What a day!

Well it has been a crazy long day in the Thomas Family. My dad began running a high fever this afternoon, so Mom took him to the ER. My parents have just recently returned from a mission trip to Uganda, so they are checking Dad for malaria. In addition to that my great aunt Polly passed away. And then my cousin became engaged today. So needless to say the day has been a little crazy and emotional.
To top all of this off, we received quite a few pictures of our children today. This was really fantastic, because we had not heard anything in quite a few weeks and that has been really tough. We love these little ones already so the unknowns and waiting is hard. We were so excited to see the pictures! They are our only "connection" to our children, so the pictures are dear to us. Brother Bear and Sister Bear both look great! They seem to have gained weight since being moved to foster care. I felt the need to sit and study their little faces. I can not wait till they finally are in our arms!
Please pray for all that is going on in our lives right now. We know that God is in control and none of this caught Him by surprise.

WAIT

We have not forgotten to post, we just don't have any "new" information at this point. This time of waiting is tough. We have pictures of our precious ones and know their names, but we must wait. Wait on paperwork to process, wait on translations, wait on forms- WAIT! I am not a super patient person when it comes to waiting- but I know God will grow me (us) during this time.
Please continue to pray for us and our Sister Bear and Brother Bear!

Care Packages Made

We spent the week looking for items to make care packages to send to Sister Bear and Brother Bear. Thinking of things to send was harder than we thought it would be. We would love to send them so much, but everything had to fit in a backpack. We also wanted to make good, practical choices.
We ended up with 3 outfits, a stuffed animal, toys, a mini photo album with pictures of us and our home and letters to the children, as well as their foster parents. We also sent a disposable camera, in hopes that their foster family will take pictures. It may be a long shot, but we would love to get the cameras back so that we will have pictures of this part of their lives.

The kids had fun helping us choose the items and pack them. Karis insisted that she wanted to send one of her beloved pink puppies that she sleeps with, but in the end she changed her mind:)

This was such a fun "project." It helped us to feel more a part of our children's lives. We can not wait until they are home in our arms. Please continue to pray for us and for them!!!

Care Packages and Prayer

We found out some good news recently. Our agency told us that we can send care packages to our 2 children. We can fill a backpack for each child and they will take it with the next escort group. We are very excited to be able to do this! It makes us feel more part of their little lives. We are planning to go as a family tomorrow to shop for things to send. We have to get the backpacks together soon so we can mail them.
On another note, we ask that you pray for several things-
-For our children, as they are now in foster care. (They receive much better care there as well as medical treatment and food.)
-For the foster families as they care for our precious ones.
-For the timing of when our children come home-We trust God's timing is perfect but sometimes the waiting is tough.
-For finances. God has provided so much. In fact He provided $1,500 just this past month through 2 precious families. Pray for His continued provision.
-Pray regarding escorts and flights. There is the possibility that one escort could bring both our children home. This would mean a big "savings" in cost of flights and escort fees. However, we know that regardless of the whether this "savings" happens or not, God will provide!
Thanks for following our story!!

Excited about 2011

I normally do not get too excited about another year passing, but this year is different. I am sad to see last year go and know that my kiddos are a year older and continuing to grow. However, I am happy to see 2011 come because I know that this year we are bringing our 2 children home!!
Please pray for us in the coming days. We have applied for funding for our adoption. God has really blessed us and we trust He will continue to provide the finances we need.
We will keep you updated as we continue this journey.