Hats, hats, hats!

I have been pretty busy making hats lately. I just completed an order for 18 hats! I am so thankful that people are ordering hats to help us with adoption fees. What a blessing! I have had a blast choosing styles and colors. Here are some pictures of the hats I have made:

I will have more hats to add next week. I have been working on Ear flap hats, slouch hats and animal hats. Check out my Etsy site: Harebell Handmade http://www.etsy.com/shop/HarebellHandmade?ref=ss_profile

Hats range from 10-20 dollars. All proceeds go towards our adoption costs. If you live near me just text or email and we can do a direct sale and avoid the shipping!

It's a Jeep thing!

Aaron on his run bike!

I took Aaron to a pump track today. It's a park designed for bmx and this one includes some trials-riding obstacles.  As I recall, it was also the first time he rode his bike off pavement (other than the rocks and grass along our driveway), so it was quite exciting for him.  We had it to ourselves for the most part and Aaron was quite enthralled.  I had my phone with me, so here is some video of him on the bumps. Enjoy.

Edit: I tried to fix a couple of the videos and add one of Aaron riding a "skinny."

So Much Can Change in a Year

It's incredible how much can change in a year. I think back to this time of year last year, and I am amazed. This time last year I was seeing four different doctors for three different reasons. How our family would grow was quite uncertain. Adoption was in the back of my mind, but didn't seem like a possibility for the near future. My how quickly things can change. Especially when God has a plan!

The fall season is here once again. This year we are waiting for approval from the US to adopt and then we will send our request (and lots of paperwork) to Uganda. Our family will soon be growing! The only doctors visits any of us have had is to ensure that we are in good health and that we will be able to parent an adopted child.  What a difference a year can make. 

A lot of people have been asking for updates on our adoption. I just love that so many are interested in our adoption journey and how everything is going. It means so much to us that people are interested! Things are moving along. Sometimes it seems slow, but progress is being made!  

John and I had more fingerprints taken, this time in Denver. Don't ask me why we needed more fingerprints done and why we had to go to Denver this time. It is somewhat of a joke in international adoption. It's pretty much the exact same thing we had to do for the homestudy, just in Denver and much much more expensive! Oh well, just another hoop to jump through I guess.

Currently we are working on preparing our dossier. The dossier is a a whole bunch of official papers that we send to the Ugandan government. It includes copies of our homestudy, birth certificates, our marriage license, passports, letters from our doctors, letters of reference, proof of employment, photos of our home and family, and our approval from the US government to adopt. Everything must be notarized as well. 

The next fee is $3000 to send the dossier. Once we send in the dossier, we will be told what number we are on the list. Then we wait for a referral for a child! We will not have another fee until we accept a referral. It can take months or possibly a year plus to receive a referral. I can't imagine how excited we will be to finally have a picture of our son or daughter!

Thanks to the amazing generosity of our friends and family, we have what we need to send in our dossier! What a blessing. We had a garage sale in September. Our friends donated a lot of great items and we were able to raise $760 dollars! Just a couple of weeks ago our sweet friends asked that donations be made towards our adoption in lieu of gifts for their daughter's birthday. The Hill's raised $200 dollars (thank you everyone who donated!!) which turned out to be right about what we needed to order certified copies of birth certificates/marriage license etc!! Praise God!

Here is another break down of the fiances:

Donations: $9170

Fundraisers (coffee, hats, garage sale): $977

Total raised: $10,147

Out of pocket: $5819

Adoption cost is estimated at $27,000+

Only about $11,000 more to go! All the glory to God!

Again, thank you to our family and friends. This adoption WOULD NOT 

be possible without your generosity. Words can not express what 

your support means to us!

Fall on the Western Slope

Aaron and I enjoyed another extended weekend out west. John was hunting with a friend. We drove most of the way together, after dropping John off Aaron and I continued west to spend time with my parents. We all had a great time. 

Aaron enjoyed lots of play time with Nan and Pops, the pumpkin patch/corn maze, hiking, movies and football. My mom and I were able to get out for a bike ride. We enjoyed lots of great meals; grouper fingers, Chicken Tikka Masala... mmm! It went too fast as always.

Pops and Aaron bouncing

Pops had to go down the slide too

He looks uncertain, but he loved riding the pony!

Aaron and two of his favorite people!

Hiking!

It was a wet and cold hunting trip for John this year. He didn't get an elk this time.  However, just being in the beautiful mountains is enough for him. His buddy got one, so there was still plenty of work to do!

One particularly frosty morning, he spotted a very large bull from around a tree. The huge animal looked up at the same time and immediately bolted.  In his haste to raise his gun, he forgot to take his  glove off and away it went. John described the elk as ghost-like. After telling me the story, we both agreed it was fitting that such a majestic animal got away.  Just seeing them in their habitat is amazing.

Happy Fall!!

A Lovely Evening for a Hike

Last night we hiked Arthur's Rock Trail in Lory State Park. It's just over a mile but the trail gains about 1000ft elevation in that mile. Although short, it is a moderate hike because it's steep. Towards the top, there is a beautiful view of Horsetooth Reservoir. 

It was a nice cool evening and the fall colors were really pretty. Winter seems to be just around the corner. We didn't quite make it to the top, Aaron was starting to get tired and the temperature was dropping. As we hiked down the sun was setting and we saw some deer grazing. 

Once again Aaron has proved to be an awesome little hiker! He really seems to love hiking. It is wonderful to go out and do something all three of enjoy. He loved climbing on the rocks and jumping off logs. He pretended to be a dog for part of the hike. He even barked at strangers! Hopefully our next little one will like hiking too!

After our hike we had dinner at Mt. Everest Cafe. The food is really good. It was the perfect place to eat after being out in the cold. Pretty much a perfect evening in my book!

He's actually going pretty fast

Helping Mama over the rocks :)

He really wanted to stand on the tallest rock

Heading back down

A very pretty evening

Photos by my wonderful husband! 

Adoption Update and Generosity

When we first began this journey, we truly had no idea how the finances would work. I felt God was saying that He could take care of the money. John and I decided to step out in faith. Not all the money is due at once, the fees are paid at different times. We decided to save and raise funds in order to pay for our adoption. We knew God could provide and are excited to to see His faithfulness in action.

Some incredible things have happened in the last month. God has provided through some very, very generous donations. Donations that have left us speechless. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would receive such generous donations to our adoption fund. It has taken me days to write "thank you's" to these people because I keep tearing up as I write.

It is humbling that our friends and family care so much and want to help.  It is inspiring that there are people around us that are this generous. It is also encouraging, and confirms that what we are doing is truly the will of God. He will fund what he favors. Wow.

I believe we will learn so much in this process; lessons that will carry into other areas of our lives.  God is not only teaching us that he can provide, but also inspiring us to be more generous.  John and I see that there are areas in which we can grow. I think being more generous with what God has given us is one of them.

We still have a ways to go. There are some big fees ahead. However, it feels more in reach. We are staring to feel like the financial side of adoption can happen. We currently have all the money we need to pay the next fee that is due! Amazing!

God has blessed John and I with such incredible friends and family. The love and support we have seen already is so wonderful.  I am so glad we will bring our little home to such a great community of family and friends. 

To our dear family and friends: There is no way we could do this without all of you! Thank you so much!

Here is a little break down of where we are at with the finances of our adoption:

Donations: $6,980

Fundraisers (coffee, hats): $85

Total raised: $7065

Out of pocket: $5819

Adoption cost is estimated at $27,000

Only $14,100 left to go! We are nearing the half way point! YAY!  Praise the Lord!

Next fee due is $3000. It is for the dossier which is a massive collection of documentation that is sent to the Ugandan government.  The fee will be due in a month or two.

I plan to begin applying for grants and doing some more fundraising soon. Once our homestudy is approved by the state we can begin applying for grants.  It's a lot of work but very exciting too. We have some neat things in mind for fundraisers! A lot of our friends have already offered to help us out with fundraising. Check back soon for more details about these.  We are so excited about all that God is doing!

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ~Eph 3:20-21

Eight years

It's hard to believe eight years have already gone by! I couldn't ask for a better husband. I am so glad God brought us together and that I get to call you my Johnny. Thank you for your patience, understanding and your unconditional love. You are a wonderful dad to our little guy. Your faith in God is unwavering and inspiring.

We have been on some wonderful adventures together. This next year or so will be one of our biggest adventures yet, adopting our second child! I look forward to many more adventures with you!

Pensacola, Fl 2005

Blue John Canyon, Utah 2006

West Bench Trail, Grand Mesa Colorado 2007

Triple Bypass 2007

Our little guy 2009

Moab trip 2011

Jeep Birthday party!

Aaron loves jeeps. When I asked what kind of Birthday he wanted, I wasn't surprised when he told me he wanted a jeep party. As it turns out, there isn't a lot of jeep stuff out there so I had to get a little creative.

My friend made the invites for me! I absolutely love them!

 For decorations we did balloons, a banner I made and little jeeps/trucks that my mom found at the dollar store. It turned out well. The most fun was the cake. I didn't want to try to make a jeep shaped cake. I decided to make a mountain/hill shape and have jeeps driving up it. I had a blast putting in together! The wonderful thing about a hill cake is that perfection doesn't matter!  

And of course, presents! Our little guy loved opening his presents. Our family and friends were vary generous and got him some really neat things! Trains, jeeps, puzzles, recycling trucks... all the things Aaron loves. 

What really made the party wonderful was all of our family and friends. We are blessed beyond words with the most amazing family and friends who are like family. We could not possibly ask for more!

Because so many asked, here is the recipe for Fudge Buttermilk Cake. My mom gave me the recipe, and it is really good cake! Easy too! The only thing is that it does tend to fall in the middle. Oh well, adding more icing will do the trick ;)

Fudge Buttermilk Cake:

2 cups sugar
1 cup salad oil
2 unbeaten eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
5 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add all ingredients in order given. Beat for two minutes. Batter will be thin.

Bake in a 9x13 cake pan at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until done.

Fudge Frosting:

1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift sugar, mix with cocoa and salt. Add water and butter. Blend well. Add vanilla and blend together.

Hope you enjoy it!

Happy third Birthday Aaron!

We have a three year old! He has been acting like a three year old for a while now, but today it's official. It's been said thousands of times, but it has gone so fast. It's hard to believe it's been three years since he became a part of the family. Aaron has been such a blessing. The best gift God has ever given us!

Aaron continues to be an active and silly little boy. He has a very strong will at times which can be a challenge. A good friend of mine said it better than I can. This will be our prayer for Aaron: that his strong will now will become a Godly strong will later.

We are amazed and blessed by his bright, fun personality. He is developing quite the sense of humor. Aaron also loves the outdoors. Weather it's just our backyard or going for a hike in the mountains, he is happiest when outside. It's wonderful to see our little guy loving the outdoors the way John and I do.

The food allergies we have dealt with for the last couple of years are improving. Aaron now eats everything except peanuts and tree nuts. What a change from having to avoid milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and shellfish. We truly enjoy watching him eat a bowl of ice cream. Praise God that he has outgrown so many allergies!

The things Aaron asks and talks about are becoming more complex. The other day he was playing with his trucks. We heard him say something about adoption. John asked what he meant. He said: "My trucks adopted a baby girl, her name is Madalyn". Our friends daughter's name is Madalyn which must be where Aaron got the name. We thought that was pretty cute! It's good to hear him talking about adoption too!

Aaron is becoming more and more helpful. It's really nice to be able to ask him to help me something like feeding the dog and off he'll run to go do it. He loves his chickens and is a great help with them. Often I'll tell him to round them up and put them back in the coop. Aaron is very loving towards his animals!

John and I look forward to Aaron's forth year and watching him grow and learn. We are so excited to watch him become a big brother. We know he will be an awesome older brother and a great influence on his brother or sister. He is an amazing little guy and we are so blessed to be his parents!

For his Birthday we went to a near by town to ride the train. It's a fun little train that is modeled after a steam engine and operated by the Lions's club. Then our friends came over for dinner. I made noodles, which are Aaron's favorite. We had a jello dessert with candles. He loved blowing his candles out! It was a fun day. The big party is this weekend. Lots of friends and family are coming over for Aaron's jeep party. It should be a good time!

Happy birthday, Aaron! We love you!

Crested Butte 2012

I can't believe it has taken me this long to write about our Crested Butte trip! We had another wonderful trip to Crested Butte this year! Crested Butte is my family's favorite mountain town. There is so much to love about the area. Gorgeous views, lots of hiking and mountain biking, a quaint downtown with plenty of fantastic restaurants. 

The only sad part was that John was too swamped at work to join all of us. As much fun as we had, I kept wishing he was with us! Thank you John for working hard to provide for our family! You are a hard worker and wonderful husband. I appreciate your selflessness and that you were happy for Aaron and I to have a good time. We love you!

My brother rode with Aaron and I. It is a 6 1/2 hour drive for us so I was glad to have the company and the help. The three of us joined my parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles. I was wonderful (as always) to spend time with everyone.  I am so thankful for my wonderful family. It is truly a blessing to be with you all!

We packed in as much fun in as we possibly could! We mountain biked, hiked played games and enjoyed the town. One of the days I was out the door by 7 for a three hour hike. After returning to the house for a quick bit my brother aunt and I were out the door for a mountain bike ride. The funny part is that this pales in comparison to my brother going on three mountain bike rides a day!

Aaron hiked with us one of the days and did awesome! It was a three hour hike and he did most of it on his own. I was especially glad he hiked so far because he is getting heavy to carry in the Deuter pack! I think the pack with him in it weighs about 50lbs so it was great to not have to carry him for long! 

It was a wonderful trip but it went too fast. We are all quite attached to Crested Butte. There are already plans being made for next year. I am already looking forward to it!

Wild flowers! Monks hood, Common harebell, Sneeze weed, Mountain blue bell, Elephant head, Blue flax and Monkey flower. There were not quite as many wild flowers this year due to dry weather.

 Hiking Scarp Ridge with my mom and aunt. It was a beautiful hike on a gorgeous day. From the ridge we could see four mountain ranges! It was amazing.

 Aaron did awesome hiking as usual!

Hats for adoption!

I am quite excited to announce our second adoption fund raiser! I crochet and have been working on making kids hats the last few months. I have made hats for Aaron and also some of my friends kids. When we started our adoption journey it seemed like a great way to raise a little money to pay our adoption fees. I've been quite busy making hats, it's not unusual to find my watching animal documentaries and crocheting in the evenings!

All the proceeds will go towards our adoption costs. I opened an Esty shop, it's called Harebell Handmade.

Girls hats are $16 plus shipping, boys hats are $12 plus shipping and newborn hat/bootie sets are $10 plus shipping. If you live near me or frequently see me, send me a message on facebook or email me and we can skip the ordering/shipping step!

I can do custom orders as well. If you want a hat in certain size/color just use the "contact me" link at the top of the page or convo me through my Esty shop.

Keep checking back, I plan to add more designs and items to my store!

A huge huge thanks to my friends for the use of your beautiful children! 

They make the hats look good :)

Why Uganda?

I've been meaning to write a post about how we chose Uganda. I know a lot of people wonder not only why Uganda but also why International.

It's funny because I hardly even know what to say. If you had told me 8 months ago that I would be in the process of adopting from Africa, I would have explained that you were mistaken. I barely even understand how all of this happened. I'm still surprised that we are really doing this. We're really going to adopt a child from Uganda.

I know what some people are wondering. Aren't there kids without parents right here in America? Why not just adopt a child from this country. Well, yes there are kids that need homes here. I'm not sure there is a right or wrong when it comes to providing homes for children. There is so much need both here and around the world that you really can't go wrong. I have friends that have adopted kids here in the states and that is a beautiful, wonderful thing.

To be honest, the only answer I can give is that this is the path God has put us on. Originally, I thought we would become foster parents and adopt that way. John wasn't as interested in that path and we were both concerned about having to give up placement after placement. We've already experienced a lot of loss (that's another story for another day) and we didn't think we would be up for foster care at this point. I actually feel that there is a really good chance that we will become foster parents at some point down the road. For now we want to adopt, so fostering children is not the best fit for us.

When we spoke with our agency, we did say that if there was an American child that they were having trouble placing to let us know. We would definitely consider such a child. I think we feel called to be more mission minded about adoption. There really isn't much of a need for people to adopt healthy white infants! There is certainly nothing wrong with doing so, in fact it is wonderful; it just isn't where we feel God is leading us.

The need for adoption in Uganda is huge. Adoption isn't the only answer for all of the Ugandan orphans, but it is part of the answer. The AIDS epidemic in Africa along with war has left millions of children without parents. Children die of diseases that are preventable and/or easily treated in America. We feel that not only can we provide a family for one of these children, but we also have the resources to care for a child with special needs and medical conditions.

We didn't set out to adopt a child from another country, but we weren't opposed to it either. And this is where God has led us. It was a lot of little things which added up to become something big. As followers of Christ we should have a heart for all people and all nations.

Isaiah 43 makes me think of international adoption. In the context of the chapter, the Lord is calling collecting the scattered children of Israel back to himself.  However, this verse is applicable to all people because Jesus extended this promise to all people of the earth through his death on the cross and resurrection.  In this way we can all be adopted into God's family.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.  

 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth —

everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made. 

Isaiah 43:5-7

Homestudy approved!

We met with our social worker today. She brought our homestudy so that we could each read it. Our adoption agency has approved our homestudy! John and I weren't too concerned, but it's nice to be able to say we are approved! Now it will be sent to the state so that we can be officially approved by the state of Colorado.

It feels really good to have our homestudy done! We just just received notice that our agency has our application for the Uganda program. We will begin working on our I-600A (Application For Advance Processing of Orphan Petition). Basically it is the government giving us the go ahead to adopt a child internationally.

This journey feels more real with each task we cross off the list. It is wonderful to be making progress!

Our little drummer

Some of you may have already seen this. I want to post it here as well. This is our almost three year old playing the drums. He LOVES to play the drums, especially with Daddy. I think he may have some natural talent...

Depraved indifference

This 8 minute video is really really good. These are a lot of the kinds of thoughts I've had lately. The video does a much better job explaining it than I can! I hope you will watch it!

Do you like coffee?

John and I sure do! We are excited to announce our very first adoption fundraiser. As I mentioned before, adopting is a step out in faith for us. We do not have all of the fees for adoption. We are always looking at ways to save and raise money to help us reach out goal!  We certainly can't do it alone. If you would like to help, here is one way you can!

Simply use the link below for our coffee shop with Just Love Coffee. Then click shop and support. A portion of anything purchased will be donated to our adoption fund. It's quite simple! 

https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/great_big_love/

Adoption takes a village

A dear friend and I were talking yesterday and she said that she really believes that adoption is a community effort. I couldn't agree more. Raising kids in general is not easy, and it takes a village. Adoption is a journey; such a massive undertaking. It really does take a community. Both to bring these kids home and to raise them.

As soon as John and I made the decision to adopt, we knew we would need help. First off, the support of our family and friends. We need our family and friends behind us on the journey and we will continue to need them long after our child is home. 

The very next thing that was glaringly obvious was the expense.  We simply do not have the finances available to pay all of the adoption fees.  Adoption is incredibly expensive. We are estimating that our adoption from Uganda will cost $25,000-$30,000.  There are application fees, homestudy fees, agency fees, orphanage fees and legal fees just to name a few.

Despite the expense, we still feel that we are being called to adopt. The money couldn't be the reason we said no to a child without parents. So we made the decision to step out in faith and ask God to provide the finances. It continues to be a decision each day. It's scary. We have no idea how this will work out. It's uncomfortable. Somehow I suspect this is exactly where we are supposed to be. I believe God is teaching us how fully we can trust him and that He is the Great Provider.

Our hope through this process is that others will see that adoption is doable. It is so common to hear, "I would love to adopt, but I don't have the money." Our prayer is that through our story, other families will see that adoption is within reach. There are an estimated 163,000,000 orphans in the world. I believe especially as followers of Christ we can come together and provide these kids with loving families.

Thankfully we are already experiencing some incredibly encouraging things. Our family and friends are excited. They want to help us. Some by praying, others by offering to help us fund raise, and others by donating products. We have only just started and people want to help! Already, we are amazed at the avenues available to fund an adoption. There are companies that offer opportunities to help perspective adoptive parents raise funds. We plan to apply for as many grants as we can. After our adoption is finalized, we may qualify for a tax credit. All of this gives us so much hope that it can happen!

So, how can you help? Pray for us! Pray for our child and for the adoption process. Ask us about our adoption. We are so excited and love to talk about our adoption journey. Have any good ideas for fundraising? Let's here them! Spread the word about our adoption, tell people about this blog. Please pray and consider donating to our adoption fund. We truly appreciate any help we can get to bring our little boy or girl home!

I will also post information on the support page above. Any fundraisers we do will be posted on the support page as well. 

          

Melbourne Beach, Fl (minus one)

I decided to the name this post based on the fact that although we had a wonderful trip, someone was missing. It was so much fun and so many neat things happened on the trip. However, the void was obvious. One member of our group was missing. My Grandmother, who passed away just days before our arrival. 

She would have loved it. Sitting on the balcony enjoying the view. Laughing at everyone's antics. Marveling at the incredible bond between her first born son and her great-grandson. She was missed greatly. If we had our way, she would have been there. But God had other plans. We are so thankful that although we miss her, she is at peace in her Lord's loving arms. 

It was a terrific trip! We are truly blessed by my parents generosity. They planned the trip, rented the house, bought airline tickets and treated us to some delicious dinners! The house was gorgeous and very fancy. The weather was much better than we thought it would be. Because of tropical storm Debbie, we were expecting a lot of rain. The storm hit our area later than expected so we enjoyed plenty of sunny days. 

Since June is nesting season for sea turtles, we were really hopeful that we would see one. Melbourne/Cocoa Beach are places that usually have a large number of nesting turtles. We were absolutely thrilled when we saw one come ashore the very first night at the beach house. She came up fairly early, so Aaron was able to see her too! Every morning when we would wake up, the beach was completely covered with tracks. It was like an invasion every night! We saw quite a few Loggerhead sea turtles over the week. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. 

Sea turtles weren't the only animals we saw. There are a number of birds in the area including: Osprey (they were all over the place!), Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures, White Ibis, Least Terns, Black Skimmers, Wood Storks and White Egrets. One of the days we went to a little lagoon. There were two Manatee just hanging out in the shallow water! We also saw dolphins near the lagoon and out in the Atlantic. Being an animal lover, seeing so many critters was a real treat! 

Aaron had a good time. He was a good little traveler especially for an almost three year old. He enjoyed swimming in the pool, playing in the ocean, building sand castles and digging holes. On the last day, we took him to Gatorland. He really enjoying seeming all the alligators, crocodiles, snakes and birds. 

John spent 90% of the trip fishing. I am exaggerating, kind of... he did fish a lot! He caught a couple of Blue fish, a couple of Whiteys (which were very tasty!) and had a shark on the line! Even though he didn't land the shark, he was still excited to have hooked one. Also, he had no idea what he would have done if he had gotten the shark on land so maybe it was a good thing it got away!

Friday we had a lovely memorial service for Grandma Sarah. It was simple, just a small gathering of family to remember her and say goodbye. Although it was sad, it was also beautiful because it brought family together. We don't see these family members very often so in a way it was a blessing that Grandma Sarah brought us all together. It was really great to spend time with aunts and uncles and cousins, some of whom I haven't seen in over 25 years!

Although it wasn't the vacation we had planned, it was still a wonderful time together. None of us wanted the trip to end. We made a lot of memories and had a lot of fun!

A homecoming

This week we received news that my grandmother (my dad's mom) passed away. Given her health over the years it wasn't unexpected. It is the timing that really shocked us. Next week we will be in Florida. This trip has been planned for months and the main purpose of the trip was to see Grandma Sarah. She would have met her great-grandson for the first time.

However, God isn't surprised. It's tough to understand the timing, but I know that it's in God's hands. There is a reason for the timing, even if we don't understand. And there is hope. My grandmother had professed faith in Christ. I believe she is being welcomed into heaven. She is in the presence of God. It is with that knowledge that we praise God. We know that a day will come when we can see her again.

Grandma Sarah, we love you and we miss you! Selfishly we want you here with us, but we know you are at peace in the Lord's loving arms. We thank God for the hope and peace that His loves brings.

 

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?

 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

  If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,” 

 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 

  Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.  

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

    How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand —
    when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalms 139 7-18

Progress update

We are still at the beginning of our adoption journey. Currently, we are working to complete our home study. This involves gathering a lot of documents (birth certificates, tax returns, proof of insurance), getting physical exams, completing classes and meeting with a social worker. The home study is to prepare us for adoption and it's challenges, and to ensure that we are prepared to adopt a child.

Most of our documents are turned in. Our fingerprints have been taken (the first ones we'll need anyway) and our child abuse clearance. All three of us have had our physical exams. John and I attended our CORE adoption class and now we only need a few more hours of education. We have a social worker and have been meeting with her the last two weeks. Our last home study meeting should be this week! 

In case it wasn't clear from my last post, we have chosen a country! After much prayer and consideration we have decided on Uganda! We are very excited and would appreciate lots of prayer!

:)

Paint mines

I mentioned in the previous post that I went on a hike with my parents, aunts and cousin. We hiked at an area called the Paint Mines. The area is quite interesting, it is located just outside Calhan, Co. The Paint Mines are somewhat of a hidden gem amidst the short-grass prairie. 

There were some very interesting features, hoodoos, spires, chasms and other various formations. It is an interpretive hike, so there were a number of signs along the way with geological and historical  information about the area. The Paint Mines were used by Native Americans for pottery as well as ceremonial paint. It's easy to understand why, the colors were vivid and very beautiful.

 

Although the rock features are not as impressive as what I've seen in Utah, it is a really neat area. It is clearly a unique place. It doesn't quite seem to belong. Almost an alien world out on the prairie. I am glad that I was able to see it and would certainly recommend checking it out!

Busy, busy!

That last week has been pretty crazy, but also fun-filled! We have been packing in activities lately. Seeing a lot of people too. Even though it can get exhausting, it's wonderful to have so many exciting things going on!

The weekend of May 18, John and I attended our CORE adoption training. This is a requirement in Colorado for anyone adopting. The class was all day Friday and Saturday and covers topics such as attachment, culture, development and parenting. We really enjoyed the class and felt like we received some good information.

Since my parents were in town to watch Aaron during our classes, it worked out perfectly for Aaron and I to ride out to western Colorado with them. My dear friend and her family are about to move out of state. So getting a chance to see them was a big priority. It was wonderful to meet their little guy. Aaron and their oldest played together beautifully! I was a little sad to see the evening end!

Aaron and Sophia being silly

We got together with John's sister and her youngest two kids. I feel like I barely know my nine month old niece! It was great to see Olivia's little personality starting to come out. Aaron and Sarah always play (and cause trouble) together well. It was a short, but good visit!

Cousins

I was also able to spend some time with two other friends. I am so thankful that these friendships have continued. Even though I haven't lived in the same town for quite a few years, each of these lovely ladies make time for me when I am in town.

 The week flew by and before long it was time to head to southern Colorado with my parents. John met us there so we could spend the long weekend with more family. The drive would have been great except Aaron came down with a cold. Aaron has some problems with asthma/reactive airway so his breathing wasn't too good. Once I was able to talk to his doctor and get the "ok" to increase the dosage of his medicine, things improved! It did make for a long trip over the mountains though.

We had a fun memorial weekend spending time with family. There was lots of good food and conversation. Sunday I hiked with my parents,  aunts and cousin. Our time seemed to go pretty quick. Monday evening we headed back home. Even though it was a busy trip, we enjoyed all the time with family and friends. I certainly feel blessed!

Hiking at the Paint Mines (Calhan, CO)