Friday, January 9, 2015

Memorial Day

"For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments-- I am the LORD.The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast" (Exodus 12:13-14)

On several occasions in our family we have stopped and recognized days as days of "memorial"....We often sit the children down and explain what God has done and we have moments throughout that day, week, or year we stop and give thanks to God for the incredible work He did and reminisce on the " memorial" day. Often times we've remembered God's provision, His faithfulness in a situation, or His asking of us to step out in faith in a situation and each time we marveled over His goodness and love for us.

Yesterday was one of those days...We sat the kids down and shared what God has done and we told them to remember this day...as a day of God's kindness, mercy, and faithfulness in KatieJoy's life.

We met with the cardiologist yesterday to discuss the surgical plan for KatieJoy's heart condition. First let me TRY to explain her condition as best as I can.

Her Condition:

1. Complete Atrioventricular Canal defect (CAVC)-A large hole in center of the heart affecting all four chambers where they would normally be divided. When a heart is properly divided, the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs does not mix with the oxygen-poor blood from the body. A CAVC allows blood to mix and the chambers and valves to not properly route the blood to each station of circulation. (American Heart Association)

2. Endocardial cushion defect (ECD) is an abnormal heart condition. The walls separating all four chambers of the heart are poorly formed or absent.

3. No spleen

4. Dextrocardia- is where the heart is pointed toward the right side of the chest instead of the left.

5. Left side of the heart does not function.

6. Double Inlet Ventricle- ok!!! Stopping here....by now you are probably hearing Charlie Brown's mom... Whah!Whah!Whah!Whah! And honestly I don't know what this is...

NOTE: Mom and Wendy ... if you are reading this please correct anything I messed up!!! I am a mommy, not a doctor:)

NOW THAT MY BRAIN IS COMPLETELY OVERLOADED......

Here is the exciting part...

In Bulgaria we were told she was in heart failure but the cardiologist believes this is no longer the case. The Lord has healed this!!

We, as well as her stateside doctors, believed we would have to proceed with the heart catheterization and surgery ASAP but were are not!! We are getting to wait until March to have the heart cath because her cardiologist believes she is doing extremely well right now. Depending on what is found in the cath he believes, right now, we can wait 6 months to a year for the surgery!! This in and of itself is a miracle! We were also able to take her off/reduce most of her meds. GO GOD!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT.....

We have a huge prayer request :

1. Please pray she stays well, this plays a huge factor in so many things.

2.We are asking for each of you to pray that when they do go in to do the heart cath they find that she does in fact have two bottom chambers. (Medical records say no but our cardiologist believes the echos may be showing a second). If she does have the second chamber then the surgery they are going to do (although difficult) has longer lasting effects and gives an extremely increased life expectancy. If she doesn't have the second chamber then they will do a surgery that can lead to some difficulties as she grows into adulthood and it has been known to have shorter lasting effects.
3. Her heart condition causes complications with her lungs and because of this they need to find out if her lungs have been irreparably damaged or if they are fine and just functioning the way they do because of her heart condition. Determining this will be done in the upcoming days through possibly a CT Scan or an MRI on her lungs, they will also be able to see some of this during the heart cath.

We have heard from many doctors that KatieJoy is a miracle.. and we agree! But one thing we are constantly driving home to whoever asks is that SHE IS NOT A MEDICAL MARVEL BUT A MIRACLE OF OUR FAITHFUL GOD!!!!

So this is why yesterday was a day of "memorial"...

To God be the Glory!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Did That really Just Happen?

Did that really just happen, hours before we were scheduled to leave? Did we really just get the rug jerked out from underneath us? Did we just receive word that our little girl underwent a second open-heart surgery without us even knowing? Was it because they were worried she wouldn't pull through and didn't want to tell us until they knew for sure? YES! Yes it did!!

Did this take God by surprise? Was He taken off guard? Very clearly...NO!!!

Psalm 46:1 tells us " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble".

For the past 7 months, since we began the process to adopt KatieJoy, God has shown me so much about Himself ....He has shown me the ugly in myself ..and my need for His grace each day.

As our agency broke the news to us just a few hours before we were scheduled to leave, the only thing I knew to say to them was that we knew this was the risk we took in adopting her and that we knew things wouldn't go as "planned".

As I replay that conversation over again in my head, I wonder why the Lord didn't tattoo the word "duh" on my head. If you know me personally then you know I am a planner...I plan out every meal, every school subject, everything I am going to do with my life. However, as I began processing everything that occurred yesterday the Lord reminded me of this truth:

"The heart of manplans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Prov.16:9
I am thankful God loves me enough to establish my steps and to be the hope to which I can hold. An amazing thing is, He is the same God here in Texas as He is in Bulgaria!

Please continue to pray for KatieJoy as she has been in ICU since June 20th. Pray for healing for her little body and we will be able to meet her in a couple of weeks!

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Calling All....

Calling all crafters, business owners, product consultants (i.e. Mary Kay, 31, ect.) or really generous peeps who would like to donate items for our adoption auction....WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

On May 9, 2014 we will have an auction/benefit concert at our church and we are desperately in need of items to auction off. These items can include anything from homemade craft items, products, gift cards, ect.

Our goal is to raise $4,000 for our upcoming "meetcha" trip. If you are interested in being a part of this event please contact me through my blog or Facebook.

Please Consider Being A Part Of KatieJoy's....

Friday, February 7, 2014

Homeschool Highlights

Our school week in pictures...

Our week started off smoothly and we were able to get alot of school work done. However, by the end of the week we were visited by an unwanted guest...he is some sort of unnamed virus and I will be elated when he leaves our family alone. So we brought back the colloidal silver and elderberry syrup and hopefully he will run for dear life and leave us alone :)

We started off our week reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

After we read the book we painted snowmen with snow paint
This was super easy to make and lots of fun to work with.
Snow Paint Recipe

1 Cup of Salt
1 Cup of Flour
1Cup of Water
Put ingredients in a bowl, stir, and now you are
ready to paint :)

Then we made snowflakes...

We had a great time !!

In History we learned about St. Francis of Assisi and in Bible we
learned about the fall of Jerusalem.

The girls and I are reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
and they are working on a lapbook.

Jeremiah is reading Robin Hood by Roger Green.
He is really enjoying the book as well as the lapbook I got for free here.

We are learning to celebrate the small victories both in our homeschool days (that don't always go as planned)
and in our adoption. :)

The Ladybug Letters

I have decided I would blog letter/updates to/about KatieJoy so I can keep up with her journey and then have a Blog2Print book done for her that tells her story.So here goes the first letter:

Dear Katerina,

We got word on Tuesday that you had your second scheduled surgery..although a surprise for us we know it didn't take God by surprise. We were all very sad that we couldn't make our first trip to see you but we know that God has a plan and we trust in HIM. We are praying for you to recover quickly and heal. We hope that you are well enough to make our trip this time.

Dear Katerina,

This week has been a very busy week. We have been working on lots of paper work that will help bring you home sooner. We also ordered a gift to send to you. Your brothers and sisters have been searching high and low to find you something very special and they finally agreed on a ladybug lovey and as I type this we are waiting on it to arrive. We are planning on mailing it to you soon. :)

We got word this morning you are now out of the hospital (after a 4 week stay recovering from heart surgery) and you are now in the orphanage. Our lawyer told us your condition isn't perfect but you are doing ok for now. We are trusting in a very powerful God who is able to sustain you through this.We, as well as hundreds of friends and family, pray for you daily. Your big brother Micah prayed specifically for you this week, completely on his own. He asked that Jesus would heal your heart. This was a very special thing, one day we will share what God did in Micah's life!!

Waiting for you!
Love,
Your forever family

Donate to Bring KatieJoy Home

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Our family was featured today on Blessed Beyond A Doubt! Please read about our journey to homeschooling and adoption.

Another Update on KatieJoy

We got word today that KatieJoy is still in the ICU, she is not stable enough to be moved to a regular room.On the positive side, she is breathing on her her own and we are so grateful to God for this good news!! We ask that you would pray for healing in her little body and that you would consider buying a t-shirt to help us bring her home!

Monday, January 20, 2014

T-Shirt Fundraiser

We are selling shirts to help bring KatieJoy home...

https://www.bonfirefunds.com/bringing-home-katiejoy

Surgery Update

We received word last Monday morning that KatieJoy was having surgery that day, which means that by the time the email got to us ( due to the time difference) she had already had the surgery. Being that this was a major heart surgery we were on pins and needles for the next two days. On Wednesday we got an email stating that her surgery went well and that she was recovering well but that that is all the doctors are wanting to say and now we must wait and pray. Not the most comforting words to hear but we were very thankful that she came through the surgery. We are continuing to praying for healing and strength for our little girl and we ask that you would please join us:)

Friday, January 10, 2014

"My Little Daughter"

Adoption is not JUST a journey in the rescuing of a child, it's so much more than that! It's a place where our self sufficiency collides with God's sovereignty and we find ourselves broken before a loving and gracious Father who breaks us and molds us and shapes us and takes us to the deep valleys while over and over again assuring us of His unfailing love....I daily pray for faith like Jarius.."Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live." (Mark 5:21-22). This is the cry of my heart, that Jesus would lay his hands on KatieJoy's heart and heal her... that she too would be made well and live! This is where my faith has to step in and where my worry and fear must turn into praise and adoration. This is why adoption is a journey ... a story ... Not written by me but crafted by a Gracious Father...

Please commit to praying for us during this process.Pray for KatieJoy's upcoming surgery, pray for the paperwork to be handled quickly and for God to provide financially so that we can bring her home.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Christmas Traditions

I have always loved fancy place settings and china...yes, I know, expensive taste. There is just something about a pretty place setting that makes me want to put on a dress with a petticoat, of course, pretty white gloves and use my fanciest accent. ;) When I got married I was blessed with Christmas china my grandmother would give me each year until I had enough for my family and some guests. Well, these beautiful plates have always been stored on the highest shelf to keep my little ones AWAY from them.

Now that my children are a little older I decided to dust off those plates, put on a fancy puffy dress (not really) and set my table with something very special from someone very dear to me. So, we have officially started a new family tradition...we will use these plates each night in December with all the fancy trimmings. ;)

This may sound silly to some, but to me it's not really about how pretty the plates are or how fancy the table looks, it's about creating memories with my family. In reality, it could be paper plates or a picnic in the living room, or a special night of Christmas movies and hot chocolate....its not about what you do but it's about taking the time to do something special for your family. :)

Adoption: Piece by Piece

****Please Help Us Finish Our Puzzle ****

UPDATE: We are trying to bring Katerina home from Bulgaria! She is a two year old little girl that is desperately in need of heart surgery. We are trying to get her home quickly in order to give her the best medical care possible! We are so excited and we ask that you consider helping us by sponsoring a puzzle piece...

We have reached a HUGE adoption milestone (well to us anyway) ...we have a completed Homestudy !!!!!!!! We are now working on our I-600A ( aka FBI fingerprints and paperwork that goes to our government).

Oh ya, did I mention we were approved for up to two children under the age of 8 and we agreed to a sibling group (if one is available)????

Can you tell we are excited?????????

So here is where we need your help. We are offering an opportunity for each of you to sponsor a puzzle piece where you would be able to have a message and your name written on it for ONLY $10.00 each.

The puzzle will be put together as people sponsor a piece and we will frame the puzzle (once complete) so our child/children can see all of the precious people who helped in bringing them home!!!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Adoption Update and Opportunity

We have reached a HUGE adoption milestone (well to us anyway) ...we have a completed Homestudy !!!!!!!! We are now working on our I-600A ( aka FBI fingerprints and paperwork that goes to our government).

Oh ya, did I mention we were approved for up to two children under the age of 8 and we agreed to a sibling group (if one is available)????

Can you tell we are excited?????????

So here is where we need your help. We are offering an opportunity for each of you to sponsor a puzzle piece where you would be able to have a message and your name written on it for ONLY $10.00 each.

The puzzle will be put together as people sponsor a piece and we will frame the puzzle (once complete) so our child/children can see all of the precious people who helped in bringing them home!!!