Adoption Update

We officially started the adoption process in September. It has definitely been easier so far just because we don't have to get every single piece of paperwork notarized....and in turn, get the notary verified by the county...and in turn, get the county notary notarized by the state. So, the paperwork process has been a cinch!

We turned in our official home study in December, and it was sent to the Alabama DHR at the beginning of January. It is only the first week of February, and our home study is already at CIS in Atlanta. That was quick! We anticipate the CIS approval process to take 3 months, but timelines are always questionable.

Every day we pray for our child/children wherever they are right now. We pray that God will prepare his/her/their hearts to be a part of a forever family. May God give us the patience to wait on His timing and to know that He is in total control.

Uganda Unites!

We have officially finished our home study, and we are beyond excited about what God is going to do with our family in 2010! In the past few weeks, we have "found" 5 other families at our church and 2 others in our area who are adopting from Uganda! All of us, except one, are at the exact same stage of the process!

Isn't God amazing to bring us all together for sharing information but more importantly encouraging one another on the journey! I've been awed by how He has orchestrated a union among these families that only comes from Him. I'm honored to be part of such a group.

I am so thankful to our Lord who has a plan that is far bigger than I could ever have imagined! God is good!

Disney Vacation

We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend a week at Disneyworld. It was a wonderful time for the entire family. Being Jett's first time, we were all eager to see how he would react to the characters and the rides...it was everything we hoped for and more.

First, we discovered that there was a cheerleader competition at WDW while we were there....they seemed to overtake the resort where we were staying...Port Orleans Riverside. The cheers were everywhere and the noise was a little much for all of us. Upon calling to request a quieter room, we were told that we would get a call back within an hour. So, we continued our day at Epcot and received a call about an hour later. They upgraded us to a very nice room in The Contemporary. Woo-hoo! What a blessing. It was a much larger room and the amentities were amazing.

We rode every ride possible (most of them more than a few times), saw many shows and met lots of characters. Kaitlyn's favorite ride is Mt. Everest and we enjoyed it in the rain! She also met Marie, her favorite cat, in France (in Epcot) one day which was a huge surprise. Madison loves Cali River Rapids, so we all rode it with ponchos on...twice! JT got soaked both times... Jett loved Toy Story Mania and Buzz Lightyear the most. He fell in love with Mary Poppins and Cinderella.....gotta watch that boy!

Kaitlyn was able to celebrate her 13th birthday while we were there as well. What a treat to get Happy Birthday wishes everywhere we went. We at breakfast at Chef Mickey's, lunch in France and dinner at The California Grill (watching the fireworks high above the castle). What a beautiful day!

Plenty of pictures were taken and we enjoyed every minute of it! What a huge blessing!

School Pics and Adopting Again!

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All of the kiddos had their school pictures taken yesterday. What a joy to see the blessings that God has given to our family. And speaking of blessings, we are about to increase the size of them....we are adopting again.

As soon as we brought Jett home in January of 2008, we knew that God was calling us to adopt again. So, we have started the process again with Lifeline and will be adopting through Lifeline. We are almost finished with our home study now and the next step is the referral. We'll just be in waiting mode..... It's so different this time because Uganda uses English as its official language so there is no translation involved. The paperwork is easier because everything doesn't have to be notarized twice.

We will have to stay in Uganda for 30 days, but our family is ready for that. Everyone will go together, and depending on the time of year, JT may or may not have to come back to the US during the process. Our entire family is excited about the possibilities! We don't know how many children, the gender or ages. We are trusting God for His Sovereignty in that area!

Arizona Mission Trip October 2009

Before the nightly worship gathering, Jett decided that it was his turn to lead worship. Watch out Autumn......

Jai Rose and Kaitlyn serving drinks at a block party in Cockleburro!

Jett made a hat and decided he would be king of the sanctuary....

Madison had a good time helping at the block party!

There is no greater joy than knowing our children are learning to put others first as they serve on the mission field. I watched as our three kiddos served with abandonment in Arizona a few weeks ago. I'm so proud of each of them!

Fun Pics

Madison and Jett decided to go "skiing" one day after school. So, I find them dressed like this when they come downstairs. Notice Jett has on shorts only...guess he doesn't know that it is cold when you are snow skiing.
Jett at the McWane Center - pretending he is being eaten by the whale!
Madison joined Claud and Raphael at the McWane Center for some fun examining their own hairs - it was gross!
Madison's science curriculum this year requires quite a few experiments with a microscope (we've since improved to a much better one). So, she takes it in the bathroom along with the laptop and does her experiments in there.
Our "hippy" child - Kaitlyn - doing schoolwork while wearing her favorite Peace shirt. Anything with a peace sign on it, she's all over!

Memories of the summer

Two of our "babies" got married - now Michael and Heather Whitmire!

More of our "babies" - Morgan, Kaitlyn, Brittney, Autumn, Holly and Madison.

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The youngest baby - Jett!

Our "family" - Brady and Beth Cornelison, David and Chelle Whitmire, and Michael Whitmire!

It's been quite a while since I've updated the blog, but I came across these photos from a couple of weeks ago.....they were a reminder of what a sweet summer this was. Here are just a few highlights of our time as a family!

• JT was able to spend 3 1/2 weeks in Arizona and 2 weeks in Africa.
• Our whole family along with most of our small group spent a week ministering in the dump of Guatemala.
• Sweet, extended prayer times with our small group that blessed our lives immensely.
• Playing at the pool with friends!
• Piano camp for Madison with some of her great friends.
• Student Life Camp for Kaitlyn - her first extended youth trip.
• Student Life Camp for kids camp for Madison - little sleep but she loved it!
• A special time of dependence on Christ and His sustaining power!

We were able to top off the summer with a trip to Indiana for Heather and Michael's wedding. What a beautiful time to spend time with friends and family! What a blessing for us to witness God's divine power and purpose in their lives as two individuals became one. It was a glorious time! Thank you Jesus for this summer....we are blessed beyond belief!

We are eager to get all of the kids from Divine Grace Ministries on our website soon. People will be able to sponsor children - $40 a month covers room and board (some currently walk many miles a day to go to school), tuition, fees, books and a uniform! Psalm 67 tells us why we are blessed...it is NOT FOR US...it is so that His glory can be spread to the nations and so that His name will be known on all the earth. What a tangible way to spread the Gospel message!