Thankful Thursday!

Today I am thankful for family. Not just my family but all families that open their hearts and homes to children in need. Building a family these days is done in many different ways. Through Birth,Adoption, and Marriage (blending families). I am so thankful for those families that choose adoption. John 14:18 (NIV) says I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Psalms 82:3 (NIV) Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless: maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Proverbs "Once our eyes are opened, we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows we know and holds us responsible to act"

Last night my kids and I got to welcome a family home with their 2 new little blessings! It was so amazing to follow this families journey and the witness the Homecoming. It was surreal. These children were not just pictures anymore.

They are home with a family forever.

Adoption makes families and gives children the love and homes that they need and deserve.My family has been blessed by adoption once already and I know we will again! Think about it, pray about it, ADOPTION ROCKS!!!

Wordless Wednesday

http://reecesrainbow.org/49537/copeland

Snow, Snow, Sunriver!

Over the Mountain we went 7 people, 5 which were adults, and all our luggage stuffed into my mini van! We were headed on a mini vacation for Kopelan's 5th B-day (I still can not believe my baby is 5 years old). We thought going to Sunriver, OR would be a new experience, a small town where we could take the kids snow tubing, swimming, ice skating and even geocaching and they did it all. I do have to say though the snowball fight between Kopelan and Kendall vs. Daddy and Uncle Richie seems to be the highlight of the weekend that they will not stop talking about.

It was just another great weekend spent with family. We got to meet up with other family members some that live down that way and some that were just visiting. There seriously is nothing better then family time.

On the Road Again...

Most people that know me know I love to be on the go. When my daughter became school age I felt like a lot of my/our freedom left also. Most parents can not wait for the kids to hit those years of going to school, I on the other hand sort of dreaded it. I do however love school holidays and vacations! I usually know when they are coming and have a trip planned. Whether it be somewhere close or somewhere far, getting away from the house and everyday chores is something I look forward too. This last weekend was no different. Kendall got out of school Friday and began a nice long week vacation! So I packed the suitcases, kids, my mom and off to Kennewick, WA we went. It was a long drive,but very scenic. The kids were occupied by of course every electronic they could get their hands on, but it made for a quiet ride, lol! When we arrived we were greeted by very excited cousins! Love Family!

Santa Baby, yes we got the kids photos with Santa. Went early and there was no line. Little Miss EEEEE was not a big fan of this old man. But we got one with no crying and went with it. We then headed to a bazaar where we proceeded to taste all the yummy samples of fudge, pretzels and dip, kettle corn, and even some wine slushies!
The rest of the weekend was spent just hanging out. We made caramel apples with yummy toppings! They were tasty.(i LOVE caramel)

The majority of the weekend though was spent with Mommy/daughter talks and the kids playing Beyblades. These toys were a lifesaver and kept them entertained with minimal fighting for hours. Who knew 3 kids, 3 Beyblades and a mixing bowl could equal a ton of fun!

The weekend went by to fast, good food, good talks, and lots of family time. Far to soon it was time to repack the suitcases, the kids, and my mom and head back home. On the way home we stopped for lunch at a place called Cousins! Pretty fitting for our trip. They greet you by saying "Hi Cousin", thought that was sort of cute. We stopped for a few photos of course.

We are now home and preparing for more family time during this Thanksgiving Holiday. I am so Thankful for Family. Thankful for a hardworking Husband that allows our travel bugs to be fulfilled. Thankful for school holidays so that I can spend lots of time with my children. I hope you all have a blessed week whether you are staying put in your home or traveling near or far. Be Thankful, Happy and Full of Love!

Anticipation and Prayer

I got a great email last night from our Adoption worker, the home study is almost done!!!! It is possible it could be finished this week. We have been praying for the little one or ones that will be brought into our lives. That their hearts will be open and ready and that so will ours. I can not wait to start the search and continued prayer to find the child or children to add to our family. I know the next step, the search could take awhile, but I keep thinking in my head what a wonderful Christmas gift it would be to have our new members with us. To start being a family with new traditions and showing our love and faith to our children during the holiday season.

Other then that awesome news are family is doing great. We are still settling in to our new home here in OR. Kendall loves her new school and new friends. She is taking jump roping class after school once a week and learning lots of new skills. She continues to amaze us with how smart she is and all she is learning.

Kopelan will start school after the new year and is currently attending a Lego Robotics class and enjoying it fully. It is amazing to watch his determination with new skills.

KC is loving his new job and it is a very different atmosphere then his last job, continues to challenge him everyday, yet give him freedom to participate in more of the kids activities or school functions. This is huge for our family!

Me, well I am busy running the kids to and fro, unpacking (still) and learning a new routine. I found a MOPS group (mothers of Preschoolers Support) and also Momsnext (the school age years). I am enjoying getting to see my parents at least once a week also. Family is the best!

That is all for now, but when I have more news I will update again! Please if you feel inclined pray for our family and future children!

Where we are...

Well if you have ever experienced the adoption process you know how long and draining it can be. This goes for any kind of adoption, whether it be private domestic, international or through the foster care system. As I announced we are going through the adoption process again. We are currently working on our home study, this consists of lots of paperwork, Dr.'s visits, interviews, educational classes, and home visits. We are moving pretty quickly through this process since we have some experience in the adoption world and working with agencies. We have already had 2 home visits and finished our paperwork. We just got word that we will not have to do the educational classes since we have been taking them over the course of the last 8 years while doing foster care for a couple different states. K.C. was beyond thrilled with this discovery as we have completed hundreds of hours of training and sometimes feel as if we could teach the class (if I enjoyed speaking in public, which I do not). So in a couple weeks we have our last meeting to approve the final draft of our home study and the the searching and praying begins. We have a child or children out there and we can not wait to meet them and see who God has hand picked for us to grow our family. So that is just a little update of where we are in our adoption process. Please keep us in your prayers and our future child/ren that their heart will be prepared for the change that will happen in their life.

Here We Go Again!!

Where are we going you ask? We are headed down the home study road again. We are doing things slightly different this time. We have decided not to do foster care for awhile and just strictly ADOPT. We will be adopting a child out of the foster care system as those children are still dear to my heart. We have already started and are actually pretty far along in the process. We have only told a few people, but I want to make it official. WE ARE ADOPTING AGAIN!!!