My, how time flies....

I really can not believe that the last time I posted was December...Every time I've thought about it I have just been too busy, and after reading some blogs last night, I realized just how much I've already forgotten that has happened over the last nine months! So I was inspired to try to catch up! But rather than back track 9 months, I am just going to pick up with our most recent happenings. A major life change for us was back in June when our sweet foster child went home to his mom and dad. He had been with us 18 months. I cried for weeks leading up to his leaving-I cried when I packed his clothes and when he brought me fistfuls of flowers he had picked on his last day with us. But as we left him with his mom and dad that day and drove away, an amazing peace came over me, and I knew there was nothing I could do but leave him in God's hands.
Since he's been gone, life has been different, especially for Noah, who had gotten very used to having a brother and constant playmate/partner in crime. Noah has definately grown closer to his dad these past few months, which has been wonderful to watch. Still, somedays He'll say things like, "I wonder if I'll get another foster brother again so my room won't be so lonely anymore." He did get a new foster brother, but not necessarily the one he had hoped for...a week after Austin went home we received a call about a sweet little 2 month old boy...Who actually will be going home tomorrow. God has kept us (we think) from getting too attached to this little one-since we knew from the very beginning he would be going home. But tonight everyone at our house just couldn't get enough of him on our last evening with him. Even Lexie cuddled and kissed him all over his little head before she went to bed. We think she will miss him for about five minutes, and then she realize she is once again the queen of her little universe and be very happy! Speaking of Lexie... We found out today that her adoption will be finalized on October 1.
When we told the kids Noah said, "Now she will be my sister forever!!!" It has seemed like such an impossible thing-it is so hard to believe that we are finally realizing this dream of adopting that we've had since before Mackenzie was born. Mae is counting down the days. Mackenzie is trying out Lexie's "new" name on her. She will still be Lexie, or "Lulu" as we all affectionately call her (Mackenzie found out that Lulu means little elf-very appropriate for Lexie!). But her new given name will be Alexianna Marie Barnes. The Girls begged for Alexianna and Marie is for Mike's sister who died when she was just a toddler. Her first name was Gladys-but we just couldn't make that work....well, I didn't even try to make that work...
So now we are officially caught up...