Happy Birthday Skelley!

The choir gathered at the ballpark to celebrate Jon's 39th birthday.  When Luke and I heard about it- we couldn't resist going.  Jon threw out the first pitch at the game and Jeremy sang the National Anthem.  It was a fun night filled with baseball, hotdogs, and of course birthday cake.  Luke and I love the choir and orchestra team at church- they are truly the real deal.  It was an honor to be a part of Skelley's special day. 

 Luke and Reed

 Some of the sweetest people- Cindy, Amy, & Herschel

 Lindsey and her sweet babies!

 Dean & Ken

 Love this group of people!!

 The Rhodes Clan

 My friend from highschool- Casey and his girlfriend

 Skelley Boy

 Big breath- that's a lot of candles! LOL!

 Me and my best friend Amanda- she's so good to me!

 Lindsey & Jeremy Raines

 Singing Happy Birthday

The Choir

Father's Day

We had Chris, Summer, Kingston, Mom and Dad over for a Father's Day lunch.  Luke grilled some chicken legs and thighs- and even started a small fire in the grill thanks to leftover BBQ grease in the grill.  Mom fixed ranch potatoes, skillet fried corn, and we had fruit salad.  For dessert we ate on a strawberry cake, kentucky derby pie, and a cheese cake. It's crazy and fun to think next year there might be more kids added to the pictures!  Can't wait for Luke to be able to celebrate Father's Day too!

Kingston & PaPa Flying a Kite

Over Memorial Day weekend, Mom, Dad, Kingston, and I all headed to Neosho.  We had a blast visiting with family and eating good food!  I didn't pull out my camera at all- except to get a few shots of Dad and Kingston flying a kite.  Well, Dad flew the kite while Kingston held the string- and got tangled in it over and over.  It was a fun aftenoon.

Kingston Painting and the Zoo

We had Kingston on Tuesday night.  I picked him up from Chris Tuesday afternoon.  We had a blast playing and jabbering together.  Since I have very little toys here for him to play with, I pulled out the big guns and we played with paint!  He loved it.  I think we might have a little Picasso on our hands.  Luke, or "gook" as Kingston calls him played and played with him before bath and bedtime.

On Wednesday, we went to the Zoo with Alicen, Ryan, and Aiden.  Kingston loved seeing the animals.  It was a workout pushing that stroller around the zoo.  It was also preschool day at the zoo- a little crazy for sure.  Every time we would see a new animal, as we were leaving the exhibit Kingston would say "bye" to each animal.  We ended the day with Chick Fila and a nap.  That poor little boy took a 2 1/2 hour nap!!  He was plum worn out.

It was a great time.  We love spending time with Kingston.  His words just crack me up. He's crazy about Madison, he loves "Dutch" which is George, and is even crazier about this uncle "gook"- which was actually that first thing Lily called Luke.  Kinda neat!

Our First In Home Consultation

Luke and I visited with our Adoption Specialist Kimberlee last night.  She was so very nice.  It was a little awkward though to have someone snoop through your home.  However, she did it very tastefully- and even loved my "junk" decor!  Her favorite thing was Grandma Graham's tea towels I have hanging in the living room- I'm sure that would have made Grandma Graham's day!

We talked and looked through all of our completed paperwork.  I asked her several specific questions about adoption in particular- giving what all we've been through with Mom's adoption.  When we told her we wanted siblings- she grinned and wrote it in all caps on the sheet.  We do have a few things to change in the house...but only 3 items.  She said that was the littlest list she had ever made for a couple to fix.

We had more homework to finish too.  Paperwork that was not given to us at our training.  It asked the generic questions about growing up and our parents.  Then, it got to some personal stuff for me and Luke.  I don't think the two of us have laughed that hard in a long time.  Throughout this whole process, the two of us have grown closer.  Not because we've learned a lot about one another, but because we laughed and talked about some of the most stupid questions we've ever been asked!

So, now we wait to see who does our home study from here on out.  DHS says the CALL does it, and the CALL says DHS does it.  We shall see! 

Training Weekend #2

Luke and I are officially done with our PRIDE training through the CALL.  It was a LONG two weekends to say the least.  Most of the information wasn't new to us, it was just overwhelming to sit for that long of a period. 

Yesterday, they had a panel come in to talk about their experiences with fostering.  Since Luke and I are an adopt only family, we didn't learn very much.  It was nice to hear their experiences and learn some new tricks, however we'd love to hear from an adopt only family.

 Since starting this training, we've felt like there is a black mark against us for being "adopt" only.  Being a Christian, I know the Lord calls us to do many things in life.  Some people may agree with some things- and other things- they may not.  That's just how it goes.  However, during this whole process we've gotten the feeling that many feel Jesus only calls people to foster.  We understand the need for fostering, we just aren't cut out for that.  I know many kids come through state foster care in a day- hence the need for foster families, but at some point a parent's rights are terminated- hence the need for an adoptive family. So, we feel the Lord calling us to be an adoptive family to a sibling group.  We'd love to have two kids, but isn't it just like the Lord to blow our socks of with 4?!?!  Who knows what's ahead.  We are willing and waiting. 

From here on out, there is a lot of paperwork still to be done.  This process could take anywhere from 1-2 years.  We just don't know. 

We do however feel Satan attacking at every turn.  He's always there to give us doubt, make us question why we're even going through all the trouble, why not just have our own bio kids,  and even causing others to say hurtful things to us.  Even when we tell people we are going through the adoption process, a part of me notices, in some- the look of pity.  They think, "oh, they can't have kids..."  Well, we just don't know about that.  We haven't been trying, and frankly don't want to right now.  There are a ton of kids out there already who need loving homes- so why not give them a chance? 


So, we're ready and waiting to see what kind of wild journey the Lord has for us.  I'm just hoping I don't get whip lash!

Training

Yesterday we had our first day of training.  It started at 9 and we were out by 6.  To say it was a LONG day would be an understatement.  We both were so sore from sitting all day!!!  My attention span turned off around 3.  You can only take so much information!  We watched videos about foster training- some were very dated!  In fact, one reminded me of an insurance commercial and the other one reminded me of my drama days back at SCA. 

We were there with 2 other couples that were very sweet.  I felt sorry for them, as they seemed very overwhelmed by all the information.  I guess Luke and I were more prepared.  My friend works at DHS, we've had friends go through this process before, and have heard many stories- the good and the bad.  Plus, adoption runs in my family, so I know somewhat the process. 

The two men leading the training were very nice and experienced in this field.  We go back again today for another day of training and then we have one more weekend full.  I am so thankful for our friends and family that support us.  This training is LONG, and my joints and back have a hard time sitting for that long.  If I had any advice to give to family or friends that have someone going through this- it would be to offer unconditional support.  Don't give your opinions if they are going to be negative in any way.  We just don't need them.  However, if you have positive feedback to share- we love to hear it and really appreciate it. 

We know this is God's will for our lives.  So, we just have to persevere through it all.  I can't wait to see what He has in store for us!