Countdown to Vacation!!

We received approval on Tuesday to take Emmy to the beach with us next week, so we are now packing and preparing to head out Saturday! We'll be there for a week with my family, and I can hardly wait!

Seeing as this will be our first vacation with a baby and a puppy in tow, preparation doesn't seem quite as relaxing as I remember it being in the past, but we'll make it! Being the minimalist that I am, I cringe as I am creating our extra-long packing list. How can we possibly need all of this stuff?? Can't we get by with fewer material posessions this week? As I look at the list, my logic says, "No...you really do need everything on this list." The other side of me, however, tends to think that in many places across the world, mothers get along just fine without Pack n' Plays, High Chairs, and Johnny Jump-Ups. Oh well, they probably will make the trip with us along with the dog crate, bicycles and what is shaping up to be several bags of miscellaneous items. Hopefully we'll be able to cram them (and us) into the car on Saturday.

Our case worker told me on Tuesday that she had given the photographs we printed to Emmy's mom, and that she was very appreciative. I was happy to hear that. Emmy's mom also asked for more photos to share with her family, so I'm working on that. I'm hoping to get some adorable shots at the beach to keep Emmy's mom in-the-know about her first-ever beach vacation and for us to document what is sure to be a precious week of memories!

There is one other thing that has come up since I last posted for which I would ask your prayers. Emmy has a 17-year-old half-brother who is also in foster care in Georgia. Until now, he has never met Emmy, but his case worker is pushing hard for them to have regular visitation from now on. This brings up a lot of questions and concerns on our part.

Fortunately, our agency has offered to take the wheel on this, so I won't have to be the one navigating this sticky situation. However, I do feel a strong need to cover this in prayer. For one thing, we happen to know that this brother visits with Emmy's mom regularly and doesn't always take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of her illness. We're concerned about how it might jeopardize Emmy's safety to come in contact with her brother if he is carrying his mom's illness on his clothing. We also don't know how this contact with Emmy's brother will affect her future. Will this be a long-term relationship that Emmy is expected to keep up? Will this ultimately become a relationship that Emmy's adoptive parents will have to manage once Emmy and her brother are both out of the foster system? So many questions, but we will cover Emmy, her brother, and her mom in prayer and lean on our knowledge that God is sovereign over all things.

I'd say after the last month or two, we've never been more ready to dig our toes into the sand and RELAX!! I look forward to a fun update when I return!