Monday, November 01, 2010

National Adoption Month 2010

National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month. For the second year in a row, we have decided to take the challenge from the fabulous mrs. r over at the r house to blog every single day of November in honor of adoption.

Unless you are new here (WELCOME if you are!), you already know how we feel about adoption. What makes this year extra special for us is that we have our third child's birth and adoption to look forward to this month! In addition, we have just been called as the new co-chairs for our local chapter of Families Supporting Adoption. We are excited and anxious to hit the ground running in this new position and to welcome home our baby girl! We hope you'll join us on our journey this month as we indeed have SO MUCH to be thankful for!

Happy November and Happy National Adoption Month!

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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Spotlight Saturday - Mark & Ginny

Mark & Ginny are a wonderful family in Nebraska that are excited to build their family through adoption.
You can find out more about them by visiting their online profiile

Ginny’s view of Mark:

Mark is the youngest of 3. His family is overjoyed for us to be chosen for a baby. Mark’s mom, Lori, is already knitting like crazy for our future baby. Right now Mark is finishing his third year of graduate school at Creighton University’s Pharmacy School. He has one more year, in which he will be doing clinical rotations. We are very excited for this next year of rotations, as he will be able to spend much more time at home with family. We will be most excited in May, 2011, when Mark will finally graduate with his Doctor of Pharmacy degree! He is the kindest, and most caring man I have ever met. He is hard working, thoughtful, responsible, and lots of fun. In our church we work with the 18 month to 3 year old children, and he loves it! He also gets to work with the youth 10 years of age in Cub Scouts as the Webelos leader. He loves everything that has to do with scouts, including Girl Scout cookies! He is an Eagle Scout, also.

He is always anxious to help others, and almost always cheerful. I say almost always, because someone once told me that you should avoid saying always and never, otherwise I would say always. When we were married 5 years ago, Mark was instantly the favorite of all of my nieces and nephews. I know that he will be a wonderful father to your baby.

Mark’s view of Ginny:

Ginny (you know, pronounced like Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter) comes from a large family, with 6 older siblings who all have their own families. They are thrilled for us to bring home a new family member. Ginny will be graduating with her associate’s degree in May, 2010. She has already started working on her Bachelor’s degree in Education at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She hopes to be a Math and Spanish teacher for middle grades. She also works at Metropolitan Community College as a Student Services Assistant. She says she is going to school to one day be a school teacher, but her real desire is to be more actively involved in teaching our children.

She has been an aunt since she was 13 and has loved helping out her siblings with raising them in any way she can. If you were to ask her nieces and nephews who their favorite aunt was, I’m confident that they would all vote for her. This is because of all the love and attention she gives each one of them. I know she will be a great mother who will love our children and raise them to be great people.

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Sunday, October 03, 2010

I Will Not Be Still

I've never been the kind to testify
I don't have the words his truth deserves
But it's a simple thing He asks
A worthy heart and willing hands
He says if I'll make the choice
He'll help me find my voice

He calls me to serve and I cannot fail Him
The One who has given me all that I have
I place my trust in Him alone
He knows the yearnings of my soul
Because He believes in me
I will go willingly

How can I keep this gift to myself
When I can lift somebody else
I am a witness of His miracles and His mercy
I put my future in His hands
Knowing He's made me all I am
When I put my faith in Him the truth begins to speak
His power is real
It moves me until I will not be still

Lifting the hands that hang down in sorrow
Strengthening knees that bend in despair
Reaching the hopeless hearts who do not know His love
Seeing their lives begin to change
I know I'll never be the same

How can I keep this gift to myself
When I can lift somebody else
I'll be a witness of His miracles and His mercy
I put my future in His hands
Knowing He's made me all I am
I put my faith in Him and truth begins to speak
His power is real
It moves me until I will not be still

His power is real
I trust in his will
I will not be still


{Lyrics from I Will Not Be Still by Kenneth Cope}

I know a lot of people think I'm crazy for spending hours and hours every month volunteering without getting anything they deem of value in return. I know some people think I am a fanatic about adoption. (I prefer the label "advocate," thank you very much!) Other adoptive parents tell me all the time that they just don't have the kind of time it requires to be involved.
So why do I do what I do?

I would argue that I can't afford not to be involved.

Miracles have been wrought in my life. I have been extremely blessed. As a result, if I am being truly honest with myself and with others,
I cannot be still
.

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Saturday, October 02, 2010

Adoption Success Story - Stacey & Eric, Ava & Devery

Meet Eric & Stacey, Ava & Devery, are a wonderful family in Utah that recently welcomed baby Chris to their family through adoption.
You can read about their adoption story by visiting their blog

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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Spotlight Saturday - Greg, Allyson and EvieJane

Please take a moment to get to know Greg, Allyson, & Evie Jane a wonderful family in Utah that is hoping to adopt.
You can find out more about them and contact them by visiting their adoption profile or blog

A little about us…

Allyson was born and raised in Arizona, and all of her family still lives there. We enjoy getting down there a few times a year to be with them. Greg was born in Saudi Arabia while his family lived in the Middle East for his dad’s job. However, he spent most of his life in Northern Virginia and definitely considers that “home”.

We met in college almost exactly ten years ago. We clicked right away and found ourselves spending as much time together as possible. Greg blames his bad grades that year on spending all his time with Allyson. Although we weren’t dating yet, we definitely had a strong bond. Greg went on a church mission to Singapore and Malaysia for two years, while Allyson continued her education and began teaching elementary school. Shortly after Greg came home, it was clear our friendship was ready to grow into something more. The timing was right and we were married about a year later.

We were blessed to have EvieJane join the family a year and a half after we were married. Little did we know, she was our miracle baby. We didn’t find out until a few years after she was born that we would not be able to have more children naturally. We are so grateful to have her in our life. She is almost five now and has been a blast since day one. Evie is a bright girl with a sweet personality. She is very social and loves dancing, dressing up, and going to preschool. Teaching her and raising her together has been an amazing experience and has strengthened our relationship immensely. Evie is very excited about the prospect of a baby brother or sister.

Allyson's thoughts about Greg

Greg is wonderful! He shows his love for our family in so many ways. He gives compliments and heads up kitchen dance parties. He helps make dinner and goes on daddy-daughter dates. He works hard at his job and still has energy to spend quality time at home. He knows when to be serious and when to be fun. He is patient and loving and serves in and out of the home. He always shows support and never criticizes. He creates a confidence in me that I didn't even know I had. He truly is my best friend and I feel blessed to have him in my life.

Greg's thoughts about Allyson

It’s hard for me to put into words for everyone to read exactly how I feel about Allyson. The day I met Allyson, it was clear she was someone special. I noticed how everyone gravitated towards her. People are drawn to her personality because they immediately know she cares. Her personality is genuine. She laughs with others; I think she is one of the most humorous people there is. Her humor is the type that is quick and witty, without going too far. She celebrates and hurts with others. She is extremely sensitive to individual situations, and is deeply affected by other’s joys and disappointments. Allyson also has this amazing ability to relate to children of all ages. I love to watch her and Evie play together. A lot of Evie’s creativeness has definitely been inspired by Allyson; I think I may have learned a thing or two as well. The reason I love Allyson the most is her selflessness. She always tries to be there for me and that helps me want to be able to do the same for her. She is my best friend in every sense of the word and I love her.


We're Hoping to Adopt!

If you'd like to help Greg and Allyson spread the word, you can add their button to your own blog!
Copy and paste this code into an html gadget.



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Sunday, September 12, 2010

A Pokémon Master's Take on Adoption


"The human sacrificed himself to save the Pokémon . . . I now see that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are"
-Mewtwo

I was watching this movie with Carter today.

Sometimes, when adoption is on your mind, you'll notice adoption messages where you never saw them before. :)

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Tuesday, September 07, 2010

BzzAgent: Elmer's Crafters'

I am excited about the latest BzzCampaign I got into over at BzzAgent.com. I get to receive poduct of coupons for product from Elmers and Xacto and then reveiw it and share my opinion with friends and family. They have a new line specifically for crafting and scrapbooking, which you know is right up my alley! I look forward to receiving my BzzKit and getting started on this campaign!

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Sunday, September 05, 2010

Seasonal Swaperoos

In the Spring, I joined a fun group called Seasonal Swaperoos and love swapping throughout the year. I've met some wonderful women whom I've become friends with. Won't you join us? Click on the button to learn more.

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