Blame it on the Sun

It has been a LONG time since my last post and I can only blame the summer sun :) We have had a VERY hot, sunny summer and that has kept me Very busy with the kids. We spend most of our days playing outside, which means I am tired out by the time I get them to bed and really don't think too much about blogging. Sorry, to my faithful followers :) but I will try harder to keep you updated. In the adoption world, we are just waiting on finger print appointments which were delayed due to our home study not making it to USCIS when it was supposed to. We are now back on track with that, but PRAYERS are needed that our appoinment comes SOON as we are supposed to travel in September for court and embassy and can not do that without this VITAL information. Providing we get approval in time, we will leave September 23 and by September 24th we will be holding our little girl and spend a week with her in Haiti!!! I can NOT wait!!! I So long to wrap my arms around that little princess!!! As far as fundraising we have a WONDERFUL opportunity for everyone to be able to help. There are some wonderful, HUGE hearted girls (Sarah and Rachel) that make handmade crocheted hats and other items to help orphans. They have offered to donate 100% of ALL sales made on Naika's behalf toward her adoption. We need ALL of you to keep them REALLY busy by visiting their blog, checking out their items and ORDERING :) Here is the link to their blog: http://www.handiworkforelijah.blogspot.com/. Make sure when you place your order that you mention that you would like the proceeds to go toward Naika's adoption. They will do custom orders, so just let them know what you need!! Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. They are much needed and we can feel the prayers every step of the way!!! Be Blessed - Melissa

Long Distance Love

As I mentioned in a recent post, we have been busy fundraising for Naika's adoption. So far we had a rummage sale and a craft fair/bake sale. Both events went Very well and we were extremely blessed by all who supported us. It got me thinking how much Naika is already loved. She has NO idea that there are so many people who are helping to bring her home and we are FOREVER grateful. Some upcoming events will include a Jockey Person to Person/Tastefully Simple home party (where proceeds will be donated toward the adoption and also a Auction/Raffle event in fall that you will NOT want to miss. One Major need is PRAYER! As you all know (at least anyone who followed our previous adoption journeys) adoption is not for the weak at heart, especially Haiti adoptions. I am already SO in love with this precious little girl that there are days I think my heart will burst. Yet, we still have a L O N G road ahead of us, thus prayers: for Naika and her caregivers, for all involved in the adoption paperwork (in the US and Haiti), for us and the kids who prepare for our new bundle of joy, for a speedy and drama free process. We are So blessed and thankful to be led on this journey, knowing it will not be easy but OH SO WORTH THE RIDE! Be Blessed - Melissa PS -enjoy the pic which shows our little girl getting her first look at her Forever family!!!

Blessed Beyond Belief!

This weekend we had our first fundraiser for Naika's adoption. We have not ever fundraised for our adoptions before, so this is kind of new ground for us. We decided to participate in the neighborhood garage sale as a fundraiser and people showed up to support us in ways that BLEW OUR MINDS! We had people donate money without buying anything, donate WAY more than what they spent, pay $10 for cupcakes. I could go on and on, but I will get to the point...We EXCEEDED our weekend goal. Our next BIG fundraiser is next weekend when we are hosting a craft/home business/bake sale at our local church. It is going to be a GREAT event and if you are in the area, you will NOT want to miss it :). I also added a gadget on the left side of the blog so you can all see our progress as we try to make our $25000 goal. If When we accomplish that goal, Naika's adoption will be fully funded! There is also a DONATE button, in case anyone feels led to give. This button will allow you to donate using any of the credit cards listed. Thank you all again for your support!!! Melissa

Easy Street vs Hard Way

Since announcing that we were adding to our family again we have gotten mixed reviews from family and friends. Those opinions increased when we shared that Naika is a special needs child with FAS.Most people have been supportive and on the same note some people have showed concern that we already have enough with 3 children and that Naika having special needs will just be TOO HARD. Though I do respect their opinions, as they are entitled to them, it has got me thinking. Most things we "choose" to do in life are not choices that we make because they are "easy", but instead things that we feel are best for our lives at that time. For instance, I LOVE my hubby in fact we will be celebrating 8 years of marriage together tomorrow, but life was "easier" when I was single. I mean I did not have to share my space, cook and clean for multiple people, discuss things I wanted to buy with someone else, compromise...you get the point. But I made a choice to say "YES" to my husbands sweet question of "So do you want this??"(that is another story!). Let me take it one step further, when I chose to move out of my parents house that was not the EASY STREET kind of thinking. I mean why leave a place where everything was taken care of for me? Where I had no responsibilites to speak of? It was not easy, but it WAS the best decesion for me at that time in my life. As far as building our family through international adoption, that has by far been the HARDEST way to build our family BUT it was Absolutely the BEST decesion we have ever made. We could have easily decided to not have children or we could have tried having biological children, but we made a choice to adopt our children because we felt it was right for our lives. Not Easy, but Right. I guess my point is, that though I respect people who want to "warn" us how hard things will be, I would appreciate the same respect of the choice we are making. A lot of prayer and discussion went into making the decesion to add Naika to our family and I know we will all be Blessed to have her in our lives. Thank you all for your continued support, prayers and love. We could not do what we do without all of you!!! Melissa

Called, Chosen, Faithful...Put to the Test

When we began the adoption journey of Naika we were aware that it was a "special needs" adoption. We were told she had Developmental Delays that they believed were due to severe malnourishment and that the damage may be reversible due to her young age and the fact that she is now getting proper nutrition. Yesterday that all changed with one call from our agency. This week Maison (the orphanage Naika is at) had a pediatric specialist come into the facility and she was able to finally give Naika a proper exam and diagnosis. We were told that she had oxygen deprivation at birth and fetal alcohol syndrome. According to this therapist, Naika will most likely require speech, occupational and physical therapy. What this now means is that she will have a lifetime of challenges and will require a lot of care and therapy. WOW....it took us a little by surprise and we were not sure how to react at first. Scott and I both did some research on FAS and had a 2 hour long talk last night about what is right for our family. We talked about our fears, our hopes, and our desires for Naika's adoption. When we first started down this path we KNEW we were being called to adopt again, what was also VERY obvious to us was that we were not just being called to adopt but specifically adopt Naika. You see there was a lot of divine intervention that took place that got us to where we are at already. Now we are armed with this new knowledge that we will be adding a child to our family that is special needs and facing the decision of if we are capable of what we have been chosen for. In the end we have decided to be faithful to what we feel so strongly led to and are thankful that God has allowed us to be armed with this knowledge so we can have time to prepare for the adventure ahead. We have to trust in Him and that He will guide us through this.

Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork

These days I am keeping Very busy with lots of paperwork. It seems to just keep coming right now. There is home study paperwork, dossier paperwork, school paperwork (can you believe my baby boy will be in 4K!!), doctor appointment paperwork...it seems to be never ending. At least I am not finding time to be bored :)
On the adoption front things are moving along. We have our official referral for Naika signed and are waiting on Scott's physical to be done next week so we can finish up our home study. It looks like we will travel to Haiti in October to meet our little princess and take care of some (more) paperwork while we are in Haiti. Then the real wait begins. It will take time to bring her home, but it will be SO worth the wait.
And now for what you have all been waiting for....a little peek at our princess:)

When I Grow Up

Today Delson was giving me LOTS of facts on the way home about presidents. Since it is presidents day his class was talking about George Washington and Abe Lincoln. He knows how Washington liked horses and reading and Lincoln likes math and was shot (that was a long story!). When he got all done giving me the facts he informed me that he was going to be president someday and live in the white house. I had to regretfully inform him that it would not be possible for him to be president of the United States because he was not born in the US. He then began to list all his friends who were born in the US asking if they would be able to be president. I informed him that they would be able to since they were born here. He asked if Micah could be president and I said "No, Micah was born in Ethiopia.". The boys have decided that it is NOT fair that they can not be president and asked how to change that law. I told them it would not be an easy thing to have changed, but that they were welcome to write the president and tell them their concerns. They asked if I would help them write a FULL page letter to the president tomorrow and bring it to the post office. I promised I would! Hurt to tell Delson he could NOT be something he has a desire to be, but felt so PROUD to hear the boys make a plan to try to follow the dream!!! Melissa