Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
4 days ago
Showing posts with label Adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adoption. Show all posts
10 April 2011
The bidding has ended for the Rosie Doll and I am just floored! Wow, y'all! You're bids were so generous and - can you believe it? - the final winning bid was $150!!!
Congratulations (and an enormous thank you!)
to Jennilyn for your winning bid!
Praise the Lord!
Not only that, but some of you have expressed interest in donating to the Gould and Elliot families apart from the auction. Not everyone can bid $150, but some of y'all still want to contribute. Both families have PayPal or ChipIn buttons on the sidebars of their blogs and y'all are so, so welcome to give to these families to support their efforts. On behalf of them, thank you so much!
What a wonderful Sabbath!
Orphans finding families,
families finding babies,
and the Gospel being fleshed out among us!
Thanks be to God!
08 April 2011
**BIDDING CLOSED**
Bedtime is a good time to sew. (That is, after the kids go to bed.) It's that special, grab-the-bull-by-the-horns couple of hours in the day that you know is your chance to do what you want to do (even if it's not sewing) without interruption.
Wednesday night was for sewing. Ryan had some work to do for a presentation which happened to involve spray glue, presentation boards and lots of x-acto-ing. I gave him some space in my sewing room to work and got giddy about the idea of sewing and enjoying Ryan's company all at the same time!
But, I didn't have any open projects. No outstanding orders. This rarely happens, so I got to pick what I wanted to do. I sat down in front of my file cabinet and fingered through my folders of patterns.
I found an oldie but a goodie (and by oldie, I mean it's maybe 2 years old) and without a real distinct vision, set to work pulling fabrics and cutting out pieces.
The pattern was my friend Nicole Owens' Softie Doll Tutorial. I used it a couple of Christmases ago to make dolls for my nieces and a friend and hadn't really used it at all since.
I got to thinking about Nikki as I chose my fabrics and instead of pulling my usual light brown felt, I somehow decided to grab the dark brown instead. And instead of yellow or brown for the hair - I chose the darkest black I had.
Nikki and her family are in the exciting final stages of adopting a little boy from Ethiopia. They have four biological children and they are longing for this sweet boy to bless their home and join their family hopefully very soon.
I also have two sweet girlfriends who, with their families, are in the very early stages of Ethiopian adoption. The Goulds and the Elliots are raising funds, notarizing papers, being fingerprinted, and praying for their children whose faces they have yet to see.
I guess I just have adoption on my mind because as I assembled this little doll without any clear aim it became more and more evident that he or she did not have a Mama yet. I don't know who I made it for, but it was definitely for somebody. As I stitched the hair lines on it's head and the little heart on it's bottom, I realized that this doll was sort of an orphan too.
It needs a home.
I honestly didn't even know where I was going with this post when I began it, but as I write I wonder if you all could help me find a home for him/her? I know the Owens family has a flight to Ethiopia for their court date coming up in May and I also know from walking with my sister through the adoption process that there are just so many expenses, especially near the end.
I would like to auction Rosie here to raise money - even just a little - for the Owens family. (I have been calling her Rosie because that's what Oliver and I decided we could call her last night, but to be honest, you can see that the doll really could be a boy or a girl, so you can choose. Maybe he's a Ruben!)
I'd like to begin the bidding at $5.
(Oh goodness, I haven't even cleared this with Nikki. I hope she doesn't mind!)
This will be pretty informal and I'm not picky about the increments in which you increase your bids, but just be sure that when you leave a comment to bid that it's higher than the bid before it.
The auction will close on Sunday evening at 5pm and the winning bidder will be able to PayPal the money straight to the Owens family. (pending their approval!) And Rosie (or whatever you name him/her) will be shipped lovingly and directly from my home to yours.
Stepping out on faith here in the name of the One who has adopted us all as His sons and daughters.
Let's see what we can do!
{Also: the doll is 21" tall from the top if it's blue gnomey hat to the bottom of it's red squishy socks!}
**and also, please be sure that I have a way to reach you! Sanks!
**Update**
Praise the Lord and silly me for not asking first, but I contacted Nicole shortly after hitting "publish" and she and her family are"pretty close to having all the estimated expenses covered... though we can't be all the way sure until we know exact travel costs. i've been asking people not to donate anything else to us... since we're close enough that i'm really not worried about an overwhelming deficit, and i definitely wouldn't want to end up with anything left over."
Nikki has asked if it would be possible for us to instead give the money raised through the auctioning of this doll to another adopting family and since I mentioned earlier the two families in my church that are in the early stages of the process (the Goulds and the Elliots), let's donate the money to the two of them!
{Also, I have contacted the current high bidder and have received approval from her to go ahead with this plan} :)
29 December 2010
Hurrah! They're ours! Finally and officially ours! We went to the courthouse this morning and had the boys' final adoption hearing along with six other adopting families. What a joyful morning for so many people! And now, Moses and Augustine Faires have birth certificates on the way saying that they belong to their Mama and Papa forever!
We have so much for which to be thankful!
Gusty ADORES his Papa. He is the sun and the moon.
Taking time to admire the pretty ceiling at the courthouse.
Already favoring one another, don't you think? :)
Oh yes, and sweet sister Queen Bea was there.
She is loving having these little playmates at home to dress up. And they adore her.
Finally, in the hearing. Brother and sister share a seat.
Answering final questions for the attorney and the Judge.
And taking a walk out of the courthouse with Grandma as a new Faires man!
Praising the Lord with the growing Faires family today!
"For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved."
Romans 8:22-24
12 October 2010
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is the wordiest post I will ever write. Not because of the volume of images I have to share, but because of everything they say when you see them.
Each photo could have a caption: "Meeting Big Sister", "Papa, praying for his family" and "Auntie's so happy to see you that she's making her ugly face".
But I really think that there is one caption that will embrace the sentiment of every picture you will see:
"Boys, You Are Loved."
Please enjoy these photos of my nephews Moses and Augustine as they are welcomed home.
And, although these words do not seem nearly sufficient, we want to say "thank you" to Claire Wise for the amazing photography of this weighty moment in our lives (as always). Claire, we don't know how to have a life-changing moment without you! Not just because of your remarkable talent, but because your love and generosity for even strangers repeatedly points us to Christ. Thank you for loving us.
05 September 2010
"For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved."
Romans 8:22-24
Today, Moses and Augustine were baptized!
We have prayed for them even before they were born. We have watched them grow, learn to sit up and learn to walk all through photographs sent from their orphanages.
But even before that, before the beginning of time, God planned for these two boys who were born in small villages in Ethiopia so far away from here, to belong to the Faires family. They've always been ours.
"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'
Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.'"
Acts 2:37-39
Thanks be to God for His good grace in our lives!
03 August 2010
01 August 2010
We've prayed and hoped and cried and encouraged and planned with the Faires family for two whole years in anticipation of these boys. We've been encouraged and inspired by their vision, shared their joy with each referral and shared their disappointment with each setback.
Last night all of the hoping and planning and trusting came to a glorious culmination as Rebecca and Caleb turned the corner at the airport terminal, each with a beautiful boy in a sling on their hip, and introduced a community of friends and family to their sons, our precious nephews, Moses and Augustine.
Oh, what a moment. Thanks be to God!
I'd share photos with you from the celebration, except that my dear friend Claire encouraged me to leave my camera at home and breathe in the moment in a way that you just can't do while you're snapping away. Sage advice. That moment needed to be breathed in. Deeply. Thank you, Claire.
Good thing Miss Claire knows her way around a camera :) AND, good thing that girl was at the airport with us last night with one camera in her hands and another on her shoulder. Worry not - the moment was recorded well! Better than I ever could have captured it. Again, thanks you, Claire!
We got the Faireses home last night and they tucked their two sweet babies into the cribs that have been waiting for them for over a year. You can imagine how fantastically surreal it felt to have both boys home - especially since they left for Africa only expecting to bring home Augustine.
That's Moses (16 months) on the left and Augustine (14 months) on the right.
Today, we helped them settle in. My Mama made food and we all just sat around and watched ALL of the children play. There are so many of them all of a sudden!
The boys are doing much better physically. They were able to see a doctor this morning and all four of those sweet little ears had infections. Poor guys. But, now they have medicine and will be feeling better soon we hope.
Oh yes, and Hazel was there too. In full Hazel effect. Isn't my Mama lovely?
And here I am with Mr. Moses. I can't tell you how surreal it is. Oh, God is good!
We are so thankful!
Happy Sabbath, friends!
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