National Adoption Month: Sibling Adoption

A lot of people questioned The Hero and I when we decided to adopt a sibling set. As first time parents, there were always questions about how we'd go from no kids to two and what our adjustment period would be like. Believe me, The Hero and I did question it a lot, but over and over again we felt as though if the Lord was calling us to it, He wouldn't leave us in the middle. Since both The Hero and I had siblings, we knew we would eventually adopt again; why not bring home a sibling set?
It definitely wasn't always peaches and cream. Having two new personalities in the house was challenging at first, but seeing the bond between The Dinosaur and The Angel is priceless.
Every country has different requirements and standards for adoption. At the time, Ethiopia had a rule that siblings were not allowed to be separated; which meant the couples open to sibling sets were dramatically reduced, therefore lessening their probability for adoption.
After coming home with The Angel and The Dinosaur, The Hero and I promised that we would continue to advocate for waiting children and sibling groups.
Meet Chrystyna and Karen.
Chyrstyna and Karen are siblings living in the Ukraine. Karen is a 15 year old who is a typical teenager who is waiting for her new family. Chrystyna's medical charts state that she has some developmental delays but provides no specifics as to her needs. These adorable princesses are ready for adoption immediately, as Karen will soon age out of the Ukrainian system and will be on her own.




The girls are being advocated for by Reece's Rainbow . If you go to Reece's website, you can donate to the girls' adoption funds and read more about their profiles. Also, consider signing up for Reece's Warrior program, where you can use your blog and social media to raise money for a child who needs a family this Christmas.

National Adoption Awareness Month: Meet Sergey

Happy National Adoption Month! I'm going to try and post each day about a family whose adopting or kids who are awaiting being adopted.

Meet Sergey. Look at those eyes!

He is a Ukrainian teenager who believed that there was a family coming to adopt him, but at the last minute, the family had a change of plans. Sergey is being advocated for by The Eli Project and currently has a $1000 grant towards his adoption. You can go here and read his profile.

National Adoption Awareness Month: Meet The Horners

I'd like to tell you that I am a faith-filled person.

While I believe I have my moments where I step out of the boat,

at the first sight of water, I begin screaming and heading for dry land.

It is very hard for me to simply close my eyes, hold out my hand,

and walk towards Jesus.

I need constant reminders that this life is not my own

and I will not always be in control.
I learn a lot of these lessons from my friends.

Lately, I've been taking daily notes by watching my friend Alecia.

Let me introduce you to the Horners.

This precious family lives in our town.

They own one of our favorite family hangouts, The Cupcake Lounge.

Last year they traveled to the Ukraine to bring home

what they thought would be two kids,

a boy and a girl.

The Lord changed their plans and they arrived home with their teenage son, Adrian.

But the desire for a sister never left their hearts.

They pursued for months a girl, Anatasia.

They prepared the documents, began raising funds, advocated for their daughter and

planned to make a place in their home for their newest addition.

The Lord changed their plans.

They were heartbroken to know Anastasia had been adopted by another family,

only weeks before they were to leave for Ukraine to bring her home.

Alecia and her husband Brian decided to travel any way, and seek the daughter

they knew was waiting for them.

Meet Tanya.

This adorable princess was exactly what The Horners knew God was asking of their family.

And then,

He changed their plans.

Tanya has a brother.

A younger brother.

An unexpected addition.

One they had not anticipated, expected or believed would be asked of them.

But they again said "where You lead Father, we will follow."

The Horners flew home for a few weeks to finalize their paperwork in the Ukraine

and spend time with their kiddos here

before returning to the Ukraine to bring home Tanya and Misha.
They have a lot of funds still to raise.

$11,160.00 to be exact.

Brian and Alecia are so convinced that God will provide their adoption needs,

that they have booked one-way tickets to the Ukraine.

They don't have the funds to book return flights home.

They leave on Monday.

Four days from now.

That's CRAZY faith folks.

Let's celebrate National Adoption Month today and donate what you can

to two people who are showing us all that God puts the lonely in families.

You can go here to donate directly by going here or if you need a tax deductible donation,

go to www.eliproject.org and add "Horner family" to the memo.

If you live in OKC area, go The Cupcake Lounge 304 Telephone Rd in Moore,

buy some amazing cupcakes and/or cakes and

don't forget to leave a BIG tip.

Even if you can't donate funds, will you please post this to your social media?

Let's spread the message and raise some money and bring home some angels.

I love you guys and gals!

Another Year

First day of November.

Time to start carving up the jack-o-lanterns

to make way for pumpkin pie.

Time to start listing the things we're thankful for and

making trips to the grocery store to gorge our families again.

Time to be reminiscent of memories passed and

gathering those still with us together to make more memories.

As I sit here looking over my "I'm so grateful list",

at the top, of course, is my children.

This month is adoption awareness month.

Did you know?

I almost forgot.

Last year, our church did a big presentation on Orphan Sunday.

We had The Waiting Heart Gallery of Oklahoma bring photos

of adoption ready children, currently in foster care.

Over 90% of those children listed last year were adopted.

Now if you go to their website, you'll see something like this:

Thank you Jesus! Orphaned no more!

Family found for this sweetie.So much is changed by the power of that little red heart attached to those pictures.

It means "you are loved" "you were chosen" "you belong".

But just about the time my heart was soaring about how many kids had found homes last year,

7 faces kept staring back at me.

For 7 of those precious faces,there is no red heart attached to their picture.
For them, it is another Thanksgiving of waiting, another bedtime in a strange bed,

another morning of uncertainty,

another holiday longing for a family all their own.

So instead of spending this month of things I'm thankful for,

I'm going to be blogging about a new face, a soul,

a heart who is longing to add to their "Thanks list" only one word:

family.

Meet Elmer.

His profile stuck out to me a year ago.

Just look at those eyes!

He specifically picked out his Sunday best for his photo.

Dressed to impress a family; his family.

You can go here to read Elmer's profile and learn more about this adorable boy.

You can also head over to www.adoptuskids.com and search thousands of kids

currently in U.S. foster care who are ready for adoption.

So this November, let's spread the word about as many children as possible.

I want to highlight a specific child or program each day this month,

so help me spread the word.

Let's not let any more precious kiddos like Elmer spend another holiday alone.

This Sunday is specifically Orphan Sunday.

What is your church, family, organization doing?
I'd love to hear it.

The Staircase

The Hero and I came home from Ethiopia early on a Saturday morning. The following Friday we closed on a new home. It seems as though it has taken forever to get moved in and unpacked (which we are still not finished doing). While Daddy and I seem to be consumed with unpacking toys, clothes, and our 7 years together of mess, the kids are consumed with one thing:

the staircase in the new house.

It has been a slide, a launching pad for throwing a variety of items, and a stage.

Yesterday, The Angel and I were playing paper dolls, when The Dinosaur came running through the living room like this:
Yup. You guessed it. That is a plastic Halloween bucket on his head. He headed to the top of the stairs, holding a plastic baseball bat, sliding down the stairs on his belly, squealing with delight.

After the third time, The Angel's interest was sparked, and I was left holding the paper dolls and searching for my camera.

For almost an hour, they giggled and slid and added "flair" to their sliding uniforms.

I cannot wait to see what the staircase becomes next.

So How is She Doing?

Ya'll will probably remember that we had to talk about the dreaded "R" word with The Angel last year after 1st grade. After much discussion and tears and debates and teachers' meetings, The Hero and The Angel cried about it. Mama blogged about it and we all prayed about it. In the end we all agreed that it was the right move to retain The Angel in first grade.

So how's she doing?

This mama is glad you asked.

She has 1st grade by the horns and is wrestling it to the ground!

It's like having a different child in the house.

Where before there were frowns and grumps about school, she bounds for the door every morning, is restless waiting for school even on Saturday.

Her scores are off the charts.

Vocabulary is above average.

Reading is through the roof.

Homework that use to take us hours to complete each night, is done now a matter of minutes.

She loves reading so much that she and I even started reading LONG chapter books together at night when The Dinosaur goes to sleep.

I am very new to this parenting thing.

Don't even have 2 years behind me yet, but I can tell you that retention has worked for us.

I am so proud of our baby girl I could burst.

The Angel,

For all that you have accomplished and all that remains to be conquered,

you are one of my heroes in life.

There is no goal you cannot reach and I am

humbled to be your mother.

Re-entry

The Hero and I have been home from Ethiopia for a month now.

There are days it feels like ten years.

Others, I can still feel the African dirt inside my sandals.

Re-entry is always challenging.

Processing the experiences while being bombarded with the disparity of here vs. there.

Ethiopia is always beautifully tragic for me, but in some ways it is easy.

I feel at home. Helping people is not a "good deed for the day."

For me, coming home is hardest.

I struggle with how to mesh the woman I am on one continent,

with the one I'm expected to be on another.

I've spent my fair share of days sobbing in the shower,

crying out for God to make beauty from the ashes in my heart.

I've struggled with patience with family members,

co-workers and friends.

But I've struggled the most with The Angel and The Dinosaur.

Being around so many children who have nothing,

it is easy to lose my patience with two who have everything.

Toast with just enough jam,

strawberry oatmeal instead of peach,

and huffs if their favorite dessert doesn't follow dinner.

But I've also noticed that it has given The Hero and I opportunity

to have some discussions with our kids that we didn't have before this trip.

While I want my children to know that they are the center of my universe,

I need them to understand that they are not the center of the universe.

There are days I yearn for the simplicity of Ethiopia, but I am learning

that sometimes the hardest part is to continue to be a light where we are:

in the car pool line,

at the grocery store,

at The Angel's soccer games with ridiculous, screaming parents.

Some days are harder than others.

Some days I feel like I'm not a light, but a stubbed out candle without a wick.

But He is faithful.

Always.

When I think I'm at my breaking point, He fills me up.

And there are days I'm sure I exhaust Him with my requests.

Again, Father. Again.

Yep. There are days I long for Ethiopia.

But I am learning that He has a plan for me here and I am

reminded often that His plan involves an Angel and a Dinosaur

and how the intertwining of our lives with continuously glorify Him.

It's not about our geography, it's the location of our hearts.