If you had asked me one year ago about adoption, I would have given you the same answer I would have almost fourteen years ago when I married Kristie, "yeah, we'll adopt one day, maybe when our kids are older".  Adoption was always something that we might check off of the list, way in the future sometime.  And of course, it would probably happen from China.  Honestly, when I used to think of adoption, it was the stereotypical Uganda or China.  I mean, that's where you're supposed to adopt from if you're going "international". Right?

So, when Kristie showed me the picture of three little Ukranian kids last May that were on the "available" list for New Horizons, I was like, "Really GOD?  Is this what we are supposed to do?".  So we prayed hard, and finally said, "GOD, your will be done.  If it's your will for us to host these siblings from Ukraine, then we'll do it."  So we went to place them on 'hold', only to find out that a family from Virginia put them on hold first.

So, we went on with life through the summer.  My wife kept checking the New Horizons "kids available" page for Winter 2012 Hosting.  She found an adorable five year from Latvi@ with a special medical condition.  She was drawn right to him, no one else.  Something about his little smirk and the little teddy bear he was holding in the picture drew him to me also.  So, we inquired about his medical condition with a few folks.  It didn't take long for us to put this little guy on hold.

So, here we are with a completed homestudy in hand, I-800A ready to mail, kids' passport applications filled out planning the most cost-effective way to travel from Atlanta to Riga (layover in Frankfurt or Amsterdam?).   Who would have thought we'd be adopting a five year old from Latvi@.  Although we have a long way to go, we can't believe that in just a few weeks, the paperwork will be 100% complete and in the hands of others.

Here is a trailer for the adoption documentary titled "Stuck". Kristie got to see this film at the Created for Care Conference: