The Winner is...

We went a little lower tech (and much cuter!) to select our winner this time...

Congrats, Number 13!  According to our list, that is Jennifer.  Jennifer, I'll be getting in contact with you today so that you can make your selection.

Thanks, everyone, for viewing and entering!  I'm sure there will be more fun to come! :)

Please Keep Prayin'!

Back in August, I wrote a post about the outpouring of prayer that has been so apparent in this journey.  So, I'm just asking...please keep them coming!  Here's why...

If you read the link that is in the post from August, (http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/08/spiritual-attack-for-those-who-adopt.html) you'll see why I've been slightly paranoid about this adoption journey.  This blogger shares the physical attacks that began to occur when they decided to adopt.  Then, at the bottom of the post, there are several comments about stories of other prospective adoptive families that have come under the same kind of spiritual attack!  YIKES! 

It makes sense: God loves adoption (He adopted us, after all-Ephesians 5:1-6), He is the Father to the Fatherless (Psalm 68:5), and He says that looking after orphans (and widows) is pure and faultless religion (James 1:27)!  And, we know that Satan is the father of lies and that he hates what God loves.  So, of course, he is going to try what he can to stand in the way of making God's plan work!

So, what is our best defense?  Well, prayer.  It's how we summon an army of angels to protect us and assist us in carrying out God's plan to care for those who need care and to further His kingdom.

Why am I writing this today?  I'm glad you asked! 

So far, our adoption process has gone VERY smoothly.  With the exception of the fact that I am a lousy fund-raiser (I admit it, but I'm still going to keep trying...I have a really great idea for the next one, BTW!;)), we have had virtually NO hiccups in the process.  I'd like to attribute it to my impecible organizational skills (HA!), but truly, God has been so apparent in how smooth the process has been!

Anyway, we knew logistically we needed a car with more seats...um, I know, genius, right?!...can't fit a family of six into a 5-seater...really putting my brains to work on that one.  So, we found out about a man in our church who has rebuilt several vehicles and has a very good reputation.  We told him what we needed and he had a Dodge Grand Caravan (remember this...?)
that he could have fixed up for us in about 10 weeks.  Perfect!  It was to be our first purchase that was a physical reminder that our family is going to be growing soon.  It was priced right so that we could sell our Honda Passport and pay cash for the rest.  Easy, cheesy, right?! 

Not. so. much.  Here's the deal.  The van is done (and looks amazing, I might add...thank you, Roger Gronewald!), and, yes, it was finished VERY early (3 weeks instead of 10!).  So, we thought how crazy it was that it happened so quickly.  However, we listed our Honda in three places and sent out the word via FaceBook, but had NO bites!  We thought this was so weird.  We had it priced to sell, but no one was interested!  Here's the kicker...we're driving it to Silver Dollar City today, we're on James River Expressway, and we hear this weird noise and smell a burning!  It's the car!  Trev pulls over, pops the hood and the car has NO FLUID!  NONE!  No oil, no coolant, nothing.  We have it towed to a shop where they tell us ($85 later) that the car needs a NEW ENGINE!  Are you kidding me? A new engine will cost what we were asking for it.  Simply doesn't make any sense!

So, there you have it.  Our first physical move towards our adoption and our first attack.  That is the only way I know to describe it.  There were no leaks and we were not due for an oil change for another 1,500 miles.

Now, being a glass-half-full, sunny-side-up kinda girl, you know I have to look on the bright side.  Here it is: 1. Some of our best friends, the Jetts, were traveling with us in what just so happened to be a 6-seater car, so we were not completely stranded!  2. We did not sell the car in the last three weeks!  I am praising Jesus that this did not happen to someone who thought that they had bought a nice, new-to-them, reliable car.  3. We have a van ready for us.  While this does not meet our financial need, it certainly meets our physical one!

Moral of this story...I'm afraid that the attacks are not over, but simply beginning. 
WE COVET YOUR PRAYERS! 
If you are the prayer-warrior type, please pray for two things for us:

1. That God will send a hedge of protection over our family throughout this process.  We need some angels, people!
2. That our financial needs will be met.  This hit set us back quite a bit and it will take some time to recoup the money that we planned to use on our adoption.  In a way, this is good.  We will HAVE to rely on God's financial provision for our adoption, especially if it happens quickly now.

Sorry for the doom and gloom...I'll be back to my normal perky self very soon...just a little deflated today!

Thank you so much for supporting us!

Pillowpalooza

Looking for the necklace giveaway? Click here.

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We are redoing our room, so today I cut and sewed 8 pillows! :)  Thought you might like to see...

Here is a picture of all of them with the blanket I made on Sunday afternoon.

The Tiger Trio

(love these because they are upcycled from pillows that were red until this afternoon!)

The Sherpa Single (yep, it's as soft as it looks)

The Damask Bow-Tie

The Cheetah Bolster and Tiny Twins (they are about 8 x 8-cute!)

Next up, curtains....

2010 Year in Review-Sibling Love

Looking for the necklace giveaway?  Click here.

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Waiting Day Giveaway!

You know how I love free stuff, right?!  So, in honor of our news today that we are a waiting family, I am going to do a giveaway!! :)

Let me introduce you to The Adopt Shoppe.  The Adopt Shoppe is owned and operated by an adoptive mother named Kate.  Kate and her husband adopted a beautiful baby girl, Mia, from His Hands Taiwan (the mission that we thought we would adopt from before God led us to Ethiopia).  Here is what Kate had to say about their adoption journey and her shop:

"My husband and I have been married for 11 years. We lost 2 baby boys before we had our 2 bio children, Madison & Mason. After M & M, the doctors said we couldn't have any more children. We've always wanted to adopt, but didn't know where or how to start. A friend told me about some missionaries in Taiwan that help women there that are willing to give birth to their babies and make an adoption plan for them instead of having abortions--which is incredibly common and VERY accepted, even encouraged there. We did some research on Taiwan. They worship SO many gods over there still. Pretty much any and every god but the TRUE and living God in heaven. My heart broke for these women/girls that had very little options/ no one to turn to or help/ and no faith in God. We wanted to ensure that at least one of these babies from Taiwan grew up knowing without a doubt that God the Father loves her. We brought Mia home in August. She was 5 1/2 months old when we brought her home. If you've adopted before, you know the cost involved. When we traveled in August, it was in the peak traveling time to/from Taiwan, apparently! We had to charge the outrageous cost of the plane tickets to a credit card. That's what I'm working to pay off. And after that is done, we will start saving to bring another little one into a Christian home! Thank you SO much for your help in our adoption(s) and for your interest in our story!"

 

While we were researching adoption options, I "met" Kate and instantly I knew she was a great lady!  Since that time, she has been a constant source of encouragement for us in our adoption.  Four days ago, Kate sent me this in the mail...

Isn't is gorgeous?!  I told her that I love it so much, I may wear it every day until we bring our babies home!

Anyway, Kate wants YOU to have one, too!! :)  So, we are doing a giveaway on this blog for one of Kate's necklaces (of your choice!)

If you'd like to win one, here is what you need to do...

1. Visit The Adopt Shoppe and leave a comment letting me know which necklace you'd like the most. (1 entry)
2. Blog about The Adopt Shoppe, link to it: http://www.etsy.com/shop/theadoptshoppe and come back here to leave a comment with the blog address. (5 entries)
3. Link to The Adopt Shoppe on facebook and comment here to let me know that you did. (1 entry)
4. "Like" The Adopt Shoppe on facebook and comment here to let me know. (1 entry)
5. Here's the fun one:

•          Show your family members The Adopt Shoppe at your Christmas festivities
•          Have them pick which one they like the most
•          Leave a comment with everyone's picks
•          You get one entry for each person whose name and preferene you type in your comment!!

Don't forget to leave your E-mail address in the comment(s) so I can contact you!

Giveaway is open until Wednesday, December 29th at midnight, Central Standard Time.  Good luck!!

Number...

47!  We are number 47 on Children's Hope International's waiting list to adopt from Ethiopia and that is exciting!

A little shout-out from the kiddos (yes, that's a woot, woot you hear and they are still in their jammies at 1:30 p.m., thank you very much, Christmas Break!).

So, what does this mean?  I'm glad you asked!  Basically our number on the waiting list means NOTHING!  Here's why...

As mentioned before, we are requesting two siblings aged 0-3 with no gender preference.  So, of the other 46 people who are waiting above us, most of them are probably waiting for one child of a certain gender.  OR, they all may be waiting for two siblings aged 0-3 with no gender preference.  We really have no idea.  So, let's say that there are three couples with our exact same request.  That means we would get the referral for the fourth sibling set with our specifications that became available for adoption.  Even if we knew how many had the same preference, that would do nothing for giving us a time frame, because four sibling sets could become available today or two years from now.  Also, there is the slight chance that a couple directly above us on the list with the same preference could be given a referral and not accept it for some reason, so then the referral could be given to us.

So, long, complicated story short, our referral could be TODAY (like this family) or way far in the future.  All I know is that it's in God's perfect timing and for today, we are going to bask in knowing that we are one step closer to our babies! 

OFFICIALLY WAITING!

We got our E-mail today!!!  Our dossier is back in St. Louis from Washington D.C. and we are officially a waiting family!  More information to come, but I COULDN'T WAIT to share!!!

Strange Things

Strange things have been happening around here. 

Like this...

My husband and our principal dressed like "princesses" for our canned food drive incentive at school.  Our 7th and 8th graders brought in over 2000 non-perishable food items!

And this...

Ugly sweater party 2010 + rockin' a little side ponytail/bun!

Trevor's VERY scary present from our friends

And this...

I found him in my drawer when I went to get ready this morning.  When I asked Camden about him, he said..."oh, yeah...the yellow stranger!  He was tryin' to be mean to me!"

Happy randomness!