Sweet Opportunity

We have been blessed by so many people along this journey, friends, family, and complete strangers.  Another has stepped forward with a lovingly sweet opportunity to bless our family and to bless our daughter.

Along our adoption journey, I have met a woman named Brenda.  Brenda is the owner of Masterpiece Quilts (visit her shop: HERE or her website HERE.)  Brenda has a beautiful daughter, Emily who has Down syndrome.  Masterpiece quilts is a two woman team of Brenda and Emily.  The Masterpiece in the name is Emily.  Emily picks out the colors and patterns of the quilts and Brenda quilts them.  Each quilt is an amazing work of love and shows the inseparable bond between a mother and daughter.  If you look closely, each quilt has one square that is slightly different than the others.

Brenda has offered to make our beautiful Claudia a custom quilt of her very own!  The quilts cost $85.  Here is where you come in.  Brenda has said that if we can raise the $85 she will not only make a quilt for Claudia, but will also donate $42.50 to our account!  What a blessing!  We are trying to get the $85 raised in one week, by Friday the 24th of August.  Can we do it?

I am adding a special Chip-in just for the quilt. 

If you feel led, please consider donating $5 or $10 for this quilt to be made for Claudia.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and blessings.

Surrounded by Great Friends

Hey everyone!  We don't have any new adoption news to share at this point.  Our paperwork is either:

A) Still on it's way to Claudia's country
B) Being Translated
C) Being looked at, or
D) On it's way back to us (ok, this one is a long shot... wishful thinking)

Anyway, we have had some time to breathe, relax and work on some more grant applications.  We will be going on a mini vacation to the Adirondacks with Jason's parents for a few nights in about two weeks and are very excited about that.

Right now our auction is going good, we are up to about $700.  If you want to bid, don't forget to get your bids in by THIS Friday night at midnight CST, the auction is HERE.

My friend Alicia has been a tremendous help during our entire adoption process.  She has been one of our biggest advocates and now she has gone a step further.  Alicia has got a T-shirt fundraiser started now.  The shirts will be $15 plus shipping (if you need them shipped).  They come in men's or women's styles and the print comes in two different colors.  You can choose LOVE to be written in either hot pink or neon blue.  Below are examples of the hot pink.  The t-shirt color is charcoal grey.  Convo me if you would like a shirt or leave a message on the Facebook page for the shirts HERE.

Showing a womens and a mens style!

Give Away Does NOT End Tomorrow!

Hello all!  I have so much to blog about, and I will do it soon, I just need to get my thoughts together and organized!  So for now I wanted to let you all know that:

***TOMRROW IS NOT THE LAST DAY FOR OUR GIVE AWAY***

That's right , so if you have not had a chance to enter yet, don't worry, there is still time! Click here:
http://www.prayingclaudiahome.blogspot.com/2012/06/give-away-continued.html 
AND make sure to leave a comment that you shared/donated to be entered to win one of these great prizes:

An herbal neck wrap and eye wrap set from Comfy Creations http://www.etsy.com/listing/50940291/herbal-neck-wrap-eye-pillow-set-hotcold

A 5 pack sampler set of Honey Tea from Honeyteathyme shop is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/honeyteathyme?ref=pr_shop_more,

A spa pack including: Sugar scrub, lotion, a candle and bath salts in a DELICIOUS Vanilla scent from Rustic Ridge Creations, Shop here: https://www.etsy.com/people/kimberlygoddard1

$25 Target Gift Card

Tutu

Photo Credit

Custom Made Emma Skirt

$50 Amazon Gift Card

$25 Gift card to the Cheesecake Factory

Photo Credit

Hand made little girl’s Pillow Case Dress in any size 2-6 (Several colors and styles available)

Kisses From Katie

Package of 3 vintage sewing patterns (your choice out of a huge collection)

A hand made scarf purchased in South America (we will purchase and bring back to ship to you)

Kaleigh is the one running the give-away and she is currently in Latin America with her family as they adopt TWO precious little girls.  This is super exciting but has also made the logistics of shipping the items in the give-away difficult so we are extending it for a short period of time instead of making people wait a super long time to recieve the items!  I will update you soon when we figure out when it is going to end.  Sorry for the confusion!

Paperwork Delivered!

Our USCIS paperwork is now in the PO box of the USCIS.  My delivery confirmation message: "Your Item's StatusYour item was delivered at 12:00 pm on May 21, 2012 in DALLAS, TX 75222" YES!  Now this does not mean that the paperwork is in anyone's hands, BUT I know that it has been delivered safely. One step closer...

I have been scrambling around all day today to find a licenced psychologist to perform our psychological evaluations and am having NO LUCK at all.  Apparently you have to be crazy to get in to see one!  All that I have called say they only do evals for rehab and counseling and such...  I am still looking for one to get our evaluation done.

Please do not forget all of the awesome fundraisers we have going on right now.  There are so many different ways you can help!  Kaleigh is still doing a give-away at www.prayingclaudiahome.blogspot.com

We have bracelets and other jewelry still for sale (click on the links on the right)

You can make a purchase at my Etsy shop HERE

You can purchase coffee (See the Button for Just Love Coffee to the right)

Or you can simply make a donation using our Family Sponsorship Page (tax deductible) or Chip in to the right.

Every day that passes is one day closer to the day that we meet our beautiful daughter.  It still seems so surreal that our daughter is out there, waiting for us. We are doing everything we can to get you soon Claudia!

So much going on!

This past week has felt like a whirlwind.  We have had so many things going on and it has been absolutely crazy!  I feel like I have so much to write about and I don't know where to start, I think I may have to separate it into different posts just to get my thoughts organized!  Please be patient.

Ok, so first... the one thing that Jason and I have been waiting for came!  Claudia's updated information with new pics!  I will share those shortly for your viewing pleasure.  These pictures and info came at just the right time!  God knew that we needed some inspiration for a difficult week!  These pictures helped us get through it.  I now have her beautiful face as the screen on my phone and I smile every time I open up my phone.  As for the medical information we were not surprised by any of the information we received but we know now more than ever that she needs to come home soon to see a cardiologist in the US.  This beautiful girls has several delays but we are primarily concerned for her little heart.  Please help us spread the word and help us get her home soon.

And now for what you really came here to see:

Isn't she just precious?  Sadly, these will probably be the last pictures we will get before we see her.  I hope we can travel soon.  I would really love to be travelling this summer but I do not know how feasible that is.  I am praying for a July travel date but our HS is only now being completed.  It would make life so much easier on us to travel during the summer since I could do the bulk of the travelling and Jason could be home working and paying our bills.  If we cannot travel until the fall, I will need to stay home :(.  I know that God can do anything and I am trusting in His timing.  Praying for paperwork to travel quickly, get into the right hands and be approved.  Our little girl needs us.

Thank you all!

I don't have any new news or updates today but I wanted to say Thank You to all of my friends and family for all of the support they are giving to us.  We could not do this without you.  I want to thank God for continuing to lead us through this adoption because it is IMPOSSIBLE without Him!  We appreciate your continued prayers and support as we continue through this journey.  It is truly unbelievable how much you can love someone that you have never met before, and to feel such a strong bond already.  I know that she probably does not even know that her mommy and daddy are trying so hard to come get their little girl.  I just want to hug her and kiss her and let her know that she is loved.  I want her to know that she has so many supporters here that are waiting to meet her.  I know that this will not be an easy road but it is the road that has been chosen for us by Him.  I would not have it any other way. 

The Husband Speaks!

So, now that Angie has finally allowed me to post on here, I figured the time was ripe for my first ever blog post.

First things first: A lot of people that I haven't been able to catch up with for a while probably think that this is really out of character for me. 

I completely agree.  This is a good thing, really.

My "character" is selfish, prideful, quick-tempered and lazy.  If something I'm doing now is out of character for who I've been for most of my life, I know I'm doing something that's heading me in the right direction.

The person that I want to be is not who I have been, so the more out of character I act, the better.

Second: The first thing that most people (outside of my Cross Creek family) ask me when I tell them that Angie and I are being called by God to adopt a soon to be 3 year old girl with special needs from Latin (/South) America is "Are you crazy!?" To which the answer is of course: "Yes, quite."

If you had tried to tell me a couple of years ago that I would ever be the kind of person who says stuff like "I know this is what God wants me to do right now" I would have laughed in your face and walked away. 

I do NOT cry.  Ever.  I make Chuck Norris look like a big softie.  But when I think about meeting our little girl for the first time - wondering if she'll hug me, or be afraid of me - I come close to tearing up.  We don't know if she can walk, or talk or what her level of independence is, or will ever be, but I love that little girl more than my own life. 

If the change that's taken place in me isn't proof that God is real, and working in people's hearts and lives, I don't know what is.

God is so good!

God constantly proves to us that He is the one who will provide for us.  We just had to send in half of our agency fee last week.  It was so hard to do considering we don't know if we have passed our home study.  Each day we wonder how we will ever be able to pay for the adoption and every time something is due, God comes through.  Just last night Jason was able to sell his motorcycle which will cover the next bill.  It was a sad day for Jason to loose his bike but Claudia is worth SOOOOO much more than a motorcycle (right hun?!)  Please join us in praying for God to continue providing for us.

We are still working on completing our homestudy, that should be done soon and then on to UCIS paperwork.  We are also completing our online parenting classes.  I like being able to take them at home instead of driving somewhere to take them.  We are using Adoption Learning Partners.  They have a Hague package that includes 5 classes for $149.  It is a bit expensive, but it is worth it to be able to take the class in my pj's! 

Please help my friend Natalie bring her daughter home.  Natalie is adopting a little girl about a year older than our Claudia from the same country.  She also had Down syndrome.  I hope that someday they can have a play date!  Right now Natalie is doing a give-away on her blog and her father has donated a half a pig valued at approx. $200!  Go to her blog and enter for your chance to win. Natalie's Blog.

God is so good!  Lets bring these girls home :)