Courtney that they are officially licensed as of today. Robyn was shocked! Even though the home visits were completed, she hadn't finished the HomeStudy yet. In all her years of being in this line of work, she has never seen the licensing committee make a decision such as this. She just couldn't believe it. She came back to her office and instead of calling us, she sent us an email with the good news.

Well, my friends....here is where you say WOW! How did THAT happen?

It HAD to be God!

Now, if you remember at the beginning of my post (sorry...this has gone on so long!) I said we got the good news on Friday afternoon. That would be because we never got the email. There was some sort of networking problem at Robyn's office and that email was stuck in her outbox until Friday night.

Hmmmm...isn't that interesting?! You know what ~ as much pain and anguish and all the other emotions that ran through me and Michael Thursday and Friday ~ there was a reason why we didn't get that email on Thursday night. We were supposed to feel those things, work through them and to be able to lay them at the feet of Jesus. And so, on Friday afternoon we were able to experience the impossible and see first hand, His Power at work!

Do you believe that I am able to do this? Matthew 9:28

So, what does this mean for us now? We are officially licensed by the State of Texas and can start receiving bulletins/matches of children that meet our criteria. We have no idea of how quickly or how slowly this will take, but we know that God is in control, that His timing is perfect, that He is watching over our children even now, preparing them for us and us for them and when we do bring them home, the Lord will be glorified through it all!

Thank you all so much for your prayers, love, support and encouragement along our journey. It hasn't been easy but we do see the end in sight. Please continue to pray for us and for the little ones we will call our children soon!

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving......we are so thankful for each of you! We love you all!

Rescheduled

We had to reschedule our meeting last night due to the flu. We are meeting with Robyn on Wednesday at 5:30pm. Stay tuned for further updates!

Thanks for your prayers!