Preparing for a Miracle

Home Sweet Home

2009-12-25T11:50:00.001-08:00

www.our-journey-to-parenthood.blogspot.com

We're Going to Korea Monday!!!!!!!

2009-12-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it. I can hardly catch my breath I am so excited and just running around in circles getting everything done so I can leave Monday! I am thrilled thrilled thrilled Lily will be home for Christmas!!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!

I don't know if I will start blogging here or stop blogging on this site or what! I am just so excited!!!!

Sweet dreams!

T-Shirts for Lily

2009-11-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

We Are Taking T-Shirt Orders Now!!

Thank you for ALL of your comments about the Lily Shirt we've designed!! I am so excited you all love it as much as I do! We will decided to offer an Adult Fitted Long-Sleeved shirt and an Unfitted Short or Long-Sleeved shirt in both Adult and Youth sizes!! The Youth sizes start at 2-4 (preschooler size)!

As for sizing...
The more fitted shirt runs a size small, and according to the size chart from the manufacturer, I would probably wear a Large even though I usually wear a small or medium shirt. In this shirt, I can get adult S(0), M(4), L(8), XL(12), and XXL(14).

I actually have a shirt made from the non-fitted one we're having these made from, and, so you'll know, it isn't as loose as the model picture looks below. Mine is a Medium, and I usually wear a size 6-8 if that helps with your ordering! It's a little big on me in the shoulders but fits everywhere else a little loosely. I probably could wear a small but didn't want it too tight. I will be able to get the non-fitted shirt in S (6-8), M (10-12), L (14-16), XL, XXL, XXXL, and Youth XS(2-4), S(6-8), M(10-12), L(14-16)!!!

I am so excited to be able to offer you this shirt not only to help raise the funds for us to travel to bring Lily home but also so you will have a tangible reminder of helping Lily and of all of the little ones who are waiting for forever families in this world. I hope this shirt will also be a reminder that even through tough times, good things do come when we keep our hope in the Lord. Maybe your wearing it will not only brighten your day but may speak to someone else too! I can hardly wait to get my own shirt and wear it! Many of you mentioned how fun the red will be for Christmas, and I hadn't even thought of that! I love it!! I actually chose red because as much as I love pink and have decorated her room with lots of pink, for some reason I think of the color red ( and ladybugs :) ) when I think of Lily. I love the way the lily looks on this red shirt too! I am so excited you all love it too.

Soooo.... Here's How to Order...

As soon as we have 30 orders, I will place the first order!! To place your order, click on the Donate button below and leave me a message in the notes to seller regarding which shirt(s)/size(s) you would like, and I will do the rest!!!

*Youth (non-fitted) Short or Long-Sleeved Shirts...$14.99.
XS(2-4), S(6-8), M(10-12), L(14-16)
*Adult (non-fitted) Short or Long-Sleeved Shirts...$19.99
S(6-8), M(10-12), L(14-16), XL, XXL, XXXL
*Adult (fitted) Long-Sleeved Shirts...$24.99
S(0), M(4), L(8), XL(12), and XXL(14).

Almost 40 of you have already said you want one (YEAAAAA!!) so as soon as orders are placed through the PayPal button below or by clicking on the t-shirt picture in the blog's left sidebar, I can get them ordered! Once I order them, they can be shipped in 7-10 days to me, and then I can ship them to you!

I can't wait to see pictures of all of you wearing your Lily tees!!

Thank you for loving Lily with us and for ordering a Lily shirt of your own!

Coffee Lovers Unite!!

2009-11-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, I am so excited about this!! If you or someone you know drinks coffee, and you want to help orphans and help Lily come home, this is just awesome!!!! My friends April and Brandon, who are leaving Thursday to adopt their son Harrison from Taiwan (AHH!!! YEAAA!!), shared with me a fundraiser idea yesterday. This may be just what we and YOU are looking for to help bring Lily home or your own child home through adoption! Can you tell I'm excited?!!!!

So, through my sweet friends, I was introduced to Just Love Coffee.

Here's a little info about the company and it's mission and the family who founded it...please read beneath the info too to see just how FAST we could raise $ through selling this coffee!!!!!

"Rob Webb knows coffee. When Rob was two years old, his father started Webb’s Coffee Service, which blossomed into a full-blown refreshment service supplying businesses in Nashville, TN and the surrounding areas, and is now run by Rob.

Rob Webb knows the adoption process. In the summer of 2008, Rob and his wife Emily were called to adopt from Ethiopia. After much prayer and discussion with their first two children they started their adoption journey in August 2008. During the flurry of paperwork and preparation, Rob & Emily read books not only on adoption in general, but specifically on Ethiopia. Learning that Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee caught Rob’s attention, and after reading about the living conditions and wages of the average coffee farmer, he was compelled to take action. What developed through his reading and his trip to Ethiopia to unite with his daughters was a realization that he could combine his expertise and longstanding desire to roast his own coffees with his desire to help others. Just Love Coffee Roasters was born! Roasting Fair Trade Specialty coffees, Just Love uses proceeds to help an Ethiopian orphanage and families adopting not just from Ethiopia, but from anywhere in the world."

So, get this. For EACH BAG of coffee ordered from the Bringing Home Baby Lily site, we get FIVE DOLLARS TOWARD LILY'S ADOPTION EXPENSES!!!!!!!!!! FIVE DOLLARS!!!!! The prices are only $12.95, and $5.00 of that goes toward Lily's adoption!!!!!!!!! I think I know what I'm buying for my family for Christmas this year!!!! I am going to become a door-to-door salesperson selling this coffee. I am so excited!!!! If we could sell 100 bags, that's $500... 1000 bags, $5000!!!!!!! Ahhhh! This is so exciting I am just plain giddy.

So, if you'd like to check out Just Love Coffee and help Lily too, goHERE go HERE go HERE!!!!!!!

THANK YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!!!!

Last Day to Vote

2009-10-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

In case you don't follow our Journey to Parenthood/Ordinary Miracle blog, I wanted to share with you that we are in a contest for Best Adoption Blog at TheBump.com. It has been a tight race with another blogger, and we have fallen behind. If you would like to help us get closer to winning a $1000 prize to help with Lily's adoption by voting, you can CLICK HERE and vote for Another Ordinary Miracle. You can vote as many times as you want!

THANK YOU!!

Stay tuned for Lily's T-shirts for sale very soon!!

Much love and thanks,

Giveaway Results

2009-09-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you all SO SO SO much for raising nearly $1000 for Lily's adoption through this Great Giveaway!! Thank you to those who donated these items and to everyone who participated in the Giveaway. We appreciate your donations and participation more than we can say. Thank you SO much! Congratulations to the winners!! We hope you enjoy your wonderful items!!

1. Prada Bag: Maureen Todd
2. Coach Bag: Vicki Thibodeau
3. Pin: Ragan Garriott
4. Petit Ami Dress: Elaina Langston
5. Invitations/Cards: Shelley Yates
6. Tutu: Gretchen Rise
7. Scrapbook: Keri Harrison
8. The Polkadot Platypus Gift Certificate: Courtney Kocher
9. Scentsy Set: Amanda (manda_328athotmaildotcom)
10. Canvases: Ragan Garriott

Final Great Giveaway is HERE!!!

2009-09-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to so many wonderful donations of incredible, and I mean incredible, items for one final giveaway, I am so excited to offer all of these great items to you!!! A Prada Bag, a Coach Bag, and Diamond and Gemstone Pin, dresses, a tutu, a scrabook kit, and MORE!!! I can't say thank you enough to all of you for your donations to help us bring her home!

We have been so touched by all of your participation in the giveaways to help us raise the fees we need to adopt our sweet daughter and can't say thank you enough. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Let the fun begin! :O) If you don't know how to participate, go to the bottom of the last listing (#13) for details. I have increased the $10 donation from three to FOUR opportunities to win!! Scroll on down!!!

2009-09-14T22:20:00.001-07:00

1. PRADA Bag!!!!
Connie, who donated the black Prada bag for Giveaway #3, has been so generous and wants so much to help us reach our fundraising goal to bring Lily home that she has donated another Prada bag!! This Prada MV633 Sport Bag is brand new from the factory. It was made in Italy and is probably one of the best-selling Prada bags. It is a must have if you love Prada! It is made with signature Prada Vela Nylon and has one main compartment that secures with a zipper with enough space for everyday necessities. It has a zipper closure over the top. Prada authenticity cards are included, and it retails for $250!! Approximate Size: 9.5"W x 5.5"H x 2"W - Strap: 12.5"

2009-09-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

2. COACH Bag!!!!
This beautiful Coach Op Art Julianne bag was donated by my friend Jennifer, and I love it! She paid $378 for it, and it has never been used. This bag's Hybrid silhouette offers satchel, shoulder and cross-body versatility with detachable strap. It has an inside zip pocket, Cellphone/multifunction pockets, ring to clip an accessory or keyfob, Zip-top closure, Outside back pocket with zip closure, Op-Art Sateen print fabric with lightweight leather trim, Fabric contrast lining, a 33 1/2" detachable strap, 16" handles with 5 3/4" drop, and is 12 1/4 (L) x 12 3/4 (H) x 4 (W). It is black with silver accents.

2009-09-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

3. Beautiful Diamond & Semi-Precious 14K Pin from B@iley B@nks & Biddle
This gorgeous pin is brand new and looks so pretty pinned to a shirt or jacket. It would make a great Christmas gift too! It is made of 14K gold, diamonds, amethyst, citrine, peridot, and diamonds.

This pin retails for $300-400 and has never been worn other than pinning it on my mom's white shirt to take this picture! It is so so pretty!

2009-09-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

5. Smocked Strasburg Christmas Dress (size 6 mos)
My friend Jill donated this NEW Strasburg Christmas dress, and it's so so precious! It is green and white with smocked ornaments across the chest. What a sweet dress for a sweet little girl this Christmas--which I can't believe is just a few months away!

The dress pictured is a 24 mos size, but the Giveaway is for a 6 months size!

2009-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

6. Smocked Petit Ami Spring/Summer Dress (size 12 mos)
This dress is so beautiful! My mom bought this for our sweet Lily, and I loooove it! When we found out Lily is already in 12 month clothes, my mom offered to donate this dress for the Giveaway! It is a blue and white gingham bishop dress with smocked flowers accented with pearls around the neckline. It is even prettier than the picture!

2009-09-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

7. Custom Party Invitations from Cards with Care by Carolyn Rapoport
Carolyn contacted me a few weeks ago offering to donate a set of 12 custom invitations/cards for the next giveaway. Carolyn's sister Beth and I used to work together, and she and Carolyn are so sweet. You are going to LOVE Carolyn's invitations and cards. She has an Etsy store, but these are nice enough to be in boutiques and stationery stores. Check them out BY CLICKING HERE. I know you'll love them just like I do! The "winner" of this giveaway can either choose one of Carolyn's designs or work with her to create your own non-commercial design! Below are just a few examples of Carolyn's beautiful invitations and stationery!!

2009-09-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

8. Custom Tutu from Tutu Cute by Randy
Cynthia from Tutu Cute by Randy has donated a custom tutu of your choice for this Giveaway!! These tutus are so cute on little girls. I would love to order one someday for Lily too, in my favorite colors pink or red of course :) !!

2009-09-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

9. Complete Cre@tive Memories Scrapbook Kit worth over $80!
My friend Debbie has donated a complete scrapbook kit by Creative Memories!!! The kit includes the following and is so cute!!

True 12 x 12 Coverset Lavender - 25
True 12 x 12 White Scrapbook Pages - 17
True 12 x 12 Page Protectors - 8
Pastel Designer-Print Paper - 11.50
Pastel Tone-on-Tone Paper - 11.50
Pastel Spring Power™ Palette Additions - 9
Pastel Designs I Stickers - 2.50
Pastel Designs II Stickers - 2.50

2009-09-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

10. $50 Gift Certificate to The Polkadot Platypus

My friend Bethany, who owns The Polkadot Platypus, has donated a $50 Gift Certificate to go shopping in her amazing online children's boutique!! Her store has even been featured on the Today Show! Here is a description from the website:

"Polka dot baby bedding and pinstriped diaper caddies. Princess tutus and superhero capes. Chic diaper bags and upscale strollers. That {and more} is what The Polkadot Platypus is made from.

Our collection of designer apparel, stylish gear, posh bedding and unique gifts will leave you begging for more. We are proud to offer collections from Serena and Lily, Valco Baby, Max Daniel Baby and SwaddleDesigns® ... just to name a few."

Click HERE to go take a look around The Polkadot Platypus and dream of what you would buy with your $50 Gift Certificate!!

2009-09-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

11. Scentsy Set: Warmer, Plug in, Car candle, and 2 Scentsy Bars of your choice!
I did a giveaway on a Scentsy warmer and bar in one of the other Giveaways, and it did great so I was so excited when Denise offered to donate a whole set for our 4th Giveaway!! This set includes the warmer, plug-in, car candle, and 2 Scentsy bars of your choice to keep your home and car smelling great!!! There are many different patterns and scents to choose from!!

2009-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

12. Criswell Creations Painted Canvas by Anne Marie Criswell

This giveaway is for the floral canvas painting (below left), and it is so cute!! Anne Marie also can design murals that you can project and paint on the wall yourself! She designed one for an orphanage in Ethiopia that is so beautiful! I'll post a picture for you to see below the 2nd canvas that is being given away :)

2009-09-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

13. Criswell Creations Painted Canvas by Anne Marie Criswell
This giveaway is for the tugboat canvas painting below on the right, and it is so adorable!

Example of Anne Marie's Murals

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Thank you all so much for participating and for helping us get closer to bringing Lily home. We are still hoping and praying she's home for Christmas!!! She is already 10 months old and needs her Mommy and Daddy and Big Brother Owen!!!

Many Blessings and Thanks,

2009-09-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't participate in the first giveaways or just want a reminder of how it works, here is how it has been done in the past. This time we are doing something a little different and better! For every $5 donation (suggested donation), you are entered for an opportunity to win one of the items below. To donate, click on the ChipIn on the left side of the blog (left sidebar). To let us know which prize you would like an opportunity to win, please leave a comment after making your donation UNDER THE ITEM you'd like to win by clicking on Comments. For every $10, we are going to up your entries from two to FOUR this time!!!! That's twice the amount of opportunities!! If you put the blinkie/button for Lily's site on your blog or blog about the Giveaway, you can have an additional opportunity!! We are so excited and hopeful that we will reach our goal and have Lily home soon!!

This Giveaway is divided into 13 different items, and it will be open for 2 weeks! We will end the giveaway Tuesday, September 28 at midnight EST!!

Love This Site Awards :: Another Ordinary Miracle - DivineCaroline

2009-09-08T20:15:00.001-07:00

I have been nominated!!! The prize is $$$ which would be so wonderful to help with Lily's adoption!!

View >>

The description of my blog isn't up to date, but I am excited!! Thank you for nominating me and voting!

Adoption and Giveaway Update

2009-09-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

This past week we learned that the first round of paperwork has been processed by our agency!!! We received a list of paperwork to complete for the next step and the bill for the agency's fees and Korea's adoption fees. We have been blessed to have raised nearly half of the money needed for Lily's adoption and have been so touched by how much has been given by so many friends we have never met. Thank you all so very much!!!

I am excited to be able to have one more final Giveaway and hopefully will have it posted tonight. We have had so many wonderful things donated!!!---a Prada bag, a Coach bag, 3 (brand new with tags) smocked little girl's dresses (Fall 3mos, Christmas 6 mos, and Spring/Summer 12 mos), store-quality custom invitations, a custom tutu, 2 children's canvas paintings, a Scentsy set, a big Scrapbook Kit, and beautiful diamond and semiprecious stone pin, and a gift certificate to The Polkadot Platypus!!

A Wine Tasting, a 4th Giveaway, and a Yard Sale Too!!

2009-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friends and neighbors held a Wine Tasting fundraiser for us last weekend! We had such a nice time visiting with them and are so grateful for their wanting to be a part of bringing Lily home and for all of the donations made that night. My friend Kim took pictures, but I haven't asked her for them yet! Thank you Kim and Rachel for organizing and opening your home to all of us, and thank you to everyone who came and helped us get closer to raising the funds we need for Lily's adoption.

I have received so many emails and donations of items to give away that I am going to post a 4th Giveaway tomorrow night!!!! We are excited to be able to offer more great things to you and appreciate your participation so much! In addition to more great kids' items, Connie has donated another Prada bag so stay tuned!!!

We also will be having a Yard Sale to benefit Lily's adoption at the end of September and will be more than happy to take anything and everything off your hands to sell to raise money for Lily's adoption fund! My friends I used to work with held two yard sales for us for Owen's adoption, and so many wonderful things were donated that we raised $3000!! We are excited to do this again for Lily!!

Thanks again to all of you who have already helped us get closer to raising the funds needed for Lily's adoption!!

Happy Weekend,

Congratulations to ....

2009-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

all the winners of the third Great Giveaway!!! Thank you so so much for participating and donating so much to help us bring Lily home.

1. Prada Messenger Bag: Christine Robbins

2. Total Gym: "Living with Purpose"

3. Monkeytots Gift Set: Michelle W.J.

4. FLIP Ultra Camcorder: Gretchen Rise

5. Nala Style Wooden Necklace and Earrings: Terah Guengerich

6. Kristen England Photography Friends and Family Package: Kim Prud'homme

7. Kristen England Photography Baby's First Year Package: "Meme"

8. Scentsy Warmer and Scent of Your Choice: Barb Sabulsky

9. Fun Little Girls' Custom Dress: Jessica Howard

10. Family Scrapbook and Set of Handmade Christmas Cards: Jenni Saake

11. Beautiful Outdoor Flags from Denise Sullivan Designs: Connie Terry

12. Gift Certificate from Festive Frills: Amber Cole

13. Selah CD: Sue S/"Suebee"

Congratulations, everyone!!!! We appreciate each of you so very much and are so excited the Giveaways are going so well. We definitely have been given enough items to do a FOURTH Great Giveaway so stay tuned for more GREAT prizes!!! :O)

Much love and many thanks,

Last Chance and A Fourth One??

2009-08-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

The Great Giveaway #3 will be ending Saturday night/Sunday morning at 12AM!!

I have been contacted by a few more sweet women wanting to donate items for a FOURTH Giveaway. Thank you all so much for wanting to help us bring Lily home and to all of you who have participated in the THREE Great Giveaways!!!!! I wish I could meet you all in person to thank you!!! My question for you is, would you be interested in participating in another giveaway?

What about one for a Dell or HP Laptop Computer?!

Win A Prada Bag!!

2009-08-16T12:01:00.001-07:00

I got an email this morning from Connie saying she would like to donate a Prada Messenger Bag worth over $415 to the Giveaway!!

This is the stylish, classic Prada Messenger Bag in black. It features: Fine Italian Durable Vela Nylon; adjustable strap with silver buckle; flat slender style that sits close to the body; main compartment with a zipper closure; PRADA metal triangle logo on front; Made in Italy metal rectangular logo inside the bag; signature PRADA monogram lining in black; authenticity cards included; MADE IN ITALY.

MEASUREMENTS: 10" High x 12" Wide X 1.5" L. Fully adjustable nylon strap.

This Prada messenger bag comes with a 100% satisfaction money-back guarantee, and a guarantee of authenticity.

The bag has NEVER been used and comes directly from the factory.
RETAILS FOR OVER $415

All I can say is Wow!!! This will be part of the Great Giveaway below, but I wanted to post it in a separate post in case you've already read the Giveaway post ;) Just a $5 donation gives you an opportunity to win this bag, and $10 gives you 3!

Connie has also offered to give 5% of sales from her store if you mention Lily at checkout and a 5% discount for my readers to help bring Lily home!!!

Thank you all so much!

The Great Giveaway #3 is HERE!!!

2009-08-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you all so much for participating in the first two giveaways! We are so excited to be able to offer more GREAT things in a 3rd Great Giveaway!! You just may like this one better than the ones before it!!

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Isn't she so precious?!!

Thank you all so much for participating!!!!!

2009-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

1. TOTAL GYM

Jim's boss at work has donated a brand new Total Gym to the Giveaway!! If you aren't familiar with Total Gym, it is an exercise machine you use by lifting a percentage of your body weight against gravity so resistance is smooth and fluid. As your strength and conditioning improve, you can increase resistance by increasing the incline. It works both your upper and lower body and your cardiovascular system!

2009-08-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

2. MonkeyTots Baby Gift Set
Kristen at MonkeyTots has donated this adorable set that would be great for your own baby or for a shower gift!!! I love pink and brown, and this is just too cute!

The set is so cute and includes
Brown/Pink Wipe Case
Brown/Pink Burp Cloth Set with Minky
Brown Baby Bib with Elephant
Pink with Brown Wall Hanger
Pink Minky Washcloth

2009-08-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

3. FLIP Ultra Camcorder
This is the neatest little camcorder! It is small enough to fit in your pocket but records 2 hours of video!! It has a USB port that flips out to the side and you just plug in the USB cable and connect it to your computer and Voila! Your videos are saved to your computer, and you can record some more! You can even connect it to your tv with an included cable and watch the videos immediately on tv!! This little camcorder retails for $149.99!! You can read more about it HERE if you want!!

2009-08-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

4. Nala Style Wooden Beaded Necklace and Earrings

My friend Ginger donated this beautiful set from her boutique! It is so cute!!

2009-08-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

5. Kristen England Photography Friends and Family Package For Babies, Children, Family, Seniors, and Pets

Kristen England, a photographer in Middle Tennessee, has offered to donate TWO packages to the Giveaway! I have a lot of readers in Tennessee so we thought these would do very well! Check out Kristen's work. She is VERY talented If you live in Middle TN and would like to have some beautiful photographs taken of you, your baby, or family, these (#3 and 4) are the perfect prizes for you!!

Friends and Family Package for Babies, Children, Family, Seniors, and Pets

• up to 3 hours of documenting your life into a work of art

• unlimited locations and outfits

• online slideshow to music to share with friends and family

* online proofing and ordering

• digital enhancements and retouching of all photographs

2009-08-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

6. Kristen England Photography Baby's First Year Package

• newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 1 year 2 hour sessions of documenting

• unlimited locations and outfits

• online slideshow to music to share with family and friends of the first year of the little ones life

• online proofing and ordering

• digital enhancements and retouching of all photographs

2009-08-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

7. Scentsy Warmer and Scent of Your Choice
Using the heat from a 25 watt bulb to melt and warm a scented candle bar, Scentsy provides a safe alternative to a traditonal candle. The melted wax stays at body temperature and is great for children with curious hands. With NO open flame, NO soot build up, there is not the threat of fire that is there with a typical candle. Scentsy wickless candles brings peace of mind to parents when it comes to child proofing their home while still being able to create that peaceful and welcoming ambience of a scented candle. Scentsy offers over 80 scents and a variety of warmers that will fit into any home decor. The winner of this prize may choose the warmer and scent of your choice!

2009-08-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

8. Fun Little Girls Custom Dresses!
Jennifer has started making adorable custom dresses (sizes range from newborn to 4T) w/ fun embellishments w/a matching hairbow and socks and has donated one to our Giveaway!! These dresses are perfect for almost any occasion. You will be able to email Jennifer after the giveaway for your fabric choices, sizes, etc! Here is an example of her adorable dresses!!

2009-08-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

9. Family Scrapbook and Set of Handmade Christmas Cards
Connie has made a beautiful Family Scrapbook and a set of 24 Christmas cards with envelopes for the Giveaway!!

The Scrapbook is a beautiful 8x8 pre-made scrapbook. All you have to do is add your favorite pictures and memories of your family. It would be great for a coffee table or to give as a gift!

This set of 24 Christmas cards are one-of-a-kind and so cute everyone will want to know where you got your cards this year! :)

2009-08-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

10. Beautiful Outdoor Flag
My friend Denise, a fellow adoptive Mommy of a precious little boy, has donated some of her beautiful outdoor flags for the Giveaway! Her designs were recently picked up by Hallmark!! They would look beautiful in your yard or be wonderful gifts! Each one says either Faith, Peace, Love, or Joy and is just gorgeous! They are all in their original plastic packaging and are so nice. This week's giveaway is for one big flag and a small flag!! To see these and other designs by Denise, see the picture below!

2009-08-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

11. Gift Certificate from Festive Frills

Ashley of Festive Frills has offered to give a $15 gift certificate to her Etsy store! She makes the cutest headbands, clippies, and more for babies and children!! Here are some examples of her work!

2009-08-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

12. My friend Angie asked Todd's/Selah's manager if they could donate some copies of Selah's new CD You Deliver Me!!

One of the songs Angie co-wrote, and it's called I Will Carry You. It is absolutely beautiful as are all of Selah's songs. The song is dedicated to their precious daughter, Audrey, who went to Heaven shortly after she was born in April 2008. I couldn't keep from crying listening to it, remembering my six little babies I carried for such a short time and knowing my Heavenly Father is carrying them for me until the day we meet again. It is such a beautiful song, and Angie and Todd are such beautiful people. I know you'll be blessed by this CD!

So, in case you are new here, here's how it works...

*If you would like an opportunity to win one of the incredible items above, click on the Bring Lily Home ChipIn(top left of blog under header). The suggested donation for a comment toward winning an item is just $5 so you are welcome to try to win more than one item! If you donate $10 through the Bring Lily Home ChipIn toward an item, you will get 3 opportunities for the price of 2!!

*After you ChipIn, please leave me a comment on this blog by clicking on Comments under the item that you are interested in, and then type your comment in the comment box and save it, telling me which item you would like an opportunity to win. Please leave a comment for each opportunity (for example, if you donate $10, please leave 3 comments).

*If you post about the Giveaway on your blog or add our Button or become a Follower of this blog, let me know and you will automatically get an additional opportunity to win!! In case you don't know how to add a blog button to your site, first copy the text in the box below the blinkie Giveaway button.

Then, go to your blog LAYOUT and then ADD A GADGET. Click on add an HTML/Java Script Gadget. Paste the text above into the box. Then SAVE. :)

All donations from the three Great Giveaways will go straight to Lily's adoption fund! Thanks to all of you, we have already raised almost $11,000 and we are hoping with this Great Giveaway and the wonderful FUNDRAISERS so many sweet store owners and reps are doing for us, we will get a lot closer reaching the big goal of $25,000! We will leave this Giveaway up for ONE WEEK (until Saturday, August 22 at midnight EST)! Thank you so much for participating!!

So, let the fun begin! :) Thank you all SOOOOO much for all you have done to help us raise the funds we need to bring Lily home!! We have been so touched, so humbled, so encouraged by your support and thank God every day for all of you! We can hardly wait to "introduce" you to Lily! Hopefully in just a few months!

With much love and many thanks,

And The Winners Are...

2009-08-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

1. Wii and Guitar Hero--Phil and Bev

2. Scout Bag from Madison Monograms-- Amy Davis

3. Quilt by Joy Ellen Paulsen--Lori Graham

4. Baby be Blessed Doll/Lamb--Angie Gianini

5. Flag & Mailbox Cover by Denise Sullivan Designs--Lee Ann Smith

6. Onesie/Bib Set from Monogram Mania--Liane Steffes

7. Beauticontrol Products and Microderm Abrasion Kit--Amber Duncan

8. Women At Risk Necklace--Samantha Alberson

9. Eden Gift Set from Two Green Olive Trees--Becki Skol

Thank you all SO much for participating in the Great Giveaway #2!!! You all donated $1000 more dollars to Lily's adoption fund in just one week!!! Thank you so so so so much!!!! We are so excited to offer one more Great Giveaway starting Saturday night at midnight!! The Flip Ultra Camcorder is one of my favorites in the next one as well as a brand new Total Gym Gold set of workout equipment! We have a few adorable little girl's dresses, baby gifts, and more as well!! Soooo excited we are getting closer to bringing Lily home!!!!

Love,

Great Giveaway #2 is Here!!

2009-08-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you all so much for participating in the first Great Giveaway! It was a huge success, and we are thrilled to be getting closer to bringing our daughter home!!! We are so excited to have so many items donated that we are able to offer two more Giveaways this week and next week!! SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ALL OF THE WONDERFUL ITEMS YOU CAN WIN AND HOW TO PARTICIPATE to help us bring Lily home from South Korea!!!

1. Nintendo Wii and Guitar Hero World Tour with Complete Dual Guitars
We have a Wii we got for Christmas last year and love playing bowling, tennis, and boxing on it! The Guitar Hero World Tour is so much fun too that we thought this would be a great set to get for the giveaway!! Together this set retails for $350!

2009-08-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

2. Scout Bag from Madison Monograms
Kim at Madison Monograms has donated a fabulous Scout Bag!! It is 24"w x 19"h x 12"d and is SO cute everyone will want to know where you got it! It retails for $35!! Kim is also currently donating 20% of sales from her site to Lily's adoption fund if you make a purchase from her site and mention Lily at checkout!

2009-08-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

3. Beautiful Handmade Quilt by Joy Ellen Paulsen
My sweet friend Joy is adopting a beautiful baby girl from Russia. You may remember Joy from last Fall. She is the friend who led us to the baby girl in New Jersey who we had planned to adopt and name Lily and was there for us when she went home with her mother from the hospital after caring for her there for 3 days. Joy is such a sweet friend and makes the most beautiful quilts. I am so excited for her to have a little girl too! She asked me this week if we would like to offer the one she just made in our 2nd Giveaway!

The quilt measures 65 inches by 86 inches. The quilt pattern is called an Ohio star. The background is white with a yellow and a purple border, and the quilting is in a random feather pattern. The stars are many different colors made of different reproduction fabrics from the 1930's. It is just beautiful!!

2009-08-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

4. Baby be Blessed Doll/Lamb
The lovely mommies at Baby be Blessed have donated a custom baby doll or lamb to help bring Lily home!! The lambs retail for $45 and the dolls retail for $50!!! Your son or daughter will love their Baby be Blessed doll or lamb. Each one has a patch on its belly personalized with Scripture and may include your child's name as well!

2009-08-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

5. Beautiful Outdoor Flag and Mailbox Cover
My friend Denise, a fellow adoptive Mommy of a precious little boy, has donated some of her beautiful outdoor flags and 2 mailbox covers she designed!! Her designs were recently picked up by Hallmark!! They would look beautiful in your yard or be wonderful gifts! Each one says Faith, Peace, Love, or Joy and is just gorgeous!They are all in their original plastic packaging and are so nice. This week's giveaway is for one big flag and a magnetic mailbox cover!! To see these and other designs by Denise, see the picture below!

2009-08-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

6. Monogram Mania Baby Onesie and Bib
My sweet friend Leigh has offered to donate a custom monogrammed bib and onesie set! This would be a great baby gift or perfect for your own little one. Here are some examples!

2009-08-08T19:55:00.004-07:00

7. Beauticontrol Microderm Abrasion Set and Skincare Products
Allyson has donated an incredible set of Beauticontrol products worth $195.00!!!
A--Microderm Abrasion Set: 1 buffer and 2 jars of Microderm Abrasion Serum, enough for at least 12 Microderms! Retal Value is $110!!
B--Chemical Peel Set: serum and gel mask. Retail Value $40!
C--Regeneration Lotion: Lotion to apply after the Microderm Abrasion or Chemical Peel. Retail Value is $30!
D--Spa Sugar Lotion: one of the top selling Beauticontrol lotions! Retails for $15!

2009-08-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

8. Women At Risk Beaded Necklace
This particular necklace was hand made by a woman in Nepal who has been rescued from human trafficking. Women At Risk, Int'l (WAR, Int'l) exists to create circles of protection for women at risk. One way they do this is by partnering with safehouses around the world that employ women to make jewelry or other products. The jewelry is sold in the US, the money is given back to the women, giving them a chance at a new life. You can learn more at: www.warinternational.org This is a long single strand necklace with multi- colored beads which can be worn a variety of ways. It is so beautiful! This necklaces sells for $24.00.

2009-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

9.“NEW BABY GIFT SET” from Two Green Olive Trees

Elizabeth has offered to donate an ADORABLE set! It would be a GREAT baby gift for a friend or for your own little one!!

The set includes
*EDEN lounge pants size 12 months ($25)
*EDEN bib ($10)
*EDEN burpcloth ($5)
*EDEN lovie blanket ($15)
*personalized EDEN diaper bag tag ($5)
*EDEN pacifier clip ($7)

2009-08-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

**************************************************************

So, let the Great Giveaway Part Two begin!!!! Lily is waiting for us and she is getting so big we can hardly wait to bring her home! Thank you all so much for participating!!!!!

So, here's how it works...

*If you would like an opportunity to win one of the incredible items above, make a $5 donation by clicking on the Bring Lily Home ChipIn (top left of blog under header). The suggested donation for a comment toward winning an item is just $5 so you are welcome to try to win more than one item!

*If you donate $10 through the Bring Lily Home ChipIn toward an item, you will get 3 opportunities for the price of 2!!

*After you ChipIn, please leave me a comment on this blog by clicking on Comments under the item that you are interested in, and then type your comment in the comment box and save it, telling me which item you would like an opportunity to win. Please leave a comment for each opportunity (for example, if you donate $10, please leave 3 comments).

*If you post about the Giveaway on your blog or add our Button or become a Follower of this blog, let me know and you will automatically get an additional opportunity to win!! In case you don't know how to add a blog button to your site, first copy the text in the box below the blinkie Giveaway button.

Then, go to your blog LAYOUT and then ADD A GADGET. Click on add an HTML/Java Script Gadget. Paste the text above into the box. Then SAVE. :)

All donations from the three Great Giveaways will go straight to Lily's adoption fund! Thanks to all of you, we have already raised almost $10,000 and we are hoping with the THREE Great Giveaways and the wonderful FUNDRAISERS so many sweet store owners and reps are doing for us, we will get a lot closer reaching the big goal of $25,000! We will leave this Giveaway up for ONE WEEK (until Saturday, August 15 at midnight EST) and then start the THIRD GREAT GIVEAWAY!! Thank you so much for participating!!

Stay tuned for the Great Giveaway Part Three to win
*a Flip Ultra 4GB Camcorder
*a Total Gym Gold
*a Scentsy warmer and scent to make your home smell wonderful
*more ADORABLE Custom Children's Clothing
*a Necklace and Earrings from Nala Style
*and more!!

So grateful for each of you!!

Love,

And the Winners Are....

2009-08-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for all of your participation in our first Great Giveaway!!! Thanks to all of your generous donations, Lily's adoption fund now has $8500!!!

Now what you've all been waiting for... The winners!!

1. Canon Rebel XS 10.1 MP Digital SLR Camera--Phillip Owen

2. Custom Reversible Camera Strap by Cotton Candy by Natalie--Becki Skol

3. Custom Designed Sweet and Simple Necklace by Rachel Lodge--Erica Stauver

4. Custom Little Girl Tutu and Matching Bloomers--Joy Ellen Paulsen

5. Denise Sullivan Designs Flag and Cover--Jennifer Collett

6. Lollidrops Custom Tee or Onesie--Tara Balandran

7. Set of Ethiopaper Note Cards--Elizabeth Orr

8. Deluxe Blog Makeover from the Design Girl--Tammy Kay

9. $25 Gift Certificate for No Slippy Hair Clippies of Your Choice--Jessica Howard

Congratulations to all of you!!! I will contact the ladies who have donated these items to have them shipped to you! Thank you all so very much for helping us raise so much money to bring Lily home!!!!

Stay tuned for Giveaway #2! I am going to try to get it posted by Saturday night! Thank you all so much!!

The Great Giveaway is Here!!!

2009-07-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have had so many gracious donations for the Great Giveaway that I have divided it into THREE Giveaways that we'll do each week for the next three weeks!!! Yeaaaa!!! SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ALL OF THE WONDERFUL ITEMS YOU CAN WIN AND HOW TO PARTICIPATE to help us bring Lily home from South Korea!!!

1. Canon Rebel XS 10.1 MP Digital SLR Camera

2009-07-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is the camera I use, and I LOVE it!!! I only use the automatic setting and get great pictures so I can only imagine how great the pictures would be if I knew how to do more with it! :) This camera retails for almost $600 but could be yours for just $5!!

2. Custom Reversible Camera Strap by Cotton Candy by Natalie

2009-07-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the one that I have, but if you win this item, you get to choose your own favorite fabric from Natalie's Etsy store!! I have received so many compliments on my strap and know you will love yours too! These retail for $27.00 but could possibly be yours for just $5!!!

3. Custom Designed Sweet and Simple Necklace by Rachel Lodge

2009-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

I recently found Rachel's Etsy store while looking for the perfect gift for Jim for Father's Day and absolutely loved this necklace! She was so sweet to offer to donate it for Lily's Giveaway!! If you win this necklace, it will be custom designed with the names of your own loved ones just for you!!

4. Custom Little Girl Tutu and Matching Bloomers

2009-07-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

4. The two sweet mommies at Bella Claire Baby and Hannah's Tutus have donated an adorable tutu and bloomer set of your choice for the sweet little girl in your life!! You get to choose the colors for the tutu, bows, and monogram to make the set just the way you want it!!! This set retails for around $40 and is just precious!!

5. Denise Sullivan Designs Flag and Cover

2009-07-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Denise, a fellow adoptive Mommy of a precious little boy, has donated some of her beautiful outdoor flags and 2 mailbox covers she designed!! Her designs were recently picked up by Hallmark!! They would look beautiful in your yard or be wonderful gifts! Each one says Faith, Peace, Love, or Joy and is just gorgeous!They are all in their original plastic packaging and are so nice. This week's giveaway is for one big flag and a magnetic mailbox cover!! To see these and other designs by Denise, see the picture below!

6. Lollidrops Custom Tee or Onesie

2009-07-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

The wonderful ladies at Lollidrops have donated an adorable Custom T-shirt or Onesie with your little one's (or big one's) name, age, school, and more on it!! They have the cutest designs, and you get to choose whichever one you like! These retail for $19-24!!

7. Set of Ethiopaper Note Cards

2009-07-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

7.Leigh and her husband are adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia!! To raise money for their adoption, Leigh and a few of her friends have come together and made the cutest cards! She wrote to me and asked if she could donate a set of 12 to help us with our own adoption and let me know she had bought an AllyZabba blanket on Lily's behalf as well!! Isn't she so sweet?! This set is beautiful and has a mixture of Get Well, Thank You, Happy Birthday, and Thinking of You cards that would be perfect for giving to ANYONE. She sells them for $5 each so this set is worth $60!!

8. Deluxe Blog Makeover from the Design Girl

2009-07-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Danielle, the Design Girl who graciously gifted me the design for my blog has donated a customized Deluxe Blog Makeover!!! She usually charges almost $100 for these so this would be a great deal to win one for just $5!! Danielle is so talented and fun to work with, you won't be disappointed! She designed the two below for us as a gift, and I couldn't be more happy with the way they turned out! Click here to check out more of her designs.

9. $25 Gift Certificate for No Slippy Hair Clippies of Your Choice

2009-07-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Asia from No Slippy Hair Clippy has donated a $25 gift prize to order your favorite clippies from the No Slippy Hair Clippy website!!! Here are just a few of my favorites for you to see!!

2009-07-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

**************************************************************

So, let the Great Giveaway Part One begin!!!! Lily is waiting for us, and the faster we can get this money raised, the sooner she gets to come home!! Thank you all so much for participating!!!!!

So, here's how it works...

*If you would like an opportunity to win one of the incredible items below, make a $5 donation by clicking on the Bring Lily Home ChipIn (top left of blog under header). The suggested donation for a comment toward winning an item is just $5 so you are welcome to try to win more than one item!

*Then, leave me a comment on this blog by clicking on Comments under the item that you are interested in, and then type your comment in the comment box and save it, telling me which item you would like an opportunity to win.

*If you donate $10 through the Bring Lily Home ChipIn toward an item, you will get 3 opportunities for the price of 2!!

*If you post about the Giveaway on your blog or add our Button or become a Follower of this blog, let me know and you will automatically get an additional opportunity to win!! In case you don't know how to add a blog button to your site, first copy the text in the box below the blinkie Giveaway button.

Then, go to your blog LAYOUT and then ADD A GADGET. Click on add an HTML/Java Script Gadget. Paste the text above into the box. Then SAVE. :)

All proceeds from the three Great Giveaways will go straight to Lily's adoption fund! Thanks to all of you, we have already raised $6000, and we are hoping with the THREE Great Giveaways and the wonderful FUNDRAISERS so many sweet store owners and reps are doing for us, we will get a lot closer reaching the big goal of $25,000! We will leave this Giveaway up for ONE WEEK and then start the SECOND GREAT GIVEAWAY!! Thank you so much for participating!!

Stay tuned for the Great Giveaway Parts Two and Three for chances to win
*a Flip Ultra 4GB Camcorder
*a Baby be Blessed doll or lamb
*a Total Gym
*a Nintendo Wii and Guitar Hero Game Package
*a Scentsy warmer and scent to make your home smell wonderful
*more ADORABLE Custom Children's Clothing
*a Necklace and Earrings from Nala Style
*a Necklace from Women At Risk
*and more!!!

So grateful for each of you!!

Love,

Lilies for Lily

2009-07-25T17:09:00.001-07:00

Abby of Abby Reed Photography emailed me recently and offered to buy some lilies and then take photographs of them to create a 5x7 print that she could sell to benefit Lily's adoption fund. She did such a wonderful job!! She has designed 3 different beautiful photographs with quotes and Scripture she found on my blog. She is selling them for $10, and ALL proceeds go to the Bring Lily Home fund!

Aren't they gorgeous?!! In case you're wondering, the band across the photographs will not be on the printed pictures. :)

Please visit Abby's website Abby Reed Photography if you would like to get your own copy of a beautiful 5x7 lily print to benefit our Lily's adoption!

Thank you Abby for doing this for us and thank all of you for participating in helping bring Lily home from South Korea!!

The Giveaway is Coming!

2009-07-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have received almost all of the items either by email (pictures) or by mail to post for the big Giveaway! Jim's boss at work offered to donate a brand new Total Gym for the Giveaway today too!! I am going to try to get it all done by tomorrow night so we can start the Giveaway this weekend! So excited!!!

FUNDRAISERS

2009-07-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

FUNDRAISERS
The sweet owners and/or representatives of these great companies have offered to donate proceeds of sales from our blog to help bring home Lily. You'll LOVE their products!! Thank you to all of these sweet ladies for wanting to help us bring Lily home and to all of you who have emailed and left comments for me saying you've already been shopping these sites for gifts for yourself, your children, your friends, and family!!!!

*Abby Reed Photography--Abby has taken photographs of beautiful lilies and made a custom print to raise funds for Lily's adoption! She is offering 5x7 prints of her designs with 100% of the profits going to Lily's adoption fund!!

*AllyZabba's polka dot silky and plush blankets are adorable and so soft!! Mention Lily and get 10% off and 30% goes to our fund! Jill gave Owen and Lily blankets, and you will LOVE them!

*Tupperware -- Nicki has offered to give ALL 100% of sales from her site through July 31st to Lily's adoption fund!!

*Jen has offered to make blog buttons for all of you bloggers for just $5 with 100% of sales going to Lily's adoption fund! Click here to check out her site and place an order!

*Nala Style-- Ginger's online boutique has beautiful shoes, purses, and jewelry! 15% of sales go to our fund if you mention Lily!

*The Design Girl-- Danielle is offering a pre-made blog template AND a custom stationery design for $30 and $10 goes to Lily's fund when you mention Lily at checkout! You will love Danielle's blog designs! She also offers FREE desktop backgrounds and fun summer blog buttons!

*Arbonne--Kim has offered to donate 25% of her Arbonne sales to Lily's adoption fund!!! Email her at kimber.myarbonne@gmail.com if you would like to place an order!!

*Madison Monograms--Kim's store has the cutest calling cards, pacifier clips, pillowcases, jewelry, art, backpacks, and more! She is offering to donate 20% of her sales from my blog to Lily's adoption fund when you mention Lily in the comment section at checkout!

*Homemade Gourmet--Soups, breads, dips, and more! Jennifer has offered to donate 50% of profits to Lily's fund when you mention Lily!! You can reach her by email at baderjenn@gmail.com

*Avon--Michele has offered to give 10% of proceeds from sales through her site if you mention Lily when you email her!! Her email is merrittm422@aol.com There are many sales BOGO right now, and Avon has more than just makeup these days!

*Posh Lily is giving 50% of profits from sales when you mention Lily to Lily's adoption fund!! Amy's hair clippies, headbands, and beanies for baby/toddler girls are too cute!!

*Stampin Up --Michelle has offered to donate 25% of sales from her Stampin Up site to Lily's adoption fund! I love paper products, and I now have fallen in love with Stampin Up! If you scrapbook or would like to learn how, would like to make your own note cards, or even like to decorate and want new ideas, this site is GREAT! If you have questions, you can email Michelle at paperglueetc@yahoo.com. Also, if you would like to do a book party or are in the Cincinnati area, email Michelle and she will donate her earnings from those to Lily's fund as well!!

*Scruffy Dog Collars--Kelli's pet collars are ADORABLE! She offers a wide variety of fun fabrics and her prices are very reasonable! She has offered to give 15% of sales from my blog to Lily's adoption fund when you mention Lily at checkout!!!

*Discovery Toys--Janelle has offered to give 50% of her profits to Lily's adoption fund!! If you aren't familiar with Discovery Toys, you will LOVE them! As a speech pathologist, I use these regularly with my clients and at home with Owen too! Email Janelle at jbtsdas@yahoo.com and use the Subject Discovery Toys to place your order to go toward bringing home Lily!

*KozyPal Custom Shopping Cart/High Chair Covers-- The best way to protect your little one from those nasty germs! 10% of sales go toward our fund if you click on THIS LINK! I LOVE my cover and know you will too!

*Mary Kay Cosmetics--Kelly has offered to donate 25% of her Mary Kay sales when you mention Lily to Lily's adoption fund!!!

*Uppercase Living--Jill has offered to donate 25% of sales to Lily's adoption fund!! If you aren't familiar with UL, you should check it out! We have a beautiful quote above our bed that Jill gave me that says "A True Love Story Never Ends" and I LOVE it! Be sure to mention Lily at check out!

*GOLD--Have old jewelry just lying around? Feel free to send your unwanted gold (white, yellow, broken, dirty, dental gold, any and all) to us to raise money for Lily's adoption!

Introducing Lily Soo

2009-07-19T21:33:00.001-07:00

Born November 19, 2008
Seoul, South Korea

We've Found Our Baby Lily

2009-07-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

We sent this letter to our family last week and are so thrilled to now share it with you!!!

As you know, this past year we lost 2 more babies to miscarriages and now have had 2 failed domestic adoptions. It's hard to believe we've gone through 8 losses since we first started trying to have a baby. Since November, we've felt God tugging us toward adopting a "waiting child." When we were unsure if we were ever going to hear from birth mother "A" after we sent her our letter and pictures in February, I contacted a few different agencies and got passwords to review their lists of waiting children. I inquired about many little boys, feeling like maybe we were supposed to adopt a boy after losing our baby boy to miscarriage in January, and I was especially drawn to a particular agency's South Korea adoption program. Each time I inquired, another family had already requested the child's file and had chosen to adopt him.

In April, I noticed an 18 month old little boy who was a preemie like Owen with some special needs, and we requested to view his information. He was available so I spoke with the social worker at the agency and sent our home study and waited to receive his file. I finally received an email saying our study had been reviewed and that I would get a call the next day to talk about the little boy we were interested in. The next morning, I received a call from Ms. P, the social worker I had been talking with for a few months at the agency. She told me she had the file on the little boy we had inquired about but that she also had another child, a brand new little GIRL, who had not even been put on the waiting child list yet, and she wanted to tell me about her if I was interested. I told her we were definitely interested. Ms. P then began to tell me about the little girl she had for us.

She was born November 19TH, the day we learned the baby girl in NJ we named "LILY," who we had hoped would be ours, had gone home with her mother. Our hearts were so broken that day as we longed for this baby we had loved and cared for months before she was born and for her first 3 days of life until her mother decided to see her to say good-bye and then couldn't let her go. This was the day a little baby girl was born in South Korea who would forever change our lives. Her name is Soojung. In Korean, Soojung means "crystal and long life, with hope that she'll shine clear and bright." My mom's name is Sue, and in English it means LILY. Yes, you read that right. Her name means LILY, and she was born the day we learned baby "Lily" who is now "Ava" went home with her mother!

As she talked about this sweet baby girl, I got tears in my eyes and couldn't help but wonder if this baby was meant to be our child. Questions immediately flooded my thoughts. What about "A's" baby's adoption? Will she go through with the adoption plan when he's born? If she does, we won't be allowed to adopt baby girl. If she doesn't, baby girl will likely already be matched with another family. International adoption is so much more expensive than the domestic adoption with our attorney. How will we pay for it? Baby boy isn't due for 2 more months so how will we know what to do? I prayed and prayed about this. We soon received baby girl's file, and when we saw her, we fell in love with her sweet face. We shared her file with our pediatrician for him to review for us. He requested that we request some medical testing that wasn't included in her medical file before making our decision about this sweet baby girl. In May, we went out on a limb, and the agency asked their contacts in Korea if they would have the testing done, and they said Yes. We were afraid her testing would come back and we still wouldn't know what was going to happen with "A's" baby boy. We decided to put it in God's hands and just wait to see what happened.

Well, we continued to pray about and for baby girl as well as "A" and her baby boy and waited to see what was going to happen. Baby boy, who "A" named "Braxton," was born, and we believed he was going to be our child and prepared our hearts to let baby girl go. Then, "A" decided to keep him. Our hearts ached for this baby boy who we already loved, but the more we prayed and talked about the situation, we felt that we had served our purpose in his and "A's" lives and accepted that she was going to keep him. We still had a little baby girl waiting for us. Seeing her precious face and feeling that God sent her to us helped get us through what could have such a devastating time.

Last week, we received the test results from the tests our doctor had requested, and they were normal. We had the answer we had been waiting for. We believe God held baby Soojung for us until now so that we could adopt her as our Lily. She just might be named Lily Soo. :)

So, this week while we were at the beach with Jim's family, I called the adoption agency and spoke with Ms. P, and we have begun the process to adopt our baby girl from South Korea!! She is 7 1/2 months old and absolutely beautiful. We are thrilled that Owen will have a baby sister just 3 years younger than he is and that after two years of praying for more children we will be blessed to bring another child into our family!!!

Because we have her referral already, we could possibly travel to bring her home by Christmas! We are working to get the money together to pay for her adoption, applying for grants and creating fundraisers. We have $25,000 to raise and FAST!! Stay tuned for a great Giveaway (Canon Rebel SLR digital camera, Nintendo Wii with Guitar Hero, Flip Video Camera, Blog Makeover/Templates, Customized Baby/Children's Clothes and Gifts, and more!!). You can donate a small amount for a chance to win one of these very nice items and help us bring Lily home!! We have seen God raise as much as $20,000 in a short time through Giveaways like these and are praying He will bless this one so that we can bring Lily home soon. Thank you to everyone who has already offered to donate items! We are so humbled by how generous you are and how much joy you have for us and baby Lily. If you have any other ideas, please let me know.

I have already had a friend offer help! She owns a business called AllyZabba. You may have seen her link on my blog before, but if not, you will love her silky polka dot and plush blankets for babies and kids (and grownups too)!!! She gave us two last year, one for Owen and one for our next little miracle, and they are the softest blankets you've ever felt, very well-made, and SO CUTE! Please visit AllyZabba and check out Jill's beautiful gifts! AllyZabba is offering a special coupon code for Lily. Each order that comes in with the code lily will receive 10% off their order. Also, 30% of the total order will go directly to the Bring Lily Home fund!! Feel free to pass the coupon code on to your friends. The more people who know about the fundraiser, the more funds we can get to bring Lily home.

My friend Ginger has also offered to help! She will donate 15% of all orders from her store if you mention Lily at checkout!! She has the cutest boutique called Nala that sells jewelry, handbags, shoes and more! She also does trunk shows in the Middle Tennessee area and will donate 15% of sales from shows to our Bring Lily Home fund too if you are interested in booking a show!!

Also, I am hosting a Gold Party next weekend if anyone is interested in sending me your gold to sell for you. You can donate it for the adoption, or I can send you the money!! The certified gemologist who will be at the party will give us a percentage, 10-20% I believe, of the total made for the night to go into our adoption fund! I went to two of these parties this past Spring, and I made $1000! This money was exactly what we needed to be able to start "Braxton's" adoption. The families who hosted the parties for their adoptions made close to $3000 and $8000 just by having these parties. Ask your families, your friends, anyone you can think of that might have old gold jewelry they might want to get ride of, and they can send it to the party! We are hoping we can raise the money to adopt Lily soon so she can be home by her first birthday in November!

Thank you to those of you who have already surprised us with donations, some in person, some through our PayPal donation button on our blog, and some anonymously delivered through friends. We needed to have $250 by this Monday, and Friday we were given donations that totaled almost $250. Then, today a friend offered to pay for our airfare to get to LA and back when we travel to Korea, and she is going to see if there is anything she and her husband can do to help with the international flights too! What an unexpected blessing! I cry every time I think about how things are just coming together. This is meant to be. This child is our Lily. We need $810 by next week for the U.S. gov't form (I-600A) and fingerprinting, which is what we will be waiting for to be processed to be able to travel (!!), and we are confident it will come.

There are more than 143 million orphans in the world, and although we felt we were being called to adopt here at home, God had bigger plans for us. We were meant to be in the lives of two mothers and two babies for a short time but not to keep these little ones forever. In 2006, we felt God calling us to Russia, and now He has called us to South Korea. He has chosen these children for us, and we know He will provide! When God says go, we go! :)

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

One of my favorite non-Scripture quotes is from someone named Greg Anderson. I bought a magnet while in college with this on it, and I had no idea how much it would speak to me later in my life. I stumbled upon it last week, and I put it in my kitchen window. It says, "Never give up. This may be your moment for a miracle." I feel like that has been the running theme of the past 5 and especially the last 2 years. We've gone where God has led us, and now it's time. Our miracle is unfolding, and our daughter is waiting for us.

We are so thankful for and blessed by every single one of you, and we are so excited and thankful to God that we have found our baby Lily!

Many Blessings,

2008-12-18T21:07:00.000-08:00

I will be starting this blog in 2009 as a site to highlight the next step of our journey to parenthood.