Parents.

"Looking back over my life, I realize that my parents were the two most influential people in my life. They shaped, molded, and equipped me to be the person I am today. Without them, there is really no telling where I would be. They have taught me the importance of my relationship with Christ, and it is through Him I have found peace and strength to face this life."  -A small excerpt from the end of my autobiography.

 As I summarized my life in the form of a small book, I really mulled it over and got down to the nitty-gritty of what made me-- me. By the time I was finished writing, I realized there were a handful of people in my life that really had the power to influence me, for the good or the bad. Thankfully, at the top of that list were my parents. 

The two of them showed me over and over what it means to be a Christian, how to deal with life, problems, good times, and bad times. They showed the power of love, commitment, and overcoming. They were my biggest inspiration, and my best friends. They were the people that made me feel safe and made our home a happy place to be--the place everyone always wanted to be. They encouraged me, guided me, taught me valuable lessons, and made me be all that I could be. They encouraged me to live for JESUS, to give him everything, and to trust HIM with my life.  And then, I realized-- at the end of this (crazy, emotional, hard, and amazing) adoption journey, I am going to be that person- a parent, a Mother--to my own child. I will be one of the two most important people in a little person's life. I am going to be their life teacher, their role model, the one that equips them for life. And THAT is not something I take lightly. I'm truly humbled by and thankful for the task God has called Spencer and me to do!

Do you know how many orphans there are in the world? 

If I told you 153 MILLION, would that number blow you away like it did me?

Did you know that's roughly equivalent to half of the population of the USA.

That is 153,000,000 tiny faces, personalities,and hearts, and SOULS, that have no one to care for them. They have no one to tuck them in at night, to shower them with hugs and kisses, to take them for ice cream when they make a good grade. No Mommies or Daddies to wash and bandage their boo-boo's, or to help them with homework, or to tell them about JESUS. One hundred and fifty-three million orphans. 

Did you also know that if just 7% of the Christians in the world adopted one child there would be NO ORPHANS left in the world?  

Did you ALSO know, that YOU could be part of that 7%. You can make a difference in the life of a child who has no one else to care for them, to love them, to teach them about Jesus? YOU can change the world by adopting, or at least your world, and the world of the child you will be giving a home to. And if you do, you won't regret it. You will just be blessed.  

I am so thankful that God has blessed Spencer and me with this wonderful gift of adoption and I can't WAIT to get our little one home forever!

xoxo, 

Steff

PS- If you liked this post, please share it with someone. Help raise adoption awareness! 

Happy Adoption Month! 

The Great Garland Exchange!

Happy Wednesday Y'all! 

I am SO excited to share that I am participating in Angie's Great Garland Exchange! I would love for you crafty folks to join me!  It's super easy and she has lots of inspiration there to guide you! PLUS, the entry fee is only $5 which goes directly to their adoption fund!

They are trying to meet a goal of $1,000 and I'd love to be able to help. Not to mention, November is Orphan Awareness Month, and what a great way to show your support! Also not to mention, she has not ONE, but TWO snazzy give away's going on! 

Y'all know I'm all about helping out other adoptive parents, so y'all scoot on over to 

Raised From The Water and sign up! :) 

xoxo, Steff

A Long (Overdue) Post

Well, last week brought a lot of progress on the adoption front!

First, we completed our home study! I shall insert a happy dance and a big "Hallelujah" right here! We could not have been blessed with a more smooth process. We are truly thankful for all of the "adoption people" the Lord has placed in our lives. Our social worker was amazing, and so sweet. I'm looking forward to her being a part of our family for the next few years! :) As she left, she told us "Next time I see you guys, I will be coming to visit you and your baby!". That made it very real that we are making PROGRESS!  

Our next step (once we get our home study officially approved) will be to mail off an $890 check and apply to USCIS (for immigration)!! We already have a lot of the documents prepared for our dossier, and we will just have to mail them to Atlanta to be apostilled. So, I really feel like we're making good time!  

A couple of weeks ago, Spencer and I found a little girl on the waiting child list, and fell in love with her little picture. We prayed and really sought God's will about making Anika a part of our family. We, naturally, got very excited and really thought she could be "the one". The more we found out about her, the more we realized the Lord was closing the doors. Her special needs were found to be a lot more severe than we first realized, and while it was the most heartbreaking thing ever to say "no" to her, we also knew that we are not capable of giving her the care that she needs and deserves.  We are praying every day that the Lord will send this little angel a family who can give her the home and environment she needs to thrive!

Will you help us pray for Anika!?  

While it is hard to fall in love with a child and then realize you can't go get her, I don't feel like it was a wasted experience. It has really made Spencer and me pray and talk about what special needs we feel called to accept. We don't want to be too "picky" and miss out on the child God has for us, but we also want to know our limitations and make an informed decision.
Our agency wants us to fill out a "comfort level" sheet, which is basically 3 pages of medical conditions we will be willing to accept, consider, or refuse. We really desire your prayers as we make these decisions, it is a lot harder than it sounds!  We may even make an appointment with a pediatrician to learn more about some of the conditions that are on the comfort level sheet. We just really want to be sensitive to the Lord and make the right choices!  I will add here that I'm SO glad for the Holy Spirit that lives and dwells in me (and Spencer) and we aren't left to decide these things on our own. The peace that He gives still amazes me every day and I can't imagine going through life without the comfort of knowing Him. It's such a reassuring thought to know that He knows the end from the beginning, and He is working everything out for our good and His glory!  And like our Pastor preached tonight, the best stories come from the times of brokeness in our lives and everything we go through in life is so we can help others who are going through the same things.  

In other news, we've had quite a few more generous donations to our adoption fund. I'm amazed to watch God send in the funds to start our family, but after all this time, WHY would I doubt Him!? He is too good to us! We have a few more FUNdraising ideas and I'll be sharing more details with you soon! We're going to do a "baby bottle drive" soon. Maybe in the month of November if I can get everything together in time! You'll be able to pick up an empty baby bottle, take it home and fill it with change, then return it to the drop box! You don't even have to roll the change!  VictorySong will also be hosting a benefit sing coming up after the first of the year, it's going to be a super fun time! They will be making a program and selling ads, so if you are interested in that-- feel free to message me, I can get you in touch with the right people! 
 We truly are so blessed with the most amazing people that care about us and getting our sweet angel home!  Many thanks to you all for the love, prayers, and support!! 

xoxo, 
Steffani 

Finally-- Something to Update!

Are y'all as shocked as I am to actually have an update?!
I feel like we've been stalled out in the home study process for too long, and we're thankful to be making forward progress again! Monday evening, our social worker, Mrs. S. came to visit and we were beyond NERVOUS!!! (If you've never had a complete stranger come into your home, inspect it, and ask you personal questions which will determine if you are suitable to become a parent-- you have no idea how nervous we were!) Spencer and I were pleasantly surprised to find that Mrs. S. is the sweetest lady ever! We worried over nothing, imagine that! For our fist visit, she just took a quick tour of our home, and asked some general questions. Next week, we get down to the nitty-gritty during our interviews, but at least I'm not nearly as anxious as I had been! We're both super excited to get this step completed and we'll be that much closer to bringing our angel home! :-D

In other news, we have had several special blessings the past month or so! A sweet, sweet young lady baked and sold some beautiful cupcakes and donated the money to our adoption fund! SO sweet!!  One of Spencer's relatives will be gifting us with his frequent flyer miles so we won't have to worry about plane tickets, which would be a huge cost! We've also had quite a bit of money to come in for our adoption fund.  I am AMAZED at how all of this is coming together, the Lord is SO good to take such good care of us! It is seriously humbling to know you have so many people behind you, cheering you on, and helping start your family. Adoption is a very special gift.


Thank you all for reading along and I hope to have a lot of good news to update in the coming days!
                  xoxo,
              Steffani :)

Hurry Up & Wait......

That seems to be the theme these days.

I really don't have a lot to update "adoption-wise", this part of the process is kind of slow and uneventful. We're finished with most of our parts. However, we have one or two more training classes we have to take so we can get our certificate and we're (still) waiting on those last few important documents to come in so we can mail off our home study packet. I'm SOOOOOOOOO ready to get this part OVER with and on to the good stuff!! But, I know these things take time and when you're dealing with government agencies-- you're just at their mercy. I really wanted to have it all ready to mail off by tomorrow- but that doesn't look like it's going to happen! Please, help us pray that we will get it all finished in a timely manner. I can't stand the thought of thinking we're spending more time apart from our little angel. We appreciate you all so much. Just knowing that we have so many people lifting us up in prayer is such a blessing. 

In other news: This week we had a HUGE answer to prayer! We were able to sell my car, which was a great blessing. (I'm commandeering Spencer's and we're looking for him a reasonably priced truck-- if anyone knows of one!)  It's so amazing to watch God work and provide in our lives. We're so thankful! :-D 

I'm also hosting an online Thirty-One Fundraiser Party for an adoption friend! If any of you are interested, it's a GREAT time to get started on Christmas shopping, and it goes to a great cause!! Angie and her husband are also in the process of adopting from Bulgaria- in fact, we even got our home study packets in the mail on the same day! All of the proceeds will go to their adoption fund, and you can find their story here at their blog.  Thirty-One has some seriously cute new styles out and lots of adorable patterns!So, please check it out here!

xoxo,

Steff

A Little Peak From Our Photo Session!

Goodness gracious, y'all!! As you may know, we had our adoption photos taken last night by the talented Mary Evelyn Tucker with J.&M.E. Photography! Can we just say, she is FANTASTIC!! She completely captured the whole feeling we were going for, and her style is just amazing! :) I cannot WAIT to share the rest with all of our faithful followers! For now though, I can only leave you with a little peak! 

xoxo, Steff <3

Добро утро Y'all!

There's really not a lot to update at this point. We're sooo close to having all of our home study paperwork ready to send back to our agency. We're just waiting on a few more "official" documents to roll in an we can mail that packet off!! Then begins our interview process and a whole slew of more paperwork fun. Praise The Lord we have all of the funds needed for our home study and we're well on our way to having everything we need for when we submit our dossier. Isn't it so good to have a Heavenly Father that knows our needs before we ask, and is so able and willing to meet them! For instance: we are still such a long way (it seems) from bringing home our sweet little angel, and yet this past week my {amazing} boss brought me home a toddler bed! 

The prettiest little toddler bed you've ever seen! Now, I honestly hadn't even thought to pray for a toddler bed- but The Lord knew that we would need that!  I never want to take for granted the "little" things He does for me!! 

Thanks for following along on this journey with us. We pray you all have a blessed week! 

Xoxo, Steffani

It's THAT Day Again......

It's Tuesday, y'all! 

Which means, if you'd like to have a little part in helping bring our Bulgarian angel home to us, all you have to do is click this link to make your $10 donation!

Every little bit helps! Even if you can't give today, please keep us in your PRAYERS! Those are the most important thing, and we can NEVER have enough! We are so amazed, thankful, and humbled as we watch the Lord send in the funds for our sweet baby!  We only need about $3,000 more for our next step! Which is AMAZING! In about 7 weeks time, we've watched God provide over $7,000 which is AMAZING to me!! I've had quite a few people write and tell me they had no idea adoption was so expensive. It certainly is!! The financial package from our agency estimated our total costs at around $32,000.00 (Depending on travel expenses, that could be a little more or less expensive!) Although that is a rather large number, it's going to be worth every dime and more when we finally have our sweetheart home and in our arms!! THANK YOU for giving to make that possible!! 

We are blessed with the best friends and family in the world! :-D 

xoxo, Steffani 

$10 Tuesday (and other FUNdraising news!)

We are so super thankful for all of the money that rolled in yesterday on $10 Tuesday!! :) I really had no idea how it would go, and wasn't really expecting much to be honest! We had a grand total of ........$1,110 come in yesterday! Granted, a huge chunk of that came from a donation by Spencer's work, but we are amazed to watch it all come in and that brings our grand total so far to over $6,000! Which leaves us needing only around $26,000 more!! That still sounds like a lot, I know, BUT, at least it sounds better than $32,000. And although we don't know exactly where it will come from, we know it's going to come in just like the first $6,000 has! I sure do love watching God work! 

This sweet little girl that has been making and selling bracelets brought us over $100 this past weekend! Well, she must be one busy girl, because she's sold over 100 more since then!!
The money she's raised so far completely paid for our FBI fingerprints and background checks!
I love the fact that our God can use ANYONE. Big, small, young or old! He can do ANYTHING. He loves to work through his people, and all you have to do is be a willing vessel!  Hope you all have a blessed Wednesday!

Again, we are so grateful to each and every person who has prayed for us, offered encouraging words, or given a donation! We don't take you all for granted!
xoxo, 
Steffani

Am I Making God Famous?

What a question. That was the message preached last night by a visiting preacher at church. It was way up there my list of best sermons I've ever heard. Bro. Skelton defined "giving God glory", as enhancing God's reputation in the world, and making him famous. He stated (what I've always known) that the whole reason for our existence, is for GOD's GLORY. Period, the end. "What are you doing to give God glory?" he asked, and went on about how EVERY situation in our life is an opportunity to either enhance or tear down God's reputation among those in the world. That makes sense, right? People are watching every move we make, the way we deal with things that are thrown into, and even what we do with our blessings. People are watching our reaction and actions based on circumstances in our lives. 

Every circumstance in life is an opportunity to bring glory to God. 

 Then he asked the question, "Is God fair?".  

(WARNING: Completely honest and transparent post ahead.)

I sat there stunned and soaked up every word.  As much as I'd like to portray myself as the perfect Christian who never questions God, or wonders what on earth He is up to, or gets angry when things don't go the way I feel like they should-- I can't. Because, in fact, I do. I have been guilty of those things even this past week. 

Flashback to Thursday afternoon:  In about the span of 3 hours,  a "quick trip" to the vet (a visit required for our adoption paperwork) ended up costing us $200- "Well, Lord, that's a bummer, are you sure you know what you're up to?" I questioned in my heart. A little later, I finally pull into my driveway at the end of a long day, and billows of grey smoke start pouring out of my exhaust pipe. Our faithful mechanic extraordinaire (aka Papa) came to investigate and discovered that my poor car had more than likely blown a head gasket (which is NOT an easy-or cheap fix). Now, as much as I would love to say, my first reaction was "Praise the Lord- I'm gonna give you the glory through this"-- it really went more like this-- "Lord, this really isn't fair. We're doing everything we can to do right- I don't understand why things like this KEEP happening!"  

Needless to say- when the preacher started I knew it was for me. It really encouraged me to examine my life and to improve on the way I react to things. From now on, I'm going to try and ask myself, "Am I making God famous, or giving him a bad name?" and  keep in mind that when things happen- it is not at all because God isn't fair- it's only because he can be glorified through it. And after all, that's what I'm here for anyway. I want God to use my life and the things I go through, to show other people that he can bring them through the same things. It's all for our good and HIS glory! :)  

In adoption news-- Saturday evening we were able to meet the precious little girl who has started making and selling bracelets to help our adoption fund! As of yesterday she's raised over $100 for Baby Jones and she is still taking orders! We are so blessed by her generosity and sweet spirit! :)  We had our FBI fingerprints done today, and we're making so much progress on our mountain of paperwork! We've got appointments tomorrow for our physicals and once we have a clean bill of health- we'll just be waiting on a couple of little things! So exciting! Thank you all for the prayers and support!! 

xoxo, 

Steffani 

Camp Meeting Recap!

Well, camp meeting is over, and we are back in full home-study swing!!
The week was wonderful and it was SO good to see so many of my best friends and family! It's hard to even describe all of the things the Lord did for me last week.  From the sweet fellowship, and working together with our church family to serve so many people- to the Lord challenging and encouraging my heart thru the preaching and singing, it was really a wonderful time. On Tuesday night, Spencer and I were shocked when our Pastor (who happens to be Spencer's grandpa) got up and told a little bit of our story, and said that the Lord had told him to do something to help us. So many generous people started bringing money up to the front, and by the time it was all said and done, the kind people there had given over $1,600.00 for our adoption fund!! EXACTLY what we needed for our home study. At this point someone asked me, "Can you believe that God sent you the exact amount that you needed for that step?", to which I replied "At this point, OF COURSE!!". God has been SO faithful to supply every dollar for every step that we need and it still amazes me when HE works out little details like that. I never want to take it for granted! We are seriously overwhelmed with all of the love and support shown to us. We are so thankful to each of you, and are humbled that you would contribute to help us start our family.

We still have a long way to go, but we are marking things off our list, and can't wait to get this home-study finished! We've finished our questionnaires, almost done with our autobiographies, we got our passports in the mail last week, and this week (hopefully) we can get our FBI fingerprints taken and mailed off. Maycee has to have a check up, we have to have our physicals, and we still have a couple more parenting lessons we have to do. But, hopefully we are nearing the end! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we can't wait to get started with our interviews, and then get started on our dossier!  Exciting times ahead, and I can't wait to share them with you all! :)  xoxo, Steff <3

Home Study Fun

Fun might be a slight over-exaggeration, but still... this is good stuff.

Autobiographies, marriage questionnaires, parenting questionnaires, defining words that you normally don't think about-- I have seriously had to dig out my thinking cap! Retelling the story of my life, (from my earliest childhood memories, to my deepest fears-reliving and telling about situations that shaped and made me into the person I am today), has really been an eye opening experience. I'm typically a very private person, I don't show emotion well and I definitely don't open up to complete strangers and tell them my history.  There are a lot of things in my past that I've kind of shoved to the back of the memory center, and would like to leave there. Writing it all down for my autobiography is bringing back so many memories, both good and unpleasant ones, and you know what- it's also brought a realization that EVERY. SINGLE. THING. in my life has worked together for GOOD. It's all been a part of the puzzle of my life--every trial, struggle, heartache, let down, along with the many good times I've had--has been just one little piece of that puzzle.A tiny little stepping stone, each building on the last, and when I look back I can see this beautiful road that I've been blessed to travel.  I would not be who I am today without each and every puzzle piece. I'm so thankful that even when we can't see the whole picture, God can, and He's working all things for our good! A tiny little stepping stone, each building on the last, and when I look back I can see this beautiful road that I've been blessed to travel. So basically, the questionnaires and biography I was so dreading, has actually been quite a fun experience.  And it has been good for me and my (already wonderful) marriage.

Maybe it's just me, but I've realized that as time goes on, I have (unintentionally) begun to take for granted some of the most endearing qualities that first attracted me to my hubby in the first place. I know as a woman, it's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life; on top of which is a mile-high pile of laundry, meals to prepare, dishes to wash, never ending messes that need to be cleaned up and the magical little cleaning fairies that used to come to our house when I was a little girl-- well, they never make an appearance at my house now. With so much time and effort put into those things, (needful things that aren't at all wrong) it's easy to see how a couple gets bogged down and forgets to put  the TIME and EFFORT into their marriage. Marriage is work too, let me just tell you! It takes 100% from EACH party, but it is SO worth it. There's nothing sweeter than having a good husband and wife relationship, and I will just insert here that I have the best husband in the world!

I have had quite a few requests to post a copy of the questionnaire on my blog. Since that's property of our adoption agency, I'm not going to post the whole thing, but I am going to post a modified version! Feel free print this off and fill it out! You will be amazed at the things it brings back to mind and maybe you'll enjoy it as much as I did! If you do decide to take the challenge, I'd love to hear from you!    xoxo, Steff

1)  What attracted you to your spouse? What were your earliest impressions of him and have these impressions changed?

2) What has been the most difficult period of your marriage and how has it affected your relationship?
3) What do you argue about and how do you resolve the arguments?

4) What qualities do you most appreciate in your spouse?

5) If you could change anything about him/her what would it be?

6)   If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?

7) What do you see as the happiest of times of your marriage?

8) What goals do you work towards in your marriage?

9) What does security mean to you?

10) What areas of your marriage have room for improvement?

11) Describe your role as a wife.

12) What activities do you as a couple and individually?

13) Describe what things your husband does as your spouse.

14) What does your spouse do that makes you feel special?

15) How does your marriage compare to those around you?
16) Rate your marriage. (In any way you choose)

17) How do your ideas on child rearing differ from your spouse?

It's Home-Study Time!

Woohoo! We finally got the forms to start our home study! They came in the mail on Friday, and it took a couple of days to process all of the information they were requesting! haha! Thankfully, it's not nearly as bad as we were anticipating, and it seems I was all nervous for nothing. Don't get me wrong-- it is a TON of thought provoking, soul-searching, get-to-know yourself questions, BUT we're going to take it and answer one question at the time. That's all we can do! On the bright side, we are going to know so much about each other (and ourselves) by the time this is over, and we may or may not have a small novella ready for print.

Included in the things we must have done to complete our home study; finger prints, physicals, Maycee (our furbaby) has to have a checkup and shots, and have our septic tank inspected. We just knew the last one was going to be an expensive headache! Come to find out, a kind nameless lady that Spencer works with, volunteered her husband to come and inspect it for free! He's licensed to do that, and we had no idea! We didn't even know how to go about getting it done.  :-D Just one more example of the Lord taking care of things before we even know we need them!

I'm still so amazed that the Lord would take such good care of us, and line everything up the way He is doing. I'm still amazed every time a dollar comes in for our adoption fund, and every dime has been EXACTLY what we've needed.  I don't know why the Lord has trusted us with this special road, but I'm so glad He did. I know a lot of people never get to see Him work so evidently in their lives, and I never dreamed I would either! My heart is just so full when I think that the God of the Universe is concerned with MY family. Even one that isn't even started yet! I'm having a hard time worrying and being fretful when I realize what all the Lord has already done for me-- I know He's not about to leave us in this alone. :) He is really "increasing my faith"and I'm so thankful. I'm also realizing more and more that the "baby steps of faith" I've had to take in this life were only preparing me for the larger amounts of faith I would need on this road to our sweet little Angel! And that makes me oh, so happy for the "not so pleasant"' things I've had to go thru in my life. I wouldn't trade this life for anything!


xoxo, Steffani  :)

We're Commited :)

Today we mailed off our commitment package to our agency! Once they receive it-- and cash our $2,500 check-- we will "officially" have begun our road to our sweet little angel in Bulgaria! :)  With every day our excitement grows, and we are one step closer to meeting our little prince or princess!   The Lord is so good to supply our financial needs to make all of this possible- so far, He's sent in every dime for what everything we've needed so far!  Application fee, passports, adoption training, commitment fee, and even postage for mailing the packets back and forth! ;-D He's also sent in half the money for our home-study fee! I know that the rest is on it's way- and can't wait to watch Him provide! It never ceases to amaze me. I've known all my life the Lord is ABLE to provide every need we have-- and that He loves to work in "impossible" situations-- but to watch Him do it in our own life, is such an amazing thing! I really hope that down the road, some person somewhere can hear our story and be encouraged in the fact that He can do the same for them!

We're finally working on our adoption training! After a few lot of days of "technical difficulties" and phone calls to the company, we finally were able to access our courses and begin the classes. It's very educational to say the least! (A little depressing too, I might add.) We've learned about everything from mental illness, to attachment disorder and trust issues. It really sheds a lot of light on things we've not thought about. Especially about bonding and post placement issues. I'm sure there will be a post about that later on; stay tuned!!

We are now awaiting our home-study instructions, a list of documents and things they will need to start that. For some reason, this part is really scary to me. I'm sure it will go just fine, it's just a little scary to know someone will be scrutinizing every part of your life with a high-powered microscope!! On the other hand, this is just a small price to pay to bring home our little one and once we are together, my fear of this home-study will fade into a far distant memory! I can't wait to get started with this step though, and even more, I can't wait to finish it! haha!

Well, this is turning into a book- so I'm going to go practice my Bulgarian words I learned today, and go to BED! Goodnight all!
                                              xoxo,
                                            Steffani

Hello Paperwork!!

Welcome to what I'm certain will be the story of our lives for the next, oh, two years or so! :) 

                                         

If you ask me if I mind though, the answer is a definite NO! Because I know on the other side of this mountain of paper work, and the small headache of dealing with government agencies, will be our sweet little angel waiting for us! :) And we can't wait!! (If you can't tell!) 

Things are moving right along-- We applied for passports today! So, in about 4-6 weeks we should have them back and be ready to travel, after we finally get matched with a child. (Which is still a LONG ways down the road!) But, we're one tiny step closer (& $300 down)! 

I know a lot of you are curious about this whole process, and so are we! haha We don't know a whole lot about this, and we're just taking one day at the time! Learning as we go. But,  I want to keep everyone in the loop and caught up on where we are! 

The next step, for those who are wondering, is mailing in our commitment packet and a check of $2,500! Before we can do that, we have to complete our 10 hours of on-line training and finish that pile of paperwork in the picture you see above! :)  Once our agency receives our packet, we will begin working on our home-study and dossier! Once we complete those (it will probably take a good little while) they will send our "dossier" over to Bulgaria to be translated and wait for our REFERRAL!! :) That will be the LONG wait! They told us it could be any where up to 36 months, for a healthy child under age 3- but we are praying it won't be that long!) We put on our application that we would accept a child up to age 4 with minor/correctable medical needs. We expect that to cut the wait time in at least half! *fingers crossed*  We know that the Lord has the perfect child for us, that will complete our family and we know that He will put us all together at just the right time! Words just can't describe how excited we are to watch it all come together!  We appreciate all of your prayers, for us and for our sweet pea (who may or may not even be born yet!)  We can't wait to witness this miracle that is going to take place in our lives, and we're glad you've chosen to follow along with our story! We have a little faith, and we're expecting big things! We know that "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27 :) 

                                 xoxo, 

                               Steffani  

Overwhelmed.....

With gratitude!! We are SO thankful to each and every one of you who have stopped by our page in the last couple of days! We never dreamed so many people would be so interested in helping us and following along on our journey to start a family! We cannot express enough how grateful we are to each of you, and to our LORD who is just lining things up and supplying all of our needs! We are honored and humbled that so many people feel led to contribute! It's SUCH a blessing!!

Some friends of ours have already started a "Hope for the Jones Family" campaign, and it is taking off!
           

How it works, is, you purchase one of these ^^pretty little necklaces^^  and all of the profits from the sales go DIRECTLY to our adoption fund!! So awesome! You get this pretty little symbol of hope, to wear around your neck (and remind you to keep us in prayer) and we are blessed by the proceeds! These things are selling like hotcakes, and we couldn't be more appreciative! We have some pretty amazing friends and family!! 

I've also added a "Donate" button to the top of our page here, incase you'd rather help that way! We're just so amazed and thankful to each of you and pray God's richest blessings on you all!  I never doubted that God would take care of us-- but to actually watch HIM work, and so soon too, it's just amazing us!!  Thanks again, y'all!! xoxo, Steffani 

ps~ Check out our Facebook page!   www.facebook.com/KeepingUpWithTheJonesesOurBulgarianAdoption

We're Approved!!

Happy Monday morning, everyone!
 Is it just me, or is it always harder to get going the morning after vacation!?

We had an amazing time in Orlando- great food, lots of fun, and just getting away was wonderful! I have to admit, 6:40 came early this morning, but I couldn't wait to get to work! I missed my girlies!! (I'm a Nanny, for those of you that didn't know!)We had a super awesome mini-vacation! Orlando was so much fun, and super hot!!   Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, CitiWalk, Downtown Disney, and of course-- the FOOD! (The most important part, right!?) It was all super good! We even got to take a little walk-thru of the resort we stayed at for our *honeymoon*!! So sweet!

                                      I have this same picture from our honeymoon! :)

                       

Vacation happened to be so much fun, that it completely took my mind off of the waiting game going on in our adoption process! We had mailed off our initial application on Monday and were told it could be a little while before we heard back, because the man who approved them was leaving the country this week.  So, I resolved to have a good time on vacation and try not to think about it every second! haha! Friday evening, I checked my e-mail- and there it was!!! WE WERE APPROVED!! *Sigh of relief!!* Our formal packet is in the mail and we should get it soon, then after a few hours of "adoption training" we'll be on to the next BIG step, the HOME STUDY. Just the thought of that is enough to make me break out into a nervous sweat, but after watching the Lord work out everything this far-- it's hard to be too worried about it! Let me just add here, that it is AMAZING to watch God work in this, guiding and providing every step of the way! We got home yesterday evening and some sweet, precious people had left us the sweetest note and $400! Our first official donation to our "adoption fund"!! We were so excited!! I can't wait to share this journey with you all and I hope you get a little blessing from watching the Lord work in our lives!! It's so nice to know that what HE does for others, He's more than happy to do for you- if you have faith and trust Him!!  Hopefully we'll have a lot of new exciting stuff to post soon! :) Now I'll leave you with this picture of our new bracelets we had made-- it's the Bulgarian word for love! We thought that was pretty fitting. :) xoxo, Steffani

And So It Begins!

Monday, June 17, 2013. The day we "officially" begin our adoption journey! We. Are. So. Excited!!!! Words cannot even describe! Pending approval of our application by the director of our adoption agency (we should hear back in the next couple of weeks), we will be on our way to becoming the proud parents of our precious treasure living somewhere in Bulgaria! 

   I know this is just the start to the LOOOONG road that lies ahead, but I also can see the hand of God working so much- I dare to hope that it won't be quite as long as they keep telling us! (A girl can dream, right!?)  It's so much fun to watch the Lord work things out in your life, things that you just KNOW HE did! 

And we've already began to see situations like that! I wanted to share this one with you all. 

Wednesday afternoon we received our information packet, application, and fee schedule for the adoption agency we have chosen! After the initial shock of the staggering price tag wore off, we decided we needed to take a step back and pray. We asked God for clear direction- specifically that HE would give us the exact  amount of money needed for every step of the way! (Because, as much as we would like it, we don't NEED all $32,000 RIGHT NOW!) All we needed right then was the $250 for our application fee. Which, I know that's not a lot- but we had prayed and felt like when the timing was right, God would send us the money and we would know it was time to get this ball rolling!     Friday morning rolls around, (*PAYDAY*) and after paying all of our bills, Spencer called to let me know that we had an extra $100 in our account, and he didn't know where it came from! I just chalked it up to "God was working" and went on about my day, not knowing where the other $150 would come from. Well, I got home from work a few minutes before Hubby that day, and when I went to the mailbox (expecting doctor bills) I was surprised to see a weird looking envelope from our insurance company. We had overpaid, throughout the course of the year, and they sent us a reimbursement check! (How often does THAT happen?!) I was even more surprised when I looked down  at the amount. $152.87! In the total of about 7 hours, the Lord had given us the EXACT amount of money needed for our application fee!! He even sent a couple of extra dollars for postage!!! I couldn't quit crying and thanking the Lord then Spencer got home and it started all over again! :) We of course, took that as our sign, and filled out our application over the weekend! And today, we went and mailed that baby off!! This is our first and probably shortest "wait" in the process, but I know it's going to drive me crazy! But hey, every day, we are one step closer to bringing our little Prince or Princess HOME!!! 

                                          xoxo, 

                                        Steffani

Beginning Our Road To Adoption!

        It's official! I did it! I up and CALLED an ADOPTION agency! I know that may not be a HUGE step for some, or even the first official step of starting the adoption process- but it's big for me-- and now we know how to start! Now, I know you might be thinking that we JUST got the news that we'll never have our own biological children--and we should think more about this-- but we are NOT fans of wasting time! Anyone who knows us, knows this to be true. We. Want. A. Family. And we want more than one child! *shocker, I know* God has definitely opened and closed the right doors, and given us the green light to get this ball rolling! We know when God is in something, you might as well jump on board, full steam ahead! And it's a good thing, because after speaking with the kind lady today, I found out the country we had in mind has an average 3 year wait for an infant! Wowzers!!! THREE YEARS.
Also, I found out:
 1.) We are pretty clueless when it comes to this sort of thing.
 2.) You don't have to be rich to adopt.
 3.) That horror stories are NOT the norm. Thank God.
 4.) You can bring home the perfect baby boy or girl of your dreams- it just takes time!
 5.) We need to do some serious praying and narrow down a country!
     
The sweet counsellor also sent me a link where I could view waiting children from that country and... I sat and cried.. And cried and cried. And then I cried some more! Now, (Not sure if it's the right way to go about this) but I have been googling countries for weeks now-- ever since we got the news from the Doc that we MIGHT not be able to produce our own children. And granted, I've seen a lot of cute kids, that I thought were precious, but THESE kids-- BROKE.OUR.HEART.  I guess, that's what it means for a country to "speak to you". I've always heard that there would just be one country that would call to you, and when you see your child, you will immediately know and love it! (Let me just say, I CAN'T WAIT for that day!!)  I'm not a particularly emotional person-- but something about the thought of those sweet babies over there, needing a home full of love, and WE can give them that! *amazing*

We know for sure we're on the right track. I'm so thankful for the way God leads and directs, and the PEACE that HE gives! It's truly amazing. I can't wait to watch HIM work all of this out "for our good and HIS glory"!

I really hope you guys are ready to hear about and see some serious miracles, because we serve a BIG GOD and we are trusting in the fact that "where HE leads HE provides".  A principle I've always seen evident in my parents and our family's life.  I know from experience, that when the Lord calls you to do something, He equips you with the tools you will need. That being said, we are SO excited to begin this (probably long, maybe difficult, and very emotional) journey to our family of three!! We are trusting God to lead, direct, and provide every step of the way!  So far, we've already seen His hand working-- it was evident, from the very first doctor's appointment. We can't wait to watch this new chapter in our lives unfold- and give GOD the glory for the great things He's doing in our lives!
                                                                           
                                xoxo,
                              Steffani

We're the Joneses!

Hi! We're the Joneses!
   I'm Steffani, and this is my dear hubby Spencer! He's really the man of my dreams, better than my dreams, actually! We met on March 12, 2010 and were married on March 12, 2011! (It's a magical story, really! I'm pretty sure a blog post entirely devoted to our love story is going to grace your blog feeds at some point in the near future! :)) Our love story is so great because we are in love with our SAVIOR, Jesus Christ, first and foremost! Everything else seems to fall into place, and we are absolutely perfect for each other! We have one fur baby (Maycee) who is the cutest little Malti-zu you've ever seen! (I'm sure a lot of pictures of the "Macerdoodle" will be clogging up this blog, as well! What can you expect?!) We are in love with our family, our church, and our life! The only thing missing is a tiny, little Jones, and since we can't make our own (we'll get more into that later) we are trusting God that He has the perfect one out there for us! And we know that he can bring us all together into the perfect little family!
  FYI, I'm completely new to blog land and I figured since we're about to start a completely new chapter in our lives, we might as well keep track of it, and others updated at the same time!
So, here's to this new adventure! Looking forward to letting you all in on how the Lord is working things out for our good and HIS glory!   ~Steffani