It's good to be TWENTY-FIVE!!

It's good to be 25! 

Before this year... before this summer... I was kinda dreading it because it's basically 30! When you round up... definitely THIRTY!! I don't like that. 30 is basically 50 which is pretty much 100... so just take me to the home!  Okay... I'm a bit dramatic, but 25 was a big step in my mind... but never as important in my mind as it truly is in our lives this year.

You see... for our adoption of ERIC at least 1 (one) of us has to be 25! Well... I took one for the team! But... one of us also has to be at least 12 years older! ME AGAIN! because... you see... Eric will turn 13 before Jacob is 25... and that wouldn't work.  How crazy is it that God knew... even before I was born... that he was creating a crazy girl that would want a 12/13 year old son named Eric when she was 25! He lined my birthday up exactly in the right place for Eric to become our son!! He made sure Eric was born at the perfect time so that he could become a Morgan!! WHAT?!?! I know... He is blowing my mind too! ...And it's just the beginning I'm sure! 

He knew that this girl...

when she turned 25... would be in the process of adopting the most beautiful, wonderful, and already so loved little boy from Belize.  

God is crazy. God is good. He is faithful. He knows what He's doing. 

Happy 25th Birthday to me! :)

Want to get me a present? haha! Well... buy a clock or a puzzle piece and help us get Eric home! :) That's what I want most! 

Adoption... Humor!

FIRST... Buy a CLOCK or a PUZZLE PIECE... or just DONATE (PayPal button) to help BRING ERIC HOME!

So... Adoption isn't ALL about paperwork and money.  Jacob and I have had some fun along the way. Some funnies happened this weekend... wanna read about them? Okay... 3 stories here...

#1 So Friday we had to go get our medical exams for the adoption paperwork.  Our sweet doc friend saw us after hours to help us out! (so thankful). So we go and are getting stuff checked out... we're healthy as larks! Then we had to get blood work done... sounded fun.  We go over to the tech guy and get ready to give our cells.  He starts making fun of people who pass out while giving blood.  He said he likes to take pictures of the passed out people and post them on Facebook (funny). Then he said but everyone he has told that to hasn't passed out because people are more scared of facebook than needles...
So... Jacob goes first. He has perfect veins apparently and gets the blood out like a champ. Then it's my turn.
My veins are pretty good now... very blue and veiny.  He got the needle in there pretty easily and was getting some redness in the tubes.  Then... he started saying that the flow was slowing down and he started mashing on my vein to get the blood to come out.  Okay... not cool.  So, I had a stress ball in my hand to help... so I started pumped my hand as hard as I could because I was feeling a bit dizzy... 
He kept mashing around and I got dizzier and dizzier.  My head was getting heavier... so I said, "I'm feeling a bit dizzy..."  I was trying to convince myself that I didn't need to pass out.  Jacob's response was, "You aren't gonna pass out are ya?"...
I said, "I'm trying not to..." THEN I PASSED OUT with the needle still in my arm! The stress ball hit the floor! The tech freaked out.  Jacob went into camp counselor mode! And I was out! BAHAHAHA!
I woke up and Jacob was fanning me. Tech guy was a little frazzled. And I wasn't feeling so good.

I laid down and got some color back in my face... and we laughed LOTS! But... guess what?! No one took pictures of me!! Hip hip hooray! :)

Sad news... the doc called and said Jacob's blood work came back great but guess who has to go get hers done again because they didn't get enough blood... ME!!!!!! AHH!!! What am I going to do!!!! golly... super humorous!! or not...

#2 The parentals/future grandparents came down this weekend for birthday celebrations... and we put them to work on clocks! We had a great day - yummy food, good convos, and CLOCKS! We made about 25 clocks this weekend! WOO HOO! But it was so humorous to me... all of us woman wallowing around on the cement floor painting these wooden clocks... with the majority of the paint getting on our clothes and faces than the actual clocks!! We laughed at ourselves a lot! :) It's SOOOOOO good (not a strong enough word) that we have parents... and Eric has grandparents who are willing to get dirty and messy and worn out to help us!

FYI - their grandparent names are Big D and Grammy (Jacob's parents) and my mom's name is Grann! :) That was decided this week... I looked up what grandma was in Creole (which is what they speak in Belize... English and Creole).  I like it! GRANN! And my dad's name is PawPaw (decided by Ava!) :)


#3 So.. Tuesday we went to Atlanta for a Lifeline Children's Services (our homestudy agency) seminar called "ADOPT WITHOUT DEBT" (YES PLEASE!).  We had a great time just being in the car together... away for Troy and the chaos. We REALLY enjoy the seminar.  Most of the information was taken from this book...
because the author was the presenter! Julie was great!! We got lots more ideas, met other couples in the adoption process, and got to spend the night together.  Well... after the seminar was done... my brain was just whirling with different ideas.  We both had to use the restroom before heading back to Troy...
So, I was just talkin' away... not paying attention... and I followed Jacob RIGHT INTO THE MEN'S BATHROOM!!!!! bahahahaha!! He turned around (I still didn't know what I had done) and said, "Ummm.... you know you are in the men's bathroom, right?" hahaha.  So I scampered out. THANK GOD no one was standing at the urinal at the time!!!!

So... adoption is quite humorous... it does crazy things to your mind and heart! :) Hope you had some laughs.

Bringing Eric Home... all the pieces of the puzzle

We are still working on raising money to BRING ERIC HOME!! Read our story here if you don't know it! 

Pieces of the Puzzle:

Our goal is to have 500 pieces purchased. Which would be a HUGE step toward adoption - $5000! So you buy a puzzle piece for $10 (wanna buy more than one? that's cool too). We will write your name, friend/family member's name, or family name on the back of the puzzle piece. Once it is completed we will hang it in one of the clear picture frames so you can see the front and back. It will hang in our Eric's room as a reminder of all the people that helped to bring him home. Plus it will give us a lasting record of who helped make this possible.

This is a picture of the acutal puzzle we have that is a fundraiser to help bring home Eric! - Belize-ish... beach-y with some ocean life! 

Here's how it works: 

Step 1: buy a piece of the puzzle for $10 (or more whatever you like!) just click on the donate button above to purchase or contact us for other methods of payment, then we'll write your name on the back of the piece. Our goal is around 500 pieces which would be a HUGE step forward in getting started - $5,000! 

Step 2: once it is completed we will hang it in our childs room in a double sided frame so you can see the back with all the names of the people that helped to bring him/her home! 

Step 3: spread the word! I'm having a hard time thinking of 500 people I know!

Babies and Big Boys...

I know it's Wednesday... but I'm going to tell you about my weekend. :)

It was all about babies and big boys!

Friday night we went to a high school football game and had a 5th quarter at church... fun times!! Always brings back so many memories when I'm at the games... screaming so loud people move away from me, dancing me heart out, fake hair pieces, fake eyelashes, kicklines, and lots of laughs! I loved high school football... still do!

I spent Saturday and Sunday PARTYING!!! I started out Saturday morning at a 3 year old's birthday party!!! It was rocking!!! Mr. Parker man is 3! That's so crazy! This is our beloved pastor's little boy! :) We love that whole family more than a bushel and a peck! (That was for you Mrs. Christina!). He wasn't too sure about everyone screaming/singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him...

He had a BUZZ LIGHTYEAR party!!! It was adorable! 

Then I headed to the metropolis of Prattville for party #2... celebrating the soon arrival of ADDISON BELLE! It was SOOO wonderful to see the mommy, Chrystal, and all the other lovlies... but it was weird because it was for baby showers! That's a really strange feeling when your friends start having babies... not to mention the fact that you are adopting a pre-teen!! CRAZINESS feelings there... 

I know... I have really hot friends!! They are wonderful!!! The pregnant one (she's still looks so cute) is in the long blue dress!!! :) 

Saturday night I went to Birmingham to hang with the mother!! :) It was great time. 

Sunday... meant ANOTHER baby shower!!! It was time to party with CHARLOTTE ANN and her mommy-to-be!!! This partay was in Huntsville. You could say I pretty much saw the country this weekend! 

BEAUTIES!!!! :)

This hot mom is located in the long blue/white dress!!! PRESH, RIGHT??? 

Golly... it was so good to be with the girls! My heart misses them! We are spread out ALL over the country now... but when we are together it just feels so right. 

Here's the mommies with their clocks for their babies.  While we are praying for their babes... they can be praying for our big boy Eric! 

They called me their fellow mommy-to-be. They said I am basically pregnant... give it a few months... and I'll pop out a 12/13 year old! :) 

Happy Wednesday! 

Feel free to give to our PayPal account (top right button) to help us BRING ERIC HOME! 

Eric... that's his name

This week has been an absolute roller coaster.  I can't even explain the emotions, worries, fears, excitements, and discouragement I felt.  I felt that I was seeking in SILENCE... and PAPERWORK! I didn't feel like I was getting the answers I wanted when I wanted them. I felt like there was so much silence around me - with the adoption process, work, and more.  I didn't want to blog because I just didn't know what to say. But... I'm ready now.

So... Monday was a CRAZY day.  Our first homestudy interview, home tour, and the breakdown of the plan.  We met our Social Worker.. SHE IS AWESOME!! She lives in Troy, VERY friendly, and just made us feel so comfortable.  We talked for THREE hours! It was a long process... but so good.

For this next info... I'm gonna need to back up a bit. So... Jacob and I have ALWAYS wanted to adopt... we had the itch even before we were married.  But we knew we wanted to just be married for a while... no kids... just us... so that's what we did.  We thought about starting the adoption process before, but God showed us to WAIT.  This summer through several situations and conversations, we knew the time was getting close. When we went to Belize, we met Eric at an orphanage.  He is 12 and has lived in this orphanage for 11 years.  He has witnessed several of his friends be adopted... and he has stayed there without a family of his own.  He is the most beautiful little boy ever, but his words to Jacob were, "I just don't think I'm wanted."  Well... let me tell you people... HE IS DEFINITELY WANTED! That little 12 year old boy, Eric, was the catalyst for this whole adventure.  We couldn't come back home and not do anything... so we started the process... sent the money and the paperwork and prayed for ERIC! We had no clue how easy or hard it was going to be to request a specific child... we only knew to pray. So we did.

Fast forward a bit to this week...
Our homestudy social worker tells us to go ahead and ask the adoption agency if we can get a referral for Eric.  I email the adoption agency... they sent me back an email that said one of us has to be 25 years old and we have to be at least 12 years older than the child. She had to check with Belize to see if Eric was available for adoption and check his birthday because if he was closer to 13... we weren't eligible to adopt him. My heart sank. Can you pray for someone's birthday to be changed? I don't know but I did. I prayed with all my might that he would be eligible for adoption and that his birthday would be where it was suppose to be.  Then, we waited... that was Monday...

Today, is Friday. 
I sent them an email this morning (because I'm impatient and I had to know something) to follow up with our request to Belize. She said Belize let her know that one of us does have to be 25 (never been so excited for a birthday in my life), THAT ERIC IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION, AND THAT HIS BIRTHDAY IS AT THE PERFECT TIME!! WOOHOO! I still didn't know what this meant... so I emailed her back and said "What does this mean? Can we get Eric? I shouldn't have any doubts, correct? Can he be ours?..."
She emailed back with my favorite line of the century, "That's correct. Let's bring that boy home, shall we?" 

AHHH! My heart is beyond excited! Our hearts broke when we met him in the orphanage... and soon (not soon enough) Eric is going to be our son!!!!

And get this... while I was impatiently waiting on a response I looked up the meaning of the name "Eric" because I love names... and I was going crazy.  It has 2 meanings... are you ready?
The first meaning is "alone" or one"
The other meaning is "forever' 
HOW NUTS? We will be changing his name from Eric Alone to Eric Forever... he is going from a life alone to a forever family that will (and already does) adore him!! God is so good and so clever. Even the little things... like the meaning in his name... is so ordained!

So... Eric is our son's name.  We need help getting him home! Buy a clock. Donate some money (WE HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT NOW!). Every dollar counts!! Most importantly, PRAY! Pray that he knows he's wanted, he's loved, and that he will get home soon! 

Pourin' it out

Trust in him at all times, you people;

    pour out your hearts to him,    

for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:8

I've been doing a lot of pouring my heart out to Him lately...

Selfishly for our adoption... well I guess it's not "selfish'... but it can get that way. Ya know... i've never been a mom to a 12/13 year old before, I've never gone through the adoption process, and I've never had to raise over $22,000 for something I believe in so strongly before.  Good thing God is ever present... He is my refuge. I've poured my heart out to Him a lot... I do trust Him... more than ever. HE WILL NOT FAIL US... or you! But get this... pouring my heart out to him... PRAYING... invites His power and presence into every situation, doubt, question, circumstance, fear, and joy. Lately, I haven't just been inviting... I have been begging Him to intervene, to show up, to show off, to be HUGE... and He does not disappoint. 

Also learning to pour my heart out about everything... not only the adoption. Praying for family... not just surface prayers but radical, life-changing prayers. For our church... specific requests and begging for revival.  For our city... o, our city... for God to take over, to create leaders in our community who love the Lord and will mentor the children in Troy, for there to be UNITY (color, ethnicity, religious label... whatever). For my girls, our youth, and college ministry - that He would rock their worlds and His love would spur them to action - that they would question the social norms in order to follow HIS WILL, not their comforts or others' expectations. For friends - that God would use them in unimaginable ways, that their hearts would be content with Him alone, and that we would always/only glorify Him with our friendships.  Even learning to pray about work... this is difficult for me. I'm not sure why, but I tend to compartmentalize my prayer life.  Sometimes I think that since my job isn't directly ministry-related, I don't need to pray for it... so so so wrong. How more of a need. So I have been pouring my heart out about the needs we have at work, the things going on that I thought before God wouldn't necessarily care about... I don't know why I thought that, but it feels SO GOOD to take it to Him instead of stressing over it. Last Fall semester I was a stressed bag of nerves... never again... my God cares for me, I can lay ALL my burdens (including work) at His feet, I can pray (about whatever is on my heart) and He will and does HEAR ME! How awesome. He loves us so much...

We have our first home study interview on Monday. 

:)

We are excited... and a wee bit nervous. I am just gonna pour out my heart to Him about it... AND CLEAN!!! Ahh... The social worker is also going to do the home tour on Monday as well... so guess what I am doing this weekend before the football game?? THAT'S RIGHT... CLEANING every inch of my house. 

It's exciting and overwhelming. 

I got a letter from my bestie Emily this week. She wrote about how we have always talked and dreamed about adoption... and now is the time for Jacob and I. How crazy!! It has always been my heart... and God is allowing us to partner with Him to bring a child home from Belize!! :) 

So... be encouraged... POUR YOUR HEART OUT TO HIM... your whole heart. He hears you. He absolutely adores you. 

P.S. If you want a clock... email me! annamorgan121909@gmail.com