Making Progress

While it seems like our adoption is moving in super slow mo', it's really not.  While it is difficult to set a timeline on adoption, our agency believes that we will be traveling sometime in the new year.  Praise the Lord!  The dossier has taken much longer than anticipated, simply because so many papers have to be notarized, and "rules" change during the process.  We are so grateful to our friend and notary, Chris McKiernan.  He has spent a lot of time on multiple visits notarizing documents for us...for free.  And the wonderful people at 5/3 Bank in Ross refused to let us pay them for notarizing documents, even though we are not their customers, simply as a gift.  

By the end of this week, our dossier should be finalized and scanned into the system...and then we wait.  We will wait for a referral.  Wait for the phone call that will forever change our lives.  We will wait and pray and give thanks for this amazing process that is growing our family.  And we will continue to pray for hearts to be changed in those who do not quite understand adoption.  Because adoption is a gift.  It is love.  And it is real.  It will be challenging.  It will be full of ups and downs. Just like every parent-child relationship grown in the mother's womb or the mother's heart.  But it is our calling and we are thrilled to be on this journey.  And our prayer is that our family and friends will embrace our child(ren) and open their hearts to love and be loved.  

Many have asked what they can do to help.  Here is our list of needs at this time...

First and foremost, pray.  Pray for all of the orphans of our world, and specifically for the one(s) that will be joining our family.  Pray for our boys and the transition that this will mean for them.  Pray for our extended family.  Pray for our international travel plans.  Pray for the Ugandan people and the court proceedings.  Pray for us.  The adoption process is long and frustrating, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  

Ask us questions.  We want to share about our adoption ~ we are expecting a child or two and are so very excited!  Think of us as "being pregnant" and ask us questions.  Asking questions reveals your own care and excitement.  It truly means the world to us. 

And give.  If you feel so inclined, please help us financially.  We have $15,000, so we are a little less than halfway there (depending on whether or not we adopt a sibling pair).  We have contributed about $7,500 through our own savings, and we continue to save for our adoption each month.  We have also received another $7,500 through fundraisers, garage sales, and family and friends.  We will be applying for a few grants to help with the cost, as well.  If you'd like for your gift to be tax deductible, you can mail your gift to our adoption agency, and provide a note on a separate sheet of paper, noting our names as the recipients.  

Nightlight Christian Adoptions

767 Lane Allen Road

Lexington, KY 40504

We are so grateful to so many for their unending love and support.  Thank you.

The Pledge of Allegiance by Owen Hudson

Owen is learning so much at his preschool!  He can now say the "Pledge of Allegiance" all by himself.

Kindergarten Open House

I am choosing to celebrate the "firsts" in my boys' lives because you never know when it will be a last.  I will admit it, I am terrified of some of the firsts that occur.  Like Jonathan starting preschool last spring.  Would he behave? Would he make friends? Would he cry?  And he did great and his "graduation" was a beautiful celebration.  Because this little guy has overcome so much.  He continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and I am so proud of his maturity and kindness.  But I am worried about kindergarten.  Will he follow the rules?  Will he make friends?  Will he keep his hands to himself?  I have learned that I am not in control, and that I can not always protect him from the evil of this world, and I can not always be there to help him make the right choices.  But I can help guide his little heart when I am with him, and pray fiercely when we're apart, hoping that he remembers everything that Darin and I have taught him.

So, Jonathan told me that he doesn't need kindergarten because he already knows everything.  He didn't want to go at all, and even tried to negotiate his three-hour half-day kindergarten down to one hour each day.  Sigh.  Maybe he'll be an attorney?

After meeting his teacher and seeing his classroom, he is now very excited to start kindergarten.  And I am, too!  His teacher is so kind, and she spent countless hours setting up her room.  Her love for her students is displayed on the walls, in the hall, and in the care she took organizing the classroom.

Owen's Quilt

Usually quilts take me a reallylongtime.  Like that baby quilt I was making for Owen that still isn't finished...or the baby quilt I was making for a sweet baby girl, only to find out it wasn't wanted and so I never finished it....  Yeah, I am not really a finisher, but I am working on this area in my life and am completing more projects that I begin.  So, when we thought of transitioning Owen to his big boy bed, I thought he needed a nice new quilt of his own.  The idea came together quickly - I did not use any patterns, just kind of winged it based on examples of quilts that I like.  And I finished it super fast - like the top was finished in less than 5 hours, and the backing was finished in less than 7 hours (although I did take a 9 day break between the two sides as I figured out what I wanted to do on the back).  Wow!  Speedy!  Hurray!  I finished something (hold the applause).  Just needs some trimming on the sides...and then it's off to the quilters!

Vacation 2015 ~ Hilton Head Island

We drove for a few hours after leaving Holiday World and stayed overnight in a hotel.  We left early the next morning to continue our drive to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  The trip was pretty smooth, but we did have to pull over a couple times during torrential rains.  However, the rain on the way there was not a foreshadowing of our trip ~ we had gorgeous, sunny weather every single day!  We spent almost every morning at the beach; Jonathan surfed the waves with his boogie board, and Owen played in the sand.

The boys were pretty awesome in the car ~ we had activities and movies on the way down, but the DVD player quit working for the ride home.  However, we survived and enjoyed our long road trip together as a family of four.

We bought Jonathan a small Lego set for vacation, and he couldn't wait to put it together.  He was counting down the days to vacation just so he could open it and see the figures!  We arrived at our condo late on Saturday evening, but Jonathan persevered and put the set together that evening.  It was a great start to vacation.

First picture on the beach!

Owen loved playing in the sand!

First time in the ocean since he was 18 months old.  He loved it!

Jonathan's one request on vacation was to drink out of a coconut.  When we got back from the store and showed him the coconut, this was his reaction:

He really liked it!

Grandad and Owen ~ buddies.

Waiting for the Dunes Buggy to the beach.

Catching some waves!

He was "working" to fill a hole with water.  

Owen told me to "get my own hole" when I stepped into his.
 He was pretty serious about his "work", as he called it.

Playing with Grandma Jeank.

My favorite Owie picture of the trip!

Lunch date!

We enjoyed breakfast at Stack's Pancakes while the big boys were out golfing.

As soon as the plate was set down in front of Owen,
he snatched up the cup of whipped cream and this was the end result.

Dinner with this crazy kid at the Mellow Mushroom.

The park in Harbour Town was a lot of fun on a hot day...and so was the trip up to the top of the lighthouse!

View from the top of the lighthouse.

Salty Dog Cafe ice cream shop!

Owen took my ice cream, and when I mentioned it to him, he said, "Not my problem."

Date night on the beach.

Favorite Jonathan pic of the trip!

On our last day at the beach, there were lots of tidal pools.  They were definitely a hit with the boys! There were lots of little fish swimming around in the pools; we I tried to catch some, but they were too fast for me!  I found a dead, decapitated fish, and Jonathan buried it in the sand.  He also buried two dead crabs that we found.

Snack time, which also means ingesting large amounts of sand.