Rooted in Trefoil to Rooted in Sand

Hey Friends!!! Trying my hardest post more than once a month, and I've been failing left and right on this. So perhaps we try this again. I cannot believe that September is almost over. This month has flown by. We actually went to Tulsa for my first trip there at the beginning of the month. Drove down and spent time with family on Tyler's side. I think I love Tulsa and I could totally move there. Yeah.  When we got back it took us a while to get back into the groove of work. We've been so busy that our 3rd wedding anniversary crept up on us. I'm so blessed to have a husband who puts me first but also has a good heart and positive energy. He's such an amazing husband. So as we inch closer and closer to OCTOBER(what!?!?!?!), we'll begin our online training for our adoption. We actually have fantastic news and that is we will  be starting our home study visits with ICM at the beginning of November and finish up by January/February. I know it seems...

So sorry friends, we haven't updated in awhile. Let's do a quick recap.... July - We've been quite the homebodies in effort to save money. Most evenings we are watching movies, playing with the girls, and doing chores. I had a wedding to coordinate and it was a swelter of a day. While it was fun and beautiful, it was hot and humid. The bride remained gorgeous throughout it tho. Home study Update: In effort to give us a bit more time to save, we've pushed our home study to begin Jan 2018. What some people don't quite understand is that there are things that need to be in place by the start of our home study OR before the last visit. Tyler and I need to finish getting our pre-home study paperwork completed, this includes his autobiography, our guardianship paperwork, a fire escape ladder for the upstairs, three fire extinguishers - one for every level of the house, carbon monoxide detectors throughout the house- this might include an upgrade to the alarms in the h...

Ok, so I can totally respect people asking questions about the process of adoption, like where do all those funds go and how do you know you're donating to the right organization or couple when you assist with adoption? All great questions and thoughts and each are totally valid. The reason I bring this up is because I had someone question us PUBLICLY on Facebook (post since deleted) and not in a very kind way. Here's how you know people are adopting for real and not for scam.......you KNOW your friends. Most of you know or have known my medical struggle and our want to be parents. We would NEVER take from others to spend that which we raise on non-adoption related things. For someone to suggest that in a rude manner is so bizarre to me. I don't mind having the conversation in private.  If you don't know you can send funds you receive to your agencies for them to hold -similar to putting funds in an escrow account. Same as when you apply for a grant, you don...

Sometimes you need a shirt to get you through!!! These shirts go to a great cause.....they assist with the ever-growing cost of our adoption to bring Baby Schmidt home to us. I need to sell 5 by Jul 5th in order for them to print! Get yours now, and beat the summer heat!!! https://www.bonfire.com/adoption-is-the-option/

FINALLY!!!!!! We have collected donations from amazing people throughout Champaign and Savoy!!!! Our garage has been full with items from kitchenware, to kid items, to books, to I don't know what is in that box; and we're about to unload all of it this weekend!!!! Hello Garage Sale Weekend!!! If you're in the area, drive on through!! To get to Prairie Fields: Get on Neil St and follow it til it becomes Dunlap. At the intersection of Dunlap and Old Church Road, turn left and go over the tracks. PF will be the first subdivision on the left hand side of the road. Houses will be marked with posters, signs, balloons, etc.

As most of you know, we were hosting a fundraiser/raffle through Lola's Brush. Well this past Saturday we had to cancel because we simply did not sell enough tickets to our event. So, I decided that instead of rallying for another date right away, I'd go get a pedicure and use that gift card I had received from my mother-in law. It was sooo needed. I was feeling relaxed and calm about everything. I was a tad sad about having to cancel the party, but the leg massage took all that away. While I was sitting back relaxing, Mandy from Lola's Brush called me and texted me so quickly that I barely had a chance to pick up the phone. She had received an inquiry from WCIA News Channel 3 about our party and that even though it was cancelled they wanted to report our story. While we discussed this, I mentioned let's get a new date for our party in case they want to proceed with an interview. That way we can launch the new day and use this as serious publicity. When I got off the...

On May 10th 2017, Tyler and I officially became "paper pregnant"!!!! Too bad it's not guaranteed to be 9 months long. So what actually occurs at this point!?!!??! We welcome our social worker into our home for 3 to 4 visits that include an overview of the house, and interviews of myself and Tyler together and separately. The paper portion is a collection of items that we must gather slowly and during specified times throughout the process. We'll have to gather information about our finances, employment, background checks, and much more. There will be conversations about our readiness and reasons about wanting to adopt, potentially a walk-through of our neighborhood, outline of our social life, parenting experiences, and daily life routines. The home study has been called the "most invasive" or "lengthy" portion of the adoption process. It is hard to let a complete  stranger into your home to essentially judge you in a good way. After all, pr...