Picture with Santa

We went to see Santa and this year went much better than last! He was thrilled with the electric train set right before we got to santa, and then right before mihcael put him on Santa's lap, he started kicking and screaming. So I sat on santa's footstool and stuck him in my lap :) Santa gave him a sucker and so that upped his points in Myles book. Maybe next year he'll be all smiles!

sent off!

I'm SO excited today that I got to send off our fingerprints to request our 'no records found' report from the FBI! (hon, if you've got a hidden past, I need to know now! haha) Myles has been sick this week and it's been so cold until today that we've been homebound. We are also sending off our Christmas newsletter in batches, with the first batch out yesterday!

I also was really hit today while reading Kristi's blog (www.weloveourlucy.blogspot.com). She's traveling around Ethiopia taking photos of orphans to plead their case back here in the states to find them forever homes. She also had the wonderful privaledge of traveling to meet her adopted daughter's birth-family! To read about her experience meeting the birthmom and extended family (that looks just like her, she said) made it very real to me that somewhere across the world, Marlee Joy is growing inside a beautiful and heroic woman who will struggle and give us the best gift ever. I broke down and prayed fervently for her today. Would you say a prayer too?? Love her and her little miracle so much already.

Merry Month of December!

So here are some pics from Myles Birthday party, our Pinelake Clinton 'Tacky Christmas Party', the Christmas Tree, and our Christmas card stack :) It's been a merry month so far, and we're really looking forward to making it to visit Santa before the seasons over, so y'all have that wonderful pic to look forward to! haha, last year he was kicking and screaming! We're also really excited to be making the snowy drive to my hometown in Pennsylvania after spending some sweet family time here with Michael's side! Hope you all have safe travels and a wonderful time this season with family and friends!!

2nd Homestudy Mtg, Fingerprints,& turning 2!

My little man is getting SO big-today he turns 2!! Happy Birthday Myles! He was our little 'snow baby' born on a beautiful snowy day in Mississippi! Last year at his first birthday party we celebrated at the house with friends and family, and this year we spent his special day at our friend, Case's, birthday bash-jumping!! Myles had a blast, and tonight we're having the pancake supper, with cake and ice cream for the family! I'll post some pics of the day next time ;)

In adoption news this week: on tuesday we went for our 2nd homestudy meeting and had our 'couples interview'. 'no, ma'm, we've not been in marriage counseling before'. ;) We had fun retelling our love story, and the traits we love about each other! We paid half of our homestudy fee-hooray! Then, we went over to the police dept. downtown and finally found the right place. We got 'inked'. I thought it was so telling that the lady fingerprinting us made Michael close his eyes and totally relax his hand so she could do the fingerprints correctly! Hey, he doesn't like to be out of control-even to get his prints done :) These usually take the longest of all the documents to be processed and returned to us, so we wanted to get them done early! Next week-Online adoption education here we come!

All God's Children International

This is mainly for friends and family who want to know more details about our agency-AGCI. Click on the title of this post to watch a video on AGCI. Their website is www.allgodschildren.org


They are a well established, christian, adoption and orphan care agency/ministry. They are excellent in their communication, have great organization, and the staff is SO helpful and caring! Hannah's Hope was our selling point on this agency though. The children who are adoptable (have paperwork proving they are indeed, orphans)are taken from government run orphanages and brought to this wonderful home to prepare for and wait to be adopted. They are given nutritional meals, clothing, bright colorful rooms, a playroom, 'nursery school' for the toddlers and up, and the best part are the 'special mothers' who each take care of no more than 6 children at a time. These women are SO loving and caring, and my heart is at ease knowing Marlee will be loved so well here while she waits for us to come get her!