When?

This story starts with a lot of whining so please keep going through it to the end.. I promise there is a good light through it all!

This past month about 500 friends (obvious over exaggeration) have announced they are pregnant. To be honest I am super excited for them. I love to see growing families. I love to see my friends getting to have big healthy amazing families. But I would lie if there isn't something deep down inside... I believe it's called jealousy... that rears its ugly head when I see/hear it. My normal self is jumping for joy for my friends and family... My annoying self is feeling so sorry for ME....

Well about 2 weeks ago things hit an all time low I would say. It all started with small group that Monday. I held my friend's newborn baby. I watched my husband interact with their son. Just admiring how awesome and loving he is toward all kids. Watching my own son koo and kiss and "pet" this little baby I was holding. I looked at my family and how perfect that all felt... and thought... Why? Why does all this love we have to offer not get to be used. (Poor me...)

That weekend we traveled to NE for our annual cookie bake. On our way home yet another friend announced they were expecting. A friend I have talked on many occasions about their struggle to get pregnant. I have prayed for her and her family countless hours and days that they may find success. THEY DID!!! How amazing.... I was overjoyed for them... and then quickly feelt sorry for myself. Again... why? Why are our prayers not being answered?

That Sunday I led a study on God's love... and in church we sat and sang and talked about God's love... and it took every ounce of strength to not cry out... WHERE? Where is God's love? I feel no love. I feel SOOOOO alone in this. I feel as though he has left me out to dry. I pray and give and pray and give and trust... When do we feel the love? When do we get that? For one of the first times in my life I was mad at God. Mad that we had persevered for 3 years through all of this... only to have 2-3 more years left in our adoption process. I was mad that God would place such a yearning on my heart... and then not deliver. I was mad. I was frustrated. I was feeling so very alone. I cried a LOT that night. So much so I think THE MAN may have been worried I was going to shrivel up like a raisin. :)

The next day I woke up. Still heavy laden. Still completely exhausted from all the hurt, frustration, anger, and pitty for myself I had laid out the night before. Went to workout, school.... normal day stuff. I got into bed that night and opened up my devotion and this is what I read:

Psalm 62:1-2
God, the one and only-
I'll wait as long as he says.
Everything I need comes from him,
so why not?
He's solid rock under my feet,
breathing room for my soul,
An impregnable castle:
I'm set for life.



To me, this was God's way of speaking directly to me. Everything I had cried out to Him the night before was covered and delivered to me right there in His own words. I closed my Bible (after reading it to THE MAN) and said a short prayer of thanks to God for always bringing me back to reality. Always reminding me of His presence here in my life. I still have NO idea why, when, how, where.... All I do know is that I can put my trust in the One who has been faithful and will continue to be a faithful leader in my life. I'm blessed with what I do have, and look forward to the child that will bless our family when the time comes. My eyes looking to Him for strength and guidance.... May you do the same in your struggles and pain. :)

Amen

One Step Closer

Well we got an email from our agency telling us that our dossier has officially be submitted to the Haitian government... so it's only a quick 6-12 months until we get approved...Yes... months. It looks like we're looking at a good 1.5-2 years left until our adoption is complete and we will bring our child home.
 
Patience is not my strength. It is not even close to it... so this process continues to take me out of my comfort zone, out of my plans, and out of my dreams. I know that we're daily giving this process over to the Lord. We know that in all things God is working.

Other news is that an adoption agency will be writing a letter to the Haitian government recommending a match/referral for us. Not sure exactly if they will listen to the referral, if they are going to honor the orphanage agency's recommendation, or what difference it will make... But they are doing it... and we'll see what that brings!

As we continue on our journey please remember us in your prayers. Although the time is long between each step we are daily thinking, praying, and hoping for our child in Haiti.

We will keep you updated as we are updated!

Did Someone Order WHINE?

Pitty Party..... Party of 1..... I'm here to take my seat at the pity party table! It has been a rough couple of months with not much news. 

The only news that we have gotten is basically this: things are changing.... How that will these changes effect us? They  don't know..... If we have any questions.... They can TRY to answer them, but they really aren't sure because it's all changing. 

This is not a knock on anyone... In fact our agency is amazing. It is just where we are in our process... and it totally stinks. The wait seems unbearable. The time ticks away like molasses... I'm starting to think that people think we are making this whole thing up... we're really just saving all the money they give to us for fundraising and we're going to move to Bermuda instead.... 

I promise there is a kid waiting for us in Haiti. I'm not sure who it is. I'm not sure if they are a boy or a girl. What I can tell you is that in my pitty parties I long to know who they are, and wish SO badly we could bring them home today. 

I know you are praying for us. We have had SOOOO many people supporting us with buying items, praying, asking how things are going, making items for us to sell, donating things to garage sales, and letting us take over our church for an entire Sunday to bring awareness of all those orphans out there for Orphan Sunday. I truly appreciate all of these things. At least through these events it makes the idea of adoption feel real, because if I was just sitting around waiting... and not doing anything... this could all feel very much like a dream.... like a "pie in the sky." 

We shall wait on the Lord and know that in this our hearts, minds, and family is being strengthened. 

May this find you peace and happiness wherever you are! 

Just When You Think You Have it ALLLLLLL figured out! :)

Well I'm sure you're all wondering why we have not shared who we have been matched with.... and that is because we have not been matched.

One week they are calling and telling us we have 2-3 options of kids to be matched with. The next week they are calling to tell us that EVERYTHING is changing in how they match kids in Haiti (and probably a few other adoption processes will be changing as well)..... and we'll have to just wait and see what this means for us. So we are back to the wait game. It was a  blow to us and our hopes of having an idea of who our child is. There isn't much we can do, but wait and see what will happen next. I can imagine this just means that our process will be longer than what we were hoping.

Our son continues to wait for his brother or sister to come home. He asks lots of questions as to when that will be. I wish I had more answers to tell him. Good thing he is a good sport about it, and more patient than I am! The other day his teacher brought her baby to class for the kids to meet her. Asher told the teacher: "Your baby is cute. My mom and dad are bringing me a baby from Haiti" :) Makes me smile. He also asked me today if the baby from Haiti was in my belly.... So I don't think he understand this whole concept completely... :) But as much as he can understand is perfect.


Also this past week we have picked up a new fundraiser. Other people have posted that this is their FAVORITE fundraiser... and I must say it is mine too! We are selling bracelets, earrings, and necklaces that are made in Haiti by women and families trying to keep their kids from becoming orphans. You can read more about thier awesome program here: http://www.apparentproject.org/page/4572387330

If you are interested in buying something from us please email me with your order. It is awesome because they help both us and families in Haiti. 


I pray that this finds you well.
We always appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and encouraging words!

News on the Adoption front!

I got a couple emails from our country rep today!

ONE:
We are signing with an orphanage called Chances for Children. We filled out an application and they have accepted it. So we received our contract from them. We are working on signing the contract. As soon as we get that all signed and in... I THINK we will get matched with our child! So hopefully all goes quickly and easily!


TWO:
Our dossier was sent to Haiti today. Our country rep said it should be there in the next few days and then we can start the first step in legalizing it there! So things are on the move.


Few things we would LOVE from you:
ONE:
Please pray that things go well and QUICKLY there in Haiti...

TWO:
Pray that we find out our child's name soon and that things with Chances for Children go well!

THREE:
Pray for our orphanage Chance for Children. YOu can look at their site here: http://www.chances4children.org/


FOUR:
We look at needing a LOT of cash coming up REALLY QUICKLY... if you are interested in helping with that please look at some fundraisers we are planing:
 - I'll be doing a premiere jewelry party in October (great gifts for Christmas),
- We will be doing a parents night out (where parents can drop your kids off with us and some youth and have the night out. Free will donation).
- I sell advocare and any time you buy from my site I make some money off of that. So if you are looking to lose weight, gain health, or get better fitness please contact me about that!

 If you just want to donate to our adoption you can write a check to Lifeline Children's Services with our name in the notes and mail it to them at 2104 Rocky Ridge Road, Birmingham, AL 35216. (this is a way you can take it off your taxes!)

Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement through this LONG process.

HOOOORAY!!!!!

HEY ALL! It has been a long time, and that is because we've been patiently (trying to be patient) waiting for our dossier to get translated....


Well folks... it's translated, being sent to get legalized in the US, and then submitted to the Hatian government to be approved.

On top of that, we are looking to get matched with our child as well! Which means their dossier will get submitted at the same time as ours (making the process a bit faster). It also means that we will soon find out who our child will be. They have 2 kids they are looking at for us and will talk to the orphanage and match us up here in the next WEEK! I cannot wait to see/ learn/ and pray SPECIFICALLY for our child!

Can you tell I'm pumped?!?!!

Jump up and down with us as we celebrate a victory in this process. It feels so exciting for things to get moving. I will introduce you to our new family member as soon as I can! Until then.... please pray that this continues to move and groove as it is planned to!

Blessings

I have two really fun blessings that have happened in this past week, and I wanted to share them with you!

Here is my swap box I sent!

First, yesterday I mailed off my first adoption swap box. Now you are probably thinking the same thing I was... what is a "swap box"? Well, I was on pinterest and that is where I first saw it. It took me to this link: http://www.adoptionmamablog.com/what-is-an-adoption-swap-box/  It is an adoptive mama of 2 kids and she has an awesome blog. She had decided to organize an adoption swap box for anyone that is waiting to adopt, or who has adopted. You sign-up, she matches you up with someone (can be anywhere around the US), and emails you their address and some information about them. From there you can email and contact them. So, the past few weeks the lady that I got matched up with and I have been emailing and getting to know each other. Then yesterday we mailed a box full of goodies and encouragement to each other. It's a great way to meet some other people who have/are adopting. It is also going to be fun getting a package in the mail from someone! :) A surprise gift of fun!

You should check out her blog if you want to find out more about it.



Second thing I want to share with you happened on Sunday. Sunday when we got home from church The Man handed me an envelope with our names typed on it. He didn't say a word, he just handed it to me. So I thought: this is either really good or really bad. I opened it and inside was a typed letter from an anonymous person. I want to share the letter with you and PRAY that this person, if they are reading, does not get offended at my openness. The letter said:

Paul and Andrea,
The mother of a good friend of mine passed away from cancer some time ago. From all the wonderful stories my friend has told me about her mom I know that she loved both family and especially children deeply. She would have delighted in knowing that your family is working to support the life of, and bring joy to, a child through adoption. So it is in her honor and through what God has blessed me with that I am able to enclose a donation to help towards reaching your goal of raising money to cover adoption costs.

May God Bless you on your journey,
A Fellow Believer in Christ


I couldn't believe it. The timing could not be more perfect and the encouragement could not have meant more. Thank you to whoever you may be for being the hands of Christ. Thank you for blessing our family with the donation and the encouragement.



Isn't God great?!?!


As we patiently wait for our dossier to get translated please continue to pray that all goes well and smoothly. The quicker things can get processed the sooner we can find out WHO our child is. :)

And.... We're on the Move again!

So to continue the story from this past week... We left off with not getting our documents authenticated because of some minor issues on Tuesday.

Wednesday I went BACK to the office with my friends and tried the process again. We were 100% successful getting them authenticated. BUT it wasn't without some tears and some frustration. There were some other minor things that had to be looked at and worked on before everything was a go. But, an hour later (and a HUGE thanks to my good friend who always knows how to step up and help when things get out of my control) we walked out of the office with the documents authenticated and ready to be sent.

That afternoon The Man sent our dossier in the mail. I hope they are almost at the lifeline offices and will be in our country rep's hands by early next week!


We're so excited!


Next steps:

The dossier will get translated and submitted to the country
We will get matched with an orphanage (where we will eventually get matched with our child)
It will probably take a few months for Haiti to process our dossier and approve us to adopt from their country.


So it is back to the waiting game. BUT, I feel a WHOLE lot better having our part done for now!

A step forward.... and a step back.....

Today was an exciting day! We had 2 tasks set before us as we left the house today:

1.) Get all our notarized documents authenticated so we can send in our dossier and get it sent to Haiti
2.) Get our Immigration fingerprints done


We got.... one of them done.... which isn't a great percentage...

The first stop was to get our dossier documents authenticated. Our dossier is a bunch of documents we had collect including: our bank saying we are in good standing, our employers saying we really work where we say we do, our sheriff saying we are in good standing in the community, letters to the Haitian government... It took awhile to get them all collected and notarized. Today all we had to do was walk in and get a gold stamp on all our documents saying they are legit. It was supposed to be easy, but of course... it was not! We had some things missing on some documents that needed to be there before we can get them authenticated. What was missing was so minor, so tiny, so annoyingly small that I think I about had a 3-year-old fit right there in the office. All it meant was we had to talk to a few people and have them change/add some minor things to our documents before we got them authenticated. It means making the drive there AGAIN... Just for something that I saw as super duper small... and silly.... BUT in the world of international adoptions.. you don't mess up a thing, because one little mistake can get your documents denied... and no one wants that. So,  I held back my frustration and tears and left the building sad. We were supposed to get it all done today, and they weren't going to.... BLAH! As we drove to the next stop  I started running through my head what we needed to do to get that all really done and back to them by tomorrow. So far, it's looking like I'm gonna get to return with everything ready tomorrow! Let's keep our prayers in that direction! :)

The second stop was actually to Legoland! We needed something fun to do with The Bash since he had yet another car trip this summer. We had a great time there building and playing.

The last stop was to get our fingerprints done (again). They were so friendly and helpful there it was actually not a bad trip. So for the 2nd time this process we got fingerprinted! We have accomplished that task! 





I know that 1 day is not going to really make or break this process. I know that this process is a LONG wait... but when things get delayed, even one day, my heart just sinks... Because I know one day can some times mean 4-5 days. I know that 4-5 days can mean months.... and months push us back years... and when you are ready for your child to come home NOW.... it is heartbreaking when even one day goes by.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and keep thinking about us! We are HOPEFULLY going to have our dossier done and sent to Haiti within the month. I'll keep you posted.

You are all amazing for caring about our process. You are all amazing for praying for us and our child. We feel your love and support daily. Thanks again!

May the Lord bless your days!

It's a Small World

Yesterday I got to sit with a new friend who JUST brought their child home from Haiti! They are originally from Nebraska so you know they are good people! :) Her family literally lives 15 miles away from us! What a blessing for our family for multiple reasons: 1. I got to hear all about her first hand experience. It was nice to talk to her since she has JUST finished the adoption, and was JUST over in Haiti. 2. She will be able to answer questions and help me with many things throughout the process. 3. Our kids will be able to have a friend who comes from the same cultural background. What a great blessing for our children! and 4. It's just nice to have a new friend! 

So yesterday I got to meet my new friend's daughter from Haiti. The girl is the sweetest thing you ever did see and she and The Bash played together like old friends for hours! While they played we talked all about how we arrived at adoption, how we chose Haiti, the process of adoption, and her trips to Haiti. Our stories are so similar, yet SO different.  There are so many new experiences that my family and I are going through, and it's very nice to have someone who fully understands that near by.The Lord always provides for all our needs! Sometimes we need to have some encouragement and excitement put back into our lives. My new friend did that for me yesterday.

Right now in our process we are...

- waiting to get our date so we can go and get our electronic fingerprints done.

- finishing up with our dossier. These documents will be sent to Haiti and they will read those to determine if we can adopt from their country. (this will take 3-4 months once it is sent over to their country). Then once we are approved we will get matched with a child!

Our needs/ help: 
- Please keep praying for our child,  for Haiti, and for our family. We appreciate it, and feel your love in so many ways!
- If you want to donate you can
- Share this with others! As this process has been going, and as people read this it has encouraged some to maybe consider adoption themselves!

Three Angels

I wanted to share this facebook page with you! I have found one of the Haiti orphanages that we can adopt from on facebook (I'm 97.4% sure this is the right one... either way... it's cool.. :) )! I follow them and am amazed at the stories, the CUTE children, and their awesome program they have in Haiti. You can look through and follow them as well! I love looking through all the pictures of the kids and praying for each one! I hope that you will join me in that! To think one of those children may be the missing link to our family! How amazing!

Three Angels Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ThreeAngelsHaiti

Three Angels Web Page: http://threeangelshaiti.org/ 


To update on our process:

We are finishing up with our immigration application (we have to get our fingerprints done again.. this time electronically... just to be sure they didn't miss anything).

We are also working on our dossier. This is our application to the Haitian government to see if we can adopt from their country. If/when they say yes they will then match us with a child!


Prayer requests:

We need prayers for the funds to come our way in whatever way possible

We need prayers for our child and the matching process

We need prayers for the process to go as quickly as possible! :)

Beloved

This past weekend I attended an event hosted by our adoption agency called "beloved." It was an awesome chance to go and eat chocolate, meet/ see others who are part of the lifeline community, and learn about other people's story. The awesome thing about Lifeline Children's Services is that they don't just do adoptions, but they actually serve children in multiple ways:

1.) They do international and domestic adoptions
2.) They do counseling for mothers who are in need
3.) They do a safe family program that helps mothers in need keep their children out of foster care by providing them with a safe family to watch their children as they get things in order.
4.) They have an (un)adopted program that assists those who are not adopted in learning life skills and helping them stay off the streets or turn to alternative life styles.

Isn't it all amazing! You can find out more about them at their site.http://lifelinechild.org/

 Each program keeps in mind God's love for His children!



As we adopt we feel the Fathers love on us! Even though you may not be adopting, every time you help those of us who are you are being God's hands and feet WITH us! We feel so blessed. Thanks again for all your love and support.

After leaving the event I felt refreshed. I felt like there WILL be an end to this process and we WILL get our child to be home with us one day! Hearing those stories and being a part of that event was amazing!

I know I haven't written lately, but we have had the wait game going on. We will SOOOOOOOON be on our way to our next step in the adoption as our home study gets its finishing touches this week!

PRAISE GOD!

Waiting...

How is the adoption going?

We're waiting. We're waiting for one thing.... So that we can get that sent somewhere..... So we can wait for them to send us something.... So that we can wait to get that done... .So that we can wait on the results.... So we can get started on our dossier (what we send to Haiti). So right now... we're waiting to wait! :) I dislike waiting in every way shape in form... Mainly because: 1. I'm not in control. 2. I like things done fast or faster! and 3. I feel time ticking away!

Last night my son (sitting on the toilet of course... some of the best conversations I have with The Bash are while he is seated on the toilet.... because he cannot run away!!)  asked me why we didn't have any babies in our house. At first I wasn't sure if he meant play dolls (ones like he sees every day when he is at daycare) or if he meant real ones, so I asked him what he meant. 

He said: "Ya know, mom, a baby that comes out of your belly.... Why don't you have a baby in your belly? Can you do that some time?" 

I said: "I would LOVE to have a baby in my belly, but for some reason it's not happening right now."

He said: "Why not?"
I said: "Just not my time right now. I actually don't know why I cannot!"

He said: "What about daddy? He can have a baby in his belly!"

I said: "No, boys don't get babies in their bellies."

He said: "Maybe when you get older you can have a baby in your belly. Like Aunt Alicia." (she is my older sister who had a baby recently)

I said: "Maybe! Right now though we are actually going to try and help a baby that is already born and give them a home. How does that sound?"

He said: "Where's a baby without a home?"

THE MAN said: "We are going to help a baby in Haiti"

He said: "Right now?!?"

I said: "I WISH! It will take a bit, but then they will come and live with us and be your brother or sister OK?"

He said: "Yes! I would like that..... I want a brother...."

I said: " I bet you do! But you may get a sister and that will be good too!"

He said: "OK.... but I really want a brother..."

I said: "I know babe, but you will be a good brother to a boy or a girl"

We smiled and hugged and had a moment there that I doubt I will soon forget. Then he told me that he was going to dream about me having babies come from my belly. I told him that would be an awesome dream, and to keep dreaming that because I do the same! :) I did ask him this morning what he dreamed about, and he told me that it was me having babies come out of my belly.... haha!

Maybe some day when I'm older..... maybe never.... either way we're going to add to our family and be able to give our son something we wanted to give to him for 3 years... a sibling! Praise God!

Keep praying for our family, our child that is going to be in our family, and for the process of adoption! We thank you for all your continued support and care! :)

As Time Goes By....

Oh how I wish something would be easy at times! 

Getting to bring our child home seems so far away it brings me to tears. The moments of even knowing who they are, male or female, getting to spend times with them, finding out more about them... it all seems a marathon or two away... I know it will all be worth it. I know our child will be amazing. I know that our family will feel a little more complete.... But for someone that wishes things could be done in her own timing (quickly) and her own way... This is SOOOOOOOOO hard. I just wanna see their face... 

OK mothers.. You will know.. I equate it to the last month of pregnancy. You know your life is going to change, but you can't wait. You gotta see your child's face. You gotta meet them. You gotta get them OUT of you because the anticipation is driving you nuts. I'm there... I'm ready... I wanna meet them. I wanna love them. I wanna provide for them... So much... Anybody else with me?!?!?! 

UPDATE:

We are about finished with our homestudy (yeah!) 

We have applied to immigration in the USA (yikes!)

Once they have said yes, we get some MORE fingerprints done and sent back to them

Once those are Okayed we will move on to our dossier.

We are HOPING this will take about a month for us to get things going and done. If we can get all this done hopefully we can send things in to Haiti soon! Then we are one step closer to knowing WHO will be our child! HOORAY! :) I have discovered that filling out paper work for an adoption is like a 2nd job, and once one thing is complete... there is ALWAYS another set of paperwork and tasks to finish for the next set of steps! :) My nagging husband level has increased from a level 4 to a level 7 (I'm sure he might rate me higher... ) due to the need to get paper work and "assignments" complete in a timely fashion if we are ever going to get this done! 

We also get to go in for a psych evaluation later this month! Is it weird I'm a little scared?!?! There's something about someone knowing so much about you and then deciding your sanity based on it, that kinda freaks me out! Isn't sanity all relative anyway! haha! :) 

Last, some of my workout friends put together a fundraiser for our family last week and it went SOOOOOOO well! Our family was blessed with so much! We cannot even begin to DESCRIBE how thankful we are for the people that are supporting us and helping us, and the funds that were given to us. The more our community shows their support the more comforted I am! I know how much love they will receive not just from us, but from our community and friends. AMEN!

Lord's Blessings to you All!

Fundraising

This was written by My Man, and I'm so thankful for his input in all of this! I hope you enjoy his honesty and amazing writing as much as I did! :)


Fundraising

Tonight some members of Andrea’s workout group at church are hosting a fundraising dinner for our adoption efforts. And it feels weird.

Don’t get me wrong, I have done fundraising before. In grade school, for sports teams, for youth group growing up, and now as a part of my job I have done numerous fundraisers to support our youth group. But this is different. I have never done a fundraiser for our family.

It is an incredibly humbling thing. I don’t mean that in the vain way that athletes and movie stars say it after they win some recognition. I mean it in the, it makes you feel small- like a spec of dirt, way. Especially as the man, the head of the household, I am asking for help, like a beggar. (In my mind I think of the leper outside the temple on the streets of Jerusalem, but it is no different than the bum on the street corner of today’s world.) This humility hurts. This humility is embarrassing.

But in a good way.

Today is the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Today we celebrate by remembering that we are nothing but dirt aside from the life giving love of our powerful creator. Today we remember that as sinners we are unworthy of our Father’s righteous ear, let alone of his live and salvation. Today is a day to be humbled, to recognize our shortcomings… Check.

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” –Romans 5:8.

This Lenten season we recognize God’s grace and mercy. His sacrifice of His own Son on our behalf. Today we are being reminded of God’s love and undeserved grace through his hands and feet, His church, as they support us in our shortcomings.

I have been meditating on Romans 12 lately and the second half of the verse speaks about what it looks like to be a follower of God;

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” –Romans 12:9-13



There’s more, but as you can see today I get to see God’s Word in action. Thanks to all the people who have and continue to help us. Your love is appreciated and your prayers continue to lift us up. I wish that we could do this without you, but… Thank you!

Haiti

Our home study has begun and we are almost through 3 of the 4 meetings! We' re so excited to get moving in this process, but with the home study comes a LOT of reading/homework!

You would think the home study is to look at your life under a magnifying glass and analyze every little bit of it! Although that is some of what the home study is all about,  most of the process is being educated on what we should prepare for, expect to see/deal with along the road, and to help us get ready for a new child to enter our family! With that comes a lot of studying and reading. Our awesome program is making sure that we have as little to no surprises as we embark on the international part of our journey! We are so thankful for that.

We have been fitting in a couple of hours of reading every night. It's all good reading, and important readings, but it just takes time. So once we have tucked our Bash into bed, we pull out our ipads and read, read, take tests, and read some more! Good thing we have each other for company. It's really a good bonding experience for The Man and I. 

I have to say the most eye opening part of this reading has been reading about the state of Haiti right now. I knew it was not great over there, but I had NO CLUE just what it was like over there until I read the travel information.  I encourage you to look at it yourself. Right now it has a DO NOT TRAVEL status, which is so encouraging to me since we will be going there three times. Here are some interesting points I found (Read from the site: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/haiti.html): 

Overview:
The January 12, 2010, earthquake significantly damaged key infrastructure and reduced the capacity of Haiti’s medical facilities. While slowly improving, Haiti’s infrastructure remains in poor condition, unable to support normal activity, much less crisis situations. While the Embassy's ability to provide emergency consular services has improved since the earthquake, it remains limited. The Haitian National Police (HNP), with assistance from the UN Stabilization Force for Haiti (MINUSTAH), is responsible for keeping the peace in Haiti and rendering assistance during times of civil unrest. The level of violent crime in Port-au-Prince, including murder and kidnapping, remains a concern and Haiti is considered a ‘critical threat’ post for crime.

Safety:
There remains a persistent danger of violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, rape, and kidnapping. While the size of the Haitian National Police (HNP) force has been growing and its capabilities improving, its ability to maintain citizen security is limited. The presence of MINUSTAH peacekeeping troops and UN-formed police units remain critical to maintaining an adequate level of security throughout the country. The limited capability of local law enforcement to respond to and investigate crimes further compounds the security threat to U.S. citizens. In particular, there have been cases in which travelers arriving in Port-au-Prince on flights from the United States were attacked and robbed after exiting the airport by car (two such cases involving U.S. citizens have been reported in the first six months of 2013). Police authorities believe criminals may be targeting travelers arriving on flights from the United States, following them, and attacking once they are out of the area. 

It is important to exercise a high degree of caution throughout the country. Keep valuables well hidden, ensure possessions are not left in parked vehicles, use private transportation, alternate your travel routes, and keep doors and windows in homes and vehicles closed and locked. You should avoid all night-time travel due to poor road conditions and increased criminal activity after dark. Remain alert for suspicious onlookers when entering and exiting banks, as criminals often watch and subsequently attack bank customers. Withdrawals of large amounts of cash should be avoided. 

Avoid using public transportation, including "tap-taps" (private transportation used for commercial purposes). All public transportation is prohibited for Embassy personnel due to the safety and security risks associated with its use. When arriving to Haiti by air, arrange for someone you know to meet you at the airport.

Travel:
Driving in Haiti must be undertaken with extreme caution. Traffic is usually chaotic; those with no knowledge of Haitian roads and traffic customs should hire a driver through a local tour operator or hotel. Roads are generally unmarked, and detailed and accurate maps are not widely available. Lanes are not marked and signs indicating the direction of traffic flow seldom exist. Huge potholes may cause drivers to execute unpredictable and dangerous maneuvers in heavy traffic. The Haitian government lacks adequate resources to assist drivers in distress or to clear the road of accidents or broken-down vehicles blocking the flow of traffic. While drinking and driving is illegal in Haiti, people frequently drive after drinking, especially at night.

Although Haitian law requires that applicants pass both a written and a driving test to qualify for a driver’s license, many Haitian drivers appear unaware of traffic laws. Signaling imminent actions is not widely practiced and not all drivers use turn indicators or international hand signals properly. For instance, many drivers use their left blinker for all actions, including turning right and stopping in the road, and others flap their left arm out the window to indicate that they will be taking an unspecified action. Drivers do not always verify that the road is clear before switching lanes, turning, or merging. When making a left-hand turn, drivers should be aware that traffic may pass on the left while they are attempting to turn. This is legal in Haiti. The driver passing on the left has the right of way even when the car being overtaken has its left-hand turn signal on and is attempting to turn left.

In addition to vehicles, a variety of other objects may appear on the road in Haiti, such as wooden carts dragged by people or animals, small ice cream carts, animals, mechanics working on vehicles parked on the street, and vendors and their wares. Haiti’s unwritten rule of the road is that any vehicle that breaks down, must be left exactly where it stopped until it can be repaired, even if it creates an enormous backup of traffic. Cars often remain in the roadway for hours or days while often extensive repairs are carried out in-situ. Vehicles are often abandoned in the road or by the side of the road. These are often identified by tree branches extending from the rear of the vehicle. There are few marked crosswalks and sidewalks, and pedestrians often wend their way through traffic in urban areas. Additionally, motorcycles on Haitian roads tend to maneuver in between traffic on both the left and right sides of vehicles, as well as into on-coming traffic. Drivers should check all their rear view mirrors prior to changing lanes or making turns to avoid colliding with other traffic.



I know that it was a lot of reading, and if you want the full read up, look at the site above! There were a couple feelings coming from reading this:
1. Thank the LORD for letting me stay in a country that is so AMAZING. How blessed we are to be able to live in America where people drive on the right side of the road and there are hospitals and police officers that can help us and support us in our times of need.
2. I'm a bit scared to go... not enough NOT to go... but I know it will be an eye opening experience for me.
3. SOOOOOOO thankful we'll get to take our child out of that environment and give them one of love and support! I just pray that we get there before they have to experience TOO much of it!

 I hope you pray for our little one that is living in Haiti right now. They need our love, support, and prayers as much as we can give! 

On the Road

Hey all! Things are happening  in our adoption process and it feels so exciting!!! We're hoping things go as fast as they can, and we can get moving on everything (all the paper work) as quickly as we possibly can go! I'm so thankful for our adoption agency and our amazing social worker they are making everything seem doable in a situation where there really is SOOOOOO much to do and complete!

Right now The Man and I are writing our autobiography! It has been an intense step back into my childhood that I had forgotten a lot about. Not because it was bad.... I just struggle to remember so many specific details (the struggles of getting old... eh?). Some awesome things I got to write about is how close my family is, how much I love and appreciate my family, and I got a good look at how amazing my parents really are. They raised all 4 of us kids to grow up and love and appreciate each other! What an amazing feat! I also love bragging about how awesome my siblings are! They are some of my favorite people on this earth! I can't imagine any moment in my life without them. They have been there for me through each and every moment (good or bad) and I love them so much for it. It has been such a great (and time consuming) writing experience for me.

The funniest conversation The Man and I had about it was when we were sitting down eating dinner and I was asking him about his autobiography and how far he was and what he was writing about his parents... Then I asked him how formal he was writing this autobiography:
He said: " A little bit formal and a little bit informal"
I said: "You are? I'm writing pretty informal..."
He said: "You don't have another kind of writing, that is how you write."
I said: "I can write formally, I just hate it... and I don't want to EVER!"
He said: "mmm.... I don't know about that..."
I said: "It's called voice dear.... I write with a lot of voice"
He said: "I don't think formal writing has voice...."
I said: "well....... I use smiley faces in my autobiography... so....."
He said: laughing at me
I said: "I mean a LOT of smiley faces 
He said: still laughing at me and shaking his head
I said: That's a part of my voice!" (laughing)


On another note we had our first home visit YESTERDAY! We have tons of "assignments," papers, and forms to get ready. We're so excited for this adoption every step we take we get one step closer to seeing our child. Our beloved amazing child that is waiting for us in Haiti!


Thanks for all your prayers and support. Please continue!

I believe this will be our mantra for awhile: 

 

All of Me (us)

I listen to K-love quite often... I'm sure that is not a shocker. I love it.... Anyway, one day the family was sitting in our car waiting for..... I don't know what.... Something (great details right?!?!?) Anyway the song "All of Me" by Matt Hammitt came on.

LYRICS: 

Afraid to love

Something that could break

Could I move on 

If you were torn away

And I'm so close 

To what I can't control

I can't give you half my heart

And pray He makes you whole

You're gonna have all of me

You're gonna have all of me

'Cause you're worth every falling tear

You're worth facing any fear

You're gonna know all my love

Even if it's not enough

Enough to mend our broken hearts

But giving you all of me 

Is where I'll start

I won't let sadness 

Steal you from my arms

I won't let pain keep you from my heart

I'll trade the fear of all that I could lose 

For every moment I'll share with you

You're gonna have all of me

You're gonna have all of me

'Cause you're worth every falling tear

You're worth facing any fear

You're gonna know all my love

Even if it's not enough

Enough to mend our broken hearts

But giving you all of me 

Is where I'll start

Heaven brought you to this moment

It's too wonderful to speak

You're worth all of me 

You're worth all of me

So let me recklessly love you

Even if I bleed

You're worth all of me 

You're worth all of me

This song is about Matt's worries about his unborn child. They weren't sure if their child was going to make it through the pregnancy and birth. Matt started to  build up some walls to try and protect his heart from the possibility of losing his child. As I sat in the car and sang with the radio the words spoke so much to me! The first time through the chorus I really started to belt it out (those of you who know me, know when I say belt out the chorus I'm not being dramatic.... I love singing... and I just go for it.. no reservations... don't judge!) Anyway, as I belted out the chorus I felt these words hitting my heart and suddenly I'm not just singing the words, but I'm praying them, I'm saying them to my adopted child... wherever my child is right now... whatever my child is doing right now.... I was singing this to them.

I know this adoption process going to be a roller coaster of a ride. I know that there are going to be times where I'm going to feel defeated and that we're NEVER going to have our child home. But right then and there I decided that my adopted child is going to have all of me, know all my love (even if it's not enough), and through this journey I'm going to try my very hardest to not build up those barriers over my heart! I want my adopted child to know not just my (and THE MAN's and the Bash's) love, but God's love! Our family has so much love to give, I cannot wait to spread it to them.... 


So, wherever you are child of mine (ours)...... You're in for it! :) We're already in the process of finding you, loving you, bringing you home to where you belong (with us), and loving on you! 

WE'RE SOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!