We'd Like To Introduce You To...

Our Daughter,

Kaya Ashley Faith

Born: 8/6/07

Stole Our Hearts: 8/8/07

"Officially" Forever Our Daughter: 11/4/09

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Thank you, Lord, for this precious gift!

*~*HAPPY ADOPTION EVE!!!*~*

Words cannot adequately express the fullness in my heart knowing that tomorrow our sweet "Punkie" will be officially our daughter. Taking words from a song by Third Day (if you've never heard this song, it's worth a listen):

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Even though the journey's long

And I know the road is hard

Well, the One who's gone before me

He will help me carry on

After all that I've been through

Now I realize the truth

That I must go through the valley

To stand upon the mountain of God....

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For now, I'll leave you with this devotion written by Steven Curtis Chapman that a new friend shared with me (thanks, Monica). I think it helps put into words what Joe & I are about. I look forward to sharing pictures & thoughts from our special day tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers!

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It wasn't until our second adoption that I understood what God was doing with my family through adoption. I walked into church on September 1, 2002, wholeheartedly convinced that we were not going to adopt a second time. During that service, our good friends, the Coley family, who have four biological and five adopted children, were brought up on stage for the dedication of their latest adopted child, a boy with special needs.What happened next was almost as if God lifted my chin, and as clearly as I've ever heard Him speak to my heart, He said, "I've heard you sing the song 'Open the Eyes of My Heart', and I've heard you pray, 'I really want to know You and experience You.' I know you mean that." Then He showed me this family on stage, and He said, "There it is; that's my heart. That's your story; that's my story. This is a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven. There it is, in front of you."And it was this family with whom we've walked through some of the darkest parts of adoption. We've gone with them into treatment centers; we've shed tears together. They knew exactly what they were getting into, but still, here they were, saying, "This is what God has called us to do. We know it's messy; we know it's uncomfortable, and it's going to turn our lives upside down, but this is God's heart."Yet God didn't stop there. He said, "I delight in setting the lonely in families, so I'm going to keep pouring out my love for orphans, and I'm looking for hearts to pour it into. I'm looking for people who really want to do what I'm doing."

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He didn't say, "If you don't do this, I'm going to be disappointed with you." Instead, it's as if, as a Dad, God put His arm around me and said, "You don't have to do this, but I'm inviting you in, because I want you to know Me, and I want our relationship to go deeper. If you really want to see Me show up, I want to take you on another adventure."

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So I broke the news to my family and told them, "I think God wants us to bring another child to stand under the waterfall of grace." I just pictured God pouring out His grace, inviting us to bring another child to stand under it. God was saying, "I'm going to bring them into my family, but I want to invite you to be a part of that. I'm going to glorify myself through this."

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That's why there are so many waiting children; those are opportunities for God to show up and reveal His glory. They are each an invitation from God's heart, saying, "Come and know Me. And I will make myself known through you, members of my body, the church, as you experience the miracle of adoption."Am I willing to follow God wherever He may lead so that I might more fully know Him and make Him known? ~Steven Curtis Chapman

Be Blessed ~ Dardi

There Are No Words...You Just Have to See It

Remember that sweet picture of Kearsten with her sister at homecoming? Well, here's another side to my beautiful daughter...She is in the center of two of her teammates after their RUGBY game yesterday. Yes, the girl decided to play rugby her freshman year in college...What happened to swim meets & musicals!?! I gotta go get more hair color...........

Won't See This Often

I've been wanting to share these pics of Kam in a dress...She's a beautiful girl inside & out no matter what she's wearing, but typically it's NOT a dress (I think I can count two times since she was three!) In the first pic she's with one of her best friends, Dante, & the second shows her with her best girl friends, Kenzie & Libby. The last picture was fun b/c her sister, Kearsten, had to jump in on the photo action! Love those girls........Enjoy the pics!

By the way, 8 DAYS TIL WE GO TO COURT TO ADOPT PUNKIE!!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bubby!!!

Today, our "Mr. Bubby" is 10 years old!! I just had to post this picture...Kade is serious about his football! The boy threw for 3 touchdowns yesterday and had two long runs for TDs yesterday. This kid has LOVED sports since he was little...no trucks for him, he was all about any ball he could get his hands on! He is very much looking forward to next year when he gets to play tackle...oh, mercy!

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While we are so proud of you, Kade, for how well you do with all your sports, we are even more proud because you have such a big heart!! You have been such an awesome big brother to Punkie, & I admire you so much for the way you treat others with compassion. Last year when you were playing basketball & you stopped play on many occasions to allow your physically challenged teammate the opportunity to dribble, shoot the ball, & score was such an example of showing God's love to others. We love you, Mr. Bubby!!

Praying His Will

We had a sermon in church a couple of weekends ago that I cannot shake. The scripture reference was John 8: 48-59, but the specific hook for me was verses 49-50 (this is from The Message):

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Jesus said, "I'm not crazy. I simply honor my Father, while you dishonor me. I am not trying to get anything for myself. God intends something gloriously grand here and is making the decisions that will bring it about."

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So, what's my internal wrestling match about? We have made it no secret that we feel called to adoption and hope to adopt again once Punkie's is finalized (which, BTW, is on the docket for November 4th). I began praying about our next adoption awhile back, but after that time in church, I have had that FEELING...you know, where something's not quite right? I think it's the way I was praying.

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What have I been praying? That God would make it EASY this time. I've made no bones about the emotional toll these last couple years have taken. But, in my hope for it to be "easier", I have fallen back into the nasty habit of trying to take control. I'm afraid that I have set before myself a path that seems paved smooth instead of surrendering to whatever "gloriously grand" thing God has planned.

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Here are a couple of notes I jotted down from the sermon that continue to push me:

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"Jesus pushes us beyond our assumptions about everything."

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"Being connected to Jesus is being connected to the impossible. Jesus does the impossible through our obedience."

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This past Friday, my prayer changed. I wish I could say that I was on a mountaintop or somewhere glamorous, but it happened while I was folding laundry (lots of laundry):

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God, I know I asked that whatever was next, that it would be "easier", but I'm afraid that by looking to what seems "easiest" that maybe I'm not really on the right path. If You have something else planned, I want to submit to that, even if it seems "hard". I do not want to miss a blessing that You have for me just because I'm afraid.

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I don't know where this prayer will take us, but one thing I do know for sure is that even though the last two years have been a couple of the hardest of my life, God never left us and we have been blessed beyond measure. I also know that I do not want to live a "safe" existence that conforms to this world's idea of sanity. I am surrendering my plans because I know and trust that His plans will be way better than anything I can conceive and He will take care of the tough stuff. Call me crazy, but I simply want to honor Him.........

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that we are scheduled for court to finalize Punkie's adoption on NOVEMBER 4TH!

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I am thankful that we have an awesome adoption caseworker & attorney that are "bustin' it" for us.

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I am thankful for friends that turned around yet another batch of references in record time without so much as a grumble.

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I am thankful for prayer warriors who continue to pray this sweet girl home as well as for our family & my sanity, in general.

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I am thankful that we serve a mighty God that is generous with encouragement when it would be just as easy to smack me upside the head when I become so easily frustrated.