Totally Twisted

Remember how I told you that in addition to fundraising for the adoption, we were doing things here and there to earn extra money to help pay for the adoption process? Well, here is one of those things.

 Evan LOVES to learn anything he possibly can (one of my favorite qualities about my husband). When we joined our church, they went out to the block parties in the downtown area and made balloon animals for the kids. Evan jumped right on it and wanted to learn how to make balloon animals (he is such a go getter). He picked it up fast and now is really good at it. He has gotten some paid gigs doing balloon animals. This Saturday, in fact, he is doing balloon animals for a large company picnic. They hired him last year and the kids loved it so much, that they wanted him back this year.

 He loves seeing how excited the kids get as an ordinary balloon gets twisted into something totally fun! So, as you are planning your kid's birthday parties, company picnics, fundraisers, school events, festivals, etc, consider hiring out my man. Balloon animals are a fun and festive addition to any celebration.

Or, maybe you would just be interested in placing an order for a special someone, holiday or event. He has done orders for balloon flower bouquets (Mother's Day is next month), orders for swords for little boy's parties, specific characters, etc (obviously you have to be local for this to pick up your order). You can even do team colors! If you have another idea of something you would like made into a balloon, just email him and ask if he can do it. Not only will you be pleased with the smiles on everyone's faces from such a fun gift, but you will be helping us towards the expenses of our son's adoption.

Here is a list of some of the balloons that Evan can make:

 flower

sword (glow sticks can be put in these for nigh parties)

dog

giraffe

 monkey on a tree

 snake

butterfly

 hats/crowns 

maze balloons with balls inside 

princesses & characters (order only)

Here are a few picture samples:


Standard Flower Bouquet (8-10 flowers)

Butterfly (sorry Savannah had it upside down). This one comes in bracelet form and the girls like to wear it on their wrist.

Monkey on a palm tree

  Dogs

Twisted sword

Fun hat

Snake

Princess Crown

Flower (We brought some of these to our friend Mrs. Leah at the nursing home today)

This one was for a Ninjago party complete with swords for all of the ninjas

We would love it if you would pass this info on to anyone who you think might be interested in something unique and fun for a party, event or a gift. 

Contact Evan for more info and prices @ evanmcginty@gmail.com

The Long Road Ahead

So many people have asked us the questions, "Have you seen a picture of your son yet?, Do you get to pick him out?, When will you have him home? Why does this take so long?, etc" You would think that most of these questions would be able to be answered  fairly soon after you decide you want to adopt, but that is not the case. I wanted to give a run down of what our schedule looks like for this process:

1.)First we have to complete all of the paperwork for our home study and it has to be approved. This takes about 3 months

2.)Next we have to fill out some more forms and work on our Dossier (giant packet of info that gets sent to Ethiopia) and wait for that to get approved. This can take 3-6 months.

3.)Once our Dossier is approved we will be put on a Waiting list and given a number. Right now the numbers being given out are in the low hundreds. As families are matched with a child, you move down the numbered list. The problem is that most months there are not that many referrals (when you receive a child's picture and a brief description about them and you can accept or deny the referral) given out (lately it is in the range of about 4 referrals a month..could be less some months, could be more). For example if you are number 100 and there are an average of 4 referrals done a month, you could be on the waiting list for 25 months before you ever see your child's face come across your compter screen. This is why this process can take up to 3 years.

Ethiopia is currently in the process of getting Hague Accredited. They put certain laws in place to slow down the adoption process to make sure they are ethical and legal. They went from processing 50 Dossiers a day to only 5 a day. Now you can see why only a few families are being matched from an agency at a time.

4.)If we accept the referral we will travel to Ethiopia within 4-6 weeks of accepting and meet our child. At that point we will go to court to have the child declared as "legally" ours before a judge (if you pass).

5.)Then you have to do the dreaded part of leaving your child in Ethiopia until their paperwork is finished processing in the US. This usually takes 4-6 months. (Oh the agony..this is the part I fear the most).

6.) Once your paperwork is completed, you travel back to Ethiopia to pass Embassy and then head home with your child (FINALLY!)

So, now you can see that it is not as easy as just deciding to adopt. It is a looooong drawn out process with so much legal work, so much money and so much waiting! More than likely all of our paperwork will expire due to the long wait and we will have to update a few times during the process, which is just frustrating to think about. Our prayer is that somehow the process picks up and we won't have to wait so long, but it's all just up in the air at this point. Things could change at any moment.

We will need prayers for lots of patience during the waiting and lots of encouragement. After having 3 biological children, I thought the 9 months of waiting was so long. I have a feeling I am in for a rude awakening. But, I love knowing that God is in for the long haul, he placed this on our hearts, He'll carry us through it. Also that we have an amazing community of friends and family around us to lift us up, pray for us and see us through till that little guy is home sweet home.

Homestudy Hallelujah!

Well folks, our home study went off without a hitch! PRAISE GOD! Tuesday through Thursday we were interviewed and our house was inspected. I must say, the home study was actually a lot less stressful than I thought. Here is a taste of what we did:

-measurements of the bedrooms, check for smoke detectors, safety checks on locked cleaning supplies, working fridge and water, first aid kit, etc

-Observations of the kids over dinner (very informally since they are so little).

-Interviews on EVERY subject, from our marriage, to our kids, parenting, discipline, our childhood, our past, our families, our faith, our education experiences, our dating relationship, etc.

-Discussions on how we feel about adoption, what led us here, what expectations and fears we have, what we have learned through our education thus far on adoption, how we feel about having a trans-racial family, etc

It was a lot, but luckily we have a great social worker who made us feel like we were just talking to a friend. We talked over cups of hot tea and lollipops (yes, I am 31 and I like lollipops). We really couldn't have asked for it to go any better.

Now that the interview and inspection part of the home study is done, the paperwork part won't be finished until around the end of June. Our social worker has to type up our entire home study and we have to complete and include the following items:

-FBI and state background checks and fingerprints
- Child abuse clearances from LA and TX
-10 hours of online Hague education
-Desired Child Form
-Read the book The Connected Child
-Complete Adoption Discussion Questions
-Attend a Crossings Seminar and complete a workbook
-Get complete physicals on Evan and I and the 3 kids
-Copies of Marriage Certificates, birth certificates, vaccine records, social security cards, pay stubs, tax returns.
-  Trans-racial discussion questions
-Study up on the country of Ethiopia

So as you can see, it's back to paperwork for us....the never ending trail of paperwork! We are 2 1/2 months in and I know we have a loooong way to go, but the in home part of the home study is one more step complete. THANK YOU to everyone who prayed for us this week! We really felt them as we were totally at ease and peace and the process was GREAT!

This is a long and tedious process, but we are moving along. Please continue to pray as we keep working to finish all of our paperwork. Oh, and if you haven't downloaded and watched the Stuck documentary, I encourage you to do so. Evan and I watched it last week and it was really good and quite emotional, so have your kleenex ready and be prepared for God to lay some stuff on your heart....hey, I warned you! You can get to it from HERE.

Puzzle Update #4

I honestly did not think we would get an update out this week with our homestudy starting TONIGHT, but my husband pushed through last night and added all of our new pieces. I seriously cannot say enough wonderful things about that man!

Anyway, many of you saw my birthday wish on FB, which was to get 31 pieces donated for my 31st birthday. Well, can I just say it was a FABULOUS birthday! Blessing after blessing poured in, and I truly felt support, love and encouragement from everyone who helped make my wish a reality. A piece here, a few pieces there, even a donation of 31 exact pieces from a donor all added up to make a marvelous addition of.......drumroll please..............

84 more pieces!!!!!!!!

I know right? Week after week I am in awe. I keep thinking "Well, we probably won't get any this week, because we had so many last week." But wow...you guys just keep rocking it and making my jaw drop. I've said it before and I'll say it again...God is using you guys and your generous hearts to bring our little boy home. He is also using you to teach Evan and I a lesson in faith and trust. THANK YOU so much for that my friends!

So, we are now at 299 pieces donated and put together, with 201 pieces left to go. We are OVER halfway done with our puzzle! It is coming together beautifully and all of the water is ALMOST complete, then we will work our way into Africa, ending with the red heart over Ethiopia.

Can you help us get these last 201 pieces sold? Share our blog on facebook if you can. One of our donations this week came from someone so kind, who saw our blog posted on their friend's facebook page and felt called to give a generous donation....how cool is that?

Reminder: Puzzle pieces are $10 a piece and you can buy as many as you'd like. We will write your name across the back of the # of pieces you buy. We will frame it between glass and hang it in our son's room to share with him when he is old enough to understand how all of you AMAZING friends helped get him home to his forever family.

Here is the updated picture:

Remember if you don't have a paypal account, you can send a check to our P.O. Box at:

Evan McGinty

P.O. Box 1171

Mandeville, LA 70470

or you can donate here through paypal:

A BIG THANK YOU to the following people who gave to our baby boy this week. Praying that each of you is blessed for being a blessing to us.

Lammon Family

Robin Family

Breedlove Family

Cori Belletto

Tim & Kim Haws

Anonymous

Accardo Family

The Stogners

Norris Family

Grandpa

Nanny & Grandpa Ricky

Abby Horst

Clark Family

Yaya & Papoo

Jim Wilkens

Reflection of Easter

What a wonderful weekend it was celebrating the death and resurrection of my Savior. So much to ponder with Easter. I have said it before, but this adoption process has made me so much more tuned into what Christ did for me on that rugged cross. When he died, he took every sin I have ever committed and every sin I will commit and felt the weight and punishment of it on the cross. I weep thinking of how unbearably hard that must have been, how crushing, how painful, how powerful.  I rejoice knowing that his death was not in vain. Death could not defeat him, he rose from the grave 3 days later showing his amazing power and giving me HOPE! Hope that comes from knowing that I am now in HIS family FOREVER, because he has wiped me clean, sacrificed, and loved us to the utmost. PRAISE GOD! It's really too much for me to wrap my mind around. It brings me to my knees, it lifts my hands in praise, it cuts deep within me. I NEVER want to grow numb to the reality of what HE did for ME and for YOU.

Our adoption through Christ is what prompts us to go through this adoption process. The more God pressed adoption on my heart, the more I saw how it correlated with what he did for us. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means comparing what we are doing to what Christ did for us...THERE IS NO COMPARISON, and we could never come close. It has been so neat to see how just in these past 2 months, God is doing things in me, stirring in my heart, refining me through the process, giving me an unending love for this child. This is not simply an act of "good deed" that we are doing, this is in response to what Christ did for us. He shed his blood, he wiped us clean, he gave us an eternal home and he promises to never leave us.

I cannot wait to hold this precious child, tell them how much I love them and that I will never leave them, that their past does not define them. I cannot wait to share who Jesus is with them. For them to not only see what earthly adoption is, but also eternal and spiritual adoption. One sweet day my friends....for now, we keep praying, hoping and trucking right along with the process.

This week we have our homestudy (I cannot believe it is actually here). The homestudy will consist of an observation of our kids, a home inspection, individual interviews and joint interviews. I am slightly nervous just because I know that someone is evaluating us. I have full confidence that it will go well, it's just a lot to work yourself up over. Please pray for us this week if you think about it. We start Tuesday night and finish Thursday. I have envisioned my kids running around like maniacs and swinging from the ceiling fans while our social worker is here. There is no telling what the littles might pull that day, so the prayers are appreciated!

On another note, I am hoping to get our next puzzle update done soon, but with the homestudy this week, I am not sure when that will happen. Can I just say that I had an amazing birthday last week as so many of you stepped up to donate in honor of my 31st (made turning 31 totally AWESOME). I can't wait to update the puzzle with the new pieces and share with you guys how many were sold. There is still time to donate ($10 per piece) if you want to get in on this next update.

Hope everyone is having a good week and enjoying your sugar rushes from Easter...I gotta run...there is a Rees's peanut butter cup calling my name from Dixie's easter basket.

Puzzle Update #3

It has been 2 weeks since our last puzzle update. Here are a few pics I snapped of Evan the other night as he worked hard to put together the pieces all of you bought.

The table was covered in puzzle pieces so he had to move to the stove top

See the time...11:36 p.m. Determined to find the pieces

Yep, they all look like THIS.......

I bet you are ready for an update though right????

Ok here it is:

102 NEW PIECES were donated by some AMAZING people this week!!!! AHHHHH!!!! So excited to add that many pieces to our puzzle. We are getting closer guys. This brings our total to 215 pieces (we are almost halfway there). We know it can be done. So many people have graciously stepped up. We could not do this without all of you and God's provision.

With 215 pieces already bought with some wonderful names on the back, we still have 285 pieces to go. Can you help us complete our son's puzzle? If you would like to know how your money helps support our son's adoption, you can see a previous post HERE on the cost of our adoption. You can donate/buy a puzzle piece(s) for $10 per piece by clicking on the paypal button below below or sending a check to:

Evan McGinty

PO BOX 1171

Mandeville, LA 70470

If you missed it and want to see what this puzzle fundraiser is about, you can view the post about it HERE.

Here is our updated picture. You can actually start to see the outline of Africa coming together...YAY!! I wonder if we can complete the rest of the water by our next update?

THANK YOU TO THESE AMAZING PEEPS WHO DONATED:

Miss Jesse Hoyer

Jennings Family

Englehart Family

Hano Family

Ms. Angie Burgess

Koenig Family

Rebecca Graham

Collins-Rickels Family

Butler Family

Fersch Family

Maw Maw & Pere' Pere'
Anonymous Family

AND THESE AWESOME FOLKS WHO DONATED BY BUYING COFFEE THROUGH OUR JUST LOVE COFFEE FUNDRAISER:

The Loman Family

David & Emma Loyless

Spring

Today is the FIRST day of Spring.....YIPPIE!!!! It has been so gorgeous here this past week.The weather has warmed to the high 70's and the sunshine has been pouring out. Despite the massive amounts of yucky pollen everywhere, we have been making it a point to get outside a lot more, and it totally can change your attitude. There is just something about breathing in the fresh air, seeing God's beauty in nature and feeling the sun kiss your skin. I LOVE IT!

The kids have been enjoying picking flowers as we go on our walks around the neighborhood. There is color and vibrance around every corner, where a couple of weeks ago, there was none. Even the  bushes on the side of the ditch are singing of His glory.

His walking stick is bigger than him

Sweet sisters (runny noses and allergies in 5, 4, 3, 2....)

While I highly dislike the pollen that comes along with Spring, I love the blossoming of flowers, the warmer weather, the birds singing (except before I am out of bed), and the feeling of newness everywhere. Especially with Easter right around the corner, I am reminded of new life. Isn't it so neat how God gave us seasons to reveal himself?  I love this song by Nichole Nordeman that describes that so beautifully.

 Things have been sleeping, dead or dormant all winter and suddenly new buds pop up and bloom into beautiful radiance. I can't help but be reminded of how Christ gives NEW LIFE! All week this verse has been coming to mind:

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone, the new is here!"

-2 Corinthians 5:17

I am so thankful that through my adoption by Christ, I am made new! I am thankful that even though I was dead in my sin, when I accepted him as my Savior, he bestowed beauty and new life to me. I am truly a new creation in him. What a beautiful visual the Spring season is of this. I love that God sends little reminders through something as simple as azaleas on the side of the road to remind me that He makes all things new, He is a breath of fresh air, and He is the giver of life.

Seasons........whether it be the change in weather or the seasons of our life, they are all for his glory! Yet, what a loving God, who uses them to share his beauty and creativity with us, and to refine us into the image of His son. Hope you're embracing this season!