The Fanning Four

In the world of adoption, they call this phase "paper pregnant". And we sure are up to our eyeballs in paperwork! We're getting ready to send a boatload of it to the adoption agency on Monday. Because it's finally here, it's time to start the adoption process! What we're submitting on Monday is our formal application for the agency along with the beginning of our homestudy documents. What's a home study? "Home Study: A home study is sometimes called an "adoption study," and is a written report containing the findings of the social worker who has met on several occasions with the prospective adoptive parents, has visited their home, and who has investigated the health, medical, criminal, family and home background of the adoptive parents. If there are other individuals that are also living in the home of the adoptive parents, they will be interviewed and investigated, if necessary, by the social worker and included as part of the home stu...

Here are some of the things are cute two year old has been doing lately- She has started "reading" books to us. She says, "dee, dee, dee, dee" with occasional actual words thrown in and then turns the page and starts again. She points to the words on the page as she reads and when she gets to the end she says, "The End!" It's SO cute! Bethany loves playing "Momma" with her baby doll. She feeds and changes the baby and will give the baby things and say "Here ya go." Bethy likes to pretend cook. And before the "meal" she grabs your hand and says "Pray". And she can repeat after us and say, "Dear God, Thank you for the food. Amen." Went to the doctor yesterday for her two year check up and she is 34 inches, 23. 2 pounds. Doctor says she is very healthy, just petite.  :) And she's a bundle of energy so I see gymnastics in her future! She is every bit a two year old complete with really great m...

Hey folks! I know it's been a while. To be honest, I've just had no energy for blogging. I have kind of gone into a survival shell and am just emerging out. In the past few weeks we closed on our house, moved into the new house, celebrated Bethy's second birthday, send Tom and the team to Nicaragua, and lost my step-grandfather. I had to take a deep breath after that sentence. We're doing so well though! Tom is having a blast in Nicaragua and although I wish I could be with him, I am enjoying time with my mom and Bethy. She's been teething and having a bit of trouble adapting to life in a new house and with daddy being gone. But I think with some rest, she'll be feeling better soon. Her language is really blossoming and it's fun to hear what she has to say. She said "love you" yesterday for the first time. It was prompted but still sweet. One week until we start the adoption process. Crazy right? So, please pray with us and for us. I have a b...

Can I just say something? Um.......it is HOT!!! Like 100 degrees hot in FL right now!!! I am not one of those that complains about the cold in the winter and the hot in the summer. I appreciate the cold. LOVE it- bring it on! But the summer heat- ugh!! I almost moved to Alaska after seminary- no really, I did consider it. Then I thought about moving to NY. Cold, I can handle. But hot is too hot for me. So..... summer with a toddler who LOVES to be outside is not always the picture of bliss! : ) Ok, it still is bliss, but bliss with a lot of sweat! I am not sure if you've heard or not but there's been an oil spill.....Oh, you've heard? Well, I'll spare you the details then. But, it's headed this way, and unless God decides to stop it before it gets to PCB, well, it will be here eventually. So, all us PCBers are trying to soak up the beach while we can. At this point I will refer you back to paragraph one for a reread. So, I decided to take Bethany to the beach to...

 22 Months old! Can you believe we're just 2 months from Bethany turning 2 years old?!?! CRAZY! What a delight she is! She is such a funny, strong, adorable, loving child. This month, she FINALLY started calling me momma. Praise Jesus! I think what helpes was that she would ask me to write "daddy" and I would always write "mommy" as well so she could see the difference in the letters and see that they were different words. And out of the blue one day, she said "momma" and she's been calling me that ever since. Occasionally she forgets and says "daddy" but that's ok. She says "What's that?" about 4,567 1/2 times a day She LOVES cats and talks about "kikky's" all the time. She says, "Kikky, here, sit" and pats on her lap. She always looks for cats when we go someplace she thinks she may see one. She naps from 11:30-1:30 every day. She goes to bed at 6:30 pm and wakes up by 6:30 am She loves ...

For the longest time, Bethany has been calling me "daddy". She calls both Tom and I "daddy". It's funny, annoying, cute, quirky. But yesterday and today I've been hearing my sweet little one call me "momma". Has she finally figured it out? I hope so- I love hearing "momma"!!

Tonight, China will release a new list of adoptable children and our adoption agency will pray about and match children with families. New families will be formed tonight! Not us quite yet but we still pray for the discernment of the adoption team that is making those decisions and the parents that have to make the decision to accept the referral. Prayers to them tonight!