A Party: For Baby Judah

Got to throw a sweet baby shower for my pal, Katie today. Our house was full of beautiful ladies. I've never seen so many adorable homemade baby gifts! Each girl must have her own etsy shop! We are so excited for Baby Judah to come this April. He'll be the hippest kid on the block, with pretty amazing parents. We love you Nick and Katie, and cannot wait for you to expand to Welch party of three!

Love: True Bond of Peace

joetta maue.

The Prayer Appointed for the Week


O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing:
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest gift, which is love,
the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is 
accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus 
Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and 
for ever. Amen. 


(The Divine Hours, Prayers for Springtime, Phyllis Tickle)

Design: Composition

Love these compositions and styles from BDDW.

Valentines Day: And Take Out

valentine.

It's Valentines Day!  Michael and I are ordering Chinese take-out to enjoy with candlelight after we put the kids to bed. 


Hope you feel loved today!


Kristyn

Adoption & Life: Updates

So, a dear dear friend sent us $410 for our growing family fund! What a blessing. May you be blessed, sweet buddy. I would really love to see you soon.


We have our first home study meeting this Wednesday!


Just signed Tegegne up for soccer this spring, on a team with a good friend! Let the games begin. This should be hilarious and cute!


Can't wait to catch up with Taryn and Micah tomorrow, as they had a fun filled weekend in NYC!


Planning a sweet + small first birthday party for our baby girl. Can't wait to celebrate her first year of life in a few weeks! 


We had some friends for dinner tonight and our house was so clean and so cozy. Going to bed with full bellies (after veggie chili and beef+bacon chili...sourdough and vanilla butter...cookies...wine) and content hearts. It was a good weekend. Thanks be to God.


Good night, sleep tight. 


photo.

Kid Stuff: via Meg's Pinterest

Via Meg's Pinterest Board called Kids and Baby Items.

DRC Adoption: More Blessings

Last night we opened an envelope from a dear couple that we barely know. They sent us $275, and said that they are praying that their money would also multiply. I teared up and Michael thanked God aloud. Being aware of what God is doing here is transforming our hearts. Thank you, friends! May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! 


Then we got a $27 check from Kansas City Title. We don't know why! 


If you are reading and have faith in God, this makes sense. If you don't know of faith in God, let me say that we have money coming to us from many directions and the only explanation is that we prayed to God for financial provision and our prayers are being answered. 


We are humbled. We know that Gods answers to our prayers are not always like this. Either way, we believe. We believe in God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus died, rose again, and will come again one day. We believe when the sun is shining, or when clouds cover the sky. We believe when money comes in, or when it doesn't. 


And we have hope. Hope that God shines a light in the dark places. Hope that our children-to-be are safe and can feel peace beyond understanding. 


And we are thankful. For our community. For health. For love. Because what we do for the least of these, we do for God...who loved us enough to sacrifice his son. That is love.


photo credit.

DRC Adoption: Praise and Progress

I chime in again today humbled by God's provision. We received $1000 yesterday from some very dear people. And we say, thank you! Thank you for your generosity! Thank you God for guiding our steps. 


And last week we got $1200 from something that had to do with homeowners insurance that we overpaid a year ago. Michael knew about it, but I did not know that money was coming!


And there were 10 extra dollars when I took Tegegne's piggy bank money to the bank! Every little bit counts! 


In case you are curious, here is an estimate of what our adoption will cost with a breakdown of what the money goes toward.


Agency Fee #1 - $2250
Dossier Prep Fee - $500
Foreign Fee #1 - $5000 ($2500 non-refundable, $2500 refundable prior to child referral.)
Humanitarian support & aid - $1000


Total Due w Contract: $8750


Fees below due w acceptance of child referral or dossier submission, whichever is first.


Agency Fee #2 - $2250
Foreign Fee #2 - $5000
Infant Care (0-12 mo) - $250/month


Due with Referral/Dossier: $7250


Costs to Others at time of Referral/ Dossier


State Dept Authentication Fee - $36 for 2 children
Embassy of the DR Congo - $1000 for 2 children
Courier - $70
Child Transportation from region to Kinshasa and administrative coordination - $1500


Our home study is cheaper this go around since we're using the same social worker! (Under $1000)


So, this is not all of the costs but a good chunk of it. Other costs will include our travel, and other possible costs for a second child. If you are not familiar with international adoption, this is overwhelming I'm sure. It is a lot of money. It is a major process, that needs to be done professionally. The costs are for the process and not the child.  


There are other things that are on my mind regarding our adoption that I'll have to share soon. My computer is "dying" as our house was struck by lightening and all power cords were fried!  Michael is bringing his cord home tonight!


Love, 


Kristyn

Becoming Kind: Henri Nouwen

Becoming Kind

Kindness is a beautiful human attribute. When we say, "She is a kind person" or "He surely was kind to me," we express a very warm feeling. In our competitive and often violent world, kindness is not the most frequent response. But when we encounter it we know that we are blessed. Is it possible to grow in kindness, to become a kind person? Yes, but it requires discipline. To be kind means to treat another person as your "kin," your intimate relative. We say, "We are kin" or "He is next of kin." To be kind is to reach out to someone as being of "kindred" spirit.

Here is the great challenge: All people, whatever their color, religion, or sex, belong to humankind and are called to be kind to one another, treating one another as brothers and sisters. There is hardly a day in our lives in which we are not called to this.

 

photo source.

Books: For Wee Ones

Board books for babes:

Urban Babies Wear Black. Hilarious!

Yum Yum Dim Sum. I mean have you eaten dim sum style? It's so fun!

I Like Vegetables.

Caillou My Birth.

A Book of Sleep.

Plus, The Land of Nod features many darling books that we'll be adding to our library list. Children's books rock!

Love,
Mom