Timeline

Where we've been:

August, 2012 - Contacted adoption agencies for information (international and domestic)

September, 2012 - Decided on Bethany Christian Services as our adoption agency and decided on a domestic adoption. Raised about $10 from our amazon adoption fundraising link (http://tinyurl.com/9ZLEMWL). Paid $100 pre-application fee. Began raising money for application fee.

October, 2012 - Began our puzzle fundraiser. Raised about $25 from our amazon adoption fundraising link. Found a stock in Daniel's name worth over $500. With the help of so many friends and family, we were surprised to have reached our $900 application fee by mid-October!

November, 2012 - Application was officially approved. Continued our puzzle fundraiser. Raised over $85 from our amazon adoption fundraising link. Began November at 36% of our home study fee goal, and ended November reaching it! Glory to God for providing $2000 for our adoption home study!

December, 2012 - Met with our adoption counselor and received lots of paperwork. Worked hard all month to complete the paperwork, including physicals, criminal background checks, and being fingerprinted. Also worked on adoption training, which includes reading The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis. Raised over $200 using our amazon adoption fundraising link. Continued our puzzle fundraiser. Began collecting items for an adoption fundraising yard sale in the spring. 

January, 2013 - Attended a support group at our adoption agency, which was very helpful and informative. Our children raised over $100 by memorizing the books of the Bible in order. Received over $100 in donations. Earned around $10 from our amazon fundraising link. Finished our home visit by our adoption agency and scheduled our interviews for February. Began working on our family profiles.

February, 2013 - Began babysitting together for a Bible study group to raise money for adoption. Had our family pictures and video taken for our family profile (thanks to a very good friend). Finished all of the home study requirements, which includes the adoption training with our agency. Received $23 from the use of our amazon fundraising link. Raised $231 in donations and babysitting income for our adoption. Continued collecting items for an adoption fundraising yard sale in the spring. 

March, 2013 -  Paid $2,000 home study fee. Paid $3,000 birth mother fund fee. Completed our family profile books. Became an official waiting family. Received $18 from the use of our amazon fundraising link. Continued babysitting. Raised $1,052 from donations and babysitting income for our adoption. Received $500 grant from the North American Mission Board. Continued collecting items for an adoption fundraising yard sale planned on the first weekend of April.

April, 2013 - Online profile became active. Held a yard sale and raised a little over $3,000 (with the help of many, many people). Received $22 from the use of our amazon fundraising link. Continued babysitting on Saturday afternoons. Applied for the Show Hope grant (http://showhope.org).

May, 2013 - Continued babysitting. Earned money detailing cars. Received ~$10 from the use of our amazon fundraising link. Received a little over $100 in donations. Listed Lara's trombone on ebay.

June, 2013 - Continued babysitting on Saturday afternoons; we estimate to have earned close to $1,000 from all of the Saturday afternoon babysitting we have done this year. Received ~$14 from the use of our amazon fundraising link. Sold trombone on ebay for over $1,700. Received a grant from Show Hope in the amount of $5,550 (http://showhope.org). We have raised all of the money we need for our adoption! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!


Where we're headed:

We are an official waiting family. This means we are waiting for a birthmother to choose our family. We have raised all of the money needed for the placement fee. Praise God! Please pray we will be chosen by a birthmother soon.