set two.

about 15 months ago, before matt & i even started on our official

adoption paperwork, ellie began telling us about her twin.  i actually

pictured her twin as a girl....i think because i met a little ellie and then

i met a little girl her age that had a pretty unique dress that happened

to be our ellie's favorite dress at the time

it was quickly clear that neither of those little girls was our ellie's twin

[and they both have families now!] and to be completely honest, i thought

she was wrong.  with the criteria in our home study, i just thought she was 

wrong....or that maybe it wasn't time yet.

and then?  i met the boys.  guess who is just 19 days older than our elle-belle?

ellie has fervently prayed for her brothers.  sometimes she would walk up

to me with tears in her eyes and say that she just wanted her brothers home

so bad.  when the kids would take their quiet time during the summer months

she would come to me again--truly sorrowful--and say that she wished jude

could be in her quiet time with her.

at one point while in uganda this trip i had a few panic-stricken moments.

i knew that if jude didn't take right to ellie that she would be heart-broken.

i was so in awe of our boys' bond that i wondered if there was room for the other five.

me of little faith worried about the family that God designed long ago.

i immediately prayed for peace & that jude would just have this special love 

for ellie in his heart without any of us saying anything about it.

almost immediately, he started asking to see pictures of ellie.

if we'd see something pretty in a shop he'd ask if he could buy it for ellie.

i'm pretty certain that the boys thought their mama was looney as the tears

streamed down my face in that little shop.
on our last day in-country, a friend asked jude who he was going to see
in america.  he happily shouted,
ELLIE!

none of this is anything i have done.

nothing at all that we have done.

our story is all His and, oh my goodness, is He a good author.

these two are instant best buds.

so, so thankful.