Go Time

Hello all! We got some big news yesterday! We found out when we will next see our boy!!

We're going to transition over to a private Facebook group to update everyone from now until our adoption is final (and safe to discuss publicly). We'd love to have you all join us, so just let me or Drew know if you want to follow along during this time.

We are so excited! And our to-do list is a mile long!

We can't wait to see you, sweet boy!

Oh My Gosh

The garage sale. You guys. I haven't even updated you all about that yet! I have to start by saying that our Life Group is incredible. We are so grateful to have them all as part of our extended family! They not only gathered their own belongings and decided to host this garage sale and put all of the profits toward our adoption, but they also planned and organized the whole thing! Our friend Erica even told some of her coworkers, and one of them donated a BUNCH of stuff. All of the girls gave their Friday night to sort and price and organize and make signs. We all went home around midnight that night. And, after all that, everyone also showed up at 5:30 the next morning to work the sale!

Despite not having many big ticket items, we managed to sell a lot of stuff! One of my mom's employees runs a weekend bakery and generously donated cookies for us to sell (and they were DELICIOUS). We also sold hot chocolate and bottled water. It was really a sweet event for us all around. It's such a blessing to see how much our friends care about us and our boys. Also, Drew's mom and her husband drove in that morning to donate more stuff and brought us some delicious cookies!

And now for the total. Thanks to many generous friends and strangers, we raised $1265!

Thanks for the pictures, Rachel!

Seriously. I don't know how to put into words how incredible it is to see how God has moved through people during this adoption process. We have developed many new friendships, been blessed by old friends, been blessed by new friends, and have even been blessed by strangers.

Speaking of which...We received a check in the mail this week from a church in Texarkana. I visited Texarkana only one time during my life -- at the beginning of this year to visit my best friend and her husband after they moved. During the two days I was there, I met her friend Anna and visited the church that they all attend. Well, long story short, this sweet new friend has been following our adoption story since that time. On adoption Sunday, they talked about many different ways to support adoption ministry. One of the ideas presented was to support a family in the adoption process, and they spoke about our little family. That day, they not only prayed for our family, but they also had many people donate.

And now here I sit, bewildered by the amazing ways God works, with a check from Christ Community Church of Texarkana in my hands. This sweet congregation blessed us with $1,120 toward our adoption! I can't wait to visit my friends again and introduce our boys to this church community that has already loved them from afar.

Waiting, Preparing and a Birthday

A little family update for anyone interested -

September:
Our house was overwhelmingly quiet the first month after O had to go back. It made us miss him all the more. Drew had a rather hectic work schedule with the start of football season. At the beginning of the month, I traveled to Michigan to help clean out and pack my Grandpa's stuff to move him down south to be closer to my parents. We also managed to complete all of our adoption paperwork and send it over to O's country to be translated and submitted to the government.

October:
Our paperwork was submitted to the government! This puts us on a timeline to hopefully travel in December or January to finish the adoption. My mom published her first novel, which would make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer! ;) We started working through Jen Hatmaker's 7 Experiment with our Life Group and we're loving the challenge and growth!

Today:
Today is our Little Man's birthday. We never could have imagined all of the challenges and changes we would face during the past year. It was sad to know that no one was celebrating our boy as he turned three, but we were buoyed by the thought that it would be his last birthday without family. And now, the reality is that we do not know when or if we will ever be allowed to bring him home. We still pray for our Little Man daily and know that God loves him more than we ever can.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE MAN! WE LOVE YOU!

Saturday (11/9/13):
Our sweet Life Group is hosting a Garage Sale to help raise donations for our adoption. They all bonded with O this summer, and it's such a blessing to know that they already consider him to be part of our family! Short notice, but if you're local and have anything to donate or would like to come by to say hi, just let us know!

Ps. Feel free to have some guilt-free cookies, ice cream, brownies, cupcakes, or candy in honor of Little Man's birthday!

Thoughts and Pictures

Our crazy, sweet boy is hating counting down the days until he goes home. After a conversation last night about this week's schedule he asked, "Tuesday at 2 bye bye home???" ...It just breaks our hearts that we have to say, "yes".

This parenting is hard

and exhausting

and frustrating

and sometimes seems impossible,

but God has built us to push through and love well. He loves this boy more than we ever can, and we are blessed to share in that.

Yes, O, Tuesday you will have to leave home, but it IS your home. This is family. And you are forever loved. Home is us. Home is all of your new friends/family. (And Major, of course.) Home is arguing with parents about bed time. Home is baking cupcakes and going camping. Home is singing at church and little foam stickers. Home is the special healing powers of Mama kisses. Home is piggyback rides with Papa. Home is everything you need and so many things you have never had.

So on Tuesday we will all have to say bye bye to home. And we will celebrate the day that we are all together again. All HOME.

Baking Cupcakes:

 Trampoline Park during our visit to GrandMary and GrandWilliam's house:

So proud of the American Flag cup that GrandMary got for him:

Going to church:

Visiting Gamie and Gandolf's house:

J and O go to school together and both love swimming!

A normal morning doing sticker art:

 Playing on the football field:

 Visiting the children's museum:

Wearing Drew's childhood pirate costume (modernized by his addition of the fedora and aviators):

 Visiting generous new friends:

O told us that night that when he turns 18, he is going to have a baby deer. ;)

First ever camping trip (more like "glamping"):

Weekend

Let the pictures and captions commence:

We actually woke up before him on Friday! That's right - he slept past 8!

We have a little local park and we decided to have a little family outing.

O loved every minute of his first ever ride on a Go-Cart.

He also had his first carousel ride. He was so surprised when the horse started moving up and down!

He made Drew sit down next to him.

Despite how he looks in this picture, he really enjoyed all of the park.

We also had our first ride on the tiny train. (the windblown look)

If he knows his picture is being taken, he always sticks out his tongue.

On Saturday morning, we got to have some of my breakfast favorites. Starbucks...

...and Shipley's Do-Nuts.

O prefers kolaches to do-nuts.

The boys had a breath-holding contest. O won three out of four times! He can go for up to 45 seconds! It's quite impressive.

He was so tired. He actually took himself to bed!

The boys surprised me with coffee delivery for my birthday on Sunday.

And I also got some breakfast in bed. They had practiced singing in the car and sang "Happy Birthday" together.  I didn't have time to catch it on film, but trust me...it was SO cute to hear O singing.

How handsome is this boy?! - (waiting to leave for church)

O begged to go to the water park on Sunday after church. He loves the water.

We all had a good time!

On Sunday evening we celebrated with friends at a local restaurant.

(Trying not to smile now that he knows Drew is taking a picture.)

We have the sweetest friends! E came wearing this cute little sign!

I promise one day soon I will write a real post with words and everything! But we are really enjoying the summer, and we cannot believe how quickly time is passing by...