Leaps and Bounds!!!

We are getting closer! We are STILL waiting for our Colorado background checks to get back, then will send our I-600 form in, wait for that process, THEN our dossier will be sent to Ethiopia!!!! 

We have so much to be grateful for this week!  God has answered so many prayers and we are getting so much closer to getting our dossier sent to ETHIOPIA!!!  We need $7,700 to get our dossier sent and this week brought us great strides!

A couple weeks ago the kiddos and I were running errands and decided to stop and get the car washed...which turned into a 1.5 hour adventure after we got stuck in the car wash, the arm broke on our car, we had to wait for the owner to show up to get us out, then had to take pictures of the scratches on our car, etc.  Believe it or not the 1.5 hours in the car with three hungry kiddos was not bad!  I kept my patience and was able to laugh at the situation.

Why the story?  Well, the small scratches on my car (which are almost 100% buffed out) brought us $400 in an insurance claim...of course we weren't going to use $400 for  something silly--like scratches you can't even see-- when we can put the money toward GOD's PURPOSE in our life right now!  (even got a bundle of free car washes, so the 1.5 hours was rather successful!)

THEN we've been preparing for a rummage sale for awhile now...cleaning closets, getting donations from wonderful friends and family, and setting up.  My goal in the process was $800-$1,000 and prayed that God would bring the people and money even on a rainy weekend. 

Well, God once again showed His wonders by bringing us...

$800 on the FIRST DAY ALONE...

 another $600 on the second day....

$1,400 to go straight toward our dossier payment. 

W.O.W. 

And THEN...we got our tax return a couple months ago (which some of which went toward our initial adoption costs) but were short changed $2,000 when we received our return.  We've questioned it a couple of times but it wasn't looking promising.  After our sale today I checked our bank account to find an extra $2,000 sitting  there....unexpectedly from our taxes.
That means this week we have made a huge leap and are able to add $3,800 to our adoption account!!!!!!!!  Can you say God is great...or WHAT?!??!!?

Today I was elated in all the ways God has answered our prayers and has provided for our family.  Just a few short hours after all the excitement I found myself in a situation feeling jealous and bummed out.  In that moment I had to stop, shake my head, and realize the little silly insecurities in life do not matter.  It's so easy to get caught up in the little things...at the end of the day when I sit back to reflect, I realize how small I am and how awesome He is.  I pray that God continues to show me how small I am...how silly insecurities are...how great He is. 

I pray that every one of you reading this will stop and take a moment to reflect on what God has done in YOUR life this week...month...year...life.

So much has been given to me;
I have no time to ponder on that which has been denied.~Hellen Keller

"Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever."
Psalm 136:26 

Love from our family to yours!

Let's Play Dress Up!

With a 5 year old, 3 year old and 1 year old around the house we are always ready for a good laugh and a fun time!  Each day is filled with numerous times when I wish I had my camera on hand...this week I've been lucky with the camera and have caught the kiddos in some spontaneous silliness:)

The theme of the week seems to be dress up and I am 100% honest when I say I had absolutely NOTHING to do with any of these pictures..just kids caught being kids;) 

Ayla went to take a nap in her undies after running through the sprinklers...this is how I found her 30 min later!

Eli came out of his room saying he was ready to head fishing

Eli dressed Ayla today!

How about you join the kiddos in some dress up fun by supporting our adoption through our t-shirt fundraiser!!!  We will be ordering t-shirts within the next couple of weeks but place a pre-order now and be guaranteed the shirt and size you would like!!! 

The men's and women's shirts are super soft, trendy shirts and the kids' tees are the common Gildan t-shirt (Eli who is 5 wears a 6/8, Ayla fits a 2/4). 

 

Every shirt will bring us $10-$15 toward bringing our daughter home!  You can click on the Fundraising tab to order with paypal or you can drop off or send cash or check to us.

We truly appreciate everyone's love and support!

Exciting and Challenging

We are very excited to announce our acceptance into America World Adoption's Ethiopia program!!!!  We got the phone call yesterday and now have a stack of initial paperwork to get signed and sent off.  After the initial paperwork is processed, the "Paper Pregnancy" will begin (also known as the Dossier --pronounced doss-E-A).  We are excited to start this process but are told it is a time consuming, exciting, overwhelming experience!!!!!

On top of the paperwork side of things we really need to get going on raising funds.  People are SHOCKED when we tell them the costs of international adoption range from about 25-40K!!!!  Our adoption will probably land around 30-35K.  Intimidating.....YES.  Challenging....YES.  Do we have those funds just sitting around....NO.  BUT, we know this is all in God's hands and we hope to find some fun ways to raise money, along with donations that others feel led to give. 

I've heard from people in the past that they feel people shouldn't adopt if they don't have the money.  Honestly, this erks me beyond belief.  The Bible clearly states we should care for orphans (there are numerous verses in the Bible relating to orphans and the fatherless!!!).  Everyone can help in some way....weather it's through prayer, financial support, foster care, adoption, etc!  The need to care for orphans is ASTOUNDING and to answer the cry is doable for everyone in some way or another.

Here is a link to show where our 30-35K will go:
Ethiopian adoption costs

This week I ask that you pray specifically for our fundraising efforts.  This past weekend our basement flooded and we had to rip out all the carpet and move everything out.  What perfect timing....Bobby's busiest time of the year (therefore we will have no basement or garage for a couple of months) and right when we are trying to save money toward our new "baby" girl.  All I can do at this point is chuckle.  I've been questioning God lately and the possibility of raising $15,000-$20,000....and He threw this our way.  I know it's just a fork in the road to see how we can handle things and to prove His power in all situations.  We truly believe that the funds will come and that He will play His part in this process He has called us to.

We are trying to come up with a fun, wearable saying for t-shirts....if you have a good idea, we'd LOVE to hear it!!!!!!  We plan on selling shirts and Ethiopian coffee, and will possibly do other fundraising efforts as they come available and are needed! 

Thank you EVERYONE for your support you've shown already....your thoughts and prayers are felt!

We're off to a play date and then planning for my mom's 50th and Owen's 1st birthday parties!!!!!!  My brother Jesse will be in town Sunday night and I haven't seen him for a year....you can only imagine the excitement in this house!!!!!!!!!!!!


Love from our family to yours!

Eventful Week!

The end of May always gets crazy around our house (between close friends and our family we have 8 birthday parties in a three week spread!).  This past week has been busy with parties, park dates, the start to softball, and the end of the year for preschool.  On top of the eventful schedule, we've had a few memorable moments...

Owen is officially walking EVERYWHERE!  He apparently doesn't like the video camera or walking on cue...but here's a short blurb:

Also, on Saturday Ayla and I were doing some shopping when SHE decided she wanted her ears pierced.  I didn't think she would go through with it as she is quite afraid of needles, shots, or anything that hurts in the least bit....but she was a very determined super star (well, after freaking out when the ladies were about to shoot the guns...I reminded her that it was her idea and I wasn't going to make her do it and she proceeded with hardly any tears!). So, her birthday gift from daddy and mommy was this: 

And of course, the little princess turned three yesterday (May 18).  She had a memorable "royal celebration" with family and friends...

AND.....this week we've been throwing around different ideas to raise funds for our adoption.  On Tuesday I was speechless when a lady from my women's Bible study said she wanted to give us some support!!!   It was the first step toward our fundraising and it caught us off guard!! 

God is sooooo great!  Please be in prayer for us as we seek out ideas to raise our funds.