We are ACTIVE!

I wanted to announce that we are officially ACTIVE on the waiting list!!!!!!

Can it really be?

YES:)

We are so EXCITED!

We now get to experience the "wait" that everyone that has adopted or is currently waiting talks about. I was talking to our agency and asked them, what do we do now? They said, just wait. I guess after working on different things and making sure everything was getting done I felt like I should be doing something. 

I was looking back on our journey and wanted to put these dates down mostly for my myself for when we look back. We visited our agency for the first time to ask questions on May 24th. We got to meet our social worker for the first time on June 20th, went to our first class on July 19th and had our home study on August 8th. It took three months to complete everything but it didn't feel that long! At first I was like, it won't take that long but it does. 

We mail all of our printed letters tomorrow and then keep our phones on us pretty much at all times. In our class they said to feel like you are expecting because we could possibly have a child in nine months. I know that is not always the case but I still want to prepare myself for these months ahead and the possibilities! We really don't know what HE has planned for us but we do know there are plans. Praying for us and the mother that is out there!         

Friends & Family

Just a post with updates in pictures! Sometimes that just works best to record what has been going on in our life. 

 

We took Jarod's half brothers putt putting and to get ice-cream one evening! Aidan got a hole in one! 

The boys

Being silly and having fun

Our niece turned the big ONE! This is right before she started crying because she got icing on her foot.

Girls day one Saturday with two of my college roomies! So glad we can find time to get together....even though it is hard to do sometimes.

Jarod helped coach with his cousins and the team won in their age group! Woo Hoo!

Katie is big buddies with Khloe. We watched Katie one evening and they played ball for an hour! No joke! It is the funniest thing.

Chasing Khloe

Awww

All that playing worked up an appetite!

Don't want to forget Khloe....I couldn't help it and had to take a picture after her bath. She isn't fond of them and she is giving the sadest eyes right here! She has it so rough;)

And celebrated my 28th Birthday last week!

Since most of you know I LOVE to travel my next post will have pictures from our little trip to 30A in Florida for my Birthday:) 

AND an update on our adoption process!!!!! 



Remembering Lindsey

On July 21st it would have been Lindsey's 23rd Birthday and on July 27th it has been 9 years since my little sister went to heaven. There is not a day that goes that I don't think of her. Last week was especially hard, but it is like that whenever it gets close to the Anniversary date. I was talking to someone that lost a family member. They said, they really didn't know what I went through until they lost someone so close. So true. You have an understanding but until you go through it you totally don't know. My parents go to a support group called "Compassionate Friends" for parents that lost a child. It is a great support group and helps them cope with the loss.

I always wonder what it would be like if she was still here. Would she still raise her rabbits or have her dream come true of having a horse. She loved her animals! With us thinking about a nursery I wonder if we should have a rabbit theme just because of her or some sort of animal theme. I want her to be a part even with her not here with us. I Love you Lindsey Rochelle and Happy 9th Birthday in Heaven!

6 Year Anniversary and 4th of July

On July 7th we celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary!!! We have officially dated 6 years and have now been married 6 years. I am looking forward to many more wonderful years with this amazing guy! We didn't do a lot on our anniversary. We went to church, ate at Olive Garden, shopped at a couple stores and just spent the day together. It was such a pretty day out too!

We stopped at our home on our wedding day. This has always been a favorite picture!

My love

A year or so before we were married. We look so young.

I always have to make something that goes with the holiday:)

Fireworks at Boggs

Playing ball

What is everyone looking at?! ha



Katie Jo was feeding Dre. Too cute!

How many guys to get a lantern in the air? No luck that day because it was too windy.

Love that smile!

At our neighbors 4th of July party! The kids are in line waiting on sparklers but it was a never ending cycle.

Always a corn hole tournament going on.



More updates to come!

Our Adoption Decision

As most of you know we haven't had the easiest time "trying" to get pregnant. Between the news when first started trying 3.5 years ago, canceled IUI's/FET, negative IVF and the ups and downs of trying to find the best medications so my body wouldn't stimulate too much. Oh what a journey that has been. I wanted it to work so bad and had dreams that I would get pregnant. But, that didn't happen. It was so hard getting my hopes up then getting them knocked down again and again! At times I felt like I was getting punished. After the horrible accident that paralyzed my dad and killed my sister instantly I thought I wouldn't have any heartache for a while. I never in a million years thought me, being the only one that can give my parents a grandchild can't do that now, but I can. At first I was upset but over time I have actually grown closer to God. I rely on my faith more than ever and HIS plans for us. It amazes me how HE can work.

It is funny how things can just hit you. One day I was at home and said to Jarod, I think I am done with treatments! Just like that I was ready to move on. Well, I did think about it A LOT. I thought about what we should do and I wanted to feel comfortable with my decision. Jarod has always wanted to adopt from the beginning but I wanted to try a few treatments first and then we had talked about adopting our second child. It isn't happening like that and that is okay. We are going to become parents and grow as a family and we can't wait! Yeah, I would LOVE to get pregnant but I have to accept that may never happen. We will love any child that becomes ours whole heartedly no matter what!!

We decided in early May to adopt. And right away I was ready to get started with ALL the paperwork! We were so excited! The paperwork and everything we had to do scared me at first and it was all a little overwhelming. We have completed most of it and I feel more relieved. I am hoping we can have our home study done by early/mid August and be active sometime in August:)

Hoping for a smooth process! 

Life Changing News

I have been holding back and I can't take it any longer to announce our EXCITING news!!

Doing cartwheels because of excitement!

We are ADOPTING!!!!!! 

Woo Hoo I get to tell everyone finally! hehe. I never knew when the time would come but deep inside I always had this feeling we would be guided into this direction. After multiple fertility treatments I kept telling God to guide me in the direction that is meant for us and to help me feel comfortable with His decision. And that is what HE did and that is what makes this even more special. I get Teary eyed and cry sometimes just thinking and talking about this. We would be ready to adopt right now if we could but currently we are in the process of working on our home study. I mainly wanted to just post our news and can't wait to update on the details and process.....

Ahhhhh......are we finally, really going to be parents:) 

I kept waiting to post this and after our sermon at church about adoption I just had to post this!

Snapshots

Here are some snapshots of random things we have been doing! 

We got to watch our niece Katie Jo one night! We will take any chance we get to watch this cutie!

So serious

Khloe is in love with Katie. So of course when she fell asleep Khloe was right by her side. 

Finally getting warm for ball time

Our sweet dog!

I love this tree in the spring time. It doesn't stay like this long because we always get a big storm that wipes it clean.

A good friend from work got married! Some co-workers and I got to celebrate the beautiful day with her!

We went mushroom hunting a couple times this year and found some whoppers:)

Love get together's with these girls!!!! Not sure where DeAnne is hiding.

The most chill baby ever. Dylan is a little stud!

We played couples corn hole and we whooped everyone's butt. lol

Found this lil guy/girl in our garage.....poor thing had to be lost.