These are just a couple of the great shots he got.  You can see more on Zach’s website.  

While in Florida, we took the opportunity to meet up with our friends Jill and Russell.  They were part of our Ethiopia travel group last summer, so Nell and Josiah are adoption buddies, and they are both from the same village.

Aren’t they adorable?  It was so fun to spend time with Jill and Russell again and to meet their sons, Raleigh and Jack.  Altogether we had 5 kids under 5, so you can imagine how crazy it was.  We did manage to get some conversation in.

It’s amazing how quickly you make friends when you share your adoption experience together.  We only spent a week with Jill and Russell last summer, but it feels like we know them so much better than that.  I hope that we’re always able to keep in touch.

While we were in Florida, Josiah decided that it was finally time to become a walking man.  He had taken steps before, but on our last day at the beach he started walking consistently, and now he is definitely a walking dude, and I am one happy momma.  The more he walks, the less I have to carry him.

We had  a wonderful vacation, followed by a quick trip to Grammie and Pops’s house.  But by the end even Caleb was asking to come home.  I think we wore him out.

We’re still waiting to hear travel dates to bring Evelyn home.  Yes, we’ve been waiting FOREVER.  I really feel like we’ll hear something next week, but who knows.  Right now, I’m guessing that we’ll be traveling in late July.  We are so ready to bring our baby girl home!

Yesterday we went on a dolphin cruise and Josiah was jamming out to the Jimmy Buffett music that was playing on the boat. We got a great video of his dance moves…

. . . to my own sweet momma, who taught me what it means to mother . . . to my precious grandmothers who have poured unconditional love over every moment of my life . . . to my wonderful mother-in-law who raised an amazing man and who has been so kind to me . . . to all of the women who have “mothered” me for my entire life,  aunts, aunts-in-law, grandmothers-in-law, teachers, mentors, friends . . . to my high school and college friends whom I’ve had the great blessing to watch become mothers . . . to all my “mommy” friends, sisters-in-law, and Bible study partners.

I could never be a good mother without all of you.  You have shown me what it means to love, to sacrifice, and to pray for my children, to say “I’m sorry,” take a deep breath, and start over in the morning, to keep giving and keep going, when it feels like there’s nothing left.  I can make one more peanut butter sandwich, clean up vomit in the middle of the night, and read one more story because I know you’ve done it too.  I know with every tear, every smile, every laugh, you’re right there too, enjoying the amazing, challenging, and bountiful blessing it is to be . . . MOM.

Your encouragement, your wisdom, and your faith inspire me.  Happy Mother’s Day!

This week was Caleb’s 4th birthday.  On Tuesday, we woke him up with cinnamon rolls before the kids and I went to Bible Study.

That evening, Casey and I took him on a special “date” while Josiah stayed with Grandma.  We went to eat at a Hibachi Grill.  Caleb had a wonderful time and loved watching our chef chop, toss, and spin everything.  Caleb ended up eating almost an entire plate of fried rice.  Yummy!  After that, we went to see Oceans at the movie theater.

Today we had friends over for a small birthday party.  After tornadoes ripped through our area all night last night, we were expecting to have to move our outdoor party indoors.  But the weather cleared up for a few hours this afternoon, though it was incredibly hot and muggy, so we had a few games outside before coming in for cupcakes.

Here is Caleb with some of his best buds.

Check out some of these same kids at his 1st Birthday party.

It’s hard to believe how much they’ve grown in what seems like such a short time!  I’m so proud of my sweet little boy.  He is such a blessing in our home!

On the adoption front, we received the news this week that we have a court date scheduled for May 18.  We’re praying that we will pass court on that day.  It is pretty common to be postponed or rescheduled, but please pray that we will pass!  Once we pass we will be able to travel to bring home Evelyn 6-8 weeks later!  Oh, I can’t wait to get that girl in my arms!

Let it go down in the history books that Grammie bought the first dress.  And isn’t it cute?  I’ve left it hanging where I can see it everyday, as a reminder that this IS happening, that there is a little girl out there that this dress is waiting on, that she WILL wear it one day, in the next few months, and that I have lots to do to get ready for that day.

Our house has been a blur of activity over the last week as we have celebrated Easter and had family in town.  But, in the back of my mind there is a little face that never leaves.

I know that I will spend the rest of my life unpacking this adoption process, examining every detail, and marveling at God’s great provision, His wonderful plan, and His excellent care.  But here is what I’ve learned thus far.  First, I think that God is making clear to us (especially me) that we are still not the ones in control.  We had to trust Him so much with our first adoption process because it was all new, overwhelming territory, but I think that this time around I felt a little too comfortable, a little too “in control.”  This last week, I’ve felt God gently remind me, “This is out of YOUR hands.  You will have to trust ME.”  And, man, has that been challenging.  There have been so many unexpecteds with this referral, and it is so easy to be anxious about the things I don’t understand, but I know that He is in control.  I have to keep going back to what I learned as a little child:  ”When I am afraid, I will trust in YOU.”

And His provision has been so sweet, so timely.  He has held us in the palm of His hand and reminded us that when He is in control, He supplies all our needs.  We’re overwhelmed with His goodness.

And we’re greatly anticipating all that is to come.  Even though this is so different from our first adoption, we already know that nothing compares to this journey, and we are preparing ourselves to be blown away by all that He has planned.

So, for those of you who need a reminder of why we celebrate Easter, here’s Caleb the “Teacher”:

Caleb Tells the Easter Story from Casey on Vimeo.

BOY #1 (or Stud #1, as he likes to be called)

BOY #2

BOY #3

Even our dog, Boo, is a BOY (kind of)

Do you think I’m a little out-numbered?  It’s definitely becoming a problem.  We’ve got cars and trucks coming out of our ears (we even discovered the other morning that Doc Hudson, the car, had spent the night in our bed . . . creepy); we’ve got boy toys, boy clothes, boy noises, and boy smells everywhere!  But you know what we don’t have  a lot of around here?  Pink.  There is almost no pink in this house, no dolls, no little dresses, just boys, BOYS, BOYS!!  (Don’t be fooled, I’m in LOVE with my boys.)

Another problem that keeps popping up at the Picker House:  Ethiopia.  We can’t quit talking about, thinking about, and dreaming about this incredible country, beautiful people, and amazing work God has poured into our hearts.  We’re absolutely in love, and like love-sick teenagers we can’t get Ethiopia or the orphans there out of our heads.

So . . . two problems:  not enough pink, and not enough Ethiopia.  Hmmm . . . what would be a good solution?

and his wonderful deeds for men,

for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 107:8-9

This has been an amazing year for us, and, as it comes to a close, we look back in awe at all of the things God has done for us and in us. There is so much to be thankful for.

Foremost, we are so thankful for our salvation through Jesus Christ and the great love and mercy He has poured out on us. We are thankful that God has chosen and adopted us through the death of His Son. We are also thankful, and so humbled, that He continues to work in our hearts, changing us and making us more like Him. We are thankful “that he who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). We look at the work He has done in our lives and hearts this year, and cannot wait to see what He will do in us in the years ahead.

And, of course, we are so thankful for our sweet boys. What a blessing and treasure it is to be their parents!

This will always be a year that seems most remarkable in the life of our precious son Josiah. This year, as we celebrate what we are thankful for, his healing, protection, and adoption into our family is at the top of our list.

We haven’t shared this before, but what better time than Thanksgiving to show the wonderful things that God has done for our little man. Just as his name, Josiah, promises, God has saved him and healed him. Only ten short months ago, he was a very, very sick baby boy. Here is one of the pictures we received when we got our referral of him.

I can’t tell you how many hours we stared at this picture, praying and hoping.  BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL.  Here Josiah is today, happy, healthy, and completely whole. Praise God! He has done amazing things! We are so thankful that “He fills the hungry with good things.” Thank you, LORD!  May You fill our hearts with good things, just as You fill our bodies.

And, one final note of Thanksgiving, today our petition for the re-adoption of Josiah was heard in court. It was, of course, approved, and we were able to have his name legally changed to Josiah. It’s nice to have his adoption officially recognized by the state now. So, so much to be thankful for.

Life has been moving fast over the last few weeks, and it takes all this momma has just to keep up. Both boys are growing like weeds and are definitely setting some Picker/Stanford records in the size department. Josiah is a whopping 22 pounds now, but, trust me, at the end of the day he feels more like 75.

Casey recently accepted a new position at BookFool as web developer/computer programmer. Starting Monday, he will be working from home full-time. After eight years in the corporate world, he’s excited to do something really different. We’re also excited about the awesome people he will be working with.

With that new development, we have recently put our house up for sale. We’re hoping to get into something a little bigger so Case can have an office (he’s currently working on a card table in our bedroom), our crazy boys can have a little more room to run around, and, of course, so we can squeeze one or two more Ethiopian cuties into our family someday. After just one week of having our house on the market, I’m exhausted. It is hard work keeping everything picked up and ready to show. Hopefully it will sell sooner rather than later.

I’ll leave you with some more pictures of Josiah. He turned nine months old today. We are so in love with the precious baby boy and can’t imagine life without his sweet face. I tried to get some good pictures of all of my sweet boys, but one in particular wouldn’t cooperate. I’ll let you guess who.

Caleb is still not sure what to think about his baby brother. I think he misses having Momma and Daddy to himself. He hinted at his slight dissatisfaction with the new situation when he casually mentioned to me, “If baby Josiah keeps fussing, you’re going to have to take him back to ‘Epeeopia.’” Of course I immediately explained that Josiah is here to stay, to be in our family forever and ever, just like Caleb. I don’t think it sunk in because later that afternoon he tried again with, “Maybe tomorrow we can take baby brother back to Africa??” I can’t say I didn’t laugh. It was such an honest emotion. If I had known you could send baby brothers to Africa, I’m sure I would have tried it myself.

Overall, we are doing very, very well. I’ve been really surprised at how well Josiah seems to have adjusted to our family. We’ve been amazed by his developmental gains over the last two weeks. It seems he’s made two months of progress in only a few weeks.

We will be blogging about Ethiopia in the near future. We had an amazing trip, and I can’t wait to tell you about it. We will also be posting pictures; I know everyone is anxious to see them. In the mean time, our pictures from Rome are posted in the photos section of the blog. We had a great three days in Rome, but I won’t bore you with the details, as I’m sure you’ve heard of Rome before.