more happenings

First of all, the amount of love and support we have received since announcing our adoption journey has been absolutely overwhelming.  We are already blown away by God's provision and people's sweet generosity.  I even had a sweet (and bold) friend post something on Facebook about how we all had $30 to give and collectively, we know 1,000 people.  Done! If only that easy! :)I am so grateful for my wonderful support group.

Here are some upcoming ways that you can help bring Ollie home:

We have a yard sale coming up at the end of October in Columbus, my sisters and mom will be hosting a Noonday fundraising show with our famous and fabulous ambassador, Laura Walton, and another sweet friend pointed me to the direction of an awesome candle fundraiser that can go on starting now until Ollie is home! Check back here for details. I will post as soon as I have them all nailed down!

I have also received another amazing fundraising offer from a local business.  Again - blown away. God is so good!!

Here are some highlights, or not, from the past few days....

At the park with Snow White. 

Friday started out rough for my little (big) man.  He had some blood work done several weeks ago that suggested he had some pretty bad allergies, so we were referred to an allergist for additional testing.  I would say he is allergic!!

Most of his worst allergies are environmental, so I have been doing all I can to get our house healthy for him using the doctor's recommendations.  His very worst allergy is every type of grass! (Bubble Boy, anyone?) That's a little upsetting to me since Jones is all boy all the time and loves the outdoors. We are hoping daily medication, daily nasal spray and weekly shots will have this boy feeling 100% in no time.  I am just praying I never have to use that Epipen they gave me! Also super thankful for answers.  We have been dealing with derms and other doctors for over a year now.

I felt so sorry for his rough morning that we ended doctor's visit with a new dino and ice cream at the new candy store in Starkville.  Local people MUST check out Hollis' Sweet Shop.  Super cute and a fun addition to downtown!

Not allergic to sugar

Saturday was a fun day of playing and football watching.  Hail State! I will point out here that, while the work load is apparently not so great, I am really appreciating third year seminary travel schedule so far.  For the past two years he has been gone every other weekend for class, in addition to all his online stuff. But not third year!! No travel again until January! Ask me then how I feel about it when I am entering week two of single parenting while he is in Kentucky...but until then...bring on the weekend with Trey!

Sunday the FUMC Columbus Children's Ministry hosted our annual Pumpkin Patch family social.  It was so much fun and thankfully the rain held off until the very end.  Jones loves Country Pumpkins in Caledonia so much.  What's not to love?! So much to do! And since we reserved the place after hours, we were able to have a bonfire and roast hotdogs and smores.  It was really lots of fun and got me really in the mood for fall.  Now I feel super motivated to buy those mums....just so I can kill them. (hashtag black thumb.)

And I have been hesitant to post this, but I think it's safe to say that Anna Joy is officially potty trained. She has even gotten over her fear of other bathrooms, and will use other potties, not just her own.  She picked out an Elsa doll weeks ago and it has been sitting on the counter unopened waiting for her to be full trained. She got the doll today after three days of zero accidents, including all day at church and a couple of hours in the gym day care.  Amen and Amen!

Oh, hello, Creepy Elsa doll

So this afternoon we get home from carpool during a rain storm and Jones walks in the house ahead of me and says "Ummm...it's raining in the kitchen too." Not what I wanted to hear! And not just one leak. No. A constant downpour on one half of the kitchen.  On our freshly painted walls, on our adoption paperwork, all over Trey's new records, and in our cabinet with dry goods.

I started to cry.  BIG TEARS.  Because sometimes I just cannot adult any longer.

Thankfully all of our adoption papers were in page protectors and had minimum damage (and backed up on computer), we were able to salvage most of our pantry goods, and the walls have minimum bubbling.  Character, right?

Workers were here in no time and patched up the roof where some shingles had apparently blown off.

Crisis averted.

What's crazy is that it actually ended up being a good thing.  I know that sounds crazy, but it resulted in all 4 of us being home, which was not the plan.   I needed to be in three different places at the same time tonight.  Trey had a meeting with a student and then was planning on staying in the office to do school work, so we weren't expecting to see him much if at all tonight.  But when this happened, I panicked and called him for back up.  The puddles in the kitchen that the kids were happily splashing in were about to do me in for this Monday.  So all this to say, I didn't go to any of my obligations, Trey was able to come home for dinner, and we had a nice two hours (I mean, after the damage control...) as a family before he had to get back to school work.  It ended up being just fine and just what I think the kids needed - dinner with us both.  So, take that, flooded kitchen.  You did not make me lose my mind like you intended.

We are still trucking along beautifully with the home study.  We are hoping for our final wrap up meeting next week and that all paperwork and training will be completed by then.  All of this late night printing, signing, scanning, training, signing, uploading, mailing, signing, etc. will be so worth it when Ollie is home!

Yes, I documented blood work.  I want to remember every step of this journey!

Thanks, again, for all the love and prayers. I was nervous about posting our story because it has taken so many twists and turns, but the outpouring of love has been so kind. Keep the prayers coming as we wait to bring Ollie home!

back tracking

There was a time that I was an excellent blogger. I documented life! And printed out cute blog books! Jones' first two years are neatly bounded on my shelf.  Then, I don't know what happened, but I stopped.  There is so much going on that I don't want to miss a thing.  I'm making a promise to myself to document Ollie's journey home, so I am back tracking a bit to the spring to bring my blog up to speed:

APRIL:

Jones turned five and celebrated with a super hero party at the church gym.

Trey and I snuck away with our BFF couple friends to the beach.  Adult only perfection.
(Do people still say BFF? Did 30-somethings ever say BFF?)

MAY:

We ran our first 5K as a family.  Anna Joy refused to sit in the stroller or walk.  SO I CARRIED HER.  For 3.2 miles.  We did not come in first place. But we did win "the most colorful family" award!

Jones graduated PreK! And he won the P.E. award. :)
Our first year at ACS was in the books and we were officially in LOVE with our school!

We had a quick visit with sweet friends moving across the country. We were tickled to be a pit stop for them and can't wait to visit when they move to Germany. Camp friends make the best friends. (Take me back to Maine...)

I finished up my job at ACS and started working part-time as an Assistant Children's Minister at our church one day a week.  Bitter-sweet, but a total answer to prayers we didn't even know to pray. Loving it! I also started as an Arbonne consultant.  

JUNE:

First week: Trey was in Eluthera on a mission trip. Kids and I enjoyed lots of swimming, playing, and summertime single-parenting meltdowns! ;)

There were lots of pictures to choose from his mission trip but I mean he looks cute here taking a break on that rock. 

Second week: VBS decorating in the afternoons and evenings for me and lots of swimming with the kids during the day.

Third week: VBS!

Fourth week: I left at 2:30 am the day after VBS ended for a week in Haiti.  No words this side of Heaven to describe my time there. Be still my heart. 

Somewhere during this month we celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary.  We were in two different countries that week, but he still managed to have flowers delivered on that day! Romance is not dead, thanks to modern day 1-800-flowers. I love him. 

Oh yeah, the day I returned from Haiti we found out we were moving into a church parsonage. Praise God for this unplanned blessing.  But also? Meltdown on my part. Because #12movesin9years. Someone hold me.  

June made me tired. Good tired, but tired.  I still want a nap. 

JULY:

We put our sweet house on the market and had a full asking price offer after one week! But the offer fell through...too good to be true.

Trey was out the second week at SIFAT.  Another week of single parenting swimming, art camp, painting and operation wear the kids out.

Another contract on our home after being on market for two weeks. This one was a success! Selling the house while Trey was out of the country for the week - check that off my list of things I don't want to do again.  But, again, praises! We give God the glory for a quick, profitable sale!

Trey was the spiritual director for the Happening during the same time I had a girl's weekend with my girlfriends from college.  Spa by day, lots of food by night.  Perfectly perfect and good for my soul.

Come back to me, my friends. 

AUGUST:

We closed on our home and moved to our first church parsonage making our 12th move in 9 years. But honestly, who is counting.  

Two days after moving in, while our house still looked like a tornado hit, I declared a state of family emergency and decided a day trip to Birmingham was in order.  Children's museum and unpacking denial for the win!

Quick.  Call Lita. 

Children's Museum fun in Birmingham

We finally met our precious cousin's baby, Hayes! Dallas is too far away.

Cousins/sisters and cousin/sister's babies! 

Jones started kindergarten at ACS! Oh my heart....

We officially submitted our paperwork for our China adoption (August 18th). A week later, on August 25th, we were accepted!

Starting the paper trail....

Anna Joy started using the potty! (All the angels sing!)

SEPTEMBER:

Anna Joy stopped using the potty. (Curses.)

Jones started soccer!

College football officially kicked off.  Hail state!

Annual Labor Day weekend trip to the beach with the Knights. Why can't this happen once a month?

Started our home study process.  First meeting in Columbus - September 10th.  Second meeting in Tupelo - September 17th. Third meeting in Tupelo - September 21st.  BEYOND thankful for a quick home study process so far and praying all of our necessary paperwork will be submitted just as quickly so we can move on to our dossier and bring home Ollie!

Celebrated Trey and Noelle Adam's September birthdays.

I think that about covers our highlights from the past few months! 

Where we are now...

Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

It is so amazing to me as I grow in my faith the more I see God's hand in all aspects of my life.  Sometimes I don't see it at the time, but when I look back over seasons in my life, it is clear to me that His purpose and plan is so much greater than any we could ever design ourselves.

Our adoption journey started years and years ago.  For me, it started when I was very young and very sure that I was going to adopt, specifically from China.  I don't know where this idea originated except that it was a simple way for seeds to be planted in my heart for the care of orphans.

I have written about how the adoption conversation started between me and Trey when we were dating and how it evolved over the past few years.  Over a year ago we knew one thing was certain - God was calling our family to adopt.  After we said "yes",  then came the hard part - discerning what our adoption journey was meant to look like.   We started a China application a little over a year ago, then a situation occurred in our lives that turned our eyes and hearts to the state's fostering system and we began the process of becoming a resource family through DHS in early January.  We felt confident God's hand was on this decision, and even though we were scared (OK, maybe just I was...), we put our faith in knowing that His plan is far better than ours.

I am so thankful for where that journey took us, both as a couple and individually.  We grew closer to each other and closer to God.  It changed me in many ways. It is a scary, sad, broken world, and my eyes will forever be opened to the need of families in our state's system and the children who are suffering.  It was not easy and did not end up how we thought it would, but without it we may not be where we are now.  And, again I say, His timing is so perfect!

After months and months (and months...) we are so happy to announce where our adoption journey has led us, and we are excited to watch it completely unfold.

We have almost completed our Home Study to bring home a little girl from China! We absolutely cannot wait to complete the process and have our daughter finally in our arms.  It has been a long journey, and we still have a long way to go, but we are so confident this is our adoption journey; we just needed the timing and growth before it could officially begin.

The amount of love we have received from our family and friends who know has been overwhelming and we are completely in awe of the way God has orchestrated every detail of this story already.

We couldn't have gone through the past year without the prayers and support from our family.  We have for sure felt them!

As we move forward on this journey to bring Mary Olivia ("Ollie")  home, will you pray for us? We know we cannot do any of this alone!

A few specifics that our on our hearts right now:

1) For Ollie's health and well-being.  We don't know if she has been born yet or not, but we are praying for her daily. And we cannot pray for her without thinking about and praying for her birthmother.  We are so thankful that she chose/will choose life for her! We know that all adoptions are because of brokenness, and our hearts ache for families that cannot stay together for whatever the reason may be.

2) For our sanity.  For real! Trey is a full-time minister and in seminary full-time (hold me close, sweet Jesus,  two years down, two to go...) and we have two small children that require a lot of attention.  These things alone leave us stretched pretty thin. We know there is a lot of paper work, travel and time that is involved in any adoption process, and we are only just scratching the surface.  We are committed and excited, but we need endurance to keep up! Pray for our patience and diligence.

3) For financial provision.  We know that God will provide.  He always does.  But I would be lying if I said the financial commitment of an international adoption is not overwhelming and scary. We have complete faith that He will pave a way where we don't see the possibility.

4) For Jones and Anna Joy.  Adding another child to the family is never easy, and we know there will be lots of adjustments in the months to come.

**Side note: When we told Jones on our way to one of our Home Study interviews that we would be bringing home a baby sister from China, he was quick to ask if we could also bring home a panda bear.  When in Rome...**

Thank you, friends! We can't wait to finally be a family of five and welcome Ollie into our lives!

Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."