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Moving Right Along!

Monday night we went to our Levi Circle meeting...this is the adoption ministry group at our church that we are a part of. It was awesome to be in Tyson and Renee's home and see how well they are doing with their new daughter Ren...they brought her home from China about a month ago. It's just so amazing to see how their journey turned out and to think that this time next year we will hopefully have our child home with us! At the meeting we talked about what a privilege it is that God allows us to be parents to these children...not that they are blessed to have us but that we are truly blessed that God put them in our lives. Kelly and I are learning so much through this journey and each day we are just so amazed at how God is working in our lives!

When we got home from the meeting that night I checked my email before going to bed and there was a message from the adoption agency we are using. There was a new update for Ethiopian adoptions....which I was a little nervous to read. Shortly after we started our adoption process they changed the required travel to two trips instead of one and also both parents had to travel. Well those of you who know me know I am terrified to fly and the thought of flying to Africa was something I just couldn't bring myself to feel comfortable with...especially leaving Iris and Asa both behind. Well the email said that they have now changed it to only one parent having to travel...I can't tell you how that made me feel. I know that I should trust in the Lord and know that He would get me to Africa and back safely...but I can't help but have this fear that just overwhelms me. I truly didn't know how I would ever make it over there...I'm not saying I won't go to Ethiopia but at least now I have a choice. Also, this helps with expense...we won't have to pay for the both of us to travel so that helps tremendously.

After getting that email Monday night I felt some sort of relief and then Tuesday in the mail we received our home study..which we have been waiting patiently on. Now we can file with immigration and start our dossier. Everything is just moving along...it seems more and more real! We are so excited!

Iris and Edie Bug!

Iris Anne's cousin Eden came over for a sleepover this weekend. Kelly and Asa were gone on a camping trip with all the guys from our church so it was a good time for the girls to hang out. They played with their American Girls, dressed up, did crafts, gave me a foot massage(it was their idea...but I did love it!). Saturday we went skating...of course they had to take their dolls with them...it was really cute.

Iris loved having Eden over...we will have to do it again soon!

Fun Field Trip!

Today I went with Iris Anne on her first field trip in 2nd grade. We visited the Mayfield Dairy Farms Visitor Center and Corn Maze in Athens. The tour of the dairy plant was pretty interesting...just be prepared to wear a very attractive red hair net if you ever visit. We ate some really yummy ice cream and had a great day!

Fall Break Fun!

The past few days the kids have been out of school on Fall Break. We decided not to go out of town but thought we would hang out around home and just do some fun stuff in our area. We had a fun time together..we made caramel apples, went to Lake WinnepeSPOOKah and Rockertoberfest at Rock City...and of course we made it to the skating rink...Iris's fav! We also got to finally enjoy a hot dog from The Good Dog in downtown Chattanooga...YUMMY! I enjoyed having the kids home with me for a few days...I'm looking forward to having them home the whole week of Thanksgiving!

The Guilt and Shame!

Ordinary Hero~ A day in the trash dump in Ethiopia from Kelly Putty on Vimeo.

I am sitting here at 4am because I can't sleep. Kelly and I just moved our family into a rental house and the stress of getting everything in order overwhelms me at times. God led me to this video and it has really touched my heart. Over the past couple of weeks while we have been moving I have found myself complaining about things that I shouldn't. Trying to fit all of our stuff into this smaller house has been kind of a challenge. My garage is full, the attic is full, there isn't one inch in the house that isn't used. Wow...isn't that something to complain about! After watching this video and seeing those people living in a trash dump...well I can't even tell you the guilt I am feeling right now. How blessed we are to have so much and we take it all for granted. Since Kelly and I started this adoption process I have seen so many videos and read so much about the needy in the world...and it just breaks my heart. I am so ashamed and embarrassed of the way that so many of us live. It bothers me tremendously to see people(including myself) living their lives for things that don't matter. People walk around with a cell phone attached to their ear, kids and parents spend more time playing video games and being on the computer than spending quality time together, parents are working long hours to live a certain kind of lifestyle instead of being home with their family. We spend too much money on having the latest and the greatest gadgets, designer clothes and eating out way more than we should. We could get by on so much less! I want to somehow show my children how other people live and that there are so many that do without. Not only are people living without the basic necessities of life, they are also living without the love and attention they need....providing food and shelter is one thing but there is so much more a person needs. I know parents who spend more time on Facebook and playing the Wii than they do actually having a conversation or playing with their child...that is just sad! There are millions of orphans in this world that only want a parent to love them and then there are parents in the world that have these wonderful beautiful children and never give them their time.
I pray that one day we will all wake up and see how blessed we are to have all that we do and stop taking it all for granted!

Halloween Decorating!

Every year the kids want us to decorate for Halloween. I never really felt the desire to do that...other than carving a pumpkin for the front porch. If it were up to Asa our entire yard would be filled with every blow up pumpkin you could buy! Well while the boys were gone camping this weekend Iris and I decided to surprise them with a few decorations...and I must say the smile on Asa's face made it all worth it!

Fun at Fort Mountain!

Every year since I was a little girl my family has gone to Fort Mountain for a picnic! I always loved going when I was a kid and now going with my own two children is even better! We eat lots of good food, throw the football around, and then go on a nature walk around the lake. Iris and Asa really enjoy playing with their cousins...we even took our dog Pixie this year and she loved it! It was a fun afternoon and a great way to welcome Fall!

Sold!

I am so excited to be writing this post! We finally sold our house! We put our house on the market about a year and a half ago and we really began to think that it wasn't ever going to sell. We actually took it off the market and a week later a couple called wanting to buy it...if that's not God working I don't know what is! We knew that to be able to afford to adopt we really needed to downsize and get rid of a lot of what we don't need!!! I know moving into a house that is half the size of the one we're use to is going to be difficult..but it will be soooooooooo worth it! That's one of the many things I've learned since we started this whole adoption journey...we put so much importance on material things...and in the end these things don't really matter at all! Kelly and I have had the nice new house and that's all great...but when you look at what it costs....it's just not worth it...there is so much more we could be doing with that money! Iris and Asa don't care where we live or what we have...their main question these days is "when are we getting our brother or sister?"...that's their only concern! Of course we like nice things...doesn't everyone...but to spend your life working to pay for something that isn't necessary just seems like a waste of time and money! This is a whole new journey for us....but we are are so excited to see what God is going to do in our lives!