I was woken up early this morning by the sound of my boys playing. Loudy. Very loudy. I roll my eyes, plod out of bed, and whisper-yell at them to be quiet and go play in the basement so as not to wake anyone else up. 
I get back in bed, where I continue to hear them playing. Now at least they are trying their little-boy-hardest to be quiet. But before long the whispers turn back into shouting, and the low giggles turn into loud belly laughing. In that moment, I chose to replace my groggy annoyance with gratitude. Regardless of the (extremely) early hour, I chose to really listen to them, instead of wishing they were quiet. And the beauty I heard was incredible. Tales of drama and intrigue, of pretend fishing and dragon chasing, of pirates and walking planks. Of course, intermingled with plenty of burps and poop jokes. And my tired body was immediately rejuvenated thanks to a full heart.
As I now sit to write and introduce you to Dalton, the boy antics continue, and I’m picturing him right there with them, fishing and walking the plank. When I look at Dalton’s picture, I see joy in his smile, and I picture that smile laughing 
with siblings as he joins in the fun. This sweet, intelligent, kind boy has been waiting far too long. Dalton is the same age as my oldest, and has been waiting for his family for his entire life. My prayer for him is that his family will see this will see him and he will wait no longer.
Dalton is 7-years-old and is available for adoption through Madison Adoption Associates. He is diagnosed with facial angiomatosis, and a recent update stated that his special needs do not impact his daily life. There is a $2,000 grant available to the family who steps forward for this sweet boy. Email sarah@madisonadoption.org for more information, or submit the Prospective Adoptive Parent form.