
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tearing Up

Sunday, August 23, 2009
$2000
At this rate we are almost considering hiring a whole new agency. We may get some of our money back from the one we are with now and even if not it's cheaper than having the evaluation done. We just don't know what is the right thing to do and really just want this whole ridiculous problem to go away.
Please continue to stand with us as we command this mountain to be moved!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Step Forward, Step Back, Step Forward, Step Back
Remember that paper I needed from my county that I couldn't get the lady to write for me? Well, yesterday a very nice gentleman who works as the building inspector came out to my home looked around a TINY bit, filled out the form, went with me to the bank to sign it in front of a notary, and then told me if I needed anything else I knew where to find him! So, our proof of ownership letter is DONE! Praise Jesus.
On top of that bit of amazing news, we also got our mortgage letter from Ch@s3 sent to us via F3d-3X just a couple days after I faxed the request to them. It was PERFECT! The. First. Time. This has been notorious for being another one that took people months to get and then having to have redone cause it's never right the first time. I am still in shock over how easy it was, but so thankful!
Now, that was a couple giant steps forward. BUT! You knew that was comin', right? We got a call from the homestudy agency early this week telling us that they received some kinda not nice info about us (of course, we don't get to know from who or what) and we should meet with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and have them write a letter. Then, they will have a meeting and decide whether to finish our homestudy. That is a HUGE step backwards. Without the homestudy we can have 500 dossiers and still not be able to adopt Liza.
So, I have spent the last few days calling all the local psychologists hoping one of them will do this for us. Only one of them has called back so far and he didn't feel qualified to do it since he is so new at practicing. We are praying for someone who is understanding and won't just judge us from whatever this bad news the HS agency has received is. More than having to go through all this hassle I am just devastated that someone has besmirched us in some way. And that even though the HS agency has at least three wonderful reference letters from people we know this can have such an effect. It just doesn't feel fair.
Please continue to pray with me that the Lord would remove every obstacle in our path. I have been asking him to move this mountain that is in front of us. Whether it's by finding a wonderful psychologist who will write a letter that is acceptable to the HS agency or just removing the need to see one at all. I am so tired of all this and just want to get Liza home. The enemy may attack, but I refuse to let him win!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Adoption Progress, A Little Anyway
We are still having issues with our County's Commissioner of the Revenue. She doesn't want to sign off on living space. However, everyone we talk to says that it's common for anything under roof to be considered living space, excluding porches, garages, etc. We have even suggested that we have someone come out and measure the actual "living space" in our house so that she feels more comfortable and have not received a reply. This is probably the biggest hold up we are facing right now. Please pray that this door would be opened for us. I can't wait to post that we finally have that piece of paper in our hands.
On a nice side note, I have been introduced via Facebook to a missionary who works in the orphanages in Liza's city. I am so excited at the chance to get acquainted with someone who actually spends time with my girl! I, of course, had to look through her pictures and it looks like she really enjoys spending time with Liza. Makes me really miss her and yearn more and more for the day we can go and get her. Oh please, Jesus, let it be soon!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Things I Ponder: 7-24-09
This Andrey P. He's the little stinker that has stolen my heart. Let him steal yours. I'm ok with that :)
This Andrey S. Only 2 years old. He needs a mommy!
Mr. Ilya. He looks so full of Joy!
Last, but certainly not least: Maxim. He is already in an institution. He deserves SO much more! Don't you see that spunk hidden in those eyes?
Friday, July 17, 2009
Spa Day
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Teaser
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Fingerprints All Over the Place
Well, whatever it takes. I'm actually excited about these ones. I guess it kind of makes it feel a little more real. Once our Homestudy catches up with these fingerprints and our I600A we should be approved to bring our little girl home. that's when they'll send us the I171H, then we add that to our dossier, have it all apostilled, and send it on to Liza's country. Oh, I can't wait til that day!
If you think about us around 10 am tomorrow please pray that our fingerprints take without any issues and that things begin to proceed a little faster. This makes it feel like we might actually be making progress.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Steps In This Journey
For us personally we've had some setbacks in the form of cars that break down and tickets that Rick and I both got within DAYS of each other. OY! We are also STILL not done with our homestudy. This is really frustrating to me. I didn't realize that we had to pay the entire fee before we could even have our first visit from our SW. This wouldn't have been a problem if the tickets and repairs hadn't taken part of the money that we were planning to use for the HS in the first place. Then, I found out that we also couldn't be seen until we have our Education requirements done. And just today found I out that on top of the DVDs they send us for our Ed requirements we also are required to attend Webinars presented by the agency. I just keep reminding myself that we are doing this because we wanted to have a friend of mine's sister do our HS. I know she is looking forward to meeting with us and I don't have to worry that it will end up like it did with our last adoption Homestudy SW. We have had enough experiences from foster care and other areas to really not trust Social Workers and the power they have, so if I have to jump through hoops in order to work with someone I can trust I will. I'm hopeful that we will soon be able to pay the last $500 we owe, get these Ed requirements behind us and have this HS done before the summer is over.
The other issue we are facing right now is with a piece of our Dossier paperwork. It's just a form letter from the local Commissioner of Revenue that states we have lived in our house *blank*, our house is *blank* total square feet and *blank* livable square feet, it has so many bedrooms and so many bathrooms. Easy right? The Commish should have all this info in her office already all she needs to do is type it into the document I emailed to her, print it on office letterhead, have it notarized, and let me know I can come pick it up. Unfortunately, she had a problem with this and called the COUNTY ATTORNEY to ask her advice on what to do! I have gone around and around with her, the County Assistant Admin, and the County Attorney for about two weeks now. I finally got them to tell me what the issue is and apparently she doesn't want to sign off on something she has no way of knowing. But wait, this is all public record and she's the Commish of Revenue. She SHOULD know all this, right? She says that she can't say how long we have lived in the house because maybe we haven't lived in the entire time we've owned it. Because we're multi-millionaires who have houses all over the globe you know! When we said we'd get letters from our neighbors for proof she said that would only show that she has been TOLD we've lived here that long! And she also doesn't want to sign off on how much of the total square space is livable. Umm, ok. How many 3BR, 1 1/2 bath, one story houses have a WHOLE TON of non-livable space?! We do have a porch that has it's own amount of square space, but it's clearly listed on her own appraisal sheet.I just need to remember to pray for patience in this one. We are trying to come to a solution that will work for everyone, but I am really hoping we don't have to pay someone to come out and do an appraisal just to prove to her how much living space we have.
We are making progress though. Because our HS is taking so long I went ahead and started gathering Dossier documents. We have a few of those down and I think the ones that are left are the easier ones to get. I also went ahead and sent in the
I600A and our fingerprint appointment is July 16th! YAY!! Never thought I'd be excited about having my fingerprints done, but I definitely am about these. I'm hopeful that once our HS gets there it won't be long before we have our approval. We've decided that we are going to take a loan from Rick's 401K to cover whatever costs we still need once it's time for us to travel. We're still hopeful that that amount will be very small or we won't have to go that route at all, but it's good to know it's there if we need to use it.
So that's where we are right now. Sometimes it seems like we take three steps back for every one forward but we are getting there. And most important of all we're not giving up!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Down to Two
Sometimes foster care is a great way to know you are being the Hands and Feet of Jesus, and other times it just stinks. But then, I guess Jesus found himself in some stinky situations too and still kept doing what He knew He had to do.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
My Goals
Run a 5K
I have actually done this 3x's now and am planning to keep going. This has been a total God thing for me. I am learning so much about endurance, running the race and finishing strong even when I don't feel like I have anything left. It's actually scary sometimes, cause I just keep asking: "why am I learning this?" "Is there something coming that I'm gonna need this for?" I think it's tied into this whole adoption journey and the stress and bumps that come along with it.
I do want to get my time down though and that brings me to my next goal.
Run a 5k in 30 minutes or less.
My time in my first race was pretty good-mid 30's and since then it has been in the 40's. The second one was actually in the late 40's. ICK! I am hating that. I really want to get my time up to something more consistent and I want it to be less than 30. I have been at races and listened to the stats of others. There are women in their 40's who are getting better times than me! This makes me feel like a wimp, and I have never liked the idea that I am not as strong as someone else. Probably a complex developed from being small my whole life-but there it is, and I just don't think running three miles in over 40 minutes is very good. Gotta do better!
Eat healthy and more organic.
This is one that I share with Courtney. I really want us to eat better than we do and I would LOVE if we could eat organic. Unfortunately it is expensive to do this. We are on a tight food budget right now and eat a lot of pastas, chicken, and canned or frozen vegetables. We went to a friends house who had out some fresh fruit and the kids ate so much of it I was embarrassed. We just don't buy it much right now.
Another side to this is Rick's Rheumatoid Arthritis and Noah with his ADD. I firmly believe that a better diet and some natural products would be much more beneficial for both of them. I really want to find a way to improve our diets and see if it brings any benefit to them as well as the rest of us. We are growing some tomatoes, peppers, and herbs this year and maybe if they do well we will add more next year. It's a start.
Paint the boys' bedroom.
My poor boys have brown wood paneling in their bedroom and it is so dreary and dark in there. We have been talking about painting it since we moved in and have never done it. I am determined to finally get it done this summer. I just hate the thought of having to prime it and then paint it, plus I have never really painted a room in any house before so this is gonna be a new experience for me.
Any volunteers to come and help? Or ideas on how to streamline the process? :)
BRING LIZA HOME!
This is last on my list for now, but definitely not least in my mind. I want to get this little girl home with us as soon as possible. I am getting tired of waiting and hate to think of her there any extra days than she has to be. She is already 3 years old and every day brings her closer to 4 and the possibility of being transferred to an institution before we can get there for her. This is scary because once she's transferred there is no guarantee we will be able to adopt her from the institution. I really don't want to even think about that happening.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are probably more that I'm not thinking of now. Maybe this will be a continual list that I update from time to time.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Adoption Progress and Humbling Myself
- About halfway done with HS. It took us too long to agree on who to use and once we decided we found out that they wanted the full fee up front, all paperwork done, and 15 hours of education done before sending out the SW. But, we went with them specifically for a certain SW so we're hanging in there.
- Our passports came today! YAY!! We applied on April 27th, I believe, so they came somewhat quickly I guess.
- We have the I600A filled out and all the paperwork, besides the HS, to submit with it. Been holding off so it's not there too long before we FINALLY finish this Home study update.
- Our physicals have been done and the forms for HS are filled out. We are pretty sure mine for Liza's country is good and getting one thing on Rick's fixed next week and then that is done! Phew!
- My employment verification for Ukraine is done. Hoping Rick's will be done soon. That just leaves the ones for HS, but they will send a letter for that.
- We have contacted someone to do our mortgage verification for Chase and hope to get that done this week as well.
- Got our Marriage Certificates about two weeks ago.
One of the things that has been holding us back from submitting payment for the HS and sending the I600A is the fees. We had a chunk of money we planned to use for those that we ended up using for unforeseen car trouble. If anyone wants to donate towards these fees we would so greatly appreciate it. Even $2 would help if enough people donated. I don't want money to buy nice clothes or go out to dinner with my family, I want to pay the fees I have to pay to get my Liza home. We do have other fundraisers in the works, one I will be posting in a day or two, but I just want to get these two hurdles out of our way and move on to the big ones. The in-country fees.
This is the hardest part of this whole thing for me. Waiting on God to provide for each need so we can move to the next step. It's also hard for me to ask for help. I've been praying for days for miraculous provision for these fees and felt that maybe I need to humble myself and let others know of the need. That is SO hard for me to do, and maybe that's why I need to do it.
Thanks in advance to any who donate and to those of you who are faithfully praying as we move along this journey. I just know that Liza is going to be such a blessing to us and to the greater community at large, I just feel this in my heart. I can't wait until we actually get her here. It's gonna be awesome and SO worth it all! Watch the video, the song is what runs through my head when I'm starting to think that I can't take the stress anymore.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Liza Looks Like Noah
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Another Way to Help Bring Liza Home
$24,000 looks like a lot, right? Well, think of it this way. We just celebrated Easter, which reminds us of the day that Jesus died on the cross to cover our sin. But, why did he have to do this? To pay our ransom. We were separated from God by our sin and in order for that separation to be bridged we had to be redeemed or ransomed. Jesus paid our ransom when he was nailed to that cross and died for us. Now, He has asked my family to pay the ransom for this child to be delivered out of the darkness and into the Light. If you don't think she's living in darkness I encourage you to google Ukrainian or Serbian mental institutions. This IS where she would be sometime after her fourth birthday which is only about eight months away. Instead, we hope to have her home with us and celebrating her "first" birthday surrounded by those who love her.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Last Day for Liza's Raffle!!

If you've been thinking about it, or planning on entering later, today is the LAST DAY. So, PLEASE enter and help us bring Liza home!
- Only $10 per entry! $20=2, $30=3, etc.......
- A chance to win a very nice sterling silver and jade necklace
- Passing the word gets you a free entry, after you enter at least once
- You get the chance to know you've helped make a difference in a little girl's life!
*Apparently I set the time wrong on my chipin widget :( So, if you still want to enter please do so by either clicking Liza's button and donating to our Family Sponsorship Page or using our Paypal button on the sidebar. I can't say in words how much we appreciate everyone who is standing with us in this! Thank You!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Lorenz FSP
Amanda made this awesome button for us to link to our REECE'S RAINBOW sponsorship page. Donating to our fund through RR is tax deductible and all of that money comes to us at the end of this process to be applied to Facilitator fees, travel expenses, and other in-country expenses.
Grab This Button
Please grab our button and help us bring Liza home. Thanks!
Liza Dream post
One night I dreamed that I was crossing a bridge. I was holding two children in my arms and Rick came beside me took one of them and walked on a little ways ahead of me. As he walked on across the bridge in front of me I could see that the child that he was holding was a girl with blond hair, blue eyes, somewhere between 1 and three years old, and she had Down syndrome. As I looked at her she smiled at me in a way that a little girl would smile at her mommy and I knew in my heart that she was my daughter.
Above is an account of an actual dream that I had a few months ago. It's what started us on the path that eventually led us to Liza. This journey to our child has been a winding one and sometimes not so fun. We started with China in our hearts and even focused on a specific child, and then that door was closed. We looked at Vietnam only to have that door close as well. All the while I was learning more and more about the needs of orphans here in my own backyard as well as around the world and the need for families willing to accept children with special needs.
Somewhere along the way I stumbled across Reece's Rainbow and a seed was planted. I thought maybe someday we could adopt a child with Down syndrome, but we had our own plans and were busy focusing on those. I'd look at the kids and pray for them then I'd wander away for a while when it seemed like that wasn't the avenue we were taking. Somewhere around October or November I started reading some blogs of Reece's Rainbow families again. That's about the time that I really started thinking maybe instead of someday our time was now. That's also about the time that I dreamed of our daughter .
Of course I still had to try to pin my own plans on it but in the end the one child that I couldn't get out of my head, or imagine leaving behind, was the blond haired, blue eyed sweetheart who I can't wait to get in my arms!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Running - part 2
As we all know though, things never come as easy as they first seem. I woke up this morning with my knee bothering me. I've been advised to ice it, take Ibuprofen, and stay off the knee. I'm hoping it will be all better tomorrow and I'll be able to run with no problems. If you think about me please pray. I'm also hoping to be able to wear a pin that I ordered from Shelley representing Ukraine and Down Syndrome. I think this will be a great opportunity especially since tomorrow is World Down Syndrome day. I didn't know that when I signed up to run on this day but now that I do know I hope I have an opportunity to share. Maybe the pin will give me that opportunity.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Liza's First Fundraiser

In order to raise some of the funds for Liza's adoption we have decided to raffle a really beautiful necklace that I received as my anniversary gift this past summer. Rick bought it for me when we went on a small vacation to Solomon's Island, Md and I admired it in a jewelry store on the island, Maertens. If you are ever in their area stop by and see them. They were so helpful to us in researching the necklace to be sure we had accurate information for this raffle. Thanks to all at Maertens!
The necklace itself is sterling silver set with light green jade. The pendant was designed by Balinese designer, Janice Girardi. It is 11 inches total length and the pendant is 3 inches. It truly is a beautiful piece and I'm not just saying that because I want you to bid for it. Even though this was purchased last year it is essentially BRAND NEW. I never wore it, I was waiting for that "special occasion". Well, this is it. Liza's adoption is a special occasion for us.
This is a close up look at the front of the pendant. The metal work is amazing! (the stone is more opaque than this looks)

This is a close up of the back of the pendant. It's beautiful even from the back.
This is the original pouch and box it came in when we purchased it. It will be sent to the winner inside this pouch and box. So, Ladies if you think it might make a nice gift just pass the link to this raffle on to your hubbies ;)
All right, now that we have what it is out of the way, let's move on to the how. Here's how this will work:
- EVERY $10 donation will get you one entry into the raffle. (So enter as many times as you want)
- Pass on this link thru a blog, facebook, myspace and then send me a link thru email or a comment and you get a second entry FREE. (You must have donated first to get the second entry free.)
- The raffle will end on March 31, 2009. So pass the word on and help bring Liza home!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Liza Gets A Mommy

I still haven't asked Rick what made him change his mind, I guess I'm afraid it's a dream and I'll wake up if I ask. Silly, huh? Honestly God has totally amazed me. He is doing a HUGE work thorugh this not only for Liza but for us as an entire family. I just know this in my spirit. I can't wait to see where this road is going to lead us.
