When is a home full?

Our week was wonderful. Normal and wonderful and somehow ended up surpising me completely. There were friends, Christmas lights, hot apple cider, pony rides, hugs, laughs, presents, home-made fudge, cookies and so much more. Caroling along the streets with a horse-drawn carriage, freezing in the rain at the Lights (lines) of Christmas, a gift exchange with no less than 15 kids at my sweet friend {newly family!} Corrie's. We've become family now that she is adopting Annah and Viktoriya's youngest brother Ven. Lidiya, Andrey and Ruvim were there as well.

Dampening the joy was the revelation that Lidiya's family does not plan on allowing her to stay in contact with her biological siblings. They actually went as far as to say that Lidiya should forget "her old family". Thankfully this is not how Lidiya rolls and hopefully she'll be able to stand up to them and stay in contact with her sisters. She stayed the weekend with us and she fit in well with our family. All five girls had a sweet sleepover in A & V's room...

{These walls may hold another sweet russian girls name but the closet won't hold her belongings, crowded as it is, so I think it's possible to make our bonus room/family room into the boys room and then move A & V into the boys bigger room so Lydia would fit; I would turn H&H's room back into an office....the current family room houses the tv etc. so I would put the pc into the new office making room to move the tv upstairs into the great room along with another chair and couch }

Annah told me Saturday night as she went to bed "Mom, I've been thinking, but we can talk about it tomorrow." :o) We talked about it the next day (yesterday) and she asked if we prayed about it, might we fit a bunkbed in her room and allow Lidiya to become part of our family too. I had already begun praying that His will would be done. I thought our home was FULL. As in even after Hope and Halle. Then after Annah. Then after Viktoriya.

As I was praying that morning (Monday), I felt the need to bring Lidiya down to Seattle to meet up with her family. {This made for a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Nana, Joyce and Sharon!} Their social worker came too and we chatted for a bit. After Lidiya and her family left, the SW and I discussed the fact that the state has no say or opinion on family size once you are not a foster parent any longer. Meaning that while we are foster parents we are limited to 6 kids and NO more. Unless God says different and changes peoples minds. ;) BUT, once you've adopted children (ie: Viktoriya and Annah which should be finalized by February or March) you can adopt as many as you want. This was news to me.

So from the Northgate mall, I called my sweet husband. Laughing as I tried to think of a way to ask him if he might consider yet another teenage girl to join our family. Thinking I may shock him, Chad turned the tables and shocked me... "Of course. I thought all along they should've stayed together." What a man. The world needs more men like him. I'm hoping that's what we're raising in Aidan, Ethan and Ryland.

And speaking of these three...we have three votes for Lidiya to join us as well. Now it's completely up to the Lord. But even if He doesn't have for Lidiya to join our family, I have a feeling our home isn't full for good. It begs the question...

When is a home full? When is our home full? Is 2550 sq ft too small for 8 {or more} children? I'm thinking not. I love our home so I have some ideas. One version involves finishing our basement which would add another 750 sq ft but another version does not. I think the second version (described above in turquise :o)) would work since we'll need to wait another year or so to get the work done. And I'm beginning to think the Lord can make anything work in us if it is His will. Am I a slow learner or what?