I Think He Knows

I think somehow Micah knows that he will not be an only child for long. He has started looking at me, like really looking at me. He makes me feel like a piece of art. He studies my face with this little smirk on his face just like his daddy always does. The last few nights he has requested that I rock him before he falls asleep. He hasn't wanted this since he was about 3 months old. I have to say I love it. I love getting to stare back at him. Micah will be 20 months old this week. Fastest 20 months of my life. I love everything about my little Micah Doodle. He is going to be an amazing brother. I just know it.

Today he helped me put our thank you notes to all our financial donors in the mailbox. It was one of those mommy moments. I know he doesn't understand yet but I know there will be many times in his life that he is so thankful to us for bringing his African brother or sister into his life.

Handwritten

Today I received a handwritten letter from some friends of ours. There is something very sincere about a handwritten letter. They explained that on their hunt for a new mattress God quietly spoke to them saying "You are looking for a replacement mattress, but you already have a bed, the Evans baby needs a bed before you do" With the letter came an amazing donation, that they decided to give towards our child instead of buying a new mattress. Tears, lots of tears. 

Last week a friend called me to meet her at a grocery store where she proceeded to tell me that God told her to give us a donation towards bringing our baby home. She handed me a check right there in the middle of the grocery store.

I also received a $250 check in the mail from the April Wade. 

The Created New Infinity Scarf Fundraiser is going amazing!! Thank you so much for buying scarves to support us and help us bring home our baby.

I could literally go on and on. God is using our community to completely bless us on this journey.

I am blogging this because I want to remember this part of the journey. 

I know this journey wont always be easy. But today is a good day. A very good day. 

Thank you Jesus.

Home Study Complete!

Isn't my Home Study pretty? 

I have heard some adoptive parents call this the 

"sonogram" of the adoption process.

So excited to have this adoption milestone behind us. It was the first "hiccup" in our process. The agency we used is closing after many years but our awesome agent worked extra hard and was able to complete it in time as well as take us with her to her next agency. Crisis averted. Thank you Jesus.

Why is the HomeStudy important? Well, we can now apply for grants! Whoo Hooo! -AND-

We are now ALMOST able to complete our Dossier (which I pronounce super wrong). Our Dossier is the next big step in adoption, its sort of the culmination of all your paperwork struggle up to this point. Once we recieve our passports in the mail, our Dossier gets sent off!

We then "patiently" await to find out who our child will be! 

We know God already knows... so we love them already!

Thank you again for all your support by prayer, giving financially, and being emotionally involved. 

We are so blessed to journey this with you!

T-SHIRTS NOW ON SALE!!!

Check out our T-shirts! Click the Support Team T-Shirt link! 

ORDER HERE

Thank you! 

Remember to order before March 31st!

Generosity & Community

The generosity of our community has floored me the last couple of months. To have someone tell me that they donated on pay pal to our adoption, but not to worry more is coming after they get their next paycheck... are you serious? Do you want me to crumble up in tears right here on the floor? Or when I get a text from an amazing couple who recently spent a lot on their own adoption telling me they feel led to give us $5,000. Yes, I almost flipped out of my chair. Or to see literally hundreds of people show up to eat Chick-fil-a for our fundraiser... I was holding back tears all day. What an amazing feeling. Or all the beautiful scarves I see ladies wearing from our scarf fundraiser!!!!  Community is precious. There has not been one week go by since we started this adoption that we have not received some kind of encouragement whether a random $10 in an envelope left on Justin's desk, or a local church in the community donating on pay pal and letting us know they support us. Or sweet notes and comments left on facebook or email. 

I pray that as this generosity is being poured upon our family, I am pouring it back out ten fold.

Your money is so needed during this time but I want you to know what your money means to us. Yes, it means helping us fulfill Gods calling on our life to care for an orphan. But more importantly it means that you are going to help us love and care for this precious child of God once they get here! You are investing in this because you believe in it!  

Your money is literally equally love right now! 

We are humbled and honored to be a part of this community and church. 

We love & appreciate yall more than you will ever know.

God Bless Chick-fil-A!

CHICK-FIL-A DAY

TOMORROW

Please come eat at the awesome Chick-fil-a on 75 and 380 on

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13th

Tell the cashier when you order that you are with the Evans Adoption Group

 and 15% of your total will go straight to the adoption fund! 

What a delicious way to help bring an orphan into a forever home. 

Chick-fil-A is a wonderful organization who truly cares about the family. We are very thankful for their willingness to give us this oppurtunity. 

Thank you to all of you who will come by tomorrow! Enjoy your breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or all three) and as you eat it, know that you are being a huge blessing to our family and our future child from Ethiopia. =) Wish I could be there all day to hug each and everyone of your necks!

Stuck.

Adoption seems crazy right? Well at least the adoption process does. Who wants to volunteer to put themselves and their family through tons of legal hoops and frustrations and red tape, not to mention coming up with $30,000. This is the thinking that stops so many families from even considering adoption... but what if it wasn't so hard? 

Please take a moment to watch this preview of a movie called "Stuck" that will be playing on March 16th in Dallas at AMC Valley View 16. It is a film that will create awareness for the children of the world who are stuck in orphanages and about their right to have a family. Both Ends Burning is an organization who is trying to shift government policies so that in the future, the adoption process will be less of a battle and most importantly to change the trend of international adoptions which has sadly decreased 50% in the past 10 years.

  Stuck Trailer

We plan on going to see the movie on March 16th and would love for some of yall to join us! Check the website to see if this movie is coming to your town.

Paper Pregnancy vs. Real Pregnancy

Real pregnancy for me was easy (at least compared to most horror stories I hear) my doctor even told me at my 6wk check up after delivery that I should consider being a surrogate since my body handled it so well. I'm not bragging, I give all credit to good genes. (Thanks Mom) I say this to say, I am not choosing to adopt because I cant have my own babies. Our reason to adopt comes from a totally different place. (Every reason to adopt a child into a loving home is a good one!)
I can remember when I first felt Micah moving inside my tummy. It was an overwhelming feeling, I loved knowing he was inside me and I could keep him safe and I could eat well and give him all the nutrition he needed. I could control (to an extent) almost everything about his life before he was born. I was a little nauseated the first trimester, I was exhausted the second, and had energy the third(and was also huge). Real pregnancy was textbook easy.

Paper pregnancy is hard. I find myself daydreaming a lot or laying awake in bed at night thinking of our little one that has no idea that he is soon to be an Evans, our son or daughter. He/She doesn't know how much we love them or that we are praying for them everyday. They are laying in an orphanage/care center, most likely sharing a crib with another baby. There little mind is trying to learn and grow all on its own. No mommy and daddy to tell them how special they are and to laugh at every new little trick they learn. No one to tell them that its not normal to have flies always flying around there perfect almond shaped eyes. No one hold their bottle for them, and to stare at them while they eat. No mommys heart beat or familar scent to calm them. They probably like most orphans rock themselves to sleep everynight or slowly bang their head on their crib to self soothe. They dont know that soon, Mommy & Daddy get to rock them to sleep. I lay in bed at night and unconsciously find my hands on my tummy as if they were inside, safe and warm. When I realize where my hands are I have started moving them to rest on my heart. Because that's really where this child is. I have chosen to trust God through this, I have nothing else. Every moment spent in worry is a moment not spent praising and thanking Jesus for all he's done.

Poor Micah has been inflicted with all my mommy emotion and even though he is a independent touch me not, I keep tackling him down to give him hugs and kisses, enough for him and his brother/sister.