New November Number!!

Well, today is November 1st! I love the beginnings of new months. I can't really explain why but I always have. Now, that we are in the adoption process I really love the start of new months because we get our new number on the first of every month. So, since it's a new month, we have a new number. Our November number is .............

Please keep praying for us while we are waiting for the child that God has picked out for us. Sometimes, we tend to get a little impatient. We are happy with our new number, but keep praying for us as we wait.

5 Favorite things

I've done a post like this before, but it has been a long time so I thought I would do another one and talk about 5 more of my favorite things. These are in no particular order and they will cover a wide range of categories from health and beauty to household. All of these things are not must haves to live, but they are just a few things that make me feel at home and comfortable.

My first favorite thing is... French Quarter Candles

I have liked these candles for a long time, but I don't think I had ever written about them. These candles smell amazing. They last for a long time and they have have a wide range scents that smell really fresh. I usually keep a couple at the house, and when I burn them all out I usually feel a little sad. These are soy candles, so they burn really clean. You should check them out, if you haven't before.

Favorite thing #2 is ....... Clinique Makeup Remover- Take the Day Off

When I was younger, I never washed off my makeup before going to bed. Now, I can't sleep if I have makeup on. No one warned me that everything changes after you turn 30! I like wearing makeup, but I really love going to bed with a clean face. This cleanser takes off everything without irritating my eyes. Sometimes my eyes get irritated when I use some cleansers, so I really like that this cleanser gently takes all my eye makeup off.

Favorite thing #3 is ........ Gap Yoga Pants

These are the most comfortable pants! I wear these around the house and to the gym.  I like the length and weight of these pants. They are not heavy, so they keep me cool but with the security of pants. Sometimes I just want to wear pants. Do ya'll ever feel like that?

Favorite thing #4 is ...... Target Boyfriend Pocket Tees

Along with my yoga pants, I usually wear a mossimo boyfriend tee. For a long time I was very loyal to Old Navy t-shirts, but one day my sister introduced me to these t-shirts from target and I have never looked back! They come in a wide range of colors and are really light and comfortable. They look great with jeans, shorts, capris, skirts, etc. I have a whole closet full and they get worn all the time!

Favorite thing #5 is..... Naked 2 Eyeshadow palette

This eyeshadow is amazing! I love all the colors that come with it and it lasts all day. I've had my palette for a while now, and it is still going strong. It is so fun to see all the different color combinations that I can make based on the way that I'm feeling that day. You can get the Naked 2 palette at any Sephora or Ulta store. Go pick one up, you won't regret it!

September Number

It's a new month, which means we have a new number. Our new number is......

We are excited to be in the forties! Our agency placed six children in forever families this month! That is awesome! Be praying for these families as they are waiting to to get court dates, they will soon be traveling to meet their children, bringing them home, and making big transitions. 

Be praying for us as we wait our turn. Waiting is not easy, but we know there is a reason why. God is sovereign and He is in control.  

Time to Update

I am way behind on updating you on what has been going on with us and with the adoption. My apologies! Since our dossier has made it to Ethiopia we have been put on a wait list to be matched with a child. At the beginning of every month we will get an update with a new number of where we are on the list. Currently we are number ......

We have had lots of questions about the wait list, so here is my best and quickest explanation of how the wait list works. Everyone from our agency that is adopting through Ethiopia is on the same wait list. So, we are on the same list as people who are waiting for an 8 year old or waiting for a 6 year old girl, etc. When a child becomes available for adoption the agency starts with the number 1 and works their way up the list. When the agency finds a family that meets the criteria of the child then the family is matched with that child. We have been approved for an infant 0-2 years old, no gender specified.

So, the smaller our number the better because we will be closer to being matched with a child. I know it is already half way through the month and I'm just now updating you, I will try to be better in the future months. I'm afraid that in the next couple months we may not have too much to update other than the number because at this point the only thing that we can do is wait and pray. Please keep praying for us as we wait. Waiting is not easy, but we know it is what we have to do in order to be matched with the child that God has already picked out for us. 

3 things I look forward to doing after I graduate

I thought it might be time for a more fun or random blog, rather than always talking about adoption stuff. Since it is summer time and I have a little bit more free time, I feel like I am getting a little taste of what my life may look like after I graduate with my masters degree. In the last couple weeks I've been thinking about things that I would like to do after I graduate.
So here are some ideas that I have....

- Being a mother.
Depending on when we are able to go pick up the baby, I will hopefully graduate and be able to stay home and focus on raising a baby and being a wife. Matt is a huge help around the house, but I enjoy being able to cook dinner and do things around the house that need to be done. Matt has really stepped up and takes care of a lot of the household chores and he is so understanding when I haven't started dinner because I am working on school stuff.

- Read for fun.
I don't get to read anything for fun because I am so consumed with reading for school and assignments.

- Learn to sew.
I do not know how to sew, so I'm thinking about the possibility of learning to use a sewing machine. I would like to be able to make curtains, or halloween costumes, and even hem pants. I don't know how to do any of it and I would like to at least have a basic understanding of how to sew.

I know that adding a baby to our family is going to be a huge adjustment for our family, but these are just a few ideas that I've had the last few weeks. So depending on when we are able to travel and get the baby that would be my first priority before these other things. Lord willing, one day I will finish my degree and hopefully get to do a few things that I want to do.

A Mother's Day Poem

Mother's Day is a tough holiday for me for many reasons. I know that there are many other women who struggle on mother's day, for many reasons and I always take time to pray for those women on mother's day. For so long mother's day was difficult because of the death of my mother, when I was in college. Then for the years that Matt and I were trying to get pregnant, mother's day was a day of torture. Then this year the one year anniversary of my grandfather's death just happened to fall on May 13th, mother's day.
While mother's day is difficult it is also a time that I get to thank the women in my life that play motherly roles in my life. My grandmothers, my step-mom, my mother in law, and several other friends and family members. This year mother's day a little different. While it was still a tough day, I have hope for future mother's days. For so many years, I didn't have hope that mother's day was ever going to be a day for celebration. But now, I have hope that one day mother's day will be a day of mixed emotions of remembering my mother and all that she meant to me but also thankfulness for the blessings that God has given me.
This year our adoption agency sent me an email to wish me a happy mother's day and they included this poem in the email. I thought I would just share it because I thought it was really sweet.

A Mother's Day Poem Once there were two women who never knew each other One you do not remember, the other you call Mother Two different lives shaped to make you one The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears One made an adoption plan, that was all that she could do The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you. Now, which of these two women, are you the product of? Both, my darling, both, just two different types of love. ~ Author Unknown

Dossier has been sent!

Today we sent our dossier to our agency to be reviewed and then to be sent to several other places, including Ethiopia. A dossier is all  of the paperwork that is needed to do an adoption. Every country's requirements are different as to what they require in their dossier. Matt and I have been working several weeks on getting all of the required forms and paperwork. Today it all came together and we were able to send it off.

Here we are at fedex sending it off. The guy behind the counter thought I was totally crazy for asking if I could take a picture with our package, but I just had to explain what was going on and that I needed to document the moment! I'm not going to lie, we were both excited and nervous all at the same time. We were excited because we had worked so hard to get everything that we needed and we had finally completed all of our hard work, but nervous because we wanted to make sure everything was perfect and the realization that this package is really important. We spent some time praying over our dossier in the parking lot and asking God to protect it along the way.

Here are some ways that we are praying now and also ways that you can be praying for us.
- Pray that our dossier will make it safely to all of it's destinations. Our dossier will travel to a couple different states, then on to Washington D.C., and on to Ethiopia.
- Pray that Matt and I will wait patiently as our dossier is being reviewed. We know that God is sovereign.
- Also, continue to pray for our baby in Africa. We don't know who our baby is yet, but we do know that God has a specific child for us.