Jonah's EB Auction!

I really wanted to share this earlier but I didn't get a chance to because I've had a sick little girl at home this week. So, I'm gonna share it now! My friends Matt and Patrice have an incredible story. They have a sweet little boy named Jonah. Jonah has Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). It is a rare genetic disease characterized by blistering skin. All this weekend through Sunday at 8pm they are having an auction to raise money for EB. All of the money goes to DebRA as they work to find a cure. So, go check out the auction and support this great cause. There is some really cool stuff up for auction like handmade blankets, bows, camera strap covers, jewelry, totes, Avon giftsets, Burt's Bees gift set, tons of gift cards, and oh goodness lots more!!

http://jonahsebauction.blogspot.com/

Where, oh where...

At the beginning of January we submitted our USCIS paperwork (I-600A) for the 2nd time. The first time was in late November right before they changed the fees. Apparently our stuff arrived on the day before they changed the fees but they said they didn't process it until the actual day that the fee changed so therefore they returned our stuff to us and said we needed to pay them more money. For real. Anyway, so admittedly it took us a few more weeks to send off our stuff the 2nd time with Christmas, snow, and everything. Anyway, we submitted our stuff during the very first week of January and we still haven't heard anything...no news about a fingerprinting appointment or anything. It makes me nervous! Brian called them towards the end of January and they just said that they had received our stuff and they didn't know how long it would take. They said we could call again later to see about an update. Now, I know that you can sign up online for updates but we don't even have a case number and the lady from USCIS "was not allowed to give that out" so we can't log in to see our information there. Brian is planning to call them again tomorrow. It's so strange that every bit of personal information about our lives is floating around some office out there...

I'm tired so this is what I'm listening to...

I really want to post about some sweet things the Lord has been speaking to my heart. I want to share about the Created for Care retreat too. But, here's the deal. I am worn out. For the past two weeks I have been testing over 150 students at my school. There is a team of three of us and we are giving all the Limited English Proficient students their annual English test. It's a big deal and it takes a LONG time because every student has to receive the Speaking portion individually (obviously). Anyway, by the end of the day all I can think about are the same lines over and over again. Every since January I feel like I haven't seen my students much. I was doing another literacy test for K-2nd grade called Dibels and then after that we had End of Quarter tests for 3-5th grade and I had to administer a couple of those too. Throw in a week of cancelled school because of snow and you'll see why I feel like I haven't been doing a lot of teaching. I get disappointed because when I graduated college I knew I wanted to teach. I really do enjoy it. I never wanted to be a test administrator. Oh well, I know it goes with the territory. The good thing is tomorrow is my last day of testing for a while and I get to start regular classes again on Monday!! For now, I want to share what I'm listening to. You'll see most of the stuff is nostalgic or just soothing because I don't wanna think too much after 2 weeks of monotonous testing. :)

Paige Aufhammer
She has such a sweet voice. I love her songwriting and the folksy sound. "Coffee" is my favorite song. Go here to listen to some snippets.








Sin Bandera
I listened to them while I was in college and when I lived in Mexico. Their music is obviously in Spanish. I saw that they had a live album and so I started listening to it and it just makes me remember singing all these super dramatic love songs with friends there. I just love singing them super loud in the car. Today Isabel said, "Mommy, I think they just said telephone." So, see, it's educational for her at least. haha. Sadly, apparently, the duo split a few years ago.



Andrew Peterson

I posted one of his newest songs on Valentine's Day! I really love his new album, "Counting Stars." The more I listen to it the more I like it. He has so many good albums and he's an amazing storyteller. Go to his website for more info.





Kari Jobe

Three years ago, I listened to this album every day on the way to school for like a year straight. I had to. It was a rough year. I needed to hear God's promises for me every single morning before I started the day. I love Kari's voice and worshipful heart. Here is my favorite song from the album and the one I had on repeat for a long time.

Seeds Family Worship
Isabel really loves Seeds of Worship and so do we. I love that we are all learning Scripture by song and that is one of the very best ways to memorize anything! Every Wednesday our family does childcare at church that we love and support called The River. Last week we took our CD and put it in towards the end of our time while the kids were working on their craft. They loved it! One kid was like, "Let's turn it up!" Another kid was dancing. It's fun but it's truth! Don't you love that? The one we took was Seeds of Courage but you can get several different ones. Their website is awesome. You can download the chord charts to their songs, watch videos, find family worship activities, and listen to the songs.


What are you listening to??

Dancing in the Minefields

My husband and I LOVE Andrew Peterson's music. Also if you have never read the first two books that he wrote then you need to. They are soo good. Anyway, today he posted his video for the song "Dancing in the Minefields" from his new album, "Counting Stars." You can go here to buy it and here just to peruse The Rabbit Room website where there are reviews of great albums and books, etc. I wanted to re-post the video because I think it's such a great song and perfect for Valentine's Day. Love is not easy but it's worth it. :)

Check out this Adoption Auction!

I just wanted to share this family's "Show Some Love Adoption Auction." There is some really cool stuff to bid on! It's all to help this family raise money for their homestudy and initial fees! That was the HARDEST and BIGGEST step for our family so I love to encourage families in that stage because we had some awesome people encouraging us! So, go to her blog and then scroll back to see each individual item added!

http://expectingablessing.blogspot.com/

New Number

We just got our new number for February! Here it is. I know we haven't moved much since January but we're hopeful that there will be more movement soon and more families will be able to bring home their sweet kids!

Whew!

I just got back from an incredible conference with 250 other adopting mommas. It was sooo good. I am way too tired to blog about it right now but my friend Meredith just posted something that I really think needs sharing.
http://simplysmittys.blogspot.com/2011/02/whats-so-super-about-it.html