Paperwork is Off!!!

Ok here is when FAITH has to kick in and we have to just have FAITH that God has this adoption in His hands!!! In the last few days God has been doing so much in our life as well as in the other adoptive families around us... SO in FAITH I sent off all our Home Study paperwork and now we need to raise $1600 to pay for it! For our last adoption we knew exactly how much we needed to raise and we were able to post that, this time we have a ballpark number but we are just moving forward and prayig that God will take care of the rest!!! If you are not a "Believer" (I say believer because the word "christian" has lost A LOT of meaning over the years) so if you DO NOT have a RELATIONSHIP with the Lord Jesus Christ you could never know how he works but I'm keeping this blog in hopes that you will witness "What a FRIEND I have in Jesus!!!" He really will guide you feet if you surender your life to Him; I know for some that is hard and scary or maybe you think you already have but you are "secretly" holding on to "You're Will", God can't use you if your not willing!!! He has such GREAT plans for your life if you would only let Him work through you!!! In fact believe it or not, He has something better that you could have EVER planned... will you trust Him??? That's what Fred and I are doing and I know He wont let me fall!!!!



What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

Happy Happy Birthday Cole!!!

On Wednesday Cole graduated from his Birth to 3 program, what a BIG BOY!!! I can't even begin to tell what a different boy he is and I can NEVER EVER thank the Special Care Nursery staff, therapists and Care coordinators for ALL they did for my boy and our family!!! I will Never forget them ALL!!!

Saturday Fred and I took the kids to Bay Beach to celebrate Cole's birthday and BOY OH BOY did they LOVE it!!!! Sunday Cole turned 3years old, after Cole's birthday party (NO NAPS) Rorie sat down to eat dinner but she didn't get very far!!! Poor kid!!! Next week he goes to school... this is all happening way to fast!!! I'm going to be a "Cryin Reck" next week Tuesday!!!

This morning Cole after only fussing at me a bit allowed me to brush his teeth and his gums with a finger brush. Doesn't sound very big but for a boy that won't let ANYTHING even close to his mouth but a spoon this is so HUGE!!! I was alone and I only had Rorie to get excited with. I told her, "Look Rorie brother is brushing his teeth is that GREAT!!!” she looked at me like yeah Mom that's great... CRAZY!!! This is all in hopes that he will one day chew his food and I can STOP blending it!!!! Adoption Update: *I had my medical exam today and Fred goes Wednesday and the kids go Thursday so it is a busy week!!! Once those forms are all done and notarized our Home Study can be finished!!! *Still waiting for our tax returns PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be praying it would just put Fred and I at ease to know exactly how much we are going to have to fundraise!!!! *We are collecting cans I have picked up bags from a few friends and Fred stopped his 30day No Soda challenge; he says it is because he has to drink soda to bring the boys home, I don't know how much I believe that!!! *I have made room for rummage stuff and I have stickers and labels for pricing so if you have anything to donate PLEASE let me know and I will come get it or we will work something out! (Please only donate things you would buy!) The Rummage will be at our house Friday September 14th from 10am-3pm & Saturday September 15th from 9am-3pm come shop or help either one will be welcomed!!! *We started a spare change jar at our house and it is already half full, we are going to put one at church and we will see where that goes!!! If you would like to keep a "spare change jar" to donate to our adoption we would GREATLY appreciate that and I would be happy to pick it up when you believe it is full!!! We have a few other ideas but we will see if we will need them!!! I think that is it for now! Just PLEASE be praying!!!

In the Midst of things...

Sorry to drop a bomb on you and then go silent! I have been so busy getting paperwork together, getting ready for back to school (back to AWANA) and preparing my house for two new little ones!!! Our Home Study is just about done we have medical appointments for the whole family next week. I filled out the USCIS application and that is ready to go as soon as we get the written copy of our Home Study back! I have started collecting cans and things for our rummage sale in September! Please let me know if you have anything to donate or if you have any cans you might need me to pick up! This adoption is REALLY moving much faster than the first one; I think because I know what I'm doing this time around and this time I can't explain the sense of URGENTCEY I feel. These boys NEED me and I can't wait to get there to be with them. WE are waiting for our tax return still and we are due to get the check September 2nd, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be praying that it comes so we can just keep on cruzing!!! This week will be bringing MANY expenses and I feel such a push to get it all done!!! Last week I was on the phone with my sister Jessica and my niece Deb got on the phone and told me her best friend and her spent the afternoon doing a lemon aid stand and they raised $24.25; I thought wow that's Great! Then she continued to say "and I want to give it to you to help the boys come HOME..." I started tearing up when she said "Sorry it's not more..." I swallowed my tears and told her that the money she had raised will go a long way and that I was so blessed to have her then I had to hurry her off the phone because I couldn't fight the tears anymore; and I wanted to maintain my "Cool Aunt" status. Jessica came back on the phone and I could hear my older niece Frankie in the back ground say "Auntie are you mad? What’s wrong...?” Well now I had to let the cat out of the bag; Cool Aunt Amanda was crying!!! (I don't know if they think I'm cool but I like to think that they do!!!) I can't put into words HOW MUCH I LOVE LOVE LOVE my family and I how I just don't think I could do this without them!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Heart Touching

Just by word of mouth my sister's friend's Mom heard about our adoption and that we were collecting cans, she said if we want them come and get them so we did... Her grandson helped us load up our van (THANKS ALEX) and we took them to turn in!!! 83.5lbs that was $20.50; that may not sound like a lot to you but I will tell you what that will pay for... Every form we complete needs to be apostilled or certified and each apostille is $10 so that will pay for 2 apostilles and the postage to get it to Madison to get it done!!! When I say every penny helps I truly am NOT lying!!!! Thank you from the bottom of my HEART!!!

If You Can Help!!!

If you can help we won’t say “NO”!!! Any help is welcome; we have a few fundraisers that are coming up quick… 1. We are collecting aluminum cans so if you DON’T already save cans for yourself then we would be happy to collect them from you! You can either call me or Fred and we will pick them up from you; Or you can drop them off at our house or our Church (Calvary Bible Church in West Allis); Or if you are feeling REALLY ambitious you can take the cans in and just donate us the money either in person or on our “Chip In” on our Blog… I hope to have Fred put it on the blog in the next day or two!!! 2. We will have a “Spare Change Jar” at our Church; when it comes down to it every little bit really and truly does help! Fred and I saved our spare change from just a month and a half and we got $71… that’s 7 forms apostilled/certified!!! If you would like to start a “Spare Change Jar” in your own home that would be great too, I will be willing to come and pick it up when you feel it is full as long as you are in driving distance! (Less that 5hrs round trip… LOL) 3. Friday and Saturday September 14th & 15th we will be doing a HUGE rummage so if you have anything you can donate let Fred or I know by phone or Facebook or email and we will do our best to come and get it. We will be cleaning out our garage to start storing things. Again if you are feeling ambitious you can pre-price your items and drop them off as well I will do my best to have a COLD something to drink in my fridge to offer you!!! If you donate we can provide you with a tax deductible receipt. Please ONLY donate things you would buy!!! Also if you can help with set up, selling or packing up that will GREATLY be appreciated!!! 4. We are trying to plan a Fall Kickball Tournament in October I have to check with Fred on the Date but details to follow very soon! NOW Drumroll PLEASE…………The Boys!!!!..

Felix Zachary

Silas Frank... Dont they already look like brothers? I think they will fit in perfectly!!! Keep Praying!!!!

HERE WE GO AGAIN....

Let's start from the beginning... About 6 months ago my heart was being pulled to adopt again, I stared looking into the process again and at the waiting children pics and that only made my heart “WANT” more. Slowly I started making playful comments to Fred to see where his head was at. At first he was like “Not for a LONG time”… so I thought well if he says NO then why are you giving me the burden Lord? So I prayed and I began to seek God’s face and his path about a month later I joked with Fred again and he said “Ok start raising the money now and then in 3yrs we will do it”; NOT the answer I wanted to hear so I got back on my knees again and prayed for understanding of why God gave me this burden if my husband was going to stand in the way? GOD ANSWERS PRAYER… about a month or two later, and now the burden on my heart was even stronger and it was getting kinda hard to “wait on the Lord”. So this time I went to Fred, not in a playful way but a very matter of fact way, and I asked him again… this time Fred said “Ok… show me pictures!” I bout fell on the floor I was all ready for a big argument or my heart to be broken but no he wanted to look at pictures… WOW!!! (Backing up just a bit because the next part of my story needs for you to know this to see how AMAZING the God I serve is.) When going through our first adoption I fell in LOVE with a little guy that REALLY needed a home but I had my heart set on 2 “little ones” and if I remember correctly he was the only one available so I moved on and found Rorie and in another roundabout way I found Cole!!! (If you don’t know, Fred and I wanted to commit to a little blond guy but another family had committed to him that morning and I was so upset I had to find this family and follow them… not in a creepy way… to make sure he was going to a good home and I am happy to say that I believe he is right where he should be; and I can’t even imagine life without my Colester) Moving on… So this little guy was still available for adoption but had been moved to an institution. My heart wanted him sooooo bad but there was also a little girl with a VERY large grant that Fred really wanted. Now if you don’t know me I would be happy to LOVE any kid but for some reason my heart was pulled to the little boy so what did I do, I prayed and I went to Gods word and I really searched for what God wanted for Fred and I. Now up until this point I felt like I could actually hear God and I felt like ok things are clicking and this is where He wants us but which kid Lord show me… SILENCE!!!!! “Uhhh HELLO God what’s your answer… God ya there???” Three days… SILENCE… I was doing a study and the lesson was on contentment (A VERY HARD THING FOR ME) but I took it to heart and I looked at Rorie and Cole and thought “Ok, Lord… I am happy with Rorie and Cole and if this is all you want for us (assuming of course that His silence was my answer “NO”) I can be content with that!” And that I thought was that… UNTIL… It was a Wednesday morning and my Mom and I decided to take the kids and my two nephews to the $2 movies. We got to our seat and everyone sat down and my Mom went to get more popcorn, while I watched the kids. Now I never go on my phone in the theater because I HATE when people do that and at this point Facebook didn’t interest me, not to mention I was sitting with four kids that could have used my attention (which is the only embarrassing part to this story please overlook it), so this next part is a true and total testament to how GOD works (Listen UP!) I pulled out my phone and thought “Well there is time before the movie I’m gonna look at “waiting kids” pics… NO I am CONTENT!!!! I will check out Facebook”… and I did just that!!! My phone logged onto FB at 9:42am and at the very top of my news feed in fact the very first post was a very close friend of mine with a link to a blog for a little boy that NEEDED a family desperately she posted at 9:33am. I clicked on thinking “Oh maybe I can repost and get the word out to help find this boy a home…” The first pic loaded and there was a pic of a boy I recognized but when you look at “waiting children” you forget who you have seen and not seen. As I scrolled down the page and the boy in the pictures got older and older I realized that is the boy I had been praying for. My eyes started pouring out tears and I don’t mean a little sniffle I mean “Ugly Crying”… At this point my Mom came back with the popcorn and said “Oh No what happened” giving my nephews a dirty look like “What did you two do?” I caught my breath and stepped out into the lobby to message my friend back. I talked to Fred and he was completely on board!!! Here we go again… I so excited and this is a REALLY good story right??? Well that is ONLY the beginning! Remember how I told you about the little blond boy we wanted to commit to with Rorie and that another family had committed to him that morning… well after a few days of the excitement wore off about this new little guy and Fred and I had a chance to really think about all the details, we were ready to commit. But I got a phone call from this friend of mine letting me know her husband had finally said yes and that they would want nothing more than to bring this guy home. You might think I was angry or hurt or sad but I think our reaction is just another testimony to how God works everything out! I was happy… the other mother and I just thought what an amazing thing that here we are two families that want to love this boy that nobody wanted! Two families that want to do all we can for him that was the amazing thing we chose to see and I thought it only fitting that it would be her to adopt him since she already had my other son… JK!!! (Sorry, another story within a story)Before I got this call and while I was learning all I could about this little guy that I thought was going to join the Karol Klan I noticed another little guy that stole my heart and I just couldn’t get my mind off of him. I inquired about him and found that he was available for adoption and I thought, ”Oh no, Fred will NEVER go for it… this is what I will do I will get us approved for more than one kid and when we get there I will tell Fred we can’t leave without him”… Well I can’t keep secrets from God and an hour later I got that call from my friend saying how much she wanted the first boy! I believe that if I hadn’t fallen in Love with the first little guy I would have never found “Zachy” who we hope to name Felix (Blessed; Fortunate) Zachary (God Remembered)!... WOW is that the END you ask, “NO”!!! (I will give you the very short version of the rest of the story because I don’t want you to fall asleep! God knows your heart better than even you and he blessed me with the knowledge of ANOTHER little guy in the same facility that needs a Mommy and Daddy and YES we are going to be adopting him too, we hope to name him Silas (Companion) Frank (Free Man; it’s also Fred’s grandpa’s name)! Both boys are 5 and need us AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! I have been working VERY hard on getting all our paperwork put together and our homestudy is nearly complied. We will be doing some fundraisers that I will post later and Fred will have a “Chip In” put up on our blog in the next day or two, but more than anything else we need your love, support, encouragement and MOST OF ALL we COVET your PRAYERS!!!!!! Through this whole thing so far God has laid a VERY special song on my heart that is constantly in my head, I wake up every morning singing it… “My God is so GREAT, so STRONGE and so MIGHTY THERE’S NOTHING MY GOD CANNOT DO! My God is so GREAT, so STRONGE and so MIGHTY THERE’S NOTHING MY GOD CANNOT DO! The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the sky are His handy work too! My God is so GREAT, so STRONGE and so MIGHTY THERE’S NOTHING MY GOD CANNOT DO!” Oh it’s SOOOOO true!!! Photos to follow!!!

Summer FUN!!!!

(Sorry I meant to post this a week ago!) We have had so much fun this Summer so far! Rorie's teacher and therapists suggested keeping a summer scrapebook and it has been so GREAT! Rorie loves pictures, especially ones of herslef so looking back at what we have done so far has been good!!! The begining of the summer was so busy we had 8 birthdays, a wedding, a BIG holiday celabration (on the HOTTEST day of the year) and a special family gathering. Not only all that but Fred's grandpa was in the hospital for a little over a week and we wanted to help out and visit as much as we could! Busy busy busy. Praise God this have settled down a little bit. We still keep busy Monday mornings Rorie and I go to the West Allis Library while Cole is at Pennfeild, we have been trying to go swimming at different splash pools in the area on Tuesdays but it has been so stinkin HOT. We are going to try the $2 movies at Marcus Theaters this Wednesday they are showing "the LORAX" and on Thursday we try to go somewhere specail... Discovery World, Betty Brinn, the Zoo, etc... With being so busy we were feeling a little like "Peter", we were watchin the waves more than we were focusing on our Savior! I believe that we NEED to go through times like that to draw closer to God and more appreciative of not only your salvation but the relationship we have with our Lord. Also God talks to you muc clearer the closer you are to Him!!! "Whats that Lord?, another adoption!?!?!?!?"... Please be praying!!!