Waiting!

   The Spring has been such a wonderful time for our family but continues to be so busy. We have two birthdays to celebrate just this weekend. Robby is so blessed to have so many friends from church that were born within a month of him and so this is birthday season for us. All of that to say, I have just not had time to sit down and write anything in my blog.
   But, today I had to write because I just got word from our adoption agency that all of our paperwork was approved by China and all of our paperwork was logged into their system on 4/16/2012. We sent all of our paperwork off the Wednesday before Easter and these last few days I have been so anxious to hear something. I sat down to study the Word this afternoon and it was so good because I was just telling God that I trust Him and know that however long it takes, He has a plan. I felt a great sense of peace and finished studying. After studying, I turned on the computer to check email and I had an email from our agency. God is awesome and He sure knows how to confirm to me His plan.  From this point on, we are officially waiting. We will hopefully receive a referral within the next year. Thanks for checking in on our journey!

Happy Resurrection Day!

From Our Home to Yours!

Praying you take time to reflect on the reason for celebrating Easter.  So thankful that we have hope in Jesus because we serve a Risen Lord and Savior! He's alive! Thank you Jesus for loving us "while we were yet sinners" and making a way for us by your sacrifice!

I just have to share this oldie but a goodie. This will get you excited that our Jesus is risen!
(Go to the bottom of my page and turn the volume down so you can hear this song.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gijYFA1SS8&feature=related

Here is another song that is one of Robby's favorites. I love it too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A44xU35UC1Y&feature=related

"HE is RISEN!  HE is not here."

Mark 16:6

Past and Present Easter

I've had so much fun looking at old pictures these past few days that I had to share a few!

Robby's First Easter

Robby with Best Buddy Parker

Daniel's First Easter

Easter 2011

Easter 2012

I'm so thankful for these pictures as they remind me of such precious times that I will always treasure! 

Dossier Mailed to China!

   I thought the day would never come but "Praise the Lord"... Today all of our paperwork is complete and our agency is mailing it to China! When you begin the process of adoption, there are a lot of meetings, phone calls, decisions to  be made, papers to complete, money to raise, and plenty of waiting on government officials to process and return  paperwork. It's a hurry up to finish paperwork and then wait game.
   Now that most of that is behind us, we just wait. (Ok, so we still have to raise money!) We wait for God to match us with the little girl He has planned for our family. Amazing! Now just because the paperwork is done,  this does not mean this season is any easier. No, we wait with nothing to keep our hands or minds busy and so often we want to be able to do something for our little one and there seems like there is nothing tangible we can do. Now, we trust in our Father, call out to Him for our daughter's protection and provision, and pray that our referral will be made quickly. (The song on this blog is truly one I love for this season of  my life!) At this point, the estimated wait time for a referral is 6-12  months. We so appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
   We also want to praise God for His faithfulness in providing for our adoption financially. Each step so far God has blessed us and proven that He will provide as we obey. We continue to trust Him as we believe "that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus".

Daniel is 2!

   Our "Sweet D" was born on March 30, 2010 and he sure has been such an amazing addition to our family. We thank the Lord for blessing us with this precious boy! He is such a big boy already and believes he can do anything his big brother Robby can do. He loves cars, buses, spiders, and music. In fact, "The Wheels on the Bus," "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," and "Jesus Loves Me" are his favorite songs! The morning of his birthday we celebrated with a muffin.

   We enjoyed having our friend Jaime from Guatemala for a visit the week of Daniel's birthday. On Daniel's birthday, we enjoyed a Jaime and Daniel celebration. Pinata's are a South American birthday tradition and the kids loved it! 

  We love you Daniel! I love when you hold your arms out to me and say, "Hold You Momma!" You are precious! We pray you will come to know Jesus soon and that you will love and serve Him all the days of your life!

Easter Egg Hunt

   I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful group of girls to study God's Word with weekly. Each Easter, we plan an egg hunt with all of our children. It's always a great time! It's hard to believe that two years ago, Robby hunted for eggs with his friends while David and I went to the hospital for our precious Daniel to be born.  (In fact, before we left for the hospital, David had Robby "practicing" egg hunting. I'll never forget this because this Momma was ready to get to the hospital and I just had to laugh! What a great Daddy!)
  Love this picture of Robby with his friends from two years ago!

  Here is a picture of them from today. What Big Boys!

Daniel really got into the egg hunt as well. So fun to watch him grow and be a big boy too!

Happy Early Easter!

April 21st - Are you ready to run?

  I'm sure you are already beginning to plan activities for the family as Spring arrives and the beautiful weather is here! I've got something great for you to put on your calendar! On April 21st, plan to run to help support the fight for Cystic Fibrosis. My family is all planning on being a part as we run to help find a cure for this disease that touches our family. My brother-in-law Tyler has had Cystic Fibrosis from birth and has lived a wonderfully vibrant life. His health continues to be good as he is faithful to do his treatments. We look forward to the day when they will find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
This link will lead you to my sister's blog page and there is a video that gives you a little more background to Tyler and the run for Cystic Fibrosis.
http://whenshebreathes.blogspot.com/2012/02/dreaming-of-cure-and-getting-closer.html
Feel free to email me or comment on this page if you would like to join the run and need more information. Hope to see you April 21st!

We are the Champions!

  What an amazing basketball season we had this year! David coached his boys to a 38 - 1 season.  Yes, Prep played 39 games. Exhausting to say the least! Last Saturday, the boys won their final game in the Mississippi College Coliseum and were named the MAIS Champions. So proud of my Man and the Jackson Prep team! David truly desires to invest in these boy's lives so that they may mature and become strong men with character. I'm so thankful that he has an eternal perspective in his coaching! Go Prep!  Congratulations guys!

Click the links below to see an adorable picture of Robby and Daniel.
Robby
Daniel

And here is one of our family and David's team...
Family
Team

Nenon Photography always does a great job photographing Prep events. She got some great pictures of this game and of our family. Can't wait to order some to help us remember this special season!

Swimming at the Y

  I must say that I love to go swimming and I truly enjoy taking my kiddos swimming. Swimming was such a passion of mine growing up as I spent every day at the pool for so many years when I swam competitively and then was a lifeguard and taught swim lessons. I'm so thankful that my boys are not afraid of the water and love to go to the pool too!
  Today, I decided to take my boys and the two little girls that I keep up to the Y pool. This is not unusual as they all love to go swimming. We were having a great time using our new goggles and enjoying playing with our water toys, when Robby decided to jump in...backwards! Yes, he did and he sure hit his sweet little chin right on the edge of the pool. The lifeguard ran over to the other three, I ran to Robby, and we exited the pool super quick. Then, I did the quickest change of clothes on 4 children you ever saw while giving them information for an accident report, and then got them straight in the car. Thankfully, David was able to meet me at the house and let the other three rest while I took precious Robby to the doctor. (I would normally post a picture but some of you may not be able to handle the little cut on his chin!)
  Robby was so brave and barely shed a tear as he got his 6 stitches. I loved it when the doctor was asking me about whether he would be still or if we needed to use this contraption to hold him down and Robby looked at her and told her, "I'm a very good boy!" My heart broke and I was so overwhelmed with pride as I looked at him talk to the doctor, reason, and know that he was able to obey and do as she asked. He did awesome! Another awesome thing Robby said as we were walking into the doctor's office was, "I sure will never jump in the pool like that again." I pray he does remember this and that he will learn from his mistakes and also allow the Holy Spirit to teach him so that he doesn't have to learn the hard way. I can't believe this sweet boy that God has entrusted David and I with is almost 4! He is all boy and sure loves to explore and live life to the full. I pray he will always look to the Lord for his strength and seek Him for guidance in His every step.

Sacrifice

   God continues to amaze us! This week I received an email from a girl who we honestly do not know personally. She shared that she felt God moving her to give up her iphone so that she could give to a family adopting. She heard us share our story at church and decided that the money she would normally spend each month on her phone, she would send to us in order to help bring Grace home. Tears filled my eyes as I felt God once again confirm this journey for us. The costs for an adoption is great and with each payment, we look to our God and trust knowing that it is achievable when we are obeying and take each step according to God's call.
   This sweet girl has blown me away. She has decided to give something up that so many these days see as an absolute necessity. Her sensitivity to the Spirit and His calling has humbled us and given us such great confidence in how God provides. It causes me to desire to dig deep into the Word and draw close to my God so that I do not miss when He is calling me to do something outside of my normal routine. Sacrifice could be money, an object, or even sacrificing my time. This sweet gift from this girl has caused me to ask when was the last time I sacrificed? I mean truly gave up something that seemed like a necessity in order to obey my God? God has given so much to us. I want above all else to love and serve the Blesser more than the blessing!

Date Night with Steven Curtis Chapman

   Last Thursday was such a special night for David and me. One of our sweet friends, Mrs. Misty, offered to watch our boys so that we could go to the Steven Curtis Chapman Concert. David and I both loved SCC growing up. When we were dating in college, we went to one of his concerts in Atlanta. That concert is still to this day one of our favorite dates! We were so moved by God's presence and Steven's passion for the Lord. After seeing him in Atlanta, we got the chance to see him in concert in Memphis 6 years ago. The amazing thing about this concert was that it was not a typical concert at all. It was a fundraiser for adoption that SCC was supporting! How awesome is God! We were already considering adoption and this was just an example of how God was moving us in this direction to bring Grace home. For me, this past Thursday was such an encouragement to me as this journey can sometimes get long and discouraging. It was so great to be around others who support and are involved in adoption. Our adoption agency was there so that was so neat to hear SCC affirm what an amazing agency they are.
  I loved singing all of his songs and just enjoyed hearing about God's faithfulness even in the midst of difficult situations. One of my favorite songs is "When Love Takes You In." He sings this song while showing pictures of his adopted daughter and other orphans. This video says it all! (Just pause the music at the bottom of our blog so that you can hear this video.)

We can't wait to have our Grace HOME! We love her so much and she belongs HERE! 

Our Little Train Master

 I never knew much about trains growing up and I sure never expected them to be a large part of my life ever. My Grandfather Cooper loved trains and had an electric train set up in his living room that traveled around a track built on a ledge close to the ceiling. I remember loving to go to their house and he would turn it on for us to watch. Another train memory from my childhood was when my grandparents took us on a special train ride. David's grandfather loved trains too. He had an elaborate train table in his basement. I was amazed by the intricate details and amount of time he spent in creating this train table when I had the privilege of seeing it. David has many fond memories of this train table. Knowing my little boys now, I wish they could have met both of these grandfathers and seen their amazing trains and I wish these grandfathers could have met Robby and Daniel to "play" trains.
 I love when Robby wakes up in the morning and is already talking about Thomas the train and is ready to make a track. Last Saturday morning was one of those mornings. He woke up and David was home because he didn't have any morning ball games. Robby ran in and told him he had an idea of how to build a new track. He said he wanted to build it in the shape of him. What a great idea! We had never even thought to do this before. David and Robby got busy and they made this amazing track before we even ate breakfast!

How fun is that! Of course, Daniel wanted in on the fun as well. He loves to play with trains too!

Now, I know about Diesel Engines and Steam Engines, Conductors, and every train slogan there is to say. "All Aboard" is one of Daniel's favorite things to say. I'm not a train expert by any means but my boys sure have taught me a lot as I attempt to teach them! These train memories will be ones David and I can add to our train memories from our childhood and will be treasured for years to come!

Official FBI Fingerprint Date

I never knew I could be so excited about receiving a letter from Homeland Security! I had been praying for several days that we would receive a letter that gave us our appointed fingerprint time so that we could move on with the final stages of paperwork for our adoption. On Wednesday, I checked the mail and gave a huge shout when I saw the letters for David and me from Homeland Security. I'm so thankful that the appointed times are times that David and I can make. In a week, we will go and let them fingerprint us so that they can know "There are no prior arrest." Can't wait!

Official Paperwork sent to Immigration! (and other exciting news)

   I'm so excited to announce that we have made it to the next stage in our adoption process. Since I last wrote, we received an official copy of our homestudy! (We had been waiting for this paperwork for several weeks!) With this paperwork, we then were able to send that off with several other important pieces of paperwork to Immigration last Friday. I was so thrilled, but let's just say it was quite a day!
   First, we went to the post office to get a money order. I have found that they were cheaper than getting it at the bank, but of coarse they only take cash or debit card which I did not have. So, I jumped back in the car and headed to the bank to get cash out of Grace's account. Then, headed back to the post office to get the money order. The paperwork had to be sent UPS or FedEx so I then had to head to the next location to get it mailed off. I went to this place that mails for UPS. The man was really nice and helpful. He helped me get the correct label and then took the paperwork and I left. As soon as I got in the car, I didn't feel at rest because I did not put the paperwork in the envelope myself. (All of this paperwork is so important and you feel very protective over it as you invest so much time and energy into gathering it! It can make you feel a little crazy at times!) I called David and he assured me that it was fine but that I should go right back in the store to check on it if I needed too. I was already down the road at this point and God was telling me to not fear. I stopped and it was so cute because Robby asked me what was wrong. It was a perfect teaching time. I told Robby that I was being worried about Grace's paperwork. I explained that fear and worry were not from the Lord but that we need to trust in Him with all of our heart. (Prov. 3:5-6 - Love that verse!) He told me that I should trust the Lord! Love how it is so simple to them. I told the Lord that I trusted Him and He gave me His peace but also assured me that it was okay for me to go back and check. So that is what I did! I sure enough walked back into the store, feeling a little crazy, and explained how I just needed to see the envelope all ready to go. The man kindly smiled and acted like he totally understood. He showed me the envelope and I felt better. (I felt the best when I tracked it last night and realized that it had arrived at the correct place on Tuesday!)
   Robby and Daniel have been such great helpers on all of our adoption errands. I am so thankful that they are such wonderful car riders and that they are excited about helping bring Grace home. We look forward to getting our official FBI fingerprint appointments in the next week or so. Immigration is taking 1 1/2 months - 2 months to process paperwork at this time. Once we receive their approval, we will then send all of our paperwork to a Chinese Consulate to get approved and then we will "officially" be waiting for Grace!
   Other exciting news is that Wednesday we had a conference call with our adoption agency, America World. We were officially accepted into the Waiting Child program for China. With this acceptance, we can begin reviewing referrals (adoptable children). We will probably not be matched with a child though until all of our paperwork is processed but at least this step is behind us and we can begin to understand the referral process.
   Adoption is such a process and I am so constantly reminded that it is a beautiful picture of what God has done for us! He desires us just as we desire sweet Grace. He pursues us and is willing to work on our behalf and he calls us His adopted children. All this work is so worth it as there will be a day when we will get to hold Grace and care for her as our daughter! I know He feels that way about us!

Movie Night

It's January and basketball is in full swing. We love to go to the games and are so proud of Daddy and his team. They are 19-0. Yes...That means they are still undefeated! Go Prep! But with 4 games in 7 days, Momma and the Boys had to take a break. (Too bad Daddy couldn't join us!!!) So instead of making the long drive to Pillow Academy, we had a night to stay home and relax. We made the decision to watch a movie and eat popcorn. I must say by the looks of my boys, it was a success and they may be asking for many more of these nights! Daniel acted so grown as he sat there and chowed down on popcorn. Robby was so kind to share "his chair" with him as this has been his favorite spot to sit and watch tv since he was Daniel's age. I so enjoyed snuggling with my boys and can't wait until Grace is here to join us. (We may have to get a bigger chair!)

In the next couple of days, we hope to be moving forward with the next step in our adoption process. Looking forward to being able to blog about that!

Christmas Gifts

   Our lives can be so busy and filled. This Christmas was so wonderful because I feel that we slowed down some as we tried to recognize the many gifts God has given us and truly focus on Jesus. We enjoyed giving small "happies" to neighbors and others who bless our lives each day. I desire for our children to want to give more than to receive because it does feel so amazing to watch the happiness a gift, big or small, can bring to another. This was also a great opportunity for us to share with others the true reason we celebrate Christmas.
  We thank God for His presence in our lives and for the sacrifice of giving His Son as a baby to become our Savior. We also thank God for leading us on this journey of bringing Grace home. She is already such an incredible gift to our family! As we already believe her to be a part of our family, we wanted to include her in our Christmas celebrations. We surprised the boys by having a gift for Grace under the tree. I saw this precious sweater and had to get it for her!

I can't wait to see her wearing it! Maybe next Christmas...
  Aunt Jenny also surprised us with a beautiful gift she made. She made stocking holders for each of the boys and also one for Grace! Our Aunt Jenny is so talented! I pray next year we will have three children waiting for  their stockings to be hung!

For our Big Boy Robby

For Big "D"

For Sweet Grace Elizabeth

  Just in case you would like an update of where we are in the process, I thought I would let you know. We are waiting for the official written copy of our homestudy paperwork. Once we receive this paperwork, we will send it off to the Immigration office. Then, the Immigration office will have it for a month to a month and a half. After they process the homestudy paperwork, we will receive an official fingerprint appointment and then also be able to turn our dossier into our agency. All that said, we are still dealing with lots of paperwork and waiting. Pray for us to wait graciously and that God would show us it is on His timetable and not ours!

Christmas Traveling

   Being the wife of a teacher is so great because we usually enjoy a nice week long break and travel to see family for the holidays. This year we decided to visit both sides of our family which made Christmas extra special. We headed off for our Southern tour and stopped to celebrate with the Horners in the North Georgia Mountains first. It was a packed day and a half. We enjoyed worshiping at their church, a great steak dinner, and exploring and playing at their park. Then we packed back up and made the next part of the journey down to visit my family in Florida.
   I am so thankful that our boys are such great travelers. We really have such a fun time all together in the car. (I hope Grace will love to travel just as much!) Daniel is so funny because he loves to be around everyone! He sometimes gets upset while we drive, but if I will just reach back and hold his foot he is the happiest little guy ever. He will call out my name and thrust his foot out until I hold it. It's hillarious! I couldn't reach him at one point on the way back because our car was so packed, so I asked Robby to hold his hand. Daniel calmed down and relaxed immediately. How precious!

   Florida was amazing! We could not have asked for better weather. Now I remember why I didn't own a pair of closed toe shoes until I came to MS for college. It was 75 degrees and sunny each day we were there. We really should have brought swimsuits and not sweaters! The boys loved playing at Mimi and Daddy Bob's park and I so enjoyed catching up with 2 of my sweet friends Brittainy and Juslin and sharing time with our family. I am so grateful for the friends and family God has blessed me with!
   I pray you enjoyed your family and friends this Christmas as you celebrated the birth of our precious Savior Jesus!