Global Food Crisis - What We Can Do June 25, 2008
Today, go to Brian’s website to learn about what you can do to make a difference in families’ lives during this global food crisis. Then do something!
Adoption and Bubbles June 23, 2008
Sorry to the five people who actually read my blog. I’m still here but have been particularly busy this summer. I’m in a quiet house at the moment, so I’ll fill you in on the adoption. We are finishing up our dossier (our life in a stack of papers) and should get that sent out to our government and the Ethiopian Embassy this week. We are working on summer speed and have had a few glitches with all of our paperwork, so if you are adopting from overseas and comparing your process time with ours..don’t. God has been slowing us down for reasons that we may never know, but I hope to pull some wisdom from it nonetheless. Happy news though. We may have a referral sooner than we expected, so I’ll be sure to announce that as soon as it gets to my house.
Now my thoughts for today:
For a woman, who has been given the gift of pregnancy and biological children, the adoption process is much different. I knew all four of my biological children before I ever saw them. I knew when they ate and slept, when they were awake or had the hiccups. That child was all mine for just a little while. We even knew each others’ heartbeats. The first thing I will know about our new sweetie is what he or she looks like. Brian just stared at me when I told him this because this is how he experienced all of our children. He saw their little faces and then he got to know them. I wonder a little about how the seeing and then knowing is going to work itself out in me.
All of you moms who have been blessed with adoption, let me know your thoughts.
One more thing. I am headed to the Dominican Republic this week to meet one of our sponsored children, Reyna. Brian is fortunate enough to get to go on these trips several times a year. This is my first trip with Compassion, so I’m excited and scared all at the same time. Not in a scared for my safety kind of way, but a scared because my little bubble that I live in is going to be popped. And I won’t get to live in it again.
Free Rice May 31, 2008
Our friend and neighbor recommended this website to us. Olivia has been on it everyday trying to get enough vocabulary words correct to earn one pound of rice. It is a great way to challenge children’s hearts and minds and help feed the hungry!
A Challenge For All of Us May 27, 2008
Visit Brian’s blog
to read about what we are challenging our family and others to do during this global food crisis. Then join us!
Adoption update: We have decided to take a referral for one child under five who is waiting at this time. Our intention is to turn around and adopt again. We have not requested a gender. My last post makes it sound as if we made this HUGE decision all in one day, but it has been weeks of prayer and discussion. Ultimately, God has chosen all of our children. We trust that He is driving this ship, so we are peaceful about this decision. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us!
Finally May 22, 2008
Our fingerprint approval arrived! 12 weeks. Olivia got the mail and when I looked on her bed I saw the envelope from US Citizenship and Immigration. Yaaaaay!
Now Brian and I are considering whether to adopt one child or wait for a sibling set. We were informed by our agency that there are no sibling sets (as young as we have requested) available for adoption right now. Please pray for us as we are going to make that decision by the end of the day.
Nazi Spin Class May 5, 2008
Today I did my first ever group cycling class at my friend Gina’s new studio.
I’M GONNA DIE!
The update on the update May 1, 2008
Brian went round and round with Homeland Security until he found the people that are in charge of our fingerprints. They emailed and said that they are running behind (really?) and the average wait for fingerprint approval at the moment is 10 weeks. Well, since today marks week 9, we should be seeing something in the mail in the next week or so. Yay! It helps to know that our approval was not lost in the mail and now we can start anticipating the next step.
An update April 28, 2008
If you are wondering what is going on with our adoption process, so are we. We were fingerprinted 8 1/2 weeks ago, and still no word to whether or not we have been given the okay to send in our government documents. SNOOOOOOORE…….. I’ll let everyone know the minute that we have the thumbs up!
Here’s a funny while we’re waiting:
We were finishing up Olivia’s birthday cake a few weeks ago and there were enough pieces for everyone to have one and me to have…two. Of course my kids went into the whole “Why do you get two and we only get one?” routine.
“Because I’m the mommy. Don’t you know that’s how this works?”
Nathaniel said, “When I’m the mommy I’ll get two pieces of cake.”
One more update:
Our sweet Natalie just finished running 25 miles for the Music City Marathon that Brian just completed as well. She is getting her picture in the paper. We’re really proud of the two of them!
Tha pantry April 22, 2008
Do you ever find yourself hiding in the pantry to eat a Ding Dong because you’ve told your kids they aren’t allowed to snack on junk?
The Nitty Gritty March 25, 2008
We visited our families in Houston over spring break and it was sooooo relaxing. At my parent’s house, my dad gave all of my kids what looks like an Ipod shuffle, but it is a reading of the entire Bible. It’s called Kidz Bible. His church recieved these from a man who puts the Bible in several languages on this little Ipod thing and sends it out to people in countries that may have never heard the Gospel (some are solar powered). Very cool!
On our 14 hour drive home, my 10 year old, Olivia, is listening to her Bible and takes the headphones off to let us know something that she has learned. “In Sunday School, they teach us that in the story of Joseph, the cook gets sent down the river. He actually had his head cut off and a pole was put through his body for the birds to eat.”
Yes, it is right there in Genesis 40. Who needs horror stories when you have the Bible? I guess the Veggie Tales version will no longer fly in our house.
