Auction, two items end tomorrow!

The auction will be ending in a little over 24 hours for two super cute items at Bringing Sophia Home.  Go check them out and make a bid!  The rainbow roll will make a wonderful Christmas present (my kids are getting them for Christmas, ssshh don't tell them, good thing they can't read yet) or great for traveling if you are taking your little ones on a summer trip or even a trip to bring a sibling home.  We appreciate your support and help in bringing Sophia home.

Upcoming fundraiser!!!!!

Yesterday I nearly started crying when I read my email.  We have been chosen as one of Hip Mom jewelry's first fundraising families.  We should be hearing more about her fundraising program in a few weeks so keep checking back.  She has fantastic jewelry that makes wonderful gifts for others or yourself.  I myself can't wait to spend my birthday money on a little treasure for myself!

Lots of fundraising ideas are floating around in my head these days.  I need to update the ticker but I believe we are at $2500 earned so far.  Another HUGE yardsale is in the works for late August or September, if you are from our neck of the woods and would like to donate items to our yardsale let me know, we are happy to pick up your donation.  My sweet sister S is planning a fundraising dinner for us.  We grew up in a very small town so there is a lot to take into consideration before we jump in full steam ahead.  She has such a beautiful generous heart, once she gets her mind on it there is no stopping her.  Although the auction blog has not been very active yet I still have great hopes for it.  In the next week I have a followers giveaway planned.  It will launch on Saturday July 17th.

My husband has been working like crazy on a shop to raise additional funds too.  If the kids could find something to do to raise money I know they would be doing it too.  It's hard for four year olds to participate but they love to help with the yardsales.  Last weekend I spent 12 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday on a yardsale at the park in my home town.  Although it was a quieter weekend that I had hoped for we still raised $225 and I met a lot of wonderful people.  I really enjoyed the time we spent in the park, the kids had a blast playing tea and dressup with the yardsale items and I had an opportunity to visit with some great people.  Although it was hot and the wind blew constantly it is a memory to charish.  The journey to Sophia is bringing me in touch to some wonderful people.

We appreciate everyone's prayers and support.  Without you we can't bring our baby girl home. 

Thankful Thursday

When I stop to think about my life, I mean really think about it, I have so very much to be thankful for.  Jesus has blessed me in so many ways, the biggest way is my family.  I got a little misty eyed thinking about it the other night after enjoying the Fourth of July festivities. 

As I was putting E into the car after the fireworks he told me in his very sleepy voice that he had a great day.  The thing was, it was a very simple day.  Breakfast in the park, lunch at Nana's with extended family, playing hard all day with cousins, riding the four wheeler with Nana and daddy to check on the cows, a childrens carnival in the park and snuggling up with my uncle to watch the fireworks.  As I watched him all settled in with my uncle enjoying the evening firework show it dawned on me that a little more than two years ago he was in China without a family to call his own.  Now he is here with so many people that feel so blessed to be part of his life.  While there are people who do not understand the reason why we have chosen to form our family the way we have all I have to do is remember this day and how much love my children receive from so many for me to know why we do what we do.

Tuesday was my birthday and I was blessed with a wonderful dinner cooked by my husband and kids.  It was so nice to walk in the door to the wonderful smell of lasgna and bread.  To sit down and enjoy a wonderful dinner without going out and dealing with waits in restaurants and try to keep our kids occupied while we wait for food.  I have to say that this is the first year I didn't want to go out to dinner and was so happy and excited when I walked in the door and knew my husband read my heart.  While at work someone asked if we were going out to dinner and my reply was I sure hope not.  In our journey to simplify we have not been eating out much.  I even made E's birthday cupcakes for preschool and his cake for his party.  I have to tell you they enjoyed decorating those cupcakes so much more than they would have enjoyed the little rings that come on top of the store bought cupcakes.  I am finding that living a simpler life is such a blessing, full of so many memories we can make together.

Another thing I am so thankful for is my wonderful sisters.  There is nothing like being able to poor your heart out to your sisters even if you are being a whiny boo hooer.  I love how they listen to me and give me support and an encouraging word.  They help me work through things and they support the things that I am passionate about.  I'm also so thankful for our parents.  They truly helped mold us into the people we are today. 

While life is stressful with so much going on and funds that need raised, I am so glad that I was able to take a moment to think about my life and how full it really is.  Full of all the things He has promised with so much more to come.

Sophia Meilin

Introducing our daughter Sophia Meilin. She is 15 months old and is from the Guangdong Province.  We have been blessed with another beautiful treasure from God.

We received her referral call at 9:45 pm on June 21st. We knew immediately that she was our daughter. We submitted our Letter of Intent to our agency that very night and it was submitted to CCAA by our agency on June 23rd. We are very excited to receive our Preapproval on June 24th and anxiously await travel to bring her home.

We are diligently working on fundraising to raise the needed funds to complete her adoption.  Please visit our fundraising auction blog Bringing Sophia Home.  Please consider putting our buttons on your blog.  We could use all the help in advertising our fundraiser as possible.  Blessings!

Trusting

Such a significant word is trust and I put my trust in the Lord.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

During trials in life it is so easy to ask "why did He allow it".  My belief is that God doesn't necessarily allow the struggles of life we have, however, He takes those struggles and brings good out of it.  When we live a life that is status quo we stay in our comfort zone but He doesn't plan for us to stay in our comfort zone.  He has so many things planned for us and when we face the struggles and trials of life with trust in Him, our Lord can do so much with us.  He can mold us into the people he created us to be from day one.

I have been asked many times if I have grieved not having children biologically.  I will honestly say that I have not because I don't feel that it was something to grieve, I have no loss but wonderful gifts.  He knew the day he created me that I would love all children.  I can clearly remember the day in my life that I learned about adoption, I can remember the conversation I had with my mom when we were working in the garden telling her about how cool it was that the neighbor's aunt (she was the same age as the neighbor kids) was adopted and how I was going to adopt when I grew up.  Many years later we realized we were not meant to have biological children but that He had planned for us to adopt.  My heart is so full knowing that our Lord planned that as my gift.  He put it in my heart and let it grow and many years later it bloomed and now I have the two most wonderful children and will soon be adding a third blessing.

When I came home from China with E I didn't know if our family was complete.  Two children were really more than two children.  We had a lot of adjusting to do and a new routine to establish.  We started sponsoring Ginger at Philip Hayden when we were matched with E.  We watched her grow in pictures, heal after her surgeries and then one day I had this feeling that she was meant to be a part of our family.  That feeling became all consuming and I shared it with my husband.  We then began the journey to our third child, believing her to be that child that was meant to be a part of us.  Then it came to be that she was not the child He planned for us.  At first the pain was there, for her I grieved, I had already envisioned our life with her.  As time has gone by and a month has passed I know deep in my heart that He gave me love for her so that we would be ready for the little one that He planned for us.  Had we not loved Ginger we would not have started this third adoption and with all the changes in IA we really needed to get started so we could be ready.  And here we are now, waiting for Him to reveal our daughter to us.  We are ready and waiting for his timing, it will be perfect, she will be perfect!

I have become such a believer that He only plans good for us.  Trying times will come and go but it is His plan that will persevere.  As we are human we wish that would could know more about the journey ahead so we could prepare for it but if we are prepared how can He teach and how can we grow.  Is it really better to know what lies ahead?  Would we avoid the journey if we new what it held?  My guess is that we wouldn't so I am choosing to lean into Jesus, trust Him to guide the way and that he will grow us to be better people and better followers through the journey.

On a side note I promise that I will soon post some updated pictures of M and E.  We have been a busy family this past month and have some great pictures to share.  Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare our hearts to be open to His plan with the release of the next shared list.  We may know who our little one is in the near future.

The Journey to Simplify

As you probable have noticed by now I really enjoy A Place Called Simplicity a lot.  Linny and family live their lives for Jesus and I love the ministry of her blog.  I don't know if she calls blogging a ministry but to me it is.  She has taught me so much about listening to God and acting on what he is speaking to us about.  She has been instrumental in a lot of changes going on in me and my family.  It really all started with her Crazy Love post and it just keeps going, she is writing about the things that are in my heart. 

I have been feeling the need to simplify our lives.  We are a family of four with enough possessions for a family of at least six if not eight.  We live in a modest size home that is stuffed to the gills with THINGS.  They are not cherished things, most of them are not things we can't live without and we somehow keep getting more things.  We just had a wonderful huge yard sale of things that were donated from others and a few things from our home, mostly things from the attic but not the things that are making our lives hectic and are consuming our thoughts and energy. 

I have been feeling so overwhelmed by the messes that are all over our house.  Our children do not treasure the possessions that they have, they have so many they can't keep track of what is precious to them.  Unfortunately, I am certain that the rest of my family is not yet in the place that I am.  M did go through her room and parted with a grocery bag of odds and ends from her room but that is just a small tip of the ice berg.  My family really likes THINGS.  I remember when we moved into our house we moved from a much smaller house and so much of our house felt empty, eight years have passed two children have joined the family and the house if full.  I have found myself dreaming about our old smaller home, wishing we were in a smaller home.  The American Dream is usually to have a bigger house and I am dreaming of a smaller house. 

With all major life changes small changes start the process.  I am hoping that by clearing out the THINGS that I have excess of or have not used in a long time I will lead the transformation of our family.  That we can simplify our lives, be happier with each other not with the things that own us.  I had been changing some of our spending habits by making our own laundry detergent, using foaming soap that I make myself instead of buying a new bottle,  each time we run out but those are very small changes, it is time for our family to make some really big changes. 

My prayer is that by the time we are ready to our fall fundraising yard sale that we will have a great amount of things for sale from our own home.  That our excess will help us bring our daughter home.  I encourage you to follow along with Linny as she shares her experiences in Simple Living, I know that I will be.

The first of the initials start to arrive!

LID!!!!!

Our LID is May 31st!  I have to say this is the fastest we have ever heard we are logged in.  Our coordinator at BAAS, Xiaoqing, is totally on her game.  I can't recommend her enough.  Praying June is the month we find out who our little girl is, we can't wait to see her.  Already starting to think of names but won't be able to decide until we see her.  We will keep you all posted.