Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Moving my blog

Due to inability to post photos :( I am moving my blog over to wordpress....

http://my3busyboys.wordpress.com/

Come join me there!!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Nursery Inspiration

I've been putting this off until Jordan went back to dorm life, mostly because he was staying in the "guest" room. Now that I have a clean slate, here are my thoughts. I welcome any comments!


The wall color is similar to this photo  - Sherwyn Williams Dove Tail. Nice warm brownish gray


The crib is a convertible style from Costco


I like the flowers, and the colors here. I really haven't found any bedding AT ALL, so this is a plus that I found this on Etsy.


Another Etsy find. This is a vinyl decal that I just love. The wall color is almost an exact match.


And I want to hang some paper lanterns in a corner.
I think my ideas are coming together nicely!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

First Care Package!

Here is a photo of what we are sending to Korea. We are allowed whatever will fit in a zipped one gallon ziploc bag. I'd say I did pretty well. I was putting things aside for her care package weeks ago! We included: photobook of our family that I made at Shutterfly, a squishy photobook that I inserted photos into, a doll, another small toy, a set of "Little Sister" pjs, a shirt and a butterfly dress.



I am mailing this off to our agency, who will in turn send it to Korea. We are hoping for some photos with her wearing something from this package, or holding our photo album!
We plan on sending another package near Christmas. I am also starting to gather foster family gifts.

The other piece of good news is we are ATK (acceptance papers to Korea) this week!!



Saturday, August 6, 2011

Our family of 5 is soon to be 6!

We received little one's official referral packet in the mail on Friday! LOTS more paperwork to fill out, notarize and return to our agency. We had already received most of the information via email, including her medical records (birth records, initial hospitalization, immunizations, scans etc) and her photos. We are so excited to complete this "official" step in adopting her! Here's what we know:

  • She is 14 mos old tomorrow
  • She was about 23lbs at her one-year physical
  • She knows umma (mama), appa (dada) and mama (eat)
  • She dances to music (how cute!!)
  • She is taking some steps!!

What's next?

  • Our immigration paperwork and request to adopt an orphan is sent to our government office
  • Korea begins her paperwork on their side, preparing for her passport and visa
  • Because Korea is about at the end of issuing emigration permits for the year, we have been told that we will not be issued until 2012. We hope and pray that means January, as agencies tend to push through as many families/referrals as they can to bring their children home. 
  • Typically, once she receives her Emigration Permit (EP) we could theoretically be home in 6-8 weeks.
We will travel to Seoul to pick her up, and our middle son Mark (16 yrs old) is most likely going to travel with us. Please keep our family in your prayers for a smooth process over the next few months, and we will continue to pray and know that God always provides.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

We have a daughter!!

We are thrilled to announce that we have been matched with a beautiful waiting child. She is 13 mos old and we are over the moon. We truly believe in the power of prayer. I wanted to share a little of our journey and say that every time I had a doubt, I prayed, and God answered. 

In May, one of our sons had a bad accident; his medical bills were in the thousands. In fact, it was very close to the same amount we owed our agency since we were close to being homestudy approved. God provided us with two checks that met this amount. When our hearts were searching for our daughter, she appeared on a photolisting late on a Friday afternoon. A saw a post my friend had made about her rainbow kids listing and thought, well, I’m sure it’s not our agency. It was. 

It was the 2nd time she was photolisted. The first time she was photolisted for 6 months, and another wonderful family had reviewed her file. That family prayed that she would find her forever family and that they could follow her journey. It’s no coincidence that we met on facebook about a month ago. God put us in eachothers’ lives. When we talked to our agency the following Monday, over 30 families had requested her file just over the weekend. We were the only family with a completed homestudy that had inquired. 

Her file had some potentially scary stuff. When we talked to the IAP, she said “why is she a waiting child?” When we talked to the neurologist, he said “there’s nothing here to tell you.” She has a minor medical issue that put her on the special needs list. I’m overwhelmed by the grace and love that God has shown us. You see, we would age out of the program if we stayed on track to wait for a “healthy” child. God had other plans for us.



We aren't allowed to reveal her photos per our agency rules, so you will have to settle for a heartface :)

Monday, July 25, 2011

Ladybugs

In many cultures, ladybugs are associated with luck. The appearance of a ladybug is known to be a blessing. Over the past few months, they have been appearing in odd places:

In my car, at least three times

In my master bath in the bathtub

And most recently on Saturday, Brad and I were walking through Kohl's (department store) and he felt something hit his neck. I looked on his shirt and it was a ladybug. In the middle of a department store. It was if he was being smacked with "here's your sign!"

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Ryan's Homecoming

Yesterday, my brother came home from 8 months of deployment. My other brother and I met him at the base where they flew in off of the USS Carl Vinson off the California coast to Whidbey Island. Here are some great photos:



Sunday, April 24, 2011

Step 2 - Paperwork

Reference Letters x 4
Application contract
Autobiography and written assignments
Criminal background check
Health insurance form
Medical physicals
Guardianship form
Parenting resource plan
Financial statements'
Attend classes
Whew!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Step 1 - Success!

9 years ago we added a third son to our family of boys. It was a close-call for the both of us. I experienced a placental abruption during childbirth and had a crash c-section. I remember being intubated. I woke up and heard nothing. My heart dropped. In the corner, Brad was sitting holding our little Devin fast asleep. Mom got to see him first ~ he was peeing the minute they lifted him out of my incision.

After that experience, it was advised that I not have any more children. What?? How am I supposed to try for a daughter? No chance.

I can't explain the yearning or the love for my unknown daughter. She is out there, somewhere. We have thought about this for a long time, and we have decided to adopt.

Here is the tricky part. You have to have the child placed before age 46 (with exceptions in just a few countries), and the waiting lists are growing. So, we are moving forward and our application has been accepted. We are joining the Korea program, and hope to bring home a little girl within the next 2-3 years. That sounds like an eternity. It feels like it is. I've come across many inspirational quotes lately, and I'm following other adopting parents who are friends and strangers alike.

Some opportunities only come once; seize them. Please pray for our family, and for the child that holds a special place in our hearts. We want to bring her home more than anything ♥