Guest Post - You're Invited

Hi there. I am Ali Fogarty of Tripping Over Toys and I am doing my  first ever "guest post." My hubby and I have been friends with the  Cassadas since college. We are so excited for their growing family. Now they'll have more boys than us ;)

I know you all are anxiously waiting for the Cassada boys to come  HOME. So many of you have been praying for them and your comments on  this blog have encouraged Courtney so much. Thank you!

I wanted to  do something to help Courtney prepare for the trip, but I don't live  close by. Many of you have also asked how you can help. Well, now is  your chance. It's not an actual "shower" but we can shower them with  gifts. I asked Courtney to register for items they will need for their  trip and for welcoming the boys home. Please feel no pressure. Give only  if it blesses you to give!

Visit www.myregistry.com

They would love to receive the items by May 30th.

There is still no exact date of  departure and they may not actually need the items by May 30th, but they  will need time to buy what is left on the list. Any money they receive  above and beyond what they need for travel will be used to buy formula,  diapers and anything else the orphanage needs once they are in Rwanda.  They are not permitted to take donations into the country, but they can  purchase items for donation once they are there. This helps stimulate  their economy - which is a good thing!

Thank you!

Ali Fogarty

FUN!

i have had such a sense of urgency this week to get ready to bring our 2 boys home.
maybe it was making the lists for our travel last week.
maybe it's just that it COULD happen any day.
maybe it's that i've finally allowed myself to "go there."

i don't know.
but those ahead of me keep telling me, "do everything you can do NOW. don't wait."
so, i am.
i'm making lists and checking them off.
and the lists just seem to be getting longer...not shorter.

but it's SO fun and exciting!

this is it!

i'm never going to make a list for what to bring to pick up our 2 sons from rwanda again.
we're never going to have 5 suitcases lined up in our study waiting to be packed to go pick up our 2 sons in rwanda again.

i have moments where it all gets overwhelming and the lists take over my brain...but then i'm reminded of THEM. of what it's all for. and i stop and i thank Him for this gift He's given us....to be able to do this. it's so very sweet. i don't want to rush any of it. i want to take it all in as we go.

the encouragement from those around me is precious. the excitement from others keeps me going.

i find that every few hours i'm so wound up and i need to do something to let the stress out...tonight it was walking to get $.31 ice cream cones from baskin robbins!!! so fun!!! it was sunny when we left...but started pouring while we were eating our ice cream. so...i told the kids, "we have to take showers and baths when we get home anyways...just have FUN!" and they did!

we took this when we walked in the door.
kids are so fun :-)

hannah is coming to africa with us

we decided early on that we wanted to bring rebekah, joshua and bailey with us when we brought our sons home.

like, REALLY early on.

but we haven't had to REALLY think through the logistics of that until now.
and, wow.

it's gonna be CRAZY-TOWN!!!


NONE of our kids have flown.
we don't even own suitcases that work.
and we are going to pick up 2 boys in africa that don't know us and don't speak our language.

yes.
pat and i are pretty confident, strong people. but...
i think we need some help.

we've mentioned it to my sister a couple times during this process.
kind of just, "if we decide we need to bring someone, we'd love it to be you. but, we'll see when the time comes."

well, the time has come.
decisions need to be made.
shots need to be gotten.

so, i told her over the phone, that we would love her to be there.
BUT, there is a REALLY big piece of the puzzle...she leaves on june 28 for south america for 4-6 months.
right.

we have NO idea when we're going to get our referral or travel.

we just asked her to let us know what her thoughts were...what the circumstances would need to be for her TO come with us...and then we could start figuring out the other plans we would need to have. all the "plan a", "plan b", "plan c"...was keeping me up at night. a LOT. i almost had a panic attack while i was swimming laps one day. i wouldn't recommend it. it's hard enough to breathe when you're panicking...but when you're swimming? it's even harder! you might choke :-)

well...yesterday i was sitting on the beach and my cell phone rang. we are at the beach with the fogarty's and there was lots of craziness going on around me...so, when i saw it was hannah on the phone, i walked a little ways away and answered it.

i sat down on the sand, facing the raging ocean that rolled onto the sand and soothed my soul with the reminder of His power all week and talked to her.
and listened to her.

she basically said, "i've thought about it and talked to those i needed to talk it through with and i am coming with you to africa no matter when you go. no matter what the circumstances are. there is no place i'd rather be."

i burst into tears.

i blubbered through thanking her over and over and over.
the peace she has granted me has already been such a gift.
i can sleep!

i'm not sure i've ever felt so indebted to someone.
and unworthy of their love and sacrifice.
{besides Christ, of course!}

hannah is coming to africa with us.
to help us as we give our older 3 children an experience they will never forget.
and to help us bring our sons home.

this story just gets deeper for me all the time...i'm not sure how much deeper i can go without breaking in half.

it's my party and i'll cry if i want to

happy birthday to me!
it's been a good day. just with my *little* family.
they all did such sweet things to make me feel so special.
i am blessed.
VERY blessed.
no pictures. because i'm the only one that takes them. and i wasn't in the mood to beg someone else to.

had a wonderful night out with pat last night.
i am a rich woman - having him next to me in this life.

but, can i be honest?
:-)
{you know i will be!}

i've kind of been a mess!

i have found myself escaping to the living room to try to hold in the tears more than once this weekend.
i am not even sure why.
there are just so MANY emotions...they just all want to come pouring out!

there are 2 major things going on.

first, my foot.
i know. i'm sick of hearing about it. so i'm sure you are too.
but...it's effected {effecting!} SO much!
it was a GORGEOUS day here and it would have been my FAVORITE thing to go for a walk with my family on my birthday. but, instead, we were sitting in the family room watching golf {i HATE golf!} that made me cry. it just made me sad!
i just don't feel like myself. since i can't DO what i DO!
i'm sick of it. over it. i want to walk and run and play again!

second, and MUCH more important, OUR APPROVAL!!!

SO many emotions surrounding this!
i often wondered...before we got our approval...what it felt like "on this side" of things.
it's amazing.
the first 2 days i was in shock.
but, since then, emotions wash over me in waves.

there is the wave of RELIEF...this approval is HUGE. we gathered all the paperwork for it for 9 months. then sent if off and waited 10 more months. there were no guarantee's. there was no timeline. BUT IT'S DONE! we are approved! WHOO-HOO!!! RELIEF!

there is the wave of joy. just joy. {that's a good one!}

there is the wave of stress. starting to let all the details and logistics of travel, etc start to parade through my mind. wow. that one  isn't so fun. and i mostly just keep pushing it down. i'll deal with it eventually. i did start crying in a near panic attack over it the other day. unfortunately i was swimming at the time. it's really weird to cry while you're swimming. you actually can't do it. you'll choke.

there is the wave of thankfulness. thankful to all that have put up with me thus far :-) thankfulness to the Rwandan government for approving us. thankfulness to Him for setting us on this journey. MANY things to be thankful for.

there is the wave of fear. "what are we doing??" can we really do this? {pat informed me, that, similar to when i was pregnant and voiced the same concerns, "there's no choice now. we just do it." :-) see? he's so GREAT! {slight sarcasm} really, though. near panic attacks on this front, too. but...God has CLEARLY brought us to this point, so i find it relatively easy to stop myself and hand it all right over to Him. that's all i know to do!

and, for those of you in this journey. i have a warning:

BRING KLEENEXES TO CHURCH THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER YOU GET YOUR APPROVAL!

man. i was NOT prepared this morning! from the first word of the first song i was a MESS!
SO many sundays i've stood there...singing those songs to those guitars and drums and those voices as i was silently praying and pleading as we made the decision to adopt and submitted our paperwork and waited and waited. He's spoken to me in such tangible ways in those moments. and, today?? there was just...i don't even know! THANKFULNESS doesn't even seem to capture it. HE DOES WHAT HE PROMISES HE WILL DO. i know, we're not done yet. they aren't in our arms yet. but, wow. i can't imagine what it is going to feel like when they ARE in our arms.

{i'm good at waiting!}

so far.

i mean, i know it's only been a day.

but i'm GREAT at this :-)

it's like i've been given a whole new bottle of patience and hope and it's just so GREAT!
i remember feeling like this right after we turned in our paperwork last may.
so hopeful. and expectant. and beaming. and excited.

and then, as the months wore on, it wore off.
it got harder.
and the beam dimmed.
and the hope turned to despair.

i KNOW it sounds dramatic {and maybe i am...just a bit...but it's also the truth.}

this is just sweet.
it's been a good day and i'm just enjoying that.
LIFE FEELS GOOD.
and i am NOT taking that for granted.
{even if i have to hobble through it...it was a great day!}

i know we still have an unknown wait ahead of us.

but, so far, i'm handling it beautifully!
{i hope you can sense the slight sarcasm...}

this was from breakfast the morning we got our approval.
when i wasn't quite sure it was for real. and, if it was, i couldn't tell anyone because pat was gone and i unreachable.
i LOVE how sawyer says, "africa!"

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

WE GOT OUR APPROVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOSH!!!
can you believe you just read that?!?

i can't believe i just typed it!!!


we've been waiting for this moment since may 27, 2010! when we submitted our paperwork to rwanda.

10 months of waiting.

did i do it well? that is up for debate. but, WE DID IT. we walked through it and we made it!!!

so...THE STORY!

i got up early this morning to read before sawyer got up.
right before i went to get him, i hobbled downstairs and to check my email real quick - so i wouldn't be on the computer once he got up.
i checked my email...then checked my spam folder (i check it every few days...specifically knowing our approval could go there since it's coming from another country!) and i had an email from a person with a REALLY long last name and the subject line was something about "in response to your request to adopt". i just STARED at it for a couple minutes! COULD THIS BE IT?!? or is this some crazy spam email and i'm going to get a virus if i click on it??? i seriously couldn't figure it out! i finally clicked on it...and it was our APPROVAL!!!! at least, i was PRETTY sure. but not 100% convinced. so, i forwarded it to our agency and asked if it really was. but, this was at 6:30 am. they would not be getting back to me for a few hours. and pat is camping and out of cell phone coverage so i can't call him. oh, AND, this email had been sitting in my spam folder since FRIDAY!!! crazy! :-)

so, i got sawyer up and tried to pretend like it didn't happen.
i didn't know WHAT to do!
i was guarding my heart...
we played. i went to the gym. ran a couple errands. as i was driving, our agency called me and she said,
"CONGRATULATIONS!"

AHHH!!! YAY!!!
THEN, i was excited!
EXCEPT i couldn't tell ANYONE since i couldn't get in touch with pat!

so, i went on with my day and was just waiting for him to call...he FINALLY called at like 2 pm on his way home.

he was so excited!

and i could finally SHARE THE NEWS!!!


we had a celebration dinner in the porch...

and rode our bikes to get ice cream before everyone collapsed into bed...
TIRED, excited parents!

so...what's next, right??

we wait. again. :-)

but, there is an end in sight for SURE!
we will definitely be bringing our 2 boys home in the next few months.

the next step will be another email with a picture of each of our boys...our "referral".
we will accept the referral.
and then, shortly after, go GET them!

we could get our referral in as few as 3 weeks from now...or 2 months from now...we will see!!!

THANK YOU for your excitement and support!