How Much Longer...

Can Jordan study quietly in the kitchen with no interruptions?

Can Brooke take a snooze in her cozy little bed without noisy kids to wake her up?

Hopefully not too much longer!  There isn't too much notable progress as of yet.  However, our case worker does have a decent-sized list of potential matches for us.  We don't have much information on them at this point but I at least wanted to post their names so you can think about them, pray for them, wish for them, and hope for them.  Just maybe, a group of these kids may be ours in the future.  They are:
Wesley (m) and Elisha (f)
Zachary (m) and Kandace (f)
Juwon (m) and Tyrek (m)
Maxwell (m) and Zachary (m)
Dior (m) and Dayvon (m)
Summer (f) and Jacob (m)
Donovan (m) and Devin (m)
Arrien (m) and Quentin (m)
Jamal (m) and Tyshawn (m)
Derek (m) and Aliyah (f)
Donald (m) and Dionte (m)

The next step is that Jess will speak with their caseworker to obtain more detailed information.  She then will pass that along to us if she and the caseworkers of the children think we may be a good match.  Then, Jordan and I have a chance to learn all about them and decide if it is a case we feel we should pursue.  There are so many unknowns out there but in the meantime, just pray over that list.  I know Brookie is...she sure would love someone other than her mom and dad to play with her!!

Anchors Aweigh!

So that sounds a little more "Navy" than Jordan would like, but the title seems fitting as we set sail on our new family adventure.

It has been suggested by a few of our friends and family that we start a blog chronicling our life once we become more mobile with the Marine Corps (we all know this is so my mom doesn't have to go more than a week day without seeing picture of us!).  Now, though, that we are experiencing all sorts of new adventures in our life, it seemed like a great time to start.  This will save me many minutes and hours on the phone telling the same stories over and over again...well, except for those who aren't so computer savvy.

Right now we are a happy family of three: Sarah, Jordan, and Brooke.  A little over a year ago we decided to start expanding our family.  Initially, we thought that would look traditional - you try to start a family and nine months later you have one.  However, for us that was not the case.  During this journey of trying for a family (still the traditional way) I felt very convicted to adopt domestically.  I spent many, many hours wrestling with this, what it would look like for Jordan and I, and how it would be received by others.  More times than I can count, I recieved affirmation from Pastor Dan's sermons on "Leaving A Mark." I knew, undoubtedly and without any reservation, this was our way to leave a mark.  Once I mustered enough courage to approach Jordan with the idea I felt silly for ever keeping it from him.  He was 100% on board and excited.
Very long story short, we shared our news with our family who have been wonderfully supportive and excited.  Our friends have been equally as terrific.  We started the process with the agency Hope For Kids, Inc.  Our adoption coordinator just happens to be one of our dear friends, Jess, from our church in State College.  We haved felt so blessed and reassured through this whole process knowing she was in charge of everything. 
So, where are we now with the adoption process?  All of our work is done...the paperwork (all 150+ pages of it), the clearances, and the training is complete (nearly a month sooner than most homestudies take).  Jess plans to have her stamp of approval on it before the last day of this month.  So, as of October 1 our home will be ready for children!!  We don't know who they will be yet - they may be younger or older, lighter or darker, taller or shorter, or any other variety children may be.  All we know is that we will have two of them, more specifically a sibling group.  We are currently in what is called "the matching process."  This is where our caseworker and the caseworker of various children determine which children will be the best "match" for us.  This is based upon all of the information Jess gathering from us and about us during our training and on the profiles of the children.  They want to be certain that our lifestyle will best meet the needs of the children we will have.  We'll be sure to let you know once we do but in the meantime, please pray for the wisdom of the caseworkers and for us that we be matched with the children intended for us.
So, where are we with the fertility process?  Last week we had our consult visit and began a line-up of lab work and tests.  We'll keep you appropriately updated in this department as well.
I suppose that is a very fine place to begin this blog.  I have great intentions on keeping it regularly - well, at least semi-regularly updated.  We both welcome any comments you may post along the way and in fact will look forward to them.  Pass along this site, too, as it surely will be a great tool to stay in touch once we leave State College and began our travels.
Until next time,
Sarah (and Jordan and Brookie)