Already Love You Give-away

Want to win something cute from our Etsy store?  Stop by In Light of the Truth to find out about a great give-way going on right now.  Much thanks to my college friend, Sarah, for doing this for us! 

And as a side note, I think that Sarah's heart to come alongside us in this is one snapshot into how someone can individually walk out obeying God's command to care for orphans.  One way that she is honoring God's command is by helping us along in our journey to adopt!  If God hasn't called your family to adopt, that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do to love orphans.  I've seen friends follow this command by seeking to become foster-parents.  I've seen others of you follow this command by praying for us as we pursue adoption.  My friend, Jessy, has been talking Christmas pictures for people and giving all the proceeds to us & another couple who are saving to adopt.  Still others are sponsoring a child with Compassion International or giving money to Covenant Mercies or other wonderful Christian organizations. The needs and opportunities are endless! 

If the Lord's stirring your heart to adopt a child, by all means-obey!  But if He's not, ask Him how you can obey His command to care for orphans. There are so many opportunities out there!

If you have some other ideas of how to heed God's call, leave a comment and let me know!

Read More

Adoption Fundraiser: Etsy Shop is Open!!

Ok, folks.  The time has come!  Our adoption fundraiser store, Already Love You, is officially open for business just in time for your holiday shopping.  Stop on by and check out some super cute aprons, adorable bibs, trendy nursing covers, and much more.  This is shopping with a purpose for sure; 100% of the proceeds go directly into our adoption fund.  This is all for the sake of caring for one of God's orphaned children.

We'll be updating the shop regularly with more items so we've got lots more comin' your way.  (It's taking me much longer than I thought to snap pictures and upload everything.)  Check back often!

And would you mind doing us the favor of passing along the news about our store? 

We're so thankful for you and your care for us.  Even more so, we're thankful for our God who has made our own adoption into His family possible.  What a reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving!

Read More

What about adoption?

Back in the summer before my thyroid went completely crazy, I posted about our plan to someday adopt. (See here, and here.)  Then, I found myself merely begging God for grace to get up out of bed and my plans got thrown out the window.  Pursuing adoption got put even further into the "someday" category.  Thankfully, God's plans are better than mine and His don't change.  In the meantime, Rwanda has closed its doors to International adoptions as they put into place better laws to protect children there. It's unlikely that they'll re-open anytime soon (potentially not even for 5-10 years or so from what I've read).

We've continued to pray and think about what the Lord has for our family regarding adoption.  While we were initially very drawn to Rwanda (and still are), it seems to us that He's leading to Ethiopia instead. We are so excited about that!  So where are we in this process?  Still very much in the "waiting on God" stage.  We're waiting on Him to speak to us about when He wants us to officially begin by starting the paperwork.  We're praying for our future child's birth parents.  We're asking God to prepare our family for the process and the transitions to come.  We're also waiting on Him to provide some "start-up" finances.  If you've ever considered adopting, chances are you've probably thought, "That's wonderful but there's no way we could afford it."  You're not alone. We don't have the money either, but God does.

We really believe that if God calls us to this, then He will provide everything we need to bring our baby home.  Still, we're not planning on sitting around and waiting for money to fall from the sky.  We want to be faithful to do our part so we've been praying and thinking creatively about how we can save and bring in a little extra as well.  We would like to have the first 3 months fees ($3,000-5,000) saved before we officially start the $30,000+ process. (I know; it's so expensive.  But so worth every cent!)

One small way we're seeking to do this is through opening an online store on Etsy.  My mom and I have teamed up to sell sweet gifts for mom's and loved little ones (like nursing covers, bibs, aprons, burp cloths, etc.).  I'm so excited about how it all is looking!  All proceeds go directly toward our adoption fund.  Stay tuned to see how you can check out our store!

Read More

Sweet Baby in a Tutu

Ok, so her animal print pjs don't exactly jive with the purple tutu but that's completely beside the point.  A baby in a tutu?  Absolutely adorable!

Read More

Almost a Year of Addie Beth

My sweet and beautiful baby is going to turn one next weekend.  I am stunned that an entire year has passed since we first saw Addie's face.  She has been such a joy amidst months of the dark shadow of illness that I've walked through.  This girl feels like a part of me we're together so much! Simply put, I love her.  So that I don't forget...

Favorite Foods: Chex, chicken, ice pops (she thinks she needs these because the big kids have them)
Clothing Size: 12 months on most things but still wears some 9 months.
Hair: Pretty straight.  Red highlights but mostly brownish/blond.
Eye Color: Blue!
Favorite Books: Where is Baby's Belly Button, Baby Faces, and Moo Baa La La La.
Naps: 2 a day: one is 1.5 hrs, the other is usually 2 hours.
Favorite Activities: playing with baby dolls (patting their backs, snuggling them, etc), laughing at the big kids, being held by Mommy, emptying things, scooting around (just learned to do this!)
Things that make her laugh: Tali & Owen, peek-a-boo, tickles on her ribs
Signs: Daddy, Mommy, eat, milk, baby, more, hi/bye, night night.
Noises/Words: "ruhh" for bears, "eeow" for cats, uh-oh, h-eye, buh-eye, Dada

Read More

Warm Fall Days Rock!

Getting 3 little people to smile for a camera isn't easy. This is about as good as I could do given that it was about nap time and we were all tired. I just love these 3 little people! Each one of them blesses me so much each and every day (and each and every one makes me cry out to the Lord for grace!).

Had to include a pic of Baby Girl's first shoes. Aren't they so cute? They might just be magical shoes because after we put them on her, she suddenly went from occassionally scooting around a bit to scooting full speed all over the house! These are apparently her magical scootin' shoes. Side note: when we were buying these the saleswoman at the store brought out a big sneaker-type shoe and asked if it would work for her stage of walking. Walking? This baby has just recently learned to move around a little on her rear! Scooting/crawling is very very new for her. The girl still can't quite master sitting up from a laying down position. Walk? I think we've got a while till we need to deal with that one. :)

Read More