Another Airport Miracle....

Oh, HOW I LOVE THE AIRPORT PARTIES!!! I'm totally addicted to them!! There is something about witnessing the miracle of adoption unfold right before your eyes...to witness brothers and sisters meeting each other for the first time...to watch grandparents embrace their new grandchildren...to hear the screams of excitement when the people we all love come into view....IT IS TRULY A MIRACLE!!! And, last night we witnessed that VERY MIRACLE!! The Peters Family arrived home safely with their two new sons...and OH, it was a wonderful sight to see!!! We arrived right on time to see them walk through those gates...BUT..then we heard word that the plane was delayed....So we WAITED....

AND...WAITED.....and while we waited we celebrated and hung out with MANY local adoptive families in our community...it was so much fun!! Above we have my hubby hanging with his buddy Scott from www.bonnerfamilyjourney.blogspot.com

LL got lots of play time in with her travel buddy Silas while we waited....These two are just precious together....

Our friend Richard enjoyed lovin on LL like he always does...(ok, doesn't he look a lot like Jay Leno in this pic :) LOL

above, Another 4 yr. old Ethiopian beauty supporting her Poppy Dip!!

Above we had Micah Shewit who was anxiously awaiting he buddy from HH~ He and the older brother in the Peter Adoption were buddies back at HH....Shewit got to come home just weeks before his friend....We were so hoping they'd remember each other....

Amy and her crew from www.filledwithpraise.blogspot.com were there supporting and waiting...

I love Gracie here...i think she looks just like her Momma in this pic...She came home to her family just a week or so after I brought home LL.......

The big sisters waiting and waiting sooo patiently!! Oh, they were so excited......

Everyone had their signs all ready.........AND.....

Everybody spots them coming..........yay................

Oh, to see those precious sisters crying just about made my heart explode.....This is my favorite moment...to watch a family become ONE!! To watch all the waiting, the pain, the long road of adoption FINALLY OVER!! (Ok, so their adoption from beginning to end was only 6 months...so...maybe it wasn't that long :)

Oh, the boys from HH remembered each other....they were so happy to see each other...what a miracle moment!! 2 little friends from a 3rd World Country from the same orphanage adopted into the same city just a few miles apart....What a MIRACLE!!!

I love how the Ethiopian Workers come out from the airport to speak with the Ethiopian Children...they try and reassure them that everything is ok...they are safe!! So sweet!!!

***Ok, so I have to share the story of WHY this family is so special to us...you see....only God could orchestrate such events AND connect the dots like he does to CAUSE a family to come together like this....This adoption story began in August...You see...my hubby and I decided we would host our local "African Fellowship Group" at our home...We sent out emails and advertised and really didn't know HOW it would turn out...Well...it was PACKED!! People came from everywhere....including the Peters Family!! They show up just "inquiring" about African Adoption!! I say HI to them and quickly get whisked away to do something else....Well...my hubby somehow gets to talking with them and basically shares OUR story and how much we LOVED our agency and such!!! My hubby gave it his best effort and was so happy when he heard that they were signing with AGCI!! Well, then he was blown away when he heard that they basically got an instant referral....I showed my hubby a picture of their new sons and said, "God used you that night at our home to get the Peters to their sons"!!! We have prayerfully waited with anticipation for this night!! My hubby even said..."What if God used me for this BECAUSE Lucy Lane is going to grow up and marry this baby boy....What if her Daddy helped connect the dots for her future husband?" :)PICTURED ABOVE....My hubby so happy to meet these boys!!! AND BELOW...LL meeting her new friend from HH!!!

And, a picture of a FAMILY!!! A family God intended to be together since the beginning of time!! Two girls, two boys...how perfectly wonderful!!! :) Welcome Home Sweet BOYS!!! Your entire community welcomes you, embraces you, and prays sweet blessings over you!!

Happy Saturday to you all, kj

My Independent Girl!!!

My sweet baby girl is growing up so quickly!! She is LOVING using her spoon (or at least attempting to :) She also LOVES Brown Sugar and Cinnamon oatmeal!! :)

And, she always ends it with a GREAT BIG KISS!!! Funny Girl!!!

**Stay tuned for my next post as we WELCOME the Peters Family home from Ethiopia tonight at the airport with their 2 new sons!!! OH, I'm so excited about meeting their precious boys!! :)

Happy Friday to you all, kj

The Waiting Children!!! We Can Make A Difference...

Tonight's post I'm dedicating to all THE WAITING CHILDREN in our world!!! This is for ALL those waiting children THAT JUST WANT A HOME, A MOM AND DAD, A FUTURE!!! I recently heard word that my 3 girls were pictured in the "information" packet you first order from AGCI!! I was so excited to hear this and had to see it myself...so I ordered myself one of the FREE packets...AND, it arrived..and I tore it open and INDEED found my sweet girls pictured on the inside of it....This is THE picture:

As excited as I was to see my girls pictured, it was the PICTURES OF THE WAITING CHILDREN that caught my eye the MOST!! There was a simple flier inside this packet that listed and pictured the different children waiting with AGCI!! I just stared at ALL their beautiful faces and COULDN'T believe that these precious children MUST WAIT week after week, year after year FOR SOME ONE TO PICK THEM!!! It broke my heart, it still breaks my heart....so I MUST DO SOMETHING!! I might not always end in success, but I can't rest or relax UNTIL I KNOW I'VE TRIED!!! So, here goes (i'm not allowed to show pictures, so bare with me as I describe these precious children of God to you):

1. There is a gorgeous 12 year old boy that is said to be healthy and on target for his age!! He has a beautiful smile and just waits for his chance to have a family!!

2. There are two sets of sisters...both very similar to one another! One set is 11 and 9...the other set is 11 and 8!!! They love sports and are in school and doing very well. They are right on target for their age!! They would thrive in a family if just given the chance!!

3. There is a new face on the list I had not seen before!! It is an adorable 7 yr. old girl!! She is precious and reminds me of my girls!! I don't have any more info on her..but I know AGCI would love to share WHAT THEY HAVE if interested!!

4. There is an adorable 11 year old girl with pigtails!! She too is healthy and just WAITING!!

***NOTE: The 11 and 9 year old sisters have two grants being given if they are adopted, AND the 11 year old girl in pigtails ALSO has a couple grants for her as well!! This is to help with the cost of adoption!!

OK, so that is JUST the Ethiopian Program...there are also children waiting in the "CHINA" Special Needs program...absolutely adorable children with some very MILD special needs and some that have already been fixed and these children STILL WAIT!!! OH, AND there are children waiting in the Eastern Europe program too!! You have to check them out.....

** All you have to do is contact AGCI www.allgodschildren.org and they will grant you permission to their "waiting children" site!! OR, you can talk directly to the "Waiting Children" coordinator: Megan Palmer at mpalmer@allgodschildren.org or by calling directly 971-244-1461 OR by contacting waitingchildren@allgodschildren.org OR by calling 1-800-214-6719!!

***Ok, so here is my prayer tonight: That everyone would take their favorite agency, or the country that HOLDS THEIR HEART....AND ADVOCATE!!! Get their stories out there and make these children COME ALIVE to the world!! You see...if Oprah put these precious faces and stories on her show JUST ONE TIME...they'd all be adopted!! I know there is a fine line in "advertising" when children are involved THAT YOU CAN'T CROSS, I get that...BUT...I still believe IF MORE PEOPLE knew about all these precious children, their hearts would be stirred and in the end, more would be adopted!! Simple as that!!!!

**I also want to let you know that I contacted two agencies domestically recently to find out MORE about their need for African American Infant adoptions!! Basically this is what I found out: The need is REAL in the U.S. It was said that there are 7,000 waiting parents for every ONE Caucasian baby born and ZERO for every African American baby born!! This just breaks my heart!! This is who I called:

http://www.adoptionassociates.net/ out of Michigan is in desperate need for people to sign up for AA infants!! They have 13 signed pregnant mothers and 3 signed adoptive parents!! I did talk price with them and they are only slightly cheaper than going to Ethiopia, but obviously the travel will be less expensive (and easier)! These are USUALLY semi-open adoptions!! They were GREAT to talk with and very HELPFUL!!

AND: http://www.covenantcareadoptions.com/ They are out of Georgia and were GREAT to talk with as well!! They are also in GREAT need for people to sign for AA infants!! They are also usually semi-open adoptions. Their prices were actually GREAT!! Their entire adoption cost was only slightly over $4,000!! That is a GREAT price in the land of adoption!! They seem to place new- borns VERY QUICKLY and are ready to sign potential, qualifying parents!!

***So, those are the ONLY two I personally called..and I know there are probably agencies every where in this same boat...so if this tugs at your heart...give them a call...AND ANSWER GOD'S CALLING DOMESTICALLY!!!

***I'm also always searching http://www.adoptuskids.org/ I found a sibling group of 4 the other day that I fell in love with..There were 3 girls and one boy!! They were something like 6, 3, 1 and a new born!! Oh, they were gorgeous!! Talk about instant family...I know someone COULD DO THAT!! I don't know if they are still on there or not, but they were some beautiful children!!

***Oh, and not to forget what my friend Maria is doing...She is also advocating on her blog now: http://www.loveyamorethancookies.blogspot.com/ She has a heart for Reece's Rainbow and is getting children adopted left and right off her blog!! AND, if you don't have a blog...HOW ABOUT FACEBOOK???? You could update your profile once a week with a new link to a waiting child somewhere!!

***Ok, that's all I've got tonight....this stuff just weighs HEAVY on my heart and I must always follow what God calls me to do...AND THAT IS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE ORPHAN!!

I'm going to leave you tonight with a new Gotcha Day video that was just sent to me...it is GREAT!! Watch the whole thing...it is REALLY WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT: Two parents finding room in their hearts and home for two more children!!!

"In you the orphan finds mercy" - Hosea 14:1

Happy Tuesday to you all, kj

PS...and if that's not enough for ya to DECIDE TO ADOPT...go watch the video on http://www.oatsvallteam.blogspot.com/ My girl Gwen has her hubby making a video..BUT the ending of the video IS THE BEST!!! You gotta go see!!! :)

WINNERS (and another GREAT God Story)

Yes, you CRAZY T-SHIRT LOVIN, BLOG LOVIN, ADOPTION-VIDEO LOVIN people....we have a winner!!! :) I can't thank you enough for ALL your kind comments and sweet messages!! I sincerely LOVED reading each and every one of them AND I know Karen loved reading them too :) Seriously..THANK YOU!!! :)Ok, I gave you each a # that left me a comment, and I had my hubby draw 3 out of a bowl!! I tried to get Georgy (my only kid awake at this hour) to pull one out, but 2 yr. old George kept saying, "NO THANK YOU!!" Oh, well...so Daddy had to do: (above, Ok, I caught him in action doing his P90X exercise routine...he stopped for one second for me to pull out 3 names :)

He pulled out:

1. April from http://www.livingtolove.com/

2. Kendra from http://www.4boys1girl-kchiolis.blogspot.com/

3. Karen P. from http://www.followingthephillips.blogspot.com/

I wish I could afford every one of you a tshirt from http://www.147millionorphans.com/ BUT congrats to the 3 that did win one tonight!! Thank you all for celebrating with us and for playing...I am truly a blessed Momma to have such wonderful, kind people in my life!! :) I need YOU THREE to send me your size and address so I can get them in the mail to ya!! :)

**So, on to the COOL GOD STORY!!
So, try and follow me here...this is another awesome story that happened just last week:
The hubby and I took our 5 little cuties to the local Mall Food Court for some dinner last week (yes, I know, very nutritional :) Anyways, we're sitting eating WHEN THIS WOMAN COMES UP TO OUR TABLE AND INTRODUCES HERSELF!! She looked innocent enough and had 3 adorable kids with her, so I figure she's pretty safe!! :) She goes on to say that she had seen me 3x out and about over the last couple of weeks, so she was taking it as a "sign" and was going to come up and say HI!! She asks WHERE my daughter is from and realizes "she knows me from somewhere"...We try and figure out WHERE we had met before, and we realize we knew a lot of the same local people and had frequented some of the same bday parties and stuff!!! Ok, so she lets me know that she had a BIG HEART for adoption and that she was JUST WAITING FOR HER HUSBAND TO GET ON BOARD!! I told her that THAT WAS PRETTY TYPICAL and told her to go to youtube and pull up our video and show it to her hubby!! Her kids looked excited about the idea of showing Daddy a video...and off they went!!! That was it!! THEN, I get this email:
"Hey girl! I'm the crazy one that came up to you in the mall the other night! It was so good to see you, meet Lucy Lane and connect all those wild dots in my head! I love seeing God at work. I have to tell you a few things! This story might take a bit to type, but anyway, I have always had the heart for adoption and kids in general. (that's why my life work is at the children's hospital) My husband is a little behind me on that point, which we talked about at the mall the other night. Well, the kids know I would have few more kids if possible and have been praying. So walking into the mall BEFORE I see you, we were discussing what it meant to honor God and how we can honor those who are normally overlooked and they had been challenged by their children's minister at church to find someone this week and honor those who are normally overlooked. So my oldest is telling me how she sat by a girl at lunch that really does not have any friends. She had chosen her to honor this week. That conversation progresses to praying for her as well. That she is one of God's children and just as special to Jesus and we are. S immediately takes that to the orphan she has been praying for and the one that she prays will come to our family. So we end up having this big talk on the way into the mall while we eat - then you walk up and sit at the table next to us. I just knew I knew you and knew your story. Thanks for talking to us and not thinking I'm some strange stalker. So, this continues - the girls both dying to watch your video - that is the most amazing thing! (I hate to call it a thing because it is so much more!) Loved it. I forwarded it to my hubby, he watched and he's like alright, let's look into it."

Ok.....so stay with me here....it only gets better....I then got this second email:

"We requested our packet this am - the lady called me this morning already and emailed. Very impressed. J even said we should go ahead and fill out the pre application thing and see what they say from there. YAY! Thanks again! So many things/people connected so quickly I was excited. Had to tell you. Hard to type out those kind of stories, but I knew you would love to know how God obviously put us at the same spot again for some pretty good reasons!"

**And, finally, tonight they came over for dinner with their kids to get ALL THEIR QUESTIONS OUT!!! We've always said that my hubby and I will sit with you at our table, feed ya, and answer all those initial questions you may have when starting the process!! Let us hold your hand and I promise it will all seem WAY MORE DOABLE!!!!!! :) So, that's what we did tonight...We are so excited about our new friends!! They are now signing with AGCI and going for NOT ONE...BUT TWO from Ethiopia!!! (Did you notice how far God brought that hubby? God is so good!! :)

AND, here are our new friends tonight at our home:

It was so much fun getting to know them tonight...and I'm sure they'll have a blog up and running soon!! I'll keep ya posted!! :) Praise be to God for a chance meeting at the mall!! :) 2 fewer orphans in this world!!! YAYYY!!!

Happy Sunday to you all, kj

Wow...Our Video Went Over 20,000...Let's Celebrate!!

Wow...I can't believe that our VIDEO has had over 20,000 hits now on youtube!! That blows my mind!! I give all Glory to God because we never would have been on this journey if HE HADN'T LAID IT ON OUR HEARTS in the first place!!! Secondly, I give a HUGE special thanks to my local bff Karen!!! My girl Karen (who I've been friends with since our FIRSTS were born) made this video for us!! It seemed like such a simple thing when she offered such a gift when we arrived home!! She knew I was suppose to share "our journey of faith" with our Sunday School Class and she got the video ready for me to share that day!! I had NO IDEA the way God would use this sucker!! I mean, seriously, every day someone emails me and blows my mind with their incredible HEARTS, FAITH, and LOVE for the orphan and adoption!! And, how do these people usually find me?? From "THE VIDEO"!!! I certainly NEVER want to take any of the credit for it...GOD USED MY FRIEND KAREN THAT NIGHT to create something that would stir the hearts of people (or wreck people's hearts as I've heard it put) FOR THE ORPHAN!!! Karen created EVERY SINGLE bit of that video WITH NO HELP FROM ME AT ALL!!! I'm VERY computer and tech challenged...just ask anyone that knows me!!! :) The coolest part: Karen is adopted herself!!! She has a heart for this since she too was born and WAITED for someone to come along and PICK HER!!! And, man, did she ever win the award on GREAT PARENTS!!! She has the sweetest momma and daddy you've ever seen!! Her momma even came to our Gold Party Fundraiser with her jewelry box in hand and sold some of her most prized possessions JUST FOR OUR ADOPTION!!! So, you see...God knew Karen's heart..and used her to capture a MIRACLE and put it to MUSIC!!! So, that's the story of THE VIDEO...AND.....to THANK the LORD for continuing to use it, AND to thank Karen for all her hard work on it....I thought I'd post it again...and have a CONTEST!!!!!

The Contest/Celebration is EASY!!! Just leave me a comment and I'll put all the names in a hat and draw a name out to win a 147millionorphan Tshirt!!!! I thought this prize was fitting since I pray God will continue to use our adoption, our video our lives UNTIL ALL 147 Million Orphans have a home to call their own!!!! :)

So, leave me a comment and I'll draw a name on Sunday night!!! Maybe I'll even draw two names if i'm feeling happy!!! :)

Thanks to you all for spreading the word, sharing our video and being advocates for the orphans yourself!!! There is just a PEACE you have when you have found YOUR CALLING and your PASSION!!! Happy Friday to you all, kj

Fundraising 101!!!!!

I'm certainly NOT the pro on fundraising, but my outing last night gave me the INSPIRATION for this post!! Last night I attended a "bunko" adoption fundraising night for my friend and adoption buddy, Amy!! I have seen SO many creative ideas on "fundraising" that I've decided to make a post of them all in the hopes that it will give some of you out there in adoption/blog Land some ideas............

(above, me on left with Amy and Sarah at the Bunko Fundraising night last night )

**Ok, so here goes....THE MONEY is the "not so fun" part of adoption...I know VERY FEW people that have 20 something thousand dollars sitting around NOT being used....BUT with that said, I know MANY people that still adopt anyways...SO, HOW DO THEY DO IT??? Well, let me share some things I have witnessed over the past two years!!

**First, people are praying about the "funds" for adoption!! You must pray that the Lord will provide AND HE ALWAYS WILL!!

**People are also WORKING HARD to come up with the money!! Someone can't expect to sit back and have it fall from the sky (even though I swear i've seen that happen)....It will take work, creativity, and determination!! Here are some ideas:

1. I love my friends Sallee's idea of Poppy Dip dresses!! She is using her talents of sewing and putting it to good use!! She got a blog set up for her adorable "children's dresses" and the rest is history

(my girls showing off their poppy dip dresses this past summer)

***Another great blog showing off her talents in sewing is the http://www.flitterbugsblog.blogspot.com/ Check her out too for some GREAT ideas in this department too!!

#2. Baking Cakes: I know someone who sold cakes over the holidays to raise money..This person had a Momma that could bake and she agreed to bake and my friend sold the cakes to go toward their adoption...(I bought a couple and they were delicious :)

#3. Gold Parties: I had big success by hosting a gold party at my home..This is where you have all your friends and all your friend's friends bring ALL their old gold over to your home and they get MONEY on the spot for their gold AND you get a percentage off the night's total!! We had HUGE success with our Gold Party. We used greengoldparty@yahoo.com She was wonderful to work with and really ONLY works in our area....but I've known several people that emailed her and she set them up with a consultant in their area!! #4 Art for sale: I watched a local adoption friend raise her money for adoption by using her talents in the ART/Creativity department...She made my tshirt I wore on the plane to Ethiopia:

You can find her at http://www.pitterpatterart.com/ She has great stuff STILL even though she's home and happy with her little Ethiopian Love!!

#5. Flip Flops and Bows: My friend Betsy blew my mind when she came to me ON HER OWN saying she wanted to help raise money for Lucy Lane's orphanage. We knew we wanted to take LOTS of donations with us as we traveled and Betsy sat at home making and selling her flip flops and bow holders giving us ALL THE PROFITS for donations!! It was a huge success and I'll forever be grateful to Betsy for allowing us to take so many donations with us!! You can still find her raising money for other's adoptions at http://www.betsysbowsandblessings.blogspot.com/

#6. Flowers for Valentine's Day: I love how my friend Vanessa was blessed by her friends when they offered to use their talents of "making flower arrangements" and sell them for Valentine's Day...Their goal was to sell 30 and they sold 50!! You can check out the story at http://www.bonnerfamilyjourney.blogspot.com/
#7. Silent Auctions: I bid on something and got it last night at the Fundraiser Bunko Night I attended...So, they can be incorporated INTO a night OR a Silent Auction CAN BE the entire event!!

#8. Musical Concerts: My friend Gwen had Point of Grace do a benefit concert for them AND it was a huge success!! I attended and it was so much fun!! See WHO YOU KNOW and WHO can pull some strings for you...Don't be afraid to ask!! They might just say YES!! :)

#9. Selling Cookbooks: I've never put one of these together BUT i've bought a couple and really enjoy them. I have no idea HOW successful they are...but they may be worth looking into!!


#10. Stamping Your Own Tshirts: I have local friends that designed and Hand Stamped the following fabulous tshirt....I'm guessing this saved in "printing" cost..but I can imagine it was also time consuming!! Either way...they had huge success with this great tshirt:

You can find it at http://www.goseeklove.com/ And, maybe even Sarah will let you in on HOW they were able to stamp SO MANY SHIRTS!! I know they worked hard for their success!!

#11 My FAVORITE: Adoption/Orphan T-shirts!!!!! Ok, so yes, I LOVE all my tshirts..I think they are so great!! I love all the families that pour so much energy into them!! They truly make up my entire wardrobe now!! One person with LOTS of tshirt success is Kari from http://www.mycrazyadoption.org/ Her shirt design was brilliant for Valentine's day and I've seen it all over town: I've personally never designed or sold a tshirt, but find someone that has AND ASK QUESTIONS!! Email people and ask them WHAT worked and WHAT didn't!! I'm sure they'd be happy to share!!

#12. That leads me into www.147millionorphans.com These are two friends that are actually giving YOU their merchandise to sell for YOUR OWN adoptions!! They have the best stuff and are pretty much famous now!!! :) I turned on my local news this week and THERE THEY WERE!! Below we have LL sporting one of their tshirts:

And, they sell much more than just tshirst...check out their site to see it all!! I love these two women!!

#13. Yard Sales: These can be a HUGE success!! We pretty much sold everything we had in our house that we weren't currently using :) Our yard sale was freezing cold and WE STILL MADE LOTS OF CASH!! We just really went through the entire house and got rid of LOTS of stuff. Many people involve the entire community and have people donate their old stuff to the sale...It can really add up in the end. Also, i've seen much success when people sell bottle waters and baked goods and such at their yard sale...that can bring in the cash too!!!

#14. Ok, so then there are the obvious ideas: Grants, loans, tax credit (yall do know there is a GREAT tax credit right now for when you adopt...You can get back almost HALF of what you spent....I know they are considering lowering the amount of money you get back..but right now it is awesome)...Work places give money all the time..just ASK and CHECK INTO IT; Churches sometimes have grants set up for adoptions; some people put it on credit cards (i know..maybe not the greatest idea, but it works )!!

#15. Sell, Sell, Sell on EBAY: Yes, you can sell just about anything...just give it a shot..I personally have never sold anything on any site, but I hear lots of people doing just that and making cash!! Other ideas to sell: You can sell your house and down size (i've known people to do it), sell your car and get a cheaper one, etc. What are you willing to give up to make this adoption happen???

#16. Change your lifestyle (during the adoption) and save the money !! For example: I gave up my Starbucks during our adoption, I didn't get my hair cut or trimmed or anything like it for 18 months, no nails or toes or anything pampering, no Target runs and extra clothes AT ALL!! We ate out less, shopped at Walmart for groceries more, I never ordered fast food for myself..just ate the kid's leftovers (ok, so this is just a habit..I still do this :), no YMCA membership (no membership anywhere), no hired help PERIOD (ok, so this is just the way my hubby works..do it yourself to save a buck :), no babysitters, no mother's day out programs, no vacations (you get a big vacation when you travel to Africa for your child :), etc. I could go on and on, but yall get the picture...What are you willing to give up to make this happen??

**Oh, one of my travel buddies is a nurse and she picked up extra night shifts for a year to pay for their adoption...She might have been a little extra tired, but I can promise it is worth it as she holds her twins now :)

#17. Start a blog and MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN by visiting and leaving comments for other people in Adoption/blog land!!! My sister simply did a "20 to Travel" idea on her blog...She had nothing to give anyone..she just simply asked for 20bucks from everyone AND the money poured in!!

**I watched http://www.the30dayjourneyforhope.blogspot.com/ raise all their money in a RECORD time!! She put fliers in all the mailboxes in her neighborhood and WHAM the money came in...People were coming out to help everywhere!!

**I've seen several successful raffles on blogs too...Get stuff donated to you and THEN have people donate money to get their name in a hat for the item!!

** Or how about the mass email or letter that goes out letting people know WHAT you are doing and that you will be fundraising!!!

#18. Photography sessions!! Ask a photographer friend to donate their time and talents to your adoption!! http://www.babeofmyheart.com/ has been successful in the photography world!! :)

#19. Coffee!!!!! There are many sites selling coffee to help people's adoptions right now!! I've seen it all over the place. A friend of mine is using http://www.abbajava.org/ to sell their coffee for their adoption!!

#20. Christmas Ornaments: I love Amy's idea of having her father make Christmas Ornaments to sell...You can find them on her blog: http://www.filledwithpraise.blogspot.com/

***Ok, so you are getting the point here...the ideas are endless!! I've witnessed the poorest of poor adopt and the richest of rich!!! It IS POSSIBLE to come up with the money!! You just have to have FAITH, PRAY and WORK HARD!!! Ok, so that's all I've got for now...I'm tired after this LONG post!!! :) Hope this helped someone out there know that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WHEN YOU DO GOD'S WORK!!

Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Happy 15 Months LL AND Happy 8 Months HOME!!

Wow...I don't know where the time has gone!! TODAY, Lucy Lane is 15 months old, and she has officially been in my arms for 8 MONTHS TODAY!! I can't believe that our Gotcha Day was 8 months ago!! That means, since she was 7 months old at pick up...she has officially been WITH US longer than she's been WITH OUT US!!! :) What a GREAT feeling!! I don't know much about her first 7 months of life....but I can tell ya that she's been hooked to my hip for her last 8 months of life!! :)

***Just in case you were wondering, here's some of her latest milestones:
She's still hilarious and makes us laugh all the time, she likes to dance and does it quite well, she has quite the temper and likes to throw herself back when told NO, she's full of life and personality, she still has the greatest facial expressions, she has the loudest shrill of a scream when excited (seriously it could break glass :), she is on the move..she completely walks all the time and has learned to climb up in chairs and such too now, she still has a very happy and joyful personality, she doesn't like strangers and doesn't want anyone holding her besides Mommy or Daddy, I've still never left her with anyone besides Daddy (and that's minimal..I still pack her pretty much ANYWHERE I go), she talks ALL THE TIME..she's learning new words every day, she LOVES to dip her food...she says "dip it" and holds out her fries and chicken for you to dip every bite in ketchup for her, she is VERY affectionate, sweet and loving with me, daddy and her siblings, she LOVES her siblings and loves to make them laugh, she is fully on a sippy cup now (no more bottle) but she only likes chocolate milk..no white milk will be had by Miss. Lucy Lane, she still will eat anything you put in front of her...seriously won't turn down a food, AND, most importantly....she's still the LIGHT of our home!! She's seriously such a little gift from God...and we give thanks for her each and every day!! :) We can't remember what we did before our Lucy Lane!! :)

***Yesterday for Valentine's Day we headed to Kentucky to see the family....We found LL in Jules and Poppy's kitchen doing this:
Someone was raiding the Valentine Candy basket.....

Well, at least she tried to clean it up.......... :) Sweet girly!!

Then, when you say, "Lucy Lane, show us your KISSY face!" This is what you get!!! :)

And, here's a couple of pics from TODAY...her 15 month bday!! Daddy was home for President's Day (what a treat) and I caught my Georgy and LL lovin each other on the couch with Daddy!!

I think these two were twins separated at birth!! They are truly best friends!! Such sweet little loves!!!!

**Happy 8 months home LL!! Happy Valentine's Day to you all (a day late), Happy President's Day, AND Happy 15 months LL!!! Oh, and Happy Monday to you all, kj :)

February African Fellowship Group..(warning :)

WARNING: BLOG OWNER DISCLAIMER: This blog owner can not be held responsible for any actions one might take AFTER viewing the following adorable children. Contents of this post might make you have the uncontrollable urge to jump on the next ADOPTION TRAIN and head to your local adoption agency!! These children and families are so stinkin adorable that you might be left asking yourself WHY HAVEN'T I STARTED THE PROCESS YET!!! :)

Ok, so if you've read my disclaimer and STILL want to see some cuteness...READ ON!! :) Today we had the February African Fellowship Group at one of our local indoor church playgrounds!! It was SO much fun...and I always leave WANTING every one's adorable children!! Ok, so I know I have enough of my own...but seriously...these are some wonderful families with BIG HEARTS for adoption....AND...their kids just couldn't be cuter!!!! :) ABOVE, we have a new adorable little girl to add to our group...She arrived home from Ethiopia with her new family only 6 days ago!! AND, yes, they still made it to Fellowship Group!! :) She takes my breath away with her beauty!! wow!!

And, the cuteness continues..........

Above, we have a new family to our group...This is an agci family that brought their baby girl home in November...She and my Lucy lane share the bond of coming from the same orphanage...so cool!!

Above, another AGCI family traveling NEXT WEEK to pick up their boys!! Yay, can't wait!!

Above, another AGCI family WAITING on baby brother Elijah!!

Oh, this cutie above came home to her family this summer..about the same time as LL!! So adorable!!

Another sweet family WAITING on baby sister to come home!!

Above, we have Shewit and his big sister posing for me!! He's also from HH and has only been home a short while!!OH, and it was so good seeing LL's best buddy Silas!! He's Lucy Lane's travel buddy and we know they spent many days together rolling around in the sun at HH waiting on their mommy and daddy to arrive!! :)This adorable little girl, above, LOVED Lucy lane!! It was so sweet!!Above, I met this family at Target this week...(i'll have to blog about that story soon...such another God story)...They came today to check things out as they are trying to figure out which agency they want to sign with!!

Above and below: a couple of pics of the CROWD!! :) So fun!!
Of, course...the food is always good at these things!!!Oh, and I LOVE getting some pics of Silas and LL together!! Such sweet friends with a special bond!! And, oh, they are just so cute!!

And, I knew it was time to wrap things up when LL starts looking like this above!!! :) She'd had enough of the "cuteness" and was ready to head home!! :)

**It was an awesome afternoon and I'm so thankful for this wonderful group of families!! AND, there were so many other people there that I didn't get to snap a pic of...AND, MANY agencies are represented in this group..but I was afraid if I started naming every one's agencies, I'd get them mixed up and confused! :) Thanks everyone for coming out today!! I look forward to seeing you all again next month!! :) Praising God for each and everyone of you!!

Happy Saturday to you all, kj