More Little Steps

This week we finished our 10 hours of required training. I like to joke a little that I guess the last 3 years of adoptive parenting haven't counted:) While finishing up our training, which was a webinar, I folded little girl clothes. Mostly 4-5t. I've experienced baby showers...getting cute clothes to put your new baby in, and folding them neatly in preparation for the new little person that will fill them. It was sort of a similar experience, though these were Lu's hand-me-downs. It was fun to look at all the sweet little girl things A will wear. It's a way of feeling connected with her, the only way I can, for now.

Today we update our homestudy, which is just another of many steps in the paper chase. We're going to spend the cleaning and organizing, and it is just great timing because then on Sunday we host for Easter! Our new social worker comes here and we all chat (there will be a nice long movie time for the kids.) Then she updates the "story of our family" or homestudy, and gives us a list of documents to gather.

This updating process will involve a $1500 fee. Again, it's another big bill that we can cover, thanks in part, to timely donations.

Please continue to pray that more funds come in. We have fundraisers coming soon, but we will have big bills due before then. And by the time we submit our dossier (some time this summer) we will need to have $15,000 to cover all the rest of the international fees (this does not include travel.)

I know a lot of times we complain that adoption is too expensive, the costs are too high. But really, when you break it all down, a good part of the money is going to help care for our girl and to provide aid for the orphanage. Some goes to the government, and some to the agency, but not all. And our agency is very transparent about where all there money goes, so I truly believe that every penny is needed and justifiable. If you would like to help, please feel free to donate any amount by clicking the donate button to your right. Thank you.

Other ways to help:

Coin Buckets!!!

The Puzzle Project

The Latest

Well, we've seen the beginnings of better weather and the snow is gone. Praise the Lord! Another praise, our passport applications are in!!!

I was a bit nervous to do this, as it is so important (and expensive!) Thankful that everything went smoothly and it's done!

In facing the reality of the finances, dealing with other things that come up in life, and figuring out this whole passport situation with kids and forms, and printers not printing, and me making mistakes and having to re-do forms, then sitting down to do our training at 9 p.m. after a long day, I've been stressed! Finn has a sedated procedure coming on Tuesday, my house is in shambles, and the snow melting was wonderful, but revealed a ton of work we need to do cleaning up. I am concerned that from the outside looking in, we're crazy to attempt this huge, huge thing called international adoption.

But in considering this, I took a step back, and what I see is a sweet little girl, who I happened to find, who is not 100% healthy, who has no mama. And she needs me. And it's so beyond worth it. For her precious soul, it's an honor to do this. It's hard, yes. It's illogical, yes. But if we use our hearts and our eternity-seeing eyes, it makes all the sense in the world.

And if you ask my kids, they have a sister in Uganda. Or "Nuganda" as Harry terms it. She's their sister, the boys either identify her by her name, or by saying "sitter" (sister.) In my kids hearts, there are no questions about it. A is prayed for every night by daddy and boys, mama and LuLu, and she's going to be enjoying the longed for bunkbeds that LuLu now has a perfect right to expect.

Adoption is expensive, and yes, some aspects of it do seem ridiculously difficult. It's not the perfect solution, but for this 3 year old girl, it's the only solution possible.

And it is inconvenient to fundraise, and I know, it's not always convenient to give. And it won't make us richer, or less stressed, or anything like that. And it certainly won't really help you at all, to give to the adoption of this little girl. But imagine you were her. Living with next to nothing, not even family, and imagine how you would feel if a bunch of people in the USA pulled together to bring you somewhere safe, warm, loving and welcoming. Imagine that.

It makes me want to give everything for her, of course, because she is, or will be mine, but I know it moves your heart as well as mine. It's life-changing, to help kids like A. This is real, it may not be at our doorstep, but it doesn't make her need any less real. And ultimately, we're all part of the same race, the same family. Just because distance and a few bits of DNA separate us does not mean we aren't obligated, in some way, to help the motherless and fatherless of our world. This is my desperate, deepest desire.

Looking ahead, some prayer requests and things to be mindful of for us:

~Homestudy meeting coming up next Friday
~Finn's sedated ABR
~Reaching our first fundraising goal of $1600 ($1058 left to raise) which will allow us to pay the next 2 big fees, and reaching our ultimate goal of $23,000 total.
~Praise that our passport fees ($600) and our first professional services fee to our agency ($2700) is fully covered. God is good, and we see Him working through you!!!

Fundraiser #2!!!!

In conjunction with The Puzzle Project, which will be ongoing till we bring Alma home, we are introducing "Help Change a Life" coin buckets...

We have $1281 to go before we reach our first fundraising goal of $1600!!!



You could leave this on your kitchen counter, dresser, in your office at work, at a local business that you frequent, in your car etc...

Please let me know if you want one! When it's full let us know and we'll be happy to pick it up! All donations will go directly to bringing A home from Uganda.

First Official Fundraiser To Bring Alma Home From Uganda!!!!

The Puzzle Project!!


There are 1,000 pieces, and our goal is $23,000. Suggested donation amount is $23 or more. For each donation, we will put a name (yours) on the back of a puzzle piece (or however many pieces you choose to "buy") and when complete, it will mean that we can bring A home. The puzzle will be framed so that the front and back will be on display! You can either click "donate" or mail a check/give cash. Email me at Chicamia84@msn.com for address.


Our first goal, in the next month, would be to raise about $1600. That's what we're short for the first batch of BIG fees.

Please know we hate asking for money. The only time we ever have is to bring our kids home (this is our 3rd adoption.) We're pouring all our savings and pinching every penny, but it's not going to be enough. Alma has sickle cell anemia and has been in an orphanage most of her life. So please, please give what you can!

If you don't have any money (or just want to do more), and want to help consider these options...

~Share our blog! It has very, very few views, and I'm working on finding out ways to improve that BUT...you can share it on your facebook page, and that would be a HUGE help!!!

~Ask for a coin donation bucket, we're making them (photos to come) and you could ask your boss to put one in the office, keep one in your home, car, wherever loose change might be!

~Pass out our adoption cards. I always have some with me, or I will happily mail some out!

~PRAY! We appreciate this the most, as all things belong to Him anyway:)

What We've Been Up To...

Since finding out this amazing, life-changing news about Alma, we have been busy. For those who may wonder what our adoption process is looking like so far, take a peek into our frenzy...

1. The day I found out we were expecting Church kid #4, I began filling out applications. One for our placement agency (Carolina Adoption Services) and one for our homestudy agency (God's Children Adoption Agency.) It took me a total of around 3 hours to do both.

2. Along with the GCAA application, we had to include our fingerprints, which had to be done at the police station. Thankfully, there's always a helpful officer on duty no matter what time you show up. We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was quick!

3. We've also been planning fundraisers.

We ordered our 1,000 piece photo puzzle, that will be a visual reminder of how each donation puts more pieces of the "puzzle" (which is a huge photo of our little Alma)of our adoption together. You can donate $23 to have a piece dedicated to you, and when framed it will be double sided, so we get to see all the love that was poured out that helped bring her home. (Photos to come)

Another thing we did (I keep saying we, I should be saying I, many adoptive moms, I think, can relate!!!!) was order a 250 business type cards with our adoption info and blog address on it, so if you would like a stack to pass out, or just one to keep in your purse or on your fridge, let me know!!

The ice cream social is being planned! The date will most likely be a Friday in May! It should be super fun and is open to all!

We're going to be making change collectors, to be placed in homes, offices, businesses, anywhere where someone might be so kind as to throw some lose change into a jar (photos to come). When it's full, just let us know and we'll come pick it up! If you would like a container or two, let me know and I'll get it to you ASAP!!

4. There is one adoption grant I can apply for, and plan to apply for more. Our experience with this in the past has been pretty great, however, most will not allow us to apply till we have our updated homestudy, which we will not have for at least a few weeks. Most of the fees will be due before we'll ever hear back about grants, so we are just not going to count on that for right now. But it could help with travel fees, which could be up to $16,000 total.

We were very blessed to receive two very generous donations just within the first few days of finding out about our new daughter. To those who have given and plan to give, we cannot thank you enough. Thank you and God Bless you!


If you haven't already, please share our blog with your friends. The more who know, the more that can be involved through support and prayer and...

Other ways to help...

~pass out our adoption cards
~place a coin donation collector in your home, office, workplace etc.
~pray, pray and pray some more!!!!
~volunteer for the ice cream social coming in May

Quick Prayer Request

So in looking over our fee structure, I have found hope and a challenge. Please spread the word and pray for us. I'm not asking those to give who can't, but being willing to help in any way you can (volunteering, praying, passing out our adoption cards) as we set about earning the "ransom" for our daughter will be a wonderful blessing to us and her.

Looking over what is due and when, I realized that the bulk of the fees will be due in a rather short amount of time. The first set of fees we have ALMOST covered, praise the LORD! And by the time our dossier(all the documents that will go to Uganda) is ready to be submitted, all the rest of the fees, aside from what we will need for travel, will be due. So, in the next three months, we need to raise about $7,000-$8,000.

The good news is that the rest of the time we would only have to raise funds for travel, probably around $10,000-$16,000. Still a large amount of money, but really the last third of our fundraising needs.

SO, please pray that the fundraising that we do is blessed!! We are thinking of doing an ice cream social at our church, but are sure of NO details yet. We're just praying about what would be fun for our church and community to participate in, but that would also be beneficial in bringing our girl HOME!!!

Also, we are putting together a photo puzzle of Alma. If you wish to have a piece dedicated to you/your family you can donate $23 (it's a 1,000 piece puzzle)and your name will go on the back. When we're fully funded, the puzzle will be totally finished, framed front and back so we can see all those who have contributed. If you would like to "buy" a puzzle piece, please click the donate button on the right or email me at Chicamia84@msn.com for our mailing address to send a check, or for any questions.

We're Expecting...To Bring Home A Girl!

Hello Family and Friends,
We are thrilled to announce that our prayers for a 4th child have been answered! On February 14th I saw a photo of a little girl in Uganda. I wrote a letter to her orphanage and waited for 2.5 weeks to hear back. We were the only family inquiring, but they wanted to be very sure about us. When I saw the email in my inbox saying for me to call Allie, the Uganda adoption worker with CAS, my heart began pounding and I was literally shaking, not knowing what the news was going to be.

The call was brief but contained wonderful news. It's a girl!!!!

"A" is 3 years old. She's never really known what it's like to have a mama and daddy. She has sickle cell anemia, which makes her life harder, but not necessarily shorter. She looks like a sweet, darling little girl. I can't wait to meet her. I can't wait to be her mom.

As you can see, if you take a gander to the right, we have lots of work to do. We need some prayer warriors out there to take up our cause, because aside from a whole pile of money to raise, we have lots of paperwork to get through (I've done about 2-3 hours worth since we got the news....yesterday.) However, we are absolutely convinced that if this little girl is meant for our family, the Lord will show up in amazing ways, giving us strength for the journey and the keys we need to open each door. He is good, and He is great. We're praising Him for this hope-filled answer to prayer.


To make a donation that will go directly towards adoption fees and/or travel please click the donate button at the top right hand side of the page, or email me at chicamia84@msn.com.