8 Days!!!!!!!!!
WOW - we are only 8 days away from leaving!! Time has been going so fast! Naomi is only 10 days a way from meeting her forever family!
I am still working hard to get things packed, organized, etc. Lots of fun energy as we get all the more closer to our "Na-Na"
Hopeful that you are having a blessed week.
10 Days and Counting.....
Here we are, 10 days away from leaving. I wish I could say we were packed and totally prepared, but we aren't there quite yet. It will take me the week to get us ready. Most importantly we have had out shots (much to Nate's dismay) and we have all the medications (and more) than we could ever need.
Nate is getting so excited!! He looks forward to the big plane, climbing the Great Wall (though he does think it is like a rock wall -which he has wanted to climb for a few years now), and going to get Naomi. He tells me all the time that he wants to push her stroller, hold her and feed her. Hopefully that desire will last longer than a day.
We have our final travel meeting this morning, helping us to finalize a few details and answer any remaining questions. We are leaving Louisville on November 6th at 8am, returning November 19th at 8:25pm. We have our itenerary for the whole 2 weeks and will share that on our blog as soon as it is finalized (we requested a few changes).
WOW, 10 days, I can count those on my hands!!!! We went from being years away, to months away to weeks away and now - officially - days away from Naomi!! A Bible verse that we have clung to during the harder days of this journey has been James 1:2 which reminds us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds....." Pure joy....that was a challenge but one we relied on the Lord to help us through. We have grown and been stretched and feel this chapter of our lives has given us a whole new perspective on how much HE loves us all.
More to come as we receive more details of our trip.
Much love from a chaotic and joy-filled Fenwick Family
Naomi, here we come!!!
We have officially booked our flights!!! We are thrilled to be leaving November 6th and returning on November 19th. It seems that we have waited for so long and now, all of the sudden, it feels so close!!! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement in this journey. We have grown so much and have gotten to know so many others in this journey of adoption.
We will share more as we receive our travel itenerary.
Have a blessed day!!
A Milestone.........
Thought we would share some exciting news about our Nater-Bug. He has mastered a 2-wheeler!!! After deciding his bike with training wheels was simply too small for him (frankly, he looked like a giant on a mini-bike), I ran up to the local Goodwill and found a bike just his size, without training wheels. So, when we gave it to him we explained that this was his new bike and if he wanted to ride it, he needed to learn to ride with 2 wheels. We are very proud of him, trying over and over...and, of course, falling a few times....but he got it and now flies down the sidewalk with a joyful smile on his face.....
It reminds me so much of my relationship with God. I know He wants to teach me and challenge me in so many ways, but many times my response initially is "No, Lord, I am comfortable where I'm at right now." But it is obvious I need to grow in the knowledge and depth of who HE is.....once I surrended, what an awesome plan He has, and one I would have only discovered had I been willing to trust in Him and be stretched beyond what I "thought" I could do.
No news as of today regarding our travel dates for China. We have heard that our Visas are being processed. We have also learned that, as of today, China is accepting the first requests for Consulate dates ( we have to submit a request to visit the US Consulate while there, in order to return to the US. Many times, we have to submit several dates in order to finalize one, thus determining when we travel). This s positive news for us because we are planning to request dates that will fall in line with November 13-25.....please join us in prayer that these dates remain our travel dates. We are closer and closer to our sweet baby girl!!!
A little R & R AND a Busy Weekend
We have had a little of both this long weekend. Friday Nate and I enjoyed some breakfast in bed. We enjoyed some homemade waffles and milk and a time of much needed rest. I am currently in a ladies Bible study and we are reading through the book, "Disciplines of a Godly Family". It is a great resource for God-honoring (or at least the desire to) families. I am attempting to create traditions and fun memories for our family, thus the adventurous "waffles on my white bed sheets" moment.
Saturday and Sunday were full of activities, including Nate's soccer game where he scored his first goal, a wedding, Joel's football games and dinner with friends who had just gotten engaged.
And, now Monday and Tuesday have arrived and we are attempting, once again, to take a deep breath and relax. We have a whole life changing event just around the corner and I am aiming to create a peaceful, joyous, and "non-scheduled" time for our family before the China trip and sweet addition to our family. (Notice I said "Attempting", truly a daily work in progress)
Here are a few pictures of our weekend. Please continue to pray that our paperwork is processed quickly and that we will be able to keep our tentative travel dates of November 13-25.
God bless you all!!
