I have been extremely nervous and excited to talk about this on the blog for quite some time now. I kept waiting for that “right” moment to break the news. The moment where all the stars align and I say “Today is the perfect day to tell the world….”
Except I kept finding that no day was ever the perfect day.
I worried about how people might receive the news.
Will they be happy for us? Will they be faithful in praying for us? Will they think we have lost our marbles?
So I decided that no day will ever be perfect and the sooner that we have your prayers…the easier this process will become.
And if I’m being honest…I am nervous right now to click publish…
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We are adopting.
There I said it.
I am so glad that is off my chest.
Phew.
I know what your thinking.
“Mandy, you already have 3 kids, why on Earth would you need to adopt?”
Your right. We have been blessed BEYOND belief with 3 biological children of our own. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to get pregnant and carry a child. I am so grateful to have my boys.
At the same time, I feel like our family is not complete. I also feel like God has put adoption on my heart for quite some time.
I think I always knew that I wanted to be a mother. From the day I learned to play with baby dolls I had that “motherly instinct”. It wasn’t until I was in college when I began to think about how cool it would be to not only have my own children (if God so allowed), but to also be able to adopt a child that needed a family.
I can’t say that the thought crossed my mind much more until this past year. I just felt the thought of adopting keep coming to my mind. Over and over and over.
God is funny like that, right?
I was actually thinking….wow…I’m a lunatic for thinking these crazy thoughts. And God, your even crazier for putting these thoughts in my head.
And then one day I got the courage to ask my husband what he thought about my crazy thoughts.
It went something like this:
Husband walks in from work and sits down at the table.
Wife says, “So babe…I have something I want to talk to you about.”
Husband looks at wife like “Uhhhhhhhh oh crap…what did I do now.”
Wife giggles.
Husband is thoroughly confused.
Wife can not get the words out because she is so nervous he will reject her idea and think she’s looney.
Husband stares.
Wife finally blurts out (as she is looking in a completely different direction – in hopes of not facing the weird face she is about to receive), “Soooo………………what do you think about adopting a baby?”
PAUSE>
PAUSE>
AND MORE PAUSE>
Husband is the coolest husband on the planet and actually doesn’t shoot my idea down.
Yea. That’s how this all began.
There really was no easy way of bringing it up. I am so thankful that he didn’t just dismiss my idea, but that he actually heard me out.
We began praying about it and asking God to reveal to us if this was the right decision. For me, I knew instantly what God was asking. For my husband, it took him a little longer.
After a few months of praying and researching and thinking and praying, I made my first phone call to an adoption agency (in January 2012).
We will be adopting from the Phillipines (my husbands nationality). It’s going to be a long process. Right now the wait time for a child from the Phillipines is 3 years. Yes…THREE years.
We just finished up our adoption training last week and are closer to having our homestudy complete. It would be so great if you could pray for us through this?
I will be writing about our journey the whole way through. Don’t worry, this blog won’t become an adoption blog, but I will throw in posts on how it’s going here and there. In fact, I have already been writing the posts since we started over 3 months ago.
I think six is our number. The number that will make our family complete.
Similarly, bringing a person into a family by means of adoption is done by choice and out of love. “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure” {Ephesians 1:5}. As God adopts those who receive Christ as Savior into His spiritual family, so should we all prayerfully consider adopting children into our own physical families.
This is awesome news. Congrats! 🙂 I don’t know if you ready Ashley but she blogged about her adoption process as well. 🙂 http://www.ourhappilyeverafters.com/
How Wonderful, Mandy!!!! It gave me chills! SO excited for you guys!
That is so awesome, Mandy! My husband and I have always said that we would like to adopt as well as having our biological children. You will be in my prayers throughout your process. I hope you and Jeff understand how amazing you are, for so many reasons.
That is just wonderful!!!!!!!! What a lucky little child
It will be to be blessed into your family!!!!
Praying for you and your family as you start this
Journey!!!:)
I cant wait to hear more!
I am so happy for you all Mandy. Adoption is so awesome (I am actually adopted myself). To give another child love that they might not have received is simply amazing. Congrats and good luck on your journey.
This is great news! I hope that everything will go smoothly for you! Do you have a gender/age in particular you are looking into adopting? Any child is a blessing and they will be so blessed to join the Rose family.
Thinking of you! 🙂
Oh wow! That is awsome news! Will pray for patience- 3 years is a looong time. Congrats on deciding to become 6!
so exciting! oh man, congratulations! i actually have a friend who has 2 boys and is adopting too. so very exciting! i’ll definitely be praying for you that you get the right baby at the right time!
This such awesome news Mandy! Will be praying for your family and can’t wait to hear all about the process!
So, so excited for you guys!! Will definitely be praying for you all!! Can’t wait to meet the newest addition to the Rose family!! What a lucky little girl/boy he or she will be to have such an AWESOME family!!
Mandy! I am so excited for both you and your family. That is such an awesome thing that you are doing and I am sure everything will work out for all of you. I can not wait to read that blog post introducing Rose Baby #4! Best of luck to everyone in the process <3
-Samantha
Congratulations to you and your family! This is a very special decision that will bring so much joy to your family! Whoever this little baby is, God knows your plan and has known all along that he is your son. Looking forward to watching this story unfold for your family!!
This is ah-mazing! What big and wonderful news! How exciting that you will be opening your hearts and home for a child!
I think it’s wonderful news! You only know what works best for your family and if it’s 4, it’s 4 😉
I love the idea of adopting!
Congratulations and good luck on your journey!
I’m so, so excited for you guys and definitely praying for you!! Hopeful we can do the same thing for a sweet little one from India one day!! 🙂
I am so happy for your family! You are such a compassionate person and any child would be incredibly blessed to be part of your family! Congratulations 🙂
Oh M, you know I am ecstatic and beyond excited that our families get to be on this incredible journey at the same time!!!!! Continuing to pray for y’all!! Xox!
This is fantastic. Praying for your family, and I hope the process is faster than 3 years!
I think this is amazing. I was adopted as was my sister. Greatest gift on earth. I also had a little boy at 17, and knowing I wasn’t ready for that challenge I also placed him for adoption. Adoption is a gift, to not only the parents placing their child; but for the adoptive parents and child. I think this is a selfless, amazing thing!
That’s fabulous news Mandy! I’m sure God will bless this decision and we’ll be praying it all goes according to His plan! 🙂 Can’t wait to hear more about this process!
That is so exciting! I’d be very happy to read all your adoption process update posts. I’ve always wanted to adopt and since I have one child of my own if we decide to have anymore I think I’d like to adopt. Congratulations- while reading I thought you were going to be pregnant with triplets 😉
I always knew u were a special person and this proves it. God Bless You All?
I have been reading your blog for months now and when I read this post, I almost started crying!! Good tears of course!!! I’m so happy for you and your family!!
I’m soooooo happy the “cat is out of the bag”! I’m so happy for you all! Baby Rose #4 will be one lucky little one with parents (and brothers) as loving as you all! XOXO
What WONDERFUL news! My husband and I are looking to adopting one day. I wish you the best of luck through this long, amazing process.
Congratulations!!! Very excited for your family! I’ll be praying!
This is great news! I love your blog and I’m so happy for your family! I love how you ended your post with adoption being a choice you make to love.
While our situations aren’t the same and I don’t have biological children at this time, my boyfriend has two young sons (3 and 4) whose lives I’m extremely involved in. I have experienced that choice to love first-hand and it’s the most incredible thing. While we aren’t married yet, I know that when we are and if we are blessed with another child, he/she won’t be any different to me than these two precious boys. Motherhood is so much more than birthing a child.
Praying for your sweet family!
That is awesome news!!! Can’t wait to hear all about it!! I’ll keep you all in my prayers. Congrats!!
This is wonderful news!! I am beyond thrilled for your family!! The verse you added to the post REALLY shows how much you have prayed about this. I honestly, genuinely believe that you will be blessed with a wonderful, wonderful child. I will be keeping y’all in my prayers day and night!!!
YAY!!! You are doing it! OMG so excited for you! You are already such a great mom to those boys and this future baby is so very lucky to be joining the Rose family!!! xo.
oh mandy! congrats. that’s so exciting.
i’m so excited that God is leading you and your family through this journey. our family will def being praying for the Rose’s.
i can’t wait to read about yall’s journey!!
I’m so excited for you! I think this is such a great thing to do if God leads you to it as he has with you.
It’s been so fun to see what God has done in your lives the past few years. I remember feeling like God would do amazing things with you years ago so it’s so fun to see your journey. (That sounds silly but I’ve never felt like that with another blogger before.)
This is amazing news….I’m so excited for you and your family.
I’m excited for y’all and can’t wait to one day meet Baby Rose! As soon as you said you were adopting I thought, “But of course! That makes sense!”
Love Y’all!
Omg! This is amazing! Congrats and good luck! I don’t think your crazy at all! I think your an amazing woman who is doing an amazing thing!
Congrats Mandy! when I first read the title of your blog post I thought you were announcing you are pregnant with triplets! LOL Good luck on the adoption process! Very exciting!
Love you Mandy! You never did anything in a small way! Grandchild #4 for “Poppy” and “GiGi”! We’ll be ready! Love ya, Dad.
I just love this news. Nathan and I feel called to adopt as well, and some days it seems like we’ll never be financially able to. I’ll be praying for y’all as your journey progresses!
I’ve thought that I would adopt since I was a teenager. Here I am one week into my 34th year and it’s still something that I would do..
Congrats and good luck!
I didn’t read what anyone else wrote, but I am beyond happy for you guys! We always discussed having 2 biological children and adopting one as well. Since we have our two boys, we contemplated trying for a girl, but I am dead set on adoption. My husband even brought up fostering! I can’t wait to hear about your journey and I can’t believe the wait! Whomever God decides your child will be will be coming into one of luckiest homes! Is your house big enough for 1 more?
Best of luck!
This post made me SO HAPPY!! I’m so happy for the sweet Rose family and I think what you are doing is an incredible act of love. Sending love and prayers your way through this process!! xoxo
Mandy, I think it is wonderful that you are adopting. Matt and I have talked about that, too. Maybe someday. I’ll keep your family in our prayers.
I think this is AWESOME Mandy! You guys are clearly amazing parents and any child will be lucky to have you as parents. Can’t wait to follow you along on this journey!
I am a new reader of your blog — just landed here today when looking for information about growing roses! Ha! I smiled when I read this news, though, because my husband and I are parents via domestic adoption and it has been such a beautiful experience, beyond our wildest dreams. We’re honored to be the parents of our daughter, who is now almost three. Adoption is a complex, but wonderful thing — a gift for everyone involved, and a very special way to make a family.
Hi Mandy, Congrats on the greatest news, that’s exciting and wonderful that you guys are adopting.
Oh Mandy! I am so happy for y’all! My heart is happy just reading this. You are an amazing woman and mother! That child is very lucky 🙂 This is awesome! Congrats!!
CONGRATULARIONS, MANDY! That is such a wonderful thing you and your husband are doing. There are so many innocent children out there without a family to love them, without a home to call their own – and you’re going to give them that. Something that every single child deserves. You two are Godsends to another little boy or girl out there who will have a happy and fulfilling life because of your big hearts. So happy for you and your family. I can’t wait to follow your journey 🙂 xoxo
Absolutely wonderful! Congratulations and I wish you the best of luck! Six is a great number…we have one girl and three boys. It’s our own little Family Circus!
Congratulations to you and Jeff, I know your family will not only grow in size, but in love – there couldn’t be two people more suited to be parents to one more!
This is such exciting news! My husband and I are also going to be adopting, God willing. The ttc road has been rough for us and adoption has always been in.our hearts. I completely understand what you mean by saying you were a litter aprehensive about posting. I feel the exact same way and have a hard time explaining why.. I think for me, I am afraid that people will tho k adopting is second best. Second best because we haven’t had a successful pregnancy. Anyway, the adoption journey sounds like a rollercoaster that is so rewarding. We haven’t started our home study yet, but we will be adopting domestically. Our age prohibits us from most international programs and the length of time is too much for us in the countries that we are applicable for. 🙁
Anyway, I can’t wait to read along!