Happy 11th Matthew!

In the spring of 2001, we decided to pursue a second adoption.  We were living with my parents and building a house.  Why we decided to add the craziness of a home study to the craziness of building a house is beyond my understanding.  Everyone had to get medical physicals including my parents and my adult brother because we were all living in the same house.  Everyone got interviewed by the social worker and everyone was tested for HIV.  It amazes me all that you have to do to adopt, but it is worth every bit of paperwork and every medical visit and every paper chase that has to be done.

We had our paperwork in with two agencies.  An agency in Virginia that we used for the adoption of Stephen and also our agency in Michigan that was doing our home study.  Around June, we decided to pull our paperwork from our Michigan agency because we were paying fees to both agencies and decided to just focus on one agency.  Somehow our paperwork was never pulled, but we didn't know that until the fall of 2001.

On August 1, 2001, a very happy little boy was born on the other side of Michigan.  We wouldn't find out about him until late August/early September and he wouldn't be in our home until October, but God was working on our behalf.

 In October 2001, Matthew (his name means a gift from God) joined our family.  When we gave him that name, we knew he was a gift, but 11 years later, I know that he is a very precious gift.  Our house would not have as much laughter if it wasn't for him.  He thinks that nothing is impossible.  He is hot or cold, there is no lukewarm with Matthew.  He'll talk to anyone that will listen to him and he thinks that everyone wants to talk to him.  :)  His smile lights up a room....it did when he was a baby, it did when he was a preschooler and it does even now.

He is a reminder to me that God is faithful and that even when we can't see Him working, He is working on our behalf.  I am so thankful that God blessed us with such a faith filled son!  Truly, nothing is impossible with God!

Happy 11th Birthday Matthew!