Moving Forward

Just a quick adoption update. We had our first meeting with our Homestudy provder this past Monday, the 21st. We received all of our paperwork. Monday night Bart said, give me those papers, I want to start. We've been writing all week and are almost done! Just today we got fingerprinted in Peoria so they can do our background check. This is the longest wait for this first homestudy phase (probably 2 months?). Also, I have completed the I600A and we are sending that off. My understanding is that they process it now and we can go ahead and get a fingerprinting appt. in Chicago, but it's not complete until our Homestudy is finished and sent there. I can't believe how it's moving along! A lot is happening now, but I know there will be times of waiting and delays to come.

It's Hot!

The boys are loving these warm days. Quinn and Kade thought it was so hot, they needed to take their shirts off and Cole is checking out the sprinkler.


One of their favorite things to do outside is play in the sandbox. I didn't get a shot of them in it, but did get this one as they were washing to come inside. No, it doesn't help keep my house much cleaner, but it does make me feel better. :)

A Day to Remember

I just realized that I shared our adoption story, but that's all. Some of you know, but for those who don't, we started the process already! On April 9th, I filled out my first paperwork. Just yesterday, we signed and had notarized (and sent the first check!) the official application for Christian World Adoption. This is our Internation Adoption Agency. We have an interview next Monday with our local Homestudy Provider. We are using ABC out of Bloomington. The whole process should take about a year. This is good timing for us because Cole will then be two. We are requesting a little girl 0-1 yrs. There is so much paperwork and busywork that will come in the next several months that at times it's hard to think about actually having her here as part of our family. She is probably still developing inside her mommy. I am praying that God will keep her mother healthy, safe, and comforted. And, I'm praying that God will form our little girl just as He sees fit for our family.

Familiar Sights

How do you know you're where you want to be? Familiar sights. We went to Missouri a couple times a year growing up to visit my mom's family. When we saw the St. Louis Arch we knew we were 1/2 way there! We were going in the right direction. Well, I've been thinking about the familiar sights of home. When I see these, I know all is well and this is definitely home. :) Cole has been climbing upstairs to his bedroom whenever he feels things aren't quite the way he'd like them. He goes to his bed, grabs his blankie and returns downstairs. He carries his blankie around while sucking his thumb. I still think this is soo cute. But I'm sure when he's five, I'll be blogging about trying to break this habit!


Kade loves to push a barstool over to the pantry and dig through the snacks. I can always count on about five minutes after any given meal (breakfast, lunch, or supper) he will come and say "Mom, me have snack now?". What? We just ate! Bart suggested moving the snacks to a higher cupboard. I tried this, but then instead of climbing on a chair, he just climbed on the counter.

Carson loves to play the computer and gets 1 hr. a day for his computer time. Quinn is always at his side. He will sit and watch Carson play the whole time, with the exception of going to get a snack if Carson asks. At first this annoyed me and I would tell Carson to stop "bossing" Quinn. But, I've learned that Quinn enjoys helping him out.

Four boys and they are all different....thank goodness. :)

Love Your Neighbor

God said the second greatest commandment was to "love your neighbor as yourself". We really do love our neighbors, we just don't want them watching us when we're out. :) Well, as we have learned so many times in the past...be careful what you say and do because your kids are like sponges. They are taking everything in. So, on Bart's day off this past week we went to Lowe's and bought a bunch of bushes and trees to put around our pool in the backyard for added privacy. Not too far into this process our neighbors come outside to say hi. (Do you know where this is going?) The wife walks up to Quinn and says "Quinn, if you put those bushes there I won't be able to see you swimming anymore". Quinn very emphatically says..."yeah, my dad says he doesn't want the neighbors to watch us swimming so we have to plant these bushes!".

First Day

Okay, so after spending countless hours reading others blogs, I decided to dive in. When thinking of a name, I had many ideas...Four boys and a baby (read on for this news!), The Rinkenberger Locker Room, Frogs, snails, puppydog tails and ponytails! (Abby you can appreciate this), and so on. Then I remembered an old Steven Curtis Chapman song, No Better Place (than the road that leads to Heaven). Truly in my life, I have to remember that there is no better place to be than right where I am. There are days when I am changing diapers, walking around a crying toddler hanging on my legs, trying to make supper, doing 10 loads of laundry, helping with homework, wiping up pee dribbles on the toilet seat, etc. and I think I want a break...just a few hours alone. Then I remember that there is no better place for me to be than right here with my four precious boys. I do get weary and frustrated but I believe that God has called me to be a mom and am trying to do my best for His Glory.

So, on to the big news. Four boys and a baby..... nope not pregnant.....we are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia! I will share a little of how God brought us to this point. Last fall I picked up a little girl in church and held her. I can't explain the stirring in my heart at that moment. I have had four babies and holding this little girl, who I didn't even know, just felt different. God started working in my heart. I had never thought about adoption before but in the coming weeks I felt like that was what God was telling me to think about. I shared it with Bart and he was surprised but said he would support me if I felt that was what God was calling us to do. So, time went on. When I would think about it, I tried to brush it off and then God would remind me somehow, that this was from Him. I got an email from an adoption group that I had never been in contact with and haven't been since. I heard someone explain international adoption on the radio and it made it seem so simple. Then, I heard Dennis Rainey from Family Life talk about how we are all adopted by God and then he shared his own family's adoption story. I hadn't thought of it that way before. God was slowly changing my heart toward adoption. Bart's brother and his wife, Scott and Heidi, called to tell us they were adopting a little girl from Ethiopia in early Feb. That shocked me and again, I felt like God was providing a way for us. Not that I needed more confirmation, but God wanted to make it clear that I understood this was from Him. :) So, one night when doing my Bible study I was reading a book. The chapter was all about being willing and saying yes to God. At the end of the chapter, God spoke loud and clear. The author wrote down several questions. What has God been asking you to do lately? Does is seem impossible? Are you listing the reasons why you can't instead of why you can? Well, I answered yes! to all of these. I really did feel like God was calling us to adopt but it seemed so HARD. We have four boys and God wanted me to have more? But, like I've said so many times since....there is peace in knowing that God has lead us here. Whatever happens with our adoption or in the future with our little girl, I know that this is God's plan for our life. I can't leave out the last part of the story. After this night of doing my Bible study I showed Bart that book and said, I think this is for real, you better start praying harder about this adoption thing. He didn't say much (typical of the times I tried to bring up adoption) and so I went to bed thinking that I need to start praying for him. The next morning he was on board! What? He said after I went to bed, God brought to mind a song. All he could remember was the title, Do Something Now by Steve Camp. (Okay he remember the singer too) As he looked it up and played it on his iPod, this is what he heard...."Down in Ethiopia, a silent baby clings to an empty breast....down in Ethiopia, another cries for food and eternal rest...." So, here begins a new journey for our family.