Adoption Joy

...the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. Ephesians 1:5-6

What a privilege know this family, and to have seen almost the whole process of their adoption, from getting certified for foster care, through the difficult roller coaster of the in-between-time, and then, finally, to be present at the big day, where a family of two became a family of six (in the eyes of the state, though certainly they've been knit as a family long before adoption day!).

The courtroom was filled with hundreds of stuffed animals and there were people dressed up as Wizard of Oz characters, there to meet adoptive families that day at the end of the yellow brick road. For real - they had put down a yellow brick road, for the almost-official-families to follow into the courtroom. There were many adoption proceedings that day, and the atmosphere at the courthouse was just one big party!

God has fulfilled - I'd say to overflowing, for sure - the desire of our friends' hearts. I praise Him over and over for bringing them through the process and bestowing these precious twins on them. Two sets. I still can't get over that. I remember when we first learned they were getting twins...then a few months later: another set, this time newborns!

And I'm grateful to the Lord that He has taken me, a weak and wounded, sick and sore sinner, and adopted me as His own child. What a Father!

Here are some photos from our celebration the night after the adoption was final:

One bunch of flowers from Costco, split into many small vases/bottles goes a long way! The girls and I had so much fun cutting the flowers down to size and choosing which bottle or vase should hold which flowers.

Happy mom and dad with "Team B" in their laps. They took to calling their double twin blessings Team A and Team B for simplicity's sake. They'd prepared a neat powerpoint show that played on our tv during the party, showing highlights and milestones on their journey with the kids to this great day.

There were 1,000 kids there that night. Here are five. It was loud, happy chaos. Actually, there were 16 children, if you count teenagers, and just as many adults.

Meet Prince Charming. No really! He's the one who played Prince Christopher in the Cinderella performance the girls and I attended recently. You can see the kid food behind him: pbj's and such.

I loved this scene, with our CJ completely sacked out for 45 minutes in the middle of the laughing adults, squealing toddlers, and older kids chasing each other. And there's half of Team B, just rolling happily on the floor.

 The proud daddy offering a toast of sorts - thanks to God and gladness for this church family

I think we went through five bottles of cider, provided by our guests of honor!

And now our prayers are for them as they dive in for the long haul of godly parenting!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. I Chronicles 16:34

*The courtroom photo was taken by a sweet teenager in our Sunday school class, as my arms were full of fussy baby when the proceedings got underway in court! Thanks, O!