Our Blessed Life

2012-01-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

I've been rather patient waiting for today. Since the beginning I had a calm; a peace.

Nothing to hurry about.

Besides, I felt I secretly knew already, like the Father had whispered it to me early...

Patient for many months. Quietly pondering in my heart.

But today. Today I was eager.

Three of my little crew were witness, giggling and waiting. The clear jelly made a funny noise when it was squirted on my bare mid-drift. Little eyes watched the show on the screen. So did I.

In only a moment, it was confirmed - that which I knew already in my heart.

I have another daughter.

One of my daughters squealed with joy.

Although I would have been ecstatic to be having another son, I am warmed at the Father's lovingkindness in giving me another girl. And the irony, it gets me. I always thought I'd be mother to four boys.

Today was no surprise. The Father had given us her name more than 2 years ago.

Olivia. Derived from Olive Tree ~ a symbol of Peace.

"... you children shall be like olive shoots around your table..."

One of her middle names means 'light' - just like her big sister.

Now, more than ever, I feel like this is Our Blessed Life. His lovingkindness has overflowed to us.

We watched her wiggle and wave. Kicking, yawning. Her nose looks like that Hazleton nose I prayed all my kids would have.

Although the Father was sweet enough to give me this monkey with my nose.

And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Ah yes, the boys are outnumbered.

And life is good.

Home

2012-01-16T07:03:00.000-08:00

So much to share these days, and I promise to catch you guys up soon (with LOTS of overdue pictures, AND my post about the Word for the 2012)... but this morning, I just wanted to share this picture with you. Take a look at all these faces. The Lord is good to bring them all home to their families this past year.

Can you find Lena and Christopher's little faces? Their buddies are on there too.

God is good.

A Little Inspiration

2011-12-07T12:32:00.001-08:00

If you haven't heard from us in a while, it's because... well, we're busy.

You know, parenting. Holidays. Family life. Advent. Learning how to help our two little Ukrainians thrive in their new family. Introducing them to The Nativity movie and the joys of homemade popcorn and hot cocoa.

It's been wonderful... and ~ to be honest~ overwhelming too, at least once a day. I was no stellar homeschooling homemaker before bringing home two more blessings into our family, so I certainly have been having my struggles keeping up with chores, laundry, cleaning, meals, and the constant correcting and coaching that comes with being a stay-at-home Mama.

Yes, I grew up with my own mama at home, being a homemaker. But I did not learn homemaking skills by proxy. (Unfortunately.)

And running a household and lovingly training up children were not skills they taught me in my undergrad. Can you believe that?

And come to think of it, I didn't gain a stitch of knowledge on these subjects in my College/Career or Single Sunday School classes at church either.

Baffling.

So if any of you reading this (all 9 of you out there) has thought at one time or another that I have it all together, let me put that thought to rest. I never, ever have it all together.

There have been so many times in recent months that I've prayed for help or inspiration from the Lord - sometimes just confessing that I don't even know where to start.

Every time, He answers. One time I prayed and the next evening some friends of ours told us they were sending over their cleaning lady to help me clean the house!

Another time I prayed and a day or so later a friend from church sent me a text, saying she had made a few meals for us.

Yet another time I cried out to God and a Mom at church told me her older children wanted to come help me around the house for a day.

Other times, I've prayed and the Lord has brought me inspiration through other mothers.

One sweet source of inspiration I stumbled upon was a video put out by Family Vision Films called homemaking 101. Well, if ever there was anyone needing to take a Homemaking 101 course, it was me!

I popped the family-made film into the dvd player and all of my children enjoyed watching it with me as we sat in the living room and folded clothes. It was such a peace-giving tool, and one I've enjoyed watching over many times. (Maggie particularly love to watch it as well.)

So today as I'm confessing that we're just plain busy and often overwhelmed with our wonderfully blessed life, I also want to leave you with this little jewel.

If you somehow missed out on your homemaking 101 course, too, check it out!

Now, time to dive into some laundry...

Thankful: 6th Birthday - First Party

2011-11-14T11:27:00.001-08:00

This picture above was the defining moment of the day. Clutching the camera, trying to get an adequate shot of the priceless expression on her face. Clutching my insides as I tried to hold it together. Voice cracking as we sang 'Happy Birthday' to her - for the first time in her life. I've never seen such a look of pure joy on her face. Cupcakes made just for her... candle burning just for her...

I'm so thankful, Father, that I get to be the one to do this with her....

The smile never left her face all day. She was quiet, taking it all in...

Simple games in a breezy back-yard. How could 'duck-duck-goose' and 'red rover' be filled with such glee and jubilee?

Celebration. Merriment. Triumph.

Gifts picked out just for her, not part of a shared collection of rummaged-through goods. Dresses she'll be the first to wear... a baby doll she can call hers...

A simple gathering of loved ones who love one.

One I didn't know I was going to love. One 'added' in at the 'last minute'... before dossier left faltering hands.

One who was at first my wildcat... now aptly-named, a source of joy.

My Word for the Year... joy.

I didn't know it would come like this, at such a high price, and such unexpected, overflowing measure.

Today, thank you, Father, for Lena Joy.

Day 5

2011-11-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Father, for sweet rest.

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep.

For you alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8

Day 4

2011-11-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

How majestic is your creation, Lord. I'm so thankful for the wonderful, exquisite world you spun together with Your breath,... Your words...

Every fiber of creation reflects You... the mountains so steady, towering strong, pointing to Heaven...

The world declares Your glory.

Each petal and blade of grass.... life so minute and varieties vast and exquisite...

Soft. Smooth. Prickly. Vibrant colors. Tender shoots.

Soil and seed giving way to life... fruit sustaining.

Sun warming.

Breeze mysterious and welcomed. Soothing against my skin. Lifting my little ones' hair. Like an invisible friend, making the trees wave and dance.

The expanse of the heavens so breathtaking.

Water quenching thirst.

Thousands of species. We catch barely a hint of your imagination...

Creatures great...

... and creatures small...

You are the One who made them all.

Day 3

2011-11-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Father, how could I be adequately grateful.... for grace?

I am that cheat hanging next to you. Exposed and pitiful. My guilt laid bare.

Angry words. Bitter heart. Impatient. Unloving.

All the while you are taking the blame, covering for my inadequacies. Despised and rejected of men... a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief...

And yet you looked at me, seeing my repentance, and offered me.... grace.

Unmerited favor.

Something I couldn't be worthy of. A gesture I could never repay.

Every morning, it rises again. A new, refreshing covering.

Clean. Healing.

Despite the inadequacies I tallied evening prior.

Faithful.

Unwavering.

How could One's mercy be so vast? Unchanging? Immeasurable?

Because you are incomprehensible.

You are the Potter, and I am the small vessel not yet made.

Thank you... for grace greater than our sins, which number beyond the sands on the shore.

For though I was as scarlet... I am white as snow.

Day 2

2011-11-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Father... for home.

For strong refuge against gusty winds that billowed early morning before the sun, when the hard-working-one had long left for work.

For warmth inside walls of imperfection.

Cracked and cobwebbed. Handprinted and smeared. Paint too tired to keep its luster.

For happiness amidst clutter of grand proportions.

For littered and forgotten floor, upon which happy ones play and dance and 'skate' in socked feet.

For table scratched and dented. Ridden with memories of meals and family and games and learning. Never empty. And too small now, for its many guests clamoring around in mismatched seating.

For mounds of laundry so lofty and rife, it leaves wonder if small village is left without covering.

For countertops never empty. And sinks even more so.

For bathrooms never fit for magazines... or guests. Tissue roll ever waning, waste pail overflowing. Toothpaste splattered mirrors.

For beaten couches and loved-worn blankets never refolded. For books always escaping their nest.

For the peaceful, fleeting feeling of something dusted or swept... only to be lived in again.

Thank you for home.

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day 1

2011-11-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Father, thank you for the special and unique blessings today holds...

Waking up to the rustling of the little guy next to me, who made his way into our bed in wee morning hours... who cheerfully puckers up for a sweet kiss - his way of gaining permission to let feet hit floor and exploring begin...

For this one.

With locks so wispy blonde and grin so infectious.

Who hangs on my leg by kitchen counter... and giggling, pretends to eat my chin when holding face near mine...

And roars like a dinosaur.

For this one. He who is all boy. Enthusiasm undeterred. Climbing. Striving. Tiny frame unhindered.

The one with a thousand expressions... and dirt beneath his nails.

With small chubby fist. Skin so soft, baby still lingering on way to boyhood.

My cup runneth over.

We're Alive

2011-09-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

About to head to Church

Well, I've got about 2.5 minutes here while 4 children are occupied with activities and one sits on my lap. We made it back safely to the States on Thursday. It was a rough 2nd trip. Very busy and exhausting, and by the time we were coming back through Kiev, I was at the end of my strength and resolve.

Running on about 1.5 hours of sleep, we started out the journey home at 3am (Kiev time) and traveled for about 22 hours to reach our front door. There was a mild freak-out moment for the kids when we made it home. But after about 30 minutes they were warming up and coming out of their shell.

It's been so good to be home. Things are crazy, chaotic, and challenging. I'm still exhausted. And I spend every waking moment of the day putting out proverbial fires and re-directing little ones and trying to stay ahead of the game. Anton and Lena don't know our 'house rules' and have to be watched all the time and corrected or re-directed. They are sleeping well, so if I could just get Carson to cooperate, we'd be doing pretty well.

We hit the ground running... arrived home Thursday evening, and Friday morning, Jeff was off to work as usual. Saturday we had a family-only birthday party for Lilly in the park, and all the kids had a blast. And Sunday, we went to our regular Sunday morning activities. The kids have been troopers.

And Google Translate stays up on our computer at all times. In fact, I was just interrupted and had to use it to help Lena understand what I was telling her.

Thank you for following our journey - but really - it's just beginning. So I hope you all will stick around and keep praying for us. (I need it!!!)

Anton and Lena DID meet their buddy, who grew up in their orphanage and now lives 5 minutes from us. It was so precious to watch. Our friends got pictures and video, but they're on vacation at the beach with no internet, so I promise I'll post pictures from that when they get back into town.

Again, we still need your prayers as we are making this HUGE family transition.

God is good... and we're taking it one day at a time...

Needing Prayer

2011-09-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no pictures today. Hence my first prayer request.

Prayer Request One
My Macbook is acting crazy. It keeps freezing up, shutting down, giving error messages, screen gets pixely. Crazy stuff. It has happened at least 20 times in the past 3 days. Sometimes we'll try to turn it on and nothing will happen. Then we'll get it to turn on, only to have it freeze up in the first 5 seconds. I've run the disc utility scan function (whatever it's called) and nothing wrong was found. I don't know what's going on, but I know without the computer we can keep in touch with family back home or contact our travel agent when it's time to come home so he can get us OUT of here.

I do have my iPod, but unless I have wifi, it won't work... and unless I have some way to charge it (currently, my Macbook is the only way) then I have nothing.

PLEASE PRAY the computer starts working correctly, consistently, and long enough to GET US HOME.

Prayer Request Two
We get the kids out of the orphanage on Monday and head straight to the train that takes us to Kiev. PLEASE PRAY that the children will do well on the train and we can actually get some rest.

Prayer Request Three
In Kiev, if we have an apartment with wifi, then we can use our iPods (if we can find a charger) in the event the computer isnt' working. On top of that, even if the computer is working, with 3 kids in tow, and two of them speaking no English, it would be GREAT if we did NOT have to traipse out into the city to find a cafe' or something with wifi. PLEASE PRAY for an apartment with internet.

Prayer Request Four
This ties with number one. The kids' passports still aren't ready. If we get to Kiev without them, we'll be delayed in getting our embassy appointments done, and thus delayed in coming home. PLEASE PRAY we get the kids' passports ASAP. Tomorrow would be PERFECT.

Thank you. I need to post this before the computer freezes again. Sorry for nothing inspiring or poetic. We just want to COME HOME.

Her name means 'Warrior'

2011-09-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce you to a new member of Team Hazleton.

Andrea (pronounced 'AHn-drea') lives up to her name, for she is a true prayer warrior and a young woman striving daily to follow hard after the Lord.

I am grateful to have her on this trip to be a companion and friend and a help in bringing 3 of my children nearly 6,000 miles across the world.

She is truly a blessing to us... and i hope this trip is a blessing to her as well....

I'm thinking the big cappuccino paired with this cheesecake we had earlier today is helping to make it worth her while. :)

Operation "Dinner Out"

2011-09-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings Everyone!

Well, The rescue operation is underway :)
Shannon, Carson, and our friend Andrea are currently in Kyiv, Ukraine. In a few days' time they will be in Dnep (I won't write the whole name of the city; chances are you might not pronounce it correctly!), the city where our kids have been living for basically their whole lives.
(Of course, if you are reading this, you probably know all about the adoption, as well as Anton and Lena Hazletons, the new additions to our family.)

A theme verse for this adoption journey has been Psalm 68:6,

God settles the solitary in a home; [He] leads out the prisoners to prosperity. (ESV)
God places the lonely in families; [He] sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. (NLT)

That's pretty much what the Lord has done in our family this year: He has granted us the privilege of adopting two orphans who, like all of us, need a family to love and care for them.

...so you may be wondering, Why Operation Dinner Out?

About 10 years ago, there was a movie about a rescue mission (to break someone out of wrongful imprisonment) which went badly, and the rescuer needed some rescuing, too. He had an influential friend who used all the power and resources at his disposal to get his buddy and [the other prisoner] out of their captivity. The name for the final rescue was "Operation Dinner Out".

our plans do not include a helicopter extraction. yet.

And so it is with us. Our family - our children - have been orphans their whole lives until about 10 days ago, when a judge awarded us custody and we became their family. YAY!!!!!!
...the journey (well, at least this part of it) is almost complete. By God's grace, the solitary have found a home with us; now our rescue team has been deployed to set them free from a lonely existence and bring them home. Because of the Lord's work and provision (which He has accomplished due to support from many of you!!! Thanks again!), the jailbreak is on, and our kids will be home in time to celebrate their new sister's birthday.

Sweet.

That is all for now. More details to follow.

Where Are We?

2011-08-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

A few days after arriving back in the States, my husband woke me up from a short nap (I had asked him to) and for several seconds I stared at the wedding picture on our bedroom wall... my eyes went back and forth between the two large black & white wedding portraits on opposite sides of our bedroom as I tried hard to make sense of it - how had our apartment in Ukraine acquired pictures that looked just like our wedding photos? And which apartment were we in, anyway? Were we still in Dnep? Kiev?

Finally my head stopped spinning and I whispered, "Oh, we're home."

Jetlag. It's a bear.

Especially, might I add, when it's 8:30pm and you're playing a never-ending game of Candy Land with two exuberant daughters.

We arrived in Houston Thursday afternoon, after a very turbulent (and prayerful) flight. Our dear friends picked us up in our own mini-van, and I hardly recognized it. We drove home in a little under 2 hours, and the girls were playing in the kiddie pool in the back yard. They were expecting us to come late at night, so we were thrilled to sneak into the backyard and surprise them while they were playing. They each had a confused look of disbelief on their faces, and gave us tight, soaking-wet hugs! Oh bliss!!

Re-entry has been wonderful and difficult. Carson takes longer to get over the traveling, and now he has a fever and wants to nurse all night... I've been relishing time with my girls, while at the same time I lay awake at night and go over logistics in my head for the return trip. I hate the thought of leaving the girls & Jeff in just a few days, but I'm anxious to get this journey done.

I leave again on Friday afternoon. sigh. I have to admit I'm a little apprehensive. A decade ago, I was pretty independent, and heading up an international trip like this would have seemed a lot less daunting. But I rely so much on Jeff now. And leaving half my family here - well, I just don't like it. But two of my babies are there, so go I will.

The journey continues... will you join us? Will you pray for us? Please pray for...

*Safe Travels for myself, Carson, & my friend Andrea
*For Carson to get well before we leave (and stay well!)
*For things to go quickly and smoothly finishing up the process

We're also on a pretty tight budget going back, as we haven't raised the full amount we projected. But God is providing! We are continuing to pray for God to lay on hearts to give the right amount at the right time... We're also hoping we get placed in the less-expensive apartments (like the 1st trip) and in a location where we are able to walk everywhere again, which will help us save money.

Sorry there are no pictures for this post... I've got a feverish, whiny boy who just got up from his nap, so I have to run. Stay tuned!

Pakah, for now!
Shannon

The News....

2011-08-24T02:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry to keep you all waiting... yesterday was a mad rush and we barely got to eat.

First the news, then the details.

The News
They're ours!!! We are the happy Mom & Dad to ...

Christopher Anton (Viktor) Hazleton

Lena Joy (Abigail) Hazleton

The names in parenthesis will hopefully be added once we get to the States. For now, they are Lena Joy and Christopher Anton. We'll call him 'Anton' or 'Christopher Anton' for a while to see if he takes to 'Christopher'... if not, we'll just call him Anton. :)

The Details

Court was scheduled for noon. We had to have everything packed and ready to swing back by the apartment and grab our bags. We were ready and even downstairs (outside) waiting around the time Luda said she'd be calling us... several minutes later, when she called, plans had changed and we needed to walk to the orphanage to meet her.

Now, when I say walk to the orphanage, what I mean is cross two busy streets, then trudge through a sandy median, walk down a sandy path amongst the weeds, cross a little street, and then follow the driveway/road to the orphanage gates. This is what we've done every day (and enjoyed it immensely). But usually I have on my Converse tennies. Yesterday we were dressed for court. Jeff & Carson had on button-down shirts and ties. I was in dress slacks. Jeff had his Doc Martins and I had strappy sandals. Not exactly trudging-through-sand attire.

But we did it. I tried to get as little sand in my sandals (ironic?) as possible, all the while thinking, well, I guess it didn't really matter that I couldn't get my flat iron to work, since the wind is whipping my hair about.

We waited at the orphanage, where our awesome driver Roman picked us up....

Fast-forward through sitting and waiting for the social worker, driving fast through crazy traffic, thinking we were going to be late, then having to stand outside the courthouse and wait another 15 minutes while we tried (in vain) to keep Carson out of the dirt, and then went inside and waited outside the court room another 30 minutes.

At about 12:30 we were whisked into a tiny office where the judge, two witnesses, a court secretary, a social worker, the orphanage psychologist, the prosecutor (!!), our facilitator, and the 3 of us Hazletons were squeezed around a large desk.

The proceedings began. Luda translated like mad. (She is awesome.) The children's info was stated... when and where they were born, how they were abandoned, and that no one had ever visited them. I already knew all of this, but I had to fight back the tears as it was read in court.

We were asked lots of questions about our home life, our town, our ability to care for the kids... our income... why we wanted to adopt... why Ukraine.... our concerns about the kids' HIV status...

It lasted about an hour, and thankfully, my prayers were answered and Carson slept through most of it!!!

Then it was done... we waited out in the hallway for the 'decision.' Ten minutes or so passed, and we were called back into the courtroom and asked to stand. The decision (about a page of formalities) was read and Luda translated. We were granted our request and as Luda was finishing translating she congratulated us and gave me a huge hug ( I love her!!)

And that was it! It was so surreal. I am on cloud nine and I still get teary-eyed thinking about that moment where all our hard work paid off.

We left the courthouse, and I was still processing it all as the mad rush continued... we had to drop off the psychologist, go by the notary, and get to the train station. Our 'express' train was a fun experience. We conversed with Luda most of the way (again - love her!) and watched a ridiculous Russian sitcom on the overhead televisions. (We could mostly tell what was going on, and Luda filled in the blanks for us.)

We made it to our swank little apartment in the heart of Kiev about 11:30 last night and I was thrilled to find that we had fast internet, and we thoroughly enjoyed our video chat with our girls back home.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your prayers!

Carson, my friend Andrea, and I will return to Ukraine the first week of September to finish out the process and bring our children home! :) {Meanwhile, we are still not fully-funded, so please pray for us about that one.}

Stay tuned!

Shannon

Achoo!

2011-08-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing this, Shannon and Carson are laying down for a nap (mine was earlier). She is almost asleep on the couch; he is jabbering and talking to the wind blowing outside the bedroom window. Ahhhh, the wind. So inviting and welcome - the combination of wind and cloudy skies has made August much more fun there in Dnepropetrovs’k than in good ole’ Southeast Texas. Today’s high temperature? (factored for est. heat index) Around 70^oF; back home it’s more like 109^o. yeesh.

(UPDATE: at the time of posting this entry to the www, the current temperature is 66. niiiice.)

The only environmental downside for me is that my body seems to be rejecting this pleasant, welcoming Ukrainian city. In the last two days, I’ve been (on occasion) sneezy and sniffly, with itches in my eyes and the back edge of my palate. I’m not sure what’s going on here. Shannon tells me what I’m experiencing is something called “allergies”; I have heard mention of this, but to this point, have not been able to experience it. I would like to return or exchange it for something else, please.

"Hey buddy, can you spare a brother some nettle?"

Fortunately, we have something I can take for it that will counteract all this loveliness in no time; I’m also eating local honey like crazy, though I admit that I would do that anyway.

In other news, we have just three more visits with Anton and Lena before our court date when the judge will award the kids to us and make us legally parents of five! Please join us in praying for a great outcome. Who knows? We may even get to bring the kids home on this first trip if the Lord so ordains another miracle. Otherwise, it’s back home for about a week, and then Shannon and Carson will make another journey back here to set the prisoners free and bring the solitary into our family!

I Forgot to Mention...

2011-08-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

We got our court date! We'll stand before the judge on Tuesday, at noon (that's 4am for all you folks back home on Texas-time). I have a complete peace about our court hearing... our facilitator said that although the judge is inexperienced with international adoptions (she's only done ONE), that she is very nice. She even moved our court time from 2pm to noon so that we would have plenty of time to catch the afternoon express train back to Kiev on Tuesday.

Oh, and I am so excited and blessed to be a guest writer on one of my favorite blogs I've been reading for years: Passionate Homemaking. I love Lindsay Edmonds' heart and her blog is full of encouragement and practical resources... check out my post here.

One more thing - thought I'd leave you with this VIDEO of the kids playing... enjoy!

It's the Little Things

2011-08-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I had a startling realization while standing in my kitchen getting dinner ready. I don't know where it came from, but I suddenly thought that Anton and Lena might be of the age where they had already lost their first tooth. It made me incredibly sad that after missing so many "firsts" in their lives, that I would have missed this one too. I instantly began hoping that they would not lose their first tooth until they were with Mommy...

Imagine my utter amazement yesterday when I was walking Lena back from the bathroom at the orphanage and heard her gasp... and then looked down to see her holding her tooth in her hand. She was just as surprised as I was! She didn't quite know what to think at first, so we walked her in to the head doctor on campus, who reassured her, and then we saved her tooth for her and took lots of pictures to commemorate the occasion. All the while I was thanking God for His kindness in allowing me to be there for it... We almost didn't go to our afternoon visit yesterday, but I am so, so glad we did! I was finally there for a "first"! It's the little things!

She stopped admiring her new grin long enough for Papa to take a picture.

Gaping Hole

We also have been having better visits with the kids since we moved our normal meeting place from the big playground to this little cubby area with a picnic table. There doesn't ever seem to be any groupas meeting here, so we've commandeered it for Team Hazleton Headquarters. So we've been able to sit and draw pictures together, enjoy snacks, and play in a more focused environment. It's the little things.

Anton is so serious when he's working on a project

The local mall here is AMAZING. I've never been any place like it. It literally has everything we could possibly need including a huge supermarket, McDonalds, a fantastic pizza joint, an ice-skating rink, a very cool fountain that Carson loves to watch..... and a great toy store! We bought the kids some washable markers (after making the mistake of purchasing markers that were definitely NOT washable) and a little package of rulers & protractors. I couldn't have imagined the fun that the kids would have with these. It's the little things.

Lena love for her Daddy to show her how to do new things

What We've Been up To

2011-08-15T03:44:00.000-07:00

This is how our visits have been going...

I think Anton has picked up Jeff's default silly-face

We've been playing outside a lot with the kids... the first few visits, this really helped break the ice with us, as there was lots of physical things to do.... running, see saw, monkey bars... but after a few visits, this was not only completely exhausting, but also hindering us in a few ways...

The kids are pretty much free to roam about as they please, so they move rapidly from one thing to another... it's been difficult to get them to sit down and draw with us, or look at pictures... they have just wanted to run, be chased, be carried around, and to dig in our bag for any treats or toys. Basically, a free-for-all. Also, since they have no sense of parental authority or protection with us, it's not even within their nature to stay close to us if something else has distracted them, and they are slow to come when we call. Actually, Anton is better at staying with us, and coming when Papa calls (he's pretty attached to Papa), but Lena is a wild bird and happy to stay with me, or happy to run off - and ignores our calls.

So having our visits outdoors has made it difficult to establish any boundaries. However, the nannies want the kids outside for "fresh air" so we've really been hoping for rain.

Just Hangin Out

Then we got it! Today it was finally sprinkling pretty good on our walk to the orphanage, and the kids were not outside with their groupa when we arrived. So we ended up spending our short morning visit indoors - success!

Things were much more calm and focused. Lena actually finished coloring an entire picture, and Anton sat with me and drew a picture with me, pointing and talking about what we were drawing. Lena loved sitting on Jeff's lap looking at his drawing, and looking through our picture book, and Anton was interested in the pictures as well.

We still have a long way to go, and lots to learn and overcome, but all-in-all, this morning's visit was the best one yet.

Looking at Pictures from their New Home
(Look closely, Jess)

It’s pretty rough out there. Fortunately, Danger is my middle name.

2011-08-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

I think we’re doing a pretty good job of keeping everyone out there updated on the newest Hazletons and our journey to bring them home.

However, there are three more kiddos in the crew, and we brought one of them along on this adventure. Many of you already know this, and may be wondering how Carson is doing. Well, he’s been fantastic, especially considering that his first airplane ride was a 9-hour one (followed quickly by another 2-hour one), he’s sat (in a stroller) in numerous lines, waited in many offices, ridden in lots of cabs, lived in 3 homes in 6 days, all while recovering form jet lag and a constantly changing sleep schedule while barely getting to play at all until he met his new brother and sister. Oh, did I mention he’s bringing a new tooth in?

jet lag? what jet lag?

So yeah, he’s been a champ. His usual bubbly, happy, funny, charming, Carson self. Everyone loves him. Ev.ry.one. People are always smiling at him, talking to him, playing with him, and even trying to hold him when we let them. Being a momma’s boy, he doesn’t usually go for that, but he has surprised us a time or two.

what's not to love?

He’s adjusted quite well to um, more relaxed child safety standards as far as travel. He has not seen a car seat since Houston, and he’s loving the freedom. He’s also getting pretty good at sitting in a big boy chair for meals.

big boy at the dinner table

The only real hiccup came today during our second play time with Anton and Lena. I was carrying Lena around, and we went to the merry go round where Carson was playing with some dominos. He was doing quite well on his own, so we turned to walk away. I took one step and heard the sound of him losing his balance and falling off his little perch. Fortunately, his head broke his fall. oops.

Even then, he only cried a bit. Lena checked on him, and Anton went to get him a wipe to clean off the new goose egg on his dome. In no time at all he was ready to go, though he did not put up any fight at all when we said our goodbyes and loaded him up in the stroller. I think he fell asleep before we left the orphanage courtyard.

knot head

Yeah, Carson’s doing great. He is, as always, a blessing to his momma and daddy and everyone else who gets to be around him. Please keep his new tooth in your prayers, as well as that knot on his head.

Sunny Morning- 2nd day of visits

2011-08-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

We were greeted with kisses! Wasn't expecting that! The Nannies told them to give us kisses, I'm sure, but they weren't hesitant at all.

After our warm welcome to the orphanage, we headed back to the playground, because, as the facilitator said, "the children need fresh air."

Here's a few pics from the morning visit.

Do I finally have a left-handed child??

Got Your Shades, Mom

Hazel Eyes

Both wanting Papa's (Daddy's) attention

Does anyone know how to say “the pig and chicken stayed home” in Ukrainian?

2011-08-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

We noticed from the first meeting we had that Anton is very detail oriented. He did not take his eye off the paperwork that was being reviewed, signed, stamped, and exchanged. Later, when we gave the children toys to play with, he kept taking one toy apart and putting it back together. (he wasn’t disassembling it; it has three or four parts.) And then, this afternoon we all got a longer visit together on the playground. During that time, we got out a little container that has farm animals in it. The container has a picture of what belongs inside (this is one way Shannon is training our kids to clean up after themselves.)

wait just a minute......

Well, Anton had a question about these toys: Where are the pig and chicken? You see, they were in the picture, but not in the container. We had to tell him the pig and chicken stayed home. Interesting!

Lena seems to be a big, playful adventurer. She got over being shy muck more quickly than Anton, and she was all go, no quit when we were playing on the playground. And just like her sister Maggie, she seems to have no fear. When combined with Anton’s shyness and focus, she seems to be quite able of running all over her new brother.

However, she also shows strong nurturing tendencies. When she and Anton hijacked Carson’s crackers (a fact that stretched our youngest boy more than a little), she made sure that whenever Carson called for a cracker, he got one.

here, let me give ya another one

Of course, she always held the bag, but she continued to give them to little brother until they were gone. Anton was on his own; I guess she figured orphan rules applied, and he was big enough to either get his own or go without. No worries, though: at the end there was an empty bag, three sets of cheesy cheeks, and even a cracker or two for Momma and Papa.

o.k., that’s all for now.

we’re gonna post some late-breaking prayer requests tomorrow morning (our time), so stay tuned.

Thanks for being a part of this adventure! We might have been able to do it without you, but I’m so glad we won’t ever have to find out. May the Lord bless you more and more and more each day because of the prayer, encouraging notes/posts, and many other ways you are joining in our journey to Joy...and her brother.

Introducing...

2011-08-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Anton (With Mama)

Lena (with Daddy)

This day has seemed never-ending. We got off the train at 7am, and literally haven't stopped until about 7:00 this evening. There was a LOT of official business... and a LOT of just sitting and waiting around for official business... and it was tiring, especially for the little guy... especially since the little guy and I didn't sleep more than 3 hours on the train last night.

But adrenaline kept me going. I was ready to meet those beautiful children waiting just a few miles from where we were running around... I couldn't believe it was about to happen...

How We First Laid Eyes on Them

When it finally came time to meet the kids, we were whisked to the orphanage, where we were seated in a front entry area and told that some paperwork needed to be completed before the children were brought to us.

Carson was walking around, exploring, and Jeff and I were sitting on couches. I turned my head towards some movement at the front entry, and saw a nanny walk in holding the hands of two children... OUR two children... they were whisked right past us and into another room. I reeled my head around to Jeff and looked at him in disbelief.

Then we were ushered into the orphanage director's office with a bunch of other people: two of our facilitators, orphanage director, the social worker from across town, the orphanage psychologist, and a few others. Lots of Russian was thrown around the room, and Serge, one of our facilitators, said, "Show them the album!" We pulled out the Shutterfly photo book we had made of our family and Serge pointed to the last page, where there's a picture of our friends, the Carlins, who adopted a son from this same orphanage.

Lots of "oohing" and "aahing" ensued.

Then, before I even knew what was happening, Anton and Lena were brought into the office and lots more Russian was flying around the room... and perhaps some Ukrainian as well...

Anton was so, so shy. He literally hid behind Lena, who was a little bolder, but still apprehensive. Anton has such expressive eyes, and I thought at any moment he would cry, and I asked our facilitators if the kids were scared.... he said they were just shy, especially Anton.

The orphanage director had the kids come around to her side of the desk, and she turned away from us, put her arms around Anton and Lena, and lovingly spoke to them in a whisper, reassuring them.

The two of them both came over to us, apprehensively, and we were able to tell them hello and hold their hands... everyone in the room kept reassuring them. At one point both of them did start crying and it nearly broke my heart. But Serge told us not to worry b/c it was just a lot for them to take in today - you see, before today, they had no idea they would be brother and sister, and that a strange Mama and Papa, speaking a different language, would come to visit.

We went back out to the sitting area with Anton & Lena, and pulled out a few toys, a notebook, and some crayons. Within a few minutes, they warmed up, and I saw a few shy glances our direction, and some smiles. Anton whispered to Lena a lot, showing her the toy he was most interested in. Before we left to do more business, we played a game of balloon volley with them.

We returned in the afternoon, and when the kids were brought to us, Anton was still shy at first, but they were all smiles. They each took our hands and called us "Mama" and "Papa" and we went outside to the playground. They both loved looking at the shutterfly book and asked us lots and LOTS of questions in Russian, which we couldn't answer, unfortunately. I just told them what I knew in Russian, things like, "this is our home"... "this is our family"... "this is your sister/brother"....

Within just a few minutes, they were both vying for our attention. We played, took lots of pictures, and explored every last thing in the backpack.

Then it was time to go and we said "pakah"... I am interested to see how they react tomorrow morning when we return for another visit. I have no idea how much they understand at this point.

Thank you all for your prayers... we are staying in an apartment that is a 10 minute walk from the orphanage, so that is very good. However, we had to buy a cell phone modem for the computer, b/c there is no internet in our apartment... now we can get online, but things go MUCH more slowly, and video chatting isn't going as nicely as it was when we had wi-fi in Kiev.

Time to call it a night - more pics later...

Pakah!

We met them. !!!!!!!

2011-08-11T05:00:00.001-07:00

Greetings, everyone!

Just sending a quick post via my new 3g modem from the Apple Store in Dnepropetrovsk. Yes, you read that right.

We met the kids!!!

He is really, really shy and seems to like to figure things out.

She is tall & skinny, and super playful.

Their momma's heart almost broke for joy when they walked into the room.

We got to meet them and play for a few minutes. We'll see them again in a short while.

More to follow (including pics!)

By this time tomorrow...

2011-08-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

It's likely we will have met Kirk & Lori!

It's Wednesday afternoon, and we're in our apartment in Kiev, waiting for a call from Niko. He will pick us up, take us to the SDA office to pick up our referrals, and then (I'm guessing) drop us off back here to pack up our belongings...

At about 9:30 tonight, he will pick us up again, and take us to the train station, where we will board an overnight train headed to the kids' region. We'll be there by morning.

As you're praying for us in the next 24 hours, please remember a few specifics:

- safe travels & a pleasant journey on the train (I suspect there will be some cigarette smoke, which always give me a headache and a sore throat) We also need to get some good rest tonight on the train.

- Carson's sleeping to regulate (we all had a very rough night)

- continued good health

- an apartment in the kids' region that has good internet (this is very important so we can continue to talk with our girls back home)

- for Kirk & Lori to be filled with God's peace when they meet us, and not be fearful or anxious

Thank you all for praying... we'll update as soon as we can after arriving in Dnepropetrovsk.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures from this great apartment we're leaving soon in Kiev...

View from the apartment window

Front of our apartment Bldg

The apartment is filled with beautiful plants

The Journey Has Officially Begun!

2011-08-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

This morning, we awoke at 3:45 am to video-chat with our girls so we could pray with them and read them a book before their bedtime. Then it was back to bed with us.

We awoke a few hours later, just one hour before Niko was to pick us up for our SDA appointment. I quickly scrambled some eggs with cheese, buttered some bread, and threw on my clothes and makeup while Jeff shaved and changed & clothed Carson. We were ready to go in record time.

A few last-minute tasks before walking out the door

Waiting for Niko outside our apartment

SDA office is located right next to this centuries-old cathedral, St. Andrew's.

We waited a few minutes for Niko... it is so comfortable and breezy here in the late mornings. NO humidity, which is such a welcome change from SE Texas.

The drive to SDA was so pleasant, as Niko pointed out where he went to university, and talked about his grown children. He pointed out buildings that were 1,000 years old, and recounted to us a bit of Ukrainian history. I love this place.

We parked right in front of St. Andrew's Cathedral and there was a few minutes until our appointment so Niko suggested we browse for some souvenirs at the local vendors set up just across the cobblestone street. Ten minutes went by too fast and soon we met Yulia, our other facilitator, and we were whisked into the SDA.

We sat on a corner couch in a small office, where Yulia sat with us and translated for a young woman who was going through our paperwork. Right in front of us, on the little coffee table, were parts of our dossier, and what I guessed was Kirk's file, judging by the sweet-looking baby picture stapled to the front of the papers. The SDA facilitator asked us a few questions, and then it became evident that she only had Kirk's file, not Lori's. I had a feeling all along, for weeks, that we would get to SDA and only Kirk's file would be with our paperwork. (Mama knows.) I started to get a little nervous, and was praying under my breath. Yulia confirmed with us that we had added Lori to our adoption, and asked me her birthdate, which we had never been given. She got on the phone and the other woman left the room to look for Lori's file. Minutes later, she returned with it in her hand.

They sat and read parts of the file to us, and then showed us Kirk's baby picture, and another younger picture, which we had never seen. How precious he was! Yulia commented that Kirk looked a little like Jeff. I smiled. We also saw two younger pictures of Lori, but no baby pictures.

We were not allowed to have the pictures, and were also not allowed to photograph the pictures they had with the files, but were told that we could have them at a later date.

Then we signed the book, and were told to come back tomorrow to pick up our referrals. Done!

Yulia walked with us across the street to a little restaurant that sold pizza, coffee, and drinks. We sat there and talked for a bit; (I had an amazing cappuccino).

Then Niko went to purchase our train tickets, and Yulia drove us back to the apartment.We will leave tomorrow night and take the overnight train to the kids' region. We'll get to meet them Thursday morning! The journey has officially begun!

We Made It!

2011-08-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Eastern Europe!

You can scroll down and look at pictures first... then come back and read ;)

Thank you all for your prayers! Our travels have gone very well so far... Carson slept for a good 4-hour stretch on the long flight, but despite his restlessness the rest of the flight-time, he still was a trooper, and we didn't make any enemies of our cabin-buddies.

After landing in the capital city, we filed into line at immigration - there were several long lines, actually - and things were moving slowly... and guess who was the.very.last.person from our flight to make it through immigration... yes, yours truly.

Then our awesome driver Niko was waiting for us - this guy is funny and super helpful. He took us to exchange money, then took us to the market to buy a few groceries, minutes for our in-country cell phone, and dropped us at the apartment. He showed us how everything worked, made sure we knew how to use the phone, and how to walk to a few different places - including his favorite pizza joint - and then asked Carson to "give uncle Niko five" before heading out the door.

Priceless.

We were able to iChat with the girls online before they ate breakfast this morning and got ready for church... and then we chatted with them again after their lunch, before they napped. Carson was extremely excited to see his Sissies and was jumping up and down in front of the computer, squealing while we were trying to talk... so Jeff and I took turns taking him out of the room so the other could talk with the girls. I read them one of their favorite books before sending them off to naptime. It did my Mama-heart good.

After we crashed for a few hours into delirious sleep, we went for a late supper, and decided to walk down to the pizza place Niko was praising... After walking into the place, we quickly remembered we were Americans who only know one language... so after scratching our heads for a minute, I asked the girl behind the counter - in the best Russian I could muster up - if she understood English. She could not.

Thankfully, Jeff found a menu with some English on it, so we made our choices, and just used the point-and-nod method to order our pizza.

First attempt at ordering food on our own - success!

Now we're winding down at the apartment, and hopefully we'll get some quality rest tonight.

Thank you all for continuing to pray for us - we'll update again tomorrow.

Dosvidanya!

Me with the girls the morning we left

Carson watching for our plane in the Houston airport

Waiting for our Pizza

The boy is ready to eat

Looks like our pointing and nodding at the menu did well for dinner tonight

Bedroom/Living area

Kitchen

1 Day Left

2011-08-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

To love on my girls.

To hear their giggles.

To comfort them in distress.

To soak up their hugs and kisses.

Today is our last day together as a family - for a while. We expect to be gone 2+ weeks, (probably closer to 3+ weeks) but have no idea at this point when we'll be coming home to Maggie & Lilly. They are staying home with people who love them, and will be well cared for, but Maggie is already having a hard time with our departure. Last night she was in our bed most of the night, and every time I woke up (which was several times) she was awake.

Leaving my girls behind is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. And I've smuggled the Word into communist countries and visited war-torn cities. This - infinitely harder. This is what I've been dreading the entire adoption journey. This is what almost made me close the door on the thought of adoption altogether. This is what will drive me to my Savior's arms a million times in the next few weeks.

I honestly don't know who will struggle more, my girls, or me.

So I need all of your prayers...

Please pray for my girls' hearts, and mine.

Please pray for:
- their health and safety
- safe travels for us
- for Carson to do well in traveling
- for Maggie & Lilly to feel loved & cared for and safe
- for a quick, smooth trip
- for God's favor upon us with everyone we meet
- for a quick court date with a good judge
- for the 10-day wait to be thrown out for all in our region
- for us all to be able to come home together on this first trip
- and anything else the Lord leads you to pray

Thank you all so much - we couldn't do this without your love, support, encouragement, & prayer.

I will try to post tonight about the giveaway we're doing to raise the $989 we need to be fully-funded. But since it's our last family-day for a while, I may just post about that from the 'road'. We'll be leaving our house at 11am tomorrow, and arriving in the capitol city of Kirk & Lori's country on Sunday afternoon. As soon as we have internet we'll be back in touch and keep everyone posted.

Much Love,
Shannon

New Number

2011-08-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

$989

... to be fully-funded.... 3 days before we travel....

Excited. Nervous. Surreal.

2011-08-02T12:06:00.001-07:00

Look who made it to the Reece's Rainbow "Traveling Now" page!!

We lift-off in 4 days! But I can't talk about that now... I have too much to do!

Jeff's Take, Part 2

2011-07-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to post this latest installment on the day we met. To read Shannon's account, click here. To catch up on my perspective, click here for the prologue and here for part one.

There are some things that God puts in the heart of every boy, and there are some things that He puts in the heart of every girl. Leaving room for damage done to us by this fallen, broken world, I believe there are defaults for how men and women think, feel, and behave themselves.

Two things that most men and boys can relate to are shepherds and soldiers. There's something innate in us that wants to protect, and we are willing to fight to the death in defense of what we're fighting for. I think that we men are designed to be a reflection of our Heavenly Father by leading, watching over, providing for, and protecting that which has been placed in our care.

The reason I'm telling you this is because of something the Lord was doing in me (in a most wonderful, unexpected way) the day I met Shannon.

You need to understand that, at the time we met, I was living an almost ideal life for a single Christian guy. I was doing work that was Biblical, strategic, and important. I was living in an exotic location. Life as I knew it was an interesting blend of adventurer, secret agent, and minister. I was living the dream.

...but by the end of that day, something in me was awakened.

From the moment I met Shannon, I was distracted by her. Her eyes, her smile, her energy and enthusiasm, her obvious love for the Lord and His obvious Presence in her. Within moments of meeting her I realized there was nothing else I'd rather be doing than spending the day with her. Fortunately, that was the plan.

My lucky day had arrived. No, not luck - Someone Else had a plan.

However, I reminded myself, I'm not on a date with this beauty, I'm here to be a resource and a friend to both her and B. In fact, I would remind myself throughout the day that I needed to engage B as well, not just Shannon. Apparently, I did a good job of hiding my interest, because for months after that first day, Shannon thought I was attracted to B. In the interest of full disclosure, B is a very interesting, charming, funny, adventurous, godly woman. She just isn't Shannon. And Shannon was always the one that God had for me. But I digress...

Along with all of her other amazing qualities, there was one thing about Shannon that kept coming to the surface during that day. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was unquestionably appealing. Though I couldn't define it, I found myself responding quite easily to it all day. I wanted to watch over her and care for her. I mean this in a different way than just be her translator and tour guide. And then, over a banana chocolate milkshake, she defined it for me. In a vulnerable moment, she shared with us (B was there, too) that, although she felt called to the work, the place, and the people, she could not do it alone.

She needed someone. That was the thing which was so appealing abut her. She needed to be looked after. Shannon desperately needed a husband to lead, to protect, to guide, to shepherd her. As she shared that with us ("I just can't do it alone."), there was no mistaking what she meant. And it took an enormous amount of self-control for me to not volunteer for that assignment right on the spot. Just as real as an alarm clock, that statement woke up something in me that God had put in me (and, I think, in every boy and man).

You see, all my life, I have wanted to be heroic. Most boys do. (and, I imagine, most men do, too). I have come to understand - since becoming a husband and a daddy - that being heroic is just too small a goal for boys and men to attain to. We are created for so much more than random acts of heroism and bravery. We are created to follow the example of Jesus and bear the image of God in our lives and in the lives that we touch. Let me put it another way...

As I sat there across the table from the most beautiful woman I'd ever encountered, I was stunned by her honesty. And then I was inspired to action.

I wanted to meet all her needs and make sure that she was taken care of.

I wanted to lead her to places of provision and rest.

I wanted to connect her to Jesus, the fountain of life, and help her drink deeply of the living water.

Does this have a familiar feel to it? "The Lord is my Shepherd..."

gratuitous picture of one of my daughters' favorite movie stars

God awoke something in me that day, something that I think He puts in the heart of every boy (and man) - a shepherd's heart. The 23rd Psalm paints a picture not only of how God looks after us, but also of how we are to look after the flocks which the Good Shepherd has entrusted to us. Now I want to lead, provide, watch over, and protect.

But I have left that story and moved on to something else, so let me go back.

As I said, I just sat there stunned, for at least two reasons. The first was her honesty and vulnerability. I mean, people don't just say things like that - at least not without making a joke out of it. She really opened herself up to some ridicule there, even in the presence of her friend and the missionary, because her friend was Ms. "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me - I don't need anyone else to help me get the job done," and the missionary was (as far as she knew) some gung-ho, all-out, no excuses, no-quit kind of guy. Yet she bared her soul, admitted her weakness and need, and captured my heart in the process. (she's had it ever since).

Which was the second reason I was stunned. I just knew that I had to be with this woman. Not yet in the forever, 'till death do us part kind of way, but I had to know what kind of person has this kind of courage to be so weak and needy? And how did she get this way? And does she really have a boyfriend, or not? And if so, would it be wrong for me to bump him out of the way and woo her?

But the day was ending, and it was time to go. I had no good official reason to be with her - er, them, anymore. So I walked them back to the guesthouse they were staying at, and then made my way back home, wondering what it would be like to be with a woman like that...

Sweetness

2011-07-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

That's a younger picture of LJAH, otherwise known as "Lori" for a few more weeks.

See those gigantic bows? That means she was an orphanage favorite at the baby house. (Orphanage where the babies and younger children live before they are transferred around age 5.)

Sweetness.

CAVH & LJAH

2011-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't let Carson type the title... Those are Kirk & Lori's initials. I thought I'd give you a little hint as to what their real names are/will be. Anyone want to give it a shot? I'd love to see some guesses in the comments... who knows... there might be a prize or something...

Meanwhile, check out our new number....

$1,189

We're that far away from being fully funded!!!

12 Days

2011-07-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

Check out this sketch my honorary niece Haley drew of Kirk... isn't it great? She was just doodling at the table one night with regular pencil on printer paper. Serious talent. Her sister (my other honorary niece) Trina did an adorable drawing of Lori, and I'll share that one with you when I get my hands on it to scan it in... these two girls put their hands to work doing all kinds of things from sewing and photography, to drawing and knitting. (Haley knitted to uber cute dish rags we gave away in our first fundraiser.) They have put together their own website called Texas Handmaids (clever, huh?) ... so go check it out. Seriously wonderful family. Oh, they can cook too, but unfortunately you can't order any amazing desserts from their website.

Well, we are down to less than two weeks to lift-off! And if you think I'm running around like a crazy chicken trying to get things done, well... you'd be right. But I think I have all the travel items we need now.

Who am I kidding? I'll be at Walmart the night before our flight, I'm sure. But, Kirk's bed is made, all ready and waiting for him... the bunkbed/loft in the girls' room is almost finished. Jeff and I will be building the loft part tonight (well, mostly Jeff, although I can use a power driver now, and I only broke one bit clean off.)

Okay, (jumping subjects once more) if you were on Facebook this morning, you saw me promise some good news. Are you ready for this?

Remember when I posted on Friday, our big NEED was $8,572?

Well, money came in over the weekend, and we are now at

$2,472.

That's what remains for us to be fully funded! Wow! God is GREAT! I will be updating the thermometer daily now, until we're fully funded. So keep checking back to watch it grow and praise God with us! We're almost there!

*Update: We're now at $2,449

Getting So Close!

2011-07-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Going to meet these sweet ones soon!

I am getting butterflies in my stomach. My life is a little surreal right now. I walk out my front door or into the parking lot after coming out of Target and I walk up to a mini-van that I can't believe is ours.

I scurry around buying luggage tags and toys for K&L and wonder about how much walking we're going to do and what kind of shoes to wear on the trip, and I scribble notes on my packing list that is taped to my refrigerator.

I can't believe we're leaving in 15 days!

I look at my two precious daughters and blink fast to get rid of the squeezing in my throat as I think about boarding a plane and leaving them. For weeks.

I pull possibilities out of my closet and set them aside. I toss Nalgene bottles and sanitizing wipes into the open luggage on the floor of our bedroom.

I look at Kirk & Lori's picture and wonder how much they have changed and what will that first meeting be like?

I buy pink comforters. For three girly beds.

I hold up a pair of 5T shorts and wonder if they will fit a boy I'm soon to meet.

It's all happening so fast now. I can hardly believe it.

What's left?

$8,572

That's how much we have left to raise. We can still raise our funds while we're traveling, but we're coming down to the wire now. And I would really like to be fully-funded before we take our first trip. I totally believe in God's sovereignty, and I believe He answers prayer. So I am asking you to join us in praying that God would swiftly provide the $8572 we need to be fully funded.

Would you also pass along our blog address to others? Anyone who is interested in donating can click on Kirk and Lori's picture on the right, and it will take you straight to our sponsorship page, where donations are tax-deductable, and we are not charged any fees.

I am so excited. So grateful. So humbled. So out of words.

Thank you, from the bottom of our little hearts!

I cannot wait to see what God will do!!

Praise!!

2011-07-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I have good news!! Yesterday morning, we received our appointment date for Kirk & Lori's country. Our date is August 9th and we'll be leaving on August 6th. Woohoo!

In 3 weeks we'll be meeting the kids!

I'm so excited about this, and frankly, a little nervous as well. There is a lot to think through in packing for this trip, and we haven't traveled internationally in 7 years, and never with a child. Carson will be going with us, and we'll be leaving the girls at home. It breaks my heart to do that, but taking them with us would more than double our airfare, and we would have to take along someone to care for them at the apartment, since all 3 children couldn't go with us to appointments and visitations. So please pray for my heart - and for Maggie & Lilly, as we have to leave them behind for two weeks or more.

Yesterday was exciting for another reason as well... we picked up our new mini-van! New to us, anyway. Maggie and Lilly were really excited about this and it's a huge blessing to us. And I'm grateful to have that checked off our list. Now we have a vehicle we can all fit in.... and I don't have to climb over the center console to get to the driver seat anymore! I was going to take a picture of our new van and post it here, but we're experiencing some good Southeast Texas rain today.

More praise... ready for this? We made over $1700 at our garage sale this weekend! I was overwhelmed at the amount of donations we had, and helpers... friends and family and church family were up at the church eating pizza and working late into the night organizing, sorting, pricing... it was loads of fun! And despite the monsoon on Saturday morning, people still came. We were mightily blessed.

More news to come!

Guest Bloggin'

2011-07-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit

Today I'm writing a guest post about my eBooklet on Prayer of Hannah. I included a few sneak-peek snippets from Tell Me a Story... Go check it out!
Happy Friday, everyone!

Diamond Necklace, Anyone?

2011-07-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, not from me. It's not me giving away a diamond necklace...

Yes, we're still fundraising, and we still need at LEAST $3800 raised in the next two weeks in order to make our first trip to Kirk & Lori's country.

But life isn't all about us - and we're not the only family working hard to bring children home to their forever family.

And sometimes you just gotta spread the love.

So today, I'm asking you to hop on over to this family's blog and check out their giveaway. They are giving away a family heirloom for the chance to raise the $5000 they need - and they will be traveling soon to K & L's country, too.

Giveaway ends Sunday!!

Storytellin' & Fantastic News!

2011-07-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit I am more than a little excited about this!!! Two bits of news I am bursting to share!

First, for those of you who haven't already heard via Facebook, or in person, we received an email late Friday afternoon... Kirk & Lori's country voted on Friday to OPEN ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS back up. It will be made official this week, and that means that (I quote from the email) "you should be getting a travel date in coming weeks."

AAAHHH!!!

So, instead of being delayed for 3 months, it looks like we might possibly be traveling by the end of this month! When I read the email I almost jumped, squealed, cried and panicked all at once. (Okay, maybe I did do all of those things... just a little bit.)

What this means is that we are now full-force fundraising. We basically have to be ready to get on a plane, and we are not at our fundraising goal just yet.

Tons of friends are stepping up and helping us throw a HUGE garage sale at our church this coming weekend, and I am ridiculously excited about that - the opportunity to purge items from my house/attic/garage, and work to bring my kiddos home! I cannot think of a better way to spend my weekend.

But it's likely that even after this weekend, we will not yet be fully funded, so we have a few more tricks up our proverbial sleeve...

Which brings me to my second piece of news I'm bursting to share...

I wrote a Book!

Well, technically, it's an eBook, as no publishers have been scrambling to sign me up, as of late...

And technically, I suppose it's an eBooklet, since it's short & sweet, and an easy read. Here's the scoop...

A few years ago, as we were going through the girls' bedtime routine, I was sitting on one of their toddler beds, and we were telling them a Bible story, as had become our habit. And I felt the Lord clearly lay an idea on my heart. This will happen from time to time - the Lord will speak to me about writing something, and it gets added to an ever-growing list of works-in-progress in my head (and on my iMac.)

I think it was the very next day I sat down to begin writing Tell Me A Story, in which I share how our family came about telling Bible stories to our girls, and how that has become a cornerstone in how we disciple our children. I felt the Lord laid on my heart that this would be a useful tool in helping other parents - especially busy, working parents - teach the Bible to their children as well.

The little book lay almost complete on my faithful external hard drive for over a year. There was something just keeping me from finishing. But just in the past few months, the Lord revived the project in my heart and mind again.

So now, for anyone who would like to make a small donation towards our adoption, you can 'purchase' the Tell Me A Story eBooklet straight from our blog. At the top right corner of our blog (above our family picture), you can click the 'Add to Cart' button and set your own 'price.'

So... I think this is an exciting way to start off the week, don't you? Would you help us spread the word?

Stay tuned for Jeff's next installment of The Day We Met. (I think he's having fun with it.)

'Night Ya'll!

Jeff's Take, Part 1

2011-07-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry! It's taken a few days longer than I thought it would to get this next post up because I've been hunting something dead in the garage. No kidding. The sad thing is I haven't found it yet. No kidding. I'm obviously not much of a hunter.

Webster's defines prejudice as "preconceived judgement or opinion". We all have our prejudices, mostly based on some experience that is related to what we are pre-judging.

I must admit, I was going into my tour-guide play day with some prejudices, and it was not a good way to start. You see, I had just spent a month with a great group of Americans who really struggled with being in a country so...un-American. By the end of their trip, they wanted to sleep in an American bed, wake up and have an American breakfast, and speak only English all day long to everyone they met. These are not unreasonable things if you are in America. However, they weren't, so these things just weren't going to happen, and that caused them stress. (This is culture shock.)

I assumed that the two girls I'd be with were experiencing the same culture shock, wanting to change their environment to something more comfortable for them. I was...wrong. I had pre-judged Shannon and B based on other, related (recent!) experiences. They weren't culture shocking; they were getting over being sick. They were actually a joy to be around, but I'll get to that in due time.

I had also assumed there might be something "broken" or unappealing about them, mostly because I had observed that before in single seminary women who were involved in missions (especially as a career). Again, I was wrong, and I'm saying it.

As I was riding in the taxi to our rendezvous point, I probably said some dopey prayer like, "Lord please give me strength to make it through this day and to be a help to these poor girls.". The lesson, in hindsight, is that I'm a dork.

Shannon, the hat, and some friends she made over in the big country

As the cab slowed down at my destination, I noticed Shannon. Oh man, did I notice Shannon. I told the driver, "Stop here, please," to which he responded, "What?". You see, my first glimpse of Shannon made me forget where I was, because I started speaking English to some guy who couldn't understand me at all. Well, that was quickly resolved; I talked to him correctly, he stopped, and I began to make my way toward my destiny.

The first thing I noticed about Shannon was this crazy bucket hat she was wearing. The thing looked like someone had splattered it with every color paint you could imagine. It's the kind of clothing article that catches one's eye in a crowd. Well, I noticed her.

Which brings me to the second thing.... her eyes. Her amazing, stunning, beautiful eyes. It's not just that they are this gorgeous blue color - they are almost always so full of life (unless she hasn't slept well or I've left the toilet seat up, or...wait, I'm getting off subject here). Anyway, beautiful, expressive, vibrant eyes. And a smile that lit up the whole park. And I nearly called my team leader that very moment to thank him for forcing me to come meet this woman. Then I quit daydreaming, my thoughts turned to reality and I thought, "This can't be who I'm supposed to meet." (prejudices. dumb.)

the eyes have it

I wasn't sure what to say to her. How do you talk to someone like that? Fortunately, I was saved from looking too silly by someone else. There was another woman talking to me; someone in between me and those eyes, talking, talking, talking...

Oh! The girl I was supposed to meet was talking to me! Pay attention, Jeff! As it turns out, I was looking for both women; the talker turned out to be B, and the eyes turned out to be Shannon. "Nice to meet you, Ladies. Ready for a few adventures?"

I sure was.

Jeff's Take, Prologue

2011-07-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Over the next week or so I will be telling the story of the day we met from my perspective. However, today I will be telling about the month and day before the day we met, to give a bit of context. So today is the prologue, and Part 1 is coming in a day or two...

As Shannon has already said, I was a backpacker at the time we met. More specifically, I was part of a group that was doing something akin to anthropological cartography. That's a fancy way of saying we were looking for people. Specific people. Have you ever seen those ads in the paper where the government has "lost" or "unclaimed" money and if your name is on the list, then call this number? Or perhaps a better example would be the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes. Have you ever wished they'd come knocking at your door with some great, big news that would change your life forever? Well, that's kind of what I was involved in. We had some great news to share with a group of folks, but first we had to find them. I was one of the finders.

We would take public buses to the end of the bus routes (small country towns that would be similar to county seats), and then from there we would hike all over each area, going to every village we could find, and determining if the people we were looking for lived there. We compiled this information in a way that would be easy to use and follow.

This was a big job that required a lot of manpower (By our estimates, there could have been as many as 250,000 people we were looking for!), and we would often have people come and help us look for our people.

The day before I met Shannon, one of the busiest months of my life was coming to a close. I was on the road for about 20-24 days that month, leading a volunteer team of mountain bikers that discovered along the way they were being re-tasked as backpackers. That discovery, along with food, health, language, and culture adjustments made for a challenging trip for them (and, by extension, for me). We had accomplished quite a bit, but we were physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained.

Yet hope was rising within me! I was going to take a scouting trip with some co-workers up to a really cool, way-out-there border town that a few of us were about to move to and use as a base of operations. It would be my first city adventure in this Big Country, as well as the first time I got to see where I'd be moving to. My bus ticket was purchased, and I was packing up my things when I heard a knock at my door....

My team leader was there, and he had a favor to ask: would I be able take on a little project the next day? He had two volunteers who had a pretty rough few weeks and needed a nice, relaxing, fun day to end their trip on a positive note. Could I play tour guide for two female seminary students, taking them to see the local sites, do some fun stuff, and help them sort out all that God had been doing in them and through them on this trip?

Well, I told him, I already had a project I was involved with; could he use someone else? (I even offered a few suggestions) The short answer: no one else could cover this assignment, and he would find a replacement for me on the road trip (which, by the way makes no sense in hindsight).

If I had known that I was meeting her, I would have paid money for the assignment. A lot of money.

I felt kind of trapped, actually, and wasn't happy about it, but agreed to do it. (Thanks be to God Who saved me from that awesome adventure my buddies had with the cool crowd in the border town. And I absolutely mean that.). I prepared for the next day, packing my backpack, setting an itinerary, making sure of bus schedules, etc., and then had a relaxing evening before heading to bed. It seemed like a disappointing assignment, but I was going to make the most of it. I had no idea, really, that the next day would be one of the most profoundly significant ones of my life...

What's Happenin'

2011-06-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Not a whole stinkin' lot.

I haven't posted in a whole week... for a few reasons.

One, I've been waiting on my dear Hubby, who is composing his series of posts about the day we met. He's going to tell the day from HIS perspective.... and then, per request, I'm going to continue telling our story up to the day he proposed. So stay tuned for that.

Another reason I haven't posted is because I was trying not to be disappointed in the news that I received last Thursday. Just on the heels of the early morning phone call that told me our dossier had been submitted, I learned that Kirk & Lori's country is no longer issuing travel dates until the fall. They are closing down for the summer and re-opening, perhaps as late as October 11th.

So, barring a miracle, we will not get any more word or travel dates until after October 11th.

I felt like we were a sure-win for the presidential election, but lost to the opponent at the last minute.

I'm trying not to be disappointed that K & L will just continue going about their day, with no Mama or Daddy, for another 3 months or longer, not even knowing that we are coming for them.

No one to pray over them at night.

No one to kiss them to pieces every morning.

I'm trying not to be disappointed that the flag Tees I bought for them will have to be worn with long sleeve shirts underneath, by the time we get them home.

I'm trying not to be disappointed that they won't be here for Lilly's birthday, or mine.

Sigh.

I ran into my friend Jessica in Walmart (again) today. We have a knack for doing that lately. I absolutely love their family. So thankful for them. And I love getting her son Alik's reaction every time he sees us. He knows I'm Kirk & Lori's Mama. And he always recognizes me now, and gives me a big smile, and usually says 'Ooooh' and points to me and looks back at his Mama with a grin. But today I was unprepared for the emotions I felt upon seeing him in particular. I was so sad because it made me miss K & L so much, though I've never even met them yet.

Sigh.

The other reason I haven't posted in a week is because our family has been under a particularly tiring strain that I feel is an attack on our family. We are just getting over various illnesses, which have stretched out over several months - basically since we started the adoption, and we are NEVER sick. Well, for the past few weeks, and this week in particular, we've been sleep-deprived as each one of our kids have been getting up crying several times throughout the night. On many occasions we've played musical beds, rotating one kid out of our bed and another kid into our bed... One night this week I literally lost count of how many times we were up with each of our kids - numerous times per child. It was ridiculous. And by yesterday morning I was really feeling the exhaustion and pure helplessness.

Last night, we took our children and had them put their hands on each bed of theirs in the boys' room and the girls' room and pray over our family. We told them scripture and prayed scripture over our family. And we plan to do it again tonight. Last night was a bit better, and I'm praying we can really get some rest tonight.

Looking on the brighter side of things, the longer wait does give us more time for fundraising and the long list of things to do before we bring the kids home...

This past weekend was the Brisket Sale fundraiser our friends put together for us. Jeff was busy running around distributing briskets and helping out at the church where they were being cooked. It was a successful event and we made over $1,000 towards our adoption! The main guy, Dan, who put the whole thing together, was up at the church all night long, cooking brisket - and all day the following day as well. We have truly amazing friends.

Besides writing his side of the story, Jeff is busy drawing up plans for the L-shaped bunk-bed/loft-bed combo he's going to build for the girls' room. I'm super excited about that. I'm still looking for matching comforters/bedspreads for all 3 girls' beds. I may just end up making something.

You know, in my spare time. Ha!

Now the kids are all down for a nap, so I've got a wrecked kitchen to clean, chickens to feed & water.... and a good book that's calling my name... but I likely won't get to that last one.

So see... nothing happenin' around here.... nothin' at all...

We're Not Outta the Woods Yet

2011-06-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

I suppose a lot of you have heard the news on Facebook already. (There's only about 7 of you out there in blogworld reading this thing, right?) ... But in case you don't already know...

Our Dossier was submitted today!!!!

This is great news! I was prepared to wait all day. But the call came at 7:30 this morning (our facilitator is stinkin' amazing!) She happily told us that we were indeed submitted today (K & L's country is 8 hours ahead of us, so it was already a done deal when we awoke this morning.)

Honestly, I was and am excited. But for the past few days I've felt a calmness in my spirit - not the kind of peace that comes with knowing that God is going to answer your prayer,... more like the kind of peace that comes when God is whispering to you that you just need to trust Him.

So when the call came and we were submitted, I thought, wow, that was easy.

And then the other shoe dropped.

I found out through some other families adopting from K&L's country that the department of adoptions there is no longer assigning appointments until after the closure and re-opening of the new department. (Which, remember, can be up to THREE MONTHS after July 11th).

Our facilitator said on the phone this morning that there was rumor of them not assigning appointments, but really, we don't know anything for sure. Maybe they'll assign appointments for those whose paperwork has been submitted, maybe they won't.

What Are We Waiting For?

We're waiting for an appointment date with the department of adoptions... that's when we'll know our travel date.

What Does This Mean?

It might mean that we could get a travel date any day now.

It might mean we'll be waiting until after the country closes and re-opens. A month? Two? Three?

We just don't know.

I can imagine this is pretty deflating news for those of you who've been fervently praying for our dossier to be submitted today. I'm disappointed as well. But I am resting and trusting in the Lord, who knows all things.

We don't know.

He knows.

I do ask that you continue to pray that we'll know the Father's will, that we'll trust Him.... that K&L won't have to wait a second longer than He deems necessary to come home with their family... please pray!

We don't know.

He knows.

And I trust Him!

I'll update you all as soon as I know anything... and we'll be back soon with more of our story!

The Day We Met, Part IV (Finale')

2011-06-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

URGENT: We are praying for our dossier to be submitted TOMORROW (Thursday), to keep from major delays as adoptions temporarily close in K & L's country. PLEASE pray with us!

Today (June 22) is 10 years since Jeff and I met. For fun, (and to bless him), I wanted to write out the story of that day. Here's the final installment... Read Part I HERE, Part II HERE, and Part III HERE

We had only been seated a few seconds when a sweet local girl walked up to take our order. Jeff suggested that we needed to try the chicken schnitzel and of course, we all needed a chocolate banana milkshake. Off she went to put in our order, and we were alone again at our table. B was sitting close to the balcony railing, admiring the view, and Jeff was directly across from me.

A small bowl of sunflower seeds was on the table - the rugged-China version of chips and salsa, or basket of bread. We took turns grabbing seeds from the bowl as we chatted, and Jeff nonchalantly spit his shells on the floor from time-to-time, as is the custom. Each of us had our own bottled beverage we had picked up at a small shop along our walk. The drinks weren't cold, since cold beverages are such a foreign concept (and considered unhealthy) in many Asian and European countries, but it didn't matter. I found everything about that dinner refreshing.

Soon our food appeared, and we dug into our chicken schnitzel. And as promised, it was delicious. The milkshakes were very different than what is served in the States, but surprisingly yummy. Jeff finished his meal and sat back in his chair, with a determined air about him.

It was time for some serious debriefing.

Turning to B, he asked her to sum-up her trip and share what she was planning to do in the near future. She shared with him her difficulties with culture shock upon arriving in Asia, which is so vastly different than anything she had experienced in Brazil. And she said that while she was certainly glad God had brought her on this trip, she definitely thought she'd be doing work long-term in Brazil, where she was fluent in the language, and already had established contacts with the people. (Note: I don't know if B ever went back to Brazil. She's been serving in Asia longer now than all the time I spent there combined. God is funny that way.)

I listened, sipping on my runny milkshake.

Jeff turned my direction and smiled. My turn.

"Now let me ask you something," he started. "I hear you tell me that Father has called you into this work..."

"Right," I answered.

"And I hear you tell me that you've come to this country several times, and this is your 2nd time in this region..." he said.

"Yes, " I answered.

"And I hear you tell me you love this people group, and your heart is here..." he continued.

"Right," I said.

I tried not to take note that he'd been listening so well all day.

"And so... why aren't you here full time?" he asked.

I paused nervously, and looked down towards the cobblestone street.

I didn't want to tell him what my struggle really was. If I did, he would surely think I was weak. B knew. And she didn't understand. She was stronger, more independent. She knew the burden on my heart, and I sensed that she was impatient with me for it.

I opened my mouth, fully prepared to lie to Jeff and give him an answer that would satisfy his curiosity and close the door on that conversation.

But before I could get a word out, I heard the Lord clearly say to my spirit, Tell him the truth.

And then I looked him straight in the eye and the truth came spilling out...

"Honestly, I don't want to do it alone," I said.

He put his chair back on all four legs and leaned in on the table to listen.

"Yes, I do feel like Father has called me to do this work, but I struggle with this," I continued. "Because I don't feel like he's called me to do it alone."

"I see," he said, waiting for me to say more.

"I believe he's called me to work alongside a husband, for our family to do the work together... but here I am as a single woman, and Father hasn't brought a husband into my life yet... so while I don't feel that it's Father's will for me to do this work as a single woman, that's precisely where I find myself. So that's a struggle for me... I know that may sound weak, but that's my answer to your question," I finished.

Jeff smiled, "I don't think that's weak at all," he said.

There were no speeches about being a strong woman and not needing a man.

No sermons about God calling some people to be single.

No jokes about going to seminary just to get my "Mrs" degree.

Instead this rugged, backpacking missionary encouraged me to keep seeking the Lord's will and said he would pray for God to give me guidance.

I silently breathed a sigh of relief, happy that I had told him the truth. But I could still feel myself blushing as I had been briefly put in the spotlight.

By then the meal was finished, and we gathered ourselves up to leave. Back down the steep staircase we went, B and I practicing our "xie xie" (thank you) towards the kind staff members. Back across the little bridge and onto the cobblestone street. The three of us chatted as we walked back towards the entrance of Old Town. We came to the place where we would part ways, and B and I thanked our new friend for spending the day with us. He told us how happy he was to meet us, shook our hands, and urged us to be safe in our travels.

And then, just like that, he was walking away. B and I turned to walk the opposite direction towards our guesthouse. It was time to start packing for our trip home the following day. I turned once to look back at him, feeling slightly sad that I'd probably never see him again.

Chiding myself and feeling silly, I turned back around and matched my step with B, not wanting her to notice that I'd given him a 2nd glance.

But inside I prayed that the Lord would send someone like him into my life...

The Day We Met, Part III

2011-06-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

URGENT: Our dossier needs to be submitted by THURSDAY (2 days from now), to keep from major delays as adoptions temporarily close in K & L's country. PLEASE PRAY!

Tomorrow (June 22) will be 10 years since Jeff and I met. For fun, (and to surprise him), I wanted to write out the story of that day. Here's the 3rd installment... Read Part I HERE and Part II HERE.

“Okay, I want to take you to play my favorite game here in town,” he said. “We call it Road Rage,” Jeff grinned.

We both gave him inquisitive looks.

He walked over to a built-in closet and opened the door.

“But first we need these,” he said

B and I peered into the closet and watched as he pulled out.... a gun?

Sure enough, along with the clothes, shoes, and backpacking paraphernalia, were several guns of various sizes. It reminded me of my Daddy's gun cabinet back home in south Louisiana - only these were plastic air guns.

"Some of the other guys and I found these in the market," he explained, picking out two pistols and stuffing them in his backpack. "They work great for warding off rats in the dorm," he continued. "But they're also great for playing Road Rage... do you like go-karts?"

Are you kidding me?

I, for the record, love go-karts. (I even drove one when I was pregnant with Carson - shh, don't tell.)

I tried not to act too giddy.

We followed him out of his room, and out the dormitory gate, and meandered back to the school entrance where we were happy to find a small red cab, waiting for passengers. Following Jeff's lead, we piled inside the dusty backseat of the cab.

Without turning around, the driver inquired in a gravely voice, "shemma?"

Jeff rattled off something in Mandarin, and we were off, racing down the dirt road that lead from the university back to the newer, busier part of town.

There are no seat-belts in Chinese cabs. And sometimes there seem to be no traffic rules, either, as drivers speed, and then stop fast, or whip around another car or pedestrian - and everyone honks. Constantly. But even this early in my China-season, I was accustomed to public transportation, and just held on for the ride.

We soon stopped and jumped back out of the cab while Jeff paid the driver. The establishment looked nothing like Celebration Station, or any other similar place in the States. It was just a concrete lot with some beat-up go-karts and some tires and concrete blockades. I was pretty sure it was not at all safe, and I was anxious to get behind the wheel.

Jeff explained the rules of the game, which were ridiculously simple:

Drive.
Aim at your opponent.
Shoot.
No head-shots.
Oh, and try not to wreck the go-kart.

If memory serves me right, I believe Jeff offered to let us ladies go first. Then it was B vs. the Tall Tour Guide. Then I was up again. Jeff was in one kart, and I was in another... since it wasn't exactly a race to the finish, we put some distance between us and then Jeff started shooting pellets my direction. I was laughing so hard I could barely keep the steering steady, but I held tight and shot a few pellets in his direction, fairly certain that one of them hit him. Then he reeled around and shot me right in the leg!

By the end I just couldn't contain my laughter. If this guy's assignment had been to help us have a good day and some stress relief, he had certainly met his goal.

We decided to park the go-karts and head off by foot to the older part of town. My face hurt from laughing so hard.

"I want to take you to my favorite restaurant in Old Town," he said. "They have the best chicken schnitzel and they even have chocolate banana milkshakes."

Well, count me in!

It would take a while to walk into Old Town, and Jeff started up conversation again, somehow getting B and me to tell him stories of our life in New Orleans,... how we had become friends,... what the seminary was like... what we liked to do in our free time. I talked more than I did earlier in the day, but still let B take the lead, since she is so funny, and much more entertaining. Jeff laughed at our stories and asked more questions as we weaved around hundreds of locals, cut through alleys, and crossed streets.

We followed him across a major intersection to get to the large sidewalk leading to the entrance of Old Town. We kept walking and talking. We passed the giant water wheel and along with the sound of rushing water, I began to hear the melody of the flute-like folk music coming from Old Town shops. The concrete beneath our feet became cobblestone as we left the busy-ness of New Town. One of the things I love about Old Town is that everyone is on foot. It's a rule. You cannot drive a car or ride a bike in Old Town; you must walk.

And walk we did, but not much farther.

A few minutes after hitting cobblestone, we slowed our pace, and Jeff came to a stop, proudly extending his arm towards the place, to show we had arrived.

"This is my favorite restaurant in Old Town," he said with a grin. Like every place around it, Jeff's favorite restaurant was a small, rugged, split-level wooden structure. It was old and quaint. A small stream separated the building from the street, and we walked across a small wooden walkway, into the restaurant.

Jeff said something to the smiling waiter, (he was probably the cook and the owner as well) and then headed up the steep wooden steps to the upper level. B and I followed, and then sat with him at table on the balcony, overlooking the stream below.

B smiled at me and looked happy to be there and I silently agreed. I loved the setting, and thought I couldn't be in a happier place.

I had no idea how the conversation about to take place would change my life forever.

... to be continued...

The Day We Met, Part II

2011-06-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

URGENT: Our dossier needs to be submitted by NEXT Thursday, to keep from major delays as adoptions temporarily close in K & L's country. PLEASE PRAY!

On Wednesday, June 22nd, it will be 10 years since Jeff and I met. For fun, (and to surprise him), I wanted to write out the story of that day. Here's the 2nd installment... Read Part I HERE.

Once Jeff signed off for his two white-girl guests, we were off again, this time in a gondola, riding up to the base of the glacier.

I actually don’t remember much of the ride, except trying to pay more attention to what I was seeing outside the gondola, instead of sneaking peeks at someone inside the gondola.

At some point during the bus ride and the gondola ride, we learned that Jeff was a backpacker. His role on the team consisted of a lot of hiking on long trips, and searching things out. He learned that both us girls had a heart for missions, and that I particularly felt drawn to this town - this people group, whereas Latin America was more B’s style.

Once we were out of the gondola, at the base of the glacier, Jeff cautioned us to take it slowly. The air was thinner up here, and we still had a good way to travel by foot - uphill on wooden steps - to get a close, and breathtaking view.

B took off in a fury, as she is want to do most anything in life. She just tackles it. I took a bit more time. After all, our lungs were used to thick and muggy New Orleans air, below sea level. I’m surprised we didn’t pass out from altitude sickness.

We meandered our way to the top, weaving past Chinese tour groups, all dressed in matching yellow t-shirts, sporting matching yellow umbrellas- until we made it to the top to see the breathtaking view.

Only, there wasn’t one.

It was so foggy that day, the glacier was completely hidden. I’d seen close-up pictures of the glacier before, and here was our handsome tour guide pointing to where it was, right there in front of us, but all we could see was a wall of thick fog... It was a little eery to think that something that huge and beautiful and majestic was just a few yards from our faces and we couldn’t even see it.

Jeff apologized that we had come that far, and maybe he thought we were disappointed, but we weren’t. We all stood to rest for a few minutes on a large, wooden platform. Maybe Jeff thought if we waited a bit the fog would clear. No matter. I was happy to be there.

Once again, he pulled off his backpack and unzipped it, pulling out more treasures. Mini cans of Pringles, and a few snickers bars. (Some of the few ‘Western’ treats you can buy in that Chinese town.)

“I thought you might be hungry when we reached the top, and you’ve used up a lot of energy walking up in this altitude, so you need to replenish,” he said.

He had thought of bringing provisions for us? This time I purposefully took note of the thoughtful gesture... And the hint of leadership in his character...

We happily ate our snacks in peace and began to make our way back down the wooden steps, careful not to slip.

Somehow the ride down was a blurr - the day was going by too quickly. I wondered if Jeff would leave us at the end of the bus-ride back to town and head back to his rugged, back-packer life.

We crowded onto the bus, B and I sharing a bench seat with a few Chinese tourists, and Jeff positioning himself sideways so he could talk with us a bit more. He dug a little deeper into the conversation, asking questions about where we came from, and what we see ourselves doing in the future. I knew well enough that he was partially debriefing us, for we were at the end of our trip to that region. But it seemed he was personally and genuinely interested as well.

We had to be careful in conversation, since it was probable that many folks sitting around us could understand English. And well, if we went off spatting about how we wanted to spread the Gospel and see many converts for Jesus, ... Well, things may not end well. So, much of our conversation was sprinkled with ‘code’ words.

Soon, the rowdy back row of Chinese guys and gals pushed forward in their seat and wanted to practice their English with us. It took about 2 seconds for us all to realize one of the guys was flirting, and then he asked if B or I were married or had a boyfriend. I think B said she didn’t need a boyfriend... And I - hating this kind of attention - stated that I had a boyfriend already, hoping they would leave us alone and my face could turn back to it’s normal shade.

As soon as “I have a boyfriend,” left my lips, my immediate string of thoughts went something like, Oh no, now he thinks I have a boyfriend.... Like it matters... What am I crazy? Who cares? No, I can’t leave him thinking I have a boyfriend.

So just in case, I quickly added, loud enough for Jeff to hear, “Yeah, my boyfriend’s initials are JC.”

Lame, I know.

B laughed.

I felt pretty dumb.

But there was no back-paddling at that point. And the message was there, and I was pretty sure Jeff was smart enough to pick it up.

The bus raced on down the bumpy road and the rowdy back seat turned back to themselves. And our conversation picked back up again. Jeff explained that we were headed to the university on the outskirts of town, where he and some of the other team members lived and studied Mandarin - he thought we might like to see the school.

I was very interested to see the school, since I had been asked before by the team supervisor if I wanted to move there and join the team. And I was happy to know that our time with our friendly, inquisitive tour guide wasn’t ending just yet.

“And K & S (team leaders) made spaghetti for lunch for us,” he added.

Perfect!

We hopped off the bus and begin to make our way to the school, walking through a tall gate, and meandering down a walkway, around a few buildings, to the foreign students’ dormitory.

K and his wife S were already dear to my heart. At this time, they had no children (they now have five) and they always have been a shining example of Godliness during every moment I have spent with them.

B and I helped fix plates and we all sat down at the round table that took up most of the space in K & S’s small, semi-outdoor kitchen. (Kitchens were separate from dorm rooms & suites.) The air was perfect, though flies buzzed all around. (I soon learned this was fly season.) A strip of sticky tape hung from the ceiling in the corner of the room, and at least 50 flies were stuck to the tape.

I admired the meal that S had prepared for us. Delicious spaghetti with bread and butter and salad. At that time I knew little of what kind of hard work it took to make an American meal like that, but I still admired it.

The meal was lovely and I was happy that K & S took over most of the conversation, so that I wouldn’t have to fight off blushing and squirming every time Jeff looked my direction. Soon, lunch was finished and Jeff announced that we were off on another adventure. But first, he had to retrieve something from his dorm room, which was a few yards from the kitchen. He invited B and me to follow.

Jeff pushed back the fly-netting, which I then noticed was in front of every room door, and turned the key in the lock. We followed him in, leaving the door open, but letting the fly netting fall back into place. He went over to the laptop on the desk and began telling us about the newsletter that he would regularly write and email back home to friends and family.

“Do you girls want to be on the mailing list?”

Of course we did!

He wrote down each of our email addresses. I tried not to smile too much when I told him my email address: “write_mulan@...”

I tried not to wonder if this were his was him finding a way to stay in contact with us...

Then it was time for the next adventure.

“Okay, I want to take you to play my favorite game here in town,” he said. “We call it Road Rage.”

We both gave him inquisitive looks.

He walked over to a built-in closet and opened the door.

“But first we need these,” he said

B and I peered into the closet and watched as he pulled out.... a gun?

...... to be continued.....

The Day We Met, Part I

2011-06-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

URGENT UPDATE: We just received news that our dossier has to be submitted by NEXT Thursday, June 23rd or we will be delayed 3 months or MORE as adoptions CLOSE in K&L's country for changes to take place. This will take a miracle. PLEASE PRAY!

One week from today, on June 22nd, it will be 10 years since Jeff and I met. For fun, (and to surprise him), I wanted to write out the story of that day... here's the first installment.

It was summertime in China. I woke up to a drizzle outside. I would learn later that it was rainy season in this rugged and beautiful Chinese town. I loved this town. Parts were old, with winding cobblestone walkways and a meandering little creek, and parts were new, with modern buildings and busy streets. I loved the dark faces. I loved the older grandmas, wearing the traditional garb of the ancient people group. I loved the sounds of the Chinese folk music coming from shops. I loved the clean air and the mountain in the distance. It was nearing the end of my 2^nd trip to this region.

My love of the ‘Big Country’ had started two years earlier on my first trip, after I graduated college in 1999. That trip lasted 6 weeks. I was hooked. The following summer I joined up with a group from seminary taking a 2 week trip to this beautiful region, and then again - during this particular summer, in 2001, here I was.

This time with no group. Just my friend B. (I won’t mention her name, so I can protect her innocence, or her guilt, whatever may be the case!) :) Actually, B now works full-time in a different area of SE Asia, so that’s why I won’t mention her real name.

Anyway, just me and B. What a ride it had been. Two young single seminary students traipsing halfway across the world. B was bold and energetic, and used to doing crazy things like preaching from the rooftops in Brazil, where she usually spent her summers. But for some reason, this summer God had laid it upon her heart to journey with me to the southwest region of China. As for me, I had known God wanted me back in that town that summer. So I was going, even if I was alone. But I wasn’t. I had B.

Even though I wasn’t alone, I felt pretty alone that trip. There was something heavy going on in my heart. I thought about this as B and I waited that morning, standing in the square in the middle of the new part of town. We’d had an adventurous few weeks, and some of our plans for helping the team living there had been squashed, since we both came down with the giardia parasite.

So on this next-to-last day in town, my friend K, the team leader, arranged for a guy on the team to show us around town, take us to the nearby glacier, and de-brief us. Just a fun day. When we talked to K the previous day, he told us to go to the square the following morning, where the big statue of Mao stood, and look for a tall guy named Jeff.

He’d be hard to miss, for sure. A tall white guy in a sea of shorter black-headed people.

So there we were, B and me. Standing in the drizzle at Mao Square, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The rain had made me more melancholy, but I hoped the day would distract me from my burden.

B spotted Jeff before I did. I turned to see a tall, good-looking guy, wearing the coolest hat I’d ever seen, heading straight for us.

It’s a shame I don’t remember the first words ever spoken between us. All I actually remember is thinking something akin to gracious, he’s good-looking... Just act normal and for goodness sakes, don’t stare at him!

I’m sure we must have introduced ourselves. Then we quickly made our way to a bus, and before I knew it we were seated and on our way to the outskirts of town. Jeff whipped a clear plastic bag out of his backpack and produced a half-dozen small bao zi (steamed buns with a seasoned mushroom mixture inside.) He was already speaking my love language. Mo gu bao zi are my favorite!

“I didn’t know if you’d had breakfast,” he said.

I tried not to take note of how thoughtful the gesture was.

Small talk ensued, as this guy made light work of getting to know our stories. I let B do most of the talking. Partly because I didn’t want to say anything to look dumb in front of our new tour guide, and partly because I was trying to settle my melancholy thoughts so I could enjoy the day. And partly because B is talkative and lively and a joy to be around. She can talk to anyone with ease, so it was just natural to let her take center stage - a place I rarely like to be.

Soon we stopped at a station where we were to rent jackets for the next part of the trip up to see the glacier. Jeff rambled off enough Mandarin to rent our jackets, and he had to sign his Chinese name. As I stood beside him at the counter, I leaned in closer to interested to see how well he could write Chinese characters.

I was surprised to see that I recognized the first character he wrote. I knew it because two years earlier I had learned to write my chinese name, Mu Lan, in characters. I most definitely recognized the character ‘Mu’ and was so surprised to see him write it, that I blurted out, “Mu”. He looked at me bewildered. “When I taught English to students in xing jiang, they gave me the name Mu Lan,” I explained. “They gave me a name that was easy to write.” He smiled.

I tried not to take note that we had the same Chinese surname.

... to be continued...

What's Left

2011-06-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hey remember these two kiddos?

I think they're ready to come home... it's about time, don't you think? What's left?

Well, our dossier made it to K & L's country today!!! Now it has to be translated and then submitted... and then we are given an appointment/travel date. This could take weeks, so I'm trying not to get too excited.

And while we wait, I have PLENTY to do, because we have QUITE a bit of money to raise, still. I have updated our thermometer. Our Goal went up a bit since we added Lori to our adoption, and I'll write a more detailed post about fundraising expenses soon.

We have a few fundraisers coming up next week... first is our benefit at Chic-Fil-A next Monday...

Then, next Saturday, we're cookin' up something else...

In case you can't read the ridiculously cute flier (flyer?) my brilliant husband made, our friends have put together a brisket sale... they'll be fully cooked and big - 8-10 lbs! They are $45 each, and you'll be feeding your family (for days, most likely) and blessing our family tremendously. So if you're local, and you want a brisket let me know ASAP, because tickets need to be turned in by Monday.

Then we have a garage sale coming up next month,... and I am almost done with my surprise!! My (hopefully) last online fundraiser. I am really, really excited about it, and I hope I can tell you about it this week!

So as you can see. We have a lot going on... or as my good friends Brenda and Shelly would say, 'that's a lotta action.' teehee.

Here's how you can help....

- PRAY (really, the most important thing)

- Spread the Word!

We are really getting down to the wire here. We could be traveling a month from now! And we need to bring the funds in now. Please spread the word about our adoption by telling your friends, posting on FB or your blog - just send them back here to get the full story.

- Come to Our Fundraisers (if you're local)

- Visit our FSP (Family Support Page) and Donate

(Click HERE)

- Keep Checking Back

We are so humbled that you would follow our journey. What a blessing it is to have the body of Christ. It may not take a village to raise a child - but it sure takes a village to ransom one from across the ocean!

Let's get these kids HOME!!

Hold Your Babies Tight...

2011-06-13T06:49:00.001-07:00

... Don't let them out of your sight.

My heart is so, so heavy this morning. Just breaking.

Saturday, just as we were letting the kids out the back door to go play in the kiddie pool, sprinkler, and slip-n-slide for Maggie's belated birthday party, I got a text from a friend.

She asked me to pray because a little boy at the birthday party she was attending had just drowned. He had wandered away from his parents, and was found in the above ground pool. He would have been two-years-old next month.

Then today, I learned that my childhood best friend lost her two-year-old daughter yesterday - she drowned in a friend's Jacuzzi.

I have no words. I don't know why the Lord allows such tragedy. My heart aches.

But I can't just say nothing, or post about our adoption, like everything is okay.

I want to remind parents to hold your babies tight... and please, don't let them out of your sight!

A day or so before I heard of the first accident, I read an article about drowning. It doesn't look like you think it does. There is no splashing or calling for help. There is no bobbing up and gasping for air - Hollywood has conditioned us to think this is what drowning looks like. But drowning is silent. Silent.

- Kids can drown when they're in the pool with their parents.

- Kids who know how to swim can drown.

- Kids can drown in a kiddie pool

- In a bathtub

- In a bucket

- In an inch of water.

- Kids can drown with floatation devices.

The bottom line is we must, must keep our kids in our sight - even if no one is swimming.

We were part of a wedding last weekend at a beautiful bed & breakfast, where the bride and groom were wed outside, under a giant oak tree. We spent a lot of time on the grounds before the wedding, just waiting - and following around three bored, active kiddos who wanted to go in three different directions. I was shocked when I happened to walk around a pretty hedge of flowers to find a completely hidden in-ground swimming pool - with absolutely no fence around it. It would take seconds for a toddler to wander off and fall into this pool. I shuddered to think of it.

Please, parents. Hold your babies tight. Don't let them out of your sight.

This Little Light of Mine...

2011-06-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here she is...

Her name (or alias) on Reeces Rainbow is 'Lori.' I can't share her birth name yet, but it's beautiful, and one of the meanings of her name means 'torch' or 'bright one'. I just love her to pieces already, and cannot wait to meet her and get to know her little heart.

Makin' Dumplin's

Sibling love... though they don't know it yet.

Please pray for our little ray of sunshine... for Kirk... and for our family in this process as we're getting so, so close. We mail our dossier off tomorrow!

How blessed are we?

Awesome Announcements

2011-06-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I was going to post a bunch of pictures, but blogger isn't letting me upload anything at the moment, so I'll just tell you the news and save the 5K and 5-year-old birthday pics for later... (sorry)

Awesome Announcement #1: We got the Golden Ticket!!!

Our dossier is complete! I'm am making plans to drive to Austin - hopefully this week - to have it all apostilled and then send it off to Kirk's country!! This is a major step, and I'm so excited we're finally at this point! Our Family Sponsorship Page on Reeces Rainbow will soon be moved to the 'Almost There' category!

Is anybody else dancin' a jig, or was that just me?

Speaking of our Family Sponsorship Page... have you guys checked it out recently? If you've looked at it today, then you won't be surprised by...

Awesome Announcement #2: Our 5K Fundraiser wasn't just a Walk to Bring Him Home, but a Walk to Bring HER Home as well.

Yep. We are adding a little girl to our adoption. I wish I could upload a cute picture of Lori to show you, but you can visit our FSP to see her. (Hint: She's the little girl hugging Kirk in this post.)

Lori is the same age as Kirk, and they are in the same groupa in the same orphanage. Her picture on Reeces Rainbow had caught my eye from the very beginning, but it wasn't until the last month or so that Jeff and I seriously considered adding her, and begin to pray about it. Finally, on Thursday, we knew what the Lord wanted us to do, and this morning we officially committed to her. Just in time, too, because a few hours later, our Golden Ticket arrived in the mail. No pomp & circumstance. Just a plain piece of paper... with the authority to move us to the next stage of this journey.

I have so much more to say about Lori and our adoption journey thus far, but I'll save it for another post.

Rejoice with us!!

Two Weddings & a Golden Ticket

2011-06-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

As our family continued to fight off and recover from various illnesses, we left town Thursday to attend a wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in Houston for a sweet couple getting married Friday night. Jeff officiated the wedding for Katy, who was once in our youth group, and her (now husband) Stephen, whom we have had the privilege to spend a little time with. The wedding was a dreamy, worshipful event under a giant oak tree, where my two little girls, dressed in white eyelet sundresses, traipsed barefoot down the grassy aisle, tossing their flower petals.

We drove back home early Saturday, just in time for a quick lunch and a change of clothes and a hurried drive to attend another wedding. This time, the bridesmaids all kept their shoes on, and beautiful stained glass towered high in front of the dashing groom and his bride, dressed to the nines. It was a sweet event to behold, as we are close to the bride and groom, and we were privileged to witness them share their very first kiss.

After a fun reception, we headed home and became the after-wedding crashers as every one of us laid out for a much-needed nap.

As I said, throughout the weekend, we have continued to down the vitamin C and other supplements, and the girls have battled fevers or coughs off and on... I still haven't completely let go of my cough... Thursday evening, just before the rehearsal, we determined that Lilly had pink eye, and she was miserable. We went through a whole bottle of colloidal silver in just over 48 hours. Yesterday was lilly's first fever-free day, and she was right as rain all day, today, but began to feel bad just before supper... She's feverish again tonight.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

I was hoping to come back into town and find our 'GoldenTicket' - our clearance from immigration, which is the last piece of paper we need to complete our dossier. But it hasn't come yet... It will be any day now.

We did come home to find that some sweet friends had mowed and weed-eated (is that a word?) our front and back yard, and they took care of an ant problem we were having, too. Wow. That was a blessing!!

Just wanted to keep you all updated... We have quite a week coming up... And this is going a BIG blogging week as well. Keep checking back; I promise you don't want to miss it!!!

Goodnight, y'all!

Updates

2011-06-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

Recent picture someone caught of Kirk and a sweet girl

I think we're on the mend around here! Prayer is powerful. Last night I really couldn't see past this strain of illness at our house - it was completely overwhelming me. But we all slept through the night with no events, and everyone is feeling a little better today, praise God!

Fundraising is going well! The 5K was a great success, and we have three more local fundraisers and one online fundraiser planned for June and July - I'll keep you all posted.

We're almost there! I received an email from the immigration officer assigned to our case, and we should be getting the Golden Ticket any day!! This is the LAST slip of paper we need to complete our dossier. Then we can have it all apostilled and mailed off to Kirk's country!!! This is a huge step; I'm so excited.

I have a five-year-old, and another one waiting for us! Maggie turned five-years-old today (I can't believe it!), and along with Kirk that gives me a set of Almost Twins. ;) I'll post pics of Maggie's day soon - she's been really loving it all day.

Just wanted to briefly catch you all up. God is answering prayers, and I can't thank you enough for your support and prayer for us. God is good!!

Needing Prayer

2011-05-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

I know I promised to come back and post a bunch of pictures of our 5K - but then the craziness started. I have had a relentless cough and congestion for about 11 days now. The afternoon of the 5K, I started feeling worse, and still haven't recovered. Lilly woke up sick on Sunday morning and spent several hours on the couch, waiting for her fever to break. Around 3am this morning, her fever was back with a vengeance and we ended up with doses of children's motrin and two lukewarm baths to get it down (I was coughing the whole while). It finally broke about 7:00 this morning, and she was fine all day - happy as a lark - until supper tonight, when the fever returned.

Then Maggie started feeling ill, running a very slight fever, and complaining of a headache and sore throat. Jeff rallied around us tonight, as we were putting the girls to bed and he prayed for our healing.

I really feel like we're under attack. I'm exhausted. Maggie's birthday is tomorrow. And we are headed to Houston this weekend for a sweet couple's wedding. Jeff is officiating and the girls are flower girls.

We really need your prayers, friends. Please lift us up!

Amazing Day

2011-05-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's 5k Walk/Run to Bring Him Home was just incredible. I was blown away by the love and support. It was sunny, windy, warm, and a lot of fun - and a huge success! I will come back later today and post a ton of pictures and tell you all more. For now, I'm taking care of a sick little one who stayed home from church with me. Stop back by, and have a wonderful Sunday!

Shannon

Kirk the Pizza Chef

2011-05-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

Someone caught this picture of Kirk and one of the Reeces Rainbow facilitators sent it my way. Oh my. He's going to fit into our family just fine.

Come home, sweet boy.

5K in 5 Days... Who's With Me?

2011-05-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

Our pastor joked yesterday that he was kind of hoping the rapture would have really come on Saturday, because then he wouldn't have to do our 5K fundraiser this weekend.

Hardy, har har.

Actually, I won't be running it. Nope. I'll be walking the whole way. I am definitely not a runner. I've always admired those ridiculously self-disciplined people who choose to run. But that's just not me. And I'm fine with that. I have a feeling I won't be the only one walking this Saturday...

So, you may be wondering, how exactly does running/walking a 5K help bring Kirk home? I'm glad you asked!

There is a registration fee, for those who want a cute T-shirt designed by my friend and her creative daughters. But the $10 fee covers the cost of the shirt with just a little left over, which goes to the Adoption Fund.

So the real fundraising comes from participants securing sponsors. That means each runner/walker (individual or family) will print off a Sponsor Form and ask for people to 'sponsor' them, i.e. give donations to our Adoption Fund.

At least we hope everyone is getting sponsors!

If you are local, and you're participating in our 5K and need a Sponsor Form, go to www.texashandmaids.com and click on Kirk's picture. From there you can see the link to print the sponsor form, AND you can also print off a flyer with some cute pictures of Kirk.

I'm so excited about this Saturday, not just because it will bring us closer to our fundraising goal, but also because it is seriously warming my heart to see people in our community - some I haven't even met - coming together to rally for Kirk and bring him home. It must make God's heart happy, too - to see His children caring for the fatherless.

Pray for our fundraiser this weekend (and for good weather!) I can't wait to see some of you there!

Hey Buddy, Can Ya Spare a Buck?

2011-05-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

Bring Him Home!

At the end of this month, Mommy and Daddy are taking me to something called a 5k. I don't know what that means, but they tell me that this 5k thing will help bring my new brother home to live with us forever.

Do you think you could sponsor me? I'm pretty sure that means give me money to go 5k for my brother, whatever that means.

5k Run/Walk to Bring Him Home

May 28, 2011... 9am-12pm

Ridgewood Church

2920 Lake Arthur Drive

Port Arthur, TX 77642

Best Moments...

2011-05-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

... of my day...

- Visiting with friends, and getting to spend more time with three little friends from Kirk's country.

- Pushing Kirk's buddy Parker on the swing and having him giggle at me and say both Russian and English words to me (the last time I was at his house, he would only sneak glances at me from where he was hiding behind the recliner.)

- Jumping with Maggie on our friends' trampoline (per her request) and then afterward hearing her tell someone else, "My Mama is the greatest!"

- Hearing Maggie's 'gasp' of delight when she discovered a surprise her Daddy had left for her this morning.

- Having Maggie excitedly run to me and hug me because she was proud of writing a 'K' correctly.

- Realizing it is my Mom & Dad's wedding anniversary, and smiling at the thought of them being married 37 years.

I'm mighty blessed.

Whoop! Yikes!... and Ahhhh!

2011-05-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Whoop!

Today, in just a little while... I will load my children up in the Mountaineer and hop over to UPS and send off our 1st packet of documents to Kirk's country!!! I can hardly believe we've come this far already. The paperwork trail is practically done! We are now just waiting on approval from immigration, and then we can send the rest of our dossier to Kirk's country. We're so close now... it makes me jump and 'whoop' for joy.... but it also makes me go....

Yikes!

We are just a few weeks away from sending our dossier and yet we are tens of thousands of dollars away from our fundraising goal!! At this point I have to keep taking deep breaths and reminding myself that it was God who called us to this,... and it was God who has worked out every glitch and overcome every obstacle... and it is He who provides. Please keep praying!!

And in the midst of it all, since I have been able to emerge from the Great Paperwork Sea, I also was able to steal away for a little while for my Mother's Day treat.... my annual haircut! I get a 'real' haircut about once a year, and by that time the 5 lbs of thick hair removed from my head makes me go....

Ahhh!

Around our Home

2011-05-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

Well, as usual, I didn't get my camera out on Easter Sunday, when my crew was in their fresh new duds... so I used Mother's Day as a do-over...

I did bring my camera to church on Mother's Day, and captured a few sweet moments...

It's my prayer, my hope, my dream... that Kirk will be sitting on the pew with us soon.

Put On Your Runnin' Shoes!

2011-05-09T14:04:00.001-07:00

If you are local, and want a fun way to involve your whole family in helping us bring Kirk home, mark your calendars for May 28th! Our amazing friends have put together a Fun Run! If you're not a runner, don't worry, neither am I!! {I'll be pushing Carson in a stroller}

Each participating runner/walker will have a few weeks to obtain sponsors who will donate to our adoption, on behalf of the participant. Every runner/walker gets a T-shirt (I'm so excited about the design, too!)

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, May 28th

Time: 9:00am (Registration is at 8:30)

Location: Ridgewood Church, Port Arthur, TX

Sponsor Sheets: Contact me.

Do you think having a bake sale on the premises during the run would be too ironic? Congrats on finishing that run, how about a brownie? Haha, just kidding.

Provision

2011-05-04T09:36:00.001-07:00

A leap of faith.

That's what we call it when we feel that God is urging us to do something we can't possibly do in our own power, or through our own resources.

Our journey on the mission field was certainly a leap of faith. We didn't know what we would encounter - what dangers or unknowns were ahead... how we would fare in a foreign culture, immersed in another language... how would we 'afford' to go?

But God provided.

Our journey in adoption has been much the same kind of experience. We're embarking on something totally foreign to us. It's so far to travel... we don't know the language, our son's language... how will this affect our family? How will we connect with our new son? And of course - how can we ever afford it?!

But from the beginning, God has been in it... He has assured us and guided us and provided, from the first step we took in obedience.

The day after we decided to say yes and commit to Kirk, we were handed a check for a large sum of money. Every time we've needed to write a check to cover fees or postage or fingerprinting or a number of other things - the funds were there.

Just recently, I've been thinking that the giving had stopped, that no one else would want to help... these are 'hard' times, and people have their own families to take care of, and they can't afford to give...

Nonetheless, I've been praying, and in the past week, we've received two donations on our ChipIn, two checks in the mail, and small stack of cash on our doorstep.

Oh me of little faith. God is faithful.

Money isn't the only way He provides. There have been paperwork hurdles conquered, lost passports retrieved, and 'glitches' fixed. We are being given things we need for Kirk, like a bed and mattress, and bedding. I have a feeling we'll get lots of clothes for him, too, in the days to come. (He does have two grandmas, you know!)

We are so grateful for those who are giving, and even more grateful for those who are praying. If we could humbly ask- will you please keep praying with us?! Here are some current needs:

- Funding

- For a fast fingerprinting appointment

- To quickly receive our 'Golden Ticket' from Immigration

- For protection over our dossier as it travels to Kirk's country

- For Kirk's continued health

- For a mini-van or other vehicle that will seat all 4 of our children- we have outgrown our Mountaineer.

- That God will prepare Kirk's heart to join his new family

That's enough for now. Thank you for joining us in asking Father to do what He does best!

Blessings!

Shannon

Travelin' Buddies

2011-05-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Jessica posted about Kirk and Parker on her blog today - head over there and read about it... and make yourself a good cup of coffee first, because you'll want to sit down and read their story and pour over pictures of her amazingly cute kiddos - she's breaking them out of the orphanage forever on WEDNESDAY! I'm so excited for them! I can hardly stand it! I'm ready for them to come home, but I'm also sad that Kirk won't have Mama-Carlin on the prowl over there, watching out for him.

Kirk is going to have to say goodbye to Parker in a few days... but he has no idea it won't be goodbye forever.

What are they plotting?

Can you imagine the looks on these boys' faces when they meet up again in Southeast Texas? I cannot wait to blog about that day!!

My Mama-Heart

2011-05-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

I just had to re-post this picture because he's so handsome!

I have been floating on cloud nine for days because of my last post - because my friend Jessica was able to meet Kirk and show him our picture, and get lots of great pictures of him!

There is so much emotion wrapped up in my heart and mind. It's been easy thus far to get lost and busy in the work of getting Kirk home. To be task-oriented and focused. To mark things off my list. Some days I would busily work towards our goal and barely give a glance to his little picture hanging on the fridge.

Yet, something has changed in the last few days... a switch went off. And he is no longer just a picture - one single little photo - cluttered in with the magnets on the fridge door. He is our son. No judge has appointed me as his mother yet, but he is our son. And I want so badly to make him smile and hold his hand and kiss his cheek and hug him close. Today I want nothing more than to have him here with us. I have mingled feelings of excitement that Jessica was able to see him and touch him and talk to him.... and also feeling sad because it's not me there with him.

I can see God slowly making a transition in our hearts as we are getting much closer to getting him home.

And my Mama-Heart can hardly wait.

My Brown-Eyed Boy

2011-04-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

We have new pictures!

Check out that Grin!

My friend who is in Kirk's country, picking up her newly adopted little ones, saw Kirk today when she was on the orphanage playground with her son!! She was able to talk with him and show him our picture. She said he was precious, and shy, and all smiles. Apparently, Kirk and her son Parker are buds... Kirk was hugging him and kissed him on the cheek. It is likely the two of them have been together since they were babies - and though they don't even know it yet, they will get to live 5 minutes from each other. God is kind. I can't even express how excited I am to have new pictures, taken as recently as 12 hours ago! My Mama-heart is very happy!

Our only brown-eyed Child (so far)

Hangin' on the Playground

Hugging His Bud

A Little Q & A

2011-04-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

We've received a lot of questions as we've started this journey, so I thought today I'd take a minute to answer a few...

1. How did you 'find' Kirk?

Some very dear friends of ours, who live about 5 minutes from our house, are also adopting from Kirk's country- from the same orphanage, in fact. Through them, we learned about Reeces Rainbow, where we first saw Kirk's picture, and felt the Lord tugging at our hearts for him. We didn't realize at first that Kirk was in the same region and orphanage as our friends' children, but we are now very stoked about it, knowing that Kirk and the Carlin kids will share a language, a history, and a culture.

2. Do you have a travel date yet?

No. We have thought since we started this that we would be ready to travel in August. In my heart, I'm really thinking sooner than that. A few things have to happen first, before we can get our travel date, and we'll keep everyone informed.

3. Does Kirk speak English?

No. He speaks Russian.

4. Are you going to learn Russian?

Of course, he is going to learn English, but yes, we are working to learn Russian. We picked up a very handy tool: Russian Phrases for Children. It includes an audio CD and two pocket phrase books (one for each parent). This system was put together by an American Dad who has adopted Russian-speaking children, so the phrases are specific for adoptive parents.... things like "I am your Mama...." "This is our home..." "Are you thirsty?..." "It's almost time for bed..." "Do you need help?" "Show me where it hurts..." I am also looking into getting Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur from our library, if it's available. We feel learning to communicate with him in Russian in those first initial days and weeks will help him feel secure with us.

5. How old is Kirk?

He is 5 years old.

6. Is that his real name? / Will you re-name him?

No, Kirk is not his birth name. We do know his birth name, but cannot share it publicly. We will keep his birth name as part of his name, but we haven't yet decided what we will call him.

7. How are you paying for the adoption?

Fundraising. We are working on local fundraisers, as well as at least one more on-line fundraiser, which I'm really excited about and will blog about soon. Although we're opening ourselves up for criticism by 'asking' for donations from others, it's our prayer that God will burden certain individuals to give what He calls them to give. Ultimately, it is HE who provides, and we're confident in that.

One thing we haven't been asked is why? That's a question deserving a whole separate post.

Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask here in the comments or send me an email.

Blessings!

Shannon

Glitches, Gifts, and Mysteries Solved

2011-04-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry, this is a long one, but quite a story!

What a roller coaster ride it's been the past 24 hours.

We are asked on almost a daily basis how things are progressing with the adoption. It's so encouraging to know we are not alone in this journey. There have been ups and downs to the process... I've said before it's a 'hurry up and wait' cycle. We've had some hurdles along the way, but no major glitches... until yesterday...

There were two things we had been waiting for, and I had been watching the mailbox daily. One, was my State Police Clearance from the crime records office in Austin, TX. We received Jeff's last week, but not mine, and we had been fingerprinted on the same day.

The other thing we were waiting on- our passports. Of course, we're not traveling anytime soon, but we need our passport numbers to fill out at least a dozen documents to be notarized and included in our dossier.

Yesterday, when the mail came and still there was nothing, I had a feeling I needed to address each issue by calling and talking to someone, instead of waiting for another mail day to come and go.

The kind woman at the crime records office took just a moment looking at my account and said she didn't know what happened, but there had been a 'glitch.' I didn't know what that meant, but she apologized and said they would mail my clearance to me the following day.

That was easy. Whew! {Did I mention I really don't like talking on the phone?}

Now to find out what was going on with our passports. I had received an email stating that they would be mailed to us via overnight shipping 'on or around' the 22nd. Since yesterday was the 26th, I sensed something was wrong.

Over an hour later, after some tracking online, and two phone calls to the Passport Service Center, I was loading up the kids into the car to head to the post office. Our passports had been delivered.... somewhere, last Wednesday, but not to our house. We were headed to the post office in hopes that they had either been left there, or sent back there after wrong delivery.

Upon arriving at the post office, I prayed aloud for our situation, gave the girls the usual talk (stay right by Mommy; don't touch anything, etc...) climbed over the console to get out the passenger side door (remember our driver-side door has been broken for almost 2 years) and decided not to use the stroller for Carson, and just carry him on my hip instead.

At the door, a nice young man held open the door for us, and smiled. I thought, I know him from somewhere, but then the thought was lost as I guided the girls past the post office boxes and into the mailroom without too much twirling and dancing around, as they are want to do.

Within a moment, it was our turn at the counter, and I explained the situation to the mail clerk. She whisked off to the back with our tracking number, in search of our lost passports. I waited. It seemed like such a long wait. I'm pretty sure I didn't hold my breath the whole time, or I would have fainted.

The girls tried to be still. They started fidgeting, twirling, hanging on the counter. Maggie spelled out words she saw on signs everywhere and asked me what different signs said. They oo'ed and ah'ed over pictures of postage stamps.

I became aware of the long line of people quietly waiting behind us. We waited and I prayed. And I held my breath some more. I adjusted Carson on my arm, who was also starting to fidget, and realized that my arm was damp. I regretted carting him off in just a onesie, as now his soiled diaper was leaking, ever-so-slightly on to my arm. Are you kidding me? I hoped no one noticed.

I also hoped no one noticed that I had failed to brush my girls' hair after they got up from their naps. Furthermore, I hoped they didn't notice that I left the house in a T-shirt and shorts that didn't match. I decided to pretend that the line of people behind me wasn't there. We continued to wait.

Finally, the clerk emerged from the back... empty-handed. The package had been delivered and that was that. Albeit, delivered to the wrong house, but there was nothing they could do. She took my cell number and promised to talk to the mail carrier who delivers express mail. Maybe she would remember where she left the packages.

I arrived home feeling defeated, and wanting to cry. I made the kids a snack, and as they sat down to eat, there was a knock on the door.

I opened the door to find the same familiar-looking guy who held the door for us at the post office. He handed me a sealed, un-addressed mailer and said, "I'm supposed to give this to you." My head was lost in a cloud of confusion, and I could hardly muster a "thank you" before he was walking away.

I closed the door and opened the mailer.

Inside was.... not our passports.... but around $100 in cash.

What a crazy afternoon. I was definitely confused, but the unexpected visit left a smile on my face, where moments earlier I was holding back tears...

This morning, the express mail delivery woman was on my doorstep, and cheerfully ready to help. She remembered exactly where the passports were delivered... to my neighbor two-doors down... and by early afternoon, I had our passports in hand! Praise the Lord!

Me, thrilled to pieces after getting our passports.

Oh, and I finally realized who the familiar-looking mystery visitor was - a friend of ours from our former church. He was in our home group and has visited in our home, for goodness sakes - I felt like such a dork for not recognizing him immediately! Their sweet family has always been such a blessing to us, and yesterday was no exception. I guess he watched us at the mail counter and had pity on us - haha! It's more likely that the Lord just laid it on his heart to bless us, especially since I have been praying for the Lord to lay on individual hearts to give towards our adoption when it's the right time.

Maybe if our passports hadn't been mis-delivered, causing me to visit the post office at that very hour - maybe our friend wouldn't have had the opportunity to bless us. I don't know. But I do know what I always say - God is sovereign. And He has control over all things, great and small.

Sometimes it's the little trials in life that test whether we really believe what we say.

This Easter

2011-04-23T20:46:00.001-07:00

It's late Saturday night as I write this. The night before my favorite day of the year - Easter. I could cry, I'm so happy that it's Easter. It never loses it's excitement for me. I am filled up to overflowing with praise and gratitude.

Last night, we attended a traditional Seder meal at church, and learned so much about the traditional passover meal of the Israelites. What rich history. And I will post about that later.

I always anticipate Easter morning. What an unspeakably, immeasurable gift the Father has bestowed on us. I wake up every Easter morning and want to shout He is Risen! I cannot keep silent. With every fiber of my being, I feel the chorus,

Did the grass sing?

Did the earth rejoice to feel you again?

Over and over, like a trumpet underground,

Did the earth seem to pound, He is Risen!?

Over and over, in a never ending round

He is risen - Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Every Easter I wish that for just one day I had the voice of Sandi Patti to belt out that tune so that the gratitude and joy in my heart would have an adequate outlet. I feel like the magnificent miracle and gift of what Easter means will just make me burst from the inside out.

Thank you , Father. Thank you, Jesus!

Every Easter it's the same. But this Easter is different. This Easter is the last one that Kirk will spend without a family. It's the last Easter that he will wake up with probably no knowledge of the God who created him, or the Savior who bought him with a price. This Easter will be the very last one that he will wake up without hope. Because next Easter, that will all have changed.

Praise God. Hallelujah.

What an incredible gift the Father has bestowed on us.

Lessons from the Coffee Shop Potty

2011-04-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Something happened tonight, after church, on our 7 1/2 minute drive back to our house (yes, we pretty much live close to everything important - church, the mall, Doc's office, Target, several Mexican restaurants, the grocery store, 3 coffee shops, and even our small airport - all in a 10-mile radius.) We dragged the kids away from friends, Maggie telling me she didn't get to play with anyone as I buckled her into her booster seat. I reminded that she did, in fact get to play with a ton of friends.

When all 3 kiddos were secured, and Jeff climbed over the console from the passenger side into the driver seat (our driver-side door has been broken for almost 2 years) and I was buckling my own seat belt, my sweet husband asked me what any exhausted man would ask his exhausted wife on a Wednesday night after church - do you want to stop for some coffee on the way home?

He knows it's music to my ears. A special rendezvous through the java drive through...

As we were pulling into the parking lot of the coffee shop, Maggie announced from the back seat that she had to 'tee tee'. (That's the lingo around our house.) I sighed and asked if she could wait until we got home. "Well, I have to tee tee really bad," came the small voice from behind my seat.

Very well, then.

Jeff parked the car and we quickly devised a plan. I would take her inside while he and the other two tackled the drive-thru and they would pull around and pick us up.

Once in the freezing cold establishment (why is it always freezing? It's not a Baskin-Robins for crying out loud) the strong aroma of freshly ground coffee beans hit me as I turned the corner with Maggie to take her to the restroom. Upon setting her on the 'potty' I waited.

Nothing happened for a few seconds. And then she said, "Um, I think I was just joking."

I refrained from saying, "girl, I know you di'in."

A conversation ensued in which I asked Maggie several questions and finally she admitted that she lied to me in the car. She was visibly upset. I told her she would have to pay the consequences for lying (spank from Daddy) and talked to her about what the Bible says about lying.

Once outside, we were holding hands, standing on the sidewalk, waiting for Jeff to drive around and pick us up. I told her she would have to tell Daddy that she lied- that we always want her to tell us when she has lied to us. I talked to her about trust, and how when she lies to us, it breaks our trust.

Minutes later, after I buckled her back into her seat and we were on the road again, she said, "Daddy, I'm sorry. I lied to Mommy." I explained what happened, and Jeff again explained to her that she would have a consequence to pay, and that lying is sin.

It sounded so black and white when he said it. Lying is a sin. I was struck by how we as adults often rationalize the lies that we sometimes tell...

Lilly piped up from the back seat, "Daddy, does Maggie have a sinful heart?"

Jeff: "Well, we all have sinful hearts."

Maggie: "Why do we all have sinful hearts?"

Me: "That's a good question, Maggie... it's because of what happened with Adam & Eve in the garden... do you remember what God told them?"

Maggie: "Do not eat that fruit."

Jeff: "That's right..."

By the time we were pulling into the driveway, we were talking with them once again about sin, and how the Bible says sin was birthed into the world through Adam and Eve,... and the need for our Savior Jesus... and how Jesus came and died to cover our sin.... and that's why we celebrate Easter!

With all the bunnies and eggs and chocolates we've been surrounded by this season, I've had ample opportunity to tell the girls, "Easter isn't about a bunny, it's about when Jesus died for us and rose from the grave..."

But sometimes, it takes a "little white lie" in the coffee shop parking lot to really bring it home.

How Much is This Gonna Cost?

2011-04-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked us how much it's going to cost to bring Kirk home. And do we just need that amount before we travel so we can just hand it all over to the agency in exchange for our son?

There are so many costs involved in an international adoption, and we're depending on the LORD to provide, but He often does so through generous & faithful friends (and strangers we've never met.) We want folks to have a more clear picture of the breakdown of adoption-costs, so they know their donations are being put to good use. So here's what it looks like:

Estimated Cost to Bring Kirk Home:

$1100 - Homestudy (this figure is often much higher)

$364 - Passport Renewal & Expedited Service (We need them quickly b/c we must provide our passport #s on many of our documents we're preparing.)

$1000 - Immigration Application & Fingerprinting

$7500 - Flights

$10,000 - Facilitator Fees

$600 Kirk's Passport

$550 Visa & Medical for Kirk

$3000 - Lodging in Kirk's Country for 4-5 Weeks

$800 - Food & Other Supplies in Kirk's Country for 4-5 Weeks

$2500 - Transportation in country 4-5 weeks

$1500 Orphanage Donation / Dossier Prep costs

Again, these are estimated costs, based on families who have gone before us through Reece's Rainbow, adopting from Kirk's Country. We may be able to cut costs in some places, or some things may be more expensive (like flight fare when it's time for us to travel!!). But this is our goal.

And no, we don't just collect our adoption costs and hop on the plane... each of these costs has to be paid along the way, as tasks are completed. For example, we paid $1100 last week for our homestudy... two weeks ago, we paid the passport fees... and this week we'll be paying the $1000 immigration application costs!!

So please pray with us that the Lord will provide. And watch with us as the RED on that thermometer grows!

Have a Blessed Sunday Afternoon!

Shannon

Winners

2011-04-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

Thank you all for spreading the word, and contributing to our Kick-Off for Kirk Giveaway. Because of God's provision and your generosity, we are well on our way to bringing Kirk home.

Here are the winners:

Set of 6 Handmade Dishrags

Winner: Krystal McCullough

Handmade Soap & Lotion Bar

Winner: Katie Arceneaux King

Thermal Tote by Thirty-One Gifts

Winner: Amanda Rhodes

Beautiful Mod Wreath

Winner: Lydia Miller

Congrats, gals! Email me so I can send your prizes!!

Thanks again, everyone... and have a great day!

TONIGHT!

2011-04-13T13:29:00.001-07:00

Today is the last chance for anyone wanting to get their name in the hat for our drawing!! See that ChipIn over there, on the right-hand side of the blog? Our goal for our Kick-Off for Kirk - our very first fundraiser - is $5,000. We're still far from that goal, but look how much we've raised already? God is so good!

If any of you would like to help, we would really appreciate you spreading the word before this Kick-Off ends at midnight tonight! If you want to share it on Facebook or post about it on your blog link back to our blog and make sure your friends know to get their name in before midnight! Thank you so, so much!

Wanna see the prizes we have left? I thought so...

Set of 6 Hand-made Cotton Dish Rags

My 'honorary' niece Haley made some of these for me, and it took me weeks to actually put them to use because they are so pretty. The winner won't actually get MY used dishrags, but will get to choose from a few sets like the one pictured here.

Handmade Soap & Lotion Bar

These were made by Yours Truly. The soap is hot-process with pure ingredients, including coconut oil and olive oil. The lotion bar is great for rough spots like heels and elbows. Jeffrey and I each have one stashed in our beside tables. Our family motto is Hazletons love to share... but maybe it doesn't apply to lotion bars.

Thermal Tote by Thirty-One Gifts

We love our thermal tote, and the 'Cheeky Elephant' print is perfect for my crew. But the winner will choose their own print and personalization.

Beautiful Mod Wreath

My friend Meagan is a super-crafter and her home is filled with beautiful things made with her own hands... She made this wreath and I really wanted to keep it for myself, but it will go to one blessed winner of our drawing in the Kick-Off for Kirk Fundraiser!

How to Win:

- If you haven't already, make a donation using our ChipIn

- For another entry, share on your blog or FB, link back here to our blog, and then leave me a comment letting me know so I can put you down for an additional entry

Drawing Ends:

Midnight tonight. Then we will draw one name for each prize. Think we won't be up after midnight? Oh yes, we will. Remember the Great Paperwork Sea? Yeah.

Winners Will Be Announced:

Here, tomorrow (Thursday) morning!!

Good luck... tell your friends...

Spasiba, Ya'll!

Shannon