35 WEEKS...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??

I am having a hard time believing we have reached 35 weeks of waiting. I promise it is true, as much as I hate it!! This week we reached 8 months and I thought well we have probably 2 to 3 months to go! We will be making a phone call to our social worker to renew our home study AGAIN! They do say that third time is a charm...RIGHT? I am not so much frustrated that we have to do it BUT that we will need to pay for it for a third time! UUGH- Plus we will need to be refingerprinted for the third time as well. Actually, we will do it for state and for govt so that means for the 6th time...Do our fingerprints change?? NO...but I guess we could have gotten into trouble within the last year? I promise we have NOT! God, as always, has been so good to us. I am not feeling overly anxious about the wait right now...but the finances are getting to me! We feel like we get to a point where we can relax a little and then BAM-- As most of you know...having a home study done is not cheap and renewing is not a lot cheaper either! Plus we will have to pay for fingerprints. You get a one time free renewal but after that you pay! Anyway...enough complaining! He is worth it all and then some...I AM SURE OF IT! :)

This weekend I am headed to my sister's for a girl's weekend. We have several traveling from all over to make it. We are going to watch videos and PRAY PRAY PRAY! I know there will be pool time and let's not forget the snacks and food! :) I am looking forward to it. A time to refresh and be with my PWS! (Prayer Warrior Sisters) They have been praying for us from the beginning and stand in the gap as needed for me! What a wonderful group of ladies. I know when I need them they are there! What a blessing. I am hoping to get some pictures this weekend. (no pool shots...Sorry!!):) That is against the rules!!!!!

Emilie is spending the weekend with my niece and my Dad. They are all looking forward to it. Emilie just got home yesterday from camp but is ready to head out again! Randy and Don will be here. Don is working most of it but when he is off they are planning on getting the spare room painted.

Hope you all have a wonderfully blessed weekend!
Tina
***"Have faith in God,"Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

OUR FINAL CAMPER HAS RETURNED!!

Don picked Emilie up from Church camp today. She says she had a great time and was showing me her artwork and crafts. She was excited about the points she earned memorizing scriptures and the ten commandments. SO...minus our daughter who is living on her own, we are all home for dinner tonight. That always makes a Momma happy!
Here are a few pics of our camper.
On her bunk.

Camp sign

Closing ceremony


Have a great night all!
Tina

THE BOYS ARE HOME!!

Don and Randy returned home from Boyscout camp today. They had a good time even with all of the storms they had to deal with. Randy returned a "firebuilder" and we are very proud of him. I went to visitor Sunday and enjoyed watching him take charge and organize things. To see your son pray in front of a group of people...makes my heart sing!
Now I begin the laundry(from 2 guys...ICK!!!) and preparing for the next event! We are quite busy this month and next!
Today marks 8 months of waiting for little guy. We know that we have moved up 2 overall so far this week. We think we are about 33ish. We are hoping it will be soon.
Now I will share a few photos from the boys' camping experience this year.







Emilie will be home tomorrow from her camp. In time for me to pack her up to go spend the weekend with Grandpa K. I am not sure who is more excited about this her or Grandpa! :)

Hope you are having a wondeful week.
Blessings~
Tina

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

We had a very busy Father's Day. I spent the day at Boy scout camp with our son. Dad spent the day picking up and transporting our youngest to catch a ride for Church camp and then headed back to scout camp to spend the last 3 days of camp with our son. SO...We began our morning together for a few hours and then went our seperate ways for the rest of the day!

It was certainly hot at scout camp! I am NOT a camper so this was a "big" yearly event for me! :) Now I am home and all alone and ready to shower and head to bed with our puppies who will be my buddies for the next few days.

I have already begun making my lists for the week. I am only alone for a few days but I hope to accomplish a lot!

SO...HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, Honey, Dad and Dad(in law)! Hope you had a great day.

Blessings~
Tina

19 YEARS AGO TODAY...

I became a Mom for the first time! At 1:50 am our little one arrived weighing in at 5 lbs 6 oz and 18 inches long! She had the deepest brown eyes I had ever seen. She stole our hearts right away. We were completely in love with our little girl, Tifanie Lea. Since then we have watched our baby girl become a young woman...too quickly for us and not quite quick enough for her! :) We are very proud of Tifanie's accomplishments and her plans to become a nurse someday! She works at a Nursing Home now where she is loved very much by the residents and she is going to school. She recently has moved out on her own into an apt with her best friend and is enjoying the freedom it brings. :)
At one year old.



Tifanie was so excited about getting big bird for Christmas!

Hanging out on the phone~


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIFANIE! WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!

34 WEEKS...

Today is 34 weeks that we have been waiting for "little guy". ***Do you think it will happen soon? When are going to get him? What number are you this week? Where do things stand now? How close are you? SO...when do you think you will travel?*** These are just a few of the many questions we are asked weekly. I know people are curious and so ready to love our little guy as we are! There are some times when I wonder if they think we are making this whole thing up!! Come on, it has been 2.5years since we started this! There are some days when I feel like I am caught in this never ending dream of "waiting!"
BUT as I walked on the treadmill last night, I prayed that God would speak to my heart about all the things going on right now! I was listening to my Ipod shuffle and it got quiet and as I looked out the window and into the clouded sky..."GOD IS IN CONTROL" started playing. OK...I get it...sometimes I allow fear to wrap me up and some times I WANT to be in control...but alas I do know WHO is really in control of all of this! And I thanked HIM for reminding me of such and today...well...I am waiting and letting go of the fear and putting faith into practice with some determination along with it!!!

***Please pray for those still waiting for the abandonment issue to be resolved...I have read that there should be an announcement today! Pray for good news!

Blessings~
Tina
***REMEMBER...GOD IS IN CONTROL...KEEP THE FAITH AND DETERMINATION!!

JUST ANOTHER DAY...

Last night some storms rolled through here. We were NOT hit but know some that were. My guys at Scout camp were but they are all fine. I am sure they are very tired because they spent a lot of time at the chow hall trying to avoid disaster. My sister in law was at the lake but I heard from her that they have damage to their house. We,certainly, know how that feels as it was just a little over a year ago that we lost our deck, the siding on our house, and the huge playset in the back yard. I wouldn't wish that on anyone especially if you are gone on vacation.

We are thankful that our family was safe because things can be fixed!

Today we took our little dog, Lacie, back to the vet to get her ears rechecked. She had a severe ear infection 2 weeks ago. Today she is much better but still spikes a really high fever when you take her to the vet. She gets really stressed out! Poor baby.

Well...not much to tell here. There is at least sunshine right now. :) We plan on getting outside after naps...YEAH!!

Here's a few more pics from our day at the "K".









Have a Blessed Day!
Tina

BALL GAME AND MERCY ME!

We attended the "Faith and Family" day at The Royals stadium yesterday. We had a good time and the Royals won! :) They were calling for rain but we had great weather and I even got a sunburn.
There was a Mercy Me concert after the ball game. It was wonderful. It always amazes me to see so many people of like faith in one area. To see them worship and praise God is such a witness to me. I love to watch my family as they do the same. To see your children with their hands in the air praising God is a wonderful blessing! We were able to listen to a few speakers, including yesterday's pitcher. What a testimony they were. The lead singer for Mercy Me really made me stop and think. He talked about all the people there and that most of us in some way was hurting right now. That many of us were struggling with one thing or another...but how we choose to handle it is up to us. Are we still letting God shine through us? Are we still saying...God is good even though we are struggling with "whatever". I can say that most of the time I am there. I KNOW God is good ALL the time! But I have my days when this all feels like too much to handle. As you may see we are at the 2.5 year mark from starting this adoption! But as he spoke he said that we must remember that God's plan will unfold and it will be better than we could have ever imagined it to be! So...as I not so patiently wait for God's plan I pray that I am glorifying God through all of this...bumps and potholes included.

Here are a few photos from our "Faith and Family Day".
Randy and Tifanie watching the game.


Emilie posing with George Brett.


Mom and Dad enjoying the Mercy Me concert.


Mercy Me singing.




Have a blessed Monday!
Tina
***GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME...ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!***

CHANGES

Thought I would change it up just a little. I am kind of on a green kick so that is what I decided on. I am really no good at this but always like a change every now and then. I tell my husband it is his fault for moving me every 3 years for the first 8 years of our marriage! We have lived in the same house now for 8 years! BUT I have to move my furniture and change the paint every so often! We just finished redoing the kids' bathroom, an the basement bedroom (moving our son down there. We are now working on the spare room/office upstairs and the family room in the basement. It is keeping us busy right now so that is always a good thing! :)

Have a blessed weekend,
Tina

33 WEEKS AND NOT MUCH TO REPORT!!

WOW...33 weeks...I didn't think we would get this far. That's what I get for thinking, right? :) We did the referral pick game and as of Sat we will begin a new referral pick game. That is the last date chosen for our referral. I looked at the calendar last night trying to pick a "sensible" date! (That is what I thought I was doing last time.) I am posting names and dates on the sidebar this time. If you would like to join us just leave a comment!
This week has been very quiet on the adoption front. No new referrals and no news of any other sort. :( It makes the days move so slow!
We had a great time at the park the other day. I will post pics once they are loaded on the computer. The kids enjoyed playing and eating lunch at the park.
We are headed to get Randy at Church camp today. Then he has a car wash fundraiser tomorrow for CIY with his youth group and we are taking the kids to a Royals game on Sunday for "Faith" day at the K. They are having a Mercy Me concert after the game...We are praying for NO RAIN! Then on Monday, Don and Randy leave for BoyScout camp. We are pretty busy here for the next few days. It helps to pass the days and keep me focused on other things so that is always good.

Have a Blessed Weekend!
Tina
***For thou art my hope, O Lord God. Psalm 71:5

WE ARE OFF TO THE PARK...

Today we are headed to the park for a little play time! We have been stuck in the house too long and it is time to get out of here!!!! :) We are going to have a picnic lunch and play on the fun equipment. Then we are going to run to the store...not fun but needed.

I may try to post pictures later if I take any. Emilie is excited and even made her own lunch. Poor kid, she wants to get out as well. She is excited about playing at the park with Matthew and Heidi (the little ones I am watching). Heidi has completely stolen our hearts...I have written about her before. Matthew reminds us a lot of Randy when he was little so it is fun to have them here everyday. It keeps my mind off of the adoption...kind of! :)

Well...Better get things together so we can head out!

Have a great and blessed day!
Tina

SLEEP...

SO...I am wondering if I will ever sleep through the night again? I have had sleeping issues for several years. I am always VERY tired when I head to bed and depending on the day I usually fall asleep fairly easily.(within about an hour or so)BUT then I wake up several times throughout the night. I don't get up to go to the bathroom...I just wake up. I don't like to take anything because I want to be available if my children need me. I took tylenol pm when my son was a baby and it was just not a good thing!
This sleeping habit drives Don crazy! He usually sleeps well when he is home but he can tell when I have not because although he is sleeping it is interrupted sleep because I toss and turn all night. I feel bad for him.
I know once little guy arrives our sleep may be interrupted even more but I welcome that! Atleast then I can do something productive during those sleepless hours...such as...feed or rock our baby! :)
SO...today I am exhausted!
Adoption news...UHHHHH...NOTHING! We have been in the Ethiopia program for over a year now. We were sure hoping for a referral by now...But all in God's timing! I am still praying for peace. I am not checking the group a million times each day so that is good. I am trying to keep myself busy with things around the house! Let's hope for many referrals this week!

Blessings~
Tina
***Thank you, Lord, for the great promises Your word gives. You guide me always on this journey that You planned for me before I was born. Your design of life is perfect. Thank You for being ever faithful to me as I move along the path created for me to follow. You lead me, and even carry me when I am tired, Lord. You are so wonderful and faithful to me!

EAGLE COURT OF HONOR...

We are so proud of Randy for this HUGE accomplishment!

Randy taking the Eagle Oath

>Mom pinning Randy


Randy pinning his Dad


Randy's table of accomplishments


Randy opening a gift from Grandma and Grandpa...some scout knives that Grandpa had collected and been saving to give him. VERY COOL!


OUR EAGLE SCOUT! Wearing one of his gifts from Mammy and Grandpa.

THE EAGLE PROJECT

This is the project Randy did to earn his Eagle Scout. He put in a flag pole and made a patio and furnished a bench and pots for plants at our church. It was a BIG project but turned out very nice!

WAITING 32 WEEKS...

32 weeks of waiting...hmmmm...what can I say? I wish...I pray...I dream...I pray...I hope...I pray!

We did finally order a dresser for little guy's room. I have been looking for...well 2 years...for a dresser at a flea market...garage sale...even had a few other scouters out there! We finally found one that we liked...and it was on sale.(plus we got a discount!) So, I could justify the expense a little. It arrived this week and Don put it together. It doesn't match as well as I had hoped but close enough for now. I do really like it other than that, though. It is big and spacious and now Don needs to brace it to the wall! :) His job is never ending you know?

This weekend is Randy's Eagle Court of Honor. I hope to have pics up be early next week. We have a pretty busy weekend. He has his Court of Honor Saturday at 630pm and then leaves for Church camp on Sunday after Church and I am taking him so...

Hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Tina
***MY HOPE IS IN YOU LORD!

JUST ANOTHER BUMP...RIGHT?

So...last night I met my hubby for dinner. (He was on duty.) I began to complain and get frustrated with all that is going on right now and I said I just feel like maybe we are reliving what happened with Vietnam all over again! He refused to listen to it. He said we were not going there and that this is just another bump in the road! I am trying to take his advice and look at this as just another change and move forward.
Today I was thinking well I don't want this person because...I have heard bad things about her. Well guess what that is the person we got and you know what...so be it. God is showing me that you can not judge someone by what others think. By the way...I have heard some great things about this person as well and that really makes me feel better.
She emailed us today to introduce herself and I sent an introduction back. This is part of the plan so we will move forward with it and deal what we have been handed in a respectful and loving manner!

Blessings~
Tina

REALLY GETTING TIRED OF THE ROLLER COASTER RIDE!

Well...I just found out that our adoption consultant has left our agency as of...hmmm...TODAY!! UUGH- Now don't get me wrong, I do still have complete faith in our agency. I am just tired...the waiting...the ups and downs...the changes...and did I say the waiting!! When we were with Vietnam and a different agency when things started getting rough the director quit! We heard about that in a letter weeks after she had quit. I just wish things didn't have to be so hard with all of this.

It does look like we have moved a few spots BUT we are not allowed to know our numbers anymore so I can only do my best to keep it accurate. I think we are around #36 overall.

Anyway...Just TIRED!

Have a blessed day~
Tina
***Father, when I am weak, Your power leads the way. When I cannot speak, You teach me what to say. Oh, sweet assurance! What comfort every day!

WHY WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE??

My terrible mistake of waiting to the last minute has now made me extremely stressed! Randy's Eagle Court of Honor is this Saturday. He is having his with 2 other boys he has gone through scouts with. (MUCH EASIER!) BUT...we have all done scrapbooks for the boys...I started Randy's several months ago BUT then slacked off. Now I am freaking out worrying that his will not be complete and will be rushed. UUGH!! He says he likes it and all...but I must worry...that is what I do!

I was able to take a break tonight and met my friend, Debra, for dinner. We had such a great time we visited for almost 2 hours just catching up. It was nice and I did not get any phone calls or text messages the whole time!! That is AMAZING!!!!!!

Hope you all are having a great week.

Blessings~
Tina

ANOTHER MONTH!

And so we have watched another month pass us by! This is a bit discouraging but as I told someone at Church yesterday I know there is a reason that we will not be passing court before the closure. BUT I like to be in control and this is very hard for me. I am trying to give over the control BUT it is hard to do! I am praying that we will get a referral soon and still have him home before Christmas. PRAYING VERY HARD!!!
Our weekend was quite busy. I spent part of Saturday working on Randy's Eagle Court of Honor. (More on this later!) Don worked on the yard and did some more painting on the basement bedroom for Randy. Saturday evening Emilie and I went out to dinner together, Randy went to an amusement park with friends and Don was working. Sunday was Church(Don was working) and out to lunch then we came home and finished up some painting and then began moving him down to his "new" room. I would take pics but I am sure it is already trashed!!! :) He is a teenager, you know? Then after Don got home we finished up some things in his room and waited for Randy to get home from Youth Group and then watched a movie together. It was a good weekend.
Now I will begin working on the upstairs room to prepare it for Don's office. It needs some scrubbing...Randy will be working off that amusement park money today! :)
Please take a look at our prayer requests and take a minute to pray for them. If you have a request you would like me to add feel free to leave a comment. The power of prayer is an amazing thing. Here is to another month...Please let there be many referrals and many prayers answered!

Blessings~
Tina
***Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. 1Peter 5:7