Hi Friends! I am sooo excited about this fundraiser coming up in November! It is going to be so much fun. If you recognize any of the brands below you will not want to miss this! If you have a long list of ladies you need Christmas gifts for, this is the PERFECT place to stop by...each vendor will be here ready to hang and help you shop for the people on your list...or for yourself ;). Thes[...]
the category
Adoption
Some have asked if we will have an online profile. And though it is still a work in progress (we are still editing our video...and by we I mean me, and it's taking FOREVER! Drew and I talk too much ;) haha!) However, here is a link. This is something you are more than welcome to share and give to anyone you know who may be connected to a birth mother looking for an adoptive family. The physi[...]
I can still remember the moment when our daughter was named. Drew and I were not yet confirmed dating...for those of you who grew up in west Michigan, we had not yet had our DTR (Defining The Relationship) talk. Drew was making us dinner one night. Something with red sauce... He was stirring the pot while I was getting dishes together. We were chatting about things we had always felt would happen[...]
Wow... What a whirlwind the last month+ has been! But the long and short of all of it is: We are officially a WAITING FAMILY!!! That means that at any point in time a birth mama could choose us to the the forever family for her little baby girl. That is CRAZY! So many people have talked about the "birth of paperwork" when it comes to adoption...this could not be more true for us! 9 months a[...]
WOW! What a Month+ it's been! We ended April by beginning our Home Study. Our social worker is very nice. She met with us a few different times in our home, asked us LOADS of questions and is now working toward finishing our write up. Once that is complete we will officially be a "Waiting Family." Meaning that at any point after that she can give our portfolio books(once they are done) to expectan[...]
Hey there! Just thought I'd check in and let you all know that we have a start date for our home study!!! I cannot even begin to explain the excitement that this sends through us. Our home study is the last step before we become a waiting family. Once everything is finalized, we will submit portfolio books and create an online portfolio that will be available for birthmother's to view. You a[...]
Hey all, sorry…this is long. I warned you. I had a friend reach out and ask what exactly our fundraising is for. In her home state, all adoption expenses and legal fees are paid for…in Michigan, that is not the case. We will end up paying between $22,000 and $25,000 as long as there are no extra legal court fees from the father fighting for custody or anything. None of this is going toward our[...]
Hey There, So...I had a thought today. I owe you all an explanation. I have labeled my blog/website Find Joy Always. I have a tattoo on my foot of the word "joy" with a circle and an arrow around it(shown below), which means find joy. And, I'm asking you all to get on board and buy a "find joy" t-shirt for our adoption fundraiser. (Those can be found here by the way.) Ultimately...I think it's[...]
Hey there Friends, Quick update...we have officially gotten all the balls out of our court! (and I don't even play tennis...trust me, it's a laughing matter for sure! hehe) Our paperwork is done, and now we are just waiting on clearance from the state and a few references to come in and we will be good to start our home study! WOO HOO! That feels so good! We are so thankful and excited. Be[...]
COMPLTED!!! (for the most part) We have attacked this large stack of paperwork and have 2 more things to complete and then we are on our way to our home study! Hopefully we can be moving on in the next few weeks! There was a lot in there...as we were going through it, I was chatting with a friend who made this statement "If having a child is 9 months to birthing a baby, then adoption is[...]