Thank you all that have reached out to our family.  It is not easy asking for help.  I absolutely love helping others and seriously get kind of excited when they share a need with me, because then I know what I can do to help.  I have had to have some serious talks with myself in order to put our need out there.  God's word tells me "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."  I don't know about you, but I need his grace every single day, so I need to prepare my heart to be a place to receive it.

I know he will provide the means to go get Abbey.  I absolutely know it.  I have several "God moments" from when we were beginning this journey to her that just confirmed to me that we were on his path.  We have several options still open.  We are seriously hoping to get our tax refund before we travel.  We have a fundraiser planned at our church on April 10th.  We will have a yard sale (several people have made some very generous large donations) and bar-b-que in the afternoon, and a gospel singing that night.  Our church family has been so generous to us during this adoption.  I truly think that they are seeing that God's heart is for the orphan and realizing that it is not only a "good" thing to do, it is an OBEDIENT thing to do.  And just look at this sweet face!

Takes my breath away.....Thank you Lord for the honor and priviledge of being her mom!

 We also have applied for many grants.  I really feel strongly about the Gift of Adoption one.  They give preference to lower income families (uhhhhh that would definately be us!) and harder to place children (have you met a 13 year old lately? jk)  I have also had several of you contact me with some fund raising ideas.  Keep them coming, we love the help.  I may try to do some sort of give away on the blog, I am just not sure how yet. 

Yesterday we received word from out agency that our Article 5 was picked up and delivered to the CC@@!  That means that we only have one step left- TA (travel approval, which gives us permission to enter their country to adopt Abbey).  Our case worker said to expect that in 3-5 weeks.  Can I get an amen!  It is both a blessing and a little fear-provoking that things are moving along.  The timing is truly being orchestrated by God and I do not have any control over it.  In the past, I would be miserable with that fact.  I would need to be in control in order to have peace.  But now, I have a peace about not being in control.  I just finished teaching an adult Bible study class where we did the Crazy Love study.  It was the second time through it for me, but the first time teaching it.  I think the biggest thing I received from it this time is that I cannot even imagine what God can do in my life if I will truly let go of my plans and control.  Simple thought, but not so simple to apply.  But, oh the peace that I have.  Wayne even mentioned yesterday that I was not freaking out on this adoption like I was in the last one, and I have more reasons to freak out in this one.  I just am resting and waiting. 

We are expecting an update on Abbey soon.  Hopefully with updated height/weight and photos!  I will be sure to post them as soon as I get them!

Crazy!

I know that I have been somewhat quiet lately. 

And there are reasons for that.

Some I will share with you and some I won't.

What I will share with you is this.  It has been a loooooong winter. 

You see, we own a constuction company and we live in a small midwest town.  I think sometimes it takes a while for things to trickle down to us.  For instance, the way we dress is probably a little bit behind the latest fashion trends, even though I know very little about that.  In the same way, I think the hard economic conditions have just now reached us.  We are just now starting to pick up work for the season.  And it's nearly APRIL!  As a result, we have had to dip deeply into our savings just to get by these last few months. 

Why am I telling you this?  Because of Abbey.  Our beautiful 13 year old daughter waiting on the other side of the world for us.  And we need to go get her.  Problem is:  we don't have the money to go.  As a matter of fact, we are about $7900 short of having the money to go.  GULP! 

I know that God's heart is for the orphan.  I know that he is in this.  I know that he led us here.  But while we are standing at the bottom of this mountain looking up, it looks HUGE.  We need nearly $8000 in 6 weeks!  GULP!  GULP! GULP!

But God....

I have been getting extremely anxious about this.  We have been faithful tithers for years and God has always provided.  I am trying to remain positive and surround myself with others who "get it".    I was coming home from church Tuesday night, (we are in revival at Black River Baptist Church!) and we were talking about a fundraiser that we are trying to plan.  And I told Wayne that I think I was gonna email Linny & Dwight and ask them to flood the gates of heaven with prayer for us.  I just love this family and I have learned soooooo much from them.  I just needed some encouragement and I knew that I could get it from Linny.  Well, busyness persued, and it is now it's Thursday.  I sat down to email her, but first I check her blog..... well you just gotta go read it for yourself!

If you have encouragement or questions, please contact me at crosseyedmama@gmail.com or 

Wayne & Leah Woods

8226 Hwy J

Black MO 63625 

Spring!

We are so lovin' this warm weather! 

And the only thing better than playing barefoot on the slide is......

....is getting your big sister to slide with you!

Creative

So I am cleaning the kitchen up yesterday and Sydney comes up behind me and me with a piece of toilet paper about 18 inches long.  She wants me to tie it around her stomach. 

OK, there you go, and she takes off like lightning.

A few minutes later, I realize she is being really quiet.

I call for her.

And here she comes.....

She cracks me up!!!

And speaking of crack, you should've seen the view from the rear!!!

 

Update

Things are moving right along in our journey to Abbey. 

Our paperwork has been cabled to Guangzhou and we received our NVC letter,

which was also forwarded to Guangzhou.

So now we wait on our Article 5 to be issued.  Our agency says that this will happen on Monday March 29th.  Then we wait for our TA, which should about 3 weeks later, somewhere around the April 19th.  Then we go! 

Holy cow!

I have got to get busy.....

Family Day

Today marks 2 years that Sydney has been in our family.  I must admit I am a bit weepy about it.  Looking back at these pictures makes me sad for how small and under-developed she was.  She was so tiny!  Now we understand how she really was a 22 month old infant.  But we were quite unprepared for that at the time.  I am not sure one can ever be prepared for something like that.  She was so malnurished.  She could barely walk.  She had never had solid food and when we tried to feed her, she would just move the food around in her mouth and give it back to us.  She literally did not know how to eat.  She had very thin hair and no muscle tone whatsoever.  She hid her face with her hands for a long time and just could not look at us.  It was utterly heart breaking. 

She has made so much progress, and yet has so far to go.  She still cannot sleep through the night without waking 1-3 times yelling for me.  She does it in a way that seems like she doubts that I will come.  She has that fear still.  We still cannot leave her with a sitter without it triggering fits, tantrums, and sleeplessness for several weeks afterwards.  She needs ALOT  of one on one attention, and if she doesn't get it, we get fits, tantrums, and slepplessness.  At almost four years old now, I would classify her as a 2 year old. 

Would I do it again?

Absolutely.  In a heartbeat.

I would not go back and change a thing.  She is my daughter, through and through.  I love her with every fiber of my being.  She has stretched me to lengths that I did not think possible.  And she has made me into someone that I could not have been without her. 

Thank you, God, for this beautiful gift of adoption.  Thank you for creating this child to be born on the other side of the world in order to journey all the way to my arms.  I will forever be in awe of your love for us. 

Chirp Chirp

We received our I-800 approval on Friday! 

WoooooooooooooooHoooooooooooooooo!

We should be sent to the NVC office on Tuesday.

Moving right along for sure.......

which means.......

let the nesting begin!

Oh doesn't this just scream SPRING!

I just have this huge urge to purge, scrub, organize, repaint, shampoo, air out, and basically

CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!

And the thing is, I cannot remember being this behind in my housework.  Now I will be the first one to admit, I am NOT the best housekeeper.  My mom is the queen of clean.  It is unhuman how clean her house stays.  It always has been and I have absolutely no idea how she does this. 

We have been on the run so much that only the bare minimum has been attempted around here, and it shows.

A friend of mine, Patty, mentioned on her blog, after her 13 year old daughter from Luoyang came home, it made her look at how her family lives and does things in a whole new light.  When we adopt little ones, we are the normal they know.  When we adopt older kids, they come with many preconceived notions on how things are supposed to be done.  They have their own version of normal. 

I cannot imagine what Abbey would think if she saw my house this morning.

I seriously have to get my butt in gear and catch up around here.

And I know just who is gonna pitch in.

Oh yeah!  With help like this, we can do ANYTHING!

If you don't hear from me in a while, it means that retaliation  for posting above pictures has occured.  Please send backup.