Sunday Snapshot:: Tickets for Tulah

If you read my previous post, you already know all about Tickets for Tulah and how it all came about! Y'all s response has been INCREDIBLE!! All I can saw is WOW, and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!! Our friends and family are working so hard to help us bring our little girl home... literally! Their goal from the beginning has been to raise enough funds to pay for our plane tickets!! What an answer to prayer that would be, and because of you all, I just know that we are going to reach that goal!! We only have a few tickets left to sell for that great Ipad 2, and the drawing will be this come Friday, March 23rd!!!!

Won't you please consider purchasing a few tickets?!? You have the chance of winning a GREAT prize, but you have the definite, 100% opportunity to help a little girl find her way to her forever family.

Thank you all so very much for all you have done for our family and precious Tulah. It truly means the world to us!!

Have a blessed week!!!!!

Tickets for Tulah !!!!!

Wouldn't you just love to win an Ipad 2?!? Or, even better than that..... wouldn't you love to know that you had a part in bringing home a sweet little girl from across the world?? Well, because of the efforts of our wonderful friends and family, YOU have the opportunity to do both!! For a donation towards Tulah's adoption, you can be entered into our Ipad 2 giveaway!!!! PLEASE check out the top, right hand side of your screen and enter to win!!!

So how did this come about you might ask?!?

Several months ago, 2 precious friends in our Sunday School class mentioned to me over coffee that they really wanted to help with our adoption of sweet Tulah. At the time, they weren't sure exactly what they wanted to do just yet, but I was simply amazed that they were not only willing to do this, but they WANTED to do this. What they didn't know was that just earlier that week, Michael and I were still talking about the finances surrounding adoption and what we could/should do to make sure that when the time came, the funds would be there. While we were both 100% convinced that this was God's plan for our family, we were still trying to control what WE would do to make this happen. When my friends approached me totally out of the blue about this right after Michael and I had talked, I finally realized that God was showing me how HE would make this happen. I can't explain to you how much through this process that God has shown us that He is in control, and that His will is to be done.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when my friends made the announcement of The Plan! They have planned a BBQ benefit dinner for Tulah's adoption AND a giveaway for an IPad 2!!!! WOW. We can't believe it! It is so incredibly humbling to be where we are. To have people in your life that love you and care for you so much.... and love this little girl across the world so much... I really don't have words to express how that makes us feel, except incredibly LOVED. And we are incredibly GRATEFUL.

The giveaway will be held next Friday, March 23rd, so the winner will be announced then! When you enter, please remember to include your phone number and address so that I can get you that Ipad 2 if you win!!!!!

Want one more look at the precious girl you can help by entering????

Thank you so much!! Have a blessed week!!!!

It Finally Happened!!!!!

ImageChef.com Flower Text

About 5:00 yesterday, on the drive home, I was feeling totally sick. Totally sick that another Monday had gone by with no LOA. You see, LOA's typically come on Mondays, so if I didn't get one yesterday.... there would probably be no hope until next Monday.... Aggghhh......

A few minutes later I was stuck at an unusually long stoplight and I checked my email AGAIN ( I know... bad, bad, bad) But, oh my goodness, there was an email from our adoption coordinator. I did not open it. I was frozen (and the light turned green so I had to go!) When I pulled in the daycare to get Grayden, I still couldn't open it. I was so scared that it was something else, that it still wouldn't be our LOA. And hey, if I didn't open it, it could still possibly be the news we were longing to hear.

But, I bit my lip and clicked on the email. And it said "Amber, we received your LOA this afternoon. It was fed ex'd out today and you will receive it tomorrow. Congratulations!!!!"

(Insert HUGE scream of delight!!!!)

This was day 52 of our wait for LOA. The current average wait time is 60 days, so we were, for once, below the average!! It seems like on this adoption journey we have typically been on the slow end, so I was thrilled!! Plus, I am hoping that this means that we still have a little chance of traveling in May!!

Today, at about 2:00 this long awaited package finally showed up....



(Yes... I was on the lookout for that van!)



These are the precious papers we have been waiting for. China has given us their "stamp" of approval to adopt Liu YaRun!!!

My little photographer snapping a picture of me signing our LOA!!

And after mama signed it, we drove it over to dad so he could put his official signature on it!!!

By 4:00 those precious papers were out of my hands once again and back into a Fed Ex truck. Our paperwork will now go back to the United States Center for Immigration Services and they will approve us to adopt Liu Ya Run!! We have already been approved by immigration to adopt a child from China, but this approval is specifically for her. For THIS child, who God created and knew from the very minute she was conceived that she would join our family.

We are close!! Please keep praying for our sweet girl and that this journey would continue to bring glory to Him!!

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful"
Hebrews 10:23

LOA..... Please Hurry !!!!!

L. O. A.

3 little letters......

That I really, really, really want to hear.

LOA stands for Letter of Acceptance. This will be our official approval, from China, to bring Tulah home. The whole adoption process is a tough wait, but I have found this to be one of the hardest. I think because we just have really no idea when it will come. I have seen some LOAs from other families come in as quick as 34 days, and some I have seen take up to 140 days.... with no apparent rhyme nor reason. Right now we are on day 48 of our LOA wait. So, it could be right around the corner, or it could be a long ways away. Our wonderful, and very reliable adoption coordinator says that she anticipates that we will get our LOA at the beginning of March. And... it is now officially the beginning of March. So, please, please join us in praying that we will hear something VERY soon. We first saw her precious face June 10, 2011, and that seems like long ago. We just want to bring her home !! She has so many people already that are in love with her!! I have been looking through all the pictures I have of her lately... memorizing every little bit of her. One of my favorites I have yet to share on the blog, but it is so precious, and she looks so sweet.... I have to share with ya'll.

Isn't she just so precious?!? I don't know how much longer I can stand it!! I hope that I have some really good news, and 3 very important letters, to share with ya'll soon!!

Have a blessed week!!

Do you need to relax??

I know I sure do. This last week has been CRAZY busy between work, ballgames, church commitments, baby showers, etc, etc, etc!!! Over the last few months, I have found a relaxing "habit" that I absolutely must do before settling in for the night. I cannot wait until I get the kids all tucked away in bed, (of course only after enjoying spending time with them for as long as possible;) and then I enjoy taking a bath... in the quiet... all by myself.... uninterrupted B.L.I.S.S.

One Friday night last month, the hubs was spending some time with his friends and my mom offered to let the kids come and spend the night! My sweet, thoughtful husband offered to change his plans so I wouldn't be alone.... but really.... I was going to be just fine! Oh yes, a night of quiet time, just blog surfing or whatever I wanted to do. I was actually a little excited! (is that bad??) Anyway, I took the kids to my mom's and she said, "You need to just go home and take a long bath and relax". And, I thought that sounded that a grand idea. But, I whined to her (yes, I am 31) , "but I don't have any bubble bath". Mama to the rescue again..... isn't it just great that our moms are really always there for us, even as adults? She went into her room and came out with a brand new Stress Relief set of body wash and lotion from B&B Works. I can't really explain to you how happy that made me!!! With saving for our adoption, I have tried to stay away from those kind of luxury purchases, so needless to say, I pretty much kissed my babies goodnight and headed straight to the tub:))

Because I loved the stuff so much, and I decided that this nightly bath would be a definite routine for me from now on, I ran out of my precious shower gel the other day. BOO:( So, since we were in the vicinity of a B&B Works yesterday, I decided to pop in really quick for a refill.

Well..... GUESS. WHAT. I. FOUND??

I. KNOW! I FOUND THIS TOO!!

These two beautiful bath products are the best I have found in a long time! The scent is Lavendar Chamomile, and it is just so soft, and sleepy, and perfect. The luxury bath..... is, well, so luxurious!! Big, big, silky bubbles. Ahhhhhh...... I'm telling ya, take a bath with the luxury bath, then moisturize with the body lotion, put your most comfy jammies on, and you are on your way to sleepy town!! It is wonderful! And the best part.... both the kiddos have given hugs and smelled me just a little longer than usual, and I got the , " you smell good mommy":)) I think this splurge was totally worth it.

If you're near a B&B Works this week, check it out. You won't be sorry!

One Here.... Three More to Go!!

Does any one remember these few sentences from this post way back in November????

"And just to let you all in on a pretty amazing story.... in our small neighborhood, in our very SMALL town, on our small street, there are currently 4 families in the process of bringing home a precious child from China!! And, we all live right in a row! "

Well.... I am so excited to tell you that we welcomed the first of those precious kiddos home just this past weekend!!

Meet Pearl Alexandra Barbee... the newest member of Redah Acres!!! Isn't she just a doll?!?

She is just the tiniest, cutest thing ever!! Pearl is so fortunate to be joining one of the best, most loving, families I know. Although I'm sure if you ask them, they would tell you they are the fortunate ones!!

If you would like to follow Pearl's family, you can check them out here!!

Look What I Got !!!!!!!

Every day after work, I make the short walk down the driveway to the mailbox.

Most of the time, it's the usual assortment of bills, bills, and more bills!

Every now and then, I get lucky and get something really great.

Like.... a new Southern Living magazine....

....maybe a new Pier One or Pottery Barn catalog....

or maybe even a great package from Etsy!!!

But today.....

today....

I got the BEST piece of mail I have EVER gotten.

Check this out!!!!!!!



Can you even stand it ?!?

A precious hand print of Tulah!!!!

This most special gift came from the wonderful folks at An Orphan's wish as a way to say thank you for being one of Tulah's sponsors.

Such a precious token that I will cherish....ALWAYS!!

" My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand".

John 10: 27-28

I will treasure this little hand every day, until the day I finally get to hold the real thing.

Have a blessed week!!!!