Post from the blog 'Unveiled Faces'...

This was a post I read yesterday written by Tracy, who in Feb/Mar this year brought home a sibling group of 4 from Ethiopia...what a beautiful family....what a beautiful picture of God's love here on earth. What she has to say is clear and full of truth. As Christians, lets have some courage, let's actually exercise the faith that we claim to have...there really are no valid excuses. It won't always be easy, but if it were easy then we wouldn't NEED HIM. God PROMISES that He will walk through it with us...thank you, Tracy....
Unveiled Faces: Holocaust Denial

Update on our Alice

Today we got a wonderful update from Alice's orphanage in response to the care package we sent July 16th...we knew she had gotten it because my dear friend, Ann, had shared the pictures she had received of her daughter, Maran, and she had a few of Alice in there. Our girls are best friends in the orphanage and I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been to have her to share the journey with. But, although I knew Alice received it, I was still hoping for some pictures and maybe a small update and today I got it...here are the highlights of what they said:

They answered some of my questions from the letter I had written to her nannies...they say that they adore her so much, that she is active, outgoing and smart. She loves to play with other children and likes to run and chase. If she is upset, you can hold her and pat her for a while and she will be fine. She sleeps alone in her crib. They also gave us updated medical information and the names of the 2 nannies that were in some of her pictures from May. They also thanked us again for loving her so much.

Well, I can truly say that the honor of loving Alice is all ours!!!! They sent 2 new pictures...one she wasn't looking so happy...she pretty much looked put out that they had taken her away from whatever she was doing to take a pictures..haha...

and here is the other one...looks like she got a fresh buzz, but I don't think she has ever been more beautiful...I love you my sweet daughter and I am counting down the days until I have you in my arms.


Thank you Lord for another treasure....happy Saturday!!!

kiddie carnival:)

We had a great Sunday School party tonight at our local "Kiddie Carnival"...



Lucy and her best church buddy, Paris...what sweet friends...

I am learning...

I am learning that it doesn't matter how hard I work, how fast I work, or how thorough I am....it is all in His hands...while that control is hard to let go of sometimes, I find that I have never felt such great peace knowing my God has my Alice in the palm of His hand. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:7

Rollercoaster Ride

Well, I headed to the mailbox today around 4:15 expecting nothing and when I opened it, I saw the telltale sign of a USCIS (immigration form)...you just know one when you see one. I got excited for about 2 seconds and then I picked it up and it was pretty thick, so then my stomach started hurting. If it were the I800 approval, then it would only be one sheet...so, anyway, got the guts to open it and sure enough, it was a ton of our paperwork with the word REJECTION NOTICE under "notice type". So, there was a post it note on it saying that I needed to review 2 of my answers...I flipped through and for some reason VERY unknown to me, I put a check mark saying yes to a question that I should have checkmarked no. I know that I read that stinking form at least 4 times and I did 2 rough drafts and still put the wrong answer. I was in a pure tizzy (yes a tizzy) and I called immigration twice to find out what to do. I did exactly what they told me to do and threw all the kids in the car and ran to overnight it...please pray that I did it correctly. We still do not know if the Supplement 3 we filed with the addendum from our program director was accepted so please pray that these things do not slow us up. I am still praying to travel as quick as possible, but I know the Lord has got it all figured out. Sure would be nice to know...I guess that is where faith comes in...

The Famous Story of Lucy's Birth

****W A R N I N G**** This is a BIRTH story...there is a little BIRTH talk....if you don't want to hear about BIRTH, DO NOT READ. Although I left out stuff that I would normally say if we were talking, there are still a few references to some BIRTHish things...consider yourself warned....here goes....


The thoughts of typing out Lucy's birthstory make me feel overwhelmed....there are so many crazy details, that I am sure I will leave some out but anyway, here are the highlights....of course, some details we will have to keep to ourselves, don't want to scare ya'll away too bad..ok, let me preface the story by saying that with the boys we always found out the sex and I was induced both times and given an epidural....anybody who knows me knows the story of Charlie's birth and all my troubles, well, without going into too much detail, I decided by baby #3 that God made women's bodies for giving birth...He sure knows more about my body than a doctor does and I wanted to experience giving birth the way God intended...it could not be half as bad as the after effects I had from epidurals...so, seriously, I prayed the whole 9 months that God would PLEASE let me experience this, that He would let me go into labor on my own, you get the idea. We were doing the Bradley Method (which is a great book by the way)..it is called Natural Childbirth The Bradley Way. It basically explains what is going on with your body when you are feeling pain in childbirth, which is what we are scared of...once we know what is going on, it really takes the fear away and you can relax and your body can do what it was created by God to do...no crazy breathing and stuff like that...we both read it and had our plan of how this was all going to go down. So, I had had false labor 2 weeks leading up to her birth and on 2 different occasions I thought it was time but within an hour or so, the contractions would stop. My due date was around August 15th and let's just say, support for natural delivery is hard to come by. I love my doctor, but basically he thought I was blowing smoke when I approached him about having no epidural and no meds. He said he would be happy to do whatever I wanted, even if that meant giving me an epidural after 15 minutes of contractions. Wrong answer. I could tell in his voice he had heard it all before, and I knew he thought I wouldn't or couldn't do it. Well, if I had ever been sure I WAS going to do it (even if it killed me trying), it was then. So, as we get closer to August he starts talking about inducing me and I stood my ground. We finally agreed that he would let me go over my due date 1 week and if nothing was happening, then I would let him induce me. I did want to be smart and wanted what was best for my baby. Well, the 15th came and went and the praying got even more serious. I begged and pleaded with the Lord. I was supposed to see my dr the 23rd if nothing had happened by then. That Sunday, the 20th, while at my sisters for lunch, I started feeling bad-weird bad and crampy--I had lost my plug!! I was sooo excited--I had wanted to experience every aspect of it, so I knew there was still a chance to go into labor. So, the next night, August 21st, me, my mom and Charles all sat down to watch a movie..I was having contractions and I knew it would probably be it, but I knew if it was really time, we had a long way to go. As we were watching, I realized that I could not really keep my focus on the movie because of the contractions, so I decided at 11:00 pm to go and take a shower while they watched. My mom said as I headed upstairs, 'now Jennifer, don't go have this baby at home...you know you might not be laying on the floor in pain before you need to go to the hospital." I was like mom, really...give me a break, I would never do that. I got out of the shower, got ready for bed and told Charles that I was going to try to get some sleep, so maybe when I woke up it would be closer to time...contractions were still happening but they were pretty far apart. I woke up around 2:30 and began to time my contractions. They were sporadic at best but increasing in their length. Charles was sound asleep, so I woke him up when I could not calculate the time for my contractions...I could not add/subtract...haha...ok, I knew it was time, so we talked and did our Bradley stuff when I would have the contractions. But they were so far apart and inconsistent...one would be 13 minutes, then 8 minutes, then 4, then 10....it was ridiculous...I mean, I am not an idiot, but this was not how 'labor' was supposed to be...they were supposed to start out far apart and then get close together and consistent. The book said that if this is your third or so baby, you should head to the hospital when your contractions are about 4 minutes apart and that sounded reasonable, we were thinking we would start heading that way when they were about every 5 minutes. So Charles got up and got a shower and I got up and started getting things ready. We were talking and I was up standing by the bed and I had another contraction...it was a really weird one and I shivered really big at the end...Charles asked me if I wanted a blanket and I said no, that it wasn't a cold shiver...I asked how long it had been since my last contraction and he said 8 minutes. It made me mad. I knew that if we went too early, they would try to convince me to get an epidural, so I really wanted to get closer to 5 or really, just for them to be remotely consistent. I said if they were still that far apart, then I was going to lay down a little longer while he finished getting ready. Then, when he was ready to go, I would get up and change clothes into something cute for the hospital:) I had on my regular sized tshirt stretched over my belly...nice:) So, frustrated, I laid down...the second I laid down, I felt a pop. My water had broken--normally, I would have been ecstatic to experience another step of the process, but there was no thinking time because as my water broke I simultaneously HAD to push...and I. mean. REALLY. I immediately told Charles to call 911, that I had to push. Now, what we had been studying said that when a womans water breaks the contractions will hurt a whole lot more, so Charles said, your water broke and you are just feeling it more. I was grabbing him and looking as seriously as I knew how with really big eyes...I was like...(LISTEN BUDDY), CALL 9-1-1 RIGHT NOW..I HAVE GOT TO PUSH. Listen people, I could not even turn from my side to my back...it is like I was paralyzed...so Charles goes and gets my mom in the next room and I am begging her to please pray for me...out loud...like I needed to hear it for real....he then headed downstairs, I thought to call 911...in actuality, he moved the vehicle out of the garage and called the hospital we were heading to which was 30 minutes away....he told them what was going on and they told him that he needed to get off of the phone and call 911...hello...listen to me!!!! He comes upstairs and the 911 operator had asked him to see if he could see the baby's head...he comes over to see...then, talking secretively, says, "yes, I can see the head" all whispery....ummm...like I do not know a babys head is coming out...cracks me up!! Not so much then...they tell him to get clean towels and some shoestring, that an ambulance is on the way, to put the phone on speaker and they were going to walk him through delivering the baby. I held off pushing the best I could for 10 minutes and finally I just couldn't anymore. She said if I had to push, then push...so I did. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster....I would come down from a contraction and just apologize...I was so sorry, I couldn't believe I had done this and I was having a baby in my bed at my house...not to mention on my new white sheets...the first nice ones I had ever had...then, as another contraction came..I would pretty much scream...not really because it hurt but because I was scared...nobody was in charge and I was freaked out!!! I only pushed about 2 times and her head was out...that is when the EMTs came in and looked like they had seen a ghost!! Nope, just me spread eagle:) Yes, I am really HAVING the baby, ambulance people, not just freaking out about having contractions, buddy!!!...there were 2 EMTs and they were eager to say that they had never delivered a baby before....PERFECT!! One of them went to see if they had any kind of delivery kit in the ambulance, of course, when they got back, I had her already. Charles suctioned her and wrapped her in a towel...they wanted to transport us 'attached' and I wasn't feeling too keen on that, so they called the on-call doctor and he said to cut the cord..so the EMT cut the cord while Charles held her...now I am going to leave out some pretty graphic stuff-- you are welcome!!...then, they transported us to the local hospital in the ambulance, not the hospital we were headed to originally. I felt like we were in a movie from the welcome we received as we pulled into the hospital parking lot...it was like we were celebrities...all of the staff was outside waiting for us:) GOD WATCHED OVER ALL OF US in the biggest way..my boys somehow stayed asleep through the whole ordeal. Mom was there to keep them asleep for us to go to the hospital and for 'clean up'. Lucy was perfect...although no one even checked her out for over 45 minutes..at all. I was fine....a little bit traumatized, but fine. Allright, alot traumatized. God is good....he gave me the most natural delivery a girl could ever dream of and I got to experience every single detail of it...it was awesome...he listens and cares about our desires...here are 2 pictures of the day she was born...


If you want to know the rest of the story, we will just have to talk sometime:) It was a day I will never forget...daddy was a hero and he was so calm! Since the day Lucy came to our family, she has filled our lives with much excitement and we wouldn't have it any other way! We don't have alot of pictures from her birth..Regan did get there to snap a few, but not many I can post, so I will leave you with these...here is Lucy at 2 weeks old in her daddy's arms...

at one year old...

at two years old...

at three years old...

and, now at four years old...she is our angel and we cannot imagine life without her:)

Happy Birthday my sweet Lucy;) Momma loves you and I love our story...

Lucy's 4th Birthday at Chick-a-la

Here is mommy and her favorite 4 year old...she is growing up....

Lucy is so proud of 'her boys'...

Max, Lucy, cousin baby Davis and Charlie...ready to play at Chick Fil A...Lucy's place of choice...

We did not have a 'party' but we did have a cake...all she wanted was a baby doll cake...I was really not sure what to do about that. She loves her bitty baby more than anything else. Her name is Sally Sue. Soooo...we decided to do a Sally Sue cake...here is a picture of dear Sally Sue...

Here is her cake...she LOVED it and was grinning from ear to ear...

Right after singing Happy Birthday...

Lucy and Aunt Regan, who she absolutely adores...

Now, I must say that her sweet brothers truly were wonderful sports for her birthday night...Charlie helped her as she opened her gifts and would hold stuff up so she could see it. Then, he helped get her new outfits on...

Max was more than happy to play house with her too...she had a wonderful birthday...

Lucy dragging EVERY SINGLE thing she got for her birthday from room to room...priceless...

My Peace

Before I rolled out of bed a few minutes ago, my mind was already thinking of my paperwork at USCIS (immigration)..thinking about what I was going to say when I call next week that would be effective and that would help expedite our paperwork so that we might, by some miracle, get to leave for China the end of October....so, needing a word as I always do...I grabbed my Bible and opened it to Isaiah 40....WOW! If you haven't read this chapter, you *might* want to think about doing that today. Not only am I sitting here smiling (all alone, I might add), but I have got a great peace in my soul...there is not one thing that I can do in this process, but MY GOD can simply blow on things and they go and do exactly what He wants done. He can *blow* on my immigration officer!!!! Not that she would wither, of course, but my point is that, if he wants her to pick up my paperwork and do it quickly, then, He breathes it and it's done....why should I be anxious and worry, I have presented my requests to the Lord (Phillipians 4:6) and the timing of this adoption is in His hands!!

v4 "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain"

v7 "The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them"

v10 "The Sovereign Lord comes with POWER, and his arm rules for him"

v11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

v12 "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or with the breadth of his hand, marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed mountains on scales and the hills in a balance?

v22 "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers...he stretches out the heavens like a canopy"

v26.."brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name.."

v27 "why do you say.. and complain...my way is hidden from the Lord; my cause disregarded by my God?"

v28 "Do you not know?...He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom"

v29 " He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

v 31 "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength"

Lord, I have been weary here lately, but you are the renewer of my strengh:)


Now, I am off to paint and finish my organizing...early nesting, maybe???

A Really Good Day:)

Today was a really good day...we got our passports back from the courier who took them to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago to get our visas...whew....it really did not feel right to mail our actual passports to someone that I did not know, so I am glad to say they are back in my possession and I am feeling better...the courier was awesome and they were in good hands. Then, this afternoon, we got a receipt from the Dept of Homeland Security saying that our I800 and our Supplement 3 made it to Missouri...so now we wait for our I800 approval....

The best thing that happened today, though, was taking cupcakes to Lucy's school so that she could celebrate her upcoming 4th birthday...she requested blue and pink cupcakes, so I brought them to her class at lunch and got to spend a little time with her. She is having a great time so far...it sure is quiet around the house without her here...she is a special little girl. If I can find enough time to sit down and type it out...I may try to post her birthstory....probably the craziest story of my life!!! For now, here are some pictures of my favorite 3 year old, about to turn 4....

Answered Prayer:)

While in the shower this morning, I literally cried out to the Lord and asked for one little shred of something good today about Alice....actually, I first said just a shred about Alice, but then I added 'make that something GOOD!'....so....

around 1:00, I got a call from a friend (in NC) that is adopting Alice's little best friend in her orphanage...she told me that she had gotten some pictures in an update and had several of my Alice...talk about a direct answer from the Lord!! He hears us and loves to give us those 'little' things that send us soaring with happiness. All of the drive home, I would smile big and then burst into tears. It is like you have this really HAPPY feeling, then right on the tail end of it, there is a little stab of hurt because I want my daughter...I WANT TO TOUCH HER AND HUG HER AND KISS HER AND SMELL HER!!!! So, I laughed and I cried and I laughed and I cried...oh, I am just a mess now...can't wait to get her home where she belongs. Another good thing is, it looks like she must have gotten our 2nd package because she is wearing 2 of the new dresses...so precious. And it looks like she is sporting a new buzz:) She rocks it anyway!!!! She is beautiful and has no idea how crazy about her we are:)



Here is the first picture I received of Alice and her best friends in March...this is the gang!!

Lifeline China Reunion 2010

Well, today we spent alot of our day traveling to and attending the Lifeline China Reunion...at first we weren't going to go since we do not have Alice yet...you know, things like that can be weird...but we decided to go for it and were so glad we did. I got to meet so many people that I have met because of our adoption...people that I have only spoken to online or on the phone....so, it was so 'good weird' and wonderful to finally meet them face to face. Several I got pictures with and several I did not...there were old friends and new friends and it was just a really good day. We also are realizing more and more each day what a wonderful agency we have...not only have they helped us with our adoption 'stuff' but they are not afraid to talk about Jesus and we had some prayer for all of the families and for Lily and Rebecca (the guide/contacts that Lifeline has in China). That, I LIKE!!! It was also cool to meet Lily and Rebecca since we will be with them when we travel. We also got to meet Dr Chambers from the International Adoption Clinic in Birmingham that will be seeing Alice when we get home...cannot wait until Alice is with us at the next one:)

Here is my friend, Allison...we have all of the same dates...from referral, to LID to LOA...every date the same. We are hoping and praying we can travel at the same time, so we can be together...

Here are (left to right), my dear friend and prayer-partner, Meia, who just got a referral the first week of August, Andrea, who should travel around September, Amy, who literally walked me through the whole 'deciding' what to do in the very beginning and has kept in touch every step of the way, and me...

Us and the Evans family, we go to church together!! So excited to be going through the process with them...

Us and the Curtis family, who came home with their daughter the first of this year...

Meia, Meredith, and me...Meredith and her family went to church with us about 9 years ago or so and have not seen her since they moved....she has been the biggest help since she just got home with her little one. Who would have thought that all of those years ago, we would meet back up again like this...God is soo good!!!

We ended the night with an adoption fundraiser for some friends...Clay Crosse in concert!!! He was wonderful....what a great day...hope you all have a great Sunday tomorrow,

Visit from our social worker....

Well, even though earlier in the week was a bit trying, I think I am going to survive! Our social worker came out today for a visit, which is mandatory when you submit a Supplement 3 to your I800A...she had to ask us the immigration questions again so that our program director could write an addendum to our homestudy and change the age of the child we are approved for...

Now, onto the prayer request...please pray that these 3 documents come together in TX and that there are no delays or problems...our I800, our Supplement 3 and the addendum...there is a chance that it may not cost us any time but on the flipside, they could send it all back and have us resend it...that would not be good...so, please pray for the Lord's favor on this one and that it will move through with super speed...

Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers, messages and comments...it is REALLY so encouraging to have people 'with you' and I appreciate it so much!!!

Have a wonderful friday...