Big Changes!!

We missed Oley terribly after being away from us for what seemed like forever.  So in honor of his return we made him some cupcakes!  Or maybe it was because I knew if I wrote on them I wouldn't have them all eaten by the time he got here. 

Since he has been home we still haven't seen much of him. The morning after he got here he had a job interview, with a member in the ward who had mentioned he had a job opening as we were moving in.  We were very grateful and excited for this opportunity and are pleased to announce that he will no longer have to work his security job and he is a new employee of UniFirst.

As eluded too in our tag line there is going to be BIG CHANGE in our lives, very soon. Back in March, the day before my defense I was in the library preparing.  I got a call from Lauralynn, but since I usually talked with her quite a bit I figured I really needed to focus on getting ready for my defense I ignored the call and decided I would call her later.  She not only left me a message, but sent a text message telling me she wanted to discuss something that she thought Oley and I would be perfect for.  As I wrapped up my studying and was walking to my office I gave her a call to see what was up, assuming she wanted us to take a vacation down to mom's or something.  But oh no this was much bigger than a quick vacation to mom's.  She mentioned to me that she had been working with a client who was pregnant, and a month or so before she was talking to her about how lucky she was to be able to become pregnant because there are many out there, like Oley and myself, who are unable to conceive.  That day Lauralynn received a text asking if her sister, me, would be willing to adopt her baby.  Lauralynn promptly called me to ask.
As anyone would be, I was kind of struck by the question.  Oley and I had discussed possibly starting the adoption process once I had gotten a good job, and my prayers up to that point had been that if I got through my schooling, found a job, that hopefully we would be able to start a family if that were to be Heavenly Father's plan for us.  I was very focused on getting my life in order so that we could be ready when He was ready to bless us with this opportunity.  A huge wave a gratification had come over me.  Once I was able to shift through all my emotions I tried Oley on his cell.  Since he was in class I sent him a quick text letting him know that I needed to talk with him about something.  Once I was able to get a hold of him I was headed out for a quick run to sort through my thoughts and focus on my defense.  As I told him he had just as many questions as I but surprisingly was extremely open to the opportunity.  We both agreed we would pray about it and go to the temple and let her know.
Long story short we have decided it is time to expand our family.  The birth mother of our baby has been very open with us and we feel so very blessed we have had to opportunity of letting her into our family and lives.

Our baby girl is due August 28.  With her other children she has been 3-4 weeks early so we are expecting an early August baby.  Oley and I are extremely happy, nervous, and anxious for her to arrive!  Oley is going to be a great dad, every outfit we have bought so far has had to say something regarding Daddy's little girl.  The best thing about this whole process is we have realized that God really has a hand in everything that we do.  Had Lauralynn not taken this job last summer she would have never met the birth mom (I need to talk with her and see if I can mention her by name cause she deserves all the credit).  And as we have moved around we have been in wards in which a member of the bishopric has worked at LDS Family Services.  We feel that this is a real blessing and are grateful that our last bishop in Spokane was employed there and  helped us realize how great this organization is.

 So Friday after Oley's job interview we were able to attend the mandatory adoption education classes.  It was a great class and we learned an extreme amount.
After our Saturday class we met up with Dave, Michelle, Conner, Damon, Grandma, and Grandpa to get some lunch in Renton and then show them our house.  We were so glad to have company but at the time we still had A LOT of unpacking to do.  Thank goodness Oley has had a little bit of extra time and has been able to get some of the electronics and everything else unpacked.  So now the living area of our house is fully unpacked and no longer looks like we live out of boxes.
Sunday we attended our church meetings for the first time, as usual we were late, one of these days we will make it on time.  Waiting for us were church callings.  Oley will be the new Deacons Quorum Adviser and Assistant Scout Master, and I am the new Laurels Adviser.   They should be a lot of fun and we are really excited to get to know the youth and help them on this journey. 
We love our new neighborhood.  It's the first place we have lived that I feel extremely safe.  We are surrounded by military personnel and there are cops that live everywhere within here, for example we have a sheriff that lives a couple houses down and then another that lives around the block, it just seems like an extremely nice quiet place.  There are little kids everywhere so really family friendly with parks and walking trails throughout.  Being able to take our dogs on walks and enjoy the beauty of the northwest is one of our favorite nightly rituals.

We are so grateful for the hand that the Lord plays in our lives.  It's the small things around us that are our constant reminder that he is our Savior and that through him all things are possible.  As we have gotten to know the birth mom better and understood her experiences and circumstances we can see the help that the Lord has been providing her as we pray for her and keep her in our thoughts constantly.  We are excited for all this new change and hope that we will be able to continue to live in a way that the Lord can continually bless us!