"Every child deserves a home." --Harry Holt

Thursday, November 25, 2010

The Things We Are Excited to Share With YOU.

Dear Baby, We are missing you today, but we wanted to share the holiday with you somehow.
Ding-a-ling! It was chilly, but we raised a little $ for the Salvation Army!
Smiled for the picture under protest...

A common sight on Thanksgiving...checking out the 'bargains'
My SIL would be less than impressed that we are showcasing meat... :) We also vowed that since family was unable to get here due to the weather, it would be a comfy clothes Thanksgiving.
WAY too much food for 2 people. The leftovers are packed and ready to be shared!
Diogee's revenge for not being fed table scraps.
Investigating the scraps in the garbage...
It was a quiet Thanksgiving. Family was unable to travel here due to yucky weather and road conditions. We certainly wish Baby V was here to share it with, but the photo story to share will have to do for now. Hopefully you all were able to gather around the table with loved ones and share the many blessings of your life this year. Love to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Advent Conspiracy

So, my first question is: who in my family wants me to forgo their Christmas gift this year? Any takers? :-)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Just In Time For Black Friday

I shared this a few weeks ago, but with "Black Friday" and the holiday shopping season looming just a few short days away, I thought it would be fun to post this one more time. Happy shopping! Fun to think that a gift or tow this year will double to connect a child with a FAMILY! The blog I took this from is: http://thisdomesticateddiva.blogspot.com/p/shopping-for-cause.html

I encourage you to grab the button below and pass all of this info along!


After a thought-provoking blog post from my sister-in-law Laura about "Buying with a purpose", I began to compile a list of all the families and ministries I knew that were fundraising or selling merchandise to support their calling.  Thank you to all the families who shared their blogs with me.  Special thanks to Christi who also compiled some names and shared ideas with me!  And a HUGE thank you to Laura for inspiring this list and for forwarding even MORE links my way!  I hope this helps as you prepare for your holiday shopping this year.  Please feel free to share this list on YOUR blogs to help raise awareness to all these great fundraisers and ultimately, God's calling to care for the orphans!  We may not all have been called to ADOPTION, but we have all been called to CARE for the orphans.

James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Proverbs 14:31
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Isaiah 1:17
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

PLEASE share by grabbing our button {below} or posting a blog about "Shopping For A Cause".  Let's get the word out BEFORE the big holiday shopping spree so that more people can shop with PURPOSE this year and help to bless the recipients.  Thank you for helping all these amazing families and ministries!

Photobucket


If you would like YOUR fundraiser to be added to this list or if you find that a link isn't working, please email me at bringourangelhome@gmail.com.  THANK YOU!

Apparel:
147 Gear Store
2000 Tutus
5 Million Children Looking Tshirt
A Road Home Tshirt
Adoption Tshirt
Adoption Rocks Shirts
Adoption Rocks Tshirt
Africa Bound Andrews Etsy Store
Amazing Grace Tshirt
Bring Hope Home Tshirt
Break Our Hearts Tshirt
Change The World For One Shirts
Children Are A Gift Tshirt
Compassion Store
Dolka Pots Etsy Store
Each Of Us Matters & Isaiah 1:17 Shirts
Faith Hope Love Family Tshirt
Fatherless Find Compassion Tshirt
Feeding The Orphans Tshirt
Feed The Children Tshirt
From Lost To Found Tshirt
Fulmer Adoption Tshirt
Go-Seek-Love Shirts
Gutora {To Choose} Shirts
Haggerty's Adoption Shirts
Heart of Africa Shirts
HOPE & Love Is Not A Color Shirts
I Heart Africa Tshirt
I Need Africa Tshirt
I Will Not Leave You As Orphans Shirts
I'm Adopted, You're Adopted Tshirt
Jenkin's Journey To Adoption Etsy Store
Light Gives Heat Store
Love The Orphans Tshirt
Malot's Hope Etsy Store
Mocha Club Store
Nepal Tshirt
ONE Tshirt
One Family & Chosen Shirts
One Less Tshirt
Only Love Tshirt
Ordinary Hero Shirts
Orphan No More Gear
Pitter Patter Art - Custom Shirts
Poppy Dip Clothes
Pure Religion Shirts
Red Yellow Black White Love Tshirt
Road Less Traveled Shirt Shop
Show Love Tshirt
Still One Awaits Tshirt
Twinkle & Shine Store
We Witness A Miracle Shirts, Onesies, & Sweatshirts
What Can Your Shirt Do? Tshirt
WIPHAN Store
{adoption} Shirts
Cookbooks:

Blessings In The Journey Cookbook
Mulder Adoption Cookbook
WIPHAN Cookbook

Jewelry:

147 Gear - Uganda Necklaces
Adopting Ainsley Etsy Store
Beads of Hope
Chosen Adoption Necklace
Chosen Child Adoption Band
Coffee Bean Bracelets
Daisy Dreams Etsy Store
Fulmer Adoption Bottlecap Necklaces
Got Love Tshirt
Growing With Joy Beaded Jewelry
Hip Mom Adoption Jewelry
Jenkin's Journey To Ethiopia Etsy Store
JunkPosse Etsy Store
Kind Hearts & Trees of Glory Bottlecap Necklaces
Life A Bit Sweeter Etsy Store
Light Gives Heat Suubi Shop
Little Did I Know Ribbon Necklaces
Lovin' Much Adoption Bracelet
Mama Sheep Etsy Store
Next To My Heart Etsy Store
Orphaned No More - 3,000 Bracelets Campaign
Paracord Survival Bracelets
Solomon Beads
Sweet Tea Shoppe Etsy Store
Uganda Necklaces
Bags & Totes:

Craft and Couture Etsy Store
Got Love Totes
Haggerty's Adoption Bags
Hunt's Adoption Totebags
Light Gives Heat Store
One Family Tote
Pitter Patter Art - Custom Bags
Seeing The World Through His Eyes
Twinkle Stitch Etsy Store

Hair Accessories:

Africa Bound Andrews Etsy Store
Bring Our Angel Home Fabric Flower Headbands
Dolka Pots Etsy Store
Klippies By Kris
WaxBoyd Etsy Store

Artwork:

Ahni Art
Alaska To Africa Crosses
Family Values Canvases
Handcrafted Metal Art Etsy Store
Jenkin's Journey To Adoption Etsy Store
In This Home Paintings
No Great Gift Signs
Pitter Patter Art
SamiSooWho Custom Art
The Canvas Heart Etsy Store

Christmas:

A Day In The Life Christmas Cards
BJMiker Etsy Store Ornaments
Bring Our Angel Home Custom Christmas Cards
Embracing The Least Of These Ornaments
Jenkin's Journey To Adoption Etsy Store

Aprons:

Craft and Couture Etsy Store
Dockery Bambino Aprons
From Here To There Etsy Store
Haggerty's Adoption Aprons

Misc:

A Doll's Heart Adoption Ragdolls
Africa Vinyl Decals
BabyCouture4aCause Etsy Store - Rhinestone Baby Shoes
Cakelicious Custom Cakes
Dolka Pots Etsy Store
From Here To There Etsy Store - Dolls
Galindo's Tagsies, Burpcloths, and Binky Links
Got Love Travel Mugs
Little Wonder's Project Etsy Store
Malot's Hope Etsy Store
Mama Enat Etsy Store
MathesLindsay Etsy Store
We Witness A Miracle Water Bottle
Wine Glass Charms

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The Drought

This is another update to say, "There is no update." We are still sitting at #20 on the referral wait list. November has been a month of no referrals from our agency, but that was in part to be expected after the last half of October was 'referral heavy.' I would be lying if I said we were, "waiting patiently." We would be thrilled to hear of those further up the list receiving referrals. It is such a great feeling to hear about another child finding a family. I do not mean to give the impression that nobody at our agency has been working on anything this month. The great news as of late has been more court dates, and the first families that are adopting under the new 2-trip system in Ethiopia are on their way to pick up their children, FOREVER! We are anxiously awaiting to hear more about how court dates and embassy dates have gone! 
So, what is a referral and what happens after we get one? We have not done a stellar job of explaining to all of our friends and family how the many facets of this process work. We are constantly taking in information about the steps in this process as we move along. The gathering of knowledge and praying about this are about the only things keeping me sane! So, to answer my own question... When we talk about receiving referral, we are talking about a phone call. Someone from our agency will call us up. I imagine they will say something like, "Congratulations, you are having a boy/girl!" (This is how it plays out in my head about 50 times a day). We will receive some medical information and background information about the child. We will also receive picture(s). The next step will be accepting or rejecting the referral. Let's be serious, I have yet to imagine a scenario where we would reject the referral, BUT that piece of the process is there for a reason. This is a lengthy process and our agency is nothing if not ethical. So, the rejection possibility is there, but not likely in my mind. NEXT (yes, there is MORE), after accepting a referral, we will wait for the Ethiopian courts to assign us a court date. My best guess, is there will be an 8-12 week lapse between referral and court date (what do I know, though???). We obviously hope for less. We will travel to Ethiopia and meet our baby. We will attend court (why do I feel the anxiety pulse when I write that?), and then we will return home, without our baby. More paperwork will be processed after we pass court. So, we will wait for the Ethiopian Government to collect and process this paperwork once we have officially passed court. Once they have everything ready, we will be invited to return to Ethiopia. The first 2-trip families have waited 6-8 weeks between court returning for the 2nd trip. During the 2nd trip, we will take custody of our baby, and we will attend a visa interview at the US Embassy in Ethiopia to secure the visa for our baby. If possible, we will meet anyone willing/able from our child's birth family during this 2nd trip as well. We hope and pray to have this opportunity to ask questions, and hopefully express our profound gratitude for the chance to grow our family through this amazing process (I say hopefully because I can't quite figure out what words would even come close to expressing the honor and gratitude that we already feel and we are pre-referral). Next step???? COME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can hardly wait to get home and begin building our bond and attachment as a family. 
My hope is that the above explanation makes sense and clarifies this process. That was a wordy one, huh? If it left lingering questions, feel free to ask! 
I don't care if it is a boy or girl, I just don't want my tail pulled or my ear tugged. :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Proud Aunt Alert

Hello world! I'm 3 lbs. 9.5 oz and 16 inches long.
I'm so cute, sometimes I pinch my own cheek. It is hard to believe I have anything to pinch.
Being this adorable really makes me sleepy.

I'm Afraid of My Own Ideas...

Sometimes it is scary to put my own words out there (what if you think I'm stupid?) Fear, it is a silly, yet evil thing.  Today, I am giving into fear and just passing along a quote. Maybe I'll be brave tomorrow. 

“Adoption, of whatever sort, works better in miniature than on the big screen. In the abstract it is hideous, but individually it can sometimes—even often—make sense.”
                  --Karen Dubinsky



  

Friday, November 12, 2010

Foto Friday

We look so happy and in love. If only someone had recorded how crabby I was about 20 minutes BEFORE the sun started to come up. Thankfully, nobody recorded it...commence thinking that I am ALWAYS sweet. The man in this picture will take it to his grave that I was less than pleasant. That's how you know it's love...

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Have I Mentioned I L.O.V.E Blogs???

More specifically, I am in love with every blog that allows me to be a voyeur into other people's lives adoption blogs :). About a month ago, I had written THIS blog entry of my own about "Gotcha Day Celebrations." If you are anything like me, you aren't going to click on the link. So, to summarize, we were a little uneasy about the phrase "gotcha day" because it can imply different things to different people (you really are going to have to click the link for more explanation, sorry). We are aiming to strive to use the "appropriate" language, not to be politically correct because that is rarely something I am successful at, but because we already respect our child (though we have yet to meet, hear of, or see pictures of), and we have immense, unspeakable respect and love for his/her birth family. The least we can do is to strive to use loving, words and language. 


Well, tonight, I was stalking reading a new (to me) blog. She and her family have decided to celebrate "Famiversary." The skies open up, the angels start singing... My dear husband LOVES to combine 2 words for a new word. i.e. Ginormous (giant/enormous--he claims he used this BEFORE Will Ferrel in 'Elf'), Shants (Shorts/Pants), Snart (Sneeze/Fart), Snurt (snow/dirt) ---FYI--I don't believe he made any of these up, but the man can say anything with conviction, and you start to believe it or just go with it or you will be talking about it for DAYS. So, I knew IMMEDIATELY that he would be 100% on board with "Famiversary" and so am I. We can mark the yearly anniversary of growing our family. Fantastic! Now, much like the woman who coined the term "famiversary" we need to pick exactly which day that will be. Humph. Read HER blog to find out why that is a chore. 



Happy
Gotcha Day 
Famiversary!!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Weekend Book Review-- "Baby We Were Meant for Each Other" by Scott Simon

Scott Simon's book, "Baby We Were Meant for Each Other" was such a fun book to read. Simon allows the reader to learn about he and his wife's difficulty to conceive and on the journey to adopt 2 girls from China. He explores the natural beauty and miraculousness that is inevitably found in adoption, but he also tells of the emotional toll it can take on both parent and child. He is realistic in his tales. He talks of the search of ethnic identity for adoptees (both domestic and international), he discusses the questions of adopted children. There are stories of various adopted families within the book. The book is not Christian based, because as Simon tells you, his kids are half-Jewish. However, he did have an intellectual spin to each topic presented, and it was thoughtfully written. Truthfully, the book was a nice break from some of the heavier, bonding and attachment reading that comes with educating oneself about adoption. If you know me, I need to throw in a few laughs once in a while, too! :-)

November 7, 2010-- Orphan Sunday

We are away from home (visiting some pretty cute little nieces!), and will not be able to attend service at our church for "Orphan Sunday." I'm bummed on a couple of levels. This church is relatively new to us. We had decided to change churches (a rather long time ago), and we have been "church shopping" ever since. There really are a number of churches that fit our needs and teach the 'good word.' It is kind of a nice problem to have. I can't really say why we haven't pulled the trigger and officially joined. Part of me wants to be sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that we won't be church shopping again in a year or two once we join. So, all that said... I'm curious if the church on the top of our list will recognize "Orphan Sunday." It isn't the end of the world if they don't, we would feel comfortable asking them to incorporate it in the future, BUT you know how sometimes we pray for 'signs' (even though we shouldn't), I was kind of hoping to see some major awareness about foster care, domestic and international adoption and child sponsorship this week, and that would be my sign that we FINALLY found THE PLACE.

Well, that ought to do it for this mornings discombobulated thoughts :-)  I will leave you with this...


Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.

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