Kindle Fire Giveaway

We are trying to raise 1400.00 for the first stage of our EE adoption. We need this as soon as possible in order to move forward and get our child out of an orphanage and home with his family where he belongs.

For our first fundraiser we are going to be doing a Kindle Fire Giveaway!!! Here's the details.

5.00 = 1 entry
10.00 = 2 entries
20.00 = 5 entries
35.00 = 9 entries
50.00 = 13 entries
75.00 = 19 entries
100.00 = 25 entries

After you donate then share the giveaway on twitter, facebook or blog for more entries. Just make sure to comment that you shared with the link to where it was shared.

Donate to Kindle Fire Giveaway

WINNER WILL BE DRAWN APRIL 16TH SO HURRY!!!

Paul and I know that God will provide for us. He uses people everyday to help further is kingdom. Is He calling you?

Be blessed

Another Homestudy..say what?

Yes you read that right. We need to have another homestudy done. Nothing is wrong with our last one we just can't use it for our next adventure. See the homestudy we have is for a domestic adoption, out of foster care. We need a new one for an international adoption. Yes we feel the call and will answer with a "YES LORD!"

This song plays over in my head daily. It's Lead me by Jaime Grace
You lead, I follow. Your hands hold my tomorrow.
Your grip, Your grace, You know the way,
You guide me tenderly,
When you lead, I'll follow,
Just light the way and and I'll go,
Cause I know what you got for me is more than I can see,
So lead me on, on, on and on

Paul and I feel complete peace about our decision. We still want to adopt the child in Houston we were looking at. Our homestudy is there under review. We hope to find out soon. We also feel very led to Bulgaria as well. So we have started the process to get ready to move when God says "Now."


We are going to start fundraising as this will be a very expensive process. We would love prayers and if you feel led to donate that would be awesome. Until we figure out how to do that electronically you can send donations to

Paul and Ashlee
po box 48231
Watauga, Tx 76148

Be blessed

Waiting...

We are in the wait and see phase. I do not do well in this phase. The homestudy is in Houston. All they have to do is decide if we are this little guys parents or not. When I called to talk to someone in Houston he said something that didnt sit well with me. He said, "If we have enough homestudies then we will make a decision."

If one family steps up and says I will care and love this child. I will be his mom and we will take on all those responsibilities. Why is that not enough? How many is enough? Paul said its like they need a million homestudies before they will agree to review the cases in foster care.

The system is flawed but our God is not.

I was at the grocery store yesterday and while we were shopping we saw a black woman with 2 black kids and 3 white kids. Beautiful family! Paul looked at me and said we should go ask her if they are all hers. Then we both laughed! I hate that comment and refuse to ever utter those words to anyone else. In fact, side note the night before we were at another store when a woman walked up to us and said the infamous "Are they all yours?" And I looked at her and without even realizing it I let out a heavy sigh and said, "yes and we are adopting more." She was so nice she said she loves big families. I kinda felt bad for the sigh but it was like it was totally out of my control. haha.

So anyways where was I? Oh yeah so we got to the check out and that same woman and kids were in front of us. She looks at us and goes "wow yall look like us." Lol. I then said yeah and we are hoping to add some more soon both domestically and internationally. Thats all it took she opened up right there about her 3. Got them outta foster care. She ask what agency we were with and told us who she and her mom use. Told us Down syndrome kids were the best and also william syndrome kids were awesome too. She said she has tried for a baby with ds and so has her mother who has been fostering and adopting for 20 years. I ask her how long her adoption took and she said not long but she said the system was very flawed. So it isnt just me who thinks that! After she left the cashier ask us how she could adopt and some other questions about it. We referred her to Gladney. A seed was planted.

I thought it was so amazing to see a beautiful black woman with 3 white kids. I had never seen that before. Honestly I havent. She was a beautiful woman and obviously was raised in believing in adoption and orphan care. God bless her mother!

I love talking about adoption with other people and then having more people want to adopt. I really am missing my boy and want him home. So I wait. We all wait. Noah waits for his brother to come home and play with him. Trin waits for her new little brother to teach him all she knows. Cherry waits for her little brother to talk to and read to. Sarie waits for her "twin" brother to hold his hand and hug him and be all in his face loving all over him. AJ waits for her big brother to show him all her movies and books. To dance around the room with him and watch wonder pets and signing times together. We wait as a bed sits empty and a place at our table vacant. We wait and hope and pray that the wait wont be much longer and our son can come home to a house full of love.

I can't wait to see my son for the first time. Kiss his beautiful brown forehead and sing to him. I can't wait to see Paul pray with him at night before bed. I can't wait to take him to church and see him worship a God who loves him. My heart is waiting for my children to come home so my family can be whole.

Please pray our wait is not much longer. That the caseworkers choose us to be this little ones family. Pray that where ever he is now he is loved and cherished and cared for.

Be blessed

To go or not to go

To EE.

My friend has 7 beautiful children here in Texas, one in Heaven and 2 in EE. She gets to go get her 2 little boys in May and I would love to go with her. If I go I would be able to document the whole thing with my camera as my gift to her. Its my dream job. I would also get to meet other orphans and God willing take some of their pictures.

This is a huge thing. A bucket list thing. And as any huge thing goes God is gonna have to work this all out.

I have my passport so that isnt an issue.
I would need 1000.00 for the airfare. Then food and transportation while in Bulgaria money.
Paul would have to be with the kids for 8 days while I am gone.
That is a lot to ask of him especially since he has done so much this year already due to me having 2 surgeries. He is on a contract job right now and because of that has no benefits. That means other than us paying a ton and a half for our healthcare he also doesnt have vacation days.

So we need some prayer. If God wants me to go I need a few things from Him.
I need Him to provide for the airfare. I need him to either let Paul get hired full time with benefits and be allowed to take those days or for Paul's boss to allow him to work from home and still get paid. OH and I need Him to help me find my passport..oops :)

Please pray for those things and above all else God's will. I have to go to Pa the beginning of June so I need money for plane tickets then too so its a lot and I really want God's blessing on this.Thanks so much

Be blessed

Lil Update

So our awesome caseworker told us that she sent our homestudy to Houston on 3/21/12 World Down Syndrome Day!! We are so excited to be that far already. She sent our homestudy, our picture and a photo album we made. Our case worker is amazing and if anyone is thinking about adoption y'all should use Gladney and ask for Tanya. She got us Noah too. She feels like family.

So anyways being the control freak I am haha I called the child's caseworker today. He answered the phone which was very impressive as I tried for several months to get a hold of him before. He and I spoke for 4 mins. He told me that he sent the homestudy on to the child's worker. Then he said he would maybe talk to the worker and see if he got the study and had a chance to look it over.

Then after I got off the phone I sent him a thank you email :) I want him to remember my name. I want him to know that I care because Paul and I really do.

Also we have some more news but I dont want to share just yet. I want to be certain before we make any posts. Just please keep us in your prayers.

Pray that we can bring home this child in Houston and soon. No one should have to wait for his mama and daddy.

Pray for us and a new situation that has come up

Thanks so much

Be blessed

Strange things are happening

God is moving. We are here listening and ready to go. We say Yes Lord. What is so fun about God is the unexpected things that happens. You go left and you head down that road for a long time and get comfortable, you are almost to the end of the road and then God says "turn right, turn right..now!"

So you can ignore that voice and keep on keeping on or you can follow God. If you keep going you may reach the end of the road but you may have missed a huge blessing. You can turn right and then people all around you think you are crazy. That you arent serious about finishing you just want a short cut. Turning right could make you a leper. That road may be full of pot holes and bumps that the other road didnt have. It may be a road twice as long as the first road you were on. Is it worth it?

Following God is always worth it. Not always easy or pain-free but totally worth it.

So we choose to say Yes and follow God. We are making the right turn up ahead. We choose to love with abandon even if that means getting hurt. Because that is how God loves us recklessly and with abandon. When I am saying things I shouldnt, when I am being rude, when I stray away from Him, when I am mean, when I disappoint Him, God still loves me. Thats how I want to love.

Be blessed

Child Abuse Clearances

We got them today! Yay! One step closer to another child.

Also I am starting to feel better and even worked out yesterday. I have 10 pounds to get off of me that I put on during this recovering time.

The only thing left to do for the adoption I believe is 7 xrays. We all need one to prove we do not have TB. At the latest we will be doing that next Tuesday. Homestudy is done and being written as we speak. So now we wait.....

Please pray that God would bring our child home to us soon.

Be blessed

Love

Be blessed

Something wicked this way comes

Since the day before the homestudy we have had some daily annoyances. First there was Noah losing his health insurance. I knew it was a mistake and was not worried but still it took 8 hours to reach a live person. I was so irritated. I needed to spend that day getting ready for the homestudy. Instead I spent it on the phone hearing please press 1, press 7, press 785632587412548532458598253326521 goodbye! Sigh

Then the dryer broke. The brand new dryer. We bought a washer and dryer and returned our other ones because they were just too expensive. We thought we were doing the right thing. We did do the right thing. But a family our size can not afford to be out a dryer especially the day before a homestudy.

We got through the homestudy. Then after the homestudy it has been just these daily minor annoyances. This will not deter us from adopting. Nope. God works all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

BE blessed