I'm adopted. You're adopted. We're all ADOPTED!

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."

We are God's kids. He adores us, He protects us, He provides for us, He prepares a place for us, He loves to be around us, He speaks over us, He gives peace, He brings joy, He gives GOOD gifts, He laughs with us, He cries over us, He thinks about us non-stop,
HE CHOSE US and HE ADOPTED US!!! 

i. am. grateful.

I love you Daddy,

Tara

$$

I HAVE to give you an update on where we are with saving and raising the money we need for our adoption. God has been so wonderfully good to us and HE definitely deserves the Glory!

The last update that I gave you was when we still needed $18,130.00!! Well, I'm honored to tell you that OUR GOD provided 9,175.00!!! (through people giving, us saving, and miraculous things!!) Which leaves only $8,955.00 needed. Do you SEE how good He is? Be encouraged that He provides when you are obediant to do what HE has planned for you. 

TO ALL of you who have prayed....You know who you are. I hope you know that I KNOW it is priceless and I cannot give enough thanks to you for speaking to God on our behalf!! How is it possible that God would use you to speak out for us?! I am unable to comprehend that kind of love but my gratitude is HUGE!


I have to give thanks publicly, to the people in our lives who have given toward our growing tribe. (financially or in some other helpful and cool way) I am honored and humbled...
Our family-Mary Jean Powers, Phil and Debbie Powers, Dave and Jeanie Rhoades, Rocky and Jovan Rhoades, Tredessa and Ryan Faaland, Stormie Rhoades, Tristan and Stephanie Kelley, and Jon and Holly Powers. Our Friends-Judd and Ellie Pickett, Michael and Stephanie Simants, Felix and Ashley Gilbert, Chad and Joanna Hoffman, Cody and Mandy Bohall, David and Casree Holland, Mike and Jennifer Orenstein, Todd and Kimberlee Herbic, Tom and Rushelle Hathoot, *Anyone who played Skee ball at the Christmas Party and payed to play=), Dale and Patti Paris, Scott Souther, Bruce and Mary Ellsworth, Matt and Leslie Richard, Scott and Jill McCollum, Daniel and Christina Miles.

O-F-F-I-C-I-A-L

 We had a second Christmas yesterday when the FedEx "Angel" dropped off our long anticipated Photo Books. These books include our Birth family letter, tons of pictures of us, and stuff about us for the Birth Families.

Hunter patiently waiting to open our Photo Books

Dave got to open the box and be the first to hold one!! We "oooed and ahhed."

 6 Photo Books 
+ 1 Check for $8,375 all mailed on 12/28/2011 = 
OFFICIAL status with the Adoption Agency and Dave, Tara & Hunter on the "Waiting Birth Family" list on their website!!

Me at the Post Office mailing our precious books to the Agency.

*ahem* I have an announcement.

WE 

ARE

APPROVED!!!!!

We found out yesterday, Tuesday, December 20th at 3:02pm that our home study was approved. 

Am I freaking out? Yes, I am! Did I scream when I got off the phone with my caseworker, Emily? Yes, I did! Did I have butterflies ALL day waiting to hear if they would approve us to have a child in our home? Why, of course!!

Finding out yesterday that we are approved was like going to the Dr. (when you're pregnant), getting an ultrasound, and finding out that you are pregnant for sure and not only relying on the pregnancy test anymore. We officially have the HOPE of a child entering our lives soon. We don't know when, who, what, etc. but we KNOW. 

Now, I'm off to wait......

First Trimester.

You know how I said before that adoption has some similarities to pregnancy? I feel like we just finished the first trimester. I'm serious too. You know, exhaustion, sickness (So weird, but I actually was sick for an entire month!;)), excited, eager to tell everyone and secretly hoping that noone else will tell so you get to, talking about it non-stop, praying a lot that you can actually raise this child, kinda freaking out a little, reading every little website or book about where you are in the process....

One of the main differences is that instead of feeling a lot of the physical stuff, you go through a lot of brain work. Lots of paperwork and finding the right pictures and trying to convince someone that you are credible and would make a great parent for someone's child.

We had our third and final Home Study interview today at our home. We walked through our home with our case worker and she had to check on smoke alarms, water heaters, etc and make sure we were sanitary. (not a hard one to pass for this clean freak!) She had an interview with Hunter that went so well. She kept quoting him to us during the last part of our interview. That's my boy!;) She asked him what he thought Adoption was. His answer, "It's when a kid is part of one family and then they get to be a part of another family." WOW! I'm still thinking he knows more than I do. She approved the home inspection part and didn't give us anything to do for our home. Yea! We should find out within the next week if we are approved officially for the complete home study and I'm so ready and very excited.

The Home inspection part of our Home Study, Approved.

4 Thumbs up for a good last interview. The flash really liked my face!

Here we go. Number two.

Did you know that we have completed our first interview for our Home Study and tomorrow we are doing our second interview? NO?!? That's my fault for not writing about it! 

This was Dave and I on our first interview which we were mostly excited and a little scared for a couple of weeks ago..

It went well. We sat in the office and answered a lot of questions about ourselves. Some questions were extremely easy and others were difficult. There are things you think you know about yourself until someone asks you point blank and you find it very difficult to find the words. 

Tomorrow is the first time our case worker comes to our home to look around and then Dave and I are separated for a private 2 hour personal interview. This interview is definitely more foreboding but I just keep telling myself that I'll be fine because I have nothing to hide. (which is true, by the way;))

After this interview there is a third and final interview and another check on our home to make sure it is up to code to be approved for our Home Study. AHH! Anticipation is building....

In other news. Christmas is coming and we have been decorating our home. Hunter and I pulled stockings out and we both decided that we should definitely hang one up for the baby. Three turns to four....

Four Stockings

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!)