Congratulations!!!

I would like to say a HUGE congrats to Darin & Alina...May 13, 2010 is the Gotcha Day for their beautiful little girl. Darin & Alina have been in the process of adopting from Kazakhstan. They have been in Kaz for about 2 1/2 months now and they finally got their little girl today. Please say a prayer for all 3 of them while they start adjusting to their new life together as a Forever Family of 3!!!

THE Call

It is amazing to think that 3 years ago we received a phone call that would forever change our lives!!! Thursday, May 10, 2010 at 10:03am we received THE phone call telling us that we had been chose to be Garrett's mommy and daddy!! I remember that day as if it were yesterday, the weather was drizzly but the sun kept poking out, I remember what I had on, I remember what Joel had on, I remember who I was talking to when my phone rang... I really do remember it like it was yesterday!!!

I am so blessed to have been chosen to be Garrett's mom! He brings joy to my life that I never knew existed and he has opened my eyes to so many wonderful things. During this exciting day, I also remember how blessed Joel and I are to have been chosen. Garrett's birthmother decided to sacrifice something in order to give her son a better life. Joel and I will always be grateful to Tiffany and we will never forget how it felt to be told that she had chosen us to be his forever family.

Tonight we will go to dinner at one of the little mexican restaurants that we like. We ate there on that special night 3 years ago...we had to have a rushed dinner because Joel had a softball game that night (that ended up being rained out), so we wanted something fast...we will eat there every May 10 for dinner as long as they are there!!!

This is a picture of Joel finally making it to my office after we got "THE CALL".

My first gift from Garrett!!!

Mother's Day-To All Women

I am so blessed to be the mommy to two gorgeous children!!! I will never forget a very memorable Mother's Day--3 years ago. 3 years ago, I announced to our congregation that I was going to be a mommy in a few short months. A few days before that Mother's Day, I received a phone call that would forever change my life. I will post more about that tomorrow---that is the actual day!!!

I remember what it felt like to hear Happy Mother's Day being said to all the women around me when I so desperately wanted to be a mother. After feeling what I felt, I want to wish ALL women out there a Happy Mother's Day. If you don't have children, you are very important to all mothers and their children. Whether you choose to not have children, want children but are unable to have them, are in the process of adopting a child...you are special to someone out there and a child out there looks us to you and thinks of you as their 2nd mom!!!

Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to our friends Brad and Missy!!! Zeke is gonna be a big brother!! Brad & Missy received their referral yesterday for their little girl in Ethiopia. If you are interested in following their journey, you can find them here: www.ourjourneytake2.blogspot.com

Infertility Awareness

National Infertility Awareness Week is April 24-May 1, 2010. Below is a little something I found online today. I often post about adoption awareness and adoption stories. I certainly don't want the issue of infertility to go unnoticed!!! Joel and I tried for a number of years to have a child before we decided to head down the road of adoption. I thank God everyday that we went through the struggles that we went through. At the time, we didn't think it was a blessing, but He had another plan for us.

It would probably blow your mind if you knew how many people struggled with infertility. Chances are that there is someone you know who is or has faced that struggle and you may not even know it!! There is a link on the right sidebar that goes to Resolve...send this link to someone you may know that may benefit from the site. If you ever have anyone who has questions or just needs to talk, tell them to contact me.


Take Charge: 7 Things You Can Do in 7 Days

Educate yourself. Do you need to see a specialist?

Design a plan. Insurance info, options, support, we got you covered.

Become an advocate. No matter why you care, it’s easy to make an impact.

Get inspired. Read an entry from our What IF: Bloggers Unite Project.

Impact your community—volunteer, host a support group, raise awareness.

Navigate the Costs of Family Building

Find Support. Do you need help coping with your infertility diagnosis?

A New Heart

Just a quick note... The baby I wrote about in the previous post (Audrey) has a NEW heart!! Today Yvette was given a beautiful gift; she was told that there was a heart available for her little Audrey!! I found the news out from my mother-in-law. I instantly burst into tears and felt a wave of emotions that I never would have expected; I have never even met Audrey. I got news about an hour ago that Audrey was out of surgery and her new heart was beating wonderfully. I ask that you keep the Pearce family in your prayers. While you are sending a prayer up for Audrey, please also pray for the family who had to say goodbye to a loved one in order for Audrey to live on!! What a wonderful gift to give; your loss allows someone else to live!! WOW!!!

Love With All Your Heart

When you stop and think about how many times you reference your heart in everyday living it is amazing!! Joel always tells the kids that he "loves them with all his heart". We use terms like, my heart is broken, I will hold you close to my heart, you will always be in my heart... Have you ever stopped to think about what an amazing piece of art the heart is? Without the human heart, the human body go on. If the heart stops beating, everything else will fail. As adults, we are able to comprehend these items. Can you imagine being 5 months old and being told that your heart isn't working properly?

A couple from our church are going through a very difficult time right now. It is amazing how people come together...Joel knows Matt from football, I know Yvette because she was my boss at The Limited when I was 17 years old. Matt and Yvette have 3 children, one of which is 5 months old. Audrey was born on December 1, 2009 and has been struggling during her little life. Miraculously, it was found that she had a heart defect while the doctors were looking for something else. Currently, Matt and Yvette are having to consider the possibility of a heart transplant for their little miracle. I ask that you check out their website and read about their amazing journey. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/audreypearce

I ask that you pray for the Pearce family. I also ask that you take a moment to stop and thank God for the wonderful gift of a healthy heart; without it, we wouldn't be able to go on.

Love to all of you, with all of my heart!!!

Prayers Please

We have a couple in Kazakhstan right now in the process of an international adoption. Darin and Alina left from here on February 27 and they still are waiting. They have been spending time sightseeing and learning the culture, along with spending time with their baby and getting to know her. It seems that they could be there a while longer. We are hopeful that the current adoption situation with the Russian adoption doesn't play a part in their adoption finalization. We ask that you pray for Darin and Alina and their current adoption situation.

If you are unaware of the Russian adoption I am referencing, please click here.

I hope you are having a great Saturday!!!
Love to all!!

Great News!!!

Thanks to Greg and Laura for the latest news!!! If adoption has ever impacted you, this is something that was there to help you, if you have ever considered adoption, maybe this will help you make a decision. Every child out there deserves a home!!!! If you are interested in adoption, message me and I will do everything I can to help you or get you in contact with someone who can!!!

From The Christian Alliance for Orphans Blog:

Amidst the intense controversy of the health care bill signed into law by President Obama yesterday, there’s at least one provision every orphan advocate can cheer. The adoption tax credit was preserved for another year…and increased in value!

To encourage and support adoption, the adoption tax credit was expanded by President Bush and Congress in 2001. This increased the value of the credit from $5,000 to $10,000, and indexed it for inflation (meaning the credit would increase each year to keep up with inflation.) For 2010, its value had risen to $12,170. However, the 2001 increase was scheduled to “sunset” at the end of 2010. This would mean that any adoptions finalized after December 31, 2010 would be eligible for—at most—a credit of only $5,000.

This sunset has now been extended one year. That means that it will need to be extended again before the end of 2011. For the present, however, this extension comes as very welcome news for families considering adoption or in the adoption process.

Specifically, the provisions contained in the health care bill include:

•The current adoption tax credit has been extended until the end of 2011;
•The value of the adoption tax credit has been increased from $12,170 to $13,170.
•The increase is “retroactive,” meaning that any adoption occurring after January 1, 2010 is eligible for this higher credit.
•The credit is now refundable. This means that even families that owe zero taxes can receive the full tax credit in the form of a tax refund to help with their adoption-related expenses.

Long time no post

You would think we have been super busy given that I haven't posted in a while!! I guess when your life is pretty boring, there isn't much to post!!


We had Isabel's birthday party on Saturday, February 27th. It is always fun to get friends and family together---even if it is at our house. That is the only downside of having birthdays in the winter. Luckily Garrett's birthday is in the summer so we can always do his party outside.


We have been filling our weekends with fun family time. I love it when our little family of 4 is able to spend the weekend together doing fun things. I guess if people were able to look in our windows at us, they would think we were boring and crazy, but it is fun to us!!

I have the day off today to spend the morning with my munchkins, I need to run to the courthouse to get my notary renewed and then I am meeting my sister-in-law Robin for lunch. I think we are going to head to the mall after that and add to the chaos at the mall!! I will have my two kiddos, Robin will have her 4 and my mother-in-law will have my two nephews!! Look out mall, here we come!!!

I hope you have been having a great winter!!! Bring on the sunshine!!!