JUST A FEW MORE PICTURES FROM CHRISTMAS!

Don playing guitar hero! It was pretty funny. :)

Tifanie showing off her new bracelet from her aunt and uncle. I think one of her favorite gifts!

Randy after opening his gifts.

Maggie(our niece) and Em playing with Maggie's new farm set.

9 WEEKS DOWN ???? TO GO!!

Well...with Christmas and all of the craziness I forgot to post on Friday. We have been waiting for 9 whole weeks for our little guy. The time seems to be moving right a long. I have good days mostly with a few bad thrown in! I guess you have to mix it up a little! :) I am anxious to see how many referrals there will be once CHI opens on Jan 5th. I am sure there will be a few at least. I know some girls would be great but the more boys the more movement we make. ;)
I spent Friday taking down decorations. We still have the tree up BUT it will be coming down tomorrow! I love putting up decorations for Christmas but am always ready to get things back to normal. I do not function well in chaos or when things are not where they belong! The kids said they are proud of me because I keep moving the ottoman so we can play wii. Usually, I would gripe at them for moving it! :)
Saturday we got to visit with Don's cousin Matt. He is in the military. We were actually in Germany at the same time for a bit. This was many years ago! Tifanie was just a little one about 1 yr old. WOW...that was over 17 years ago!! I AM OLD!!!! Anyway...it was really great to see him with his family. They are also expecting another little one in May.
I have some more pics to post but will spread them out over time. I will post a few today. They are from Christmas Day with Don's side of the family.
Mammy and Grandpa with the kids.

We got Maggie a cannister with lots of musical instruments. She was really enjoying the harmonica! Uncle Donald wanted to get her a drumset! :)

Mammmy and Grandpa gave this bear to our little guy. We are supposed to travel with it. It is so soft and cuddly!


SO...Until later~
Tina

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!
We went to bed last night with the alarm set for 3 am so we could get up and play Santa. After being up at 3 and it taking a little while to get back to sleep...we were up at 7. We were woke up by our middle child. (YES...the 15 year old!!) Every year he is our first one up! He then goes and gets the youngest one up and then sends them to get everyone else up!!
We had a great morning. We opened gifts and then had a nice big breakfast and now are working it off playing our new Wii Santa brought us!! We are slowly getting around to head to Mammy and Grandpa's. I think the kids had a nice Christmas.
I do so wish that our little guy was here to share it with us but I am praying that in just a few months he will be here!
Here are few pictures of our morning!

Here on our mantle sits the one thing I bought for our little guy. It is a stuffed reindeer. I just wanted something to be here that made us feel like he was a part of all of this.

Emilie with her new webkinz. She has named her horse Chloey.

Tifanie with her new Spiderman shirt! She is not a morning person so this is the best picture I have of her for the morning! :)

Randy with his new weights and weight bench!

Have a great day! Remember Jesus is the reason for the season!!

Until later~
Tina

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!

It is hard to believe it is already Christmas eve. Actually, in less than an hour it will be Christmas Day. We woke up this morning and had french toast (requested by Randy and Em). We had Matthew and Heidi so we decorated cookies for Santa and for dessert tomorrow. Then later in the evening we went to Christmas Eve candlelight service at our Church. It is always very meaningful and teaches the kids that it is not all about the gifts. We came home and had tacos and did our tradition of opening a few gifts and watching The Christmas Story. (Don's favorite Christmas movie). Now we are off to bed before Santa arrives her in KC!!

Until later~
Tina

THE KING IS COMING...

Emilie had her Christmas program tonight. The name of the program this year was A King is Coming to Our Town. It was cute. Emilie had a bigger part this year and she did a great job. She is very dramatic so this is right up her alley. The program was about finding the "King". They got to sing and dance about King Kong...King Tut...and Elvis "The King of Rock and Roll" and Jesus. All of the kids did a great job. Emilie was quite thrilled with her fans that showed up. Mom, Dad, Randy, Grandma & Grandpa, Melanie, Bill and Nick. And, of course, everyone else from Church!!:)


Emilie getting ready to leave for the Christmas Program.

Emilie doing the dance about King Tut.

Emilie reading about the birth of Jesus.

SANTA & MRS CLAUSE COMES TO TOWN!

Emilie...She asked them for a baby brother! Too sweet...and very funny when Mrs Clause told Dad to keep trying! :)

Randy with Mr and Mrs Clause

Tifanie with Mr and Mrs Clause

HUBBARD FAMILY CHRISTMAS!

WE WISH YOU ALL A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR!!

Today we spent some time with our extended Hubbard family. We always enjoy going to this event every year. We enjoy seeing family that we don't usually see and visiting. Each year we get a visit from Santa and Mrs Clause. This year was so fun as Chloe, Don's cousin's little one, was full of questions for them. She is such a doll!! Our niece, Maggie, was not impressed with Santa this year.


Emilie, Tifanie, Sarah, Randy, Steven and Maggie. "Steve and Donna's Grandkids"


Me and my girl!

I will post some pictures with Santa tomorrow! Hope you are enjoying a great weekend!

Until Later~
Tina

8 WEEKS WAITING!!

Today we have been waiting 8 weeks. The time seems to be moving quickly. Although, we do not have our little guy this Christmas we have moved up quite a bit on the list as of this week. There were 5 baby boy referrals within 2 days time this week! :) YEAH!!! We are moving on up. I think that puts us at 26! Not bad for starting at 38 eight weeks ago. I am still very hopeful that we will get our referral in May and I pray that we will be able to pass court before they close in Aug and travel within the summer. Please pray with me!:)

This week has been a very busy week. Monday Emilie had swim lessons and Randy has scouts. At scouts they were caroling at a women's home and then dinner afterwards. Tuesday was free! On Wednesday we had swim lessons but were unable to go because Em had dress rehearsal for their Christmas program at Church. We were there until almost 930. UUGH!! Then we brought Heidi home with us because Matthew was having surgery on Thurs for his tonsils, adnoids and to remove one of his tubes from his ear. Thursday was thankfully pretty quiet. Today I have to pick Randy up early from school and then run to the store and then I am in charge of Em's Winter party at school. So...I will be insane by this afternoon!! :) Emilie is very excited about me doing it so I guess that is all that counts. Saturday we have another family Christmas to attend. Then on Sunday evening is the Christmas program at Church. I think I may be able to breathe after then...maybe!

Yesterday we found out that Don is #4 on the list for Master Patrolman. He took the test a few weeks ago. This is great news and we are so very proud of him!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Things are going well right now but we still a good wait infront of us and a lot of money to save! We appreciate ALL of you so much. We can truly feel all of the prayers!

Until later~
Tina

UPDATE: Just read the weekly update from our agency. There was 2 more referrals TODAY!!! Both were little boys (10 months and 14 months!) So...we are now #25!! :)

7 WEEKS WAITING AND COOKIE BAKING!!!

Today marks seven weeks waiting. If you read my post yesterday you know I have had the adoption blues lately. Today I am feeling better. A wonderful friend helped me through yesterday! She will probably never know how much she did help. Don and I went out to dinner last night and to finish our Christmas shopping. We were able to just talk and I think that helped me as well. At dinner he asked me how long we had been waiting? He said 4 weeks?? I said no 7. Then he said you really probably shouldn't count the days...HA! I told him I may start counting the hours...HMMM!
Today as I changed my inspirational calendar the verse was...

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Col. 3:12

HMMMM...guess I need to try harder!

Today I am baking cookies. We have several events coming up and I thought it would help me if I finally got into the baking for Christmas. Usually, I do a lot of baking and candies. This year I just didn't feel much like doing it plus it can get a little expensive. Right now the basic choc chip are baking. BUT the cookie dough it GREAT!!!

Also...I am very excited that tonight is girl's night out! We decided instead of buying gifts for one another that we would do dinner and movies. So...we are headed to Jackie's house for dinner and movies. NO KIDS!! :) I am still fixing dinner for the kids and Dad before I go but I am really looking forward to it.

Please continue to keep those waiting in your thoughts and prayers. There was a referral yesterday for siblings. (4 yr old twin girls!)

Until later~
Tina

THE CHRISTMAS FUNK...

A few nights ago I was feeling really blue. If someone looked at me wrong I felt the tears welling in my eyes. I knew this was coming but thought I could push it down and get through it. Well...it has hit.

It has been almost 2 years since we began this process. It started with a foster care thing before Christmas 2 years ago. That fell through and so we decided that our hearts were being pulled toward international adoption. We knew there would be bumps we just never realized what the bumps would be and where they would take us. Last year at Christmas things were so uncertain for the Vietnam program and we were so sad to not have him with us. I made it through all of the questions and survived with the hope that he would surely be here in 2008. Well...instead 2008 brought along many changes and no little guy this year. I get questions daily on where we are on the list and when will we get our baby. I wish I could give exact answers but with adoption...your guess is as good as mine!!

I do know that "this too shall pass". I am hopeful that God will bless us with our little guy in 2009. I am praying for everyone who is waiting that they will receive their referrals very soon.

I am thankful, that right now as I am feeling a little sad that our little guy is not here, that God is carrying me through it. I will be a stronger person because of all of this.

Please continue to pray with us for more referrals and understanding as we wait.
We appreciate all of you so much. Your prayers and support are what is making all of this bearable!

Until later~
Tina

A CAT'S ADVENTURE, 6 WEEKS WAITING, & THE FINAL WEIGH IN!

I know I have your attention by the title, right? Well...I will start with the cat adventure.

Our oldest has a kitten named MJ. MJ likes to dart out the front door if you are not paying attention to her. Somehow last night she got out while Tifanie was leaving to take the boyfriend home. She woke me up at about 11pm looking for her. We hunted through our house and then walked around the house outside and a few neighbor's yards but she was not to be found. I finally crawled in bed at 1230 am and the cat had not been found. Tifanie was sleeping on the sofa just in case she showed up,inside the house. I tossed and turned and could not sleep because I knew how sad Tifanie was. I prayed a lot hoping MJ would survive the bitter cold. When I got up this morning I was in the kitchen fixing breakfast and praying to myself about finding the kitten. Then the deck came into view. I put my shoes on and walked out to look under it and as I called to her she stumbled out from under where we keep the riding lawnmower. Her eyes were HUGE and she looked like she had not liked her adventure very well. I took her in and down to Tifanie. Tifanie asked where I found her and I just told her God told me where to look. SO...that was the cat's adventure!


6 WEEKS WAITING! Wow...these 6 weeks have really flown by. I am thankful for that much and that God is showing us with each step that HE is in control of our finances. Little unexpected amounts of money come in just as we need them and we are slowly rebuilding our savings in hopes of a referral in the next 6 months. This seems to be such a trying time for many right now. I am thankful at this point that Don has a job.


THE FINAL WEIGH-IN...We started a biggest loser challenge the end of August. Today was our final weigh-in. I lost 13 pounds but have lost a total of 21 since June. I wish I had waited until the challenge began but such is life! I would love to lose another 10 before we bring our little guy home. I am still trying to walk with a friend so we can remain healthier. This was a fun challenge and really kept me accountable. I hope and pray I can keep it off!!

SO...that has been our week. Please keep praying with us about referrals for those waiting, those who are in financial strain right now, and those who have lost their jobs.

Thanks for your support! We are so thankful for ALL of you!

Until later~
Tina

MY BIRTHDAY GIFT...

While I was gone on a sister get away my children were preparing to surprise me for my birthday. They went and got their picture taken.

Emilie, 10, Tifanie,18 and Randy,15

5 WEEKS...

Today we have been waiting 5 weeks! It is hard to believe it is the beginning of the Christmas season and so the next few weeks will fly by as well.

Today instead of doing the "crazy" shopping thing I opted to sleep in a little and just do some of our Christmas decorating. I put up the tree and we will decorate it tonight. We still have one more trip to the storage unit to get the rest of our Christmas decorations. I am hoping to get everything done by Monday evening then we will start preparing for all of the events we have in December!

Hope you are getting an early start to a Blessed Holiday!

Until later~
Tina

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

...Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is GOD'S will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

And so today I am thankful for everything we have done and will do on our journey to our little guy. I know that soon we will be looking into the precious face of our little one and all of these "circumstances" that we have gone through will just be a distant memory and worth it all.

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday weekend.

Until later~
Tina

BEING THANKFUL! DAY #4

Thought I would make a silly thankful post today! I AM THANKFUL FOR A CLEAN HOUSE!!!

If any of you know me personally you know that I can get a little "crazy" about my house. I want it clean but of course it is not always clean. My goal at the end of a day is to go to bed with little mess and not much dirty laundry. I told you I am a bit crazy!! I love to be able to sit down and look around the house and see everything in order.

Ok...I have 2 teenagers and a 10 yr old plus a regular zoo (more animals than I can post about!) in my house! SO...how do I keep it clean?? :) Well...I pick up the youngest child's room most of the time. With the teenagers...I avoid the basement as much as possible to keep the cranky Mom away. (That is where the oldest resides!) Then for my middle one well...I try to pick up some of it BUT I usually get really CRAZED so I just shut the door and threaten to take his most prized possession away if it is not clean to my standards! (the cell phone :))

I know my life will change a lot with a young one here again. The toys and such but I am truly looking forward to it! REALLY!! There are more important things in life than a clean house. BUT right now I am thankful for a clean house and little laundry to do!

Until later~
Tina

BEING THANKFUL! DAY #3

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY EXTENDED FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

All of our family have been so wonderful during these last few years. We have a large family. I have 2 brothers and a sister. Don has a sister. I think being from a large family is great! I think that is why I want to have a large family. There was always a lot going on. We never had a lot but we always had enough. When we get together it is a madhouse but so much fun!

When we told our family and friends about adopting we were expecting some reservations. But thankfully EVERYONE was excited and ready to love him and accept him as part of their family.

My friends are great! They have helped me through a tough 2 years and they are always there to listen to my complaints or just my fears. I know that they are praying for us because I can feel their prayers working in our lives each step we get closer to our little guy! I am sure they are ready for him to be here so I will quit talking 24/7 "adoption talk". What they don't know is it will only get worse I am sure! :)

THANK YOU GOD FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

Until later~
Tina

BEING THANKFUL! DAY #2

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY HUSBAND AND MY CHILDREN!!

My husband is my rock. He has always been so much stronger than I am. He loves me unconditionally, flaws, flab and all!! :) I still get butterflies when I see him walk into a room. (we've been married 19.5 years!!) He would do just about anything within his power to give me and our children whatever we want! I have to be careful when I say I would like to have something. He works very hard to take care of our family. He has stuck beside me through several illnesses, surgeries, and even when I had to quit my job due to health reasons. He is amazing and I know he was hand picked by God just for me. How blessed I am! I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be his wife!

Tifanie, is my first born. She made me a Mommy for the first time. She is an amazing young lady. She has taught me so much about motherhood and about giving unconditional love! She may try my patience at times but I see that she is going some place with her life and so ready to be there! I am so thankful that God let me be her Mom.

Randy, my tenderhearted boy. He taught me quickly all about being a Mommy to a boy! And it is different!! He is always saying he is sorry if he has upset me or he just knows when I need a hug. He is teaching me about parenting a teenage boy...I think I am thankful for that! :) I am thankful to be Randy's Mom.

Emilie, my wild and crazy girl! Em has taught me many things in her only 10 years! She has taught me how to deal with craziness! She is SO funny and brings so much joy to our home. She teaches me daily that you must be prepared for anything!! She loves with everything in her. She will be an amazing person when she grows up. I am VERY thankful that God has allowed me to be Em's Mom.

Little Guy, you are not here just yet but I am already thankful that I am on this journey for you. I know you will be a wonderful addition to our family. I am thankful that someday I will get to be your Mom.

Until later~
Tina

BEING THANKFUL! DAY # 1

I want to post for the next few days and tell everyone the things I am most thankful for. I know you may not really care but I want to do it for myself and for our little guy that will be here someday.

SO...to begin the week...I am thankful for God Above! I am thankful that HE knows me and HE loves me and HE protects me! I am thankful that He hears me when I call HIS name and HE picks me up and carries me when I am not sure I can bear another day of waiting!

We began our adoption journey praying for God's help and intervention as we needed. HE has been here each step of the way and yes HE has even carried us on those days we thought we couldn't stand it anymore.

I am thankful that HE will continue to be with us through every joy and every bump in the road.

Until tomorrow~
Tina

FOUR WEEKS AND MY BIRTHDAY!

Today we have been waiting for 4 weeks. WOW...a month has gone by so quickly really! I knew it would fly by during the Holidays and am thankful for that. There have been a lot of referrals lately as well which is ALWAYS a positive thing! This week there were some baby girl referrals! YEAH!!

Today is also my birthday! I can't believe I am another year older!! UUGH!! So...how did I spend my birthday? Well...this morning I did the weigh in thing and I had not lost anything but didn't gain either so that is a good thing really. Then we went to the DMV and I got my license renewed. Oh joy!! Then Don and I went and got groceries and went to Red Robin for my free burger for my birthday. Now we are just relaxing at home. We are going to watch movies and eat homemade pizza for dinner. YUM!! My birthday wish is that our little guy will be here to celebrate with me next year!!

Next week I will post about all we have to be thankful for this year!

Until later~
Tina

3 WEEKS AND COUNTING...

We have been waiting 3 weeks today! This week has been a great week of waiting!! We have seen some great movement on referrals. I believe we are now #33 for a "little guy". I am trying to keep track as close as possible.

We did hit a small bump in the road this week but nothing that God can not handle as long as we give it to HIM.

I had my first "weird" comment on my last post so I decided to delete it. I do have it saved as I still have some questions about it that I want to ask. I asked my Dad for his opinion and after I got it I decided to delete it! The strange thing is that it had NOTHING to do with adoption which is what my blog is mostly about. Sometimes I get a bit off track but I want it to mostly be about our journey to our "little guy" and the adventures of having him home!

I guess what floored me is that I would never post on a blog something mean or negative. I may not agree with what you have said but would never set out to harm someone or question or attack!!

I love getting the good comments. It makes me feel like someone cares enough to follow us on this journey. Anyway...I think I am giving this individual too much power to make me feel bad and make me second guess what I post!! SO...I am done giving him that power!!!

My verse for today is...

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Proverbs 29:25

Until later~
Tina

BUMPS IN THE ROAD...

We have met many bumps in the road as we take this adoption journey. With each bump I am reminded that God alone will be the one to get us to our "little guy". Today as I checked out another blog and was reminded that God's grace is amazing I came across a Bible verse that just said it all to me today...

Malachi 3:10 ...Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Now this scripture has to do with tithing but I really believe it can mean several things. Such as lately many people have been waiting and praying for their referrals and some have waited as long as 11+ months. We began praying very hard for sibling groups last week and the agency has received 2 in a weeks time along with 4 baby boy referrals!

SO...as we have hit another bump I am testing God and awaiting HIS amazing blessings in anticipation! And...by the way...I am so thankful for the blessings that HE has already rained down on me!

Until later~
Tina

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY TO THREE OF MY FAVORITE MEN!

My dad and father-in-law both served in Vietnam and my husband has been several different places including Germany, US, Somalia, Cuba, and Iraq. He is currently still in the National Guard and has served 20+ years so far. I am very proud of all of these men. And I am thankful that they were willing to fight for our freedom! HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE AND ARE CURRENTLY SERVING OUR COUNTRY! THANK YOU!!!!

Until later~
Tina

TWO WEEKS AND GOING STRONG!!

We have waited 2 weeks tomorrow. I had to post early as I am going out of town in the morning. I am spending a weekend away from my family and with my only sister. We used to go every year to the Women of Faith conference with my mother and usually an aunt or two. BUT do to busy lives and expense and adoption unknowns we have been unable to do this for a few years. SO...

My sister and I are due for a getaway. We are looking forward to just hanging out and chatting all weekend! 10+ years ago we lived about 45 minutes to an hour away from each other and we had babies within 4 months of each other at that time and so each week one of us would load up and travel for a day trip to visit and let the kiddos hang out. I miss that time.

There were a few more referrals this week but none that dropped us down any lower. Yet it is still movement which we are thankful for.

Until later~
Tina

SORRY IF I HURT ANYONES FEELINGS!!!!!!

Tina says I must tell everyone up front that this isn't her speaking. This is not an attack on anyone who said anything earlier. I just would like to get something off my chest. This is her loving husband. I have served my country straight out of high school for the last twenty years. I have always been proud of my country. Is an African American man being elected president a big step forward for our country? Yes, it is. We should elect our president on his morals and ethics not the color of his skin and yes that did play a big part in it. I heard him speak and he is a very well spoken and charismatic speaker. Do I agree with what he wants to do to my country? No, but we will weather this storm. Did McCain have an affair before he was married? Technically yes but if you would have researched it a little you would know that after spending seven years being tortured and imprisoned he returned home. He and his wife had drifted apart and were separated when he met his current wife "at a bar". Is it morally wrong? Yes. Can you compare it to abortion or supporting gay marriage? I don't think so, but that is my opinion. It is not my place to judge. In the end we only answer to God.

THE NEXT DAY...

So...I began to post last night and then I deleted it because I felt like I may get some mean comments and that is not what our blog is about! All I can say is I am not happy about the way the elections went. I worry about our country and I worry about my children. BUT...I do have faith and I know that God is in control of EVERYTHING! I do not agree with many things Obama wants or stands for but I will pray for peace and understanding. God is still God yesterday today and tomorrow! Please note for me this had nothing to do with race! This had everything to do with morals and what I believe in. I want ALL of my children to dream big and to fulfill their dreams regardless of the color of their skin or their gender!!

Hope this makes sense and if not SORRY!

Until later~
Tina

I VOTED TODAY...DID YOU???

"Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election"
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
.....and GOD approves this message!

An added comment: It looks as if God is going to be extremely busy for the next few years, but just remember He has all the time in the world to help each and every one of us, if we just ask.

ONE WEEK WAITING...

We have survived our first week of waiting. :) I know we have a lot of weeks to go but it will be fun to keep track. We have decided to have a little contest with our family and friends on who can guess the referral date. We have a huge 2009 calendar hanging in our dining area. It will be fun to see who is closest.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN...

Tonight I will be taking my little tiger out for trick or treating. Emilie wanted to be a white tiger but since I can not sew and could not find white sweat pants to paint we ended up with a regular tiger costume. She looks cute in it. I don't allow the scary costumes so she is usually pretty good about getting a fun costume. I also do not do much decorating for Halloween but I put fall things around. The kids get frustrated with me but it is just a preference. I am not big on the evil side of it. The kids laugh about it but I think they understand me. The older ones go to Haunted Houses but there is no way you could pay me to go in one!

I had to take Randy to the DR this morning. They are thinking mono or strep!! UUGH-- We should know by tomorrow if it is mono and by Tues if it is strep. We have dealt with mono before. Our older daughter had it a few years ago. The bad thing is tonight could be their last football game and he can not go to it.

Well...Hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather. Have a great weekend!

Until later~
Tina

WE ARE A WAITING FAMILY AGAIN!!!! YEAH!!!!!!

I was kind of bummed yesterday when we did not hear from CHI that we were finally a waiting family. It was 2 weeks yesterday and I was so hoping we would hear something before the weekend. SO...I emailed my wonderful family and asked that they pray and guess what...

WE ARE A WAITING FAMILY!!! AND GOD IS GOOD!!!

My husband received a phone call saying he didn't have to work this morning and so we decided to go do some Christmas shopping and spend some time together. I think it helped my attitude to get out of the house!! When we got home he checked the emails while I hid presents. When I sat down next to him I saw the email and had to beg him to click on it. He really likes to mess with me. But I got goose bumps as I read where we stand on the list. We are #110 over all but in the 0-12 months age we are #38. I know that sounds like a long way off but really things seem to be moving and so we are very excited about it.

I think I can finally relax a little bit and begin working more on projects before we receive a referral. We are praying for a referral by May so that we can travel during the summer months (June or July).

SO...thanks for all of the prayers and the support. We appreciate each and every one of you more than you will ever know! Please keep praying.

Until later~
Tina

GETTING BACK TO NORMAL...

SO...today our little one that we were watching went home. We had her in our home for 4.5 weeks so to say that we will miss her is an understatement!! It has been a joy watching her learn and grow over the last month. She now blows kisses and says a few things to us. I loved rocking her to sleep and watching her sleep in our little guy's crib. We will see her often but will always cherish the time she spent with us.

We also survived our trip to Kentucky. It was a long hard trip. I did well until I got to the visitation and then I lost it a bit. It was tough to think that she was no longer going to write me letters or send me news clippings. I am saddened by the fact that our little guy will not have his own handmade afghan or quilt made by her. We have several so he will sleep with one I am sure but they belong to our other children. We did get some pieces of fabric before she passed away for a patchwork quilt that we are having made for him. She taught my kids the funniest little finger plays that I am sure they will pass on to their little brother.

We will hopefully hear something by the end of this week from our agency that we are officially on the list. Our 2 weeks will be Thurs. Please pray that we will hear soon.

Until later~
Tina

MORE SAD NEWS...

Yesterday we found out that Don's Aunt Shine passed away. This has been some pretty tough news to handle for all of us. Her husband passed away last year in Oct. as well. They had only one daughter and I am sure this is all very hard for her.

It was very hard to tell the kids. Don told Tifanie because she called him and asked how she was doing after taking a fall earlier. **They are not sure if it was a massive heart attack or stroke** We were at a campout dinner with some friends when Don called me so I decided not to tell kids and ruin their evening. I told Em on the way home. (Randy stayed the night there so I told him today.) Emilie is named after her and was quite devestated. It was very hard for me to watch her sob as she questioned why? She did tell me that when I told her she had fallen and they were taking her by ambulance to the hosp that she got a really bad feeling in her bones and she knew something bad was coming!!

Aunt Shine kind of took the place of our grandmothers. She would have been 80 in a few weeks. We will really miss her. She always sent the kids cards for all holidays with 2 sticks of sugarless gum in them. She and I wrote back and forth. She sent me a card and letter just a week ago with a newspaper clipping of my parents. She was always doing that. She was always asking about the adoption and had told us if anyone had enough love for another child it was Don and I. That meant a lot to us! I am sad that our little guy will not get to meet her and have one of those wonderful afghans that she has made for each one of the kids.

We will be heading to Kentucky this week for the funeral. I really wish I could save my children from this kind of loss and pain!

Until later~
Tina

COMMUNICATION...I LOVE IT!!

I just received an email saying that our paperwork is off to Washington DC today. YEAH!!! It was a really cool email just letting us know and letting us know that our consultant will email us as soon as it is back. I am sure it is just a basic email statement sent to everyone at that point BUT it is major communication for us. We never got that from the other agency. Once our dossier was in country they did let us know a few days later. I love our new agency!! So we are about 2 weeks away from being official waiters.

Yesterday my hubby and I went to the movies for a little "us" time. We were wanting to see the movie FIREPROOF before it was no longer playing. What an amazing movie about marriage. I told him afterwards that I think it should be a requirement during marriage counseling! It was a low budget movie but it had several big lessons! What did I learn watching the movie?? I learned that I have an amazing husband. He is not perfect...but he is a good man and loves God and he loves me and our children. He brings me an iced tea almost everyday. (my favorite drink) He would do just about anything to make me happy (if it is in his power!) He has been amazing through out this adoption process! I thank God for him everyday. He puts up with a lot from me and as I have said to him several times...if you had known what you were getting into 19+ years ago you would have ran! He doesn't think so. I am sure I don't thank him near enough for all he does for us and for just loving us! So...I love you Donald very much and thanks for all you do for our family. You will always have my heart!!!

SO Until later...
Tina

PERFECTION....IS PERFECT!!

Funny blog title! BUT...we received an email today from our agency and they said that they received our dossier and that it was...PERFECT!! YEAH-- OK now I can breathe a little. Now our dossier will be sent to Washington DC and be authenticated and all and we should be on the wait list in about 3 weeks or so...It will not be sent until next Thur. and the time frame from then is 2 to 2 1/2 weeks. We are so ready for this!! And so happy.

I called Don and told him that they said it was perfect and he laughed and said don't they know you are anal! :) I went over that paperwork 100 times to make sure it was all done correctly and I drove Donald crazy redoing things until they were perfect!

SO...please pray that we are waiting very soon!!

Until later...
Tina

AND...IT'S...OFF!!!!

Today we mailed off our dossier to our adoption agency! As long as all is there and done right we should be an official waiting family (again!) in a few weeks. We sent it overnight because...well...I am a nervous wreck and wanted it to get there in one piece ASAP!!
I even prayed all the way to the post office! I am just SO ready to become a waiting family. I know that 6+ months is a long time to wait BUT atleast I have more hope that this time we will end this process with our son in our arms. To wait 9+ months as a waiting family and walk away with empty arms and an ache in our hearts is still something we are recovering from.
SO...we are praying for God to send our little guy to us and that we will be an example to others going through this experience. God is good and He alone can carry us through as we wait to see our little one's amazing face!

And today I changed our inspirational calendar and this was the verse for the day...

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord; his love endures forever. AMEN

Until later~
Tina

BUSY WEEKEND...

Wow where did the weekend go?

We celebrated my parent's 40th wedding anniversary on Saturday. We had a nice reception for them with about 80+ people there. I was very impressed. It was a lot of work but I think everyone had a great time visiting each other. All of my mother's siblings were there and 2 of my dad's brothers were there and so that was nice to see.

We had another memorial service for my cousin who passed away. My Mom was the only sibling who made it to the service in St Louis so we had a service so everyone could be there. It was very nice. I am very thankful for Matthew and all he has taught me. I know he is in Heaven right now with my grandparents celebrating!

On Sunday we attended Church with my family and then left and drove home. When we got home and got changed we were off to volunteer at the Oktoberfest for the boyscout troop. I had to sit in the sun the entire 4 hours but I survived. This fundraiser keeps our program running for a year so that is a great thing and very worth it!

We are still trying to get everything together to send in to our agency. We are hoping to get it sent by Thur. We are trying so hard to make sure things are all done correctly plus coming up with the large payment!! It is tough when you have lost so much the first time and are working so hard to come up with it the 2nd time. I know God will help us out and we are very close!! It would still be very nice if we could get something back from our dossier fee the first time!!

I will post when we send it in.

Until later~

Tina

IT HAS ARRIVED!!!

The long awaited I 171H is here!!! And here is the story of it's arrival...
Today I sent my hubby to get the mail. *I have only been stalking the poor mail person for atleast 2 weeks!!!* He went and got the mail and came into the house. I ask "Is it there??" He says "I didn't look". So...I take the mail and rummage through it and do not find what I am looking for! I complain and whine that it is not there. Then he pulls an envelope from his pocket and says "Is this what you are looking for?" I am going to be honest...I smacked him with the envelope!! Then I opened it and read and reread it!! We even got our extension so we don't have to do anything until next Nov! Please God, let our little guy be here by then!!

We are so very happy tonight! We will get a few things notarized tomorrow and then get everything state certified and it shall be on its way to our agency and then hopefully we will get on the waiting list! I know we still have a while but I will be so happy to just get on the list.

I really think it will be Apr/May before we get a referral but I am ok with that and if it happens sooner I will be thrilled!!

Thanks for all the prayers and please continue to pray that all of our paperwork is in order and it gets through everything smoothly!!

Until Later~
Tina

LOTS TO SAY...

Well...The last week has been pretty crazy here. I have been running from here to there with no end in sight!!

SAD NEWS: Last Saturday I found out my cousin passed away in his sleep Friday night. He was handicapped and lived a great life for 31 years. He touched many lives just by being here. I drove my Mom to St Louis on Monday morning and we returned extremely late Tuesday night. I was so thankful we were able to go and be there for my aunt and uncle and the girls. It was a very touching service. My aunt and uncle are such strong Christians and they have done such a great job with all of their children.

So from Saturday to Monday morning I was running around trying to get things worked out for me to be gone for a few days. It's hard when I do most of the running with the kids and hubby is on pm shift so that doesn't fit in to swim lessons and fb practice. But thankfully we worked it all out.

We also got our 2 little ones back for an undetermined time. Our friend who had the kidney transplant is now in the hospital. She had hernia surgery this morning. As much as I love having the kids I know she is so ready to be healthy again!!

We have a parade to walk in tomorrow. The kiddos will love that!!

My parents will celebrate their 40th anniversary next weekend and we are having a big reception for that. I still have a lot to do for that!! It is mainly just buying things at this point.

ADOPTION NEWS: Still no I 171H here yet. Don attempted calling to find out what was going on. (It has been 7 weeks today!) They did not return the phone calls. SO we made an appt to check the status of it. Don went and said that they told him we should have it next week. I hope so!! I would sure feel better if we were one of those waiting families NOW! There has been a little shake up with yahoo groups lately. I am not sure what it is all about but I have to say our adoption agency now is 100% better than the one we had before. I love getting weekly updates and I love that they are so informative. I guess after the agency we had before getting information every month would be a plus! Better than nothing for about 4 months!!

Please continue to pray with us and please add our friend and my Aunt and Uncle as well.

Until later~
Tina

I AM THE BIGGEST LOSER....THIS TIME!!

So...we(hubby and I) are doing a biggest loser challenge with a group of friends. How fun! At first I was very skeptical because I have always been a little crazy about weight issues. BUT this has really been a good thing for me. I began losing some weight at the beginning of the summer and figured this was a way for me to continue to get healthy before our little guy comes!

SO...thanks to walking several times a week and eating things that are good for me and staying away from the fast food places I was the biggest loser this time. Granted I did not lose a major amount of weight but since it goes by percentage I won this time! I am so excited and feel like I can get to my goal!! I am loving walking with my very good friend. We chat the whole time and it makes the miles go faster!

Now I must continue and work hard for the next weigh in. I am meeting my friend in the morning for a walk...

Until later~
Tina

NOT TODAY...

SO...our immigration approval did not come today. Yes, I am sad and a little frustrated as well. Don made the first phone call to the USCIS office and they said we needed to make an appt to see what the status was on our I 171H. Tell me...Does that make sense to you??? Me either!

BUT...we were going to make the appt and then decided to give it until this coming Wed which is exactly 47 days which is what we waited last time. Then as I went over to change my inspiration calendar I read what the scripture was for today.

WAIT FOR THE LORD; BE STRONG AND TAKE HEART AND WAIT FOR THE LORD. Psalm 27:14

So... we will wait as we have been doing and pray that God's will be done!

Please pray with us!

Until later~
Tina

A GOOD WEEKEND...

We had a pretty good weekend. We went to the FB game Friday night. Randy will not
will not play Varsity this year but we thought we should go and watch him stand on the side line just itching to get in there! :) They played an ok game. There were a lot of mistakes but ended up losing "only" 40? to 60?.

On Saturday we had to drop Randy off for FB practice and then went and walked for our almost 3 miles. Then Em and I went to shop for something to wear for a wedding that night. Yep--I waited to the last minute. Emilie wanted a good dancing dress. And I just wanted a dress that did not make me look like an elephant!!! We both found something. I wish I had taken a picture of me and my girls all dressed up. We actually looked pretty good! The wedding was Don's cousins. She was the flower girl in our wedding over 19 years ago!! TALK ABOUT FEELING OLD- She did look beautiful and the wedding was also beautiful.

Nothing on the adoption right now!! We are still waiting for our I 171H. I am hoping it will be here by the end of the week. We will see.

Until later~
Tina

ANOTHER DAY!!

There is really not a lot going on here. Randy had their first JV game Monday night. They did not play very well. Randy got to play in the last 3 plays of the game.(better than not at all) He did get a tackle though so that was good. Their first sophmore game is tomorrow night. He should get more play time then.

We are still waiting for our immigration change and approval. It has been a few days over a month. I really hate waiting!! I feel like we have been waiting forever. Monday was the "official" closure of the Vietnam program. I am very sad to see it come to this but am thankful that God has given us another plan. I pray that others will be able to recoop and move forward as well.

Until later~
Tina

IT'S BEEN 20 YEARS!!??!!

Twenty years ago today I was heartbroken because my boyfriend had just left for basic training and I would not see him again until Christmas. This was my SR year of High School and what was I going to do without my boyfriend to go with me to dances and school events?? We had only been dating a month BUT had been friends for atleast 4 years if not longer!

Today my husband celebrates being in the military 20 years. That is a big accomplishment. He began his career serving in active duty with the Military Police for 8 years. Then he joined the National Guard and now holds the rank of Command Sgt Major! He has worked very hard to advance in the military and there were and are times when I have not made it so easy on him. I DON'T like it when he gets those phone calls that pull him away for months at time. BUT I am very proud of all that he has done and will do for his fellow men and women and for those of us who would much rather be in the comfort of their own homes rather than in tents in 135 degree weather! He wanted to become an "army man" from the time he was very young and it is amazing to watch someone fulfill their dream. He amazes me daily at all he does and I am very proud of the man he became.

By the way...I obviously survived the Sr year and we were married a week after I graduated from HS and a few months later I joined him in Germany!! He promised me a 3 yr honeymoon so how could I refuse!! :) He is truly the love of my life and I have enjoyed sharing in these 20 years with him. Although, I would still like to see him retire!! (just had to add it!!!)

I am VERY proud of you dear!!

Until later~
Tina

CRAB LOVERS AND BACK TO SCHOOL

Funny title, right? Well, last night we took Don to dinner for his Birthday. We went to Red Lobster. My kids ALL got snow crab legs for their dinners.(even Emilie) Apparently, they do not take after their mother. I can't stand the smell of most seafood. You should have seen all three of them working so hard to get the smallest bit of food. I thought it was a waste of time. Emilie had never had them before so she had to have help with hers. I think our table had crab flying from it as they ate!! It was pretty funny.

The kids are back in school TODAY-- YEAH!!! Tifanie even had her first day of college today as well. SO...It is very quiet in our house and I am getting some re organizing done. I have started a list of things I want to organize before we get our little guy.

We are still waiting on our immigration approval and change. It has been 18 days. I wonder how long it will take this time.

Until later~
Tina

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER!!! I won't give her age but she is younger than I am!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!

Today is my hubby's birthday. He is .......38!! Wow-- BUT I have to be REALLY nice because I am only 3 months younger than he is. And i would prefer to just forget mine if at all possible. The kids and I are taking him to Red Lobster for his birthday. Emilie did pick him out a great t shirt I will have to take his picture and post it!

Anyway...HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY! We love you!! Thanks for all you do for our family!

Until later~
Tina

ANOTHER DRIVER!!!!

As of today...I have another driver in our household. Randy passed his written test today only missing 2 questions. We are very proud of him BUT scared as well. He asked to drive the van as soon as he had the permit in hand but I said no. We just got it back Sat from the shop after replacing some things from last winter's hit and run during a snow storm and we are hoping to get it traded in within the next few weeks. So...after taking him to lunch and to get new football shoes (2nd pair already this season and no games have been played yet!! UUGH)I let him drive once we were in our sub-division. He did fairly well. He is pretty excited about passing. WAY TO GO SON!!!

Tomorrow they are all back to school. This year I am sending one to college, one to HS and one to 4th grade!! WOW--I am OLD!!!

Until later~
Tina

A PROFITABLE WEEKEND

Well...we had our adoption garage sale this weekend. We did very well. We raised $540. We are so very thankful to EVERYONE who helped, prayed, and donated items to sell. We sold a lot of it and then donated the clothing to a local battered women's shelter and saved some of the children's clothing to donate to Ethiopia.

We enjoyed talking with people about our adoption and explaining what is going on right now with it. Some asked us about our Vietnam adoption. That was hard to explain to people who are not familiar with international adoptions. What was great is we did not pay for advertising due to the cost of it BUT down the street there was another huge sale that we did not even know they were having! They did advertise because they work for the paper and got the advertising cheap. So...God provided advertising and we were able to have quite a crowd. This same family gave us some great info and leads on adoption.

We know that God has been working in our lives with all of this adoption stuff but it amazes me daily to SEE it. I can hardly wait until our little guy arrives and we get to tell him all about how God made it possible for us to become family! And to share all of the wonderful stories about how others helped to get him here as well.

Until later~
Tina

A FUN NIGHT

This evening we had the pleasure of meeting 4 families who are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia and one family who already had their son. We had a great time getting to know everyone and getting to ask questions. A lot of them are further along in the process than we are so that helped with some of my questions. I certainly appreciate the advise about shots, meds, and many other things! We are very thankful that Amanda and John opened their home to us. Emilie and Randy even enjoyed themselves. It might have had something to do with all of the arcade games!!??? ;) Loved seeing Lisa and Shawn's referral pics of their two precious little ones!! Thanks Lisa, for sharing!! We wish you many blessings with your bundles of joy!! Donald enjoyed playing cars with two little guys.

I am so thankful that I was able to meet and make this connection with these people. The couple who hosted the party live only about a mile from us!!! God has a funny way of bringing people into our lives. We are looing forward to some play dates once everyone's little ones arrive.

Emilie had a wonderful time and got to talk their ears off. She talked all the way home about how much she loved going and meeting everyone and playing the games and playing with the two little guys, also.

SO...We all had a great night and got to meet some great people!!

Until later~
Tina

WE SURVIVED OUR USCIS APPT.

Well...we survived the appt to get refingerprinted and to change our country status. It only took about an hour. I am praying they get all of our paperwork done correctly and quickly.
The lady at our "window" was NOT friendly at all! We were escorted to one window and she loudly stated "over here!" Then her comment was "what do you want?" NOT "Can I help you?" I was in a bit of a shock with her rudeness and all so I stuttered out what we were there for and what we needed. Then she had to get a little help from the "nice" guy in the window we were sent to initially. I had to ask her to take some of our documents! Then we had a question about our I-171H expiring and if we would have to pay for that extension or not. Since she was less than helpful...Donald decided to ask the question loud enough for the guy in the next window to hear, hoping he would answer it. He kindly came to our window and answered the question. He said we would still get the one free extension. Donald is still concerned that we will have to pay for it so we will have to wait until November to find out.

Anyway...we got fingerprinted and then left and spent a great day feeling a little more relieved that we have another step done. Tonight I have put together all of the paperwork that we need to get notarized and we will wait to get our approval and then get it all state certified. SO...now we wait again! I think I am getting kind of used to it!! But I am praying for a quick approval!

Thanks so much for the prayers and keep them coming for a quick process!

Until later~
Tina

PRAYERS NEEDED

Well...tomorrow is our appt to go back to immigration and get refingerprinted and to turn in our form for change of country status. We are praying that this will be an easy, smooth, and quick transition. When we went the first time to file our I-600 we were there a little over an hour. We are praying for the same this time but we will see. The first time we were told to expect to be there ALL DAY!! So...we were very pleasantly surprised when we were sitting having breakfast a few hours after arriving for the appointment. This time is different as we have a few questions and have to file a new form to change our status from Vietnam to Ethiopia. We also have to have our daughter fingerprinted this time as she is now 18. I am sure she will be a happy camper having to get up early and spend time with her parents!! :)

SO...please pray that tomorrow goes smoothly and that our I-171H will arrive quickly. While we are waiting on this we will be finishing up our paperwork for the dossier so that we can get all in as soon as it arrives!

Thanks for your support and your prayers!!

Until later~
Tina

AHOPE

As you can see I have added a new link next to my posts. I found this on one of the blogs that I have followed. They already have their little guy and he is adorable!! Since they have already traveled to Ethiopia it is nice to be able to read and learn from them. You can read about AHOPE on their site just by clicking on the link. We are going to order the shirts for our family to show our support. We want to find a way to continue to support our son's birth country after we get him home so this may be a way to do it! We have been researching many different organizations as well. It is important to us that our little guy learn about his birth country and we are anxious to learn as well.

Last night we began looking up what they cook and eat. We found a few Ethiopian restaraunts in our area that we will have to try out before we travel. I am very nervous since I am such a picky eater!! I certainly do not want to offend anyone but I also know how I am when I see something that is not appetizing to me! I get that sick feeling and start feeling really gaggy!! Don and Randy(our son) were laughing at me last night when I was getting so nervous as I read some of their dishes that they make. I guess I will just pray that I can get it in my mouth and swallow it before I realize what it is!!! :)

Anyway... We are having a lazy week at home. No football practice this week so I don't have to get up so early to take Randy. I have started making the kids do their own laundry. FUN!! They think I am mean! But I feel like it is time they start helping more. Don laughs at me because I am a bit of a nut about the laundry so we will see if I can let them do it on their own.

ADOPTION NEWS: We go to USCIS on Fri to file our I-824 (change of country) and get our fingerprints redone. We have to take Tifanie along this time because she is now 18. We are praying that our new I 171H comes back quickly and that it doesn't require a large amount of money! Please pray with us!! This is the last step to receive before we can get all of our stuff together for our dossier to Ethiopia. Once we get this sent off then we can be added to the list and will start our official wait for the referral of our little guy.

We are having another garage sale fundraiser for our adoption on Aug 9th. We are praying for a much better turn out this time and that we will be able raise a few more funds for the adoption. We could use your prayers for this as well.

Thanks for your support!!

Until later~
Tina

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY EMILIE JEAN!!! (A LITTLE LATE)

Yesterday was Em's Birthday. I am having a hard time believing that my baby girl is 10. UUGH double digits! Emilie is one of our greatest joys and one of our biggest challenges as well. We had no problem getting pregnant with our first two children but for some reason as soon as we began wanting a third things did not go as well. After a few years of trying and sadness and A LOT of prayer we started a medication and were very blessed that it worked on the very first month we took it!!

Emilie was our first baby to be carried full term. She was born 1 day before her due date. She weighed 6lbs 14oz and was 18 inches long. She has been our little miracle baby from the beginning and for years would tell everyone that her Daddy called her his little miracle baby! It was cute.

The funny thing we like to say is we prayed so hard for her that God laughed and said ok but she will also be your challenge. I have spoken with many that say this about their third child. Emilie speaks her mind to EVERYONE!! Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes I want to crawl in a hole and hide!

I remember holding her for the first time and saying to her we have waited such a long time for you little girl! She was the easiest baby. Even in the hospital the nurses would get her out of her isolet just to hold her while she slept because she never cried. When we brought her home we had to set our alarm to wake her and feed her every 4 hours because she loved her sleep.

I am so blessed to be Emilie's Mom. She has taught me a lot and has made me a better Mom for our little guy that we will get someday!

We did the Birthday thing yesterday...we did lunch at her favorite place...Olive Garden and then to a movie...Space Chimps...then home to ride her new bike...then to Bible School...and home again for cake! She had a very busy day.

I love you baby girl!!!


Until later~

I'M LEARNING HOW TO POST PICS ON MY BLOG!!

Our kids...


Tifanie,18 and Randy,15.


Our girls...Tifanie is 18 and Emilie will be 10 in just a few days!

BACK FROM VACATION~

Well...we are home and settled back in. We were at the lake for a week and had a good time. The kids were able to swim and fish off the boats that we rented. I think their favorite day was tubing, although they complained about being sore the next day! Dad got a little crazy with the flips! :)

Our little visitor went home yesterday. I am sure her Mommy is happy to have her back. We enjoyed having her and miss her but are glad her Mommy is well enough to take care of her. She loved being outside at the lake with us. She did not like wearing her life jacket so we only had her on the boat a few times. Her favorite thing was watching the birds fly over us.

We are gearing up for school to begin in about a month. Time to start buying supplies and clothes and shoes! It is hard to believe we will have one in college this year. I wonder if I should buy her some supplies also?? We are paying for her books so I guess that will be her supplies.

Adoption News: Our homestudy is done and needs to be reviewed by our agency and then we will head back to USCIS and turn in our change of country form and get refingerprinted. We were told once this happened and we got on the wait list it would be at least 6 months before our referral would come. I am hopeful that we will have our dossier sent in by the end of Sept. It will depend on how long it takes for our I 171H to come back again. I would love for our referral to come in mid spring but early summer would be ok also. Then the kids could just stay at Grandma's house. I just keep praying and trying to remember who is control!!

I guess that is all for now. Please keep praying for us!

Until later~
Tina

WELL...IT'S JULY ALREADY!!

It is hard to believe that it is already July. Where did June go? Well, as of today my family is all back together safe and sound.

Randy had a great time at boy scout camp. He is now a Warrior. We are very proud of him. Hopefully, within the next few months he will get his eagle project done and will be an eagle! He is also done with the baseball season so now we begin the football practices and camps. Always on the go with our boy!!

Emilie had fun at girl scout camp but came home with a BAD black eye. I guess her eye hit another girls head and that was it. She just got home yesterday from Church camp and I think next year we will try to space her camps out a little more. It was a little tough on her. She had a great time and all but was very happy to be home. She begged for TV privileges when we got home and has been eating like a horse since arriving home!

We picked Donald up at the airport yesterday evening. We were all glad to have Dad home after 15 days!! We are very proud of him. He is at the top rank and he said that only 3% of people in the military reach this rank in their career. He is amazing!

Tifanie and I are the only ones that have not gone anywhere this summer. BUT we are leaving on Monday for a week at the lake as a family and will have other family meet us there on Thurs for a few days. I am looking forward to some time away.

Our friend, who had the kidney transplant, is doing great! We don't have the kids this week because they have a niece helping out. We will get the baby back on Sun and take her with us on vacation and then she will go back to Mom and Dad's for good. I have enjoyed having her around. Such a wonderful reminder of having a little one around. Makes me even more excited for our little guy.

We are still waiting on our home study. I finally got our medicals from the Dr office. And our reference letters were finally finished today so hopefully it will be done when we get home from the lake. We need to get to USCIS before the first of Sep to get refingerprinted and change our country status.

Anyway...That is what is going on in the Hubbard household right now!

Until later~
Tina

A LITTLE SLOW DOWN AND A BIG FRUSTRATION

Weird title?? Well...I went to pick up our letters from our Dr office for our homestudy and our agency last Thur. When I got back in our van I thought I had better read them. When I did I discovered that they had gotten Randy and Don confused!! NO I AM NOT KIDDING! They had listed Don as a healthy sibling and Randy as the adoptive father. SO I marched back in and told them about their mistake asking them to correct it. They looked at me with strange looks on their faces. Then they said well she is on vacation until the 30th. All I could say was of course she is because why would ANY of this be easy!!! They saw the tears and said they would see what they could do. That evening I got a call and was told there was nothing they could do and did I want them to call on the 30th when it was done? WELL DUH! I was very angry and I did voice this. We have been going there for over 7 years but hey what is another 2 weeks in our already VERY LONG process to our little guy. I promise that I am much better today than I was on Thur! I just have to remember God is in control and that our little guy will be here soon.

I picked up Emilie today from Girl Scout camp. She had a wonderful time and talked non stop all the way home. She has been eating since I picked her up so I think they may have starved her. JUST KIDDING!! She did come home a little injured. When I pulled up to get her she ran to me for a hug and then went to get her things. The leader of her group came to me and said they had one problem and I immediately thought "oh no!!" but she bumped her eye into another child's head during an activity and she has one heck of a shiner! Wish I could figure out how to post pictures because it is a big one! They said she didn't even hardly cry. They said it was much better today.

I went to scout Sunday with Randy yesterday. He got his warrior. I am very proud of him. He was glad to see me. I know he wishes his Dad were there with him. I got to dance with him for a ceremony and that was interesting. I was just glad I didn't fall down. He was glad too!

Tifanie turned 18 last Friday! I took her shopping on Thur. She got a printer for her laptop and some clothes. It is hard to believe I have an 18 yr old.

Don is still at his school in Texas for another 9 days! YUCK-- but it was good he
got it out of the way so that next year we are not tied down and are open to travel for our little guy when needed.

We still have 2 extras in our house. Things seem to be going well. We are going to go to the zoo tomorrow if it does not rain. We will see.

Please continue to pray for us as we wait for things.

Until later~
Tina

CRAZY MONTH

Wow...I just realized it has been 2 weeks+ since I have posted. SORRY!! We have been so crazy busy! Our siding is on and our deck and fence is done. Now all we have to repair is the roof. We were told that since ours is not leaking that it was not priority. So we will see how long it takes them to get it done. We still have several in our neighborhood who are waiting for theirs to be fixed also.

We have had our caseworker to our home for our homestudy renewal. We had a lot to accomplish for this and are working on getting the final needed items for this.

We had our meeting with the new agency and that went so well. We were very pleased with the communication and feedback we got. I pray this continues. We are very excited about moving forward and can't wait for the arrival of our little guy.

Randy left Monday for boy scout camp, Emilie left today for girl scout camp, and Don leaves tomorrow for Command Sgt Major school with the National Guard. I thought it was just going to be me and Tifanie for a week. BUT...

Our friend, Debbie, finally received the awaited phone call last Fri morning. They had a kidney for her. PRAISE GOD!!! I got a phone shortly after that because we have agreed to keep their two youngest children. (9mos and 4yrs) SO...now we have 2 extras for 6 to 8 wks. I am a little nervous about doing this alone for 15 days without Don but I have done it before for several months when Don was in Somalia and Cuba and Iraq so I am sure I will survive. The plus is I know they will be going home and can spoil them!! And it gives me more practice for our little guy!

So...if I don't post much over the next few weeks just know that I am very busy. Please pray that our homestudy will get completed while Don is gone so that we can get our fingerprints redone and the change of country done soon.

Until later~
Tina

GRADUATION & RECEPTION

Tuesday night our first child graduated from High School. How did I get old enough to have a HS graduate? Where did the last almost 18 years go? How did my baby girl grow up so fast. It seems like only yesterday she was the little 5 pounder sleeping on Daddy's chest and now she is this beautiful young woman heading out into the world.

Today is her reception. I have been preparing food for a few days. I am so thankful for everyone who has helped me with all of the shopping, setting up the tables, preparing the food, and decorating. I was up until 2am this morning getting things ready. I hope Tifanie enjoys the party and everyone eats a lot so I don't have to shove it all back into my frig!

Randy has his first ballgame of the season TODAY! He is in a ball tournament this weekend so will miss his sister's reception. He did go to her graduation so I figure that is good. I hope he does well and wish I could be there to watch but can't be 2 places at one time!!

I am off to get ready to go decorate for the reception! I hope she waits a long time before she gets married. This is all so stressful for me!!!!

Until later~
Tina

FINALLY!!! We are approved-again!

We have been approved to move forward in the Ethiopia program. There were a few bumps but we have made it to the starting point, again! Now we will work on getting our homestudy updated and changing some paperwork items. I am praying this will be done easily but truly nothing has been too easy with this adoption. God is teaching me many things. There are days when I need to just stop stressing and listen to God! We are praying to have our little guy home by next year at this time. As hard as all of this has been with Vietnam and now switching to Ethiopia we know that God is in control and has a plan to bring us together with our little guy. I am looking forward to seeing my little guy's picture for the first time!

Thanks for your continued prayers and support as we begin again.

Until later~
Tina

19 YEARS!!!

Wow, 19 years ago today I said "I do" to the best guy in the world! We were married a week after I graduated from High School while he was on leave from the Army for 2 weeks. He wanted to be able to watch me at my state track meet (Yes, I did run at one time!)and be there for my graduation and then 6 days later we were married and a few days after that he left to go back to Germany. I joined him there 2 1/2 months later. We spent the first 3+ years of our marriage there. We have had an amazing 19 years. We have lived a few different places in our 19 years and our oldest, Tifanie, was born in Germany.

I am very proud of my husband as he has served our country for more than 19 years and still continues to do so. He has seen several parts of our world and many times I have begged him to just get out but I know his heart is in it way too much to walk away. I just hope he doesn't have to go anywhere for a long time!

So...we celebrated Memorial Day and our anniversary with a trip back to Eurekia Springs, where we celebrated our honeymoon. We had a nice relaxing time ALONE!!

And today...we are preparing to watch our firstborn receive her diploma! Where did the time go?

Until later...
Tina~

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

Well...we have been very busy the last week or so. We are working on getting bids to fix the damage from the storm. It looks like we will be fixing the fence and roof and completely re-doing the siding and deck. All of this just in time to also be getting ready to update our homestudy. UUGH!!!

I had a very nice Mother's Day. We went to Church and then out to lunch. Then we took the kids home with their promise that they would clean up a little for me. Then Donald took me to buy a new bench to replace my bistro table and chairs that were damaged by the tornado. We also bought a new grill and replaced some of my other things that were damaged. Then Donald took me to Kohls because I got a gift card for Mother's Day from Tifanie (our oldest). It was a very nice Mother's Day and I am praying that we will have our little guy by next Mother's Day!

I am working on getting things prepared for Tifanie's graduation reception. She will graduate on the 27th (our 19th wedding anniversary!) We are having her reception the 31st. We were going to have it here at our house in the backyard. Now we are doing it at our church which will require a little more planning and decorating. Thankfully, my Mom and Mother-in-law have been very helpful in the planning and getting decorations! I am trying not to get too stressed about it. Anyone who knows me knows it may be too late for that. I tend to stress over everything!!

ADOPTION NEWS: We are still waiting on approval from the agency that we have chosen. They said it takes 2 weeks and that will be this coming Tues. I am getting anxious. It is going to be a very busy summer and with everyone's camps, Donald's National Guard school, and our vacation we are going to be pressed to get all of the paperwork complete and switched by the end of Aug.(this is my goal) We will see if we make it. I am praying for it.

Please keep us in your prayers, also.

Until later~
Tina

AND SO WE BEGIN AGAIN...

Today we sent in our application for the Ethiopia program to a new agency. We will wait to hear from them about approval. I think they said it will take a few weeks. So once again we will wait. It is hard to believe we are beginning all over again. I am at peace with our decision to move on but I am still sad to say good bye to our hopes of a little guy from Vietnam. We keep thinking that maybe someday...so we will wait and see on that, also.

STORM NEWS: We are still waiting on our adjuster to give us the final tally on the damages to our home. We will need to buy a new grill before Tifanie's graduation party. She wants Bbq'd chicken.

It is hard to believe that Tifanie will be graduating from High School in 3 weeks!! I finished her announcements last night. The frustrating thing is I keep thinking of people I have forgotten and now we are out of announcements so I am just sending invites to her grad party. I feel so bad but just did not tally quite right on how many we would need!! I am thankful to everyone who is helping me get things together for her party. Since we have had to move it from the house there are more things to prepare for and buy. I have some great friends and family that are helping me prepare the food and buy things to decorate with. ****THANKS****

SO...Until later~

Tina

GARAGE SALE CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER!

Well...our garage was cancelled due to some scary weather!! I think they have finally decided it was a tornado that hit our community and caused so much devestation. We are thanking God that we are all safe and the damage really wasn't as bad as it could have been. Other families were not so fortunate. Several have lost their homes or just roofs.

The story as it unfolded in the Hubbard home: At about 2 something a.m., I sat straight up in bed. I realized it was very windy outside and raining really hard. I was concerned about Tifanie's prom dress hanging in the window, in what will be the nursery. I thought I had not shut the window and was worried it was getting drenched from the rain. SO...I got up and went to open our bedroom door. It was like a thriller movie and I had opened the door and let the demons out. SCARY!!! Donald jumped out of bed. Randy ran in to our room, as we were trying to get some decent clothes on we yelled for him to go get Emilie and get to the basement. (we had no electricity). We finally all made it down to the basement with the our dogs and the kids were safely in the storage room. Randy had carried his sister 2 flights of stairs. ( He does love her!! :) ) By the way, Tifanie was already down in the basement as that is where her bedroom is.

Donald and I went back upstairs to look outside into our backyard. We quickly realized that 2 sides our deck was missing. The large swing and playhouse was busted and laying on its side. We had our neighbours huge playhouse in pieces all over our yard and on the deck. Our fence was leaning to one side and missing patches of it. At that time what really freaked me out was that the big grill was laying very close to the window which is where Tifanie's bed is. Thank you God!! She could have been hurt very badly.

Donald ended up going into to work about 330 or 4. He is a police officer and since we were all ok he knew they would need him. He called to tell me about all of the other damage to our neighborhood. There are several houses without roofs and one that is several feet off of its foundation and one that is just gone! I, personally, had never seen so many trampolines everywhere. Some in yards where they shouldn't be and some just wrapped around poles.

After surveying our own home it looks like we will need new siding, a new deck and the repair work on the fence. They still need to look at our roof and see how much damage was done to it. We will need to replace the play house, the bbq grills, and a table and chairs. There are a few other minor things also.

Tifanie's graduation party was supposed to be here on the 31st. We have found another place to hold that. I don't think our home is safe enough for that right now and we are not sure how long it will take them to do all of the work.

As you can imagine...we cancelled the garage sale and hope to do it again the first weekend in June.

ADOPTION NEWS: We did get our paperwork for the new agency and I got all filled out. Due to the weather it was also delayed in being sent. We will hopefully get it sent on Mon and then will wait for approval.

Until later~
Tina

GRADUATION & GARAGE SALE !!!

A weird title for my post, I know! Last night Tifanie graduated from her skills USA class. We are very proud of Tifanie for this achievement. It gives her a little head start into the working world and college. We took her out to one of her favorite restaurants afterwards. (Chilis) Her grandparents came to watch this ceremony. We did decide that we would need to find a sitter, for Emilie, for Tifanie's HS graduation. She had a rough time making it through a 2 hour ceremony.

Tomorrow and Saturday we are having our garage sale. We are hoping to make enough money to update our home study. I would even be happy if we made enough to pay for half of the update. I am really not sure how much it will cost since there will be some changes needed as far as country and agency goes. We are praying for 2 good days so we can sell both days. We are also very thankful for those who have donated items, are offering to help me out during the day, or are praying that it goes well. We are truly blessed by all of you.

I will let you all know how we do.

Until later...
Tina

AND SO WE MOVE ON...

After the information from the US embassy and the information today we have decided a change is in order for us. We had already decided that once our Vietnam adoption was final we would begin the process to adopt again from another country. Right now we are busy searching for another agency. We have decided not to go through the same agency because we were not 100% satisfied with them and they do not have the program we are wanting.

I believe we are going with Ethiopia. I have been following other blogs from those who have or are adopting from Ethiopia. The babies are beautiful.

Pray that we will find just the right agency and that the process of changing everything will go smoothly.

We will continue to keep everyone informed.

Until later...
Tina

A PRAYER REQUEST FROM EMILIE...

Emilie is our 9 year old daughter. Today at Church she wrote down her prayer request and she let me read it.

My parents are having a bad time with the adoption. I hope the Lord gives them faith.

How sweet is that!!! They know that their Dad and I have had a very rough weekend and that we have been back and forth discussing what to do now. We have ALWAYS included our children in the decision of adoption and they have hearts of gold and are like me and would love to adopt every orphan out there.

Church was tough today. I knew many would have questions and I knew I would be asking for more prayer about this. We certainly need God to guide us right now. We will be making some phone calls tomorrow and see what our agency says to an email I sent over the weekend.

Please continue to keep us and all of the other families in your prayers!

Until Later...
Tina

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE???

Well today started out a good day. Donald and I spent a nice morning together running an errand. We had a nice lunch together. THEN...we came home and I read my emails. WHY DID I DO THAT???

A friend called me last night and read me an article,that was listed on msnbc.com, about some more fraudulent things going on in Vietnam. I read it again after she hung up and was just so sad because I knew that it did not mean good things for our adoption. Even Donald agreed that it didn't sound promising.

Then, today I get an email from our agency. They said they still needed to verify what was on the US Embassy in Hanoi website but gave us the link to read it. First, our agency is very reluctant to give us any info unless it is 100% accurate!! So, my red flag went up!! I read it out loud to Donald and we were just devestated! Basically, it said that if we had a referral by Sept 1st they would honor it but without a referral our dossier will be returned to our agency and considered closed. WHAT??? WHY??? HOW??? We know that it is extremely unlikely that we will receive our referral by then. We have not moved from #5 since 9/07. Our agency has not received any referrals since then.

I feel so sad!! I have cried and cried. The kids have been sad with me but they just say it is time to go somewhere else. They don't care where our baby boy comes from they just want a brother! :)

We do have a few emails in to other places and are considering changing countries but we are just not sure we want to completely give up on Vietnam.

Please pray for us as this is a tough decision that we are being forced to make right now.

Until later...
Tina

WAY TO GO TIFANIE!!!

We are so very proud of our girl! Monday she took her test for her Certified nurses assistant. She passed with a 95%. We are all so excited for her. This is just the first step in her future that is looking so very bright! She is working in a nursing home and received a card from one of the patient's family members. I thought this was so neat that others see how much she enjoys what she is doing and cares for those she is working with. I have prayed for years that Tifanie would find her gift in life and I do believe she has found it. She is great at many things but we each have special gifts that God gives us and for some it takes a lifetime to find and others God shows a little earlier.

Graduation is a little over a month away. Next week we will begin working on the announcements and inserts for her reception. Can this really be happening? My baby girl is graduating in 5 weeks????

Blessings to all~
Tina