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

Lowest of lows.....

OK... so here I sit... I know there are those out there who understand how I feel tonight... my heart is breaking into... We've heard rumors of things in Kaz about gender preferences, and that our home study agency has to be Hague Accredited... if it's not... you have to start over with a new agency.... DO A COMPLETE AND NEW HOMESTUDY... we are devastated... we aren't sure, but, think that our home study will probably not be valid if this is the case.... oh my gosh....

Where do we go from here??? Phil and I have spent an evening quietly outside with the girls.... we went for a walk... played outside... and Phil and the girls even went fishing.... so we have tried to relax, have peace in God and know that he does have ALL things under control... I just lost all control when Phil came home today and fell into his arms in tears... sometimes I don't know how much more I can handle... but, I'm ALWAYS reminded that the WORD says, HE will not allow more to come on us than we can handle..... so, here I am.... at this place in my life.. in this adoption journey..
I know that God is teaching us lots.. and using this journey for so many glorious things... but, tonight... I just want to scream from the rooftops... or maybe cry from my heart, and bawl like a big baby... that I am ready for this to be over, and to get to my child or children... and get them home... I know that this is selfish.. and that I am totally rolling around in my own self pity tonight, but I think I am allowed at least one day...aren't I?
I was looking at our blog a couple of days ago... and I noticed that the calendar on the side shows we've been waiting on our son or sons for 9 months and 2 weeks... and it dawned on me that the reason I am having such a hard time the last couple of weeks.. is because my maternal instinct says that the time is here.... 9 months for a pregnancy... and so that means in my world this thing should be coming to an end...(actually we are overdue a couple of weeks.. :-() We are quickly approaching the 1 year anniversary of God speaking to my heart.... it was Sept. 20, 2007 and this journey began that day... I had a couple of friends tell me today.. that maybe I had to endure this for 18 months (2 pregnancies) cause I was bringing home 2 babies... SURELY NOT!!!!!!
All I can ask of you my faithful blog readers tonight... is that you please pray for us tonight... we are having a rough time... and I know the only people who truly understand are those that have walked this same emotional road of international adoption.....

So, I guess I'll sign off for now... I was going to post a picture from the fishing.. but, maybe I'll do that tomorrow... to tired to take the time tonight...
Thanks for the prayers....

First day of 2nd grade...

Hello...
Well, we are all back to work, Brooklyn is settled into the new daycare... and loving it... and Bailey completed the first day of 2nd grade today... wow.. I can't believe she's already in 2nd grade... if time continues to fly this fast... they'll all (including my Kaz boys) be grown and gone in a few weeks.... man o man....

I wanted to share a couple of pictures from the first day of 2nd grade....




the above pictures were in the morning....
and then after school the girls wanted to take some pictures on the steps on the pool deck... plus, we didn't have Bailey's (High School Musical) backpack in the morning so I wanted a picture of her with the backpack in it... so I agreed... plus, why not... and as you'll see below Nana (my mom) won the prize of the year... she sent Bailey a cute bunch of flowers to school... Bailey was SO thrilled... and said it was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her..... and that it was all she could do to not cry when she read the note from her Nana... :-) (Thanks Mother, you are the best!!)



Below is a picture I snapped while we were messing around this afternoon.. of course Brook had to get in the pictures too...




I have to share this cute story that happened this morning... we had just turned on the street that Brook's daycare and Bay's elementary school are on... when I hear Bailey beginning to cry... she's so scared to start 2nd grade.. and then just worried about all the "new" stuff... so it's not long until I'm reassuring her that things will be fine, etc... and Brook leans over, puts her hand on Bailey and says, "Bay, stop it! It will all be ok.. I will be right across the street from you... I will be there for you Bay.. don't be sad or scared!" It was the sweetest thing ever... Brook just started at this daycare.. and they have been SO excited that it is just across the street... they are amazing sometimes...
It's so nice to see that sister bond emerge every once in a while... cause I often wonder (when the fighting is going on...) if there is a bond there at all.. ha ha..

Adoption Stuff: Well, there is no new news to report.... we are still waiting... waiting.. waiting... :-) and reminding ourselves... that God's timing is ALWAYS perfect....
Please if you are considering sending a recipe, send it... we've not had to many sent yet, so that concerns me a little, but I know that it will pick up and there will be plenty... please, send us one if you'd like.. cause we want you to be apart of our cookbok....

Thanks for the prayers, love, and encouragement...
Please, leave a comment... we'd love to know you were here...

Praying all of you have a blessed and wonderful Friday and weekend...
Love and Prayers,
Lanetta

CALLING ALL ADOPTION WORLD FRIENDS....

This post is to all of you who have adopted, are adopting, or are considering adopting a child... I would like to invite you and your family to be apart of our latest fundraiser... really it's more than a fundraiser... it's a book of adoption... a cookbook of adoption...

please e-mail me @ lanettagobble@yahoo.com your favorite recipes.... I'll compile all the recipes and we will bind them and make an amazingly cool keepsake as well as a great source of recipes for all of us.....

If you are currently in the process of adopting... please just state your name and info about your adoption at the bottom of your recipe... if you have already made it home with your sweet baby we would love to include a small picture of your cutie as well as a statement about the adoption...

Please ask if you have ANY questions... I think this could be an amazingly cool keepsake for all of us in the adoption world as well as all our family and friends... (well, really anyone who likes to eat :-))

Please send me some ideas / recipes, pictures, etc. soon.... I can' t wait to hear from all of you...

Lanetta

Latest Fundraiser...

God just continues to move in amazing ways in our lives... I just continue to stand back in amazement of how God continues to use our story, this process, this incredible journey, to reach others for him.... just tonight while getting a pedicure God totally moved in miraculous ways... and I met the most amazingly awesome woman.... it was amazing as I listened to myself share our story with her... and as I saw the tears in her eyes.. as she felt God... It was amazing... She ended up blessing me so much... paying for my pedicure and totally encouraging me in amazing ways... I'll share more of this awesome story some other time... (maybe in my book... :-)) speaking of the book.. it just keeps getting better and better all the time.. as God speaks to my heart about various issues... etc.. wow... thank you Lord for your amazing love, kindness, and mercy on us!!!!

so, this brings me to our next fundraiser... we are going to make an adoption cookbook to sell.... I am very excited about this project and have been praying / thinking about this for months.....
so this is the plan... I need recipes from all of you... please send them to me asap... I'm thinking the deadline for recipe submissions will be Sept. 5th... that should give everyone plenty of time to dig those favorite recipes out and share them with us... I would also like to include at the bottom of the recipe something special about all of you.... for example: recipe submitted by Lanetta Gobble in loving memory of my Grandma, Gladys Hardy.... or your favorite scripture, etc... I really want this to be more than a cookbook... I am also going to send out e-mails to all the online adoption friends I have made or found... and ask that anyone who has adopted from anywhere.... submit a rec. in behalf of their adopted child... etc.. with a little statement about the child.... (date adoption was completed... and where adopted from).... and I would love to include a small picture of any of those children at the bottom as well... if you would like to put a small statement at the bottom to my future children from Kazakhstan that would be great as well... I am really excited about this idea.. but, it will never work unless I receive recipes from all our you... our family and friends.....
and of course if you'd like to pre- order a cook-book that can be arranged as well... :-) I'm sure it will be full of incredibly delicious foods... and adorable babies adopted from Kazahstan and all over the world!!!

Thanks so much for all your love, support, and prayers... we appreciate all of you so much...
Have a blessed weekend... and I'm looking forward to some great recipes... start sending them soon.....
All my love,
Lanetta

Welcome to our blog....

Hello to everyone out there....
this is the launch of our blog.. and I am so excited to have this finished... It's so exciting to have it up and running and ready to keep up with everyone in the adoption world!

Thanks for visiting our blog... and hopefully you'll come back often...
please e-mail or leave a comment... we'd love to hear from you....

All our love,
Lanetta