Lots of things.. but, we have NEWS!!!!

Hello to everyone tonight!!!!

We received word on Dec. 22nd that our agency is going to submit our dossier asap to the consulate!!!! I was Christmas shopping when I received the call.. and man of man I about fell over... people in Target had to wonder what was up with the woman in the middle of the kids clothes!!! :-) We are updating all our documents and have sent for new FBI clearances (which will take the longest to get back...) so, hopefully we'll have all the documents redone and ready to send in a couple of weeks.... waiting on those FBI clearances will be the tough thing!! Please pray that they update them quickly and overnight them back to us ASAP!!! This is our 3rd time in 2 years for them to confirm that we have NO criminal record with the FBI.. maybe that will speed the process?!?! well, one can only hope and pray!!!

so, due to this exciting news we are THRILLED!!!! We had a great Christmas... spent lots of good time together... and really celebrated Christ's birth! I have to admit that knowing our dossier was about to be resubmitted added such an awesome element to the holidays!!! We have been really trying to remain positive, and have.. but, hearing the news that it's going to finally start moving again was such a much needed blessing... we've been waiting to have our dossier sent back to the consulate since May... that's 6 months... we submitted our completed dossier to our agency on March 3rd.... so, we've been waiting a while... with no progress... just expiring documents!!!

I hope and pray that everyone also had a blessed and wonderful Christmas!!!
I will try to keep you posted.....
Blessings...
Lanetta

cookbooks, cookboooks, cookbooks... anyone???? We have cookbooks still available!

hummm... just some random thoughts..

Well, I have to admit that I have been out of the blogging loop for the last few weeks.... why you might add??? well, am I going to lay my heart out here... or just brush it all off... ummm.... I'm not sure...

well, I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving... not on purpose really, but just that I didn't take the time... I had the entire week of Thanksgiving off from work... which as awesome... and my brother, Phil and I re roofed my mom's entire house for her... OMG (oh my gosh!) Just typing it makes my knees and back ache!!!! ouch! It was a good week.. and I'm SO thankful we were able to do it for her.. cause we saved her about $5000.00 in labor... so it was VERY worth it!

Phil took the next week off as well, and he spent some time seeking God and really spent some good time in God's presence... I am so proud of him for being obedient to God and going away and seeking him! I am so blessed....
I wanted to do a I'm thankful for list for a Thanksgiving post.. but, since I missed Thanksgiving without a post... well, I guess I'll skip it..
but, I am so thankful for my Jesus, my husband, my girls, and my family!

I have been VERY busy in fundraisers...
we did 3 craft fairs in a row... 3 Saturdays in a row... we've done 3 teacher luncheons, we've sold poinsettias and we have the cookbooks still for sale.. we've made several several hundred dollars in the past few weeks and are so thankful for God continuing to bless our adoption financially. The account is just slowing increasing.. Thank you Jesus!!!

on top of all the fundraisers we've been doing.. I am also helping with the Musical at our church... which we are really excited about... it's going to be cute... I'll post pictures after the production! My girls are cheerleaders and are SO excited!

ok.. so honestly though, I have just avoided getting online... I felt that I needed to get my focus off the blogs, the other families who are traveling (whom I am so excited for!) and focus on my Jesus and my family... The holidays will be over before we know it... and I want my girls to have such sweet fond memories of this Christmas.... not Mama being sad because their brothers aren't here yet... Phil and I have been doing a good job of not focusing on it.. however it's really hard sometimes! In my own personal thoughts I think of the children in Kaz almost continually... and of all the millions of babies and children around the world, who are alone this Christmas... my heart breaks! I just thank the Lord that there are families who are willing to be his hands extended here on earth and open their lives and hearts to a baby or child who needs it! So, my hat is off to all you adoptive parents out there... who are trying to get to your babies, or who are already home and safe and sound... on behalf of all the babies and orphans in the world.. Thank you.... thank you thank you!!

and, just fyi... I have a couple hundred cookbooks still for sale.. if you are interested... please e-mail me... or see the info. on the right of the blog...

Blessings Always,
Lanetta

An Encouraging Reminder...

I have no idea why really, but the last few days have been especially emotional for me regarding the adoption... today, especially... I can hardly talk about it without tearing up... and well, it's just emotional... no real reason why, except that I'm a Mama and my babies are around the world waiting to come home forever... I know that God has them in his hand, but sometimes (like today) it's emotional! We just completed another successful teacher luncheon... we fixed turkey, dressing, and all the fixin's.... for the minimum donation of $5.00... it was delicious (if I may say so myself!!) We made about $150.00 profit!!! yeah!!
Thanks Janet, Denette, Marilyn, My mom, and Robin for all your hardwork and for helping me with all this stuff so much!! I love you guys a ton!

My dear sweet husband forwarded the following message to me... (he had NO idea I was having such an emotional day!)

READ THE FIRST LINE CAREFULLY.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God.

If you'd like to order a cookbook.... see the previous post or the info. on the right of the blog....
Blessings always.....
Lanetta

Cookbooks are here!!!!

Below is an e-mail I sent out tonight to all our adoption contacts:

Hello to everyone tonight!!!
I have exciting news to report... We found out yesterday that we are first in line with our agency to be resubmitted to the consulate when they decide to start accepting dossiers again (when the reviews are completed!) We are so excited....

I also have other great news... the cookbooks are here.... all 10 boxes... over 500 pounds and 567 cookbooks... yes, you read that right!!! Wow!!! You should see the boxes of cookbooks in our hallway... LOTS of cookbooks...
So, if you want to increase your order that would be great... quite honestly we have a lot of people who receive these updates.. so if everyone would buy or help us sell less than 4 or 5, they'd all be gone in a matter of minutes... That would be SO awesome! When we (that is FAITH speaking) sell all 567 of these we will make over $3500.00 profit!!! They turned out very nice and we are VERY happy with them... (see picture of front cover on right of blog!)
So, if you preordered cookbooks.. thank you... but, remember you are welcome to up your order as much as you'd like.. there are plenty of extras.. We had orders for about 125 books.. and if you haven't ordered yet.... please do so if you'd like!

If you don't live close enough for me to deliver or you to get it from me personally, I will have to ship your cookbooks to you. I have tried to figure out a good way to charge for shipping, but haven't really came up with a good plan due to the various locations/states they are going out to... so here's what I figured out.... (PLEASE know that we don't want to make a profit on shipping.. but, only charge you what the shipping costs... I have no idea how to remain sane and do this except charge a flat rate... that means some of you will pay more than it actually costs... I am sorry!) This best shipping rate we (the post office lady and I) can come up with is as follows:
1 book : $3.00
then add an additional $2.00 per book..
2 = $5.00
3 = $7.00
4 = $9.00
5 = $11.00

If you are going to buy more than 5.. e-mail me case we can probably switch to a flat rate box and save you money!
Ok... the other question is how to pay...
You can either 1) mail a check or money order to us...

or 2) pay via the paypal account on the right of the blog.
Paying with the paypal account is fine with me... and I figured the shipping will cover the extra fee they charge.

If you have ANY questions, please call, e-mail or ask....
If you live close I'll be getting your cookbooks to you ASAP! Thank you so much to everyone who submitted recipes and to all of you who are helping us make this another great success!!!

Remember, Christmas is just around the corner.... what a great gift idea... while helping a baby find their forever family!

Blessings and love always~
Lanetta (and family)

"And the Lord answered me, "Write the vision... For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie. If it seems slow, WAIT for it; it will surely come; it will not delay!" Habakkuk 2:2-3

NEWS TO REPORT... NEWS TO REPORT... NEWS TO REPORT

YIPPEE!!!! I am so excited to have something to report... besides fundraiser updates!!!!
We received word from our agency AWAA that we are now first in line to be resubmitted once the consulate begins accepting dossiers again!!!! This is so exciting to us.. it makes us feel like maybe it will happen!
New breath and excitement is back!
Thank you Lord!!!!!!!!

I was so excited to be able to post some good news.... yeah...
AWAA still has no idea on the expected time frame of when the consulate will begin accepting dossiers again, but at least when they do we will be first in line!
Yeah...
Gobble babies we're still coming to get you.. it's just taking us longer than we thought it would.... hold tight, Rest in Jesus and know that Mama and Daddy love you so much! We'll be there soon!

Craft Fair Success!!!

Hello to everyone!!
Thanks so much to everyone who has e-mailed, called, or asked about the craft fair and I apologize in my slowness of posting about it... Brooklyn started getting sick on Sunday afternoon/evening and by Monday(middle of the night) was running a very high fever... She has had strep and Scarlett Fever... very scary combination! So, I've been babying my baby for 3 days now! She's napping now, and MUCH better today! Thank the Lord!

The craft fair was awesome!!! We quickly discoved when arriving that a 10 X 10 space was not big enough for all the stuff we had... ha ha...
and rearranged the tables, etc... a good 6 times... (thanks Robin, Janet and Crystal!!!! You guys rock!!!) We finally got it all set up and worked till they threw us out of the building... we were back at the first moment we could get in the building to start pricing items... The fair started at 10 am... and at about 9:50am.. the lady in charge (whom I know) walks by and whispers to me that the person beside us was a NO SHOW and that she was giving us their 10X10 spot for FREE!!!!!! Thank you Jesus!!!! So, after much stress... we decided we needed to rearrange quickly.... Thanks again to all my good help... we jumped in and opened up the booth to include that spot as well.... and we were ready for business by about 10:15!!! It was so much better!!! We were rejoicing and thanking God for his favor....
So many amazing friendships were made... we made great friendships with the fellow venders around us... we had so many people stop by and visit... others who have adopted... others who were adopted... etc. etc.. My mom said she prayed that their would be a glow around our booth, and there was!! It was amaizng and cool and wonderful!
We did not sell even 1/3 of the items we had... and we aren't sure of the total amount of money we made... we had several hundreds dollars invested in all the items, booth rental, etc... and we know we made that back plus a few hundred dollars. We had a company who gave us books, toys, cookbooks, crafty items, etc. to mark up a little and sell... and we have not paid them yet, therefore aren't sure of a total amount we made.... We have signed up for another craft fair this coming Sat. though... much smaller at a small town close by.... but, every penny we make will be total profit!!! We are praying for much success there.... we have hundreds of dollars of stuff left... we just need to find the people who want/need it! LOL!
So, overall the craftfair was a great success... no, we didn't make $5,000.00, but yes, we did get our names out and yes, we did share with others about our awesome Lord and Savior! I love to share the statistics about 143 million orphans in the world and that if 7% of Christians would take one in there would be NONE!!! People are amazed and just DO NOT know the statistics!! We feel that part of what God called us to do was through our story show others that you can do this... even if you don't have tons of money... if you are obedient to God, HE will provide!!
There were 2 ladies in particular that shared with me that they secretly want to adopt so badly, but their husbands are not willing... I was able to agree with them that we would agree together in prayer that God would speak to them and that they would begin to see and hear the awesome things regarding adoption!

One lady began to cry after entering out booth and quickly asked for more information... I began to share... and it wasn't long until she said, that the day before she'd prayed that God would show her where to give a huge chunk of their income tax return... she said, she immediatly knew when walking into our booth that our babies and adoption was the answer!!! Thank you Jesus!

Our girls LOVED the craft fair so much... we had prayer cards and flyers about our adoption that we handed out... and the girls stood in the isle and handed them out.. telling people that God spoke to our hearts to adopt an orphan or 2.. and that our booth was a fundraiser to bring their brothers home!!!! Talk about making others cry including their parents and Nana!!! We received so many compliments on the girls and I am just so thankful that they also feel the passion and I know they are going to do awesome things regarding adoption/orphans for the rest of their lives! Thank you Lord!!!
We did snap a few pictures, but my camera batteries ran out... so there is only a few.... and I just realized that we got NO pictures after we moved into the 2nd space as well... so these look really cramped, but it was MUCH better than it looked... I can't believe we didn't get a picture of it all spread out.. oh well... WAY to much going on to grab the camera, I guess...

These first few pictures were just after we'd gotten all the stuff hauled in there... what a mess... as you can see it SLOWLY came together....






Here are some pictures of some of the stuff we had in the booth.... we made the pictures...

ONE YEAR!!!!

Wow...
today marks the one year anniversary of when our application for adoption was approved at America World (AWAA)! Wow! I will NEVER forget this day one year ago.... we were frantically getting ready for our first fundraiser... the yard sale... We had been working so hard and had made yet another run back to Perkins to pick up more garage sale items that had been donated... Tammy and I decided to stop by the post office... just to see if we'd heard anything from the agency... (you see we were going ahead in FAITH and having the yard sale, but inside I had major doubts... Lord, will we qualify, will our finances be enough, will they accept us??? etc... etc...) So, we stopped and there is an envelope from AWAA in the PO box... wow! I was shaking... I open the envelope and Tammy and I just about burst into tears!!! What a great moment! We were so excited and that was the official beginning to this journey we've been on the past year....

wow... would I have ever thought we'd still be in practically the same spot one year later? NO, but, it's ok... because this is the spot God has us at as of today..... and you know what is truly amazing to me? On the eve and the day of this one year anniversary.. we are yet again in DEEP preparation for a major fundraiser!!! LOL! Cycles seem to repeat... ha ha... we are frantically getting ready for the craft fair... and can hardly wait... we are going to have a HUGE booth full of stuff.... everything from hair bows, to pictures, to jewelry, to kids toys, to bulletin boards.... and large selection...
We are so excited and KNOW that God will use this amazing opportunity to witness to others and to share about how when you are obedient to God he will provide!!!!

Please keep us in your prayers this weekend... our main prayer focus is not to make tons of money, but to reach SOMEONE for Jesus! We hope that through our story and being in the public with our adoption that someone will see Jesus shining through us and want to know more about our AWESOME LORD and Savior!!

Here's to another AWESOME emotional year on this fun adventurous and journey we are on..... hummmmmm.... wonder if I'll be on the eve of another MAJOR fundraiser on Nov. 5, 2009???? Only time will tell... and you know what... God KNOWS... and His timing is perfect!!!! (still fundraising.. or holding our boys???? His timing is perfect!)
Blessings... and have a great day!
Lanetta

Another Successful Fundraiser.....

Happy Halloween!!!

I just wanted to take a minute and share about today...
A co-worker of mine and I had a great idea a few weeks ago when we were taking turns making lunch runs to local restaurants... We decided to attempt a Staff luncheon.... we checked the local ads, and figured out a menu based on sale items, to allow for the most profit.. we got permission and today had the first of several Adoption Fundraiser Luncheons at my school. We served BBQ Sandwiches, baked beans, chips, homemade chocolate cake and blackberry cobbler. It was ALL homemade and I must say DELICIOUS!!! We put up signs that said "let us make your lunch.... while also helping an orphan find their forever family!" We made $225.00 profit... PROFIT!!!!!!
It was a huge success and we are going to do this about every other week. I am so blessed and fortunate to work with such an amazingly supportive and wonderful staff and administration!

I want to thank Janet for all her hard work and for the help.... you are the best and your encouragement and motivation pushes me to know that I can do it with your help! Thank you... thank you.. thank you!!!!
I also want to thank my mom who made the desserts.... Mother, you are amazing and thank you so much for you love, support, prayers and absolute unwavering love to me and your future grandbabies in Kaz.... I can't wait for them to see and know what an awesome Nana they have!!!!

I'll post some pictures of the dinner... and of my girls tonight (Halloween)! Phil and I were the honored chauffeur of Miss America - 2008 and an adorable lion cub tonight... it was a blast... and man o man did Bailey look pretty! She was in the evening gown portion of the competition.... Brook on the other hand didn't really even want to wear a costume... Daddy convinced her that she had to wear one to get the candy... she happily obliged then... :-)

New Family Pictures....

We took some new family pictures this past weekend, and I thought I'd share...
Our family picture did not turn out very well.. as you can see.. I don't care for it very much at all... no idea what the chick was thinking with that stupid WHITE background....but, lots of the others turned out ok... My mom, my brother and his family also went.. it was the first family picture we've all had together as a family in about 27 years... so it was LONG overdue! It was fun... So, below you will see my mom, my brother (Keith), his wife (Christy), my nephew (Cody), Phil, me, and the girls....
enjoy!!!










I just have to add... isn't that the cutest cowboy you've ever seen?!

Pumpkin Patch Fun.....

Last Sat. we took the girls to our local pumpkin patch.. it was a beautiful day.... 80 degrees and wonderful. We had a blast... Phil and the girls always find the "perfect" pumpkin or 2 or 3... LOL! I have to always remind them that we have to pay for all these!!! The van was loaded down... and then it was SO hard to narrow it down to our favorites... LOL!!!! Enjoy the pictures... We are so blessed... our girls are wonderful, and we can't help but wonder as events like the "annual pumpkin patch visit" occur if this will be the last visit without our boys.... we sure hope so... but, I remember being at the pumpkin patch last year and Phil and I talking about it this year and how the boys would be home with us... and in all reality we don't "feel" that much closer to them now than then.... :-( God's timing will be perfect and we know this... but, sometimes it's hard just to sit and wait!!! I can't help but to remind myself here again of the newest scripture God led me to: "And the Lord answered me: "Write the vision... For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie. It if seems slow, WAIT FOR IT; it will surely come; it will not delay!" Thank you Lord for my precious girls and for my children who are in Kazakhstan... Your word will not return void... and one day they will be with us forever!!! Thank you Lord for your promises!!!

Here's the pumpkin patch pictures....

Just a fun picture I snapped of the pumpkins...



Little Miss Brooklyn posing for a picture... NO idea where she gets that fun lovin' attitude.... ;-)



Here's Brook checking out some little pumpkins she found, while Daddy and Bailey are in the background looking for the "perfect" 1 or the "perfect" 12!



This is one of my favorite pictures... Doesn't it make you want to break out into song..."We're off to find the pumpkin, the most bestest pumpkin of all!" (to the tune of the Wizard of Oz!)



This is a fun one of Brooklyn resting on a pumpkin... (no it's wasn't posed... yeah right!)



Here is a picture of the "real" Brooklyn... sassy, adorable, and spunky... until someone she doesn't know is looking... then it's bashful, shy, and reserved!!! She's gotten such an attitude... in fact, in this picture she was telling me that Bay and Daddy were leaving us... and that she wanted to pick pumpkins, not take pictures!!! I about died laughing... I looked up and sure enough Bay and Phillip are over a mile away... still searching...



I was still trying to get one good picture with her "really" smiling.. but, as you can see things turned silly... and it was over... she's a hoot!!!



Wow! Looking at this picture of Bay melts my heart... she's growing up so much.. it's amazing how much she's growing and maturing... it's happening WAY to fast... She's always been so easy to get good pictures of... even as a little kid... she's always, ALWAYS ready to pose.. She is such a good kid!



Phil took this picture of the girls and me... I love those 2 babies so much....



Here's a picture of us about to journey into the corn maze... it was HUGE and a blast... I ran off from the girls and Phil.. and then jumped out and scared them... it was a lot of fun... we were the only ones in the maze... so the girls LOVED it!!!



ok.. so I have to explain about this picture.. Bay decided she wanted to take one of Daddy and I.. so we let her.... and then I said.. hey take one of us kissing... so she says.. OK! and snaps it... and it turned out fairly good.... I love that guy so much and am so thankful that God has blessed me with such an amazing family!



Sisterly love at it's finest... what you don't see is the fight and fall from climbing on the fence that's right behind them....

Check out the new look.....

OK.. so I just have to ask... Have any of you (my fellow blogger friends) attempted to change your blog totally to make it better ;-) and then thought about 2 hours into the mess... OMG, why did I start this????
LOL... that would be me... I decided I wanted something way more cute... I knew I wanted something cuter from the beginning of my blog, but didn't know how you other more experienced bloggers got all that adorable cute stuff on there... LOL! I finally asked... (Thanks Heather).... and found out that you guys haven't paid for it... that some backgrounds are free!!! yippee...
So, I was very excited and embarked on a little blogger journey of my own... OUCH! What a mess... I ended up in a HUGE mess... and then things all of a sudden were in the wrong places... man o man... What started out as a fun adventure ended up as a nightmare... and now I'm not so sure I even like the newer look.... I have to admit that it so hard for me not to pick one of those ADORABLE backgrounds that screams girls!!!! Those are so much cuter!!!! I struggled with which one to pick.... and I would love every ones HONEST opinion... do you like it??? It was hard getting the colors just right... and I still don't think I have them exactly like I want them.... maybe I'll quit for tonight and come back later....
please, tell me I'm not the only one who this has happened to... LOL!

We are so excited around here that it's Fall Break!!! YIPPEE!!!!

New scripture.... and cookbooks

I am so happy to report that the cookbook order is in the mail. After much prayer and discussion, Phil and I placed the order today for 500 cookbooks... (SURPRISE, SURPRISE... we are stepping out in Faith!) We felt that was the number we needed to order... so we did!! God will sell them.. They will be here in around 27 business days.... and the selling will begin.. We've had about 130 pre-orders.. and more coming in everyday. I did forget to mention shipping when stating the price... there will be a small charge for shipping if I have to mail them to you.. I promise to ship the cheapest way possible, and will probably just set a small fee of a couple of dollars in order to make things simplier for me.. I will let you know when closer to time for the cookbooks to arrive. If you are interested in buying one, I'd love for you to pre-order.. I have a list and it would be SO awesome to have them all sold before they arrive... wouldn't that be just like God?!?!

We are counting down the days to fall break... ONE day to go... YIPPEE!!!
God revealed a new scripture to me last night.. I was looking for some scriptures to list in the cookbook.... and WOW!!! This one POPPED out at me...

This is dedicated to all the fellow PAP's out there who are waiting... Hang tight...

"And the Lord answered me: "Write the vision... For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay!" - Habakkuk 2:2-3

GOD IS SO AWESOME!!!

Hello to everyone tonight...

I had to share about the last few days in our lives, to give God all the credit and glory that is due to him!!!!

So, as you all know I sent out that last adoption update on Thursday evening... about the cookbooks, the craft fair booth, etc.....

I always pray before even beginning to write those (these ...) and I did that again on Thursday night... After writing it all out... I reread it and began to cry... (OK, I am going with total and complete honestly here... hoping that my honesty will touch someones life... and encourage them!) as I began to cry... my heart was breaking... I am not really sure why it was breaking..but, it was breaking for a ton of reasons... I can just tell you that I cried out to God... saying... God HOW??? WHY??? WHEN??? Is this for real??? How will we ever have the money to complete this??? How will we afford to be a family of 5 or 6 when we get them back here.... I was very honest with God... and even admitted that sometimes I feel like such a fake! (You know I think God really loves it when we truly cry out from our darkest, deepest, most hidden places!) So, I did just that... I was so honest with God and continued to talk to him about how I knew he spoke to my heart about the timing and that the reason the timing was so LONG was that there were MORE people who we were supposed to share our story with... more people who he wanted to reach and touch as a result of hearing and seeing our lives so changed and seeing God move in amazingly awesome ways in connection with this adoption... ( Most of you probably remember that I felt this when our dossier was rejected as the Consulate back in May....) so, I tell God that it's been weeks since I've even told anyone new about the adoption... since I've seen or known that someones life was touched.... so basically I begged God to show me somehow that he was still involved in this... (isn't that silly... how o how could I even question or wonder that... but, I did!) I asked God to just let someone come across my path or Phillip's who we could minister to within the next couple of days...
I also shared with God that I had NO idea how I was going to pay the hundreds of dollars required to place the cookbook order (1/2 the total is due when you order and the other is due before they will ship them!) Depending on how many books we order it will probably be well over $1000.00.... so, I was like God how will we pay that.... and then we need to buy a few things to make the crafts for the craft fair.....
So, you get an idea of my night... last Thursday... I went ahead and clicked send in FAITH... that when it came time to order... somehow, someway I'd have the money... and that I knew if we continued to be obedient, God will continue to bless and provide..

So, God began to work.... and on Friday morning about 10 am.... I received an e-mail from the pay pal account that we have set up and $5000.00 was donated on line from someone we do not even know personally!!!! Yes, you read that right!!!! Not $50.00 not $500.00, but $5000.00!!!!!!!! God is so awesome... I was in the library and was absolutely in shock... I quickly got out of there and fell into a million pieces... I could hardly make it back to my room... I totally felt like God gave me a swift kick in the pants... LOL!!! I've of course shared this with others... and everyone has said... no, it's not a kick in the pants.. .it's a hug, a hang in there... a... remember that I am here!!! WOW!!! We are still in shock, but so very thankful!!! We are very encouraged and know that God will continue to provide.. and that this $5000.00 will be multiplied beyond our imagination.

Please, be encouraged tonight and trust GOD!!!! He will be and is so FAITHFUL...

I could go on and on.. but, I'll stop... I just felt that I had to share....
Thanks so much for your continued love, support, and prayers....

Blessings and Prayers Always,
Lanetta (and Phillip)

P.S. If you'd like to preorder your cookbook.... please do so asap...

Cookbook and Craft Fair Booth

The following is a portion of an adoption update (e-mail) I sent out tonight:

Hello to all family and friends tonight.....

I hope and pray everyone is doing well... I know we sure are glad it's almost Friday!!!
This e-mail serves many purposes... the first is to update all of you on our adoption.

Adoption News: Our agency was on the list of "approved" agencies that was sent out by the NY consulate a few days ago... the next step is that officials with the country of Kazakhstan are going to check out all the in country staff of the agencies to make sure they are doing things correctly and following procedures that have been set up.. after those in country staff are checked out.... the consulate should at that point begin to start accepting dossiers again... We are in line with AWAA when that process starts back up... so we are waiting.... Fellow PAP's (prospective Adoptive parents) like to say that we are waiting to start the "real" wait... the wait for the call!!! so, if this isn't' real waiting... well, I dread the other.. LOL!
We continue to hold onto our God, who called us to this journey and know that "those he calls, he equips!" We know that his timing will in the end be perfect.... Perfect for our children...(in Kazakhstan and the girls), perfect in relation to our jobs and taking off work and just perfect for his ultimate plan for our lives! This brings me to the next point....


We are using this time to continue to fund-raise... God has blessed us with around $17,000 so far.... and if we do adopt 2 children the total cost could be as much as $58,000, so we would still need around $40,000. I really like to focus on the fact that God has provided the $17,000 and not the remaining balance... but, you know what??? God provided that and he'll provide the rest and we know his word WILL not return void!!!!


The cookbook is almost to the publisher... let me just say that I had NO IDEA what a time consuming task this would be... It has and is turning out to be a great looking cookbook.... I am hoping to get the texts completely finished and ready to drop in the mail to the publisher on Saturday.... but, I also have to figure out how many cookbooks to order... We ended up having an overwhelming amount of recipes submitted and I didn't even use all that were given..... Thank You so much if you gave recipes!!! We appreciate all your love and support so much!!! The cookbook will have around 240 recipes in it... lots of YUMMY sounding foods and desserts.. I am more than pleased and know that anyone who purchases one will enjoy it so much. The cost will be $12.00 for one, $20.00 for 2, $30.00 for 3, etc. (so if you purchase 2 or more you get a discount!)
I was just thinking tonight that if all our family and friends who get this update would buy or sell 5 each for us... we'd make an EXCELLENT profit. The problem is that I need to know ahead of time.. if we reorder, the books are more expensive, thus cutting into our profit. If you are willing to help us sell the cookbooks or would like to preorder one, please try to let me know within the next 24 hours. I plan to use the response to know how many to order. Keep in mind that the books will be here in around 30-35 days... so just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.... what a get Christmas idea and also helping to support God's children at the same time. Please consider helping us out...


The next thing I wanted to share about is Nov 7-9. We have purchased a craft booth in the Stillwater Annual Craft Show. If you have anything you would like to donate to help us fill our booth for the show, we'd appreciate it so much. We are going to make country signs, hair bows, homemade goodies, jewelry, etc.. I've had a couple of people tell me they could donate some homemade birdhouses, and various other items. Please also pray for that weekend and that not only can we make good money, but also that God will allow us to use our story to minister to others. It's always amazing when we publicly fund-raise how blessed people are when they hear our story. It's so much fun to share how God is still moving and working today.. and that if you are obedient to him... he will supply all your needs.
Please pray that God will fill our mouths and that we will be true examples of Christ!

Thanks to everyone for reading these long e-mails... I try to keep them short, cause I know that time is so valuable.... but, when it comes to my Jesus and my babies... I could go on for hours!!!
Please continue to keep the child/children in your prayers... I know that they are in the safest, best, place... and that is my savior's nail scared hand...

Looking forward to hearing from all of you soon...

Blessings and Prayers Always,
Lanetta

7 year olds...

SO... the story begins something like this...

It was a fairly typical afternoon, Bailey had rode the bus across town to my classroom, and we had then loaded up and headed back across town (keep in mind our town is VERY small!! ;-)) to pick up Brooklyn at her daycare.... (Let me give you a little background... Bailey has made some not so perfect grades lately, like forgetting to turn her paper over, and therefore not completing the back of a worksheet or other things and thus resulted in a couple of NOT so pretty grades... We have had a couple serious family discussions about this and how important doing you best is, etc..)

So, we come to the first stop sign on our drive to Brooklyn's daycare and Bailey says, "Mom, I sat with _______ on the bus today and we counted her 100's! She had like 12, and she had NO grade lower than a 88%." I was preparing to say something... figuring out what to say... and before I could even form 1 word, she continues... but, I see her picking her boogers all the time... and it's nasty... so, who cares how many 100's she has... that is just gross!!!!
I about died laughing...

Moral of the story: Who cares what your grades are in 2nd grade.... but, you sure as heck better not pick your nose!!!!! Just thought I'd share the wisdom of my 7 year old.... Kids say the darnedest things....

Much excitement for fellower blogger friends....

Hello to everyone tonight... I am so excited to send out a HUGE Congrats to Bob and Jill in TX tonight.... if you don't follow their blog you should.. LOL...
There address is: www.babyspang.blogspot.com
There blog is private, so you'll have to e-mail for an invite.
Bob and Jill followed the promptings of their heart and began a concurrent adoption domestically while also pursuing their Kazakhstan adoption. It has just been days since making the domestic decision, and today they brought home a baby girl.. Sarah... We are so thrilled for them and I ask all of my faithful blogger followers ;-) to remember Bob, Jill, and baby Sarah in your prayers... they have some legal hurdles to jump, but with God all things are possible!! They are enjoying a new precious bundle tonight and we couldn't be happier for them!
We are so happy for you guys!!!

Adoption News for us:
AWAA was on the list of approved agencies.... Honestly, we were never worried that they wouldn't be.... so this is just one more hurdle and timeline we've seen completed. We continue to hang onto God and know that, "The one who calls us is Faithful, and HE will do it!"

Recipes... recipes... and more recipes.... and a trip to the Dentist!!!

Hello everyone... If you occasionally see a 1/2 cup of Sugar or 3 cups of flour typed in among the words here... please forgive me... I have been TYPING, TYPING, TYPING, and did I mention TYPING on this lovely idea I've had... called a COOKBOOK!!!! LOL! I have worked for hours... and still have hours to go... What a labor of love!! and so many of my "friends" thought this was a GREAT idea.... hummmmmmm...... I am seriously thinking that if I see another recipe I could possibly scream. I have been typing and working on it for several hours per night... and am bummed that it's almost Oct. 1st.. cause that was my deadline for myself. Oh well... I'll get it all completed by this weekend.... and it's really shaping up to look like a good cookbook... LOTS of yummy recipes... and I'm really excited... (well, excited to get all the hard stuff done and it sent off to the company!)

Today was a fun day for us... Brook had her first visit to the dentist!! The Dentist had told me to bring Brooklyn in the next time Bailey and I were coming in for a cleaning so she could watch and feel more comfortable.... so, off we go... and Brooklyn watches.. and after a few minutes they ask her if she'd like to go to the next room and sit in the chair... she hops down, takes the hygienists hand.. and off they go to the next room... the hygienist comes back in a couple of minutes to tell me it appears that she "wants" to get her teeth cleaned and wanted to know if I really wanted her to be seen by the Dr. etc... I said sure... so Brooklyn got the entire cleaning/check-up/fluoride, etc... she sat in the "big" chair like a 10 year old... and is very proud of herself. I have to admit that it made me teary eyed seeing my 3 year old baby in the exam chair... call me crazy, but the weirdest things make me cry anymore... the girls at the dentist were laughing and saying I needed to get those Kazakhstan boys here fast!!!! LOL!!! Like they were telling me anything I didn't already know... ha ha....

One year.....

Well, for weeks I've been waiting for these last few days and they are here.... it was one year yesterday that our adoption journey began... God spoke to my heart while attending a Joyce Meyer's Women's Convention in St. Louis, MO.... who would have known? I remember getting ready for the conference and being really excited for the weekend away.... hoping and praying that I would come home really encouraged and lifted up in the Lord... wow!!! little did I know my entire life as I'd known it was FOREVER going to change.... as I think back over that weekend in St. Louis... it's amazing how God worked all the details out... My sister-in-law was so determined we were going to attend, and in the beginning I tried to even talk her out of going, but God had a plan... (little did I know!)
If you haven't read the story about how this journey began.. I have it all typed out on a link on our website..


It's an amazing story.. and even as I think back over the last year and all the amazing ways God has shown us his will, I am still humbled by the entire thing! I still wonder why o why God chose our family... but, I know that whom God calls he equips... It's amazing how easy it is when you just make yourself truly and completely available to God.... he will do the hard stuff!!!

I really am not a SUPER spiritual amazing person... we aren't some super spiritually awesome family... we are honestly a very common, normal family who is attempting to serve God with everything within them.... and sometimes we fall short... but, you know what... God is there and he picks us up, dusts us off, and heads us back on track! I am so thankful for my Lord and Savior... I honestly know that there is NO way I could handle the emotional roller coaster of this adoption journey without my Lord.... I challenge any of you who might read my blog that don't know my Jesus to reach out to him... he's waiting and he wants a relationship with you.... lean on him during this journey... lean on him through whatever you are going through... he will NEVER leave you or forsake you!!! His word says it and it's so!

I really can't believe it's been a year since God spoke to my heart... wow... there has been $17,000 in fundraisers, numerous lives touched, our own lives totally transformed in amazing ways, and God's glory seen day after day... what an incredible 365 days!!!
I also feel like we've been on this journey for years.... it feels we've been waiting forever... and we thought for sure we'd be home with our child / children by this one year anniversary! God knows the timing in all things (including this!) and we are standing firm in his word for that...
I have to say it's just amazing that one year ago yesterday our lives COMPLETELY and TOTALLY changed forever... and if it hadn't been for that day... 365 days ago... we wouldn't even be where we are in life today... thank you Jesus for allowing our family to be apart of this awesome plan....
I also want all the PAP's out there who might read our blog or anyone that reads our blog to know that we are praying for you...

Here's praying for another amazing 365 days... I can't wait to see what's happening in our world and yours in 2009.

All my love,
Lanetta

There is still time.....

Hello to everyone tonight...
I just wanted to quickly post here that there is still time to get recipes to me.... I have LOTS of typing to do to get them ready to go, so you can continue to send them to me... I've received several e-mails asking if it's to late... and just thought I'd let everyone know that there is still time if you'd like to submit one... and honestly we need more.

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about.... scroll down to post on 8-8-08 for details of our latest fundraiser!)

and... after over 3 fun filled (boy) weeks, Jacob went back home tonight... :-(
we have to say we are very sad around here.... and miss him terribly! His Grandpa passed away last Thursday... so please keep Jacob and that family in your prayers.

Have a blessed week!
Lanetta

Trip to the Zoo...

We spent a fun-filled afternoon at the zoo yesterday with the girls and Jacob... it was a great time... All 3 kids had a wonderful day... and loved seeing all the animals, however the highlight seemed to be the train ride!!
We sure are enjoying Jacob staying with us... and I wanted to share a couple of pictures from our zoo adventure:


Climbing on the rocks is always a fun zoo adventure...








Here's a picture of the kids and Phil checking out a HUGE tortoise... the kids thought these large turtles WERE amazing... and loved watching them crawl around!!




Here's a fun one that I took right after we'd finished eating our picnic lunch... zoo and a picnic... can't beat it!!


I just had to share these couple of photos I captured of Jacob the other night.. he's such a sweet boy and I have to admit I've enjoyed every second (well, almost :-)) of little boy stuff... spiky hair and all the boy stuff is so fun to me!!! I'm sure it's due to my lack of it in the past... ha ha... Jacob is SO proud of his new spiky hair and says, thanks Netta, I like it when you make my hair, cool... I'm so handsome!!!!! He's so right... he's a doll (in my eyes for sure!)








This picture captures a small portion of his personality.... he's ALL boy!!!














Adoption news: I have received additional recipes, but could still use more... thanks to all of you who have submitted... (if you are new to the blog and have no idea what I'm talking about... the post from 8-8-08 explains it!)
Thanks to everyone who has submitted a recipe and we are hoping for massive numbers of sold cookbooks... with lots of $$ made!!! Thank you Lord!

Have a blessed Sunday afternoon... and a wonderful week!!!
Lanetta

Resorting to begging.....

Below is an e-mail I sent out to all family and friends tonight... and it also applies to all my "online" adoption friends... if you are considering submitting a recipe we'd love to have you be apart of our adoption cookbook... (see post on 8-8-08 for details!)


Hello to everyone..

I really don't have much of an update to send out, but I am resorting to begging for recipes... I know that most of you are like me... and if someone I know and love had requested recipes it would be on my to do list... but, I would have not found the time to get around to it... or just plain forget...
so, this is my nice friendly reminder that I NEED recipes for the adoption cookbook asap!! I had originally set the deadline for Friday, Sept. 5th, but have extended it to Monday... so that if you need more time to get those yummy recipes to me you can.....
I've had SEVERAL people e-mail that they would get some to me, but haven't gotten them yet... so I wanted to remind all of you that I need them please...
thank you to everyone who has sent recipes to us... we appreciate it so much....

on adoption updates... we are still waiting... we are in line to be resubmitted to the consulate in NY and we should hear how quickly that will happen after Sept. 15th... so we are waiting... and God knows the perfect timing in all this!

thanks for your love, concern, and prayers.... I am praying for about 50 more recipes over the weekend... and please know that you are welcome to submit as many as you'd like..... (this is me begging....)


Have a blessed Friday!!
Lanetta

Labor day comes to an end...

It's always amazing to me how quickly days off from work come and go.... The long weekend is over... and we had a nice weekend. We've been blessed by the presence of an amazing little boy (Jacob) for a couple of weeks now... A couple from our church (who have adopted him - their grandson) needed some help and we volunteered... The Grandpa is fighting a TOUGH battle with cancer and has been hospitalized for over a week. Please remember this family in your prayers... This little boy has a very special place in our hearts and we will be sad to see him return home...

It's been so nice having a boy around... Phil and I have both enjoyed it so much... Phil's taken every opportunity imaginable to spend "guy" time with him... and they've had a wonderful time... from fishing, to swimming, to just wrestling.... we love this little guy to death... and are so blessed that his family has shared him with us... The girls both adore him as well... and we've had such a fun few weeks....
I had to include some pictures from our time...
Phil bought the younger kids (Brooklyn and Jacob) fishing poles as a reward for good behavior and making "good choices!" Phil was very happy to get to buy a "boy" pole.. LOL... so, the kids and Phil spent some time fishing... I was laughing as I was adding pictures to the blog that it appears we are a "fishing" family, but quite honestly we are not... the pond is in our back yard... and we do not fish very often... I in fact NEVER fish, but Phil and the girls fish a few times a year... anyway, the last few weeks, they've enjoyed it more... and this weekend the perch were biting.... so, the kids LOVED it.. they each caught fish on their own..... Phil was VERY busy re baiting hooks... while I was busy with the camera.... :-)
Here are some of the highlights...


Brooklyn was mighty proud and the first to catch a fish... she never got out of her chair... Phil and I about died laughing... she was excited, but just stayed sitting down and reeled him in like a pro...
She was also VERY excited to hold him herself for a picture.. and quickly told her Daddy she could hold her own fish... Ha ha...



This is just an adorable pic. I snapped of Brook and Jacob... isn't he a cutie??? He's had such a great time being outside around here....from the pool, to the trampoline, to the puppy, to the swings, to the fort, to the sand box, to the Barbie jeep (:-)), to the pond catching frogs... and then all over again... he's definitely slept good at night!!!




Jacob was so proud of his fish... and was ready to pose for a picture... he insisted he could put it back in the pond himself... and with only a little help from Phil he did just that...
he was ready to fish after catching one...



and then here is Bay... she thinks she's the fishing champion of the world now... (right up there with an Olympic athlete...) she caught 4 fish in a row... just one right after another... she squealed and screamed with every fish... and you'd have thought they weighed 10 pounds.... it was a great time!!



We did get some things done around the house that we've needed to get done for a while... so overall it was a great weekend....
_____________________________________________________________________________________

On the international adoption front we did hear back from our agency... and they were aware of the rumors that have been flying around... and are attempting to confirm those, but have not confirmed any of the rumors as definite yet... so, we are still waiting...

We have been trying to use this time to grow... and seek God for all he is...
The Lord has used various things/situations/instances to encourage us the past few weeks... and we are doing so much better... We can wait forever if that's what God calls us to do... one day we'll know why! or maybe we won't... but, that's what serving God and being obedient is about... Faith... Faith to step out when you are not sure... Faith to just believe God... all is takes is the size of a mustard seed...
We recently heard a sermon and this phrase stuck with me: we should not change our actions, words, or thoughts, when we are in a valley.... for these very things will help us overcome the valley we are in....
Thank you Lord for your little reminders along this journey...

Praying everyone has a blessed September....
Lanetta

Brighter days....

Well, I am feeling much better...after a good shake, hug, and talking to from Phil and a good spanking(so to speak) from some good friends... I am feeling better.... this roller coaster of emotions called international adoption bottomed out for me last Thursday evening.... but, what goes down must come back up...so, I am "feeling" better... I am embarrassed to even type that... because I know better than to react... or get worked up over feelings... sometimes it's just tough... I long ago learned the lesson about serving God on feelings... that's not what it's about.. HELLO Lanetta... maybe I hadn't learned that lesson.. obviously not... ha ha
well, thank goodness the Lord is patient, kind, understanding, and has mercy on us that have trouble learning's the first few times around...

so, Phil, God, and some of you have me straightened back out... LOL :-) thanks!!

We have contacted our agency about some of the delays we've heard about and we're waiting back to hear from them regarding those rumors, etc.... so we'll see what happens... if we have to redo more stuff.... we'll do it!

I wanted to share some pictures from our lives the past few days...
The following is a picture my sister-in-law snapped of Brooklyn and I while we were hanging out watching the kids swim the other evening... gotta love pictues with my baby girl...


I love this picture... the boy in the picture is my nephew Cody... next to my girls this little guy is it!!! (and he knows it!) He's my brother's only child...and has his aunt and girl cousin's hearts... he's a pretty special little guy in our world!!!



Dancing in the rain??? Well, sort of... Phil is the best dad ever.... he amazes me at the awesome things he does to make special memories with the girls... The other evening it was drizzling rain... and the next thing I know.. I hear the back door closing... and complete SILENCE!!! I go to the door to look out and find.. the following: Phil and the girls in the pool swimming/jumping/diving/dancing in the rain!!! They were having a great time and I got just wet taking the pictures, but it was worth it... great memories for my girls... Swimming in the rain with their Daddy! (They have talked about it for days.. btw!) Wow.. Phil you are the best!!




The following is a great picture I snapped of Phil and the girls fishing the other night... they had a great time... and it was so relaxing to just be outside all together....




My nephew Cody turns 4 this next week.. and we celebrated his birthday tonight.. with an awesome birthday party!!! Here's a picture of Cody and I... I love you Cody... hope you had a great Birthday!!




and one more thing... if you are considering sending us a recipe for our cookbook... PLEASE send us one... we'd love for you to be a part of our latest project....an adoption keepsake... an adoption cookbook...
see post on 8-8-08 for all the details...

Until next time...
Praying all of you have a wonderful Sunday...
Lanetta