A simple phone call

I guess I didn't know what the hardest part about going through an adoption was going to be. I was prepared for the paperwork. Although, it was still more than I expected, and I can't believe it's only THIS month that we are finally (please God!) done with things on our end! I knew it was going to take a long time. I didn't know how much time, but I knew there was going to be a lot of time waiting. I also knew that financially this was going to be tricky. So, I was ready for all of that. But I wasn't ready for this feeling I have about the waiting. I wasn't ready for the long moments of emptiness during the waiting, and how hard that would be. I didn't know about that feeling. I don't like it. And I'm the dad and husband in this situation!  Who knows how hard this part is on the Mrs!?

You're probably wondering what it is I'm referring to. Let me see if I can explain this. The other day I called my parents just to chat. The conversation shifted from this to that, and then my mom said,"Hey, it just occurred to me that I'm beginning to realize you and Chels were expecting to have your baby in December. That must be really hard for you guys. My heart is really aching for you both." (Maybe not an exact quote, but it's very close.) The words hit me so hard. I remember thinking it would be so cool for this to happen in December back when we started this process in February of last year. Then as we got further into the paperwork and things changed in Ethiopia, each month that hope became less and less possible. Suddenly, I didn't know what to think. It seemed like the day where we get to bring our baby home was getting further away! Which, as you can image, is the opposite of what I wanted to be feeling. This is where the emptiness began to set in. As the time length grew, the amount of excitement dwindled. Blog posting died down. People stopped asking questions.

It's that emptiness that is the hardest part. I sit here each day knowing that my third child is out there, and I want to jump through the ceiling with excitement. But, I don't know when that is going to be. The silver lining from all of this... people still do ask. Or, my mom comes out and sympathizes with us. Or, a friend sends a note and a donation. So, the point of all of this. If you feel like you have a question, or you just want to chat about what we are going through, please call or shoot an e-mail. It helps us build that excitement through this time of "emptiness." I know that I need it... And I'm sure the Mrs. does too!

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Oh and PS!
We are at number 44 on the list.. and did you notice our Donation Tracker! $4406! As a math guy, I thought that was a neat coincidence! :) Just $38 more for a $4444!

I can't take the silence any longer!

Okay. I just can't take it any longer. The Mister said he was going to blog. And now. It's been. Almost. 10. days. Seriously! I know, I am sure no one is sitting here waiting for an update ... but I have been ;)

Since the last update, I've had multiple emails with at least 5 {new & 'old'} adoption buddies, mamas & confidantes. And boy have I needed it. It's like I would hear from them at just the right moment. Hmmmm ... I wonder if that was intentional.

I keep bumping into these random writings, thoughts & musings on things coming in their own time and letting go, trusting because things happen when you need it and words about puzzle pieces fitting together. I'm hoping that's the foreshadowing I've never dreamed of! ;)

We are currently "about number 44" on the wait list. And our CW has been so encouraging about that (it is wonderful to have her support - I hope everyone has a CW that they feel connected too & they feel is 'on their team' - I can't imagine it any other way). I'm going to say we'll have more news in about 2-3 weeks. I'm not going to say "exciting" news, because I don't know that ... but ... we'll at least have another update.

We've made additional passport photo copies. (Don't ask. But there had to be multiples of multiples.) Check. Check. AND I have a friend of a friend who received a referral this week! And another in-town family just got their new numbers (they are with a different agency) & have saddled on up to #5! *rubbing elbows* ;)

I was also reminded of something I wanted to share from another blog (Jason & Emmy - who are using our agency ((WACAP)) and are slightly ahead of us on the wait list - so who knows, we might meet in travel!):

WACAPs Values for Adoption Process

Ethics in adoption are an issue that we take extremely seriously. We:

1. Believe that adoption is a last resort and that children should remain in their birth families if possible.

2. Only work with orphanages who work directly with the Ethiopian government for the approval of children in need.

3. Only work with orphanages who have proven records of attempts at family preservation (keeping the child with their family through sponsorship, medical aid and other support).

4. Do not pay staff or partners salaries, fees or bonuses on a “per child” basis.

5. Provide a good deal of humanitarian aid that focuses on ways to prevent the overwhelming need for adoption (sponsorship, kinship programs, apprenticeship programs, medical aid).

Usually things around here have been fairly light & fun, but as changes continue in Ethiopia, I felt like these core values were important to share, more for those who may be considering adoption or wondering 'how do you choose an agency to work with'. Well, this is a good place to start.

Okay ... back to your regularly scheduled programming & the blogger who usually runs things around this place ;) shhhhh don't tell him I cut in line!

Our Puzzle!

Several months ago, Chelsey came to me with an idea that she had found while researching fundraising ideas. The idea is simple, for every donation of a certain dollar amount a puzzle piece finds its home in a puzzle. Each donation equals another piece of the puzzle. The objective is to receive enough donations to complete the puzzle. In the end, we'll left with a wonderful memory of all the people that helped us put the pieces of our adoption puzzle together so that our family puzzle could itself be complete!

Once I agreed to the plan, (and it didn't take long!) we took on the task of finding the perfect puzzle. Now, for some this might not seem like a complicated task. But, for Chels and I, we wanted perfection! This puzzle was going to be framed and hung to show to our baby, and the world all of the wonderful people that came together to help us out! So, after looking at some many puzzles, and there are some crazy ones out there! We decided on a 500 piece Melissa and Doug puzzle. We are huge fans of Melissa and Doug, and if you don't know them please click here! We love their stuff, and we outfit our home with just their things if we could!

Moving on.. we then decided that for every person/family that donates $20 we will place a piece of the puzzle. We went back to the very first donations, and tallied everything up. To date, we have received ninety-three $20 donations! That does include those of you that donated more than $20.. we just included more pieces for you! :) So.. here is how our puzzle is shaping up to this point!

This means that we are 407 donations away from completing our puzzle! So, if you are interested in helping us complete this puzzle you can donate by clicking the "donate" button on the right hand side of this page, or you can contact us privately to send us a check to keep from paying fees to PayPal. We will keep a tab showing our progress, so you can see how far we've come! Thank you all so much for taking the time to follow our Journey. We couldn't be happier to have all of you with us!

Happy New Year!

The Holiday Spirit

I've been meaning to write a post for what seems like forever. The topic was supposed to be a complete breakdown of how well the auction went for us. Instead I'd like to just quickly sum it up by saying, "the auction was spectacular!" Twenty donated items were auctioned off in a span of just under 4 weeks! From which, we raised $1,799!! Now to be honest, that amount is actually a little more, because some of you paid/donated a little to a lot more than you were supposed to!

We have had so much fun getting all of the items to everyone, and hearing how they can't wait to open up some of the items on Saturday! All of your generosity is so appreciated, and we truly feel as if we are the most cared for people in the world! Thank you.

It's hard to believe that we are only days away from Christmas. When Chelsey and I started this process in February we had actually talked, hoped, and dreamed that we would have our referral by now (possibly even traveling to get our baby)! As the time has ticked by, we realized that our initial hopes were not going to be met. There has been many times through out this adventure that we have had to shift our plans/hopes. I guess the reason I'm saying this is because we are sitting days away from the biggest holiday of the year. The holiday where families come together and celebrate a love for each other, and for the world around us. And here we are a family that in many ways is missing a piece. It is crazy to know that at this point our child is out there. We have no idea what he or she may be feeling, and whether there will be a Christmas gift or hug or whatever.

That feeling was obviously being put out into the universe by all of us in the house, because the other day a commercial for World Vision USA came on the TV. It captivated Chelsey and both of our kids. When Chelsey asked them if we should do something to help, PK and MG agreed that we should. So, after doing a little research (World Vision USA is a quality organization) we decided that our gift to our child was to donate to a family in need. We decided to donate money to go toward the purchase of a goat and two chickens to help a family out. There was something so moving about the four of us sitting on our couch and deciding how we were going to include our baby in our holiday celebration. The holiday spirit told us to give, and that's what we did.

So to our little angel out there.. we love you, and we look forward to 2011. We can't wait to have you with us for next Christmas, and the countless number thereafter.

Merry Christmas to you all, and thank you for following our wonderful journey.

Love- Ken, Chelsey, PK, MG, and Baby

I just had to share.

There are a million & one things I want to tell you guys & share ... about so many aspects of growing our family & what this means to us that sometimes, it's hard to even sit down & start writing because it's definitely not a train of thought that starts at one station & ends at another! ;)

But today, a bigger message was sent to me. I was watching Oprah (I know, roll your eyes if you want, but seriously, I have a heart for Oprah & while I *never* get to watch her shows anymore - toady somehow, I was able to steal away for a few minutes to see this part ... maybe there was a reason for that) and John Travolta was on. The next thing I knew, they were showing a clip from Oprah's 50th birthday bash where Johnny (as she likes to call him ;) ) made a toast to her, with the general sentiment that the world is a better place with you in it.

This stuck out in the mind of a fan from Alberta, Canada who, long story short, ended up volunteering in an orphanage in Africa, later raising funds to build them a house. I was in tears. It just all seemed so real to me.

The mail also came today and with it, some holiday cards & holiday cheer, gifts toward our baby. Very unexpected and yet, almost seemed unreal due to the events of the day. I know there's a daddy post coming soon ... and I am going to show our puzzle - your puzzle - that we've been putting the pieces together for, very, very soon ... but somehow through all of this, we are just a little over $1,000 shy of hitting our half-way mark of $5,000. Isn't that amazing?!!!

And I think why it makes me more sentimental is that somehow there are signs along the way ... a few weeks before Thanksgiving I declared, "Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could hit the 2500 mark?! Wow! That would just be incredible!" A week before, it looked like it probably wasn't feasible ... and then ... just days before Thanksgiving, the truly thankful blessing of meeting & then surpassing that amount.

Shortly after that I whispered, "How cool would it be if we could raise half of this by Christmas ... wow, that would just give me such peace ... such a sigh of relief" we're not even traveling yet but the thought of being able to somehow cover some of this ground & be ready for the unexpected, as you have to be in this process, would be incredible. Beyond amazing.

With only 12 days until Christmas, I don't know if we'll make it ... but I feel such gratitude ... and such HOPE that we've made it this far.

Thank you.
And Merry Christmas to each & every one of you.
YOU make a world of difference.

The final set of items! -- CLOSED

So, we've saved this last set of items for the end, because we know they will help get you over the fact that this wonderful auction of ours is coming to and end (at least for now). Almost like a bad break-up, your heart and soul are going to need some healing. To help put both at ease, our twitter friend, Osbornmel, has decided to offer up a homemade batch of Kahlua Bon-Bons! There is nothing like a wonderful chocolately and alcohol filled dessert to help you through this holiday season (and the end of our auction)! This wonderful treat will be ready on December 21 for pick-up and there will be enough to fill a gallon size Ziplock bag! 

The next item is from our dear friend, Linda. We've know Linda for almost 5 years now?? Wow, I think that's right! Anyway, Linda and her family have become great friends to us to the point where our kids run to give her hugs anytime we get to see her. She is such a fantastic person. The item that she put together for us is a dozen eggs from her free range chickens! A perfect match for the bon-bons because after you eat such a wonderful dessert, you are going to NEED to do some baking for yourself! And most every recipe is going to call for eggs!! 

Both items are Fairbanks area only!

Starting bid is $5

In the Lead :: Winning bid $30

Starting bid is $5

In the Lead :: Winning bid $10

Winding the Auction down!

Alright, we are down to the last couple of days of this auction... :(
But! We have 5 great items left! We are going to do three items this round, so get yourselves ready!

Items 18 and 19!

So do you remember the bags from our drawing (click here)? Well... we have two more! These are wonderfully handmade by a friend of a friend in Anchorage! Surprisingly, she has yet to go out and set up her own business! But, after the reactions we've received from the drawing winners, I think she should start considering! And also I wanted to send a very special thank you to the friend that introduced us to these wonderful bags. Nikki and her family have been more than amazing to us, and we couldn't be more thankful for their friendship! Now, check out the last two bags!

Estimated Value per bag : $80 to $100

Bidding starts at $15

Bag #1 - Winning Bid $35 

Bag #2 - Winning bid $30 

Item # 20

Our wonderful friend Heidi has offered up this item for us. You may remember Heidi from this post. She and her family have been so very supportive with our fundraiser. We couldn't have asked for a better family to call our friends. 

Now onto the item! Heidi has put together a wonderful Mary Kay gift basket! Contents include:

(1) Plush Robe
(1) Red Tea and Fig Pampering Set (Body wash, lotion and deo spray)
(1) Make-up bag
(1) Rich Cocoa Lipstick
(1) Shave Gel/Body Wash and Lotion
(1) $25 Gift Certificate to spend in the Mary Kay store of Heidi Haas

Total Value: $140

Bidding Starts at $20

In the Lead :: Winning Bid $40