Thankfulness

Thankfulness is something it's easy to have on the inside for me but I rarely ever show it on the outside. So, today I am going to write down 28 things I am thankful for. (In no particular order)

1. Kevin. Tomorrow is our 5th wedding anniversary. We've grown up together and continue to grow each day. I am so thankful God had us cross paths!
2. Our daughter. Even though Kora is halfway around the world I am already so thankful for what our journey to her has taught me about myself and others. I wouldn't want to find parenthood any other way!
3. My house. Knowing people who don't have a home makes me appreciate mine that much more.
4. Honduras. My family there have taught me to be joyful in heart ache and ever encouraging. 
5. Jamaica. The laid back lifestyle is contagious and I still hold on to it a lot bit!
6. Haiti. Met my good buddy Nat Thomas through Haiti and I wouldn't be the same without him and his pretty wife Brenee :)
7. Good friends. There's nothing like an adoption that will show you who your friends are, and we are blessed with some great ones!
8. Food. Cause I love to eat. Our freezer is always full and our cabinets always stocked.
9. Pets. Nothing like a dog to cheer you up on a bad day!
10. My job. I LOVE caring for these kids, even if they drive me up a wall I love them each so very much!
11. Family. My family has been there for me through it all!
12. In Laws. I always say I have the best in laws, but you know what? It's so true! 
13. Engineering. Because without it we wouldn't know some of the best people in the world! (see #7)
14. My "sisters". Because blood may not connect us but inside we know we were meant to be! 
15. Lists. I am a list maker, in fact, I make lists of my lists (<- True fact)
16. Ice Cream. Whether its a liquid or a solid doesn't matter when you are enjoying its frozen goodness!
17. Clothing. Because I am cold all the time!
18. Cloth Diapers. They've helped me meet amazing people and are helping bring our daughter home!
19. Sewing. Without Serenity (and season 2) I would be an emotional mess! I sew to calm myself down.
20. Facebook. Because instead of talking to myself I can talk to stalking acquaintances! LOL
21. Journals. Because Facebook doesn't listen very well and my journals do.
22. Writing. I suck at punctuation but LOVE to write!
23. My relationship with my savior. Because I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the hope I have in Christ!
24. British Television. I may be a little obsessed with QI and Doctor Who. 
25. Firefly. Because Firefly.
26. My church family. They've helped my scars heal and gave me a place to feel at home again!
27. Soccer. The game that shaped my life and gave me purpose early in life. A passion that will never die. I'm still a goalkeeper at heart (and in my brain...)
28. YOU! You've read my blogs and been there for me when times were uncertain. Some days it felt like we'd never be parents and now that dream is coming real and you've been there to see it happen! So thank you! 

So there you have it, 28 things I am thankful for! That was easier than I thought it would be! I still have more! HAHA!

Have a great Thanksgiving! Praying we are a family of three by next Thanksgiving!

At Peace

You don't realize the weight of worry and anxiety you have in your life until it's gone. We sent our acceptance payment ($10,897.50) today to our agency. Such a huge weight has been lifted off my chest. When I saw that number standing in the way of us and our daughter the worry set in. I knew if we didn't come up with it quick we stood a good chance of losing our little Kora to another family. We did it, we payed it and she is ours officially officially, but not yet officially x 3 we have to pass court for that... The feeling of peace swept over me as I corralled the babysitting kids in the bank when I made the wire transfer to our agency. Peace in finally being able to put that payment behind us, and peace knowing that our daughter's paperwork is going to start to get gathered up and processed along with ours. We're a family in our hearts, soon on paper, and then in reality. Reality could not come soon enough!

I also think it's pretty cool how so many complete strangers can have impacts on our adoption and they don't even know it. That sweet girl at the bank who asked me about our adoption and got so excited to see a picture, the teller who gave the kids stickers so they would stop running around like wildebeests who also got really excited to see Kora's picture, the lady in the parking lot who smiled at me so compassionately as I dragged two toddlers kicking and screaming to the "magic school bus" at the bank, they all had an impact on this mama's heart and won't ever probably really know! So today I am thankful for the weight of 10k lifted from my shoulders, and the compassion of strangers that gives me the strength to keep fighting to bring our daughter home!

What To Expect When You're... Accepting?

Just wanting to keep everybody updated on the finances for our adoption of our little Kora. So many of you have donated to us in the past that we feel the need to keep you in the know of where we are with getting our sweet Kora home. In total her adoption will cost us $22,000 pre travel. The breakdown of that is as follows:

• 11,397.50 PAID on 11/27/2013!! WOO HOO!!!!
• 9,875 in fees to the agency and to the DRC
• 1,000 in a post placement agreement deposit
• 500 for registration fee (paid already)
• 22.50 for bank wiring to DRC
• 5,075 for dossier translation and submission
• 4,060 after adoption decree
• 3,000 in fees
• 1,000 in orphanage donation
• 60 bank wiring to DRC
• 4,162.50 when we get our travel date
• We're thinking $8,000 for travel, but that's a VERY fluid number. 

We are working on some fundraising still. Here's our plan (never seems to go as planned though...), we will be getting a low interest loan for the first two payments (referral acceptance and dossier) so that we can get the ball rolling on her case in the DRC. We will then be doing fundraising and grant writing to hopefully pay off the loan and then some before the adoption decree and travel fees are due. Then hopefully more fundraising and possibly a no interest adoption loan that can get us the remainder needed for travel!

Here's the fundraisers we have in the works:

• Diapers (plumberbums.storenvy.com)
• Craft Shows with all my handmade goodies
• An auction in the beginning of January (accepting items for this!)
• A Spring Fling here at our house, going to be a big party with games for the kids (and adults...), cornhole tournament, a doggie kissing booth, raffle, face painting, balloons, and more!
• Parent's Night Out's return monthly in January!!!
• I'm still babysitting and Kevin will be doing odd jobs on the weekends for a donation (when he has time)
•  Another (I KNOW) garage sale this spring (unless anyone knows of a free venue to do one indoors)
• Hoping to get approved to do a Both Hands Project with Lifesong For Orphans
• Christmas cards and ornaments

Things you can do to help:

• Donate items for us to sell at garage sales
• Collect items for our auction (new products, can be anything really!)
• Someone who can write to stores and ask for donations (gift cards or products etc...)
• Spread the word about our fundraisers, in particular the auction, spring fling, and parents night out. 
• Come over and help us clean our house (partially kidding here...)

With working about 80 hours a week, with a home daycare and a sewing business, things can get crazy. So if I don't answer/return calls please know it's not me ignoring you because i'm rude (although......). It's because I just don't have the time, text or email me instead as I can do that all the time pretty much (although it may take a day to respond sometimes). 

As always, pray for our little Kora. 

Sooooooo, here's an update on us!

Our Adoption Timeline So Far;

Starting trying to have kids naturally November 2008

Diagnosed with Male and Female factor infertility November 2011

February 2012- Took foster classes from Greene County

July 16^th, 2012- Contracted with AGCI Ethiopia

September 2013- Ended contract with AGCI, began exploring Taiwan

November 10^th, 2013- Chose to adopt a sweet one year old girl from the Democratic Republic of the Congo!

That’s right, you read that right. We are VERY proud and happy to announce we're in the process of accepting a referral of a PRECIOUS angel from the DRC! Her first birthday was on Monday (if you want to send us birthday cards for her for her baby box feel free to do so!!!)!

Unfortunately the reality of adoption is WAITING. We will be waiting for about a year for all the government red tape to be cleared and to travel to get her. While she waits for us to bring her home we ask you pray for her and for us. Having half my heart in a country where making it to your 5^th birthday is a miracle is very scary! We will have lots of opportunities for financial help in the next year so keep your eyes peeled! We cannot share photos just yet so if you’re curious about how beautiful she is (trust me, she’s gorgeous) let me know and I’ll get with you about seeing her picture!

We're beyond excited, but cautious as well. Adoptions in the DRC are very fragile and fluid. We're putting our hope in the fact that God has brought us this far and He will see us through! 

Our next step is to get our Dossier and the payment that goes along with it to our agency! Then the massive wait game starts! 12 months is a long time in the life of a little girl!

Pack Pony Push, Pack Pony Pull

I wrote a big long blog post about pack ponies, and carts, and pulling and pushing. While I was writing it I get sidetracked like I usually do and came to this conclusion:

Some mom's have stretch marks on their bellies. Mine are on my heart and soul. Some dads have finger nail marks from moms in labor, Kevin's marks are inside where you can't see them.

Adoption is hard and we can't do it without the support of our friends, family, and church family. So please say a prayer for us regularly, share our fundraisers, and ask us how we're doing every once in a while (like legitimate "how are you's" not "how ru's"). Be prepared for legitimate answers too.

See how short that was!? My mind took about five pages typed to get to that conclusion! If you're curious about pack ponies the picture came to me when I was reading the kids this book:

Which, if you buy using the link above we get a portion of the sale directly to our adoption account! I smell Christmas coming :) (Amazon Affiliate Program- Hoos Adoption Fundraiser use this link to shop Amazon and we get a portion of your purchase! Feel free to share the link with your friends and family!)

Thank you to those who have been our "Pack Ponies"! (That's a legitimate "Thank you" not a "thx")

Red (well, ok, white...) Thread Fundraiser

In Chinese culture, adoptions specifically, there is a picture story of red thread. The red thread is tied to our hearts and to the hearts of a specific person. While some believe this to be reality I doubt it is, but when I have this ache in my heart I can't help but think of a red thread being tugged by an orphan who needs a family. I was reading about this this morning when I got an idea!

We've done all kinds of fundraising things, some successful, some not. This Holiday season I want to try something new. You all know I sew a TON for fundraising. Well sewing requires THREAD! So, I am asking you to donate thread! Here's the fun part, I have a amazon affiliate account now and if you buy the thread through that we get a portion of the cost straight into our adoption fund! Just use the link below, you can even have it shipped straight to us, just message me for the address! 

White and Black are the colors I use the most. If you have some just sitting around the house we will be more than willing to take that too! As long as it is polyester covered polyester! Half used up? I'll use the rest! 

Thanks for supporting us! You are all so amazing!