Win-Win-Win

As you know, adoption is expensive.


And this adoption, well it kind of caught us by surprise. 

The result of those two statements combined = fundraising.

I just received an e-mail this morning from Wild Olive Tees. Have you heard of them?

They create awesome t-shirts.

  

And if you buy one in the next two months (and enter a special code for our family: KAEB629), you help us bring little boy home!

An awesome t-shirt for you, your son or daughter, your mom or sister or friends; one step closer to bringing little boy home for us!

A win-win-win (as my buddy Michael Scott once said).

To check out the adoption fundraising t-shirts, go here and make sure you enter KAEB629 in the coupon code or you will remove one of the wins and our account won't get credited.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns or problems. And, if you want to share this post with your facebook and twitter friends I won't stop you.

As an FYI, we are in the process of setting up an account with Lifesong for Orphans as well. This will allow those who wish to contribute to our adoption fundraising in a more direct fashion the chance to do so in a tax-deductible kind of way.

Is it too early to say Thank You!

We so appreciate your support whether it comes as a comment, prayer or donation.

We could not do this alone.

A Special Anniversary

Two years ago today,

we met a beautiful little girl in a red dress.

It was an upsetting day for her. 

She was leaving behind everything she had ever known.

It was also, oh-so-sweet, even though she didn't quite know what family meant yet.

Two years later she continues to bring joy and Suhn-shine to our lives.

She is ours and we are hers.

What would we do with her?

Happy "Gotcha" Day Suhn!

Lost

We lost puppy last week.

I'm not sure how it happened, but Tuesday night I was tucking Sean into bed and he asked for puppy as he has most nights for the last two years. I looked all over the house and couldn't find him. So I found a substitute puppy and told Sean we would find puppy in the morning.

But we didn't.

By Friday puppy was still missing. I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach.

I thought puppy was gone for good.

We decided to retrace our steps. We looked at the park. We looked at the gym. We looked at the doctor's office.

Still no puppy.

Sean was sure puppy had been eaten by a monster.

And then, on Sunday morning, we were getting ready for church when we heard a shout from Mya's room. She found puppy. In her closet.

And there was much rejoicing in the house. 

What was lost had been found.

It was a glorious reunion.

Checkout lane philosophy 101

I was waiting to pay for my groceries the other day. There was one older man in front of me with a minimal number of items to buy, which is exactly why I picked the line I found myself standing in.

The cashier asked the obligatory, "How are you doing today?"

To which he replied, "Every day I wake up is a good one."

He probably answers that way to everyone. Maybe so often that he doesn't mean it anymore, the words just spill out. His pat answer. (Is it cynical of me to think this way?)

Regardless, he got me thinking.

"Every day I wake up is a good one."

Hmmm, what a way to live. I've heard it before: Every day is a gift. Enjoy the moment. Live in the present, etc., etc. etc.

I'm still thankful for the reminder.

Whether he actually meant it or not.

Momumental Winner

Thanks for your comments everyone.

The winner is...

Jenny G.!

Jenny if you could send me an e-mail (see my sidebar) with your address I would love to send you your prize!

How You Can Help

Would you consider partnering with us as we pursue this call God has on our lives?

Here's How:

1. Lifesong for Orphans has generously offered us a Matching Grant of $3,000 to help us as we raise the monies needed to bring our son home.  If you would like to help us financially, please send your tax-deductible gift between now and October 3rd to the address listed here. You can also give on-line here (Please preference how the donation might be used by writing “Kaeb #2976 adoption” in the memo section of your check or on the on-line form.)

(Note:  In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its uses, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.)

 Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on our son’s behalf, and will pay the adoption expenses out of the funds received.  100% of the funds received by Lifesong for Orphans will go directly to cover adoption costs. Nothing is taken out for administrative purposes.


Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for partnering with us whether that partnership is through prayer, finances or encouragement.

We are so thankful for the community of support God has given us as we work to bring our son home. He has guided our steps and we trust in his provision along the way.

Motherhood refines

“It’s weird having those kids up there. Were our kids that blasted clumsy? And did they eat that much?”

“Sure,” Sairy said.

“I guess my brain pretty much forgot all that,” Tiller said. “Do you think we were good parents?”

Sairy turned to look at him. “Of course we were, once we made our mistakes and got over worrying so much. Sometimes I think we were just getting really good at it when all of a sudden those kids were grown up and gone. Maybe that’s why it seems easier to me now… I figure we know what to expect and we know how to love kids.”

Quote take from Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

It was interesting reading your comments on why you love being a mom…  many of you wrote about the refining process motherhood has created in your life. My personal experience has been the same. Motherhood has a way of highlighting the selfishness and impatience and…

It most definitely makes me dependent on Him. It is one crazy-hard job!

I love the quote above from a little gem of a book titled Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech. It is a book I found in the youth section of our library. It is about two orphans who move for a summer to Ruby Holler with an empty nest, older couple.  The quote is a conversation between the couple Tiller and Sairy.

Sairy is so patient with the kids. She doesn’t let their clumsiness and mistakes addle her. She expects it. Tiller is not so patient, but he hides it.

I want to be more like that.

Motherhood has presented many, many opportunities to practice patience. Daily I have the choice to show grace or respond with frustration and irritation. I wish I made the right choice more often.

But hey, it’s a refining process.

It’s not going to happen in a day, or even year. Frankly, it’s a process that will not be finished in this lifetime.  BUT if I let God use this Motherhood thing to refine me, MAYBE, with each year that goes by I can become a little more patient and a little less selfish. I can learn from my mistakes and get over worrying so much. I can learn to expect mistakes and clumsiness from my kids and show more grace when they do.

And, MAYBE, when my kids grow up and are gone, I will look a little more like Jesus than when I began. I’ll know what to expect and I’ll know how to love kids.

PS There is still time to win a copy of Momumental! Just leave a comment on that post and you are in the drawing. I will pick a winner tomorrow.