Photo Fundraiser

     So....we are still playing the waiting game....waiting to be matched with our precious Ugandan angel!  We don't really have much of an update on that other than that we have moved a few spots up on the waiting list, and our agency is looking to make a few more referrals soon, which will mean we will move up some more on the list!  We do have an exciting event coming up....a photography fundraiser!  When we get matched with our child, we will immediately owe our next fees, so this is an important fundraiser for us.  The awesome thing about this fundraiser is that we will get 100% of the proceeds for the adoption AND those that participate are getting an AWESOME deal on a quality photo session! 
     The fundraiser will be held in downtown Lexington, NC with photographer Lisa Prevatte (my sweet sister-in-law!)  We are praying for good weather, as we are planning on the photos being outside, near Perfect Blend Coffee Shop.  When you sign up for a session, you will get 20 minutes have your photos snapped by Lisa, and then you will receive a disc of all your photos.  This is a BIG deal because you can then take your disc of photos to the print shop of your choice and have as many prints made as you want.  If you want just the raw photos, we are asking for a minimum donation of $40 and if you would like a disc of edited images, we are asking for a minimun $60 donation towards the adoption. 
     This is a great opportunity to have pictures made for Mother's Day gifts, engagements, senior pictures, family portraits, or just for fun!   Below is some info about the day, as well as some samples of Lisa's beautiful work!  Click here to visit/join the Facebook event for this fundraiser.

When:  Saturday, April 13, 2013
Where:  Downtown Lexington (Meet at Perfect Blend Coffee Shop, 1 N. Main Street)
How to Sign Up:  Join our Facebook event or e-mail Madison at mprevatte113@gmail.com to schedule your time slot

Exciting News!

Well....we are OFFICIALLY on the waiting list for a referral for our sweet baby!!!!  We sent off our mountain of paperwork (dossier) to our agency last week.  They received it and have been going over it for the past few days.  The e-mail came this afternoon that we have officially been put down on the waiting list today!  SO EXCITING!!!!  The timing is in God's hands, and we know that when the time is right, we will receive a picture of our precious little one that God created us to be a family for.  Please pray for us as we go through this time of waiting and unknowns.  Please pray that our son or daughter is protected and comforted as they are also going through a time of waiting and unknown which far surpasses anything we are going through on this end of the wait.  I can't tell you how much we appreciate all the prayers, love, and support that have been poured out on us.  We will continue to celebrate each step of the way with all of you!    

More

     Once again, I have been a slacker as far as the blog is conernced...but I have been working on our dossier, and it's almost done!  As mentioned in the last blog post, we were given the go-ahead to start working on our dossier paperwork right after we had filed for our U.S. Immigration approval.  So the paper chase began in early December!  As we were furiously collecting documents to go into the dossier, we received notification that we had a fingerprinting appointment scheduled for Jan. 2 in Charlotte with the immigration department. After our fingerprinting appointment, we waited (yes, again!) to hear back for final approval.  And as of yesterday, we are officially approved!!!!!  And with the exception of a few loose ends, we are ready to send our dossier off within the next few days!!!!  Next, out dossier will go to our agency for final inspection, and they will then send it to Uganda!  Please be praying for this step....we are praying that all our paperwork is done properly with no errors or discrepancies.  If our agency finds any errors, we will have to redo those portions of the dossier, and that will delay its arrival in Uganda.
     Once the dossier is complete, I feel like I have done what I need to do, and we wait on God's perfect timing for our baby.  From this point, we will be waiting for a referral, which is when we are matched with a child!  I am so so so so so excited!!! 
     Our pastor has been doing a sermon series entitled More*, which comes from the verses in Ephesians 3:
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
   He challenged us at the beginning of this new year to expect more and be open to all the abundantly awesome things that God wants to do in our lives.  I love these verses because I see how very true they are in my own life.  Sometimes I expect little things when God has SO MUCH MORE in store then I could ever ask or imagine.  I'm praying that this year God unleashes so much more than I could ask or imagine in our lives and in our family!

Dossier Time!

       Wow!  I've been a bum blogger as of late...but I have a good excuse....I promise!  A few weeks ago, we finally got everything in order to send off to USCIS.  We had to have our completed home study, copies of birth certificates, and marriage certificate all packaged up and sent to U.S. Immigration.  This is actually a BIG deal because once sending of this application, we were told that we could begin working on our dossier paperwork!  Soooooo, for the last couple of weeks, I have been furiously gathering paperwork and getting this thing ready!  The reason we are so excited to be at this stage is that the dossier is the last major thing we do before waiting for a referral of a child!  Now, this does not mean that we send off the dossier and...POOF!....we have a baby.  But, it is the last major step until the wait begins to be matched with our baby.  Basically, for the dossier, we compile this chunk of papers that consists of lots and lots of notarized papers.  (multiple copies of original birth certificates, marriage certificates, references, power of attorney, ...........)  Then, our agency sends this to the courts in Uganda.  After it has been processed, we will go on a waiting list to be matched with a child.  The wait could be a few months or many months, but we know that it is in God's hands. 
       So, as of this moment, we are trying to get all the dossier paperwork together so that we can have it ready when we get our USCIS (Immigration) paperwork back.  Hopefully we will have it ready and can go ahead and send it to our agency and get this thing sent to UGANDA!  I'm so ready to get this baby home!  So for now, I will leave you with this lovely verse that speaks from my heart (found on Etsy).  Although my child is physically in another country,  I have been carrying them in my heart for a very long time.  I'm ready to have them in my arms!

HomeStudy 100% Complete!

Hurray!  Our home study is finally complete!  I feel like this has been a long process for us, and I'm so glad that it is DONE!  We've been finished with the majority of it for awhile, but we just heard word this week that our placing agency has approved everything and will be sending us copies.  Now its time to apply with U.S. immigration and start working on some grants.  I feel like we've been in a "stand still" stage for a few months, and now I'm ready to start moving and doing things again!  As I've mentioned here many times, God is teaching me SO much about myself through this adoption.  And I must admit, patience is not my forte.  But God is teaching me that I can't always make things happen.  Sometimes I just have to be still and wait on His timing and His plan.  Now I'm excited to start the next leg of the journey of this excited path God is leading us on!!!

While We're Waiting

        So, as we all know, adoption involves a lot of waiting.  I'll be the first to admit that it stinks.  When I think about all the children who are without moms and dads in this world and how very much I want to be a mommy to one of those little ones, it makes me angry that it takes so long.  And I'm not the only one who doesn't like the waiting part.  I know that the future grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends of this future Baby Prevatte are having to experience this wait as well.  But when I get mad/upset/emotional/anxious about this wait, I have to take a step back.  I have to force myself to realize a few things:  (A) God is ultimately in control of this entire adoption and loves our baby SO much more than I ever can  (B) A few months of waiting is nothing compared to the lifetime that we will spend soaking up every second with our little one (C) The REAL wait is for those children around the world who are waiting in orphanages for someone to call mom and dad.
        I can only trust that God's timing is perfect and that when we are matched with our little one, it will be the one that God created to be our son or daughter and that we will be the parents that God created for them.  It may not happen in the time table that I want, but its not about my me.  Its about God putting together a unique and wonderful family at just the time that is right.  Not to mention, God is teaching me incredible things about my faith and my walk with Him throughout this entire journey.
       In lieu of these revelations, I have decided to blog on through the waiting.  Instead of only blogging when we hear something new or start another step in the adoption, I'm going to blog about life as we wait.  Do I still want it to happen faster?  YES.  Do I wish that I had something new to share about the adoption each week? YES.  But the fact of the matter is, I don't.  So while I'm waiting, I'm going to enjoy the beautiful people and the beautiful life that God has blessed me with.  Because once the baby is here....things will never be the same again!  (But I'm actually looking forward to that!)
        So, I'm starting by sharing a few pictures of some specials things we have been doing in the past months:

Sleepover with the niece and nephews

Someone's napping in the crib!

Everyone's watching Elmo!

Through the corn maze!

Corn Pit!

Pumpkin picking!

Sunflower maze!

Sophie Turns ONE!!!

Fundraiser bash!

Wow! Last Friday night was SO awesome! I am blown away yet again by how God is continuing to financially provide for our adoption through generous friends, family, and people we've never met before! The silent auction was a hit. So many awesome things were donated! The baked goods were fantastic and lots of friends and family came together to make the whole night run smoothly. The guys that played music were great! Such a fun night! Thanks to everyone who supported us!