The Missouri Heart Gallery

This past Sunday we had a display set up at our church from the Missouri Heart Gallery. The display was absolutely gorgeous!! It is hard to look into all the beautiful faces and realize they don't have someone to call Mommy or Daddy! I would love for you to take a look at some of the faces of children who are waiting to find their forever family. Please click the link below to view their website.

The Missouri Heart Gallery

Keep watching for a fantastic give-away; just in time for the holidays!!!

Help an Adoptive Family

Follow this link and purchase a CD for $10. Your $10 will go directly to the Blair family to help with their adoption. Just $10.....don't eat lunch out one day, 2 lattes...you can really make a difference!!!

http://theblairfamily-dawn.blogspot.com

Orphan Sunday

We participated in Orphan Sunday at church today. It was absolutely wonderful!!! I was part of a team that put together all of the resources at our church. We had a great display set up with multiple reference pieces, a display of children waiting to be adopted, an opportunity to sign up to be part of a support group... If one heart was touched I feel like I did what I was meant to do.

I also did something else today that is out of my comfort zone. I gave our adoption testimony in two of our four services. I love talking about adoption, I love telling our story, I love advocating, I love helping other people; but I am not a public speaker. It was a wonderful feeling standing up at the front of our church and explaining our story and I hope I touched someones heart today. Our story is a wonderful one and I hope everyone enjoyed seeing a glimpse into our life. If you are ever interested in our story, let me know; I would love to tell you all about it.

There are so many ways to help save an orphan. For as little as a few dollars a month you can make a huge impact on someone. If you would like to help save an orphan, message me and I will give you some ideas of what you can do to help.

Happy Adoption Day!!!!

Another Fun Day

I had another fun day yesterday!! It was my turn to volunteer in G's classroom again. I love being in the classroom with my son. It is so awesome to be able to see him grow in so many ways. He is learning so much; here are some of the things he is learning about:
Sharing-this is huge since he doesn't always like to share with his sister!
Being a friend
Manners-WOW!! He knows to raise his hand when he is finished with his snack.
Singing fun songs
Learning what God did each day while creating the earth
How to use scissors
To go potty ALL BY HIMSELF!!
The list could go on and on!! I am so proud of G and everything he is doing! It is hard to believe that he is growing as quickly as he is! I can think back to 3 years ago...I had just returned to work after being off with my new baby!! We were getting ready to take a trip to Colorado to finalize our adoption, trying to figure out the perfect Halloween costume for our gorgeous baby boy, enjoying every moment! Now he is learning things I never even thought about!!

Now that I have bragged on G; it is I's turn!! WOW!! That is one way to describe my baby girl. She is a motion machine. I don't think she stops from the moment she gets up until the moment she finally falls asleep. She is so much fun and is certainly a ball of energy. She is really enjoying going to school and is always excited to go back. The unfortunate thing is that I don't get to volunteer in her class. The class she is in does not have parent workers due to the age of the kids and the attachment to their parents. I can't wait until next year when I can see for myself all the things she is doing.
Here are some of I's favorites:
Singing
Talking on her cell phone
Dancing
Going potty
Playing with her babies
Tormenting her Daddy
Listening to her Daddy read a bedtime story
Helping Mommy in the kitchen

Our lives are as normal as normal can be. What we view as normal some people may think is chaos!! How many families normal is having a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 year old? Just us!!! We like our routine and our home full of noise!! I bet if you drive by our house between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00pm you will be guaranteed to hear all kinds of chaos, yelling, singing, stomping... Quiet---what is that???

Fun Day

Today I had a SUPER fun day!!! It was my scheduled day to volunteer in Garrett's classroom. I could spend every day in his classroom!!! It was very interesting to see how Garrett interacts with his teacher and with the other kids. Something tells me he acted a little differently today with me there.

I finally am getting to learn some of the songs that I have heard Garrett singing. His speech is great but I have been having a hard time understanding and figuring out the words and the tunes of the songs. It is great to finally know what he is saying, now I can use those songs at home....the pick up song is great and I hope I can get him to scamper about and pick up toys the way he does at school.

Isabel's class doesn't have a parent helper. The thought is that kids her age aren't able to adjust to everything taking place in the classroom with mommy there. I totally understand what they mean!! I did get to see a glimpse of Isabel with her classmates while she was on the playground. Garrett's class was on the big kid playground playing when Isabel's class came out to play. I was hoping she wouldn't see me and get upset. I watched her playing and swinging with kids...and then she saw me. It was so totally cute!!!! She started yelling across the fence, "Hi mommy!!!, Hi mommy!!!!" We waved at each other and then she went back to playing with her friends!! Goodness, my kiddos are growing and getting so big and independent!!

Tomorrow it is back to work; I could get used to spending the day helping out at the preschool and then spending the rest of the day with my munchkins!!

Here are a couple pictures for you!! I will try to get better at posting! My goal is to start posting at least once a week!! I am sure everyone is itching to know what we have been up to!! Ha!!!

Feeling Sad

It has been a week since my brother accepted a new job. He called last Saturday to say he had accepted a position with a company that he thought was a chance in a lifetime. He also said he was leaving Sunday morning...like the next day!! I am happy that Chad is on a new adventure and that he is doing something he really enjoys, but I still miss him!!

Chad was in the Air Force and was gone for a few years. It was difficult for me to tell him goodbye then and each time he was home and then left again. All of that came back to me last Saturday when I had to tell him goodbye. He will be working all over the country and I don't know when he will be back again. I know in my head that he will be back sooner than I think, but my heart is still sad that he is not here. I guess I had gotten really used to seeing him multiple times during the week. I also got very used to him spending the evenings with me and my little family!!

Garrett and Isabel also miss their Uncle Chad. They have asked me a number of times this week if "Is Uncle Chad coming over?". That shows me they have gotten used to him being at our house and that they have gotten used to Uncle Chad being at my folks when they are there.

I wish my brother all the luck in his new job and his new adventure!!! I can still be sad though!!! I guess that shows how much I love him!!!

Sierra Leone needs our help!!

A girl I went to High School with is the founder of The Raining Season. Please visit the website at www.therainingseason.org to see what they are all about!! Erica's daughter is adopted from Sierra Leone and is giving back!! TRS purchased a building in Freetown to provide safety and shelter for the orphans of Sierra Leone. As you can imagine, they have outgrown the building they recently purchased. TRS has been raising money to be able to move the kids to a larger home. They are $16,000 shy of being able to pay for the first year in their new facility.



I have teamed with TRS to help raise funds for their new facility. Go to my website www.mistywhitten.scentsy.us and place your order under the Sierra Leone party and 15% of the sale will be given to TRS to assist with their new endeavor!!! 15% is over half of my commission!! This is something that I feel very strongly about and something I want to do to "give back"!!!! Will you partner with me and pass this information on to everyone you know??

Think about it......147,000,000 orphans world wide!!! Can you imagine being able to help just 1??? I am ready to do my party and help as many orphans as possible!!!!

Prayers Please-Ethiopian Adoption

Please pray for my dear friends Brad and Missy. They are in Ethiopia right now with their daughter Quilla. Prayers were answered when they passed court yesterday--typically families do not pass during their first court appointment!! Quilla is sick and need our prayers!! We pray that they will get the earliest possible Embassy appointment; Quilla needs to be home with her mommy and daddy!! We pray that she begins to feel better and that she doesn't catch chicken pox; this is something that is going around with the some of the children!

Please take a moment and say a prayer for Brad, Missy and Quilla!! Also say a prayer for Brad and Missy's son, Zeke, who is at home waiting for his mommy and daddy to return!

Welcome Home!!

A HUGE welcome home to my brother-in-law Jason!! Jason has been serving our country in Iraq for the last 10 months!!! I would love to be there to see my niece and nephews face when they see their daddy coming home!!! I am sure they have some fun and exciting things planned for today!!

Joel and I can't wait to see Jason when his family comes to town for the 4th of July!! Thank you Jason for fighting for our freedom!!!! We love you!!!

Swagger Wagon

This is hilarious!! A friend of mine sent this to me...he knows I would love to have a minivan. I know I am totally cool and there would be nothing wrong with me rolling in a van!! I would make the van look soooo cool!!!

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!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Isabel!!!

It is hard to believe Isabel was born 2 years ago tonight!!! She has been such a blessing and we don't know what we would do without her. It is amazing to think that 2 years ago she was born; it feels like she has always been with us!!! Birthday party pictures to come later!!





Isabel is on her way to the NICU.









First night home!!!











Happy 1st Birthday!!!

The Raining Season

A girl I went to high school with is the founder of The Raining Season. She and her husband adopted a beautiful girl from Sierra Leon, Africa. I have enjoyed watching their story unfold...what can we do to help save just 1 orphan???

Be sure to pause the music in the righthand sidebar!!! You don't want to miss this!!!

YEAR END Accomplishments! from The Raining Season on Vimeo.

God is Good

Greg and Laura have their gorgeous little Anna with them. Their first night was rough, but they have another night under their belt and it was a good night. As I was reading Laura's most recent post, Anna was still asleep. The Lord heard all of our prayers and He answered them.

I ask that you continue to pray for Greg, Laura and Anna. They finally have their forever family together!!! I can't think of anyone more deserving than them!!!!

6 hours!!!

A quick update...Greg and Laura should be sleeping at this moment...I wonder if they really are asleep or if they are too excited to sleep!!!??? 6 hours from now they will meet their guide and head to the civil affairs building...and then meet Anna!!! Say a prayer for Greg, Laura and Anna as they embark on this wonderful journey!!

Made It

I just checked in on my great friends Greg and Laura. They have made it to Beijing and enjoyed their first dinner in China. Needless to say they are exhausted!! Please continue to pray that they will have safe travels on their in-country flights and that they are able to get well rested before they meet their beautiful Anna!!

A link to their website is located in the sidebar if you would like to follow them on their journey.

A picture of Greg & Laura for those of you who do not know them.

Prayers for my dear friends

My dear friends Greg and Laura are leaving for China tomorrow to bring their gorgeous daughter Anna home!!! They are schedule to leave tomorrow morning to begin their long journey to China. The weather here is supposed to be getting nasty this evening. Please pray that their journey will be smooth and they will not run into any delays. We know God will be with them and will be making a path for them.

Greg & Laura---I love you both dearly and I can hardly wait to see your forever family come together!!!!! Anna is so blessed to have you as her parents!!!