Back and ready to blog again!

So it's been a while.... Sorry about that...I guess we've just been busy doing life! We still have our sweet boy! He turned 11 months old today! We don't know what our future with Baby J holds because there are no gurantees in foster care and to be completely transparent with you all this is a lot harder than I thought it would be. A lot of people would say "you were warned this would be hard" or "reunification is the goal with fostering" you want to know what I say to that ? " blah, blah, blah...shut it" Being told how hard something is is not the same as living it and as far as reunification goes...I get that but sometimes that's not the best option and unfortunately I can't share why I feel that way. The not knowing the future is hard but loving our boy is not! It's as easy as breathing! He has brought so much joy to our lives and each day with him is a new adventure! I continue to praise my God for putting him in our lives and I continue to work at trusting His plan! I plan to start blogging more often and update you on how life with J is!

Great Things

We received the call last Thursday!! We now have the most precious baby boy in the world with us!! Unfortunately I can't give any details out, but I now can wholeheartedly say that God's plan is so much better than mine!! We give him all the glory and will continue to praise him for this new amazing season in our lives!! We are over the moon happy! Please continue to pray for us!

Its a new year...2015

2015 GOALS :

1. Lose 50lbs......I have always gained weight easily mostly because I am an emotional eater. All kinds of emotions...happy, sad, stressed...I enjoy food and don't enjoy exercise. The most exercise I've been getting lately is my pointer finger swiping the pages on my kindle ;)

2. Essie nail polish......I'm not going to state that I will not buy any because that's just setting myself up for failure. I'm going to try to limit my purchases. Last count I own 15 bottles. Hello, my name is Ashley and I am addicted to Essie nail polish.

3. Drink more water.....on average I MAY drink 16 ounces of fluid a day. I don't intend for this to happen it's just not something I think about.

4. Extending Grace....I will probably always need to work on this and I feel that for the most part it's not hard for me to be forgiving and extending of grace to others.(most part, not all parts)  It's myself that I am so hard on. This past Wednesday it hit me just how hard. I was in the car line at Starbucks and I had allowed my mind to think about how hurt I was about something and the tears just came, uncontrollable tears. Immediately I started to pray. I prayed that God would take these feelings always and that He would forgive me for allowing myself to be this upset in the first place. Then it hit me ....why did I just pray that? The tone of my prayer was like I had just committed some horrible act. When reality all that I did was allow myself to feel my emotions rather than bury them. Which by the way is not very healthy but one step at a time... my point in all this rambling is that God loves us and I don't believe that He would want me to think that my feeling hurt was wrong in some way. So I will continue to go to Him in prayer but I am going to try to give myself a little grace along the way.

What are some of your goals for 2015?




*We are still patiently (Ha!) waiting on the phone call! Keep us in your prayers!

We are official!

We are officially licensed Foster Parents!! Whohoo!! We can be called at anytime now! We are so excited and can't wait to see what God has planned!

Final Homestudy: 2 thumbs up

Last Thursday we had our final home study! Everything went great and we are good to go! The only thing we are waiting on at this point is my CAN (child and neglect) clearance to come back. Micah's is already in. Our SW told us she should be calling at anytime to tell us that we are approved and there is a chance that she could be telling us about a child in the same phone call! We are so ready y'all! :)

One Year Blogiversary

One Year ago today I started this blog. We have come a long way in just one year. When I first started this blog I only shared it with my mom and brother. It's a scary thing to put your dreams and your fears out there for people to read and have opinions about. But I am so glad that I overcame that fear and let anyone who wanted to be apart of our journey to parenthood an opportunity to do so! This past year has been tough. Its been a year full of anticipation, excitement, growth, and waiting. Lots and lots of waiting. In just one year we made the decision to become foster parents, waited and waited for GPS classes to begin, started the GPS classes and finished and are now days away from being approved and open for placements. I am so excited to see what this next year holds for us. I'm sure it will have its wonderful moments and hard moments. I'm sure that we will have times of joy and contentment, uncertainty and doubt. There really is no way to know, but the one thing that I am certain of is that God is faithful and His plan is so much better than anything I can imagine. My life verse this past year has been Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." The verse I'm claiming as mine as we start this next season is "Perhaps you were created for such a time as this." Esther 4:14

I hope you will continue to follow along in the 2nd year of our journey. 

So Close

We are thisclose to being licenced foster parents!! Woo Hoo!! We couldn't be more excited or scared if we're being honest! ;) Last week we had our last two GPS classes. Tuesday night was panel night, where we were able to invite our family to come. We ate and had a panel of different people there to answer questions. There was a foster parent, a child's social worker, and the director of DHR and the director of the child and neglect unit. We really enjoyed the night and it seemed like all of our parents got a lot out of it as well.

Then Thursday night we had our final class. We had our fingerprints done to complete our background checks and Micah had to do CPR. I'm already certified so I just watched and took pictures! :)

This Thursday is our final Home Study!! It's hard to believe we are at the end of this part or our journey. We are thrilled to begin the next part of the Journey.....to love and care for the children God has planned for us!

Us with our certificates for completing the GPS classes!

my niece :)

Early Wednesday morning right after I had gotten to work I received a text from my brother saying: "being admitted to the hospital. Baby coming today." I was in total shock....my sister in law wasn't due for 2 more weeks so this wasn't something I was expecting at all! I was thrilled. I left work early so I could work on some  papers we needed to finish to turn in to our social worker the following night, I ran to Wal-Mart to put together a container full of snacks for the new parents and as soon as Micah came home from work we picked up Mamaw and headed for B'Ham.

Hannah Frances. Born November 5th at 3:05 pm. 7lbs 3oz 19in long. She is absolutely perfect.

The new mommy. :)

The new daddy! :)

The happiest Aunt and Uncle ever. I didn't know until today that it was possible to love someone so unconditionally so fast.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made. Psalms 139.14

Foster/Adoption Announcement

When Micah and I first started down this foster to adopt road we told each other that we were going to experience this with as much excitement that we would have if we were pregnant. We have done several things that are similar to what someone would do if they were pregnant. We prepared a room, we took pictures similar to maternity photos (minus the bump ;) ), and we decided to send out announcement's. Most people would send out birth announcements but we wanted to let our family know what we were doing before we have a child in our life. We are pretty close with most of our family but we have a large extended family that may not know that we are becoming foster parents so we thought this would be a good way to let them know. Plus it was fun & exciting for us to do! I found these cards on Vista print. They were actually pregnancy announcements and I just changed the wording! We loved that we got to add a personal message on the back.

Front

Back

The Light

Needles! Oh how I despise you!! They hurt!! Today I had to have some blood work and a TB test done for part of our medical clearance for DHR. I am a horrible patient.... I know it and I own up to it!! This process has been long and stressful but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Only two more weeks of classes!! Whoo Hoo!!

Foster/Adoption Pictures

As part of the process we have to make a scrapbook for the kiddos to look at before they come to live with us. It's so they have an idea of where they are going, what we look like, our home and family. I wanted to take some pictures specifically for the scrapbook and for us to keep. My brother took these and I am so happy with how they turned out especially since they were taken on my phone! Who says you need a special camera or even a professional when you've got your brother and an iPhone? :)

Home Study 1: Thumbs Up

Our 1st Home Study was this afternoon and it went great!! It was originally scheduled for last week and had to be rescheduled for today. I was so nervous last week but by the time rolled around today I wasn't really nervous. Just ready. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. It really wasn't scary at all. After she toured our house we sat down to talk and ended up talking for 3 hours! She asked us questions and we had an opportunity to ask any questions we had. She met Charlie and Jake and that went great as well. We never know how Jake will react to strangers but she came prepared with treats so they both loved her! We couldn't be happier to have her as our social worker she truly is a blessing and the reason we think our classes were postponed earlier this year. If that had not happened we would have had a different social worker. I'm sure they are all great but ours is special. Just more proof that God's timing truly is perfect. Now that our 1st home study is behind us we have 3 weeks left in our GPS classes and one more home study! Then we will be ready for placements! 

This Week

I ordered this necklace about a month ago from Zulily and it finally came in this week! I absolutely love it and what it represents. I wanted to have it say foster to adopt but I was only aloud so many letters so I went with adopting and our initials on the oval.

Also this week the hubby and I celebrated 9 years of marriage! It was pretty low key since we were up to our eyeballs getting ready for our home study. We had dinner and Micah surprised me with a beautiful cross ring for my right hand! It was completely unexpected and I love it! Every year on our anniversary I always reflect on the past years we have spent together and I really feel like this past year has been one of growth. We have grown stronger and closer. I am truly blessed to be able spend my life with him and I thank God every day for putting us together. I have this feeling that this next year is going to be one of our best! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Reschedule

Unfortunately our home study is being rescheduled. Our social worker had something come up and was unable to make it. Thus the life of DHR. On the bright side our house is super clean! We are choosing to remain positive even though we were disappointed because there are simply things in life that we can't control. Like my button on the side says "Find Joy in the Journey Now."

The Final Countdown

It's the night before our home study and I "think" we are ready....at least we are as ready as we are going to be! I was fortunate to be off work most this week so I have had time to really deep clean everything. I know that our social worker won't be checking the dust on my baseboards with white gloves but I feel better knowing they are dust free! I will update about how our home study goes. Wish us luck!!

Why?

We are nearing the half way mark with our GPS classes and we have our 1st home study scheduled for October 10th. While I won't go into a lot of detail about our classes I will tell you that they have been eye opening. They have caused us to really examine our reason for pursuing our dream of parenting in this way. That reason is Jesus and all the hurting kids that are out there.

JESUS....because without His love for us we wouldn't have the capability to open our hearts to love a child that ultimately may not get to stay with us forever.

THE KIDS....because once you have heard the stories of what these precious children go through there is no way we can turn our back on them.

So even though we are putting our hearts at risk of being broken we will do this. What these kids have endured is so much bigger than us. We feel blessed that God has called us to be a part of this battle with Him. Because it is a battle. We will fight to pour God's love, our love and restoration into their lives.

"Do not be afraid or discouraged....for the battle is not yours, but God's." 2Chronicles 20:15

The Nesting and Preparing Continues...

Our 1st Home Study is scheduled for October 10th so we have been super busy getting everything ready. The kiddo(s) bathroom was next on the list of things to get done. Below are pictures! 

I am obsessed with this room!! It turned out even cuter than I hoped for! Unfortunately my iphone does not capture the true color of the walls. I had the same problem with the bedroom pictures. I think it may be the lighting in the rooms. My favorite part of the room is the quote on the wall "Wash your hands and say your prayers because Jesus and Germs are everywhere." My mom had this designed and made for me and I absolutely love it! (Its actually navy and not black!)

Tomorrow night is our 3rd out of 10 GPS classes. I will do a post soon about how those are going. But I will ask that ya'll continue to pray for us. We know in our hearts that we are traveling a path that God has set for us but there are moments when emotions take over.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Foster Care/Adoption is not the trendy thing to do....

Earlier this week a friend of mine who is also an adoptive mama to a precious baby girl posted a link on Facebook to a post about how adoption is not a trend. Apparently there is the idea of "adoption is now the trendy thing to do" floating around social media. I have personally not seen this yet so was shocked when I read the post of an adoptive dad defending that it is indeed not a trend. Since reading this I have thought a lot about it and want to give my opinion on whether or not adoption has become a trend or not.

You can probably guess what I'm about to say but Ill say it anyway. Adoption/Foster Care is absolutely not a trend. I do think some may go to a meeting about it or call an agency requesting more info about it because they know someone who is currently going through it, but if they themselves choose to Foster/Adopt that has nothing to do with a trend.

Why do I think that?

Well, no one would ever open up every single aspect of their lives and home for inspection for a trend. Its weird and down right uncomfortable. They would not spend hours filling out paper work for a trend. Its stressful and not fun at all.If they are adopting an infant through an agency or a child from another country they do not spend months and maybe years waiting for their child for a trend. If they are going the route of Foster to Adopt they would not spend hours a week in a class room with homework for a trend. They would not have moments where a paralyzing fear grips their hearts wondering where their child is, what is happening to them, are they hungry, are they scared? They don't pray the prayer of "God please keep my child safe." Knowing the irony of it is that in order for that child to come into their life they are not safe in their current situation but you pray it anyways because you trust your God. Which leads me to if its not a trend then why are so many people doing it?

I believe that people everywhere are rising up and answering God's call to care for these children. It's that simple. The journey God sends us on to come to this point is different for everyone but the reason is the same. You love children and want to give them the best life possible.

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Psalm 82:3 

Nesting for the Foster/Adoptive Mama

We have been busy getting things ready for our future kiddo(s). We have given Charlie & Jake the boot out of the spare bedroom, painted and have started decorating. I can't begin to tell you how much fun it has been to prepare a space for our child. We have waited a very long time to do this and it has been as wonderful as I always imagined it to be. Below are some pictures of the room. I still have some touches I want to add but this gives you the general idea.

We are pretty happy with the way it has turned out. Next we are going to paint and redecorate their bathroom. Having their room ready has made this seem all the more real. Just today I looked at Micah and told him "I'm ready for our child to come home." I have to confess that this is so exciting for us but can also have its emotional moments as well. Today I had one of those moments. This Tuesday night is our orientation for our GPS classes and then September 9th is our 1st official class. Please be in prayer for us as we start this part of our journey and continue to ready our home for our future child.

Memorization Monday: Jeremiah 1:5

When you read this weeks verse you may think to yourself ummm....I've known this verse forever. It's a verse we see pretty often especially in reference to new babies. But I think its important to think about what this verse means to us as adults and the season of life we are in right now. This weeks verse is:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5

The fact that God knew me before I was even created is so amazing to me. He knew me before my own mother knew I was ever going to exist. I think that's pretty special. I also think its pretty special that for a moment in time the only two people that knew of my existence was God and my mother.

 Sometimes in life as an adult we get caught up in doing life. We are working, caring for children, husbands, furbabies ;) and endless list of things that sometimes we may feel like who is caring for us? That's where I think this verse can be so vital to our lives. This verse reminds us that God cares. He always has...He loved us way before anyone even knew to expect our arrival here on earth. He also set us apart. We were created for a purpose. Before we were born God already knew His plan for our life. Sometimes we may be unsure of what that plan is and that's another way this verse can help us. It reminds us that even when we are unsure of the plan God never is. We just have to trust in Him and He will show us the way.

*Memorization Tip*: Say this verse out loud every time your in your car!

* In your prayer time thank God for setting you apart before you were even born. If your not sure of your purpose right now ask God to show you. *