From number 15 - 12!!!

Well On May 4th we were told that we were number 15 on the waiting list and that our Dossier had been sent to the DRC!!!!!! So excited yes!!!  But hopeing this goes by quickly!! I am not patient so I know this will be a challenge in its self for me!!
 But above all things I am just so happy I am married to a man that has listend to Gods voice in calling us to adopt!! I am thankful for my family in being subportive and looking forward to all God has for us !!

So TODAY I was told we are now number 12 with one family that is currently on hold so we could actually be number 11!! They have had 2 more referrals for one family and another Referral for another family that already has one referral and was waiting on there second!! So it seems to be getting closer for us but I am hoping this summer flys by and by October we have a referral!! I would love that to be my birthday present especially cause I will be turnung the BIG 30!!! Dont get me wrong I would love a referral way before that but I am trying to not get my hopes way too high!! But I do have a mighty God so anything is possible!!!

My husband Jordan and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary and had a wonderful day of shopping and a great dinner to end with!! I am one lucky girl!! At the end of July we will be celebrating our twins 4th birthday!!! I cant believe it has been 4 years since I was laying in the hospital for those 2 months!! Worth every second!!  Looking forward to updating with a closer number next time!! Our agency told me that they dont notify you when you move up a number but that we can always check in!!! Weich I will be doing quite often this summer!!!!!!!! Hope you have a blessed day !!

USCIS Finger prints Check!! DMV Check!

So last Monday Jordan and I went to the USCIS office in downtown Santa Ana and did our finger prints! So when we get there we have to show ID and the DMV messed up on my last name so they almost didnt let me do the finger printing. Luckily I keep my old License with me incase of this problem. The lady finaly excepted my ID and off I went to get my finger prints and another step closer to my baby!! So after that ordeal I realized I needed to get my License fixed ASAP so it doesnt set us back at all with our timeline. So I got an appointment for that Thursday and went to the DMV with both my kids!! Yes fun times!! They actually did very good until the very end!! I had Kalia on my IPhone and Makai had the IPAD !! It was awesome they listend and followed me and sat and played the whole time! Well until Kalia handed me my phone right before they made me take my photo again and right when I took my photo I see at the cornor of my eye Kalia ontop of Makai trying to take the IPAD away. They were in a Tug of War and the IPAD was the rope LOL!!! I quickly pulled them appart and confinscated the IPAD and thats when the real Water works and tantrum came from the both of them. Makai stomping his feet Kalia crying for her "MY PAD" and me putting the IPAD in my purse and taking the both by the hand in humiliation and focused on the door out of there!! We were quite the intertanement for the people in line!! Well I made sure all the people in the DMV herd me say " This is why you never get to play with the IPAD" "You act like this and you wont get it back ever" > You know you want everyone to know you have contrl over your kids and that you dicipline bad behavore. Even though it was pretty obvious I  was in over my head LOL. But we got to the car and things settled down!!

 Last week and for a few weeks now we have been so busy! Mainly me taking the kids out during the week to do fun things!! This week will be no different!! Today is cleaning day wich I like and more of a relaxing day!! I know your thinking how is cleaning relaxing?? Well thats the wierd thing it relaxes me!! Well once I am finished I am relaxed!! I love a clean house and order to things!! It makes me feel so much better and ready to do things. Tuesday is our swim lessons and donuts day!!! Wenesday is SEA WORLD!!! So excited for this one!!! We try to take them every year but this is the age they really start to remember things! We are going with my family and all there cousins so they will have lots of fun! Thursday we are going swimming at my in -laws to swim with tthere cousins !! Thursday night we and Friday night we have our ADOPTION SUMMIT we are soooo excited about !!! Francis Chan and Steven Curtis Chapman will be Speeking!!  This weekend we got Birthday Parties!!! I am tierd just thinking about it but I know it will all be lots of fun and good memories for us with the kids!! But I hope we hear soon that our Dossier will be ready to be sent to the Congo!!! And Praying for our USCIS letter of Approval to come this week in the mail!!

Dossier sent!!

• OK it feels like it has been months and months but really it hasn't been even 2 months since we started the adoption process and we got our Dossier out Finally!!Tuesday night Jordan mailed our Dossier to our agency and it arrived Thursday!! We payed our Dossier fee Friday morning an hopefully by Monday it will go out to be certified by the State and government. This can take 3-4 weeks before it is ready to be sent to the DR Congo. I have prayed for years about adopting and always prayed for Gods timing on starting the process and for a quick process! I have done my part with paper work and now it is out of my hands and in the hands of our agency ,government and DRC government. But I rest in knowing it is ultimately in GODS hands and that's the best place to leave it!! I knew God wanted to teach me things during this time and this whole process. I guess I don't do well at patients cause I feel I need to ask for it all the time and God tends to teach me about it often. I wish I would just get it already cause I am in patient learning it LOL!  But I know God loves me, and always has the best for me and my family in mind! I am just glad to be done with the Dossier and knowing I am just a little closer to our baby!!!

USCIS SENT!!!

 Ok well a couple new things have happend!! We have been getting all the papers lined up for our Dossier to be finished and waiting for our Notary to get back from vacation since Jordan for got to tell me she was leaving I couldn't get to her before she left. But God knew the timing and I actually needed this extra week for a couple things I didnt expect to happen.  Last night we went to my parents for dinner and talking with our friend Yanha found out that she is a Notary and told me she would do it after church on Sunday!! So we get to send our Dossier out Monday morrning!!! Yesterday we got to send out our USCIS form so that willl be getting processed and when that is done (hopefully soon!!) we can have everything finalized and put together and get everything out to the DRC this month and get on the waiting list already!! I know realisticly its only been less than two months to have got everything done already but thats how I do things I dont like alot of down time I like to get focused and get it all finished and be done with it.
 God has also done some awesome things in our youth group as well and its so exciting to see the kids get to know eachother and all of us leaders and see them grow! We are taking them all to the Worship Concert tonight at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa to hear Phil Whickam play! Praying the holy Spirit moves in each of there hearts and that we are all blessed by it!
 Jordans been working really hard and the Lord has been blessing him for it so we are very thankful for that as well!!

 We are getting closer and closer to getting our baby and just so excited for it!!

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My passport Came last Thursday!! Saturday we recieved our rough draft Home study Report!! And we are just waiting for our Agency to review it and approve it so it can get finalized!! Then we can send our USCIS Form off in the mail and that just means we are a few steps closer to our baby!! I have never minded filling out papers or filing or organizing things, but knowing every paper I fill out or send or review just gets me more excited about this amazing thing God is doing in our Family and in each of our hearts! Jordan told me Sunday night that he can now invision our little baby with our family. We have talked about this countless times ouver the past 8 years but I see God really ignighting the fire in his heart!! I love watchuing God work in the hearts of people regarding everything but especiallty regarding adoption!! To me its first nature to me but its not like that with everyone and thats fine I know God calls us to all do different things but he DOES call us ALL to Protect and take care of WIDOWS AND ORPHANS!  KNowing God is knowing his heart and loving the way HE LOVES!! My favorite saying is to have "FAITH LIKE A CHILD AND TO LOVE LIKE JESUS!!" This has stuck with me for I dont even know how many years. But I always wanted to build a ministry for Orphans using this! My ministry is adopting a baby from DR CONGO! Its helping raise money for otheres like my husband and I who want to adopt but dont have all the funds to do it. I hope I can do something that will make a differance the way I want to make a differance.  Next on the to do list is Finalizing our Home study and getting our USCIS sent out!!!

Home Study check---
 Ok well I haven't had a chance to update at all and I wish it was more exciting news but, we had our last appointment with our social worker and should be getting our home study rough draft any day now. We got our first mailer out Yeah!! And I hope in the next week we will be getting our second mailer out!!  I know God is always teaching me patience amongst other things but it seems like it gets harder for me not easier. God keeps showing me He is in control and that He is faithful!! I know this cause I have seen it many times before in my life. I am a little frustrated cause I realized that my passport was in my maiden name( For our Honeymoon) and that I needed to get a new one ASAP before I could finish most of our paper work for our Dossier. We have everything pretty much finished and are waiting for my passport to come so I have the info I need to finish filling out the papers. I also found out the person we were planning on using for our Notary is not renewing there license in June and I think who ever we use needs to have a license that wont expire for at least a year. So we thought we would be saving money on having a close friend do it but looks like we wont be. But I know God knew that ahead of time and He has it all planned out even if I cant see it.Faith comes in every part of an adoption!

 We started the Dossier and I was hoping to be finished as soon as our home study was but it just never works out that way. I know its ridiculous to be so inpatient especially because its only been a month since we started but I have been waiting my whole life for this child God has for me! I have know since I was 5years I wanted to adopt and talked about it with my husband since we started dating 8 years ago. So it feels like its taking forever even when its officially only been 1 month. I cant imagine in 6 months how I am going to feel? And how I feel so incomplete with out this child already. I don't know if my child is born or if our baby is conceived yet but I love our baby no matter what. I keep thinking, is it a boy or a girl ? IS MY CHILD SAFE? I just want our baby to know there is a family waiting for him or her and cant wait to meet them and hold them. What I do know is I serve a God who loves me and who loves every Orphan! He knows my baby and how many hairs he/she has on its head. He knows I have longed for this for some time and that I have always felt I was created to be a mommy and to adopt from Africa. My GOD CARES and these children DO MATTER!! I serve a loving, gentle, fearless, strong, compassionate, God. He purposed in my heart long ago to take care of the Orphans and all my life my heart broken for these kids that are abandoned and parentless. I am so blessed I get to be apart of Gods calling to take care of an Orphan and show Christ love. I want to do more than just pray for them i want my life to count in all I do and put my actions where my mouth is.

More things to check off!!

     So Last week I did my physical and Jordan did his Live scan!We also finished our 10 hours of parenting training. Friday I picked up both of our test results for our physicals and Saturday was our second home visit with our social worker Joe! This coming week should be just as productive I hope!! We are supposed to get our first of two mailer packets for our Dossier. I have all the certificates needed for this so I am hoping that this will go fast just like our home study! We still have to have our Last visit for our home study and then have them approve us. I know God is in control and I know this is what the Lord has for our family. I also know many things can arise and is not always so easy so I keep praying for God to go before us and our family through this whole process. I cant wait to see what child God has created for our family!! So much to do still and so excited do do all the paper work as wired as that sounds ,but I know each paper I fill out and each thing I do it brings me closer to our baby!! If that's the part I play in bringing our child home then I am all for it!!!   Love Like Jesus!!!

So much to do!!

     So in the past week since we began I feel like I have accomplished allot but still have so far to go. Yesterday I did my Live Scan which was interesting cause even though I have never been in trouble with the law it was intimidating just being in there. Good thing I don't show stress very obviously cause then they might think I really had something to hide. The poor girl who helped me and did my Live Scan was all by herself and she was overwhelmed. Then the Live Scan Machine was going very slow and stressed her out even more. Well I am just glad I got it done and it gets me closer to the child God has for us!! I did  6 out of 10 parenting hours this morning and ordered 2 copies of my birth certificate!! Jordan got his Medical Exam done today so those are 3 more things I get to check off my never ending lists of things!! We haven't even started our Dossier paper work so I know I have a long road ahead of me! I know God will use every step to bring us closer to our baby ,but ultimately bring us closer to Him!! I love what God is doing in our family and in my own life and all the different things he is teaching me and healing me along the way! Looking forward and not Backward!!   Hope you all have a blessed Day!! :)

Just Love Coffee

Just Love Coffee is an inspiring company allowing adopting families a chance to raise money by selling their premium coffees.  For instance if you buy a 13 ounce bag of coffee $5 would go direct to our adoption costs.
"In their first two years of business, they have given away over $200,000 to adopting families, orphan care, and non-profit organizations. Every bag of Just Love Coffee you purchase, is a blend of coffee and love. Thank you for helping us Share the Love!"
Check out our store here and go shopping ! Jamie and I have been drinking their "African Skies" mixed blend and honestly loving it.
Here is the LINK to our justlovecoffee.com STORE

We have talked about adoption for 8 years

 Ok well I guess I better tell you a little about our begining story with adoption. We have talked about adopting since we were dating (It was a pretty important thing to me that who ever I married had to want to adopt just like me. So I was very excited that Jordan was not oppossed to the idea just never thought of doing it himself. He always thought it was pretty cool of our friends who adopted from Ukraine and others that he knew of. So I prayed everyday that God would put it on Jordan's heart to want to as much as I did and that we would be on the same page if we were going to get married. At that time we were just dating. I didn't want to push him into anything cause I knew that would cause more harm than good. So I prayed everyday  quitely. Randomly one day he brought it up to me and told me that it was on his heart to adopt just as we were adopted by Christ. I was beyond thrilled I knew before I had such a wonderful man but then after hereing him talk about adoption that just did me in I was deffinately hooked!!

   So the years went on and as soon as we got married I started doing my homework on adoption , different agencies, and requirements. I knew it would take a while to finally get our child so I wanted to get a jump start! It wasn't till after we had been married a year and we wanted to start having children. We talked back and forth on whether to adopt first or have our own Biological children first. I really wanted to adopt and I wanted to adopt TWINS!! I always thought having twins was so cool I just never wanted to be pregnant with twins! Well I think God has a very funny sense of humor cause long behold we decided to have our Bio children first and there we had it I got pregnant with our TWINS! It was definately not your typical pregnancy by any means. After spending 2 months in the Hospital on my back not able to even sit up to eat for 8 weeks I had my sweet little babies at 34 weeks pregnant. they were perfect little things and did very well and where only in the hospital for 10 and 11 days. So by the time they were 6 months I started looking again into adoption and it got pushed further and further away to finally this year!!

   I cant believe that we are finally doing this after so much prayer and fasting and more prayer and seeking the Lord for His timing we pulled the trigger and are embarking on this crazy rollercoaster of a ride  ( paper Chase). I know most people would want a house first and everything perfect before they do something like adding another child to their family ,but God doesnt say you need a house and a room for each kid and a mortgage and a giant car and all these other things that are just materialistic. I know there are times where we do need those things and hopefully are working towards in the future but our main thing is we want to follow what God has for us. We want to make sure we do what we are called to do and not  to be held back in fear of the unknown.  God called all of us to take care of the Orphans and to our family that means adopting one!! I am going to do lots of reaserch on the DR CONGO and will be posting alot more as I get used to doing a blog. Please bear with me as I learn this blog stuff and adoption stuff. Thanks again for following our journey and praying for us!!

Time-Line to bringing our baby home!!!

So I want to show you our time-line as well as I can



February 3rd-Decided we will start the adoption process!!!

February 3rd-Decided on Angels Haven for our Home Study Agency! And

February6th -Sent Angels Haven Application and paper work  in and payment through PayPal

February 7th-Decided on CAN for our Adoption Agency

February 8th-Sent in Application/paperwork for CAN

February 9th-Got APPROVED BY CAN and Payed first payment

February 15th -I get my Live scan done

February 16th Jordan get Live scan done and his Physical

February 18th - Our 1st Home study visit with Joe!

February 21st- get my Physical

February 24th-Got Jordans and my physical reports back!!

February 25th-2nd Home study visit -My Interview with Joe

February 28th- Mailing our last paper work for our Home Study and for my new passport

February   - Recieving our first Mailer packet for our Dossier

February 3rd- 3rd and Final home study visit and Jordans interview and our joint interview

March 17th- Got our Homestudy rough draft!

March 28th- Got our Finalized Home study report!!

March 29th- Sent our USCIS form in!! ( My nephew Justus  14th Birthday)

April 1st- Getting all the Dossier Documents Notarized!!

April 4th- Sent our Dossier to CAN

April 5th- CAN recieved our Dossier

April 6th Sent our 3rd Payment to CAN

April 11th- CAN sent our Dossier to be authentisicated

April 23rd- USCIS Finger Prints

April 30th- Dossier came back to CAN

May 4th- Dossier sent to DR Congo!

May 4th- NUMBER 15 on the wait list for a referral!!

May 10th- Dossier arrived in DRC!

May 30th- Number 11!!!!!!!!

Our Family of 4 before we become a family of 5!!

                                               Jordan and I at his work Christmas lunch!

                                               Makai and Kalia at the park by our house!!

                                                           My sweet handsome Prince Makai

                                                       The Beautiful Princess Kalia!!

I will not leave you as Orphans; I will come to you!

John 14:18 I will not leave you as Ophans;I will come to you"! This verse means so much to all of us as Christians. Before in John 13 Jesus called his disciples "Little children". He was talking to them as a Father figure and explaining to them He would be departing. He used the term 'little children' as a term of endearment and love. He would be beaten, crucified and put into a tomb. He would also be rising again!!!!!!After the resurrection Jesus will ascend into Heavan and go back up to his Heavenly father. He would leave them the Holy Spirit as a helper for them until he comes back for us. In John 14:18 He is telling them he will not leave them fatherless he will be back for them. To me this verse shows me how God loved me so much he was not only willing to come to this earth in a human form but also willing to be persecuted ,beaten, and crucified. Not only that, He came down knowing in advance all that he would endure and knowing that he would be seperated from his Father. He did that for each one of us! He not only did that -- He wanted to make sure we werent abandoned until he comes back again for us, so he sent the Holy Spirit to be in us and with us. He is still here even when he is in heavan that is how BIG our God is! He then makes sure we know he will be back for us!!!

From the bottom of my heart, since I was 6,  I felt God calling me to be the mother to an orphan in Africa. I have prayed for the child God has for me and truely believe God created me with this purpose in mind. My mom always told me to pray for the man God had for me and for the children God had for me as well. I prayed years for my husband and never imagined God had such a wonderful perfect man for me as he has shown me through Jordan! My children... I am over abundantly blessed by them - I am so lucky to be able to stay at home with them every single day and play with them and teach them and just see in them how much God loves me and more. And now with adopting I have prayed for 6 years for God to prepare my heart, my husband;s heart my families heart, now my children's hearts for the Child he has for us. And I pray God prepares the child's heart he has for us!! So exciting and so scary and nerve racking all at the same time. I am a very impatient person when it comes to things like this so I know God is going to work on me in that area as well as many more I dont even know exist. I am excited to see the work God is doing in our families and in our church as well as our own lives and family. I pray and hope to become the mother God has created me to be and to really seek him and always keep him my first priority!! I know I am prone to get obsessed with these kinds of things, so I want to make sure He is my number one!!!

Our Families New Addition

Our Family is excited to announce, we are by faith, adopting a child from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
We will be sharing the exciting process with you on this blog and providing creative ways to help us bring our new child home.
Stay tuned here for frequent postings and updates.
With Faith and Love through Christ,
Jordan, Jamie, Makai, and Kalia