Hi ya'll! Some of you may notice that I've added a "donate" paypal button on the side there. I did not start this blog to raise money for our adoption.
As I said in my first post, this blog is to keep friends and family informed on what is going on with our adoption. So why the button? There is a wonderful family that has started something amazing!
They call it their 24 days of giving. They are chosing 24 families that are in the middle of an adoption and highlighting them on their own blog so that others can donate and help them along. You can read all about it here. I put our name in the hat and we needed a place to donate to if we are chosen so that explains the button. ;) Just keep going back to their blog to see all of the amazing families and to see how to help them bring their children home.
Thanks! Love ya!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Home study in hand!
It finally happened! We got our home study in the mail! After several delays we finally have it in our hands, right in front of me actually. Before there were any delays we had a lot of "you'll get it ... unless something weird happens and there are delays like..." Well it seems like all of those delays happened! Oy vey. They gave us four copies and already two are claimed. One for the dossier and the other for the USCIS form. We've been able to save up the $830 needed for the USCIS (customs) form and the fingerprinting fee that goes with it. Now we need to get the $3,000 to go with the dossier. We plan on applying for some financial aid since it will take us too long to save up all of that money on our own. Starting February-ish we'll be getting an extra $1,000 per month due to Chris' deployment but we don't want to wait until the end of April to mail off the dossier. We'd like to have it sent off by Christmas. Well I say sent off but really just at the Holt office in OR, it will take a little longer for the USCIS form to come back approved and that has to go with the dossier to Ethiopia. So a loan or grant would be great if we could get one to pay for the dossier. There will be other, higher expenses later but we'll tackle those when we get there, hopefully the extra deployment pay will help a lot.
About a month ago we went to St Louis for some parenting classes required by Holt and taught by our social worker. It was quite an eye opener to hear some of the things that were taught. Now when I say parenting classes I mean parenting an adopted child from a third world country, with a different background, culture, language, different everything classes. There were times that I felt guilty for tearing the child(ren) from their native country and away from everything they have ever known. But Chris had to keep reminding me that the children we adopt are either true orphans or their parents chose to give them a better life, one where they don't starve to death or die from a simple illness that would be no problem with Western medicine.
I have also started really picking on things like children's books, programs, even commercials about being racially diverse. In our packet for the classes there was an article called "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh. I highly suggest you google it and read it. A small example of how powerful this article is...she gives a list of "some of the daily effects of white privilege" in her life...."I can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children's magazines featuring people of my race" and "I can choose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin", there are many many more, some of them with an "ouch" to them but she has a point. We were just in a book store this week looking for children's books and the vast majority of them were portraying white children...or animals...or even purple or blue children. Really the only one I saw with a black person was a book about Harriet Tubman. We had a list of books that feature black children but they were out of stock on all of them, basically they carry them but don't purposefully stock them, "but we can order it for you". OH and there was another with a little black baby titled "Pacifiers aren't for forever" or something like that.
And I'm not just complaining about the lack of "black" children's books, I didn't really see any with Asian or Hispanic children either. Ok enough of my soap box.
After the classes were over on the Saturday, we went to a great Ethiopian restaurant. Surprisingly, there are several to choose from in St Louis, we chose Meskerem (that means Spring, or it's the month Spring comes...something like that). It was so stinking good! For an appetizer we got beef Sambosa
I could have eaten a whole meal of these suckers!
Then we got the Meskerem Combo platter for our meal since we couldn't decide on just one dish
The whole meal is served on a huge piece of injera, their flat sour dough bread, also used to pick up the food and eat with (you can see mine folded up on the bottom right corner). In the middle is the ever popular Doro Wat (chicken stew) and yes, that's a hard boiled egg in it. On the left is Tibs Wat (beef stew) and on the right is Miser Wat (supposed to be lamb stew but they were out of lamb so it was beef). On the top and bottom are Yebeg Alecha and Miser Alecha (lentil somethings). It was SO good. I didn't think I would like the lentil dishes but I loved them just as much as the meat ones!
Here's an example of eating the food with the injera
And here's the damage we did
We decided not to eat the egg, the other food was just too good to waste stomach space with a hard boiled egg. :-P
Please pray with us that we will get the money needed and fast. I know, all in God's timing but He can just have us wait while on the waiting list, money in hand. ;) We need to get everything done for the dossier, including fingerprints (again) for the USCIS form before the end of the year. Once we mail off the USCIS form, they send us a letter telling us when and where to get the fingerprints done. I've talked to others and they've said that you can go in earlier than your appointment. On the website it says they take service members without appointments (but we still need the appointment letter). We'll have to go to St Louis so we're praying we'll get the appointment for a good time or we can at least go beforehand. Chris will be doing some traveling for deployment training and then we'll be doing a bit of travelling before Christmas. Hopefully you get my stressing on the importance of these fingerprinting appointments. I'm not trying to stress over this stuff but it's a little hard not to at times. So please pray that I can let go and let God!! I hate not being in control! Argh! Ok this is a long enough blog. I think I've updated ya'll on everything and given my soap box speech for the week. Have a great weekend! Happy Veterans Day!
About a month ago we went to St Louis for some parenting classes required by Holt and taught by our social worker. It was quite an eye opener to hear some of the things that were taught. Now when I say parenting classes I mean parenting an adopted child from a third world country, with a different background, culture, language, different everything classes. There were times that I felt guilty for tearing the child(ren) from their native country and away from everything they have ever known. But Chris had to keep reminding me that the children we adopt are either true orphans or their parents chose to give them a better life, one where they don't starve to death or die from a simple illness that would be no problem with Western medicine.
I have also started really picking on things like children's books, programs, even commercials about being racially diverse. In our packet for the classes there was an article called "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh. I highly suggest you google it and read it. A small example of how powerful this article is...she gives a list of "some of the daily effects of white privilege" in her life...."I can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children's magazines featuring people of my race" and "I can choose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin", there are many many more, some of them with an "ouch" to them but she has a point. We were just in a book store this week looking for children's books and the vast majority of them were portraying white children...or animals...or even purple or blue children. Really the only one I saw with a black person was a book about Harriet Tubman. We had a list of books that feature black children but they were out of stock on all of them, basically they carry them but don't purposefully stock them, "but we can order it for you". OH and there was another with a little black baby titled "Pacifiers aren't for forever" or something like that.
LAME
After the classes were over on the Saturday, we went to a great Ethiopian restaurant. Surprisingly, there are several to choose from in St Louis, we chose Meskerem (that means Spring, or it's the month Spring comes...something like that). It was so stinking good! For an appetizer we got beef Sambosa
Then we got the Meskerem Combo platter for our meal since we couldn't decide on just one dish
Here's an example of eating the food with the injera
Please pray with us that we will get the money needed and fast. I know, all in God's timing but He can just have us wait while on the waiting list, money in hand. ;) We need to get everything done for the dossier, including fingerprints (again) for the USCIS form before the end of the year. Once we mail off the USCIS form, they send us a letter telling us when and where to get the fingerprints done. I've talked to others and they've said that you can go in earlier than your appointment. On the website it says they take service members without appointments (but we still need the appointment letter). We'll have to go to St Louis so we're praying we'll get the appointment for a good time or we can at least go beforehand. Chris will be doing some traveling for deployment training and then we'll be doing a bit of travelling before Christmas. Hopefully you get my stressing on the importance of these fingerprinting appointments. I'm not trying to stress over this stuff but it's a little hard not to at times. So please pray that I can let go and let God!! I hate not being in control! Argh! Ok this is a long enough blog. I think I've updated ya'll on everything and given my soap box speech for the week. Have a great weekend! Happy Veterans Day!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Home visit complete!
Ok I'll admit, I was totally wrong about the home study, I should've just asked! It's not three visits to your home with a month in between each (I was guesstimating). It's three contacts with us...one joint interview, and an individual interview with each of us. One of these visits must be in the home. So on Thursday, our social worker (who also works for Holt) came to the house and interviewed me (Chris was TDY at Ft Knox). We started off with coffee and bagels with homemade pumpkin cream cheese. -I love hosting- Remember that sixteen page questionnaire that we each had to fill out?? Well because we did it so thoroughly, she barely had any questions for me! We talked a lot about other things, she gave advise for fundraising, about the dossier, she was great. Then we did a quick tour of the home where she just wrote down how many bedrooms/bathrooms, if we had gas or electric, smoke detectors, that kind of stuff. Then just like that she had to go! It was barely two hours and she didn't even ask me very many questions. She lives in St Louis so she had to leave in time to get her kids off the bus.
So for the other two interviews.....We have parenting classes through Holt that we have to take and they're in St Louis next weekend. Guess who's teaching them? So we'll do our joint interview maybe over lunch on Saturday and Chris can have his individual Sunday before or after classes start (only 1-5). And just like that our home study is done! She'll write what she needs to and she thinks that it will be complete and approved by mid-October! Woo Hoo!!
We should have our dossier completed by the end of October but there's a customs form that we have to send in (along with a chunk of change) that takes six weeks to be completed. Once that is approved, then we can officially turn in the dossier. After the dossier is turned in, translated and reviewed by the Ethiopian government, it will be "approved"...then, we're on the waiting list!!!
Could we really be parents by my next birthday?
On a slightly different note...we get a newsletter from Holt each month about what's going on with the Ethiopian program. This month they mentioned that there was rumored that a family was denied -by the Ethiopian government- because they didn't think they could afford children. The reason? The family was actively blogging about fundraising for the adoption. How heartbreaking! So here's my statement to the Ethiopian government if this rumor is true....We can afford to raise children.
For the rest of you, the only reason why we may need to fund raise or ask for an adoption loan is because we were unwise in not having a savings plan. Sure we have enough money in the paycheck but we don't put that much away into savings, until now. Once Chris deploys, we'll be making about $1,000 extra a month....all of that will go straight to the adoption (and a little to someone to mow the lawn for me :P). The thing with needing a loan or grant is that it will take a while to get enough money for the adoption, for the upfront costs. If we wait until we have the cash to move forward with anything, it may be a few years. $25,000-$30,000 is a lot of money to have upfront. People get four-five year car loans for that amount. All of the tax cuts/grants that are given for kids and adoption are always after the fact. So, the money will be there but not until after we have brought the kids home. (fyi, we'll get over $13,000 just for adopting). So, Ethiopian government official, please do not deny us from adopting just because we had a Pampered Chef fundraiser, or because we're going to apply for grants and loans to help us with the adoption. We just don't want to wait another five years to have children. But believe me, after this, we'll have an adoption savings account! Even if we are satisfied with two children (if we get two), we will continue to save until we know for sure, and if we don't need it, we'll give it to someone who does.
Well that's all for now, I need to shower and make a card! Birthday party next door, Puerto Rican style! They started roasting the pig this morning, all this for a two year old, gotta love it!! Adios!
So for the other two interviews.....We have parenting classes through Holt that we have to take and they're in St Louis next weekend. Guess who's teaching them? So we'll do our joint interview maybe over lunch on Saturday and Chris can have his individual Sunday before or after classes start (only 1-5). And just like that our home study is done! She'll write what she needs to and she thinks that it will be complete and approved by mid-October! Woo Hoo!!
We should have our dossier completed by the end of October but there's a customs form that we have to send in (along with a chunk of change) that takes six weeks to be completed. Once that is approved, then we can officially turn in the dossier. After the dossier is turned in, translated and reviewed by the Ethiopian government, it will be "approved"...then, we're on the waiting list!!!
Could we really be parents by my next birthday?
On a slightly different note...we get a newsletter from Holt each month about what's going on with the Ethiopian program. This month they mentioned that there was rumored that a family was denied -by the Ethiopian government- because they didn't think they could afford children. The reason? The family was actively blogging about fundraising for the adoption. How heartbreaking! So here's my statement to the Ethiopian government if this rumor is true....We can afford to raise children.
For the rest of you, the only reason why we may need to fund raise or ask for an adoption loan is because we were unwise in not having a savings plan. Sure we have enough money in the paycheck but we don't put that much away into savings, until now. Once Chris deploys, we'll be making about $1,000 extra a month....all of that will go straight to the adoption (and a little to someone to mow the lawn for me :P). The thing with needing a loan or grant is that it will take a while to get enough money for the adoption, for the upfront costs. If we wait until we have the cash to move forward with anything, it may be a few years. $25,000-$30,000 is a lot of money to have upfront. People get four-five year car loans for that amount. All of the tax cuts/grants that are given for kids and adoption are always after the fact. So, the money will be there but not until after we have brought the kids home. (fyi, we'll get over $13,000 just for adopting). So, Ethiopian government official, please do not deny us from adopting just because we had a Pampered Chef fundraiser, or because we're going to apply for grants and loans to help us with the adoption. We just don't want to wait another five years to have children. But believe me, after this, we'll have an adoption savings account! Even if we are satisfied with two children (if we get two), we will continue to save until we know for sure, and if we don't need it, we'll give it to someone who does.
Well that's all for now, I need to shower and make a card! Birthday party next door, Puerto Rican style! They started roasting the pig this morning, all this for a two year old, gotta love it!! Adios!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Home Study Mailed Off!
Ok so I know it's been forever since I've posted anything on here and it seems like it's been forever since we actually mailed off our home study but I need to blog on here! We mailed off all of our paperwork along with a big fat check of $2,500 on August 17th. It was thrilling to finally be mailing that off. Thrilling and exciting and then nothing....
Usually our contact at the agency will notify us whenever anything happens but I guess she was on vacation. I tracked the package, it got there the next day....a week later the check was cashed, still no word from her...grrrrrr. I knew we still needed one more reference letter to be turned in so I made sure it got done. I called our contact and asked for the contact info for our actual case worker for our home study.
I really am frustrated that it's taking sooooooo long to get anything done. First it was us raising the money, now it's trying to get the visits scheduled. We have to take these classes that the agency sets up and they're having some the first weekend in October. Finally! The last ones they told us about were a mere two days after they received our application and we had something going on already. That was....April? May? From the way they described it, there are five separate sessions and it looks like there are only four that weekend in October. We have to take the first two before the home study is complete and the last three before we bring our kids home. SO that means we have to get them all done by Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, Chris goes off to training, then block leave then deployment not long after that.
I emailed our case worker and expressed the urgency needed to get these home visits started. I also asked why there needed to be three separate visits when apparently everything else has to be done before we can even have the first one! I said the only thing that could happen is my husband going "over there". I hope she caught my slight annoyance with the situation.
I've been SO busy lately. I got a little job working the aftercare at the preschool at church. Only two hours a day, super easy.....until you add subbing to the mix! I've subbed in the three year old room seven days so far, and again tomorrow. The first time and tomorrow I go in an hour or two later but five days in a row of 8-3:30 in the three yr old room 3:30-5:30 with three and four year old starting with about 27 and dwindling down to none. And on Wednesdays I don't even get home until after 8pm because I help with the kids musical from 6-8! OY!!! At least I'm getting paid decently ;)
There are some well behaved kids that make it worth it though....
Usually our contact at the agency will notify us whenever anything happens but I guess she was on vacation. I tracked the package, it got there the next day....a week later the check was cashed, still no word from her...grrrrrr. I knew we still needed one more reference letter to be turned in so I made sure it got done. I called our contact and asked for the contact info for our actual case worker for our home study.
I really am frustrated that it's taking sooooooo long to get anything done. First it was us raising the money, now it's trying to get the visits scheduled. We have to take these classes that the agency sets up and they're having some the first weekend in October. Finally! The last ones they told us about were a mere two days after they received our application and we had something going on already. That was....April? May? From the way they described it, there are five separate sessions and it looks like there are only four that weekend in October. We have to take the first two before the home study is complete and the last three before we bring our kids home. SO that means we have to get them all done by Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, Chris goes off to training, then block leave then deployment not long after that.
I emailed our case worker and expressed the urgency needed to get these home visits started. I also asked why there needed to be three separate visits when apparently everything else has to be done before we can even have the first one! I said the only thing that could happen is my husband going "over there". I hope she caught my slight annoyance with the situation.
I've been SO busy lately. I got a little job working the aftercare at the preschool at church. Only two hours a day, super easy.....until you add subbing to the mix! I've subbed in the three year old room seven days so far, and again tomorrow. The first time and tomorrow I go in an hour or two later but five days in a row of 8-3:30 in the three yr old room 3:30-5:30 with three and four year old starting with about 27 and dwindling down to none. And on Wednesdays I don't even get home until after 8pm because I help with the kids musical from 6-8! OY!!! At least I'm getting paid decently ;)
There are some well behaved kids that make it worth it though....
This little guy loves to cross his eyes for you.
Ok well it's waaay past my bedtime. I'd love to tell ya'll some more but I gotta get to bed so I can nurture little minds in the morning. ;)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Moving Forward
Hey Everyone,
this is Chris. Jess is off at Church already teaching Sunday School. I got the morning off because we have a special music group that came to perform for our services, so I didn't have to go in and play this morning, woo hoo :)
Anyways, I saw that it had been a while since our last post, so I thought I would get on here real quick and let you know what was going on. We have finally raised the money for the home study, the first big step in all of this. Now, as soon as I complete my portion of the paperwork and we finish a couple of other appointments, we can really start moving forward with everything. We're so excited.
On another note, please continue to pray for us during this process. My unit that I'm assigned to has chosen to move me to a new position at the end of the week. This is good because I will have a little less responsibility and more time to commit to the adoption process. I did not want to leave my previous job, but that's how the Army works, we have to rotate people around into different key positions as the time comes up. Please keep us in your prayers as the adoption process moves forward and pray that my chain of command is understanding, cooperative, and even assists us with the adoption process. The Army is a family, and so far my Army family has been more than supportive of us in this endeavor. I hope it continues.
OK, I have to go shower to make it to Church. Thanks for all your support guys. We'll keep you posted as we get further along in this.
this is Chris. Jess is off at Church already teaching Sunday School. I got the morning off because we have a special music group that came to perform for our services, so I didn't have to go in and play this morning, woo hoo :)
Anyways, I saw that it had been a while since our last post, so I thought I would get on here real quick and let you know what was going on. We have finally raised the money for the home study, the first big step in all of this. Now, as soon as I complete my portion of the paperwork and we finish a couple of other appointments, we can really start moving forward with everything. We're so excited.
On another note, please continue to pray for us during this process. My unit that I'm assigned to has chosen to move me to a new position at the end of the week. This is good because I will have a little less responsibility and more time to commit to the adoption process. I did not want to leave my previous job, but that's how the Army works, we have to rotate people around into different key positions as the time comes up. Please keep us in your prayers as the adoption process moves forward and pray that my chain of command is understanding, cooperative, and even assists us with the adoption process. The Army is a family, and so far my Army family has been more than supportive of us in this endeavor. I hope it continues.
OK, I have to go shower to make it to Church. Thanks for all your support guys. We'll keep you posted as we get further along in this.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Help out my brother, get an awesome piece of art!
Hey ya'll, I thought maybe this could be a good place to also help get the word out for my brother Jason's trip. Here's what he put on facebook:
"I have a really cool opportunity to go to Haiti at the end of this month to help out an organization called Help Heal Haiti. In order to accomplish what I am setting out to do, I need to raise some funds to get one more piece of camera gear. I am offering a really great opportunity for you to help me out, and get something beautiful in return. For every donation of $50 or more (plus shipping if you need it mailed) I am offering a limited addition 11x14" signed print from my last trip to Ethiopia. Please consider supporting my trip by purchasing one of these prints. Feel free to email me at jasoncrigler@gmail.com. Also check out my website, jasoncriglerphotography.com. Thank you so much!"
This organization has asked Jason to take photos for their new brochure and such. He is an amazing photographer. I posted one of his photos in my last blog from one of his trips to Uganda. This photo that he is offering is, as he said, from his trip to Ethiopia. He has sold other photos or other pieces of art for far more than $50. This is a great way to help a great guy out and get an amazing piece of art at the same time. Thanks ya'll!!
"I have a really cool opportunity to go to Haiti at the end of this month to help out an organization called Help Heal Haiti. In order to accomplish what I am setting out to do, I need to raise some funds to get one more piece of camera gear. I am offering a really great opportunity for you to help me out, and get something beautiful in return. For every donation of $50 or more (plus shipping if you need it mailed) I am offering a limited addition 11x14" signed print from my last trip to Ethiopia. Please consider supporting my trip by purchasing one of these prints. Feel free to email me at jasoncrigler@gmail.com. Also check out my website, jasoncriglerphotography.com. Thank you so much!"
This organization has asked Jason to take photos for their new brochure and such. He is an amazing photographer. I posted one of his photos in my last blog from one of his trips to Uganda. This photo that he is offering is, as he said, from his trip to Ethiopia. He has sold other photos or other pieces of art for far more than $50. This is a great way to help a great guy out and get an amazing piece of art at the same time. Thanks ya'll!!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Thoughts for the day
I don't have much to blog about today, in fact I should get off of the computer and go clean my house! We have some friends staying with us for a while (they're in the process of moving to Japan) and they have a dog. I made the comment last night, "why bother vacuuming with three dogs in the house?" BUT I really want to vacuum, even if it just stays clean for a day. Anyways, back to why I am bloggin' today. I was reading one of the blogs I follow and she just had a really good point that I wanted to share with you all.
As you know we are trying to raise money for our adoption but there's so much more to this adoption than us simply becoming parents. A friend asked me recently why we are adopting and why from Ethiopia and not the US. I told her that it's not we don't want biological children, it's that God has not allowed that to happen yet. There is a reason why we haven't gotten pregnant, a reason perhaps only God knows. But I think maybe it's so that we have been brought to this moment, this situation so that His perfect timing will bring us to the children that He wants us to raise. We aren't just becoming parents and a family, we are saving each other from not having a family.
Please read this blog of an amazing woman that has adopted so many children and still desires to adopt more if only there was the money. I'm not saying we want to adopt ten kids but we still feel a calling to adopt. I'm not sure if I have said this before but Chris and I always had a plan to adopt, but later after our biological children were a bit older. We wanted to adopt kids that were older, 9 or 10 years old. Typically, in order to adopt the older kids, you had to of already had the older kids. I guess it will just have to wait until these first kids are older. :)
The photo is courtesy of Jason Crigler Photography, aka baby bro, he's awesome. Check out his work here.
Oh mylanta! The dogs are freaking out, time to go!!
As you know we are trying to raise money for our adoption but there's so much more to this adoption than us simply becoming parents. A friend asked me recently why we are adopting and why from Ethiopia and not the US. I told her that it's not we don't want biological children, it's that God has not allowed that to happen yet. There is a reason why we haven't gotten pregnant, a reason perhaps only God knows. But I think maybe it's so that we have been brought to this moment, this situation so that His perfect timing will bring us to the children that He wants us to raise. We aren't just becoming parents and a family, we are saving each other from not having a family.
Please read this blog of an amazing woman that has adopted so many children and still desires to adopt more if only there was the money. I'm not saying we want to adopt ten kids but we still feel a calling to adopt. I'm not sure if I have said this before but Chris and I always had a plan to adopt, but later after our biological children were a bit older. We wanted to adopt kids that were older, 9 or 10 years old. Typically, in order to adopt the older kids, you had to of already had the older kids. I guess it will just have to wait until these first kids are older. :)
The photo is courtesy of Jason Crigler Photography, aka baby bro, he's awesome. Check out his work here.
Oh mylanta! The dogs are freaking out, time to go!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
It's Official!!!
I just received an email from Holt International welcoming us into the Ethiopian Program!!! It's now completely official, we are adopting from Ethiopia! We are SO excited! Along with that email came several attachments and a login ID and pin for other areas of their website. Now I'm looking at a bagillion page long guide book on their Ethiopia program! This is going to be SO much paperwork! I mean, I knew the dossier would have a lot but there are other things like uh, getting the child(ren) a visa! I wish they would just mail us the guide book so I don't have to look at it online but could just flip through it anytime, anywhere AND be able to check off pages as we completed whatever they said we needed to do. I may go through and print off some sections.
So now we need to raise some money for the homestudy. I'm working with a local Pampered Chef consultant to get a fundraiser show going. This show will be open to anyone, anywhere and 20% of the money spent will go right to us for our adoption! 20%, WOW!! So stay on the lookout for the link, I'm thinking next week, close to payday. ;) The show will be open for two weeks so start spreading the word NOW!!
Ok, well back to the bagillion page guide book!!
So now we need to raise some money for the homestudy. I'm working with a local Pampered Chef consultant to get a fundraiser show going. This show will be open to anyone, anywhere and 20% of the money spent will go right to us for our adoption! 20%, WOW!! So stay on the lookout for the link, I'm thinking next week, close to payday. ;) The show will be open for two weeks so start spreading the word NOW!!
Ok, well back to the bagillion page guide book!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
My response to the adoptions in the news
Ok so most of you have heard by now about the woman who returned her adopted son to Russia. If not, here's a link to just one of the many news stories http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/world/europe/10russia.html?pagewanted=1
I had a friend send me one of the stories on wednesday after she read my blog about sending out our application. Now she did say she only thought of it because she read the article right before reading my blog. I appreciate her looking out for me. Thankfully, we've already been warned. A friend here in MO that has adopted three children already directed me to this blog/website http://www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com/blog?op=view&id=4 It's the story and advice of a woman that has adopted four children from Ethiopia and one from Bulgaria...after having four biological kids! I think I mentioned her in my first blog. I truly take her words to heart. I know it won't be easy BUT it will be worth it.
Too often people see adoption as all rainbows and butterflies, that as soon as you get that child out of the bad environment they were in as orphans that they will be so grateful, life will just be perfect. Seriously? No really, seriously? Do you know anyone that has had a bad experience in their past that even though they are out of the situation now, it doesn't have an affect on them? Think about people that were abused or had parents that were alcoholics. While they may not have an aggressive behavior now, that doesn't mean that those instances didn't affect how they live their life now. My question to Torry Hanson is, did you even try to get help? Nowhere that I have read said that they tried to get him help through a counselor or anything. This little seven year old boy was basically institutionalized after being removed from his home with an alcoholic mother that wasn't fit to take care of him. Now he's being sent to the other side of the world to a country he doesn't know, a language he doesn't understand to live with a woman he's never met. That would bring anger out of anybody!
She's not the only case though, there are many people that have had issues bringing home their adopted child and that child did not love them and they did not love that child. Does that mean that it never got better? For some it did not, but for most, absolutely. I think that unless you adopt an infant, you're going to have problems. (and even then you probably will!)
Honestly, I don't know how anybody can have a successful adoption of an older child without God. I don't know how anybody can even live day to day life without God but that's another blog! Without constant prayer before, during and after the adoption, how can anybody do anything?! Do I think we won't have problems when we bring home one or two children that have lost one or both of their parents to disease, starvation or poverty? Of course not. But I know, I know, I know, that God is always there with us, guiding us through any hardships we may have. To quote an amazing hymn "Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bare, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer".
So for those of you that may have gotten concerned about us through this story coming out, don't worry, pray. Pray for all of the people who are adopting orphans. Pray for the orphans. God tells us throughout His book to look after the orphans. Adoption is merely ONE of the ways that can be accomplished. Child sponsorship is a fantastic thing, if you don't already sponsor a child, you should seriously consider it. Well I think I'll get down from my soap box, for now at least. We're not worried in the slightest that we'll end up like Torry Hansen but it's because we're preparing ourselves, spiritually, mentally and physically....and by doing LOTS of research! Have a great weekend!
I had a friend send me one of the stories on wednesday after she read my blog about sending out our application. Now she did say she only thought of it because she read the article right before reading my blog. I appreciate her looking out for me. Thankfully, we've already been warned. A friend here in MO that has adopted three children already directed me to this blog/website http://www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com/blog?op=view&id=4 It's the story and advice of a woman that has adopted four children from Ethiopia and one from Bulgaria...after having four biological kids! I think I mentioned her in my first blog. I truly take her words to heart. I know it won't be easy BUT it will be worth it.
Too often people see adoption as all rainbows and butterflies, that as soon as you get that child out of the bad environment they were in as orphans that they will be so grateful, life will just be perfect. Seriously? No really, seriously? Do you know anyone that has had a bad experience in their past that even though they are out of the situation now, it doesn't have an affect on them? Think about people that were abused or had parents that were alcoholics. While they may not have an aggressive behavior now, that doesn't mean that those instances didn't affect how they live their life now. My question to Torry Hanson is, did you even try to get help? Nowhere that I have read said that they tried to get him help through a counselor or anything. This little seven year old boy was basically institutionalized after being removed from his home with an alcoholic mother that wasn't fit to take care of him. Now he's being sent to the other side of the world to a country he doesn't know, a language he doesn't understand to live with a woman he's never met. That would bring anger out of anybody!
She's not the only case though, there are many people that have had issues bringing home their adopted child and that child did not love them and they did not love that child. Does that mean that it never got better? For some it did not, but for most, absolutely. I think that unless you adopt an infant, you're going to have problems. (and even then you probably will!)
Honestly, I don't know how anybody can have a successful adoption of an older child without God. I don't know how anybody can even live day to day life without God but that's another blog! Without constant prayer before, during and after the adoption, how can anybody do anything?! Do I think we won't have problems when we bring home one or two children that have lost one or both of their parents to disease, starvation or poverty? Of course not. But I know, I know, I know, that God is always there with us, guiding us through any hardships we may have. To quote an amazing hymn "Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bare, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer".
So for those of you that may have gotten concerned about us through this story coming out, don't worry, pray. Pray for all of the people who are adopting orphans. Pray for the orphans. God tells us throughout His book to look after the orphans. Adoption is merely ONE of the ways that can be accomplished. Child sponsorship is a fantastic thing, if you don't already sponsor a child, you should seriously consider it. Well I think I'll get down from my soap box, for now at least. We're not worried in the slightest that we'll end up like Torry Hansen but it's because we're preparing ourselves, spiritually, mentally and physically....and by doing LOTS of research! Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Application sent to Holt!!
Well we sent off our application today!! We'll be tight on money for the rest of the month but I think we can do it. The biggest problem will be groceries. We've been buying fresh, good for you food lately and well, that's more expensive. We've both lost weight already though! We're very excited to finally be official! So far it's been, "we're adopting but we haven't sent in our application yet", I've hated that. We may have to fight off a deployment to make this work but by golly I'm not giving up! I REFUSE to stop the whole process just because there are deployment orders for Chris' unit. There have been orders before and they've gotten canceled. And like I said, he may even be able to switch jobs before they deploy and not have to go with them!! He has a lot of options right now and we're optimistic. Well I have a kitchen table under a pile of crap that I need to clean up but I just wanted to share the news. :D
Thursday, April 8, 2010
No news, just bloggin'
So I wasn't going to post another blog until we mailed off our application but I have a lot on my mind so here goes.....
I've been trying to find how we can get certified copies of our birth certificates and our marriage certificate and I think I finally found the right place to call. It's so annoying though, do I call the counties we were born in, for Chris what about the one we're residents in OR do we call the capital of our states?! I found my certificate so I should be able to call tomorrow. Too bad they charge $10 per copy of the birth and $6 per copy of the marriage! I know what you're thinking though, "why can't I order them online these days?" well I could except it would be another $8 charge for the company that does it! Geesh! I thought this would be the easy part! I'm pretty sure we only need one certified copy of each but someone who has been through the international adoption process several times told me to have an extra set just in case. I think that's wise, especially since it takes about a month to get them.
I ordered a couple books on amazon the other day, one's a guide to international adoption and the other was written by a woman who adopted like 3 or 4 kids from Ethiopia (after having 4 of her own and adopting another from Bulgaria!). AND I ordered a language cd-rom so we can learn Amharic. =) You may be thinking how could I afford all this, but remember, it was amazon, less than $35 for all three including shipping. YAY! They all shipped already so I just have to wait. I need to get used to waiting I guess. Well I figure I already have been though........
Once we get paid (14th or 15th) we will mail off our application and be on our way! Oooo we do have to get something notorized, remind me to do that tomorrow. ;) I hate having to wait because of finances. Money sucks, let's go back to trading. I'll trade 5 baby blankets for the application fee, 10 stationary sets and a plethera of crocheted baby items and winter wear for the home study, birthday and celebration cakes and sewing and mending for life for the rest of the fees. See, that's simple. We have to come up with possibly as much as $2,500 for the homestudy before we can even apply for grants and such. The wise woman who suggested an extra copy of certificates also told me about a ministry called lifesong, check out their website http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/ we can apply (after having a completed homestudy) for a matching grant. That means, for every dollar we raise, they will match! My new friend raised $28,000 that way when adopting her last three (sibling group) out of her now ten children. So once we get this homestudy done, expect me do ask you for money hehe.
I did get some news today that kinda irritates me. Chris' unit has been up for deployment only to have it taken away probably four times just in the last year. Well now they're getting a little more serious about a deployment in 2011. While the Army does give the option to defer your deployment by four months in order to bond with a newly adopted child, if Chris is in command, he won't do it. I know, he's horrible right?! Just kidding babe, I know you have your duty. Well I suggested to him that perhaps, since his typical command time would be up during the deployment, and they may switch him out last minute anyways, to ask to be the rear detachment commander. For you non-military people, that just means he would stand in the place of the commander that is down range doing the things that are necessary for a physical body to be there. Clear as mud? Whenever a unit is deployed, a small skeleton crew stays back to manage things stateside. The Rear-D Commander is kinda like a substitute teacher of sorts. SO I suggested that Chris explain the situation and ask to be the rear-d commander since he already knows how to do the job. It's not an actual command position so it's totally do-able. AND our adoption may not even be complete by the time they go. He would have to use his R&R just to go pick up our children, most of that time would be travel and hardly any bonding time....not good. Here's the thing, we will not postpone the adoption for anything. There is no good time in the Army to adopt or to have children. Unless of course your soldier has some medical condition that prohibits him (or her) from deploying. Other wise just go for it and hope for the best! Now my hoping for the best of course is that Chris doesn't deploy. Not just that the timing will work out. He doesn't really mind deploying, he loves playing soldier boy BUT he hasn't had to leave any children behind and miss a lot of "firsts". So we'll see.
For some cheery-er news, I took the dogs to the vet today for regular check ups and there were a lot of kids in the waiting room. Now my pups are used to kids, get beat up by them and everything but usually in our home when they can leave if they've had enough. Well today they were stuck, I was holding their leashes and sometimes their collars to keep them from lunging to go play with the other puppies there. The two girls right next to me kept coming up and petting the dogs, they were about two and four. Well the two year old kept grabbing their tails and saying "I like his tail, it's happy" (they were wagging of course). Well I wasn't sure what the dogs would do with a little girl grabbing their tail and jerking it around, especially with me holding them down by their collar. BUT they did NOTHING! Sure they may have looked back at her but never did they pull away or growl or anything! YAY!! I knew they were good with kids but wow!
Ok I promise not to do super long blogs every time. I guess I just needed to share. :) As my little sister always reminded us "Jesus wants us to share". Have a great weekend! OH and check out the flare I have over to the left. Got that idea from some other bloggers. Click on the flag, click on the flag!
I've been trying to find how we can get certified copies of our birth certificates and our marriage certificate and I think I finally found the right place to call. It's so annoying though, do I call the counties we were born in, for Chris what about the one we're residents in OR do we call the capital of our states?! I found my certificate so I should be able to call tomorrow. Too bad they charge $10 per copy of the birth and $6 per copy of the marriage! I know what you're thinking though, "why can't I order them online these days?" well I could except it would be another $8 charge for the company that does it! Geesh! I thought this would be the easy part! I'm pretty sure we only need one certified copy of each but someone who has been through the international adoption process several times told me to have an extra set just in case. I think that's wise, especially since it takes about a month to get them.
I ordered a couple books on amazon the other day, one's a guide to international adoption and the other was written by a woman who adopted like 3 or 4 kids from Ethiopia (after having 4 of her own and adopting another from Bulgaria!). AND I ordered a language cd-rom so we can learn Amharic. =) You may be thinking how could I afford all this, but remember, it was amazon, less than $35 for all three including shipping. YAY! They all shipped already so I just have to wait. I need to get used to waiting I guess. Well I figure I already have been though........
Once we get paid (14th or 15th) we will mail off our application and be on our way! Oooo we do have to get something notorized, remind me to do that tomorrow. ;) I hate having to wait because of finances. Money sucks, let's go back to trading. I'll trade 5 baby blankets for the application fee, 10 stationary sets and a plethera of crocheted baby items and winter wear for the home study, birthday and celebration cakes and sewing and mending for life for the rest of the fees. See, that's simple. We have to come up with possibly as much as $2,500 for the homestudy before we can even apply for grants and such. The wise woman who suggested an extra copy of certificates also told me about a ministry called lifesong, check out their website http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/ we can apply (after having a completed homestudy) for a matching grant. That means, for every dollar we raise, they will match! My new friend raised $28,000 that way when adopting her last three (sibling group) out of her now ten children. So once we get this homestudy done, expect me do ask you for money hehe.
I did get some news today that kinda irritates me. Chris' unit has been up for deployment only to have it taken away probably four times just in the last year. Well now they're getting a little more serious about a deployment in 2011. While the Army does give the option to defer your deployment by four months in order to bond with a newly adopted child, if Chris is in command, he won't do it. I know, he's horrible right?! Just kidding babe, I know you have your duty. Well I suggested to him that perhaps, since his typical command time would be up during the deployment, and they may switch him out last minute anyways, to ask to be the rear detachment commander. For you non-military people, that just means he would stand in the place of the commander that is down range doing the things that are necessary for a physical body to be there. Clear as mud? Whenever a unit is deployed, a small skeleton crew stays back to manage things stateside. The Rear-D Commander is kinda like a substitute teacher of sorts. SO I suggested that Chris explain the situation and ask to be the rear-d commander since he already knows how to do the job. It's not an actual command position so it's totally do-able. AND our adoption may not even be complete by the time they go. He would have to use his R&R just to go pick up our children, most of that time would be travel and hardly any bonding time....not good. Here's the thing, we will not postpone the adoption for anything. There is no good time in the Army to adopt or to have children. Unless of course your soldier has some medical condition that prohibits him (or her) from deploying. Other wise just go for it and hope for the best! Now my hoping for the best of course is that Chris doesn't deploy. Not just that the timing will work out. He doesn't really mind deploying, he loves playing soldier boy BUT he hasn't had to leave any children behind and miss a lot of "firsts". So we'll see.
For some cheery-er news, I took the dogs to the vet today for regular check ups and there were a lot of kids in the waiting room. Now my pups are used to kids, get beat up by them and everything but usually in our home when they can leave if they've had enough. Well today they were stuck, I was holding their leashes and sometimes their collars to keep them from lunging to go play with the other puppies there. The two girls right next to me kept coming up and petting the dogs, they were about two and four. Well the two year old kept grabbing their tails and saying "I like his tail, it's happy" (they were wagging of course). Well I wasn't sure what the dogs would do with a little girl grabbing their tail and jerking it around, especially with me holding them down by their collar. BUT they did NOTHING! Sure they may have looked back at her but never did they pull away or growl or anything! YAY!! I knew they were good with kids but wow!
Ok I promise not to do super long blogs every time. I guess I just needed to share. :) As my little sister always reminded us "Jesus wants us to share". Have a great weekend! OH and check out the flare I have over to the left. Got that idea from some other bloggers. Click on the flag, click on the flag!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Blog #1, the Announcement
Hello Everyone. I've started this blog to keep family, friends and anyone who's interested up to date on our adoption. That's right, we're adopting. We decided a long time ago that if we did not get pregnant within a year of Chris re-deploying that we would start the adoption process.
Well we did just that and last August, after hours and hours of research, we chose an agency to do a Domestic Infant adoption through. We want a baby, like anyone would. We didn't care about the color or gender, shoot we didn't care if it was twins! Because of those loose "restrictions" we placed, the agent told us we could be matched with a birth mother oh so very quickly. We were terribly excited at the thought of having a child home by Christmas. Then our emotions dropped drastically when we realized that we need all of that money in such a short short time. I know there are tax credits and Army credits but those are just reimbursals. Then there are organizations that will give grant money to those adopting but they all said it would be around $3,000. Our first payment would have needed to be nearly $10,000. Ouch. So we walked away sad and just as desperate as before.
The longing never left us. The need to raise children in a Godly way, to love them, hold them, teach them never left. We didn't know what to do. How could we ever raise that much money?
I help do the childcare for MOPS at my church. If you don't know that's Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers. I love working with kids and these dear children are tons of fun. So, four times a month I go teach, play and sing with these kids. About once a month I get asked if I'm a Thursday mom or a Friday mom (the childcare rooms aren't big enough for all the kids so it's split to two groups). I try to brush it off and just say "Oh I don't have any kids, I love working with them though". And I usually get the response of something like "Oh that's so great of you to do this", like I'm this hero working with kids without having any of my own. I didn't realize having a child is a pre-requisite to working with one. I hate getting asked that question.
Well I went off on a rabbit trail here.......A month or so ago, at our MOPS steering meeting, we were going around the table and saying if we were moving or staying (and staying in our position or want another one). Well I didn't realize how emotional I would get! I started crying before I could even talk. FINALLY I was able to get some words out. I stated that I am not moving but I will not be returning as a coordinater for moppets because I needed to get a job or make money somehow to pay for an adoption. The wonderful ladies prayed for me and expressed their support. Then we moved onto a devotion reminding us that God will give us what we ask for in prayer.
Well that lit a fire under my butt. Why are we just sitting around waiting for someone to drop a baby in our lap?! Perhaps we should look more towards international adoption. I've actually heard that it could be cheaper (or at least the cost more drawn out) than a domestic adoption. So that very day I talked with Chris and told him how I felt, and he agreed. The next day, he looked up the different countries that Americans are allowed to adopt from. He looked at all of the variables, length of process, cost, how many & how long of trips required and basic requirements needed for each country. For example, to adopt from China, you have to be at least 30. When adopting from Russia, there are two trips required, one of about 3 weeks and another of 6-8 weeks. For a week we did nothing but research and pray. We narrowed it down to a few choices and I decided it was time to get an opinion. I texted my brother Jason and asked him what country he recommended. He replied with Ethiopia, Uganda or Peru. Peru has about a 4 year wait for adoptions, Uganda requires you to live in the country for about 3 years and Ethiopia, well that was one of our top choices. Since Jason spent about a month in Ethiopia last year, I knew it was an educated recommendation. We took the weekend to think and pray about Ethiopia.
It didn't take long for me to know that Ethiopia is the country for us. So there ya go, we're adopting from Ethiopia. While researching countries, we were also researching agencies. We have decided on Holt International. They are an amazing organization that you can find more about at www.holtinternational.org you can also support children around the world and the homes in Ethiopia that they run. I highly recommend reading about their history, it's amazing what a strong willed Christain woman can do!
We know that this is the best decision for us. While I don't think that God made us infertile so that we cannot have children but so that when a dear child becomes an orphan in Ethiopia, we are here waiting to take them into our home and be their forever family. We would love to adopt two siblings under the age of 5 but the agency said that it can be rare so we should be open to a single child...and we definitly are! Now please, I don't want to hear any sympathetic comments about how "oh God will allow you to get pregnant eventually, it's just not His timing now". We really don't want to focus on pregnancy or infertility. I can't say that I'm over that and maybe I never will be but God will get us through that pain. We must focus on preparing ourselves to take in a new child or two that may very well be traumatized from losing one or both of their parents.
So now we have to finish filling out the application (they left an important document out of our packet so we're waiting on that). Hopefully this next month's budget will allow the $300 needed to go with the application as well. As most of you know, we had a pipe burst earlier this month and the plumber and cleaning of that pretty much tapped us out. (and no, insurance didn't cover it, it was $85 under our deductible) After our application is approved, we will start the homestudy, mostly paperwork collecting but we will need to come up with anywhere from $1,200-$2,500 to complete the study. That should take about 2 months. We are trusting God to supply our needs. Once our homestudy is done, we can apply to different organizations and ministries for grants...which actually can give much more than $3,000 (that info is thanks to a dear friend at MOPS).
Well, I think that's all for now. I'll keep posting to keep you updated on the entire process. There may also be a blog or two expressing frustration but I hope not! Hopefully this summer I can start putting stuff up on www.etsy.com and make some money!! I love you all and thanks for your support.
Well we did just that and last August, after hours and hours of research, we chose an agency to do a Domestic Infant adoption through. We want a baby, like anyone would. We didn't care about the color or gender, shoot we didn't care if it was twins! Because of those loose "restrictions" we placed, the agent told us we could be matched with a birth mother oh so very quickly. We were terribly excited at the thought of having a child home by Christmas. Then our emotions dropped drastically when we realized that we need all of that money in such a short short time. I know there are tax credits and Army credits but those are just reimbursals. Then there are organizations that will give grant money to those adopting but they all said it would be around $3,000. Our first payment would have needed to be nearly $10,000. Ouch. So we walked away sad and just as desperate as before.
The longing never left us. The need to raise children in a Godly way, to love them, hold them, teach them never left. We didn't know what to do. How could we ever raise that much money?
I help do the childcare for MOPS at my church. If you don't know that's Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers. I love working with kids and these dear children are tons of fun. So, four times a month I go teach, play and sing with these kids. About once a month I get asked if I'm a Thursday mom or a Friday mom (the childcare rooms aren't big enough for all the kids so it's split to two groups). I try to brush it off and just say "Oh I don't have any kids, I love working with them though". And I usually get the response of something like "Oh that's so great of you to do this", like I'm this hero working with kids without having any of my own. I didn't realize having a child is a pre-requisite to working with one. I hate getting asked that question.
Well I went off on a rabbit trail here.......A month or so ago, at our MOPS steering meeting, we were going around the table and saying if we were moving or staying (and staying in our position or want another one). Well I didn't realize how emotional I would get! I started crying before I could even talk. FINALLY I was able to get some words out. I stated that I am not moving but I will not be returning as a coordinater for moppets because I needed to get a job or make money somehow to pay for an adoption. The wonderful ladies prayed for me and expressed their support. Then we moved onto a devotion reminding us that God will give us what we ask for in prayer.
Well that lit a fire under my butt. Why are we just sitting around waiting for someone to drop a baby in our lap?! Perhaps we should look more towards international adoption. I've actually heard that it could be cheaper (or at least the cost more drawn out) than a domestic adoption. So that very day I talked with Chris and told him how I felt, and he agreed. The next day, he looked up the different countries that Americans are allowed to adopt from. He looked at all of the variables, length of process, cost, how many & how long of trips required and basic requirements needed for each country. For example, to adopt from China, you have to be at least 30. When adopting from Russia, there are two trips required, one of about 3 weeks and another of 6-8 weeks. For a week we did nothing but research and pray. We narrowed it down to a few choices and I decided it was time to get an opinion. I texted my brother Jason and asked him what country he recommended. He replied with Ethiopia, Uganda or Peru. Peru has about a 4 year wait for adoptions, Uganda requires you to live in the country for about 3 years and Ethiopia, well that was one of our top choices. Since Jason spent about a month in Ethiopia last year, I knew it was an educated recommendation. We took the weekend to think and pray about Ethiopia.
It didn't take long for me to know that Ethiopia is the country for us. So there ya go, we're adopting from Ethiopia. While researching countries, we were also researching agencies. We have decided on Holt International. They are an amazing organization that you can find more about at www.holtinternational.org you can also support children around the world and the homes in Ethiopia that they run. I highly recommend reading about their history, it's amazing what a strong willed Christain woman can do!
We know that this is the best decision for us. While I don't think that God made us infertile so that we cannot have children but so that when a dear child becomes an orphan in Ethiopia, we are here waiting to take them into our home and be their forever family. We would love to adopt two siblings under the age of 5 but the agency said that it can be rare so we should be open to a single child...and we definitly are! Now please, I don't want to hear any sympathetic comments about how "oh God will allow you to get pregnant eventually, it's just not His timing now". We really don't want to focus on pregnancy or infertility. I can't say that I'm over that and maybe I never will be but God will get us through that pain. We must focus on preparing ourselves to take in a new child or two that may very well be traumatized from losing one or both of their parents.
So now we have to finish filling out the application (they left an important document out of our packet so we're waiting on that). Hopefully this next month's budget will allow the $300 needed to go with the application as well. As most of you know, we had a pipe burst earlier this month and the plumber and cleaning of that pretty much tapped us out. (and no, insurance didn't cover it, it was $85 under our deductible) After our application is approved, we will start the homestudy, mostly paperwork collecting but we will need to come up with anywhere from $1,200-$2,500 to complete the study. That should take about 2 months. We are trusting God to supply our needs. Once our homestudy is done, we can apply to different organizations and ministries for grants...which actually can give much more than $3,000 (that info is thanks to a dear friend at MOPS).
Well, I think that's all for now. I'll keep posting to keep you updated on the entire process. There may also be a blog or two expressing frustration but I hope not! Hopefully this summer I can start putting stuff up on www.etsy.com and make some money!! I love you all and thanks for your support.
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