Whew! things have been busy around here.
Our foster son is out of the honeymoon phase as of yesterday and things are a little chaotic.
But, we're looking to get him some speech therapy and I think that might help a bit.
I'm thinking that part of his disobedience and some of the parts that frustrate us about him are due to him not fully understanding what we're saying or asking of him.
We're also enrolling him in Preschool in the fall.
I think it'll be good for him.
Him and Ethan are also going to go to daycare two 1/2 days a week over the summer.
I have more weddings that I don't think I could handle with them around 24 hours a day.
So I'm giving myself two 1/2 days with just evelyn (God willing she'll let me work!) to get that kind of stuff done.

Evelyn is still not walking, and acting like a total baby - but I'm fine with that!
The Doc said that she probably wont walk for a few more months because she has really loose ligaments in her ankles and her feet.
I say she's holding out until her sister is home so they can learn together!

Bean Burritos!

New Pictures!

This is going to be a little hurried, I have my husband and 3 kids waiting outside the door to go for a walk.
But, I had to share!
We got an update and two new pictures of Olive from Christina!
"Olive is so very sweet, she was smiling at us but everytime I held up the camera she would stop smiling and stare at it LOL. She has so much potential, I know she will blossom when she gets home! :) The facilitator held her while I took the pictures, and I still think she is about Emerson's size, probably about 17-18 lbs or so."





Isn't she SO beautiful!?!
I about jumped out of my skin.
I can't stop looking at her!

We recently got a large donation from friends in to our Family Sponsorship Profile on RR. Thank you Nate, Emily and Carson!

So far we've achieved 17.79%! That's about $2725!

A chunk of that has cleaned out our savings though ;)

We're hoping to make about $4,000 from weddings this summer to put towards her adoption too.
That would leave us with 20 weeks to raise $8,610 in other ways.
I think we could pull out of our budget about another $1,000 of that.
Leaving about $7610 for purely fundraising... that's $380.50 a week! yikes!

But, I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again - it's going to have to be a GOD THING, and it couldn't be better any other way!

Still waiting

We are still waiting for an update from our facilitator on Olive's cardiologist appointment
We are also waiting for pictures from the mom who is in her country right now.
And we may not be able to get the video we were so hoping for.
I really hope to get something, sometime soon.

Time is moving quickly now though.

Our house is officially one person fuller for the next several months.

We have been asked to keep that little foster boy as a placement.

Ethan and him get along just like brothers, fighting and all.

We're moving him in to Ethan's room tonight.

We have the first meeting for our homestudy on Thursday.
We also owe the first portion of the homestudy fee then too.
Thank God, with our savings and donations - we have the money.

Done

A message...

So, I get these little 'messages' via an application on my computer daily.
They're from the book 'The Listeners'...
I swear it - God made the application just for me!

It's almost eerie with how accurate the 'word' is every day.
I don't know if it's self-fulfilling prophesy, or if God led me to hear from him in this way.
But EVERY DAY the word is applicable to my day.

Today's word:
"How often, when you little know it, I go before you to prepare the way, to soften a heart here, to override there"

Lord, please let this word be true of you! I'm praying it's true, and that you're softening the hearts of all the people involved in Olive's adoption, Amen.

No new news yet.
No call back from our social worker yet either.

But, our family profile has been set up on the RR site!
http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsormalefyt.htm

Here's what it says:
Karl and Ashley Malefyt are hoping to adopt little Olive from Eastern Europe. We are excited for her, as she has been waiting quite a while!
They had no intentions of adopting internationally being that they are foster parents for the state of Michigan. But God had other plans.
Ashley came across Olive's information on RR and couldn't help but be drawn to her name. Karl and Ashley had planned to adopt from the foster care system and name their next little girl Olivia, and call her Olive. They both felt they would 'know' when God had placed the right child in their home. Little did they know God wouldn't be bringing their child to their home, He would be sending them to her.
Karl and Ashley have two biological children born to them, Ethan age 2, and Evelyn age 1.
They are excited and hope to enjoy the journey of bringing their little girl home. Your financial gifts will be much appreciated!

A new foster placement.

We have a dream placement this weekend!

He has just turned three, and doesn't speak too much english.

I have no idea why he's in care, I don't know anything at all really.

All I know is that his mom needed respite, and he's been an angel so far.

Mind you, there are challenges (like screaming for a half hour terrified to go to bed in our house, not having a clue what he's saying or wanting, and him not being able to obey us fully because I don't think he understands what we're saying) but for being in foster care - he's wonderful!

He's calling us mom and dad already, and plays with the kids really well.

He's adjusting just fine in less than 24 hours!

We're still in the honeymoon phase though, and most kids will eventually test every fiber of your parental being as soon as that phase is over...

But, if he stays like this - I would keep him with out blinking an eye!

None the less, he's going back to his foster mom on Monday.

Mini Update

A mom, Christina is adopting from Olive's orphanage and she's there right now.
She gave me a quick email and mini-update on our little girl!
She said that Olive was pushing up on her belly, lifting her head, with her arms extended - and cooed at her!
This is such great news, since we were under the impression that she was not even able to do that!
We should hear about her cardiology appointment soon (hopefully).
And we're still hoping to get some new pictures.
I'm sure she's changed so much since November (last pictures) and I can't wait to see!

A little update!

I love getting any little bit of information on Olive as I can.
It's so encouraging, to remind me that she really is real, and I really am going to be her momma.
But, it's hard too - because I know that she's not living as well as she could be.
And I already have that momma bear instinct over her, and I just want to jump on a plane today and go get her!
But, I know we can't - and updates are as close and I can get to her.
And so, I am very, very thankful to know anything about her.

Here is the update I got today:
Olive did not go to her cardiology appointment in December because she had chicken pox.
Her new appointment is scheduled for May 14th. As soon as the report is avaliable, I'll get the updated info.
As far as her development goes, she is still not sitting up or trying to crawl. She was examined by an orthopedic doctor today and xrays were done to ensure that nothing is wrong with her hips. She was given the "all clear", so there is no reason why she can't learn to sit, crawl and eventually walk. She has recently started interacting with people and her environment and is starting to show an interested in toys and people. So, she is progressing....just slowly.
Our facilitator said that she'd send some photos and another update after the cardiology appointment. So, I'll let you know as soon as I hear more.

There is another mom I've been talking with that is in her country RIGHT NOW! meeting her little one later this week.

I am so excited for her, and am living vicariously through her right now.
She is going to try and get some video of Olive.
I think it might cause me a heart attack to actually see her moving, hopefully making some sort of noise, and looking at the camera.
I'm so excited to see new pictures of Olive.

We're also waiting to hear back about starting our home study this week.

Lousy fundraisers...

I am apparently a lousy sales person.
We haven't sold anything in the store for Olive, gotten any RSVP's to the PartyLite Party, or our Parent's Night Out.

We are fasting from fast food, we have switched to Aldi for our groceries, we have canceled cable, we are taking on weddings and photo jobs on the weekends and evenings, we are putting a minimum of $40 out of our budget towards her a month, plus I've picked up a weekly cleaning job that we're putting towards her as well. Not to mention we're wiping out all our savings, and all the time energy, and initial resources for fundraising. It's really frustrating to have no responses to fundraisers that I put a lot of my time in to.

But, even as I sit here typing this - I know that even if we didn't get not 1 more penny from all our efforts, the Lord will provide. I really do believe that.

Our initial approval is in!

I got the best mothers day gift today!
I got an email from Shelley saying that our initial family profile has been accepted!!!
The Lord and his perfect timing!
I did not see it coming AT ALL (being Saturday afternoon), and was kind of bumming that we didn't hear back this week.
But - we did! And even better, we were approved!
We have sent in our promise trust fee, our Family Sponsorship Profile and fee, Our Love offering to the ministry, and contacted a social worker to start the Home Study.
We are officially matched with Olive and will have our family sponsorship profile on the Reece's Rainbow site soon!
We are really hoping to have her home by the end of October, and to travel to her country the beginning of October.
That gives us 147 days until we were to travel! That is not long! That would make me about 4 months pregnant if this were a pregnancy!
Something a little scary is that also means we have to raise about $100 a day until we leave!
Whew - that will have to be a God thing!
But, we do have a couple thousand dollars coming in weddings over the summer - so that's a start.
Anyway - YAY, YAY, YAY!

Going with a different agency...

We have chosen a different agency because we are getting a reduced fee due to our previous Foster HS! Yay!!
We are still waiting on Olive's SW in her country to give us the OK.

We're praying that she accepts our initial profile, and let's us know quickly.
Hopefully we'll get new pictures of her from the facilitator when we get approved, and hopefully some video from a family who is traveling there to get their little one soon.

I can not wait!

I am so excited to get new pictures of her, and even more excited about the prospect of getting some video!

To see her move, to see her interact - even if it's not me...

To see that she is okay (Lord, please!) will mean so much to me...