Can you believe it?

Our (awesome!) social worker has our home study written already! How fantastic is that?!?! Last night Ben and I both read through it and sent it back to her. So now we are just waiting on all the background checks so that we can request our foster license through the state. The irony is that it is the fourth time that the FBI will have cleared our fingerprints (I'm pretty sure that we are still not criminals...) and at least the second or third time that all five states that we have lived in during the past five years will clear us as well. All this even though Ben has a military security clearance. But, I understand. The state has to make sure that we aren't complete crazies before we can be trusted with kids.

On another positive note, this past weekend we were able to attend the first annual "Refresh" conference at Overlake Church. It is a conference just for foster and adoptive parents and it was fantastic! There were so many wonderful speakers and we walked away from it feeling a renewed strength about the process. Granted, we also walked away wondering what in the world we are getting ourselves into, but I promise that we aren't backing down now! There were so many people there from so many different walks on this crazy road of adoptive and foster care. One woman had hosted 190 children in her home throughout her time as a foster parent. Can you even imagine??? WOW. And to think that I'm worried about one or two kiddos :)

I feel like there is so much that I want to share with you from this weekend, but I will just have to do it in little installments. That way I don't get overwhelmed. Plus, it will give me something to write about while we wait.

I know that I say it a lot, but I really do want to thank you for following us on this crazy ride. It means so much to us to know that we have such amazing friends and family supporting us. While we were talking with the social worker during our home visit she was astounded at the number of wonderful adoptive families that we know. I guess I had just come to think that it was normal! Ha! What a blessing to think that among so many of our friends it is "normal" to expand our families in this way. God is so good!!!

Love you all and I promise to write more soon!

E (B & H too, but they just get the credit!)