My best try...

One of the hardest things to do, is find the right words to say thank you.

How do you express your gratitude, when the words you need have never been defined?

I'm not sure I can, but through my tears, I am certainly going to try.


I remember it so clearly.
The night I looked at CR, and asked, are we going to let money be the reason we say no to what God is clearly calling us to do?
We have both seen the miracles God has worked in our lives over the years, and even still, we were afraid. But we also knew, He would provide.

So we stepped out in faith. I felt like Peter, when Jesus asked him to step out of the boat, and onto the waters. We could see His face, we knew what he was asking, but we just couldn't believe we could walk on water.

We knew right away that we were going to have to get creative. We did some of the usual fundraisers.
We sold T-shirts.
We had a massive yard sale.
Then I set out to write an E-course about photography! It was scary, but it proved to be worth it!
We got the surprise of our lives one night, when a precious family that we now call friends, donated almost $3,000 to allow us to submit our dossier!!! This family knows who they are, and I pray they know how eternally we grateful we are. 
Of course we can't forget our Puzzle fundraiser. It still brings me to tears when I see those precious names on Noah's puzzle. That puzzle is headed out to be framed on Tuesday, and I am SO EXCITED to show you all the final result. That puzzle will hang right over Noah's crib. Every night as he sleeps, I will think of each one of those precious souls that prayed for our boy, and made a sacrifice to see that he had a home, and a family of his own.

Of course you all know that in January we received a call that would change our course. We thought God had a little girl for us, but He changed the plan on us. We are so thankful He did!
Then came the day we had waited and prayed for. Noah's referral.

We knew our travel expenses would be high, especially traveling in summer. That is when we came across Give1Save1. We honestly had no idea what to expect. We had asked so much of our friends and family already, could we do it just one more time?
The video came together, and then we were chosen. The range of what families made during their week varied greatly, and we just had no idea what to expect.

And well, you literally blew us away! Our total for the week is $3395!!! WHAT?!?!?!?!

It doesn't matter if you gave one dollar or three hundred dollars, each and every dollar brought us another step closer to bringing our son home. Your sacrifice, in whatever capacity, means that a little boy now has a family. We received donations from family, friends (old and new) and total strangers! What a blessing you are!
It's not often we give to a cause or organization and get to see first hand, the seeds that you've sewn.
 I am so happy that you will all get to see what your sacrifice really meant. I know you will rejoice with us the day we finally hold our boy for the first time. When his precious little feet touch American soil for the first time. When he gets his first of many hugs and kisses from his big sisters. I am so eager to share those moments with all of you.
And honestly, those moments wouldn't be possible without you. I hope you all know what a huge roll you play in Noah's life.

It's crazy to think about what a journey this past year has been. We only desired that God use our family is whatever way He wanted. We wanted Him to be glorified in the story of our lives.
Although we have received so many kind words about what we are doing (as well as some not so nice ones) we pray that when you look at our family, and our story, you only see Him.
We are not special.
We are not perfect.
But God doesn't ask that of us. He only asks that we answer His call. And He equips us.

We always knew this adoption process would be a marathon, not a sprint, but it's still hard to resist the desire to surge through the finish line. As we near the end, I am trying so hard to savor this time. Although it's creeping now, I know in hindsight it will have flown by. God has something to teach us in each step of the process, and I certainly don't want to miss what He has for me in this time of waiting.

My prayer is that each and every one of you will know how grateful, humbled, and blessed we are because of you. We hope that someday we will have an opportunity to pay it forward, and give back to you in some way. I pray that when you finally see him come home, and how loved he truly is, you will feel sheer joy in knowing that it's because of you!

The final chapter of this story is still being written.
I hope you will continue reading it, as it's sure to have a beautiful ending...

On my heart...

Have you ever read, The giving tree?
If not, you should.
If you have, you know what a great book it is.

This page is on my heart today.

Give1 Save1

I am so thrilled to tell you that we have been chosen as the Give1Save1 family of the week! We were shocked and excited when we received the email!

If you've never heard of them before, you can go HERE and read in detail what they do and how they do it!

We had to submit a short video in order to even be considered for the family of the week. I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out what kind of video to make. 

Do I make a somber video, show statistics, talk about how horrible Noah's living conditions are, about how we worry everyday he may get sick and die before we can get to him?

But that just didn't feel right...it wasn't us, and it wasn't how we best felt we could represent our adoption story.

The only way I can describe it, is LOVE! We are so in love with this little boy, and we are so excited to bring him HOME forever! 

So it was decided.

 Our video would be happy and upbeat, and all we wanted people to see was our LOVE for Noah. 

So what does all this mean, what happens next?

Well, as I type this we have about $3,000 of the $10,000 we need for travel to bring Noah home. I am not worried, I will not panic. God has provided every penny of the money needed for this adoption, and I know He will see it through to the end. We are hopeful that He will use this week that we are the Give1 Save1 family, to provide some or all of the money needed to go get our son!

In the past families have made anywhere from $200- $8,000 during their week on Give1 Save1. That's a pretty huge gap. But here are the two reasons I LOVE Give1 Save1 and I think you'll agree with me...

1. Pretty much anyone can donate $1. Let's just be honest, it's one dollar. 

(Although, you will not hear me complain if anyone wants to donate more than one dollar :) )

2. Making that video VIRAL!!! The more people who see our video and share it (via twitter, Facebook, blogs, email...whatever!) the more people that have an opportunity to donate even just one dollar.

Now obviously one dollar isn't that much if just a few people donate, but it your video goes viral, and hundreds, or thousands see it and donate...that adds up quickly!!!!

I'll be honest, after over a year of fundraising, I am ready to be done! I'm ready for this to be our last one. I don't like feeling like a burden to our friends and family, I don't enjoy asking anyone to give us money. 

It feels weird. 

It's not lost on me that many of you donate to us over and over again, with every fundraiser we do. What I do know, is that no one gives unless they want to, and I know so many of you who are just as excited to see Noah come home as we are. And for that reason you don't mind sharing this, or even making a small donation, we are so blessed by each of you.

I don't know about y'all, but I'd love to blow this outta the water! We are leaving hopefully at the end of June to get Noah, so we don't have much time to get the remaining $7,000 we need. I pray we can make a large dent in that this week, but I simply can't do it without all of you.

I hope you all enjoy our video and will consider joining us as we push through the final miles of this marathon. A marathon that has the most beautiful and perfect finish line.

GO HERE TO SEE OUR VIDEO AND DONATE!!!

Mommy & Me Pictures...

How I would have loved to have all three kiddos in these photos, but hopefully that will be soon!

It kinda stinks when your mom is a photographer, at least that's how my kids act! We had to beg them to take a few pictures with mommy. Oh well, we got a few cute ones and I always treasure pictures of me and my girls :)

Yo Mama!

Well ladies, it's that time again! The day where our husbands and children kiss up all day long! I don't know about y'all, but my day has started out pretty great! Even though I wish I had all three of my children here to celebrate, I am rejoicing in the mere idea, that God has blessed me with three beautiful kids! I don't deserve any of them, but I sure am grateful they are mine <3

 Started off the weekend with a pedicure...

 some alone time, which we all know is scarce for any mommy...

 This is just in here cause it was funny...he smiled at the camera :)

 My AWESOME gift!!! Get ready for picture overload!

 What would Mother's Day be without Bacon? Pioneer woman knows the way to my heart!

 I told CR, this is the sexiest he's ever looked. In the kitchen, cooking me BACON!!!

And I saved the best for last! The precious cards my girls made me! I will treasure these forever!

I leave you all today, with a message I think sums up my hopes and dreams for my children, all 3 of them! 

{Mothers}

As I sit here, and prepare to celebrate my 5th year as a mother, I can't help but think about what it means to be a mother. 

But more importantly, I think about two other groups of women...

The women who will spend another year longing to be a mother. Who will shed many tears this weekend as they humbly accept that yet another year has gone by, where they don't hold a child in their arms...

I can't pretend to know this pain. 

Getting pregnant wasn't an issue for me. 

The pregnancy itself sucked, but I found solace in knowing that in the end, I would hold my baby.

 I personally know many woman who have struggled with this. Some can now say they know the joy of being a mother, and others are still waiting, an excruciating wait. Thinking of the pain this weekend of celebration will bring to them, is heartbreaking to say the least. 

One of my sweet adoption mama friends is  currently in the process of writing a book, chronicling her journey to motherhood. Through heartbreak and loss, how she learned to embrace the story God wrote for her. I seriously can not wait to read it! You can find out more about it here.

The other woman I am thinking of, is a brave woman.

 She is selfless. 

She is amazing. 

She is stronger than I ever could be. 

Because of this woman, I will soon have a son. In my head and heart she is Noah's birth mother, his first mother, but really, she is all birth mothers. 

The woman who made the hardest decision of her life. 

Some women get this title, not by choice. They die in the birthing process, or shortly after. Maybe it wasn't her choice, maybe it just happened to her. She desired to raise her child, but God had other plans.

While other woman, become living hero's in my world. They make the hardest choice of their life.  They choose to carry a baby for 9 months, to love and protect them, to go through labor and delivery, and then to place that child into another woman's arms. She deserves the highest honor!

Adoption is born from loss, plain and simple. Some women couldn't become mothers without the sacrifice of another woman. While other women, like myself, couldn't grow their families, without such a sacrifice. 

So while many of us will celebrate Mother's day by taking a break from cooking, cleaning, picking up 900 cheerios, and wiping tiny tushies, let's remember that there are plenty of women out there who would consider that job a privilege, and pure joy! And some are only able to do that job, because of another woman's sacrifice.

I pray for all these women this Mother's day. May they feel God embrace them in whatever chapter of the story they are in. May they know His unfailing love for them, and for their children.

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young--a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Psalm 84:3

6 months! And other random stuff...

Warning: this may be the most spastic post ever. No logic. No order. Just randomness. Enjoy :)

Happy 6 month birthday to our Noah!

Although this mommy has a good feeling he is older than they say. We also understand that in the world of international adoption, it's not very often you get an accurate birthday.

Of course we got you a present! I don't have any pics though :( We got you some PJ's and a blanket! Exciting stuff :)

I am also starting: OPERATION: Immunity!

When you are going to Africa for a month+, you need an immune system of steel! Also getting my yellow fever vaccine soon! *gulp*

In other news, CR finally met Alice for the first time! She was almost 2.5 weeks old. We live 10 minutes away. Does that tell you how chaotic life is? :)

I also plan to do a post very soon about US adoption, and where we feel God leading our family in the future! But for now, check out these cuties just waiting for a family to say, YES!!!

(click on their pictures to view their full profiles)

http://www.adoptuskids.org/_app/child/viewp.aspx?id=43945

http://www.adoptuskids.org/_app/child/viewp.aspx?id=43536

 

And since it's Friday, let's DANCE, shall we?!?!