An anniversary surprise....

Q and I just celebrated five years of wedded bliss! We decided to celebrate a day early on Thursday, since Fridays are always so busy for us. We all got ready early on that morning, so that we could have a few hours to ourselves before Q had to go to work. We took A to the babysitter's house and then we were off for a date--all alone (it doesn't happen much when you have kids as many of you know:).

Our first stop was Starbuck's. I tried something different (I usually get a green tea frap). I got a frap that had a mix of strawberries n' cream and their new coconut cream flavor. Toasted coconut was sprinkled on top of the whipped cream. It was delicious and definitely one I'll have again.

We drove to downtown Denver and parked. Q took me for a walk and led me to this store:

I was so excited! Being a frugal shopper, I scoured the clearance racks and found some things to try on. He told me I could choose a few things. It was fun to try on brand-new items in a store like this (which hardly ever happens since most of my clothing comes from thrift stores). I found a couple of tops and a nice pair of jeans that fit nicely.

While I was in the dressing room, my phone rang. It was a caseworker who said that she had a baby for us and asked if she could bring her to our home. You see, the day before we had heard about Little S and through an unusual circumstance, didn't arrive that day. So we prayed for God's will to be done, and now we were hearing she was coming. She and Q arranged the way we would get her. Since we were in the area, we decided to go to the clinic where she was being checked by the doctor. We grabbed lunch and a couple of treats from the Cheesecake Factory and headed to see her.

We immediately fell in love with this nine-month-old baby. We drove to pick A up from the sitter's house and she was surprised that Little S was finally with us. The rest of the day was so fun and the two girls got along well. But then, the next morning, we found out that she was going to leave us because of the decision the judge had made at a court hearing. Both A and I cried about it; I think she took it the hardest. An hour later, she was gone.

We sometimes wonder why things like this happen, but God always has the best in store for all who are involved in the situation. I took A to go see her mom and then I talked on the phone to family about what had happened. I knew I had more tears to shed so that's what I did. I was so tired and discouraged about it. Why would a decision like that be made so quickly? Inside I prayed that Little S would be safe. I went to get myself lunch at a deli because even though I wasn't really hungry, my body needed it. As I was paying the cashier, my phone rang. It was Q. He asked me to be in a place where I could hear him, so I went outside. He said that the caseworker had called and asked if we'd be willing to take her back. I couldn't believe it! Whoever took Little S back had found out some more things from her living situation that were not safe. So, the judge ordered her back into foster care.

Yesterday evening, Little S came back to us. We don't know how long she'll be with us, but for now, we're enjoying cute baby feet....

....and the most adorable head of curls!

We're grateful for another young life we can be a help to in the days ahead. Please keep us in your prayers as we get adjusted to life with two kids.:)

This was an anniversary I will never forget...through the tears and prayers, we went to bed overjoyed with what God did for us.