News, News, and more News!

     Life is busy!!!! In one day we received three different pieces of news.  The first news I received was that I passed my medication administration class. That was amazing news and a HUGE relief!!!! The class was three days of tons of information and the test was intense. I am so thankful for everyone who prayed for me as I was testing.

    I was on a huge high, but the next news I got was not so great. I found out my sweet Nala needs surgery.

Nala had been limping on and off for a few months, but She never acted as if she were in any pain. Then a few days ago I noticed a rash on her inner thigh of the leg she holds up when she limps.  Off to the vet we went where we discovered that Nalas knee was out of socket. The vet put it back in place several times and each time it immediately popped right back out. So surgery is scheduled for January 16th. The rash was from where she had been licking the area because it hurt so bad, yet she never whined, yelped, or even let on that she was hurting ( besides limping). She is such a trooper and we know that she will pull through just fine.  Until then she is on pain pills and is super loopy!

So I felt drained. I had been very excited and then had that excitement shot down with sadness and dread. Then I opened the mailbox to find a letter form the US citizenship and immigration services,  it stated that we are approved to adopt!!!! This is amazing news and now we can send our paperwork to Hong Kong ( when we finish the paperwork!)  This was the most amazing news of all. This made me realized that everything is going to be ok because God is piecing everything together so perfectly.

Today Jeremy and I are heading to Gatlinburg. Four days with our fellowship family worshiping and hearing the word preached. We will see Rush of Fools, Colton Dixon, Switchfoot, Newsboys,  Matthew West, Mandisa, and many more. We are so excited and cant wait to see how God speaks to us on this trip. 

Please continue to pray for our adoption.  For paperwork, For doctor appointments, For identifying a child, For bringing Him home, and for Gods perfect timing in it all.

Bigger than us, but not bigger than Him.

 I know what your thinking when you see me posting asking for donations or kicking off yet again another fundraiser. Trust me I have heard it all, but the one I hear most often  is " If their going to adopt they should be able to pay for it".   Yep, I said "If their" because these comments aren't usually made to me, only about me.  If your one of those people who feels this way I have two things I want to share with you.
First let me say I wish we could. I wish more than anything that we could fund our adoption with no help. I know maybe it doesn't show, but I do not like asking for money. I feel as though im constantly begging for something and its not easy.

The second thing I wanna share with you is God called us to adopt. Its not something that we thought up one day. It took prayer, lots of prayer and seeking His plan. Sometimes God calls us to do things that are bigger than us. That's what He did when He called us to adopt. God knew it was bigger than us, He knew we couldn't fund it ourselves. Yet He called us anyway.Each time any amount has been due, God has provided it. I dont mean money fell from the sky like manna, but God used people like you. He laid it on folks heart to give and I am so thankful they listened to His still small voice like we did when we stepped out on this journey.


God called us to do something bigger than us, but im thankful that nothings bigger than our God.

Maybe He is calling you to give. Right now we have a tshirt fundraiser going on. Shirts are $15 and we need to sale 43 shirts and we only have 5 days to do it. We need friends, family, and anyone else to step up and make a difference for a orphan, for our son.  I know that this is bigger than us , but its not bigger than God.

Click on the link below to order.
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https://www.bonfirefunds.com/bringing-home-connor-malone

Merry Christmas Connor

 Connor,

              I woke up this morning and my first thoughts were of you. What did you do this morning?? Where there presents for you?? Did someone scoop you up into their arms and whisper I love you?? I wish I could promise that next Christmas you will have presents and hugs, but I know I cant promise you that. I wish I could say that next Christmas You would wake up to me and your daddy and presents under the tree. The truth is I dont know what next Christmas holds for our family. My hope is that if you cant be home next Christmas, if thats just not in the cards for us I pray that were close. I pray that we will at least know who you are. I pray that we will be getting your room ready and anticipating the most exciting trip of our life.

Merry Christmas to our precious baby boy!!!  We cant wait to meet you!!!

          

Hand in Hand

        Have you every saw God work things out so perfectly in your life and felt everything was going hand in hand with the other? You felt as though you could literally see Him working all things out for your good like He promises He will in Romans 8:28.   That's how I have felt these last few months.

     Most of you all know that our child will have special needs. We won't know exactly what they are, until we are matched with our child. Everyone thinks we are saints for this and wants to praise us and say how they couldn't do it or tell us how awesome  and brave we are.  The truth is we aren't any of those things.  We are fearful, and nervous. We feel unprepared and alone. We worry that we dont have what it takes. As human we wonder why God has called us to this certain task when we feel so unqualified.  The old saying remains true....

   I saw a job in the paper on the very beginning of October. I went in and applied and got the job. I was excited for a new opportunity and to be honest the chance to better our family financially. I had no idea it would be one of those hand in hand moments.  My job has taught me a million things already in the short three months I have been there, and although I have millions more things to learn it has helped me feel more ready. It has helped me take a deep breath and whisper 2 Timothy 1:7 on those days when I feel scared and unqualified. On those days when I wonder if I have what it takes to parent a child with special needs.

  When I walked into Tri County Center on October 6th 2014 God smiled down knowing that He was working all things out for my good and knowing that I still had no idea yet.  He knew I would find out my strengths and weaknesses and He knew that my heart would change and I would grow into the woman He always knew I could be. The woman who would eventually be a mother to a child She never believed she could be a good mother too. God smiled because He knew I could.

***( I want to add that I work with adults not children but Connor will be a adult one day too and thats what I mean, This post was not meant to offend or upset anyone in anyway.)

I dont wanna miss a second. . . .

So I asked for everyone to pray for a unspoken a couple weeks ago. I know that so many covered me in prayers and sure enough just a few days later I got the amazing news. I would be switching to day shift. Most everyone knows Jeremy got put on day shift a few months ago. So to be on the same shift is an amazing blessing. Our schedules were so opposite that we did not see one another. Long story short the opportunity for days was at my fingertips but was not up to me, so I asked for prayers and as always God answered.


   With adoption you have to have a plan. Yep, We are still at least a year out from bringing our little man home ( we arent even matched with a little man yet) but still we have filled out tons of paperwork about our arrangements for him when we are working and what a typical day will be like for him. It is the strangest thing to type out step by step what my sons day will be like especially with so much unknown ahead, but you do what you gotta do and move forward. So with both of us working days we knew we would need a sitter ( I know what your thinking sure we are still so far away from bringing him home we will have plenty of time to plan and make arrangements for all that later. That is where the adoption twist comes in and where that statement is so wrong. We have to have a plan. We will need to give specific information about our child care arrangement. So I had not thought too much about it because I was still on a high from "OH MY IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING" when a friend of ours shared the news that she was looking to start babysitting. My heart literally skipped a beat. This Momma is gonna be picky I will go ahead and admit, not picky like no ones holding my son, but picky  as far as leaving him in someone elses care I will background check you, I will facebook stalk you, and I have probably already looked at your instagram photos. I mean seriously you can trust no one now a days. So when this literally happened within days of finding out I would be starting days soon I knew it was a good thing. I mean we all go to church together and I feel comfortable. Which is HUGE!! God literally worked out every single detail. I am just overwhelmed at how He loves and works out everything in my life.


One thing that I am so excited about is being home as a family at night. I know that some moms will say I wouldnt mind not being there for the bedtime tantrums, or the bedtime stories that never end, but how would you feel if five nights a week you werent there. You got home after your little one was sound asleep and you missed out on it all. Thats why days is so important. Thats why I am so overwhelmed. Ill take the tantrums, and ill read story after story until He falls asleep. I have already missed so much and once hes home I wanna be the one tucking him in and snuggling up for nighttime cuddles after a long day. I cannot wait to come up with our own bedtime rituals, and I dont wanna miss a second.