rooted and grounded in love.

I want to take a few moments to look back at the past year, before it slips through my grasp.   2017 is a year that has forever changed our lives. We started out the year home study approved, with hearts full of dreams, and hopes for what 2017 would bring. And as this year comes to a close, we are ending it with our sweet daughter. And now going into 2018, we are doing the same, entering into a new year with hearts full of dreams and hopes for what 2018 will look like. But not just for us, but for our sweet Emmarie, and her brave birth mom too. I felt led to write a letter to Emmarie's birth mom today, as 2017 closes, and felt led to share those thoughts here, with you. Why? Because adoption is more than just bringing home a sweet bundle to love and provide for. It's about loving big, and loving well. And to us, loving big, and loving well includes our sweet Emmarie's birth mother.  Adoption is hard, but adoption is worth it. And we want everyone to hear our sto...

As I sit here in our sweet Emmarie's hospital room, I look back at all our lives have held these past four and a half weeks. I remember getting the call on November 15th from our Adoption Agency, I remember the flood of tears, and phone calls that were made. I remember it all as if it were just yesterday, however, a month or more has passed. And while it seems like forever ago, it also seems as if it's just been a whirlwind of events up until now. During the week, over 140 miles driving each day. And on the weekend, we spend our time here, from early in the morning, until late at night. Our home hasn't been lived in this past one month, it has been slept in. And we wouldn't have it any other way. With her is where we want to be. Many have said, you don't have to be there every day, but yes, yes we do. This is what we wanted, and this is what we want. To be with her. Many of you have asked about Emmarie's sweet birth mother. We have continued to keep in contact...

I don't want to forget any of this. I want to remember the long drives to the hospital. The long days spent at in the NICU. I want to remember the smell of her room, and every little detail. Life is a series of fleeting moments, but these are ones I never want to forget. I want to remember all the work we had to go through each and every day just to get to her. Our early mornings always start out with a phone call to the NICU, where I say, "hi there, I am Miss Emmarie's adoptive mama, room 20** - and our code word is ________. Could we speak with her nurse to get an update on how she did throughout the night?" And then we were transferred to her floor where the nurse answered, and I again gave the same information. We then would hear how her night went, and most every time the nurse would say "she's a feisty little one!" And with a smile, I would say, "yes, our sweet girl is a feisty little babe!" We always have gotten good reports - she...

Oh what amazing things this last week has held. This time last week I had no idea that I would become a mama that day. As tears stream down my face, I am overwhelmed with such joy, such happiness, such thankfulness, and so much sadness, all at the same time. Our lives have forever been changed, and not just because of our sweet Emmarie, but because of the selfless choice her birth mother made, by placing her little life in our hands.  In adoption a child isn’t given up, a birth mother gives life, she gives her child a family, and unconditional love. She gives a part of her heart that will never feel whole. She gives another mama a part of her heart that was always missing. Adoption is about loss, but it’s also about great love. Great, great love.  Looking back over the past fifteen months of our life, and even over the last almost thirteen years of being together; I think on everything that has led up to this time in our lives.  I think of why we weren't able ...

The last 72 hours have been a whirlwind. A little before 5pm on Tuesday, we got a text from Angela, the Director at Choosing Hope. She asked if we had any more profiles. We had an extra profile book at home that we had for ourselves, and so we said yes, and she asked our address. I told Kevin I felt like she was coming over to get it, and wondered what was going on. Sure enough, Angela showed up just moments later; ready to pick up our profile book. She explained that a few days prior, a birth mom came in, interested in adoption, and our profile book is one of the ones she sent home with her. Meanwhile, Tuesday, Angela got a call about a situation where a baby was being born that night by c-section, and mom was considering adoption. Angela left for the hospital, and we found ourselves anxiously awaiting any news. As the evening went on, we were given few details about the situation, but would know more tomorrow (Wednesday). Wednesday came, and we were given the following i...

One year ago today, we were completing our fourth and final homestudy. Just a short month later would find out that we were homestudy approved. It's been a long year in some ways, but I remember the whirlwind of it all in the beginning, just like it was yesterday. So many requirements to be met, and me; I want to have everything done right now, and done the right way the first time. And now, some days are just quiet. Very quiet. Going into adoption, we knew we'd be faced with a wait. We went into this process knowing that the average wait in adoption is one to two years. Does knowing that make it any easier enduring the wait? Not at all. However, we know that in time, this calling to adoption that was placed on our lives, will all come together. And when it does, we will understand the things that right now we do not. Over the past year while getting calls about potential situations, both with Choosing Hope Adoptions, and the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network, saying ...

God sees the BIG picture. HIS wisdom is unfailing. HIS love unending. And HIS timing is perfect. Easy to say, but hard to believe at times. Over the last few days, our lives took a quick turn. We got a call about a little baby boy, states away from us who needed a family. An adoption agency in his home state didn't have any families willing to adopt him, so they reached out to a referring/consulting service who then contacted our agency, and we got the call. A diagnosis of Down syndrome, a lot of legal terms, 15 hours away and a fee of $30,000 to move forth. Our first thought? Impossible. But as we prayed and sought the Lord, our hearts reminded us that HE makes the imPOSSIBLE, possible. So after a few exchanged messages, and phone calls, we were steps closer to traveling out of state to meet this sweet baby boy. We were told we would know more yesterday morning. As the day went on, my heart began to sink as I sensed something must not be right. We were eventually told...

All the good things I have are from you. Psalm 16:2. One year ago today, Kevin and I sat in our church, not aware of what would transpire that day in our hearts. Service started out like any other, we started with worship, communion, and offering, and then things changed. There were three outreach ministries from Springfield in service with us, about to share with the congregation their ministry and what they do. I remember this as if it were yesterday. Second up to talk was Angela Boblitt, Director of Choosing Hope Adoptions. As I listened to Angela speak that day, there was a stirring in our spirits and hearts. A Christian Adoption Agency, right here in Springfield, Ohio? I had no idea. I remember being in service with my mom and dad that day, and I remember the nudging coming from my mom, as Angela talked. A few whispers to Kevin, and a few questions; and once Angela was done speaking, I was eager to know more. Kevin and I began our relationship knowing that it would be impo...

It’s not that we love waiting; it’s that we love the one we are waiting for. It’s been six months since being home study approved. And I wish I could say that the waiting gets easier, but the reality of it is, I think for all of us, that waiting is just plain hard. It’s hard not know what’s going on behind the scenes. Is our profile being shown to expectant mothers? Will we get a phone call or an email soon? Last year we filled out mounds of paperwork, we had physicals, and fingerprinting, we had home visits, and then? The wait… Some families match the first time they present, and while we are happy for them, our hearts sink a little. Others wait months, and hear dozens of no’s. And sometimes it’s a year, or longer. All the while we can’t help but wonder, when it’ll be our turn. We know that God is up to something, and while we may not know now, I believe he is trying to teach us to trust Him, and then, trust Him more. We know that He knows.  We know th...

Sometimes broken things just can’t be fixed. A broken heart, a broken promise, a broken person...a shattered vase. Sometimes broken things heal crooked, and the pieces don’t quite fit anymore. But sometimes they can. It takes broken soil to produce a crop. Broken clouds to bring rain. And broken grain to give bread. Sometimes things need to be broken, to become stronger. We’ve found ourselves faced with a tough week, yet again. Some days are good, but then there are others, where it would just be nice to curl up, and not even get out of bed, to face what lies ahead.  Sometimes things just feel broken. It has been recommended that we apply for adoption grants. The process is lengthy, a lot of paperwork, providing copies of our home study, previous income tax returns, and questions. Lots of questions. Many of the places that offer grants, they have stipulations, and limits on age requirements, or income requirements, and so there are many adoption...

We've not posted in awhile, as we are sure you know. There's just not been anything new to really post about. Situations we are presented with from time to time, must remain confidential, and so we cannot share much in regards to that. But here we are... Still waiting. And we will continue to wait, for as long as we need to. We are just 5 days short of it being 5 months that we've been home study approved. So while it may seem like a long time; 5 months really isn't too terribly long, when you look at the wait in the world of adoption. Does it feel like forever? It certainly does. Generally, most adoption waits can range from 12 to 24 months. Sometimes it's much sooner, and in some cases, it can be longer. So while waiting, we just continue to pray for the child that the Lord will one day bless our family with. We know that he has already hand picked the little babe that he has for our family. We are also praying for the direction he would have us to go. ...

Spring brings new growth, weeds out the old, and makes room for something beautiful. It breathes new life into the world around us. Because of spring, we know that no winter lasts forever. I feel we are in the winter months of our adoption process. Waiting, and hopeful the wait will be over soon. We have had several situations present themselves to us, but have to keep specifics confidential. We have prayerfully considered each situation, and pray over each decision to have our profile shown to an expectant mother, and family. The Lord knows the child that He will bless our family with, and we are only waiting for Him to make that known to us. And we trust that He will, in His time. So during the wait, we just continue to draw closer to Him, pray, and wait for what He has in store for us. We still have many puzzle pieces available to sponsor, or adopt. And so we thought, that maybe by starting a new fundraiser, we could start chipping away at this puzzle, and get every single p...

I was driving to work this morning when the Lord laid it on my heart to write today.  I began thinking of how long it’s been since we've been home study approved, and wanted to figure out the exact number of days. We started the process way before being home study approved, but for some reason, the number I was looking for was the exact number of days since then. When driving this morning, I never put any thought into today being March 15th, and us receiving our home study approval on December 15th.  And so it's been... Ninety days. I’ve spent the morning thinking about the importance of that number, and where the Lord would lead me in writing today. I began to think about these past 3 months, and the entire adoption process so far. As we’ve said before, the wait has got to be one of the hardest parts. But we know that during this time, the Lord is using this time, to continue to prepare our hearts. And during this time, we've realized that sometimes, in ...

Adoption can be difficult to wrap one’s mind around. Questions, of how a mother could choose adoption over parenting her own flesh and blood. Her baby. The little life inside of her, that was a part of her, for nine months. While I am no expert on this; I have learned so much, and I am learning a lot. We never know what a mother who has found herself in this situation is going through. Maybe as a child herself, she dealt with abandonment, abuse, physical or sexual abuse. Maybe as an adult she has found herself homeless, or lost in the terrible addictions of drugs or alcohol. Maybe she is a young girl, not even through school yet, who has found herself in a situation she never expected; not even eighteen and pregnant. Truth is; we may never know. To me the importance of the situation is that she chose life for her child . She knows that the life she is living, isn’t the life that she wants her child, the child she loves, to live. Maybe she is choosing a different path f...

Puzzle Piece Fundraiser Update! Since launching this fundraiser at the beginning of 2017, fifty eight puzzle pieces have been sponsored! Thank you to each of you who have been a part in "bringing home, our missing piece." There are still 194 pieces that need sponsored, or as we like to say "adopted". When you adopt a puzzle piece, your name is written on the back of a puzzle piece. Once all pieces have been "adopted," the puzzle will then be framed in two sided glass, and hung in the nursery, so that one day we can show our child, all who helped bring home our missing piece! And, please feel free to share this post to help spread the word, we have had church life groups, and small groups share, and partake in this blessing, and we are so thankful for that! Things are still pretty quiet as far as the adoption goes; which is normal. These things take time, and we know that we could wait for months, or that call could come at any time. We want to be...

Sometimes God says no because he has a better or a different plan. Sometimes we go through life with plans of our own, only to realize that what we want, may not be what God wants for us. And not just in this journey, have we found this to be true. Growing up, I always dreamed of being married, and having a family of my own. I would think about the man I would marry, the life we would live, and the children we would have. My plans for my life, were far from what God had in mind for my life. Kevin and I both knew that having children together was not possible. So we chose to trust the Lord. We knew that He had a plan, and we chose to trust His plan. Little did we know that it would be almost eleven and a half years into our marriage before we would come to realize what he wanted for our lives. Adoption. It's not something we talked about often, or something we even really seriously considered. We heard that adoption was expensive, and risky, and we just weren't ready t...

Things have been fairly quiet since being home study approved. In the past weeks, Kevin and I have both unplugged from social media a bit; to take time to pray specifically about what we should do during the wait. We have looked into finding a christian adoption consultant, and are also working to be put on a national registry list. An adoption consultant would guide us step by step through the adoption process and council us on any financial assistance available to us, to make adoption attainable. We would have our own personal adoption advocate, supporting us through our adoption journey. The adoption consultant also works to match us with birth families who feel they are unable to parent their child. With the national registry list we mentioned, we would be available to adopt anywhere in the United States. And just like with our adoption agency, that call could come at anytime. We are waiting for our home study to be sent to them, and then we will be provided with paperwork. Onc...

Missing pieces do more than complete a puzzle. They fill in an empty space. It's been a good week! At the beginning of 2017 we launched our newest fundraiser; "Help us Bring Home our Missing Piece." After kicking off the fundraiser, we sold our first two pieces! And then, last Sunday, we set a goal to "sell" 10 puzzle pieces. Our goal of 10 puzzle pieces was far exceeded; we sold 34 just this week! On Facebook, we mentioned the wonderful gentleman who wanted to purchase all 10 pieces, to help us meet our goal. He was purchasing them in honor of his family members. When listing out those family members, he named 12, and said he wanted to buy all 12. After he wrote them down, and was figuring it all up, he ended up with 15 pieces! A sweet friend of mine, her prayer group (15 individuals), all of whom we do not know, they all purchased one piece each as well! What a blessing! Two of Kevin's friends from work purchased one each. And a family member also ...

Starting the New Year with "Help us Bring Home our Missing Piece" Fundraiser! As many of you know, we are home study approved, and we are only waiting for a family to be matched with! Placement of a child could be a soon as next month, in the months to come, or even in a year. We simply do not know! And as we all know, adoption is not cheap. While we are contributing, saving, and working to take care of the cost that surrounds adoption, we have given you, our friends and fami ly, many ways to be a part of this adoption. And we thank you for the outpouring of support you have been to us in our journey so far! We know that God is writing a story here and we are simply following his path, and plan for our lives! We have two puzzles that we’ve created; each 11x14 puzzle is made up of 252 pieces. We are “selling” each puzzle piece for $20.00. You can choose to buy 1, 2, 3, or 10 pieces! There is no limit! Once you purchase a piece, we will write your name on the back of...