Catching Up

. . . with daily life around here.

Eating strawberries right out of the carton before I get them from the van to the kitchen.

Going to watch tractors/skid loaders/excavators/etc. working around town (it is hard to see the bulldozer and tractor in the distance below). Sometimes we watch from the van and other times we get out and have a snack while we watch. I love having a boy!Greysen and Abram love to read books on their own in Abram's bed. It is so darn cute!
My favorite picture from this summer so far!There has been a lot of baseball going on around here.

And lots of fun with daddy.

Playing cars (at the table that was my sister's and mine when we were little!).
I couldn't resist this picture. Abram can be found in one of these pairs of shoes on any given day. Someone lined them up (I know I like to be organized but it wasn't me!). There is something about little shoes that I just love.
Hanging out with the gf. Yes, they are still dating!Looking very handsome in my favorite p-poppers of all time. I bought these in Thailand when Brady was a baby (that would be 9 years ago). I'm so glad my sister kept them for me to now have.

I will never get tired of watching my baby boy sleep.

Birthday Party

We had a birthday party on Monday . . . even though the birthday girl, Zahra - our oldest, 8-year old daughter was not here.We celebrated in the morning with banana muffins and eight candles.
All the cousins and some friends (Owen and Jaida) sang "Happy Birthday". . .
And blew out the candles.
All in Zahra's honor. It was the perfect little way to celebrate her life and our love for her.

A Few Recent Outings

Over the weekend we finally rode the train in Boone. We have had tickets for it since Abram's birthday (which was all about trains if you remember).My friend Molly was visiting us for the weekend so she came along, too. It was fun to have her along - especially since she helped keep me from having a complete panic attack going over the high bridge suspended in the air - or so it seemed from my perspective. I have not experienced that much anxiety ever!
Getting ready to leave.
The little man started off having a good time. The popcorn helped.

This was the much lower bridge. I was okay with this one.

A rare moment of Abram sitting still. The train ride was an hour and 40 minutes. Due to a shorter than normal nap that day, let's just say the ride was about an hour and 30 minutes too long! But, at least now he can say he rode a train. Maybe his dad will take him again sometime when he can enjoy it more. I will definitely stay home that day!
On Tuesday Kate and I took the kids to Ledges State Park.


These two little guys are just about inseparable whenever they are anywhere outside together.

Part way through the long hike back up the winding hill.

We drove into Boone and sat on the curb to watch some of the RAGBRAI riders ride into town.
Pouring water on each other was definitely more fun for them than watching people on bikes!

"Seeking Justice"

Orphan Care Conference

Saturday, August 13, 2011
9:00a - 12:00p
First Family Church
317 SE Magazine Road

Ankeny, Iowa

Keynote speaker: Johnny Carr National Director of Church Partnerships for Bethany Christian Services

The conference also includes breakout sessions with adoption and foster care experts, orphan care advocates and an adoptive family panel for Q&A and support. (Jason and I will be part of the adoptive family panel.)

This conference is such a great opportunity because it is right in our backyard and it is FREE! I hope many of you can attend.

Adoption Info Meeting

Want to know more about the adoption process, reputable adoption agencies, how to finance an adoption and more? Come to an adoption info meeting this Sunday at Cornerstone Church (The Box) at 11:00am. Jason and I will be sharing as much information as we can. Also, several families who have adopted or are in the process will be there to talk to.

I think there are many people out there who have interest in adoption, but the thought of acting on that interest is incredibly scary, even paralyzing. I've been there!There is so much to think about: Domestic or interanational? What agency? What age(s)? What race? What country? What health issues? How much will this cost? The list goes on and on.

The purpose of this meeting is to just come and get more information. I hope you will join us and/or pass the word onto others.

One Step Closer

We finally received the approvals we have been waiting for. The finish line is in sight!

We Took Him Out to the Ball Game

Last night was ALS night at the Iowa Cubs game. Abram could hardly wait to go all day. His ball, bat and glove have become a regular part of his life lately - he loves to play baseball.

Here he is waiting on the field with Jason to throw one of the first pitches (they have several people throw first pitches these days, which I think is a little weird!)
He was ready to go with his ball and glove.
Jason got to throw a pitch since it was ALS night. Abram decided to throw his ball after seeing Jason throw it.
Practicing his throw while waiting for the elevator to the sky box.
One of Jason's board members donated sky box tickets for the staff and their families. Now that is the way to watch a baseball game with a toddler on a super hot and steamy summer night (hello air conditioning)!

Gotta eat a hot dog while watching the game.
Watching from the balcony of the sky box.
Cubbie even made a visit to our sky box.

After the game
Still sportin' the glove on the walk back to the car.
Abram didn't fall asleep on the way home. I think he was too excited - he had a blast!

MLJ $500 Grant & Adoption Update

I'm finally back online after many days without internet due to the storm this past Sunday night.

First, I want to let everyone know about a $500 grant MLJ Adoptions is offering:

MLJ is offering an opportunity for new clients to receive grant monies throughout the month of July. The first 10 families who submit an application, application fee, contract and initial payment will receive a $500 grant to be credited toward their second payment. We understand that the adoption process is expensive; it is our hope that the cost never hinders those parents who feel called to adopt.

$500 might not seem like much in the grand scheme of adoption costs but I've said it before and I'll keep saying it . . . every little bit adds up to provide for payments that are due and God is the Great Multiplier! So, go for it!

Second, please keep praying for our I-600 approval to come in the mail. I talked to the officer working on our case last Thursday (a week ago). She told me that if I faxed her a couple documents she could get our approval sent out. I woke Abram up from his nap and faxed those babies within the hour! But I am still waiting for the approval in the mail.

On the bright side we received new pictures of our kids this week, which was a wonderful gift! They all continue to look like they have grown (thanks to MLJ's awesome foster program - they are getting good food and great care!). There were a few pictures of all three kids together. In her email to me with the pictures Sonja said, 'From what the staff is telling me they are all already acting like sisters and brother!' And they look like it in the pictures. It is so wonderful to see them all together! There were also two individual pictures of each of them. The best part of it all is that Isaiah is SMILING for the first time! We have received several pictures of him since we were referred to him last October and he never smiled in any of them. It made my heart happy to see him smile. He and Abram are going to be quite the pair. My guess - judging by how the shirt Isaiah was wearing that we sent him fits - is that Abram and Isaiah will be pretty close in size.

Why Does Adoption Take So Long?

I get asked this question a lot. My friend, Maria, shared a blog post with me that gives a great, summarized answer.

Why does adoption take so long? It’s a question I ask myself every day and the one I am asked most often by others.

It’s hard to reconcile how families could be stuck waiting to matched with a child (or wait so long to bring their children home once they have been matched) when there are hundreds of millions of orphans, desperate for families. At first glance, it doesn’t make much sense.

However, adoption is more complicated than simply connecting children in need of families with those willing to open their hearts to an orphan.

ORPHAN STATUS MUST BE VERIFIED

Just because a child appears to have been abandoned, or one or both parents have relinquished that child to an orphanage, does not mean that child can or should be adopted.

In order to ascertain what is in the best interest of a child, a government must determine that:

• the child is a true orphan
• there are no other relatives able or willing to care for the child on a permanent basis
• family reunification through sponsorship, mentoring, etc. is impossible
• no indigenous families are willing to adopt the child

Lengthy interviews must take place between government workers, living relatives and attorneys to answer these questions. Relatives can be difficult to locate and lawyers and government officers are often overworked. As a result, this process can be painfully slow. But, it is vital to ensure that every child who is adopted is a true orphan, and not the victim of child trafficking, etc.

FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS GET OVERWHELMED

Very often, a country opens to adoption and is then promptly swamped with parents hoping to adopt available children. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on a government still in the infant stages of building its program. Logistics, legal concerns, coordination with Western Embassies, and the like can pose an incredible challenge.

As more and more Westerners pursue inter-country adoption, corruption or the fear of corruption can make those in power quite nervous, causing them to slow the process down in order to ensure ethics are maintained.

Additionally, countries open to adoption often have periods of politically instability. Wars break out, elections go ary and tensions build. When these things occur, adoption programs can be disrupted for reasons that have nothing to do with adoption itself.

SPIRITUAL RESISTANCE IS A GIVEN

One of the biggest reason adoption takes so long is that the Enemy opposes it. Adoption is the Gospel in action, and a powerful picture of Christ’s love for us. We would be foolish to think Satan would not throw up every road block in his power to discourage us and thwart our attempts to become a loving family to a child without one. We must be on guard, and we must be committed to praying for our children and for their home countries.

I have spoken mostly about international adoption here, because that is what I know. My friends who have adopted domestically tell me the process is equally slow in America, albeit for different reasons in some cases.

Though the wait is lengthy and agonizing, I am convinced we should not be dissuaded from adoption. Our children need us to persevere and to fight for them. If you are waiting, don’t give up and don’t lose heart. It’s worth it.

Why do you think the adoption process takes so long?

The New House Tour: Master Bedroom

Although it is not really a true master bedroom, here it is BEFORE:

And here it is NOW:

I sure do love what color can do! I painted the walls the same color (High Speed Steel from Lowes) as the kitchen in my old house.

Here is the right side of the room which has a door to the bathroom (the only bathroom on the main level, which makes it not a true 'master' bedroom). Considering our bathroom was across the hall in our old house, we love having a door into the bathroom from our room.

I painted the vase and tray two different turquoise colors, spray painted the sticks silver and sprayed the small vase and bird (hard to see) two different textures of silver. Oh, how I love paint! All the things I painted were things I already had. Yay for cheap decorating!

We took the closet doors off and replaced them with black curtains because the room door and closet doors were too much for the small space.
The glass jars (even a couple turquoise jars) with black rocks (thanks Allie W!) and lantern give the room a very peaceful feeling and add a bit of masculinity which is good since it is Jason's room, too!
I absolutely LOVE our new bedroom! It is probably my favorite room in our house.