Happy Adoption Day!!!

Can you believe that it has been two years since adoption day! It has gone by so fast. It is so neat to look back and see how far the girls have come and how far we have come as parents! Things that used to be a big obstacle is a little easier now. I think it is so fitting that our A-day anniversary is on Thanksgiving Day this year...very fitting cause we are very thankful! Autumn and I did not set out to adopt. We said from the beginning that we would not adopt. It just wasn't an issue or an option. We weren't against other people adopting, it just wasn't in our thinking for two single people to adopt. It just wasn't in our thinking at all. Thank you LORD that your ways are higher than ours! And thank you LORD that you show us just enough of your plan, but not too much because that would have been overwhelming if you would have shown us from the beginning that these were our kids forever! When we tell people that we did not want to adopt and then ended up adopting, they give us this look and kind of nod and say something like, "yeah, I would get too attached too." The thing is, it isn't that we got too attached. We were attached to other children in our home that had to leave. We were completely ready to let the girls go to wherever God had in mind for them. Wherever. At different points in the journey, their forever destination seemed to be changing, and with every change, we fought for what we thought was best for them and we did our best to equip them for their future without us. It wasn't that we were too attached. God just revealed the next part of the plan. I hope I can explain this right. Our feelings for the girls never changed. They were the same from the beginning, it is just that we were clued in to what the plan is (clued in from the Lord, not dhs). At that point, the decision seemed natural. The decision was easy in the fact that we just knew it was right, but hard in the fact that we knew this was a huge forever decision.
I realize that some people were afraid for us...thinking that Autumn and I were giving up our lives and throwing it away for these girls. What if we get married, what if these girls just ruined our chances of marriage, what if what if what if!!!! We couldn't think of those things. Truth is, they aren't for us to figure out right now. We know that God is in control of all of those things. He cares about the details of my life. He plans them. We know that he didn't put our family together just to drop us and forget about the future. I didn't even plan on writing all of that tonight, but I know a lot of people are often curious about what our thought process was in making the decision to adopt. I know some people think we are crazy and some may not agree with our decisions, but again, we strive to follow the Lord in each decision. We are so thankful that He chose us to raise these girls! People tell us ALL the time how blessed these girls are that they were rescued from their situation and put in our home. Really, Autumn and I are the ones who are blessed! Yes, we get frustrated daily with different things, we have to battle issues that most families don't, we have chaos constantly, but we are blessed beyond measure with our family!
So I know this is a long post, but in honor of A-day, I wanted to post this commitment that we wrote to the girls. Autumn read this in the courtroom during adoption. It was wonderful. It was a great day. We had our wonderful friends and a lot of our family in the room. The court was filled with love. I think the judge even had a little tear in his eye! Anyway, I think I could go on all night, but I won't. So here it is:

M, H, A, and S,

We, Autumn and Trinity, commit you to the Lord as we adopt you into our family. We commit to loving you without conditions attached. We commit to leaving with you the legacy and traditions our mom and dad and family left with us. We commit to teaching you the ways of the Lord. We commit to discipline you so that you will be molded to be more like your Creator. You are not the second best plan for our lives. God perfectly orchestrated each one of you to come into our home at the right time. Just as God has adopted us into His royal family, making us one of His very own, we adopt you into our family. God has made you each unique and has given you each a special personality as well as special gifts and talents. These gifts have gotten you through very difficult situations and the Lord will continue to use you to bring honor to Him.
M, you have incredible leadership skills, great instincts, and the ability to provide for and lead those around you, as well as a magnetic personality. H, you have such grace and a striking beauty. Your constant thoughtfulness makes others feel special. A, you have great charm about you. You also have sincere concern for others and their feelings. S, your smile is so warm and beautiful and instantly makes others smile. You are so observant of situations and people around you.
God did not take you from your past so that you can merely survive, but rather so you can use your experiences to minister to others and further His Kingdom. God has a big plan for each of your lives and we commit to be diligent to guide you. We will pray for you each day. Because of the love, grace and mercy God has given to us, we in turn are able to give that to you. You are a true blessing and gift in our lives.

We love you!
Autumn and Trinity
"You may not be the child of my blood, but you're the child of my heart."