I Guess Snow Days Make Us ALL A Little Crazy...

We had a snow day today.  Technically, it was an ice day, but you know what I mean.  Of course, these days always seem to fall when Jake is working until 9:00.  I was afraid I'd get a little stir crazy, but we had a great day.  None of us got out of our pajamas all day, and I even took a short nap (accidentally) with Joshie. 

I wanted to post these hilarious pictures of Luke and Max in the midst of, what they have termed, "The Karate Cup."  Who knows where they get these titles, but it was very entertaining.  As you can see, they were very dramatic.  I was directed to be the play-by-play announcer, and it was a free-for-all!  Max was declared the ultimate champion, and they both decided that "the karate cup has to become a Christmas tradition."  I guess every family has some weird traditions, but really??

I just heard on the news that school is closed again tomorrow.  I pray two days in a row won't put us ALL over the edge!

'Tis the Season for Christmas Cards!

For some reason, I've been a bit manic about Christmas this year.  Jake and I put up the tree BEFORE Thanksgiving!  We had good reasons.... he had to work, we were heading out of town, etc.  But by Thanksgiving night we had our outdoor lights up, too.  Then, a few nights ago, I decided that I needed to wrap presents.  That turned into me wrapping EVERY present I had bought at that point (yes, it took a while).  Jake stared at me from the couch with a concerned expression on his face.  But he knows better that to stand in my way when I get on a rampage!

Anyway, the one thing I haven't gotten around to yet is the Christmas card.  And so you can imagine my excitement when I saw these gorgeous Christmas card designs on my friend Amy's blog.  They are from Shutterfly, and there are so many that I really love, it's hard to choose just a few to share.  But here are some of my favorites.

I knew there wasn't much chance that we would have our sweet baby girl's referral photo in time to put it on our card, but I was still hoping!  I guess there's still a chance, but we have not quite been waiting 4 months and our agency has told us it will be 4 to 6 months before we can expect a referral.  But this is still a very special Christmas card, because it's our last card with the 3 boys before baby girl comes into the picture to rock their worlds!  I really like the way these three cards from Shutterfly let you put lots of pictures in the mix.  With our 3 boys, just one picture somehow doesn't tell the full story...

In case you are wondering why I'm telling you so much about our Christmas card, I'm showing you these cards because Shutterfly is offering a promotion to bloggers.  They are giving 50 free cards to people who will blog about their cards and show their designs on their blogs.  Of course, I am happy to oblige!  If you want more information about taking advantage of this great deal, click here:  http://bit.ly/sfly2010

To check out Shutterfly's Christmas card collection, you can click on this link:  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards  You can also check out their other holiday cards at http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards and you can see their calendars (something my family insists we make for them every year) at http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars .

Happy card shopping!

Camping in the COLD!

We had a great time camping this weekend with our friends Paige and John.  It was VERY COLD at night, but the days were beautiful.  The boys had a blast.  They loved hiking and were really tough- wearing me out!  It was nice to have nothing to do but sit looking at the fire.  In our over-scheduled life, we don't make enough time to chill out.  Here are some pictures of our trip.

                                                         

                                   At the campground- the boys spent their time playing football,
                                         throwing the baseball, and rolling around in the dirt!

                                                   Trail mix at the top of the mountain! 
                                                   They just hiked an hour to get here.



This one's not from the camping trip, but it was too cute to leave out. 

 This is Max on his class field trip to the pumpkin patch.

YAY! The I-600A Approval Is In!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but we have passed another little baby step toward getting our daughter home to us.  Our I-600A approval letter came on September 23rd.  So I guess my fingerprints were good enough.  Whew!  So glad to be done with that step in the process.

This form is called "Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advanced Processing for Orphan Petitioning."  It basically means that we have been approved by the US government to adopt an orphan.  When we get our referral, we have to file LOTS more paperwork on behalf of our daughter before we can travel to get her.  But this is a big step toward that goal.

I think about her every day.  I just can't believe that, all the way across the world, our daughter has almost certainly been born.  She is lying in a crib somewhere, or being fed, or being rocked to sleep in someone's arms.  Unbelievable, and yet it is true.  I am so amazed at God's grace.  He has placed a love in our hearts for this baby that we have yet to see, and it grows every day.  We are so thankful that we have this opportunity, and are praying that God will give us what it takes to be the parents that our baby girl needs.  We know that there will be so many issues (some dealing with adoption, some just with life) that we will have to help her navigate through over the years.  I feel so inadequate, but thankfully I don't have to rely on myself for this.  God is there and He will give us the words to say and the strength and wisdom to be the parents to all of our children that we need to be.  So we will continue to trust Him and to WAIT.

Fingerprints, Part Two

Today was part two of the fingerprint saga.  I went back  for my re-do.  My right hand is now cooperating, but the left fingers were still difficult to read.  The guy who did my prints said it was a toss-up as to whether or not they would be accepted.  I'll just have to wait and see.

I just want to get all my ducks in a row so that, when we do receive the referral, we will be able to move forward as quickly as possible.  The wait right now is tough but manageable.  We don't know our baby yet.  We haven't seen her beautiful face.  And we have no real idea how quickly or slowly this part will move.  When we get the referral, those last few months will be torture!  I don't know how we will do it knowing who she is, what she looks like, and so many details about her.  We will know that every moment it takes between the referral and our travel call is a moment we aren't with her.  But we will get through it with lots of prayers.  I just wonder every day if she has been born yet or not. 

I'm still afraid to believe it's really happening, if you want to know the truth.  I have little journals that I write memories in for all the boys.  Just little funny things they say and do, thoughts and feelings I have about them, etc.  I bought one for the new baby a long time ago, but I've been afraid to start writing in it.  I'm not sure what I'm afraid of.  I guess that this adoption won't really happen, that something will happen in Korea or with our agency or with international adoption in general to stop it.  But I realize that we have to give this to God.  He is in control, and he knows what he wants to do in our lives.  We just have to trust and we have to wait. 

So I think I'll go write in the journal now.  I have to start sometime, right?  :)

Our Disney Trip!

Here are a few pictures from our trip.  We had a wonderful time!

Josh loved this ride!

Luke and Max loved ALL the roller coasters.  Here they are on what they called the

"baby roller coaster" (Barnstormer)

We are trapped by Zurg!  Max loved Buzz Lightyear.

Max was all about his daddy on this trip.  They rode everything together.

All my boys!

Happy 7th Birthday, Luke!  He spent it at the Crystal Palace with Pooh.

Our last day... we were very sad to leave!

Luke's first day of 1st Grade- what a cutie!  He loves it so far.

Max is holding Jake and Sydney- my friend Natalie's new babies and the two cutest three month old twins on the planet!  I was told that they did not appreciate my comment about Charlie and Sophia, so I had to post this picture to clarify!

The Fingerprint Saga

Jake and I spent a couple of hours two weeks ago getting our fingerprints done for our I-600A form.  Let's just say it did not go according to plan.

Jake sailed right through the procedure, which was having each of his fingers scanned on a digital machine.  Apparently, his fingers are perfect specimens!  I, on the other hand, had a different experience.  The technician took A LONG, LONG time trying to get my prints, but concluded that they are undetectable.  They said that 1% of people have "the wrong type of skin" and that it is hard to get clear prints.  I feel so special!

Naturally, I asked what the procedure would be from there.  They said that they would send what they were able to get (2 of 10 fingers) and wait for the FBI to determine them insufficient.  They would then send me a letter (probably a few weeks later) with a rescheduled appointment date (probably a few weeks after that).  Although my skin isn't changing, I then get to try again the digital way.  If it doesn't work the second time, I will wait for another letter (again, a few more weeks) and be instructed to go to my local police station for ink prints.

Of course, when I asked if we could bypass all this and just do ink prints (there was an ink pad sitting right there on the table), I was told no and that we "have to follow the procedure."  Of course!  That makes lots of sense, right?

Anyway, I am hoping that the next time will take.  I already received my letter with my new appointment time.  Of course, it's on a day I'm supposed to work, but I'm afraid rescheduling would be a bad move. 

Government- you gotta love it!

Summer Fun

Here are a few more recent pictures of our family.

Grandma, Grandpa, the boys and their cousins Charlie and Sophia-

the cutest twins ever.

Max and Charlie

The Three Amigos-  don't they look like they're up to something?

What to Pray...

Last night I had a hard time going to sleep.  My thoughts were all over the place.  I'm starting a new part-time job, the boys are starting a new school year tomorrow, and this baby is on her way!  I am trying to take Philippians 4:6-7 to heart:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I am a natural worrier.  I guess most moms are.  But I am praying that God will help me to turn my worries into prayers.  When an anxious thought comes into my mind, I am trying to make it a little prayer of the heart.  It definitely takes the stress off.

Right now, Jake and I are praying for our baby girl.  If AIAA's timeline stays close to what they are predicting (up to 6 months to a referral), she may be born now or will be born any day.  So of course we are praying for her birth mom and that she will have peace in her heart as she makes this very brave and difficult choice.  We pray that somehow she will know that her daughter will be protected, cherished, and loved with all of our hearts.  We pray for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.  We pray for the foster parents.  We pray that they will provide a safe and loving home for her and that she will know her first loving relationship in their arms.  Wow... there's so much to pray and I'm just getting started!

It's so good to know that God is in control.  We trust him to keep her safe and to lead us to her.

On a side note, my sister-in-law Casey sent over some girl baby clothes today.  They were some outfits from her daughter Sophia.  How crazy to hang little pink things in the closet!  This is gonna be fun!

Kelly

Here we are on the Fourth of July.  We had a wonderful time!

Max is always such a cutie!

Here is Joshie- check out that curly hair!

Grammy and Papaw came down for part of our visit.

Luke had a great time at his pool party today-  and he really racked up the cash! 

 Here he is rejoicing in his newfound wealth.

The Blog Begins!

Sunday, August 22nd

Well, I can't believe it... but I think I have officially started a blog!  And I didn't even need anyone's help to get it started (hence the very pitiful-looking design scheme).  For those of you who know me, you will know that this is truly a small miracle.  I am technologically-challenged, to say the least. 

Anyway, this is a blog about our journey to adopt our baby girl from Korea.  We titled it "Born in Our Hearts" because our love for her has been growing in our hearts for quite some time.  We began our journey years ago, when we became involved with a local non-profit group in our town that helps provide grants to families who are adopting.  Jake and I had both discussed adoption as a possibility for growing our family since the beginning of our marriage, but our desire reached a whole new level after attending a benefit dinner sponsored by this group.  The speaker was a man who was adopted as a young boy, and his story was a very powerful one.  Leaving the dinner that night, we decided as a couple that adopting a baby was something that, God willing, we would do one day.

At that dinner five years ago, I truly believe that God planted a seed in both of our hearts.  It has been growing ever since.  We have prayed about adoption for quite some time, and are very excited to announce that we are officially "waiting" for a referral!  Our paperwork was sent to Korea on August 12th, so we are praying and waiting to finally see the picture of our baby girl.

Of course, life is keeping us VERY busy while we wait.  We have been blessed with three beautiful boys, and they keep us on our toes all the time.  Luke will be seven in a few weeks, Max is five, and Josh is two.  So...lots of people think we are crazy for adopting a baby at this point.  We figure we are already outnumbered, so why not?  We can't wait to meet our precious baby girl and love her so much already.

Here are some pictures of our recent beach trip and of Luke's birthday party.  He's not quite seven yet... but he had his party a few weeks early.