Garage Sale 2.0

We are having another garage sale!!! We need to make some serious dents in our fee coming due October 16th. Our goal for this sale is $1,000. Trusting in God and knowing he has the money for us is our only option at this point. So again, we pick up the shovel and are digging our way through this mountain that is in our way. God is taking care of moving the big boulders for us.

Everytime I get discouraged I remember being in Jamaica in 2004. We were digging the foundation for a school building and there was this rock in my way. I say rock, I really mean huge glacier (I wish it was a glacier, it was HOT and DRY). I chipped away at that thing for three days straight. I broke one pick axe and just about speared my foot with it's replacement. The replacement was a axe head on a tree branch, yes a tree branch... Anyway, one day when I was convinced my section of foundation would never be clear I hit the magic spot and it just crumbled beneath my axe. God knew I needed something to hope for and he showed his power by turning my problem into dust. We have hope that he will turn this mountain into dust if we try hard enough to break it up. (Well figuratively, if he turned the money into dust we would have a problem...)

So continue to pray with us that this mountain looses some significant size in the next 20 days (how long we have before our due date). We have the faith that it will happen and need your support as well! All of you who have given us encouragement and support, we thank you from a depth of our hearts that we have never thanked anyone before! You all are a special blend of love and our child will be the most loved little boy in Ohio I am sure of it! (*tears streaming down my face as I type that because I know it's true!*)

If you want to donate the paypal link is at the top left of our page. If you are praying for us leave us a note of encouragement please! We could use all we can get! THANK YOU!!!

Hospital Survival Bag turned into Airplane Survival Bag

You know you've seen one given away at a baby shower... You know one of these. But I had a great idea pop in my head tonight! An airplane survival bag for new adoptive parents traveling to get their babies!!! Include things like trail mix, a diaper and single serve thing of wipes, a refillable water bottle, crystal light packets, gum, pictures of family (kids left at home, the baby they are traveling to get etc..), a couple of pacifiers, a book with crosswords or sudoku, and maybe a couple of kinds of candies. If you put it all in a small backpack with a changing pad too it could be their carry on too!!!

Things are EXPENSIVE at airports and most people are not going to think to pack some snacks or something to keep them busy on the LONG flight to get their child. It would be a really good thing to just prepare this for them. Have it all packed for them so that is one less thing they have to worry about!

I think it could be a really cool idea! You could cater it to the individual family too. Yup, if I know someone adopting they are totally getting one of these as a gift!!!

Meylah...

I encourage you all to go check out our Meylah store! It's more than just T-shirts (although there are some sweet ones)! Everyone who orders before September 29th will be entered in to a drawing for...... A free item from the store!!!! ANY ITEM! FREE! Can't beat that!! So do your thing and click on THIS LINK and find something you love!

Seriously, do it before the 29th! We still have a long ways to go before reaching our $9,000 goal and need your help, time is running out!!!!!! I will be posting some new products throughout the week so subscribe via email to the Meylah store for updates!!!

I am excited to give something away!!!!!!

Rejoice with those who rejoice

Most women who experience fertility problems know what I am talking about when I say pregnant women suck. It is hard to not feel anger towards them, even though it is not their fault you are where you are. I was reading my Bible today when I cam across this tidbit:

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." 

Romans 12:15

Mourning with those who mourn is an easy task, give them a shoulder to cry on, a tissue for their tears (or snot) and love them back to rejoicing. But the first part is tricky. That's right. Rejoice with those who rejoice. How am I supposed to rejoice with an unmarried woman who gets pregnant accidentally when I've been trying for years? How am I supposed to rejoice when the 16 year old down the street has twins? How am I supposed to rejoice when my friend who also experienced infertility finds out she's pregnant? Well, the only way I have found to get myself through this is to know that when I rejoice with these women now, I will be rejoicing with that much more vigor and that many more people when we are finally on our final trip to Ethiopia. Is it hard? Heck yes it is hard! I have found it getting easier but deep down there is still a squeamish feeling in my tummy when I see a young teen who is pregnant, or find out a friend of mine is. 

How do I get through the jealousy part? For me, I have been praying the minute I feel a jealous twinge that God help me through that rough patch. It is really hard to not be jealous when I see pictures of friends holding their newborns or visit them at the hospital. It's tempting to cut myself off from them completely. But not acting on that jealousy and just choosing to rejoice with them makes me a better person! 

So I encourage you to start rejoicing with these women! To love them and their precious gifts knowing someday somehow you will receive blessings ten times over because you obeyed and rejoiced!

Goosebumps take 1

I was fiddling around on the interwebs and stumbled across this blog here and felt the need to give, the story of this week's family there touched my heart. When it came down to putting in my donation amount I felt God tell me I needed to give more than just $1 if I expected more than just $1. So I did. One of my daycare families came to pick up today and she said "we want to do the Stay In Bed 5k" so I told them how much it would be and she said ok and then wrote a check. When she handed it to me it was for the $25 AND there was more, the EXACT amount I gave to a couple adopting through Give 1 Save 1. Needless to say I got goosebumps. But wait there's more! I had another family who also wanted to do the 5k. They also gave extra, it was ALSO the EXACT amount!!!

I had to sit down and when I told the second family all of what had happened that day they too were getting all goosebumpy. I was also at that point able to share how I trusted God to make a way and he not only made it, he doubled it. How powerful! Still on a spiritual mountain top at this point... Hoping I don't get kicked off of it too soon!!!

Temptation

Last night as we drove home from visiting a friend we went past one of those restaurants. You know, the kind you can smell before you can see? We've not been eating out unless it is in the budget and planned out (like birthday dinners, special night outs, etc.). But last night I almost caved. I was smelling that sweet aroma of steak and garlic all wrapped together and went into a haze, Howie had to snap me out of it. Then I got to thinking, all this sacrificing, all the unanswered pangs of my wants, will all be worth it when we hold our child for the first time. Then I will be longing for the smells of the Ethiopian Orphanage where he is instead of the smells of a steak house. Longing to go back and bring our baby home.

It is so hard to sacrifice in the financial world. There are all kinds of things I want now but cannot have. It's kind of like how all of the sinful stuff in life seems fun at the time but in the long run can lead to a horrible eternity. If we ignore all those temptations now to go out to eat, or get my hair done, or buy a cute outfit, we will be basking in our reward of a child to love much sooner and without regret. We will also become better stewards of all God has given us! What could be better? Obeying my God and getting the reward of a child to love. You can't beat that.

So again, I challenge you to partner with us! Stop frivolous spending and save some of that change to bring our orphan home!!! 

Why International Adoption?

We have been asked this question multiple times and I think I am ready to answer it on a more public level. Why did we chose international adoption for our first adoption? Why did we chose Ethiopia? Well, it can be broken down into one reason. Because we are feeling a pull in our hearts toward the orphans in Ethiopia. But, let me expand on that!

We feel that God knows the children he has for us. It is our jobs to be open and prayerful for an answer as to where we will adopt. Our agency approved us for two countries, Bulgaria and Ethiopia. We ruled out Bulgaria simply because they won't adopt out the children under age one and usually not until they are 2 and we really want to (and feel we should) start our parenting journey with an infant. So that left Ethiopia. My dad's cousin was a missionary in Ethiopia where he was martyred. His wife is still in contact with people in Ethiopia and has already helped us so much with translating words and names (thanks Jewell!). I know that that connection, the family tie, is a huge flag in my book of God saying "this is where your child is".

Now as for our plans for after Ethiopia? Honduras is looking promising. We also feel a call to foster here in the US one day when we have more parenting experience.

In summary, you can only know where you should adopt and what would be best for your family. For us it is Ethiopia, for you it may be China, for others it is private infant domestic adoption. Where ever you adopt and who ever you adopt it all boils down to loving a child who needs to know love and that is what we are in this for. I am sure my answers to this question will grow and change while we head through this process. This is where we are now. So partner with us on our journey and bring home baby Hoos!!! (check out our 5k too!)

Stay in bed 5k!

We are going to be doing an adoption fund raiser for us and a couple of awesome friends who are also adopting Read about them here! A stay in bed 5k is where you sign up like any other 5k, there's a fee for a t-shirt packet and you can get sponsors and everything, the only thing missing is the running! All you have to do is wear your shirt and number on the day specified and go on with your day. You can take pictures of yourself in your shirts and of course your race number during the day for entrance into a drawing for a prize!

So basically this is a neat way to include all of our friends, even those who if you see them running you had better start running too, in a great event!

Deadline for registration: September 22nd (so we can order shirts and other goodies for you!)
Day of the 5k: October 13th
Where: Anywhere you go on Oct 13th!!!
How much?: $30/ participant (includes shirt, race number, goodies and opportunity to win a prize!)
How?: Go to the paypal link at the top left of this page and submit 25 dollars add a note with your shirt size and address!
Goal: 75 participants

Help us meet our goal and have some fun finding creative places to sleep too! Now excuse me while I nap train for this awesome event!!!

Upload your race day pictures here on the facebook page!!!

Cornhole Tournament

Our cornhole tournament was a HUGE success! We have such an awesome group of friends and family who support us so much! Feeling very blessed! Also did some brainstorming of other fund raisers we can do in the near future. So hopeful and excited for things to come!!! Since I forgot to do a fact Friday and it is Sunday already I think I will just post a cute picture of one of our dogs doing my job for me on Friday while I wasn't posting a fact Friday!

Kimby cleans up after the daycare kids lunch!

You're gonna do what? Breast feeding my adopted child

I have been running this post through my mind over and over trying to figure out how I would write it. The subject is a little odd, I haven't seen too many blogs where adoptive parents from ET have breastfed (or at least that they wanted to talk about publicly). But, I am one that when I do something unique I shout it off the rooftops. I strive to instill courage in all my introvert brethren, at least that's what I tell myself. So here it is: we are going to give it a good try to breast feed our adopted child. (if our agency and social worker are kosher with it)

What the la leche league has to say about it!

I am going to just give you how we broke it down.

Pros: Promotes attachment/bonding, it's practically free of cost once you have a pump and storage system, it is what I would do for a biological child, it's best for the baby nutrition wise, and it's something that has been done for pretty well all of history (ever heard of a wet nurse?).

Cons: It is considered "weird" to some, it may be awkard at first and near the end, let's face it we're white and he is black (stereotypes and such), and there is always the "what if's" what if he doesn't latch etc..., just one more new thing for such a young person, and what if people view it as morally wrong.

As you can see the majority of the cons stem from how others view us. Obviously, we can't let that out weigh the pros that it is really what is best for the baby. The con about the stress of adding one more thing to change is a different story. We are going to do our best to tackle that when it comes. By taking things slow, doing it in the process that is recommended by either a doctor or a lactation expert.

Of course this is a huge under taking (as it is when breast feeding a biological baby) but I am willing to work at it and Howie is along for the ride and being very supportive. So be praying for us, that we are making the right choice for our family. I'll post more about this when we get farther into the process!

A quick update

Well there's the bottle! Almost 2/3 full of change and a ton of cash. We have managed to start a really expensive diet and still save all this change! So excited to keep pinched and sacrificing to bring home our baby! Want to join us? Let me know!

That book in the picture is a must read! So buy it, read it, and implement what you find!

Ok, there's my update! I just got excited to share our bottle and this amazing book!

WWJD? But I don't wanna!

Being a Christian is a huge part of who I am. I try to make every decision in my life in regards to what the Bible teaches. Recently I have been tested in this. There are days when I feel like nothing I do is going to matter. Days when the "what ifs" of international adoption get a hold of me. Those days when I wonder if this journey we are on will ever have an end point. Today was one of those days.

It was a worry day. I worried about the home study, attachment, breast feeding (post to come on that bombshell right there), money, money, and oh money. Then I remembered the sermon from church on Sunday. We finished up the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5, 6, and 7. He suggested we read those three chapters as often as possible and to live by them in turn. I did read those three chapters last night. I read the words Jesus spoke about not worrying. Yet here I am, worrying. After I had this realization I took some time to pray it out. I had a heart to heart with my maker and came out on the other side feeling motivated and encouraged that this would all come together. And together it came!

Last night I posted our coffee fund raiser on a Facebook page for our area "classifieds" where people post stuff for sale and advertise their businesses. Right when I got done praying I went to the computer and as a last resort hold on my independence checked our fund raising websites. There in the "orders" column were three names I did not recognize. Three complete strangers bought coffee in support of our adoption. I was blown away at how God can use an innocent by stander for His will. Those people who bought that coffee reminded me of how I just needed to trust God. Give ALL my decisions to Him and trust he will guide me in the correct direction.

So, I am telling you here and now. This crazy, messy, unorganized life will be guided by God. 

Free Coffee? Here's how!

We are giving away a free bag of coffee from our Just Love Coffee Store! All you have to do to be entered in the drawing is purchase something from our Meylah Storefront by Saturday September, 8th 2012 at 8:00am. I will do the drawing at 9:00am Saturday and notify you via this blog and my facebook of the winner! So get over to Our Meylah Store and order up!