Adoption t-shirts!!

We have finally designed some t-shirts to help raise money for our adoption! Actually, our girls did most of the designing;  Mary Claire wrote the text and Lilly Jane colored the picture. They have been coming up with all kinds of ideas to help us raise money and designing a t-shirt was the one that made the most sense. They should be coming in the mail any day now and if you would like to purchase one you can let us know in advance (either by commenting here or sending me a message on Facebook). Here is what they will look like:

 

They will be $20.00 and we have youth sizes (limited quantity) as well as adult sizes. Once we actually get them in I will take a picture of one and post it.  

Also, don't forget when you are doing your Christmas shopping (if you use Amazon) PLEASE click on our link first and Amazon will give us a percentage from your purchase at no extra cost to you! All the money we receive from Amazon goes straight into our adoption fund. For more information please click on the "Adoption Fundraising" tab on our blog. I plan to put the t-shirts there as well as soon as I have pictures to post. Here is the link for our Amazon account: 

Click here to support our adoption by shopping Amazon

Why??

The most frequent question I hear lately is why? Why are you adopting? Why did you choose Ethiopia? Why not just have more biological children? Why are you homeschooling your children? Why not send them to public school? etc. I thought I would write a post to address the two main questions for those of you who are wondering the same things.

First of all why did we choose to adopt? In a word....Obedience.

Part of the reason we adopt is because we are adopted - adopted as children of God. We are sinful and undeserving, and yet by God's grace and through faith in His son, Jesus, we are forgiven. Not only are we forgiven but we are made co-heirs with Christ. In Romans 8: 15-17 it says: The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We believe that every Christian is called to care for orphans.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.   - James 1:27

Do we believe every Christian is called to adopt? No. How the call to care for the orphans is accomplished is different in the life of every Christian. Some may pray for the orphans of the world; others may financially support those who are adopting, an orphanage, or other orphan care ministries; still others may choose to foster children or adopt. For us, we felt God leading us to adoption. Our decision to adopt was merely an act of obedience to God's leading in our lives.

Why are we homeschooling our children? To answer this question I would once again use the same word...Obedience.

First of all, let me say that I find nothing wrong with public school, particularly in Hartselle. We have excellent public schools with top-notch educators. Young adults graduating from our high schools are more than prepared to take on college.

With that being said, God tells us in His word that we are to bring up our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). He also tells us in Deuteronomy 6:5-7 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength. And these commandments I give to you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk about them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Once again, the way this is accomplished may look different for every family. However, the bottom line for Christians is clear - we are to train our children to know and serve God and to bring Him glory. For our family, we feel that God has laid homeschool on our hearts as a way of accomplishing this goal. Being my girls' teacher allows me to set the curriculum. As a result, we decide how and when our children receive Biblical instruction. (Two side notes: 1. We have found an amazing Bible curriculum that I would highly recommend and you don't have to be a homeschooler to use...here is the link: http://www.biblestudyguide.com.  2. We are part of a homeschool group that helps tremendously!  We meet once a week and then I reinforce what we learn there throughout the remainder of the week.  It is nationwide, here is the link: https://www.classicalconversations.com ) Not only do we have dedicated time for studying God's word, I am able to train and teach my girls all day.  Once again, I don't mean to say every Christian should homeschool. We don't even know how long we will homeschool.  Right now, our goal is to give our girls a firm foundation in faith through homeschooling, but we plan to constantly pray and seek God's guidance as to what the future holds. And so...Why do we homeschool? Obedience to God's calling for our lives.

I don't mean to sound as if we have it all figured out. We certainly do not!  Living in obedience to God's word is a huge and impossible struggle in this world.  Praise the Lord for his grace and forgiveness! Our goal is to continually strive to have our lives line up more and more with God's word.

I hope this helps to answer those who are curious. If you have any questions about adoption, orphan care, homeschool, etc. feel free to ask them. We don't claim to have all the answers, but we can tell you what we know from our personal experience.

last two home study visits

We have now finished all of our home study visits!! It is up to our social worker to compile all our information to complete the process. The last two visits have been easier than the first couple. During the first of the two we talked about our parenting and discipline style and during the second we discussed difficulties our child may experience after adoption as well as the transracial side of things. During the fist visit all of our children were present so our social worker could see how we interact as a family. The next thing up for us is to get immigration approval to adopt and then we will prepare our dossier to send to Ethiopia! Once all that is completed it will basically be a matter of waiting for a referral. Right now they say the wait may be around 18 months but could be as long as 24 months. Honestly, right now the wait time doesn't really bother us. Elsie is still just 9 months old and the older she gets before our adoption the easier the transition will be. We are trusting that it will all work out in God's perfect timing and he will place the exact child/ren in our home that he intended. (Side note: We are seeking approval to adopt 1-2 boys ages 0-6 but are currently still requesting a single boy 0-2. As Elsie gets older we may broaden our age range a bit as well as decide to seek the adoption of 2 children instead of 1.)


I can't wait for the day we add another sweet face or two to this lineup!!!

Build Your Kingdom Here

Okay...I don't mean to sound like a music snob, but I am pretty particular about the music I listen to. As a result, I have a hard time finding Christian music that I truly enjoy so when I find something, I like to pass it along for those of you in the same boat. This song actually came on the radio and then I came home and listened to it again. I love the message! Here are the lyrics: 

Come set Your rule and reign
In our hearts again
Increase in us we pray
Unveil why we're made
Come set our hearts ablaze with hope
Like wildfire in our very souls
Holy Spirit come invade us now
We are Your Church
We need Your power
In us

We seek Your kingdom first
We hunger and we thirst
Refuse to waste our lives
For You're our joy and prize
To see the captive hearts released
The hurt; the sick; the poor at peace
We lay down our lives for Heaven's cause
We are Your church
We pray revive
This Earth

Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray

Unleash Your kingdom's power
Reaching the near and far
No force of hell can stop
Your beauty changing hearts
You made us for much more than this
Awake the kingdom seed in us
Fill us with the strength and love of Christ
We are Your church
We are the hope 
On Earth

Another Home Study Visit

Last Thursday we had another home study visit. This time it wasn't actually at our home, but in the Lifeline office in Huntsville, AL. Prior to this visit Dan and I had to complete a VERY extensive autobiography that included everything from our relationship to our parents when we were young to our marriage life. There were questions like: How did your parents show affection to you and your siblings? What were your hobbies, interests, activities in high school? What are the emotional roles in your marriage? The list goes on and on and on and on. While it was very time consuming to complete I understand why they want us to provide that information. They need to get to know us and understand us as best they can. Like I said before, it seems as though they want to be able to help with any issues that need addressing not try to uncover things that deem us unfit for adoption. Our visit went great! We could not be more pleased to have the social worker we were assigned. She has made us feel very comfortable throughout the entire process.

Our next scheduled visit is July 1st. This one will be in our home and our children will be present so our social worker can watch us interact as a family. Before that visit we have to complete a set of discussion questions as well as a transracial exercise. We are also to be working on all the education pieces they have for us including: reading a book called The Connected Child,   reading quite a bit of information on Ethiopia itself, reading some information on our agencies (un)Adopted program, and completing a 10+ hour Hague training. We are almost finished with all the education already, which is great!

In other news....Thanks to Aly (http://erpbyalyson.com/blog/) I have new portraits of my three girls!!! Could not be more excited! Here are a few....

A Child's Eyes

The girls and I were listening to Ethiopian music today, during one of our dance parties, and images of the musicians were pictured while the songs were playing. My middle daughter, Lilly Jane, commented how one of the artists looked just like one of our family friends. The family friend I am referring to is white, while of course the Ethiopian singer was black. The funny thing is at closer inspection he did look very similar to our friend.

I love seeing things through the eyes of a child. To them the color of someone's skin is irrelevant. It is just another trait like blonde hair versus red hair, blue eyes versus brown eyes, or being short versus being tall. My prayer is that as my children get older they will maintain this same viewpoint, that skin color won't matter to them. Of course they will see color, we all do just like we notice if someone is short or tall, but it shouldn't effect how we view someone or how we treat them. I pray that having a little brother who has a different color skin will help them to view people in that manner and that not only will they be able to see beyond race but beyond social status, intelligence, etc. I want them to learn to love all people which is what Jesus himself commanded of us. 

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

We are all created in God's image, each and everyone one of us no matter how different we are and we are all worthy to be loved. 

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

God loves us exactly how we are and we need to learn to do the same. I pray that as our family becomes multiracial in the near future that we will help to break down some of the racial barriers in our community. That our children will learn to treat all people with love and that we will show others how to do the same. This is just one of the many things I am excited about as we move forward with our adoption process! 

...and of course I can't post anything without including a few pictures of the kids....

Home Study Visit

We had our first home study visit last Thursday morning! Of course I was nervous and Dan wasn't at all. This visit included an interview of the two of us together as well as a home tour/inspection. It went really well! Our caseworker was great and I can tell we are going to get along just fine! She was very sweet and not at all intimidating like I had originally pictured in my mind (not really sure why I had that impression because she was very kind over the phone). Her questions basically just expounded on our initial application. She answered all our questions and told us what paperwork items needed to be tackled next. The only negative we received, if you can even really call it that, is that we need to install a smoke detector in the basement (I'll take it).

Overall I was very encouraged by our visit. Before we began this process I pictured our caseworker coming in and grilling us to see whether or not we are "good" enough to adopt a child. That couldn't be farther from the truth. While Lifeline does have many checks and balances in place to make sure we can provide adequate care, they really seem to want to equip an enable you to adopt not judge every aspect of your life.

Next up on the agenda for us is to complete a VERY extensive autobiography and then we will have our second home study visit which includes individual interviews for both Dan and myself.

Some of our best friends just got home from Ethiopia for their first visit! They got to meet their little boy and spend some quality time with him. They also got to venture out in the country and learn more about the culture. I can't wait to hear all their stories knowing in a couple of years we will be having similar experiences! We are so blessed to have friends who have gone through this process before us and can help us along our journey.

And just for your viewing pleasure, here are some semi-recent pictures of the fam...

WAR EAGLE!!!!!

We made the trip this weekend to Auburn for the A-day game and more importantly the last rolling of  Toomer's! We are sad to see the trees go but so glad the girls got to be a part of a tradition that we hold dear!  It is great to be an Auburn Tiger! War Eagle!!! Here are a few of our pictures....

Shop at Amazon and support our adoption!

We had our orientation interview via phone last week with our Ethiopia caseworker! It lasted about an hour or so. During that time we were given an overview of what our process will look like. We also answered a few basic questions about our marriage and our family. It went very well and I can tell we are really going to get along great with our caseworker. She gave us the go ahead to begin any fundraising we planned to do.

 So.....I have become an "Amazon Associate". Basically, from what I gather, we have  a unique link to Amazon that we can post here on the blog, our Facebook accounts, send it via email, etc. What we are asking of our friends and family is that you clink our link before shopping at Amazon. It takes you directly to their site, but as a result, we get a percentage of what you spend for advertising for them. They don't charge you extra or anything like that. So basically you shop as usual, but support our adoption at the same time! Pretty easy! If you choose, you can also bookmark our link so you won't forget to use it when shopping. We will also keep this link under our fundraising tab for easy access. (Also under that tab is a link to donate to our adoption through paypal.) Thanks in advance to all of you who participate! Here is the link: 

Shop at Amazon and Support our Adoption

And so it begins...

We have BIG news....we are officially beginning the adoption process!! We have sent in our initial application to Lifeline, which is the agency we have decided to adopt through. (Side note: They are an amazing christian agency that is completely gospel centered and I would highly recommend them for anyone thinking of adopting or doing foster care or just looking for a great cause to support!) We have a long journey ahead of us but we are so excited to begin! We are planning to adopt a baby boy anywhere between 0-2 years old from Ethiopia. I plan to update the blog in the near future with more details on our decision to adopt, why we chose Ethiopia, and specific information on Ethiopia. We also plan to sell t-shirts on our blog and maybe do a few other fundraisers to help with the cost.

We are so blessed to have dear friends who are in the final stages of adopting their sweet little boy, Jeremiah, from Ethiopia and other friends who are beginning the process at the same time as us! God is so good! It is crazy how he works everything out. 

Dan and I firmly believe that Christians are called to care for the orphans. I don't mean to say that every Christian is to adopt, but we can all commit to some form of orphan care. Whether it be praying for the fatherless, supporting others who are adopting, doing foster care, adopting, or taking part in other orphan ministries. We have no doubt that adoption is something God wants for us and we are thrilled! We by no means think it will be an easy road and we know our family will be forever changed. However, we also know that we serve a great God and we are trusting Him to be by our side through it all! Here are two scriptures that we cling to: 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.     James 1:27

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.       Romans 8:14-16

Favorite Things

Just wanted to share a few of my favorite things, in no particular order....
My husband Dan. He is the love of my life, a wonderful father to our children, and a godly man who is constantly striving to bring glory to God every day.

My three girls, Mary Claire, Lilly Jane, and Elsie. They bring so much joy and laughter to our home.

Photography. I am blessed to be second shooter to an amazing photographer, not to mention one of my best friends, Alyson Clemons with Eternal Reflections Photography. This picture is from the most recent wedding we shot.

Coffee. I am absolutely obsessed with coffee. I'm sure my teeth don't appreciate my coffee drinking habit.

Listening to my girls pray. There is something so pure and inocent about listening to a child pray. Childlike faith is such a beautiful thing.

Watching my girls play. Mary Claire and Lilly have become so independent. I love to watch and listen in on their play time. It is amazing the things they come up with! I also love watching Elsie develop; I am enjoying each stage of her life so much!

My journaling Bible. Spending time in God's word is one of the most important parts of my day. I am in love with my journaling Bible since I am a huge advocate of writing in Bibles and it gives me plenty of room to do so!

Music. It has always been and will always be a huge part of my life! I attribute this to my Dad. I particularly enjoy listening to vinyls.

Plants. I have to admit that these are fake plants, but they photographed better. I actually do have several live plants that I love as well.

Books, books, books. It is my opinion that you can never have too many books. Once again, I attribute my opinion on books to my Dad.

Cooking with the girls. They love to help in the kitchen!

Orphans. By this I don't meant to imply that I love that children are orphans, but that I have a heart for the orphans of the world. I believe as a Christian, God has made it clear throughout scripture that we are to care for the orphans. God has placed it on our hearts that for our family the way to do that is through adoption. We plan to begin the process of adopting a little boy, most likely from Ethiopia, in the near future.

Most of all, my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Without Him I am nothing. It is impossible for me to articulate what my faith in Christ means to me. I pray every day that God will enable me to take up my cross and follow Him and to be a light in this dark world. I believe my sole purpose in this life is to bring glory to God by multiplying the gospel of Christ. I make many mistakes along the way, but praise God for his mercy and forgiveness!