One month...

So it has been one month since my last post, ok, in all fairness it has been 1 month and 3 days!  Whoops!

I just wanted to thank you all for your prayers!  We have completed our required adoption training and are so excited to finally get our taxes filed so that we can turn in the paperwork!!  We are not as far along as I had hoped to be seeing as how it has been 2 months since our orientation, but the Lord must be up to something!

I have all these thoughts running through my head about the process and the "things" we are about to encounter...by that I mean, the physical exams, the countless interviews, and by far the most intimidating is the psychiatric evaluation (This is a 3 hour evaluation people!)  I trust that the Lord will get me through all of these!  Then I think of all the things we must have in place to "pass" our home inspection.  It's much more than any other "new" parents...for example, you would probably purchase things as you "need" them.  You don't really have a need for cabinet locks until you are dealing with a toddler, we have to have these now!  Which, it is good to be prepared....it's just a lot to prepare for!  (As all you parents know!)  And it's scary to think if you don't have these things you may not be able to proceed with the adoption process...ok, yes, I realize I am rambling to an extent...but it's the little things!

The hardest thing about this whole process is I am a PLANNER!!  I LOVE to plan ahead and know what's coming!  Well, we certainly know a baby, but will he/she be a newborn, or 2-3 months old?  Will it be a boy or girl.    Will it be twins?!!? (We would LOVE for that to happen!)  The unknowns are truly endless!  I am sure as the journey continues this quirk of mine (planning) will surely be put to the test as there is so much we simply cannot know at this point...but I suppose that's kind of the fun in all of this (or so I tell myself!)

In the meantime, Sam and I have a contract on a house and are scheduled to close on the 15th of February (Lord willing!)  We are so excited to think and know this may very well be the house we bring a baby home to!!  We cannot wait!  We are also leading a marriage class on Wednesday nights at Smyrna Church of Christ called Fireproof your Marriage!  It's based on the movie Fireproof!  Our prayer is that the class will help strengthen marriages and help some that may be in danger!  You all are invited to come and be a part of this class if you so desire!  We would love to have you all there!

That's pretty much it for now......May God's blessings continue to fall on you all!

God bless,
A Daughter of the King,
Candace :)

Busy holidays

Wow...I just cannot believe how unbelievably busy I am without working.  These 2 (1-sister Crystal's baby Landon and 2-BFF Jess' baby Braylon) new nephews of mine are consuming a lot of my time, willingly of course!!!  These 2 little dudes are the cutest and sweetest!  I can't wait to have ours to throw into the mix.   So a funny story about Landon; I was changing his diaper today and just thought he was "wet"  turns out it was "both!"  Well, in my attempt to get him all cleaned up, he started peeing all over me, all over his clothes, all over the changing table.  All I could do was laugh. He wasn't the least bit concerned!  Got out a 2nd new diaper and he starts peeing all over again!!  3rd times the charm, I guess!  Finally after the REAL dirty diaper and the other 2 we finally got it figured out.  I have never seen an infant pee so much in my life!!  hehe

On the adoption front, not a ton going on, we have yet to submit our formal application, still working on it all.  However, we are in training and it is amazing all the information we are learning.  I feel so prepared already!!  (Not to mention the practice with the nephews!)  

God is good and we will continue to bring you funny stories courtesy of Landon and Braylon!! 

and then there were three...

Sister, husband and baby make three!  Praise God after complications from a c-section and all sister is finally doing better and baby is as perfect as anyone could of prayed for.  Little baby makes the cutest noises, I have never heard an infant sound the way he does...so lite and sweet...most babies have some lungs...apparently not him.  hehe!!!

Makes me ready for my own even more, on the adoption front, not too much going on, just still in training classes.  Other than that, just trying to get ready for the holiday and being out of town at the in-laws.

God bless,
A Daughter of the King
Candace :)

Sister is having a BABY!!!

Well, Sister is in the hospital right now, and by tomorrow afternoon, Lord willing, Sam and I will have a nephew.  It's still hard to believe my little sister is having a baby!  I know I am ready for kids, but we still just don't seem old enough, (although, trust me, I know we are PLENTY old!!)  Please pray for a quick and safe delivery.  Apparently he still hasn't dropped down..and she is 3 days past her due date, so it seems as though he loves it in there!!!

God bless, will write again soon....

A Daughter of the King,
Candace : D

Should I be nervous?

Well, I guess I have taken the leap into the blogging world.   Kind of hard to believe (ok, perhaps its harder for me to believe) but after seeing some close friends sharing their adoption journeys, I knew I (we - Sam and I) wanted to share mine (ours) too!

I am truly overflowing with thankfulness every time I think of all the ways the Lord has blessed me.  For those of you with inquiring minds the blog name is from Colossians 2:7 "rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  Wow, it's hard to say anything after reading the Living Word of God!!!  That verse just speaks so deeply with me, and I pray it does you as well.  I encourage you to memorize it and put it in your heart!  I could just go on and on about the entire book of Colossians, it is by far my favorite book in the New Testament.  If it's been a while, just peruse the book, it is jammed packed with promises and reminders that WE are IN Christ!!  And Col 3:4 "when Christ who IS your life!"  Oh man, how then are we to live?!!  Christ is to be our life...and it isn't presented as an option, but as something that is to be.  OK, I am preaching now, which isn't my goal for this blog.

As for Sammie (as some of you know him as) and I; we are just amazed at how God is at work in our lives and love the desire and passion he has given us to adopt.  Our journey is only beginning and I know that the Lord has some pretty neat things in our future.  My desire is that you would join with us in prayer as we make this journey; pray for us, our child's birth family, and our child.  The decision to make an adoption plan is never an easy one, so pray for our child's birth mother specifically as she makes the most life changing and difficult decision ever.

Thanks for joining this journey with us and may God continue to remind you of all the reasons you too should be overflowing with thankfulness.

A Daughter of the King,
Candace