adoption costs

Ready for some real talk here?  Money is a STRUGGLE for me!  And I would even go as far to say that it is a struggle for our marriage (GASP).  The ways Kirby and I approach money and finances are pretty much as opposite as could be!  And, I am so glad God put us together to balance each other out.  The crazy amounts of anxiety I have, paired with his carefree "it will all be fine" attitude, seems to actually work for us!  Coming in to this adoption has been pretty humbling for us both and has stretched us both past what is comfortable.  Kirby has helped me to see how important it is, not to be carefree, but to TRUST that the LORD knows where that money will come from!  I have helped him to see the importance of knowing what costs are coming up and planning to budget for that as much as possible.

Adopting is expensive!  I plan to write a future blog that will help break down the costs and explain where all the money goes, but suffice it to say adoption is not cheap...and we are not rich!  Domestic infant adoptions typically cost anywhere from $20,000-$30,000 and while we are working diligently to save that money, we realize we will never be able to save that much in the amount of time we are expecting it to take to bring our baby home. So, we are humbly trusting God to help us raise that money through different endeavors.  As we continue to ask you to partner with us, we want to be open and honest about where we stand with our finances.  We want you to know exactly what you are helping us pay for as we go.   I also hope that this might someday serve as a help to other families saving to bring their own babies home.  So, here is the breakdown of where we are so far:

Application fee:  $195.00

Homestudy application: $1000.00

Fingerprinting: FREE!  We were blessed by our local police station when they did our fingerprints for free after finding out we were adopting!  Praise Jesus for the little things.

Fingerprint processing: $100.00

Child Abuse and Neglect Report: $20.00

TOTAL (so far): $1315.00

Fundraising totals (so far): $0

-$1315.00

Would you join us in praying?
1. for the finances of this adoption
2. for our marriage us we move through what it looks like to save this huge amount of money
3. for unexpected blessings
4. for the fundraising opportunities that are already in the works (be on the look out for a FUN Christmas fundraiser we have planned to roll out over the next couple months!)

Little Guy is 4!

I am a little late in posting this, but want to make sure to get it out here!

Four years ago, this sweet and spunky Little Guy made me a momma!  It had been the job I had been dreaming of since the early days of playing house with my baby dolls, but way harder and way more rewarding that I ever dreamed possible.  Jaxon came into our lives earlier than we had planned, but clearly the Lord knew what He was doing.  He has blessed (and challenged) our lives more than we ever could have imagined.  As we head into this 4th year, I pray that Jaxon continues to love people well.  If you know him at all, you know that there is not anyone he has met that he doesn't love!  Little Guy has never met a stranger and will make a new best friend anywhere we go--whethere that is another little boy, a college-aged girl, a grumpy old man, a friendly dog, or anything in between!  I pray that Jaxon embraces his intellect and love for learning.  He is a BRIGHT little guy and learning comes very naturally to him.  As he enters preschool, I hope he continues to love and find joy in learning new things.  I pray that Jaxon develops his strong will into something that moves mountains!  This kid knows what he wants!  At his young age, we see this come across in fits of rage and anger when he doesn't get what he wants.  Please Lord, teach him how to use the strong will you have given him in appropriate ways that impact those around him in positive ways.  Some other ways we would describe Jaxon--funny, playful, outgoing, sweet.  Thank you for blessing us with this sweet boy.  We love you, JAXON!!!

Beginning the homestudy...

Phase 1 of our homestudy is done!!!  I know it is only the beginning of a LOT MORE to come, but it is a start.  We sent our first batch of paperwork off...including what felt like EVERYTHING there ever was to know about each of us!  I know this is only the beginning, but it felt like a lot.  We made multiple calls to my parents and Kirby's dad to check on things like our siblings' ages, parents' ages, official occupations of family members, and where we were born.  Yep, that's right folks, Kirby wasn't sure where he was born!  Love ya, babe!  We also got to visit the police station to have our fingerprints taken.  I felt like a dork asking if we could take pictures, but we were so excited to be completing the first "official" thing we needed to get done for our adoption!  Join us in praying the paperwork is processed quickly and smoothly so we can be on our way to being put on the "active" list.

We are expecting...

...and believing and praying for the baby that God will bring our family through adoption!  Our family has recently made the decision to officially move forward with the plans of adopting our next baby and we could not be more excited!  The dream has been brewing in both Kirby and I from long before we even met each other and we are excited that God has chosen now as the time for us to pursue growing our family through adoption.  Join us as we journey towards bringing Baby LeMoine (#3) home!