Mother's Day 2012

Wow!  Its hard to believe that another Mother's Day is almost here and we still don't have our Princess home with us!  It really hit home this more as I attended our church's Mother/Daughter Banquet with a friend's daughter since her mom was unable to go.  

I was honored to take her and we had a fabulous time together but I really longed to have our baby girl go with me!  Praying that next year it will be a reality!

This whole process seems to be taking forever, fortunately though, we should be 1 step closer by this Monday!  PRAISE THE LORD!!  We should FINALLY have an Official Copy of our Homestudy in our hands!!  Once we have it in our possession, we will be able to send off our I-800a application, along with a few other items & a $720 application fee.  We are praying that the processing time for this won't take too long but we know it is all in God's timing!!

Thank you so much for all those who have lifted us and our little princess up in your prayers!  God continues to work out the details for each step of this process.  

We asked for prayer on Monday about our scheduled meeting with Keith from LifeSong on Tuesday but unfortunately it had to be postponed due to a last minute change of plans on his part.  We are hopefully going to be able to reschedule for this week.

As for Fundraising Ideas, BluSquez Photo is still offering us 50% of each booking they get from us during the month of May.  Read more about this great opportunity here.  

We are also excited to announce that AdoptionBug.com has added us as one of their Fundraising Families!  This is an awesome opportunity to help us financially while receiving a wonderful product that will help spread awareness about adoption.  Please help us continue to raise funds to bring our little princess home!

Weekly Update

As I sit here and type, I cannot be anything but grateful for the plans the Lord has for our family!!  This process might be taking more time than WE expected but it is definitely NOT taking our Lord by surprise.

In the last week alone, He has answered several of the requests we asked you to pray about and for that we are so thankful!  Please continue to pray for this whole process as it continues!

*The Homestudy Report is almost finished - PRAISE THE LORD!  I believe this has been the longest and most grueling 9 months of my life and I'm not even carrying Eden in my belly.  

*Fundraising Ideas - the morning after I posted this blog last week, I received a text from a very dear friend who wanted to share a local fundraising opportunity with us.  You can read more about that opportunity here.  Please share this with your family & friends in the Chattanooga area!  We will also be unveiling another opportunity later this week!

*Meeting with Keith from Lifesong is still on for tomorrow at 12 Noon EST (continued prayers appreciated)

and last but not least, I had asked prayer for some friends of ours who were traveling to China to get their daughter.

*Addie Mei has now joined her Forever Family!  Check out their adoption journey here.  Be sure to have some kleenex available ;)

We will be sure to update about tomorrow's meeting as soon as we are able!

Thank you for joining us on this journey to bring Eden home to her Forever Family!

Sponsored Family of the Month ;)

We are super excited to share this awesome opportunity we have been given by BluSquez Photo!

Here is a short note from them:

My husband (Shane) and I (Melodie) are wedding and portraiture photographers based in Chattanooga TN.   We are starting a fantastic new program through our company, BluSquez Photo, designed to help raise funds for families in the midst of expensive adoption processes.  

Here's how it works...

Each month, we choose a family to sponsor. The family submits adoption process verification, their adoption story and a family photo along with links to their adoption blog or website.    We share this information with our fans, and give the family a special code-word for them to share with their friends and family.   When a session is booked during their sponsored month, and the special code word is used, HALF of the session cost goes towards the hefty fees that are needed to bring their child home.

The code (12567MJW) is valid for ANY type of portraiture session including:  family, baby, senior photos, couples, individuals, maternity and even bridals!  It can also be used for session gift certificates, which are valid for a year after purchase!  Session gift certificates are often used for holiday, mothers day and birthday gifts!  Booking a session during the sponsored month does not mean that it has to be used during that month, just purchased during that month.

This is a great opportunity for friends of the sponsored family to have updated photos, while helping to fulfill their family's dreams.  

We shoot on location, and our photology incorporates creative staging with a comfortable atmosphere for stunning and true photos.  

We are so excited to have the Walterhouses as our first sponsored family! Our hope is that in some small way, we are able to help bring families together sooner!

Thank you so much Melodie & Shane for allowing us to be your first Sponsored Family!!

A Tender Heart

Good morning friends!!


Thank you so much for your support & love during this time of waiting!  Your texts, calls and emails have been such an encouragement to my heart!


I wanted to share a sweet conversation we had last night - 
As we were on our way home from church, we were talking with our boys about bedtime and what they needed to do when we arrived home.  After hearing two "Yes Ma'ams", there were a few moments of silence before Jaiden spoke up.  He proceeded with the next question that brought both Jonathan & I to tears.  
"Mommy, does sister have to sleep on the floor?  I know she has the bear we made her.  We should have sent my old bed to her so she had a place to sleep."
Thank you Lord for giving them compassionate hearts for others!  I am SO thankful for our boys and their tender hearts and that their daddy is an awesome example of a compassionate heart!


Thank you Lord for pricking me heart and reminding me that life isnt all about me and what I want!!

Blog Hiatus

I know... its been quite some time since our last post :/  And thats because we haven't had anything to report.  We have had a bit of a rough time with our Homestudy Agency... there have been a few staff changes and some miscommunications between them and our Adoption Agency.  This has unfortunately caused a rather long delay in receiving our homestudy report.  

Nevertheless, the Lord has continued to bless us during this time of WAITING!  I am so thankful that He is in control and His timing is perfect!  If it wasn't for His promises, I would be in really bad shape right now. I am really missing that sweet lil girl God has brought into our family but thankful that one day SOON we will be on our way to pick her up and bring her home to her FOREVER FAMILY!!

We have been asked by several people for specifics to pray for, so here there are:

*Homestudy report finished ASAP

*Dossier prep & approval

*Fundraising ideas

*Grant approval

*Meeting with Keith from Lifesong for Orphans (5/8)

*Completion of Adoption by December 31, 2012!!

Thank you Pastor for reminding me to pray BOLDLY!

Please also join me in prayer for some friends of ours who are traveling to China right now to pick up their little girl!  We are so excited for them!

Have you seen this commercial?

This commercial brings me to tears every time I watch it...just makes me think about our little princess so much more...I can't wait to have her in our arms!

Btw, I LOVE this idea!

ApPERUve it

Friends,

It's been a while but that doesn't mean things haven't been happening. Allow me to bring you up to speed on where we stand in the process.

Michelle was able to host a fundraising opportunity through a Thirty-One party. The party consultant graciously passed on her portion of the profit towards our adoption, netting us $300. This took care of the remaining balance towards the $2,000 necessary for the home study process to begin.

Also during this time (June to present), Jonathan also interviewed for and accepted a management position at Sorenson VRS. We praise the Lord for that as it has allowed our family to get a much better health insurance program and a more steady income. We are truly grateful for this and how it will in turn help us in regards to the adoption.

As referenced earlier, we have now begun the homestudy process. The actual home visit is complete and now we have moved on to the paperwork portion. We have been fingerprinted in order to receive clearance by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to adopt. We have a few additional steps remaining in this stage of the game and our prayer is that this stage will be complete within 30 to 60 days.

Perhaps the most exciting news is that we received word just a few weeks ago that our little princess has been 'cleared' to be adopted. This is a process that in and of itself can take years to complete but God obviously had other plans. This essentially means we need to continue to move swiftly as the longer she is available for adoption, the more likely it is someone else could pursue her. With thousands of children on the list in Peru this may not occur but there's always a chance. We are continually reminded that God has led us to do this and will continue to open doors as He sees fit.


Items to pray about:
-Speedy Conclusion of Home study
-Favor with State/US government in retrieval of needed reports (child abuse records etc.)
-Locating a Licensed Psychologist to complete a necessary Psych evaluation.
-Wisdom as we strive to follow God's leading every step of the way.