Here We Are...Merry Christmas from Poland

I am day late but anyways MERRY CHRISTMAS!  We are in Poland on our second trip!! Yahoo! This has been such a long process but we are finally really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  I can not wait for the moment when we board the plane home as complete family.  Leaving our child at the completion of our first trip may have been one the hardest things we have ever done.  Having a week to prepare to leave for second trip was stressful but somehow everything fell into place.  Being away from our family for Christmas has been sad however it means we are getting the best gift of all.  We miss our family traditions and the laughter that always fills the homes we visit during the holidays.

Our trip here was one of the worst flights ever!  We had 7 hours of turbulence to Germany(plus a husband with a migraine) and then a snow storm from Germany to Poland.  Our flight from Germany was delayed an hour(after a 6 hour layover..ugh).  Had some confusion at the train station but somehow we made it to our apartment exhausted but safe.

We are just waiting for our son is be with us forever and all of the waiting, paperwork, travel, and tears will be worth it!

Believe In The Magic of Christmas

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!  We are going to get our son!!!!  We are going to be in Poland for Christmas!!!!

We got the call yesterday morning that simply sent me into tears of joy.  We have been praying to be with our son for Christmas and yesterday that prayer was answered.  We have just a matter of days to get everything together but it the best stress ever. 

I think I am still in shock that this is happening.  I have made lists of lists already.  We have booked our plane tickets and booked our apartment.  This is the best Christmas present we could have asked for.  What better than an answered pray for Christmas!  

Yes We Are Still Waiting

We have been getting lots of questions wondering why we still don't have travel dates yet.  We really don't understand why but court is basically dragging their feet from what we can tell.  We had hoped to have traveled this month but that is not going to happen.  We are praying that November will be bring travel dates.  I can not put into words how heart breaking this waiting has become.  We try to go about our daily lives as normal however there are constantly moments that I wish our child more than anything was here.  

I am so worried that we will not be with our child for Christmas.  It has been 6 months since we held our little one in our arms! Our families love this child and want to meet them so bad and we want to be reunited with our child.  I feel like they are growing up without us.  They have already spent enough time away from their family, it is time for them to be with us FOREVER!  

Most days I feel like an emotional wreck.  There are times that it is all I can do to keep these emotions in check.  I am so thankful for our wonderful family, friends, and co-workers who support us and help to keep us somewhat sane during this waiting.  

Please continue to pray for us and please pray that we will be reunited with our child ASAP!

31 and More Ways to Say Thank-you

Thank-you * Wow * I couldn't have done it without you * You Rock! * I'm truly grateful * Bravo! * I applaud you * Sensational * A+ Job * Excellent * Your Super * Well Done * You made my day * Fantastic * Amazing * No one holds a candle to you * High five! * Outstanding! * Awesome * I appreciate you * Your the best * Well done * Your a winner * Kudos * Hurray for You * Hip Hip Hooray * Your a great example to others * I'm proud of you * Phenomenal  * Right On! * Merci * Gracias * Danke * Xie Xie *  

* Dziekuje *

I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped out with our latest fundraiser!! I don't know how to express to everyone who has donated money, donated items for our yard sales, bought coffee, or bought 31 Gifts how much it helps relieve some of the financial pressures of adoption.   

We are still waiting on our second travel dates(praying to hear something soon!!!) It is hard to explain how hard it is going about our daily lives knowing our child is thousands of miles away.  The anxiety of waiting for the phone to ring is terrible!   We have a bedroom full of cloths, toys, and books just waiting on them. We just want to go back to Poland!! 

31 Reasons

We are having a 31 Gifts Fundraiser to help cover some the final expenses of our adoption.  The fundraiser will end on September 9th. There is also a great special running for the month of September(For every $31 you spend in September, get 31% off anything in the NEW Fall Catalog)
as well as a new catalog for Fall!!

Adoption Fundraiser
*Open the link above click on the my parties tab on the right of the screen then on the  shop now  for Margaret*

Showered With Love

Sean are I were blessed this week with a wonderful adoption shower.  We can not express how much it means to us for our family and friends to celebrate our growing family!   Everything was perfect and we received many much needed items for our little one. 

Keeping Busy

The adoption journey is full of lots of waiting.  Waiting on paperwork, approvals, referrals, travel dates, plane rides, train rides, more paperwork, more approvals, 2nd travel dates, more plane rides, another train ride...well you get the idea.  So many people may be wondering what you do to keep yourself sane while you do all this waiting. The answer= all kinds of things!  Here is a list of some of our keep-yourself-sane activities:

*Decorate a room

*Renovate your childhood table and chairs



 (quick sanding, stain, and polyurethane...good as new)
















 *Landscape

 (hubby did a great job along with some wonderful help from family and friends)















 *Paint a Car

 (hubby bought this Honda for $300 (check out older post to see original paint) that needed some major TLC and has been working on getting it up in tip top shape.  The most recent improvement is this $50 DIY rustoleum paint job)









 *Paint your grandmothers chairs
















 *Build a Friendship

(This beautiful peacock belongs to our neighbor and I have been trying for 5 years to befriend him with little success.  Yesterday we made a milestone in our relationship!  He actually didn't run away when I went outside to hang laundry out!)







I also painted our bedroom with help from my girl-friend, trying to improve my gardening skills, reading, camping, spending weekends at the lake, enjoying cookouts, hubby is almost finished with his bachelors degree(YAY!!), and loving on our families. 

Yes, we have been very busy but we still find ourselves missing our child.  They are in our thoughts constantly and the topic of conversations.  We miss our little one beyond words and pray everyday that we will all be together forever very soon.

Waiting Again...

We have mailed off our I800 for approval!!! Now we wait for the approval of that and then wait again for our next travel dates.  We are really good at this waiting stuff now.  We are praying for a quick turn around so that we are back with our child as soon as possible. I wish this process was quicker and I know that all the other waiting families wish this too. 

I know our families are anxiously awaiting to meet this wonderful little person and spoil them. 

"...In Christ, the Son of God,
there is neither adoptive nor natural parents and children.
We are all born again in the Spirit of God.
This Spirit redeems us with the substance of faith, hope, and love.
May this child be blessed by the mysterious presence, mercy, and grace
of the Trinity,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen."

Starting to feel real!

We are still waiting the paperwork from Poland that we need for our I800.  But we are pro's at this waiting game now.  However last night it really started to feel real. My child is coming in home soon!  My mother-in-law ordered a car seat for us and it came in the mail last night! It so cute and best of all matches the black and white interior of my car! 

We often think of the other families that are waiting for referrals, and trips to meet/get their children. Keep hope that one day you will have your child/ren in your arms and enjoy the simple pleasures(like car seats) of preparing for these long awaited children. 

Please continue to pray for our little family and that we will be reunited with our child soon!

Home With Heavy Hearts

We are home from our first trip!  Simple said...It was AMAZING!  Poland is a beautiful country and the people are soooo nice.  It was extremely hard to leave our child but we know that we will return to be reunited forever.  I never knew how easy it would be to fall in love!  I loved this child from the moment I saw the picture but it was nothing like seeing them in person.  Our hearts melted instantly!  We have been truly blessed.  Please continue to pray for our little family.

Counting the Days!

That is right, we are counting the days until we leave to meet our child!  We have had a referral since January but have been waiting for travel dates. We have had to update/modify our home study and I800A which took some time but now we are getting ready to go to Poland!  It all seems surreal that this is finally happening.  We have waited so long to become parents and now we are going to meet this wonderful little person.  We still have what seems like is going to be forever until we are all home as a family of 3.  We will return home and submit our I800, wait on that approval, and then wait for our next travel dates.  But at this point we are anxiously(impatiently) marking the days off until we are in Poland!

Super Bowl Sunday

Are you ready for some football?!  My answer.....well not really.  Yes I am watching the Super Bowl, however I am watching for commercials and for the half-time show.  I am going to ask you to watch an alternative half-time video to help support adoption.  

http://player.vimeo.com/video/35277973?title=0