Final this week...

I can't believe that this Thursday will be our FINAL Home Study meeting!  It is so surreal to me, well to us actually. 

Our case worker met with our lead minister on Wednesday, and according to him it went well.  Those of you who know Bill, will appreciate the funny and sarcastic emails that we exchanged regarding this meeting.  I was very impressed about how prompt he was!

I have been working on our profile book and it has gone very smoothly so far.  So much will ride on this book created by us, printed from Snapfish.  This will be what potential birthparents will look through to decide on a plan for their baby. 

On the way up to PA we completed our preferences sheet.  This sheet will give birth counselors a "yes/no"  answer to issues and concerns and what type of child we are willing to accept into our family.  While I would love to just answer yes to get a child faster, I know that isn't in the plans that God has for us. 

He has already orchestrated so much on our journey and he has the perfect family picked out to complete our family!  I have to trust Him and his timing.  While on our trip, I saw the cutest wall hanging that I wanted to buy but the lettering wasn't very readable.  It said:  God dreams a bigger dream than you can dream for yourself.  I want that to be stamped, sealed, and etched in my heart now more than ever!!!

After this meeting Thursday, if our assessment is approved, we will be a waiting couple for a placement to be adoptive parents!!!!!!

No Worries...

Yesterday was my first day of summer break and all I wanted to do was lay around in my jammies, drink coffee, watch the Today Show, and veg.  Instead, I cleaned scrubbed all the nook and crannies of this house to get ready for our case worker interrogation visit. 

I was not actually that nervous and didn't review through the mounds of adoption books to search for the right answers to tell her.  I did make one mistake...get on mtv.com and watch the Teen Mom: Adoption Special.  That wasn't too smart.  I didn't want my mascara smeared and show that I am in Ty's words "a basket case".  I have been fascinated by Katelynn and Tyler's story (I did get to chat with her on FB through Bethany earlier this year) because they used Bethany and her little one lives in Charlotte now.  She is such an inspiration to other moms and have been influential into their decision to adopt, and (wink, wink) go through Bethany. 

When our case worker arrived, my interview was first.  I was so glad that she wanted to sit on the couch and even gave her one of those lap desks to use :).  You know me, the hostess with the mostest. 

We talked alot and the time seemed to go by quickly somewhat.  When Ty got home from work, he went upstairs to pack for our trip and it was kind of weird talking about our marriage with him upstairs.  I did feel kind of weird then and I began thinking about how he must feel upstairs. 

I was talking with her for about two and a half hours and then I decided I needed to make a trip to Target and Kohls while she met with Ty.  Ty text me about 8:30 and said that he was done.  Yikes!

We have our last meeting scheduled for the 25th, but I would like to move it to the 28th because our profile book has to be approved by her before we print it.  At that meeting she will inspect the house, go over our preference sheet, and finalize any questions she has before she writes up our assessment.  Then WE WILL WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over our vacation with Ty's family I am going to have to work on our profile book through Snapfish.  I like doing that kind of thing, so it should be fun.  However, this book will be SUPER important because our birthmother will select us based on this book.  No pressure.

Second one is coming...

This Thursday is going to be our second Home Study assessment meeting.  Our case worker will meet with me at 1:00 at our house and then she will meet with Ty at 3:00.


I am very curious about what we will discuss and how we will do.


I am going to be honest, myself, and keep an open mind.  That is all I can do.


EEK!  We are getting closer.  I must remember that nothing worth it is ever easy. 


Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

One is done...

We survived our first Home Assessment meeting.  We had to be at the meeting at 3:00 and as I left school, many co-workers were saying that they were praying for us.  I so needed that!

I stopped on my way to get my adoption file because our case worker needed a certain paper, although our file was complete.  That began to freak me out a bit.

The interview started with Ty and I reading some scripture and prayer~Colossians 1:9, Psalm 21:6, and Isaiah 12:2-3.  What a perfect way to start the meeting.

I was somewhat nervous at first and we had to start with our journey that led us to adoption.  That certainly took a while.  It was very detailed and personal, but they already know so much.  When we were discussing that, it brought back a lot of memories and recounted more of our journey that we so safely tucked away in our minds and hearts.  We also talked about what we understand about adoption, the birth mother, and how we are going to discuss adoption with our child.  Our case worker did say that Ty needed to answer some of the questions first because I was so extroverted.  Hee, hee.  We did joke and laugh and we all got along great.   Ty and I did disagree or have different opinions about one thing...but that's okay, just something that we have to discuss.

I honestly didn't really know what we could talk about for right at three hours, but we managed to do it.  I did feel my armpits get sweaty, well, because I was sweating bullets the entire time.  I think they set the thermostat hot to sweat it out of you like in an interrogation.

We tentatively set up the remaining meetings.  I am hoping that we can meet on the 14th and then finish up on the 25th.  If not, then we will have to go into July.  I really want to be done before then. 

The next meeting we will be doing the preferences sheet and then come to our house for separate interviews with each of us, yikes.  Then we have the official home visit....and then after she gets everything typed up, we WAIT!

Thanks for your prayers, I felt them today. 

Here we go...

We were supposed to have our first two Home Assessment meetings on the 24th and the 31st.  God sure does have an amazing plan...their is NO way that we could have done that these past two weeks.  My baby brother is getting married this Saturday and with all the things that I have to do for the wedding, I don't think that it would have gone well. 


These meetings are so very important to our adoption journey, and I know that we need to be fully focused on these three hour meetings...


Someone in our case worker's family had to have surgery, so now our first meeting is this Monday, June 4th.  Please pray for us as we start this last leg before the waiting game of being matched with a birthmother!

A Mother for Choco

Many of you know that I teach first grade.  In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to have my Guided Reading groups read the story A Mother for Choco which is a sweet story about a bird who doesn't have a mother and he searches for her.  After visiting several animals, Choco finds a bear.  Mrs. Bear hears Choco crying and asks him to tell her his story.  She asks what his mother would do if he had a mother.  Choco goes on to say that she would hold him (and Mrs. Bear does), kiss him (and she does), and sing and dance with him (which she does).  She invites him to come home with her to meet her other children and have some apple pie.  When they arrive, her other children greet him and to Choco's surprise, her children are a: pig, hippo, and an alligator.  Choco goes in and plays with the children and is happy.  On the very last page of the story, Choco says how happy he is with his new mother, no matter what she looks like.  When we read the story, I asked one group of students how that could happen...and not one understood adoption.  Once I told them about adoption, they got it.  During the next group, one of my students immediately knew that the animals were adopted.  When I asked what that meant she replied:  "when someone buys a kid because they don't have any."  Needless to say, we had LOTS of good conversations.  They were curious why Choco didn't have a mom, if his mom comes back can she have him back, and why people adopt.  It took all that I had in me not to just bust out and tell them all about how I was adopting.  See, we switch classes for Guided Reading, and I didn't feel that it was appropriate, even though I do have some of my own students in my class.  I just loved this, and it made me feel so special to make them aware of what adoption means and how it was important for them to know that when you are adopted you are really loved and that it isn't that your mother didn't love you.

Yesterday, we had our 8th annual Mother's Day Tea party in my classroom, and as always it brought tears to my eyes.  Last year, I didn't think that I would get to experience "Mother's Day" in my child's classroom, and so on.  Well as we did our program, I found myself touching my mommy necklace and smiling on the inside knowing that I am going to be a mother and get to experience all the joys of this day!

Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Sit on a TACK!

Oh man~this is a very hard post to type.  I wouldn't by any means say that I am a "holier-than-thou" girl, but I do try to live my life daily for my King.  I have been actively involved in the Women's Ministry at my church for many years, and joined the Leadership Team about four years ago.  I have loved being on the team and helping to fascilitate God's will through this ministry.  The bible studies that I have attended and taught, have changed me.  This Spring, we planned to start a new study on the book of Nehemiah by Kelly Minter.  I loved teaching her study on Ruth, and was excited about this study.  I got my book...and we are now on week 5~and I went to my first Wednesday night class since before the study started.  I have done absolutely zilch!  I am being completely vulnerable here by saying that I have put it on the WAY back burner.  I have missed it, hated not being apart of my group, but we have had a lot going on.  I am not making our adoption journey an excuse, but we have had full plates.  Honestly, I would forfeit a baby over my relationship with my Jesus.  He comes first and I want Little Miracle to feel the same way.  I am not saying that I have lived life on the wild side and gone nuts, but I haven't been as active with a daily bible study.  I know that it is SO important for every aspect of my life.  The amazing thing is that my Jesus is a loving and forgiving~and in His arms is the only place that I go and don't have to feel judged.  Thank you, Father!  When I went to our team meeting last night, one of the leaders and dear friend said that she kept thinking of me.  Another sweet friend said that tonight's video was about adoption and asked if I was staying for bible study.  I had planned on it and turning in my book since I haven't done any of the homework with the study...however I went and got my book out and said that I wanted to do the study!  When it was time for church to start I came with an open mind and heart.  This past week's lessons were on the joy of the Lord.  We sang the oldie vacation bible school song, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart...if the devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack" song.  Well as far as I am concerned...he can sit on a tack.  Another sister, Ramona, heard me talking about this attack that Satan has had on my heart.  After the evening was over, just after an interview about a mother who adopted from China on the video, Ramona said that she feels led to pray with me.  I said of course and agreed that I was comfortable having all the women pray over me.  All the women in the study gathered around me a prayed a beautiful, tear-jerking prayer.  I love my church, women's ministry, and how God works purposefully in everyone.  Needless to say, I am going to get back on track, and borrow the sessions that I have missed to get caught up. 

Thanks for hearing me and maybe you will be encouraged by this post~