I cried today...

Yep, imagine me, crying!  I called our bank earlier this morning and asked that they prepare a document required for our dossier. A kind woman said she would take care of the request. She called back just now to say that the notarized letter was in today's mail (great service!) and then she hesitated. She said her prayers were with our family. She said she has a family member who adopted and had some rough days and wanted to encourage us. She made me cry and I don't even know this person! God is so kind to show His love through total strangers. In my silly tears I offered a "Thank you" to the One who has called us to this incredible journey.

"May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God's love and Christ's endurance." 2 Thess 3:5 (MSG)

-NS

Adoption Video

For those of you who may be interested, check out these videos of Baby Abe adopted in Ethiopia yesterday.  Grab a tissue, you may need it.  Congratulations Team Alexander!

Cross Country Season Starts

Madison ran in her first Cross Country meet on Saturday.  She ran in the Middle school division.  It brought back tons of memories from high school.  It was a 1 mile race and she placed 4th with a time of 7:08.

On the adoption home front, we have started working with Kate of KBS Dossiers to help us prepare our dossier for Ethiopia.  Dustin and I went to the local blood donor center last week and asked them to complete the four blood tests that we are required to have to adopt:  TB, Hep B&C, HIV and Syphilis.  I previously contacted our county health department but they weren't able to do all four tests.  I was so thankful for the woman I spoke with at the health department.  She told me to contact the blood donor center.  Otherwise, our doctor's office/hospital fees for the blood work would have been outrageous.  The blood donor center charged $65 per person and did a complete profile.  One more thing marked off our list.

143,000,000

Madison was reading blogs this evening and saw a great video on www.godtube.com.  We went to look for more and found this video.  I am not familiar with this ministry but LOVE how they put 143,000,000 orphans into perspective.  When we were trying to decide on adopting, Dustin and I often asked ourselves, "But this would be just helping one or possibly two children.  It doesn't even make a dent in the sea of children who need a mom and dad!"

A Favorite Quote

"Life is the garment that we continually alter, but never seems to fit."

                                                                                                  -Chuck Swindoll

Free Adoption Book Offer

Just thought I would pass along the opportunity for a free book. The author, Laura Christianson, is sending a free copy of "The Adoption Network" to anyone purchasing "The Adoption Decision" on Amazon on 8/21/08. Following is an excerpt from Amazon's review of Laura's book:

"In North America, more and more families are adding members through adoption. And there are more ways to adopt—and kinds of adoption—than ever. This quick–start resource will help prospective parents consider key emotional and spiritual issues up front...before they plunge into the near–overwhelming mass of details and start to run into roadblocks, even dead ends.
Laura Christianson—an adoption educator and mentor, and an adoptive mom herself—brings her experience and knowledge to address unspoken but crucial questions about...

loving an adopted child
extended family’s reaction
expenses
openness in adoption
the role of birth parents
physical disabilities
emotional/behavioral challenges
racial and cultural prejudices

Recounting real–life miracles and mishaps of adoptive families, the author will help prospective parents—and their friends and family members—think through adoption’s challenges and joys, and confidently move forward from a firm emotional and spiritual footing."

Back to School

Madison and Sage started school last week.  Isn't it funny how we can't wait for school to be out in May to enjoy the summer with our kids and then we can't wait for school to start in August?!  Summers are so fun and the lack of routine is a nice change of pace.  But a return to routine is nice, too!  Madison started Middle School this year and loves the whole locker and changing class thing.  It seems like she has grown up over night.  Sage did not get the teacher he was hoping for, but he already really likes his teacher.  The kids had a pile of homework last night.  Piano and voice lessons begin next week, so we are officially into the school year!

Application Complete!

We did it!  Our application to our adoption agency, The Gladney Center, is complete.  We mailed the last required document today.  Tackling the dossier is our next big hurdle.  Dustin is quite sure that we have to submit fingernail clippings and written book reports that we completed in the fourth grade.   I am trying to convince him that it isn't going to be that bad....or is it?  

Pictures from Yesterday's Water Park Fun

Thanks, Angel, for letting me borrow a few pictures from your blog!

Madison and Sage making new friends
Kaiya-home just a short 8 weeks ago!
Sami and Zoe
Silas

Adoptive Family Get Together Today

A very kind and sweet Amy Bottomly invited our family to join her and other adoptive families in Oklahoma City today for some fun at the Will Rogers Family Aquatic Center.  Amy and her husband Josh adopted the very cute Silas Bottomly last year from Ethiopia.  We met families with adopted children from Ethiopia. Guatemala, Ukraine and China.  It was such a blessing to see such beautiful children and visit with other parents.  I especially enjoyed visiting with Michelle Riggs who adopted 9 year old Sami from Ethiopia just four months ago.  Because we will be adopting an older child I was completely smitten with Sami.  I hope to post a few pictures tomorrow.

We are often asked if we are adopting a boy or girl.  At this time we don't know that answer.  We are torn about requesting a gender because we already have a daughter and a son.   Dustin and I do not want either of them to feel less than because we request a child opposite of their gender.  God has called us to this amazing adventure and we totally trust that He fully knows the exact child that will become ours in the coming months.  We feel like we did not select the gender of our biological children and so we think we'll kind of stick with that approach and not request the gender of our adopted child.  We are also open to God having a sibling group in mind for our family.  That is a little scary, thinking we could become parents to four overnight.  Again, it's that trust thing.

A note to those of you who have sent emails or left comments to us after reading our first blog entries... Thank you!  Your encouraging words mean so much to us, you cannot imagine!  You know who you are and we thank you so very much!  

Zeus

Hey, Madison here.   This is our dog Zeus.  He is a 9 year old Great Dane.  He is the funniest dog you have ever seen!  Two of my aunt's friends, Kim and Danny, rescued him.   He was emaciated and covered in fleas and ticks and they nursed him back to health. A few months later they found out that they were expecting twins and wanted to find a new home for Zeus!  Mom had always wanted a Great Dane so Sage,Mom,and I just had to convince Dad.   And two years later he is the laziest and silliest dog you have ever seen!  One picture is when Zeus climbed into our old car when the door was left open.  The other is a picture of how he sleeps with his head tucked under his chest.

What To Think

Hey, this is Madison.  To tell the truth when Mom and Dad first said that they were thinking about adopting I thought they were kidding, especially Dad. But at night now I think that wow, we are really going to do this.  I think about the living conditions my little brother or sister are in. Every night I pray that God watches over him or her.  Even if you stumbled across this blog on accident I ask that you pray for our family.  Until next time...   

Two Months Down

Many of you know about our family's decision to adopt and if not, this post will be our official announcement.  Long story and lots of wrestling with God, but we have decided to adopt an older child from Ethiopia.  Dustin and I are from the "We are the World" generation and I think of the pictures on the news of the effects of a horrible drought in Ethiopia.  I was probably 11 or 12 years old.

Aids and poverty have almost wiped out an entire generation of parents in Africa.  

Did you know there are 143,000,000 orphans in the world?  There are 5,000,000 orphans in just the country of Ethiopia.  To put it into perspective, there are about 400,000 children in the US foster care system and about 100,000 of those are available for adoption.  (Yes, we first checked into being foster parents before we decided on Ethiopia.)

I read just today that if 7% of all the Christians in the world adopted then there would be no more orphans.  We sometimes feel like we are not even making a dent in the statistics, but we know that God has a child waiting for our family in a country far from here.

So here we are, two months into the adoption process, wading through piles of paperwork and enjoying our last days of summer with our kids.!