Beauty Surrounds Us!

After a couple of weeks of working late on our basement (which flooded this spring and we are now remodelling...NOTHING compared to what families are facing in Minot...I cannot even imagine, especially when 1/2" of water made us cringe, broke, and tired!) we decided this Sunday was going to be spent worry free hanging out in the beautiful badlands that surround western ND.  We were thanking the Lord all day for the beautiful day He gave us (when it was supposed to storm)!  When we got to our trail head (Jones Creek in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park) I was quite unsure of how the kiddos would do hiking.  But boy did I underestimate the power and strength of our 3 and (almost) 5 year old children!  They hiked almost FOUR miles with us and only complained once (1/4 mile INTO the hike after seeing a hill full of snakes)!  Here are a few favorite snapshots of the day:

The only wildlife we were able to spot were a TON of snakes (blue racers and bull snakes...no rattlers, thank goodness!) ...

And A LOT of beetles eating buffalo dung (I had to take a picture, A: because the majority of our time was spent watching the beetles walk backwards rolling poop into perfect circles--sorry, but it's true, the kiddos were AMAZED, and B: you wouldn't even imagine how many beetles are on this one pile alone!  It's almost like a hidden picture...this picture doesn't do justification!)

I CANNOT WAIT for family days with another little child to love on and care for!  I thought about her often throughout the day...wondering if she's born yet, where she is living, if she is suffering, if she is safe.  I cannot explain the emotions I already feel for this little girl who may not even be born yet!  All we can do right now is pray that she is comforted and safe, whereever she may be!

We are looking forward to spending the week with friends and family we love!  We are praying for a successful turnout at our fundraising dinner (see earlier post for more information) tomorrow night and then have a fun 4th of July (MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY!!!) weekend planned with my brother-in-law's wedding and my 10 YEAR CLASS REUNION (getting older!).  I pray that each and every one of you reading this has a safe, fun holiday weekend enjoying this beautiful world God created.  Look for the beauty that surrounds you each day!

Love from our family to yours!

The Paper Pregnancy, Paper Chasing, Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork!

Well, summer is officially here!  The weather in ND this year has been terribly wet and therefore we have spent many days indoors when we'd really like to be splashing in the water, or scrapping more knees on the cement.  We did manage a few days of nice sunny weather, and the kiddos know that means the swim suits are on and we're outside for the day! 

 

I remember the days when I was first pregnant with Eli...crazy hormones, many people giving advice, and reading every article or book on pregnancy I could find.  Well, fast-forward five years and we are now experiencing a different pregnancy...one that is often referred to as "The Paper Pregnancy."  A lot of the emotions/motions I went through five years ago have returned! 

Last week we received our dossier paperwork and for those of you not in the adoption process, I can't even explain the time and energy that goes into this!!!!!  This is just a glimpse of our pile we will be working on for the next 3-4 months or so:

To my close friends and family, please know that we have not forgotten you:)  These next couple of months are filled with trips to the courthouse, doctors, social workers, post office, etc!  I have told myself that I cannot get too consumed in the process and need to stay connected and in touch with everyone!  In a memoir I'm currently reading "From Ashes to Africa," it reiterates the point that the sooner we get our paperwork done, the sooner we will be on the waiting list for our baby girl (or sibling group!).  That fact alone is hard to push aside....

I read this post yesterday on a blog I subscribe to:

• Stay connected with your real life friends. In the throes of adoption, it becomes all too easy to seclude yourself to the world of adoption blogs and groups. It is so important to continue to nurture relationships with your real life friends though. Even if it feels like they don’t understand what you’re going through, focus on all of the things you do have in common rather than the things you don’t. And just a hint, don’t talk about adoption all the time. It gets old for other people.

What great advice to those of us who are paper chasing, and waiting in our adoption journey!

As crazy as it is, two years ago I didn't even know exactly what a blog was, or how it worked.  Now, the blog world has become a vice for me!  I had no clue that I would get emotionally invested in others lives who live across the country and I've never met face to face!  However, the connections I've made with families I've "met" through blogging is so wonderful!  It's so great to see how God is working in others lives and how hope is being brought to orphans around the world! 

Thank you to the SEVEN people who are currently writing letters of recommendation for us.  We are thankful beyond words in the wonderful people God has placed in our life! 

Love from our family to yours!

Fundraising Dinner

	RSVP is not necessary but would be nice to start getting an estimated head count!

Fields of the Fatherless

Just finished reading Tom Davis' book, Fields of the Fatherless and MUST write a post encouraging others to read it as well!  If you are currently adopting, thinking of adopting/foster care, or want to know more about caring for the fatherless, this book is a MUST! 

“Instead of self-concern, we need to be more concerned with loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Instead of conforming to what every other Christian does and what society wants us to do, we must lay down our lives and allow our actions to speak louder than our words... 
The definition of evil in the world is when good men and women see injustice and do nothing...
God puts the poor in our lives so we will reveal compassion.  It's a test for us and a promise to them.  Are we passing or failing?...
God wants us to remember our bondage, remember how He has saved us, and in that remembrance, He wants us to reach out in love to the fatherless….
Because He has poured out such love and care for us, we are to go find "the least of these," and do the same."
Tom Davis in Fields of the Fatherless

The book reminded me of the night I knew adoption was for us...   That single night of habitual reading before bed has forever changed my life!  It's amazing how quickly my feelings toward adoption changed and how I KNEW God was speaking directly to me and my family!  One question I've often pondered in the past is ,"Am I living the live I was made to live??"  After reading this book, I feel a sense of relief, knowing this is EXACTLY where I am supposed to be! 

To be honest, when we started REALLY thinking about adoption I felt like we were simply growing our family by adding another child.  Little did I know that God had so much in store for us!  He was creating a compassion for orphans and a whole new ministry for our family.  How great it is to hear little Eli or Ayla praying for their sister or for children who don't have mommies and daddies.  (It's also super fun to see Ayla tell EVERYONE about her new baby sister---and the first response is ALWAYS a quick look to my belly!).

What an HONOR it will be to welcome one of His children into our home like He welcomes us! 

I cannot wait to see where this journey leads us. 

I CANNOT wait for the process to speed up and to have my baby girl in my arms...

Fundraising update:
Shirts are being ordered TODAY!  I am placing one large order and there will only be so many of each size!!  Let me know what size you want before they are G-O-N-E! We are also in the process of planning a support dinner.  Dates, times, details should be finalized sometime this week:) 
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!

Fundraising (and Owen's FIRST Birthday!!!!)

Have to share Owen's big day with everyone...then some fundraising updates!

We had a nice party at mom and dad's house...a yummy picnic dinner, good cake, and great company!!  He stayed up quite late playing with everyone and enjoying all the attention!  I still can't believe our little monkey is ONE already!  Boy time flies!

And now for the fundraising...

When we started this journey we knew adoption was expensive…but didn’t know HOW expensive it was!!  An international adoption for one child costs $25,000-$40,000!!  Our adoption will cost $33,000 and up to $44,000 if we get two children (we have requested to adopt a baby girl between ages 0-2 but have also stated we’d be open to a sibling group of 2 children under the age of 4…it will more than likely be one child, but there is the possibility of two).

I have heard others in the past say people shouldn’t adopt unless they have the money to pay for it. We feel people with this common belief do not understand the need for adoption/foster care and how helping others through the process can make a life-long difference!!! Ask many couples why they don't adopt, and they'll say finances are what are holding them back. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are MILLIONS of children worldwide waiting for a forever family.  We believe families need to have the monetary needs to care for and welcome another child in their home; but the cost of adoption is overwhelming and too much for almost any family to bear alone.  Through the help of family, friends, and grants we are hoping to change the life of a baby girl.  A baby girl who otherwise could spend her life in an orphanage, without ever knowing the love of a family. 
When we started this journey we knew there were orphans in the world and knew we wanted to change a life through adoption (little did we know that our lives would change drastically--ALREADY!!).  Now that we’ve done research we know the numbers, see the need, and feel God’s call.  Knowing the numbers, seeing the photos, and hearing the stories, there is no way we can now ignore the orphan crisis that exists world-wide. 

How YOU can help our family through this process:

·         Prayer!!!!!

o   Prayer for our daughter who may already be born or is in her birthmother’s womb!!

o   Prayer for our family as we face the challenges and time commitment of adoption

o   Prayer for the 163 million orphans around the world who are crying out for help

o   Prayer that God will work in our lives and help us raise the funds to bring our daughter home

·         Monetary Support

o   A financial donation (even the smallest amounts will bring us closer to our goal!).  You can mail a check to us or  click on the “Donate” button which is powered through Paypal.

§  We have decided to have a picture printed after our funds are raised and every person/family that gives a monetary donation will have their signature on the picture. The picture will hang in her bedroom and be a constant reminder of the love that was given to her before she was even brought home!

             o   Order a t-shirt!!!  Each t-shirt sold will bring us approximately $15  andwill also help spread the word about the orphan crisis (t-shirt orders
                 will be ready soon…information to come soon!)
     o   Order coffee through our online store ($5 of every bag will go to our
                fundraising!) http://www.justlovecoffee.com/waitingonsix

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TOWARD OUR FUNDRAISING THROUGH PERSONAL DONATIONS ALREADY!!!!
Curtis and Janel Kolar
Mindy Litton

All fundraising updates will be posted under the fundraising tab.

Love from our family to yours!

Love for the Afflicted

Well, we got through mom's 50th birthday party.  It was a gloomy day outside so we spent the day celebrating indoors...but the real celebration began around 7pm when Jesse made it home (my brother who is currently serving through the Peace Corps in Honduras...we haven't seen him since last June)! 

Here's a small glimpse into the day full of laughter and YUMMY food!

Six of the eight girls were here to celebrate!!! (Missed you Aud, Corliss and the lonely boy, Jerry!)

After the party our family went over to mom and dad's house with Cain, Ally, and Jesse...we sat around giggling at the kiddos wrestling and running around.  It was a night just like any other night hanging out with the familly...a night full of comfort and love.

When I returned home and hopped into bed I was overwhelmed with emotions.  Our children are loved, spoiled, cuddled, safe, carefree children just like most of the children I know.  While we sit and celebrate birthdays and time with family there are MILLIONS of children around the world who have never celebrated a birthday or know what family feels like.  There are children who wait day after day for someone to take them in and for a place to call home.   

My heart just aches and aches for those children. To know we won't have our baby girl in our arms for 1-2 years feels not fair!!  Are we crazy to think this single act of love will make a difference in the world?!?!  God's love for the afflicated is shown over and over again...how can He use us to make a difference?  While I ponder these issues and wonder what more we can do, I can't help but try to be an advocate for those children who fall asleep every night without a mommy or daddy.

I put together a video to show others a small glimpse of what the Bible tells us about caring for orphans and how EVERYONE can make a difference some how (push pause on the playlist before before starting to video):


Bobby and I have no special training for this task before us...all we have is the direction our Father gives us...and someday we will have one more child to roll around with, rock to sleep, and love beyond measure. 

Love from our family to yours!

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.

Why Ethiopia??

One of the first questions we get asked when we tell people about our adoption is, "Why Ethiopia?" 

God definitely called our family care for one of His.  When we started this journey we had many discussions and prayed a lot that we would be led to the country where one (or more!) of His children is waiting for us.  Ever since I was little and first thought of adopting, I  always imagined holding an Ethiopian child (looks like God was planting roots a long time ago--He is at work in our lives even when we don't know it!).  When we started this process I was worried that our family or Bobby would suggest a domestic child (not like that would be horrible or a bad thing, but my heart was to go internationally).  However, right from the start Bobby stated that his heart was to take in a child that lives in the "orphanage world" and our family and friends were more supportive than we could have imagined! 

So how did God lead us to Ethiopia??  Even though I had Ethiopia in my mind, I told God I would be willing to go wherever He saw fit.  Of course we both felt an inkling from the start that Ethiopia was for us, but we still wanted to look into other countries.  Little did we know that every country has their own requirements and stipulations for adoption (age of parents, number of kids at home, travel requirements, etc).

When we first started looking into countries, our first thought was Uganda where our church supports awesome missionaries at New Hope Uganda.  That idea was pushed aside when we realized that couples adopting from Uganda were required to stay in the country for 5-7 weeks at the time of adoption. 

Then when we started talking to America World Adoption and various other agencies, we were told we'd be a good fit for Ethiopia or Honduras.  As my brother Jesse is in Honduras through the Peace Corps, we felt it would be fun to do alongside him. However, the same requirements as Uganda are required and travel times  of 4-7 weeks don't fit in our family/work schedules at this time in life. 

It was on May 5th, 2011 after we had been looking into Ethiopia that we came across "Lucy Lane's Gotcha Day" video:

Watching this video with tears pouring down our faces, we knew that God had Ethiopia planted in both of our hearts.

This country that is about twice the size of Texas has an estimated 4.3 million orphans.
**For more numbers and facts about the need in Ethiopia click on the "About Ethiopia" tab**

There are varying numbers from different sources but it is estimated there are 147-163 MILLION orphans in the world (including children who have lost one or both of their parents).  Every 18 seconds another child becomes an orphan without a mother or father. That alone is too much for one person to fathom.  Of those orphans, 43.4 million live in sub-Saharan Africa, 87.6 million live in Asia, and 12.4 million live in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the United States there are over 500,000 children in the U.S. Foster Care system.  Of those children approximately 120,000 are waiting to be adopted. On average, those children waiting for adoption have been in foster care for almost 4 years.

Imagine...
There is One who infinitely loves each orphan and knows them by name. 
If only 7% of the 2 billion Christians in the world would show hope to a single orphan, looking after the child in their distress, there would effectively be no more orphans.

Number of caring adults it takes to make a life-long difference for an orphan: ONE!

James 1:27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress

Hosea 14:3In you the orphan finds mercy.

These numbers have been taken from the following websites which have more information on the need for foster/adoption parents: Christian Alliance for Orphans and Show Hope

~Love from our family to yours~

Do you REALLY mean it?!?!

So the title of this blog sums up a lot of our life in the past few months: a calling to adopt, getting a new job, and starting a BLOG!  Just four short months ago God totally changed my heart toward adoption.  Wait...back up...I have ALWAYS thought about adoption and it's always been something I've wanted to do AT SOME POINT IN LIFE.  After having Eli, Ayla, and Owen I was determined to convince Bobby to have another child...he had different plans.  He was adamant that if we had another child it would be through adoption. 

After having three kiddos, I didn't know if adopting was still in our plans and something I could do (how could I ever love a child as much as these three?!?!).  Bobby had obviously been praying that my heart would be changed because one February night as I was reading "Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman (when I picked the book up I didn't know what I was getting into!!), I had a huge overwhelming feeling come over me.  I remember getting up out of bed around 11pm to turn on the computer and start researching Show Hope....and the obsession began!  Bobby laughed at my random (not to God!), sudden change of heart.  It was like a switch turned on and I suddenly had NO FEAR of adoption and knew God was speaking directly to my heart! 

So, here we are four months later, still enthralled with orphans/adopting.  We have been to Denver and back for an AMAZING conference through Show Hope and Empowered to Connect.  We have narrowed down our search for an agency and have decided on Ethiopia!  The process has already been exhausting, overwhelming, and emotional.  We started off with just a thought and are constantly learning new adoption jargon, facts, how to's, etc.  It is my desire that others who have even a tiny inkling of looking into adoption will be inspired by us.  I have read that 48% of people consider adoption at some point, but only 2% of people go through with it.

We started from scratch and are just beginning.  I'm excited about this journey and hope this blog will help our family and friends understand our hearts and be a part of this journey with us.  In the next week I will be updating this blog with things that have inspired us, facts about adopting, the monetary commitment, etc. 

Enjoy this ride through our hearts and lives!