Tool Box

We didn't have time to go shopping before Grandma George left and she wanted to buy Nathan something so she ordered a toolbox on Amazon for him.  It arrived today!  He has been using his tool puzzle pieces to "bang" (his word not ours!) on things all over the house.  Now he has "real" tools to use!

Mommy loves the box they came with to keep them all together!

Grandma George

This past weekend Ben's Mom came to visit.  Just days before Nathan finally mastered his /g/ sound so it was cute to hear him say "Grandma George" all weekend.  Nathan was quite enamored with her and didn't stray far from her side!  I only captured one good picture on our camera but it was a good one:

A story before nap time from Grandma George

Flip Flops

Daddy taught Nathan how to put on his own flip flops!

 Sticking his tongue out in concentration!

All Ready!  

Adoption Day 2014

2 years ago today we finalized Nathan's adoption in court!

This was Nathan last year on Adoption Day:

And this is Nathan today:

We are so blessed to have this little boy in our family!

Flower Delivery Truck

We headed to Build-A-Grow at Lowe's this month to build a flower delivery truck!

He loves putting the nails in the holes!

Water Gems!

A friend of ours introduced us to water gems!  So much fun!  They come in a small packet and then expand when you add water!  Note:  One small packet makes a lot TONS of water gems!

31 Fundraiser!

Ben and I are excited to announce our first Adoption Fundraiser!  We've partnered up with my friend Sarah Sherman who is a 31 Consultant!  If you've never heard of 31 you are missing out!  Their products are amazing!  I have several of their bags and have to hold back from ordering more every time a new catalog comes out!  You can check out their full catalog here.  Here's the scoop for our fundraiser:

We have set a goal to sell at least 20 Utility Totes.  By selling 20 Totes we can raise $250 for our Adoption!  

I have several of these bags myself and love them!  They are great for traveling, the beach, or the pool!  If you want to personalize your tote it's an additional $8.  Information on personalization (fonts, colors, etc.) can be found here: 

http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/embroidery-guide/

They have several add-on items that go great with this tote bag if you're interested (I of course have BOTH!):

http://assets.thirtyonetoday.com.s3.amazonaws.com/products/feature-tags/summer2014/pocket-a-tote.jpg

http://assets.thirtyonetoday.com.s3.amazonaws.com/products/feature-tags/summer2014/top-a-tote.jpg

If you're interested in ordering please contact me by e-mail at: alishalikestoteach@yahoo.com and let me know what color tote bag you want.  Each tote bag is $40 and that includes shipping and tax!  

Thanks for your support everyone!  

Life just got real...

The last time I posted we let everyone know we would be starting the adoption process.  Don't worry. That's still the plan.  And actually that IS the plan.  Tonight we filled out our application for Faithful Adoption Consultants.  We are so excited!

But wait...if you read our last post you may remember we had our orientation with Bethany Christian Services.  Well some things have changed...and let me tell you how those changes started:  A few weeks ago Ben and I attended Choose Joy, an event for families who have walked the road of infertility and/or adoption.  What an AMAZING event!  Statistically 1 in 8 couples will experience infertility. Although that may seem like a lot, infertility is often a lonely and isolating road.  So imagine that a few hundred people, who have walked the same road as you, are all in the same room as you for a day! Ben and I left the event feeling refreshed and encouraged.

It was at this event that we met the owner and founder of Faithful Adoption Consultants.  We had actually looked into hiring an adoption consultant when we first started looking into working with Bethany but felt a little weird about it.  We believe that adoption should be centered around and benefit the child.  And we didn't get that vibe from the adoption consultants we looked into.  Then we met Courtney from FAC. We loved her heart for Birth Moms and felt led to stop our journey with Bethany and start a new journey with FAC.  

You may be wondering what exactly an adoption consultant is.  Basically it's a consultant who acts as an advocate for the adoptive parents.  FAC will be helping us with our homestudy and paperwork for our adoption.  Once we are certified to adopt they help us apply to multiple agencies in multiple states. Because we are applying to adopt in so many places the process becomes much faster.  Last year some families with FAC only waited ONE MONTH for a baby!

My mind has been spinning the last few days with how fast this adoption could really go.  There's so much to do and prepare!  And so much money to raise.  More on that later...

Thanks for your prayers everyone!