Leap Day: A Day to Take a Leap

Happy Leap Day! I guess I've been reading Jenna and Brittany's blogs too much. :) I decided to leap on the bang-wagon (that pun's for you Brittany) and cut myself some bangs. I think they look pretty good. Last time I had bangs I was doing the 90's curl, spray, and poof so I was a little nervous to jump on board with the bang fad, but I'm pretty satisfied with the overall result. Maddy got her bangs trimmed the other night and now she keeps asking me to cut her hair. Yikes! Not sure I'm ready for that. Maybe for her birthday I will take her to the salon (does Family Cuts in Wal-Mart qualify as a salon?) for a very small trim.

Though the bangs were quite a stretch for me, that is not the real leap that I wanted to let everyone know about. Aaron and I have been praying and talking a lot, and we have come to the decision that we want to pursue an adoption over the next couple of years. We are both really, really excited about this decision but also really overwhelmed. Although we've prayed about it and feel it's where the Lord is leading, we haven't gotten much farther than getting some suggestions from one of the guys that Aaron went to Kenya with as to adoption agencies. He and his wife are very close to adopting a child from the Congo.

Anyhow, we both agree that it is time to ask for everyone's collective prayers as we get down to business and seriously pursue adopting a child. Right now we are interested in an international adoption, but we want to be open to whatever child or place that the Lord is leading us. Our only stipulation that we are firm on is that the child we adopt has to be several years younger than Maddy (I'm hoping 1 year old or less when the child comes into the family, but again I don't know enough about the process or where God is leading us to know if I should/can be quite this picky about age).

Coming to this decision has just renewed how blessed I feel to have Maddy in our family. If Maddy wasn't who she is, I don't know that we would have ever seriously come to the point of taking this step. Aaron and I talked about being interested in adopting someday before we got married, but I honestly don't know that we would have ever really pursued it under other circumstances. Just as God creates individuals with unique abilities, opportunities, and talents, He creates all families differently to serve him in unique ways. Brandon and Amanda's example in this has been very helpful to me.(I'd appreciate any input/insight/suggestions y'all have for us that you'd be willing to share.) I am also comfortable with this decision because I have seen how great things have worked out with their adoption and I know that our family has the love and ability to accept an adopted child as their own.

I wish that I could describe the overwhelming joy and peace I have for this decision. Believe me, I nervous and scared to death too, but this is is another opportunity to trust God to work and I am excited about that!