Fundraisers

I want to let everyone know that I will be placing an order for the t-shirts on Monday June 16th.  If you have already let me know that you want one but have not paid, please do that as soon as possible!  And if you would like one but haven't let us know yet then please order no later than Sunday June 15th!!!  Thank you so much to all who have participated in this fundraiser.  I will post a pic again just so you can see the shirt without having to go back through old posts looking for it:

Again, these shirt will be $20 each from toddler sizes-xl.  They are $22 each for 2xl or larger.   All proceeds go toward the adoption.

Our puzzle fundraiser continues as well!  We have now "sold"  88 pieces of the puzzle.  Some people have signed up on a form at our church in the last couple of days for t-shirts and puzzles and I haven't added those to the number or the picture yet.  You can donate through the paypal donate button right here on our blog if you would like to for the puzzle and type in the comment section how many you would like and what names you'd like on the pieces.  Here are some updated pics of the puzzle!  A friend of mine said the other day how she loves how as people buy the pieces, the picture comes together.  Sort of like how the whole process is..."one piece at a time":)

I love how you can see part of the child's face in this one!! 

And one last thing, don't forget we are hoping to have a HUGE YARD SALE in the coming months.  Donations are welcome at any time if you would like to help out with that.  We may wait until Sept when it's a little cooler to do that and give people some time to think about it and get things together. Let me know if you have any questions about that.

Thanks again for all the support and mostly for all of your prayers!!!!!!

Keepin it real!

I'm going to try and do my best to update this blog more often.  I usually just do adoption updates and since right now, we are just in the waiting period with that... I don't have a lot to post about.  We started this process September 23rd 2013.  So it's been a little over 8 mos now.   Wow!!  I can't believe it.  In some ways it seems like it's gone by really fast and in some ways it's dragging.  I will say that for some reason the past couple of weeks have been the hardest for me to wait since we started the process. I've just had a different feeling in my heart lately.  Many days, I feel like my heart literally aches.   I think it hit me most when I looked at our family pics from Easter.  As soon as I looked at them , I felt like something was missing.  In all reality.. it is!!  Our 3rd child.  Everyone told us in the beginning that this whole process would be a roller coaster of emotions.  Boy were they right.  Most of the time I just go about our daily life and try to just enjoy our family of 4 before we become a family of 5!  But there are times when I can't hardly stand the wait!!!!  Our family dealt with infertility before we had Jaxon so I know that feeling and that's the best way to describe it.  The only difference is that we DO know it will happen..just don't know when.  I told Bobby it's not even like a pregnancy because at least that way you know it will happen and pretty much know when. 

     On our adoption website there are adopting parent profiles for birthmoms to read and help give her an overview of each family.  Sometimes they choose a family just from that but sometimes they call the agency and mention a family that has caught their eye and want to see their entire profile (photo book, homestudy, etc).  I check the website pretty often to see if anyone has been matched or just new families added.  Since ours was added to the profile on April 1st, there have been 10 additional families added.  This is where some of the mixed emotions come in.  And just so you know these are REAL feelings here!!  Everytime I see a new family added; in this order I feel: 

(1) excited for them because they are beginning an awesome journey  

(2) I look over it and pretend I'm a birthmom and wonder if that family seems like a family I would choose if I were in their situation.

(3) I read ours again(everytime) and wonder if ours stands out among the others  (some of the families look amazing by the way and the profiles are great...

(4) Then I immediately feel a feeling of "man, more people added? How will anyone ever choose us if they keep adding other families?)  SELFISH I KNOW BUT I'M KEEPING IT REAL:(

(5)  But the amazing thing is that each time I have that feeling, I immediately have an overwhelming sense of peace come over me.  I have no doubt that God is just reminding me that it doesn't matter how many there are or how awesome I think they seem, but HE already has the perfect baby for our family. HE already knows who it is and when it will be.  So at that point I smile and go back to #1

See what I mean about a roller coaster!!!!!  Here are a couple of quotes I've run across recently when I was having one of "those days"

I love when God puts people and things in your life exactly when you need it most!  He's great at reminding us who's in control.  

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End of the school year!

I hardly ever do a post about anything other than the adoption but I wanted to document this mostly for myself so I will always have it!  Last week was Jaxon's last day of 5th grade.  Anyone that knows me well, knows what I'm doing as I type this:)  It's been very emotional for me but I did pretty good.  Jaxon's only request when we came to his honors assembly and his "moving up" ceremony was for me  NOT to cry!!  And guess what... I did it!!  I was pretty proud of myself.  Now don't get me wrong, I cried before and after the program and many other times but not  AT the program.  Go me!!!  We are very proud of Jaxon of the young man he is becoming!  He is a smart boy and I have no doubt he is ready for middle school.  I'm the one that isn't ready but we all have to go through it and we are looking forward to a fun summer and a great year next year.  Here are some pics from his last day.

               His last time walking into elementary school

Mr. Monell

                                             Mrs. Milner

          Jaxon receiving his "Certificate of Completion"

Camden had a great year as well and is now officially a "2nd grader"  He's pretty excited about that except he LOVED his teacher and is a little nervous about having to start over with a different one.  However, I'm not worried at all because for some reason Camden is a different child at school and NEVER gets in trouble and ALWAYS does the right thing the first time he's asked.  Yeah, I wonder how things can be so different at home and at school.  I'm glad though because he can be quite the handful for us:)  I guess the saying is true "If they are going to misbehave, I'd rather it be at home"  No seriously Camden is a sweet boy and really is a people pleaser.  He tries real hard to make the right decisions.  This will be his last year at the primary school before moving on to the elementary school for 3rd-5th grade.  Here are a few pics of his last day of school picnic with his friends.  I rounded the corner and found him her with some of his "friends that are girls":)  He seemed to be hanging around the little blond right next to him quite a bit.  Ladies man maybe???

Libby, Hope, Madison, Maggie, Faith and Camden

                                                       
                                  Mrs. Bramlett and Camden

Moving right along!!

We wanted to update everyone on the progress of our puzzle fundraiser.  Right now we have "sold" 73 pieces!!  That's $730.00 that is going toward the adoption.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all who have helped us out with this so far!!  We appreciate it so much.  If your name is not on a puzzle piece, donate today and it will be put on there right away!   The first pic is from a couple of weeks ago and the next 3 are current!

There are still plenty of pieces left (427) to be exact and we could still use the help if you are willing.  I'm dying to get the puzzle complete and framed and see how it looks when it's all done!


We finally got our t-shirt proof in and we will be selling t-shirts for anyone who is interested!!  Who couldn't use a new t-shirt, and the money that you spend on the t-shirt will be helping us along the way.  The shirts will be $20 each and 2xl or larger will be $22.  We said at the beginning that we would love to sell a good many shirts and then at some point maybe do a BBQ cookout and have everyone wear their shirts and get some pictures:)  We are taking orders for the t-shirts now so if you'd like one and haven't already let me know, please do as soon as you can.  Here is a preview of the shirt!

                                                       Front

                                                       Back

Also, I spoke with our agency a couple of days ago and just asked her a few questions.  She said that she had 4 birthmoms that were already matched but are due any day now!!  I couldn't help but be super excited for those 4 families that will soon be getting their sweet little addition to their family.  One day that will be us!!!  She said that she's working with 7 birthmoms right now and they all have been matched.  I will be honest and say that to hear that, it made me a little disappointed:(  She also said not to be discouraged because she could have 5 more walk in tomorrow that are looking for adoptive parents.  She said that alot of moms will find a family by looking at the adoptive parent profiles on the adoption agency's website, and come in with a family already in mind just from reading the profile online.  I know things can change from day to day so we just continue to wait.  I have this verse as the background on my phone:

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."  Psalm 27:14 KJV

Sometimes I find myself getting a little impatient and when I read that verse, it really helps!!  I've said before and I know it's true that God's timing is ALWAYS PERFECT!!  So as I continue to wait, we continue to pray.

We also will be doing a HUGE (hopefully with your help) yard sale sometime in the next couple of months!!  We are asking everyone to go through all of your extra junk and donate it to our yard sale. What a great way to help out without even having to spend any money!  I know lots of people have things sitting around that they would be happy to get rid of but don't like doing yard sales themselves:)    Everything we make will go to the adoption fund!  We will be accepting anything that you are willing to donate.  You can start getting things together anytime.. we don't have a specific date yet but we can go ahead and start getting the things ready if we have them.   If you can't get the items to us, we will come to you!!

 Thanks again for your support and for following our journey!!!

Puzzle Fundraiser

Well...sorry it's been so long since I posted.  I have almost done it several times, but there just isn't much going on right now.  We are now just in the waiting period!!  Here is where we stand... The homestudy is complete and our agency officially has all of our information for the homestudy. We have completed the info for our profile to go on our adoption agency's website.  She should have it on the website by next Friday.  I will do a post then and let everyone know how to view that if you'd like.    We have paid our first large amount due to our agency which was $5,500.  That was due upon completion of homestudy.  The next large amount will be $6,500 and that will be due upon match.  Which means as soon as a family chooses us and we are "matched" then we will pay that amount.  This could happen at any time and we have no idea when that will be.  Hopefully soon:) We have decided to go with an original idea that we had but haven't followed through with it yet.  It's a PUZZLE FUNDRAISER!!  
   

  Here is how it works:

---  We have purchased a 500 piece puzzle; each piece symbolizing someone that will be helping bring our baby home.

---  Each piece will be a donation of $10.00

--- You may choose to be one piece or several pieces of the puzzle. 

--- YOUR name will be written on each piece that you represent. 

After the puzzle is completed, we will frame the puzzle between 2 pieces of glass and hang it in the child's room.  This will be a great keepsake and we can't wait to be able to sit down and tell him/her the story of all of the people that helped them become a part of our family:)

 You can make your donation by clicking on the "DONATE" button to the right or if you would rather mail a check that will be fine too.. just email me for our address at ray0287@bellsouth.net   If you click the DONATE BUTTON (PAYPAL ACCT) , it will send us an email that we have received a donation and then we personally go on there and transfer the money into our adoption account that we have set up.  


Here is a picture of the puzzle we have chosen

                                                                     

We both fell in love with the picture but when I saw the "name" of the print,  I know it was the one.  It's called " Forever and Ever!"  We can't wait for this child to become a part of our family Forever and Ever!!!

 We think this sounds like so much fun and we are really excited about this fundraiser.  Thank you all in advance for your help!  It is appreciated more than you know!!!! 

We also have a t-shirt fundraiser coming up soon.  I know I mentioned it several months ago but we have come up with some ideas and the printing shop is working on a digital proof for us right now with the design we finally decided on.   We look forward to this fundraiser as well.  I mean who can't use a new t-shirt?  Especially when it's going towards a great cause:)

Moving forward one step at a time!!!

     It's been a couple of weeks since I posted so I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!  We had a great 2013!  I have no doubt that 2014 will be just as good if not better.
     I'm not sure if anyone noticed or not but I added a link to our adoption Facebook page.  Some of you just follow the blog and may not have known that we have a Facebook page as well.  Sometimes I will put something on Facebook that I don't post on here, so be sure to check them both out from time to time.
     I'm hoping to hear from our social worker sometime next week that she has our homestudy completed and sent to our agency.  Once that is done, we will be able to apply for some different grants to hopefully help out with some of the expenses.  Thank you to each one of you that has made a donation so far.  It's always exciting to watch our fundraising thermometer rise each time one is made!!
     I was able to get all of the corrections made on our profile book, reordered, and got them all back in the mail a couple of days ago.  I took the package to the post office earlier today and sent the books to our agency!!

This is a HUGE step for us!!!!!!  We are so excited to be moving forward.   This whole process is all about WAITING!  It's hard but I am learning to be patient and trust God's timing!  It just blows my mind when I think that God is unfolding his perfect plan day by day.  Sometimes I find myself trying to plan the perfect time for it all to happen.  Then I quickly have to remind myself that GOD is in control, NOT me!!  He already knows our needs before we even ask... For your father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him  Matthew 6:8 KJV   Please continue to pray that we will have the patience and faith that we must have during this waiting period!   Our strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord!

Just another update!!

     Well we finally have our last homestudy visit tomorrow! Bobby will be meeting with our social worker for his individual interview.  She says after this, it will take about 3 weeks to get everything typed up and sent to our agency.  YAY!!
     I finally finished our profile book and ordered them.  When I got them in the mail a few days ago, I immediately noticed a couple of spelling mistakes:(   I was so frustrated because I have worked so hard to get this done and really thought that I hadn't missed anything.  On the page that I had to work with, the writing was so small and it was really hard to see any mistakes.  When I spoke with our adoption agency, she recommended that we correct the mistakes and have another book printed.  We printed 3 books... one for us, one for the agency to keep and mail out if need be, and one for them to show birthmoms.  I knew then, that would mean that I would have to pay for the 3 books to be reprinted again.  I really didn't want to have to do that since I had just 5 days before paid for 3 books!!!  I decided to call Snapfish.com and ask tell them the situation and see what they could do.  My moms motto is "It never hurts to ask", and I'm so glad I did! The nice lady said that she would credit me the amount I originally paid and I could make the changes and order the new ones at no additional cost.  What a blessing!!!  So, hopefully tomorrow I will get those new ones ordered and as soon as we get them, I can send that to our agency.  I just found out that once they receive that, if they have a birthmom and we meet her criteria and vice versa, they will start to show it!!!  If someone happened to be interested in us before they receive our completed homestudy, they would still be able to contact our social worker and get the approval.  I can't believe we are getting so close to being able to have our profile shown!!  It's hard because we are all ready NOW but we know God's timing is perfect and this will all fall into place when HE is ready.  Thank you so much for all of your prayers.
     Also, we are trying to figure out the last few details about selling t-shirts.  Hopefully sometime in January we will be able to get that fundraiser going.  Bobby is hoping that we can sell a good many and then he would like to have another fundraiser where we sell BBQ plates and everyone that has a t-shirt can wear it to the BBQ!! Sounds fun huh:)  We have a design in mind for the shirt and it will have a bible verse about adoption on it.  We will try and post pics of the design sometime after Christmas.