Visa pictures it's wait time

Went and got pictures taken at Walgreens for our visas today, woo hoo exciting huh lol! we got four each because will probably have to get visas for each trip and they ask for two pictures for each visa. just thought we may as well get it all done at once. It was $35 something we didn't remember to add to our total of what we need. That's how it all adds up, not only by things like airline tickets and agency fees but all the little things like visa pictures, postage ect. So that was our excitement for the day as far as the adoption goes.Not much more we can do till we have a date then it will be hurry up time hurry up and book flights, hurry up and get a hotel, hurry up and send in for the visas.Hurry up time is much better then wait time even though it can be stressful at least your doing something.

Hurry up and wait!

Back to the waiting game! Boy we sure have learned how to wait thru this adoption.



Hurry up and wait, Hurry up and wait, that's about how it goes.


Now we wait for the judge, we pray they don't need anything more from us, we pray the rest of the money we need comes in. Other then that we just wait.But al least we are one step closer to our baby!

we were submitted to the court!!!

I woke up to read this email this morning.

The Nine family's dossier was submitted today to the court. Now I am waiting to hear from the judge. At this point I do not know yet what judge will be assigned. I will get in touch with you for more information on this case as soon as I hear from the court.

we are excited that means it wont be long now! But we still need $12.600  please pray for us.

10 months

Today it has been 10 months since we committed to adopt V Josiah. I almost didn't post because I really didn't know what to say. I feel content right now, I know God is working. we have had a few pretty good donations in the last few weeks, something I didn't anticipate. we have had ups and downs since we got back from our 1st trip almost two months ago. I miss him really bad one day and the next I'm fine. Right now I'm feeling good, I know we will have him home soon and like I said I'm feeling content. That is a strange feeling for me because for the last ten months I have felt everything but content. I just thank the Lord for giving me this peaceful feeling in my heart right now because its something I really needed. I could be stressing out over the fact that we still need just over $12,000 before we go for our next trip but I'm not. I could be stressing out that our coordinators in-laws were hit by a car and are in the hospital but I'm not, I just pray for them. I could stress out about getting our visas, our plane tickets, booking the hotel but I'm not. I could be stressing out about COURT or the 8 DOCTOR MEDICAL EXAM we have to have but I'm not. I'm calm, I'm content and I'm fine. For now anyways lol.I hope that I will have him in my arms when I post that it has been 11 months.

vote for Amelia

vote for Amelia we could win $250
http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/669220

Pendant fundraiser starts today

Pendant fundraiser starts today please take a look, for every pendant sold we get $5. the iPod touch giveaway is also still going on don't forget to donate for your chance to win.
here is the link for the pendants
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox

Three day pendant fundraiser

On January 10th 11th and 12th ,Monday Tuesday and Wednesday , Sarah is doing a fundraiser for us!!! She makes the prettiest pendants!


For each one that is sold, Sarah will donate $5.00 to our adoption fund through Reece's Rainbow!!

Now is the perfect time to shop these make great Valentine gifts, birthday gifts, Birthday party favors, Easter, secret pal and soooo much more.

! She has a wonderful variety!!


PLEASE help spread the word post our invite on your FB page for all of your friends to see!!


*****Be sure to mention that it is for the Josiah Nines adoption  Fundraiser when you check out! :) this will end at midnight on the 12th so please get your orders in before that.

here is the link to Sarah's shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox

please pray for our in country coordinator

we got an email from our agency yesterday telling us that our coordinators
 father and mother in-law were hit by a car (read excerpts of her letter below) and are in critical condition; the mother is doing better but the father not so much.

please keep them in your prayers.
This is from our coordinator E( the agency does not want us to say her name)
 On January 3 my both parents-in-law were hit by a car when they were crossing a street. The last two days my husband and I have spent in the hospital intensive therapy department. My mother-in-low is doing a little bit better now but my father-in-low is still in a very hard condition as he got much more serious injuries. We are just shocked, frustrated and terribly upset. You never think that this kind of things might happen to your family members.

Please Help Us Bring Josiah Home!

Nine months ago the Lord set our eyes on a beautiful little boy. He told us that he was ours. We followed our hearts and did everything we were told to do. Some things we did two or three times over. All for the love of a beautiful red-headed boy.

A month ago we got to meet him. This is what I wrote after meeting him for the first time:

There are no words to describe the feelings I felt when I set eyes on my boy for the first time. He is now real. Not just a picture and some words on paper. Not just in dreams.

The sweet smell of his little neck, his soft skin, his bright eyes, huge smile and contagious giggle. Boy can that boy giggle! Today was amazing. I will never forget the feeling I had when I held him in my arms. He is so much more then I had dreamed he would be.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us this blessing of this special boy. Thank you for choosing me to be his Mama!


Now we are in the home stretch. We’re almost there--just waiting for a court date which will most likely be in early February.

And one other little thing. We still need to raise $15,000 to cover the remaining expenses.

$15,000. A number. That is what stands between a mommy and daddy, a family full of brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents… and one little boy. A number! Why does a number have to mean so much?  We don't like to ask for anything from anyone. But something we have learned with this adoption is that we can't do all things on our own. We just can't!

So we would like to ask something of each of you who are reading this. Whether you have been going through this long journey with us, or are just reading our blog for the first time and can sense the love that exists between this precious boy and his soon-to be parents…will you help us bring him home?

Thank you, and God Bless!

Merry Christmas and some new pictures

We are so blessed to have such a caring coordinator . she went to visit V Josiah  and took him the woody doll and music toy we left with her. she gave them to him for Christmas, she spent time with him and took a bunch of pictures for us. She said that he remembered her and when she walked into the room he came and gave her a hug, I'm so happy. She said he remembered the music toy as well and loved it .

Look they have a Christmas tree in their playroom.

He looks like he has grown a little and he got a haircut handsome boy cant wait to kiss on him again.

extending the giveaway to the 29th

we have decided to extend the date for the iPod touch giveaway to the 29th to give people more time to donate.

Letter to an orphan

Took this from another moms blog
Letter to an Orphan

http://www.silvamoose.com/MoosePages/MomsPage/tabid/59/EntryId/170/Letter-to-an-orphan.aspx

1 month

Wow I can't believe it has been a month since the first time we got to kiss and hug that sweet little boy V Josiah! Our dreams of him after looking at his pictures for 8 months had come true. He was even better then our dreams, with that wonderful giggle and sweet smile. A month has gone by but that just means we are a month closer to bringing him home. :)

A name what is in a name?

 We have decided to keep the name they call him in his baby home the name he knows his self as  His name means "How perfect that is Josiah means "God saves."   We have really strong feelings about why we are keeping his name, they are personal feelings for him. I just can't take his name away from him it's the one and only thing that is his. He will not get to keep anything else. not the people he has grown to love, not the bed he sleeps in, not the toys he plays with, not the food he eats, not the smells he smells,not the clothes he wears and not even the language he speaks. He will leave that place he knows as home with nothing but his name. and I just can't take that away from him. I know that others change the names of the children they adopt I am not saying it is wrong we were planning to as well. But after seeing where he has spent the last three years of his life, how loving the nannies are to him and how well they take care of him. I think that his name will bring him good memories. If he were in a bad place like other children I have read about I would for sure feel differently and have no problem in changing his name and giving him a clean slate.But I truly believe he has been loved.

So his name will be V--- Josiah Nine of course people are free to call him Josiah if they like I'm sure he will have many names he goes by once he is home. Amelia has at least four, Amelia, Milli,Milli Mae and Mae Mae.I even call her Maezy sometimes lol. It will be fun to see what we all end up calling him once he's home maybe it will be pumpkin or carrot or red since his hair is that color lol. but on his birth certificate it will say V--- Josiah Nine. I can't wait until the day I have that paper in my hands and get to announce to you all that he is ours not only in our hearts but legally as well. that is going to be a wonderful day.

9 months today

Today it has been 9 months since the day we committed to adopt Josiah. Since I have met him, looked into his sparkling eyes, kissed his sweet face, held his cute little hands, listened to his magical giggle I am changed!! As Mike has said, "He has a joy for life in his eyes and smile that I can't really describe.."

With all six of my pregnancies as my belly would grow I would have the feelings will I love this baby as much as I love the others? Will I feel that same strong bond? Will this baby love me ? Then the baby was born and there was no doubt. That is the same way I felt about Josiah when I first held him in my arms. I am so thankful to God for that. I can honestly say I love him with everything in me, just as if he had grown inside me for nine months. That saying "born not under my heart but in it" is so true. It is hard now because we can't be with him,he is so far away from us and we don't know when we will get to see him again maybe not for 2 or 3 months. I have to keep reminding my self of what all we have already done, how far we have already come, that we are in the home stretch rounding third base, we are almost there.