Holy Jeans. (jeans having holes in them)

This is my husband and the Daddy of my children...

David Michael Powers

This man is my match. He desires Jesus above all else, he makes me laugh, he takes care of me when I'm sick, he watches to see what I need, he listens and cares about what I have to say, he takes time for our son, he dreams and he sees his dreams come true, he speaks well of me when I'm not around, he tells our love story often, he encourages me toward my dreams, he prays with and for me, he knows my faults and loves me even more, he teaches our son the Word of God, he sings and plays guitar for us and for Jesus, he loves people, he is intentional about learning from people who know more than him, he likes to come home and be with us, he is not afraid of making lots of silly faces and voices, he can tell me where to find stuff in the Bible, he taught me that confrontation can be a good thing, he lets me verbally process everyday as much as I want, he is beautiful and I love him and LIKE him very much.

He told me the other day, after I mentioned that I could not believe he had holes in his newer and more expensive jeans, that he didn't care about having holes in his jeans right now. He said that he understood this time of life is to be down on the floor with Hunter. Allow me to explain what this means: Dave and Hunter have wrestling matches, light sabor fights, kung fu madness, tickle fights and the like on the floor on a daily basis. Dave realizes that this is a season and he is not going to miss it because of holes in his jeans. We'll keep buying jeans and they'll keep playing on the floor. What a great daddy!

Here is what Hunter says about his Daddy...

"I like Daddy and boy day. I like my Daddy. I like that he takes me to Xtreme Challenge and Chuckee Cheese. He is my Dad and I love him a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot."

This whole adoption process really started with Dave. He started the conversation in the car on the way to Iowa back in March. We had no idea that conversation would have us where we are today. We are filled with joy!! 

I love you, my sweet husband and I can't wait to see you with the other children that God gives to us.

Tara Jean Powers

 My beautiful sister, Tredessa Rhoades will be getting married at the end of this month to Ryan Faaland. We couldn't be happier. We are busy making beautiful decorations and hunting for our outfits and praising God that He brought Ryan into Tredessa's life. Something that I adore about Tredessa is that she always takes time with her nieces and nephews no matter what time of life she is in. She definitely has been termed the "Favorite Aunt" by a few kiddos. ;) This story is no exception. During this busy season of wedding planning she took time to play, LIFE with Hunter yesterday and here is the story she wrote....

 

"Played the board game, Life, with my nephew, Hunter, today. He was thrilled everytime he got any money and would constantly chant, "I have more money than you!" in a tone of competition...to which I would very humbly respond, "Nuh-uh, I do!" After he watched me land on the spaces where I got twin boys and a baby girl to add to my little vehicle and he hadn't landed on any kid spaces, he glanced ...at the money that he highly valued, because it meant that he would beat me, and turned to me and asked, "Can I adopt a baby if I gave you some money?" My eyes got a little misty. "Of course, you can." I loved that he didn't ask if he could just take a couple of the little people pegs and put them in his car as his kids, but that he realized that it was a precious thing that he was asking for and it would cost him something that he valued. The sacrifice was worth it to him. So he adopted two boys..." -Tredessa Rhoades

I bawled and am still bawling as I reread this precious story. As a parent, I'm trying to prepare my son for adoption and I think he just might be getting it.

Profile.

 Profile: to produce or present a history, description, or analysis of: 

October is the month that I'm working on my Adoption Profile Book. Can I just explain how hard this is? In essence you are choosing pictures and words that depict your life for someone who doesn't know you at all. 

One blogger wrote about making theirs and how it is kind of like a first date and you want your profile book to stand out to prospective parents. Another blogger wrote that she felt she put too much time into "selling" herself and not just making it with the trust that it will be in the right hands at the right time. I'm desiring to make ours with excellence and trusting that it will go where it needs to go. Most of the books that I've been perusing on the internet and what I'm finding are a lot of books that look like scrap books because everyone has to use the same template. I'm going to have to say this and I know it will offend some people but I very strongly dislike scrapbooking and scrapbooks and anything that remotely LOOKS like a scrapbook. (sorry scrapbookers) I desperately desire to make this profile book without it looking like hearts, rainbows, and cheesy flowers exploded all over the page!

I'm grateful that I have friends and family that desire to help me with this process (Major thanks to Stormie and Ellie).

These next few weeks I will be pouring myself, my heart, my mind, into making this book one that is an honest, beautiful portrait of who my family is (I may have to add a flower or two.;)) 

Profile book specifications

I am so visual that I got a blank book so that I can write in exactly what I want on each and every page.

Priceless.

Paperwork for Adoption!

Envelope from Target. $1.99

Mailing envelope to Castle Rock with confirmation. $5.90

Time, energy, love, prayers, tears and paperwork included in the package. $Price.less

I took the paperwork to the post office and asked for insurance. There is no insurance that could cover the cost in this beautiful package. (the post man actually told me so!)

Mailed with love.

We are mailing ALL of our paperwork this week. Phew! Talk about a LOT of work. We did all our FBI work, local police reports, medical exams (Dave said that at the Dr. Office they took at least 3 pints of blood! He's kidding of course it was more like 2 pints *wink, wink), autobiographies, foster to adopt application for the state, work stuff, tax reports, references, and answered many questions that we had NEVER been asked before. It was worth it!

Dear baby Powers,

We mail these papers in with love. 

You are worth it,

Daddy, Mommy & Hunter

Money.

We started out needing this much....

$21,585.00

We now need this much...

$18,130.00

God is providing for our every need. He is allowing us to put a little bit of money in savings every month toward adoption which is a miracle!

Thank you so much to our friends and family for giving out of obedience to Jesus! Thank you for loving our family and the little one which will be in our life VERY soon!

God has provided $3,455.00 in one month!  Aren't you excited to see what He will do next?

On the road again. (update about insurance)

A lot of people have been asking me about what happened with the insurance. Thank you to everyone who is praying for us through all of this! It isn't completely worked out yet but some cool stuff has transpired. I called, Emily (our caseworker from Hope's Promise) to discuss our options. She definitely calmed me down and said they weren't going to stop our process because of this issue and we would go ahead and move forward. This was such a relief because this means we can continue onto our interviews after our paperwork gets turned in to the agency this next week.

Also, Hunter has insurance with CHP+ an organization in Colorado that covers health insurance for kids and families that make only a certain amount of money a year. They say that if one child is eligible your other children are eligible. Now I'm working on getting a signature or something from them that might state that our future child would in fact be covered by them just like Hunter. See? God IS at work. He even cares about the insurance. 

The road block has cleared! On the road again and loving it!

Treasure.

In our story, there is a little boy. His name is Hunter and he is six years old. He is extremely smart, hysterically funny, and uncommonly logical. He loves to wrestle, could watch Star Wars everyday, and doesn't like most foods. (mostly veggies, of course) He will try anything as long as there is no pain involved. He may tickle you non-stop if you allow him to and he still wants mommy to cuddle with him every night before bed. He feels things deeply. When he laughs, he laughs hard and when he cries, he cries hard. He copies everything his daddy does because he wants to be just like him. When he prays, God listens. He is my son. He is our baby's big brother. 

Hunter has been praying with us for 4 years for a baby sister or brother. He has seen me cry and his prayers have comforted me. When we started the adoption process he was so excited. We heard things like, "Can we go pick them up today?" "Can I please have a 4 or 5 year old brother?" Then he would try to barter (he's good at TRYING to get what he wants.) "How about a 3 year old brother?" 

Dave and I have been open to adopting a child 3 years of age and under but with the adoption agency we have chosen it will more than likely be an infant. I've been trying to warm Hunter up to the fact that he will have a baby. It's been working. We were in Target the other day buying a baby gift for a friend and he stood in the baby toy aisle, playing. After awhile he said, "Mommy, I think I do want a baby." My heart beamed. I've also tried telling him that he will get to change ALL of the poopy diapers. I don't know if that helped or not? =) 

We went to the library a few days ago and got a book about becoming an older brother and a DVD too. The DVD was kinda hilarious but I think it got the point across. The children acting in the movie were acting "angry" because their younger sibling was getting all the attention. Hunter turned to me and said, "I won't get angry about that, Mom."  God is preparing my little boy's heart to be a brother.

Hunter and I took some paper and taped it on the wall in the baby's room to write prayers on and draw pictures for him/her. He started writing, and here is what it said: "the babis lic treasure" *translation: "The baby is like a treasure." (I helped to spell treasure) I cried. 

The BaBIs Lic treasure written on the wall in the nursery.

Writing on the wall.

Hunter writing and drawing on the wall.

Hunter is going to be a great big brother to our little treasure. 

 By wisdom a house is built,
   and through understanding it is established;
 through knowledge its rooms are filled
   with rare and beautiful treasures. 

Proverbs 24:3-4

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3

The house of the righteous contains great treasure Proverbs 15:6a

 

Secret Place.

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be. 

My cousin, Melissa and her hubby, Luke.

 I was in Missouri this past weekend and I got to see my lovely cousin, Melissa and her hubby, Luke for an hour or so. (such a bummer it wasn't longer) Melissa has been following our adoption and was praying for us on Sunday morning and prayed Psalm 139:13-16 over us.  She said that the "secret place" stuck out to her because our child is TRULY being formed in a secret place. A couple of people told me this weekend to view this time as pregnancy and really spoke into my life about how the adoption process really is like being pregnant. I'm beginning to see that it truly is. 

• We are preparing our home and a space for this child. (fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, bedroom, crib, safety regulations, etc.)
• We are praying daily for our child.
• We are prepping our son to be a big brother.
• We are financially involved.
• There are physical, emotional, and spiritual complications.
• We are dreaming of how they will look and what their personality will be like.
• We are looking up baby names.
• Some days it feels like forever and other days it feels like it needs to slow down.

My baby is being formed in a secret place that Jesus knows about. 

Thank you, Melissa for praying and sharing from your heart. Thank you to everyone who is praying!

Love, Tara

Roadblock #1

Road Block #1

 I had no idea that we would already be running into road blocks. I wanted to be sure to write this down BEFORE God does something. I want to be able to bring Him glory when He shines through like He always does. We have been frantically filling out paperwork. We have had our fingerprints done, medical exams scheduled, in the process of writing an autobiography (Yes, a VERY long autobiography) My brain has been full of papers and signing and a little scattered because of it. One of the papers we have to fill out is a proof of health insurance and that if we have it the insurance company will cover our adopted child. Dave and I have not had health insurance for 6 years because we are missionaries and it just never fit into the budget so well. Well, I called today about getting insurance and found out that Dave and I are INeligible for health insurance because they look at the adoption sort of like a PRE-existing condition. (A Condition?!) I have to tell you that I have cried and that this is definitely looking like a mountain to me right now. I have calls in to specialized brokers, insurance agencies, etc. Will you pray with us about this situation specifically? 

I knew this adoption road would have road blocks I just wasn't expecting any so soon. 

This is a long journey over many mountains. I can't wait to see what God will do through our story. 

Dear Baby Powers, I dedicate this song to you today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-UvQYAmbg