Family Photos

Other than our wedding photos, Josh and I don't have a ton of pictures together. This posed a pretty big problem when we went to start our adoption profile scrapbook. We decided that we needed some family photos, pronto. We asked our good friend, Britt, if she would be interested in doing these for us and she lovingly obliged.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Thanks so much, Britt, for capturing such a sweet season of our life! We love these photos and we love you!

Short Update + Some Exciting News

Lately, people have been asking me, "So, how long until you guys get a child?" This is a very valid question, but the answer can be quite complex. Right now, the pressure is on us because we still have paperwork to finish and a profile to complete. We're hoping that will be finished in the next month or so. However, once that is completed and handed in, we aren't really sure how long it will be before we go into circulation. After we are in circulation, we don't know how long it will be until we are chosen by the birth mother as viable parents for her child.

So, while I would like to tell people exactly when we can expect to have our little one, I can't. Imagine the excitement of finding out you're pregnant, you know that a baby is on the way, but you have absolutely no clue as to when baby will arrive. It could be tomorrow or it could be in a few years. There is honestly no way of knowing and in this place, we have to really lean into God and trust His timing. Adoption is definitely a waiting game, but God is working and preparing the way, it can just be difficult to see at times. We believe that God is busy orchestrating all of the right circumstances to lead our child to us, if only we're patient.

I would now like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been praying for us and those of you who have chosen to help us out financially. We are now very happy to announce that we are fully funded for Phase 1! This means that we can go ahead and submit our paperwork to begin the finalization process.

We are feeling so blessed and in awe as we've seen God work. As the money continues to come in, we are constantly humbled at the kindness and the generosity of others. We see how much people want to see our adoption come to fruition and that they're willing to help us get there. We honestly couldn't have made it this far so quickly without everyone's help and we will be forever grateful.

We're still working hard to raise the rest of the money and we will have a few new opportunities in the coming months for ways you can give. As always, you can visit my shop, donate via Paypal [[button in sidebar]], or shop through Pure Charity.

Print available here.

Much love,

My Week as a Mama ( or Lessons of a Foster Mama: Part 2)

We said that once we started the adoption process that we were finished with the foster care business. We told our agency not to call us unless they had an emergency.

Well, last Monday, they must have had an emergency because as I type this, I have a two month old sleeping on my chest. He is a tiny little thing who just wants cuddles [[which I am more than happy to provide!]] He is only with us for 8 days, so we're doing our best to pour as much love into the little guy as we can.

Here are some things that I've learned in my short time with him:

{1} It is 100% okay [[and as it turns out very much expected]] to ask others for help! I was afraid that admitting that I needed help was admitting defeat and pretty much saying that I'm too much of a wimp for motherhood. But the truth of the matter is that you need people to help you do things for the first few days [[Weeks? Months?]] It doesn't mean that you're weak, it means that you are very, very wise.

{2} Let others hold the baby. I think that I have developed carpal tunnel syndrome from too many snuggles!!

{3} Once you get the "mama rock" down, you may, awkwardly, find yourself doing it even if you're not holding the baby. Yesterday at church, I had passed Little Dude off to someone else and was talking to another friend when I noticed myself swaying/bouncing...I even had my arms crossed as though there was still a babe there...I hope this isn't a lasting effect...

{4} You may also develop other strange habits.  I have recently started sleep walking. Josh was taking his nightly shift so I was in our bedroom getting in a good solid 4 hours. I don't know if I actually heard Little Dude crying or if it was in my dream, but I woke up in my closet...I remember being extremely confused as to why there were clothes in my kitchen and why I, for the life of me, couldn't find the bottles. Another night, I woke up to find myself frantically searching the bed covers because I couldn't find the baby and was afraid I had smothered him.[[He was fine + on the complete opposite end of the house...]]

{5} It is awesome when babies smile at you, even if it's just from gas...Although Little Dude smiled at me all morning and he didn't even have gas! So that was even more exciting!

I'm really looking forward to becoming a full time mama at some point, but until then, this has been a fantastic learning experience.


What are some things that you learned when you first became a mama? Did you develop any strange habits?

25 Years Ago...

25 years ago today, my parents said "I do." So, my sisters and I decided to celebrate their 25 years together by performing the song they first danced to. This is the fruit of our efforts....

So, Happy Anniversary to Papa D  + Mahm! Here is to (at least) 25 more!!

With much love,

(+ Jami, Jacki, and Jodi.)

Snapshots: A Wedding

This past weekend, Josh and I added a new member to our family as his sister got married. It was a busy week as we all descended on Fort Wayne, IN to make the final wedding preparations. It's easier to tell the story through photos, so here you go!

Yet Another Adoption Update

Y'all...

You may or may not have noticed that I have been pretty absent from the Interwebs lately. There is just a lot going on in my life and trying to balance real life and blog//online life just made me a little nuts.

See?

I know that my last few posts have just been updates about our adoption process, but that's what is going on in my life right now, so that's what I'm going to share. 

So here we go...

Today was part 2 out of 3 of our Homestudy. Things went pretty well. We were sent home with another mountain of homework, which includes the start of our Profile/DVD making....so that will be interesting. 

We have continued to receive generous support from friends and family and seriously feel so blessed! We don't know how we'll ever be able to thank everyone who has contributed through prayer or by giving financially. 

Speaking of fundraising, we have decided to open up another option for giving. If you or someone you know would like to make a tax deductible donation, you can check out our profile on PureCharity.com

Pure Charity allows people to raise money through ordinary online shopping or simply through donations. It works sort of like a cash rewards program, where you get to decide which cause your rewards money goes to. I invite you to check out their website for more information/a better explanation. Our personal profile link is: purecharity.com/spenceradoption

Prayer Requests:

{1} Praise! We are now 22% of the way to being fully funded! Like I mentioned before, people have really stepped up and given so generously. We can truly see God's work.

{2} Prayers as we continue navigating the "homework" from our agency. There are so many big decisions that we have to make regarding our profile and what kinds of children/birth mothers we want to open ourselves up to, [[race, disabilities, etc.]] that it can be overwhelming at times.

If you have any questions for us, please do not hesitate to ask! We love being able to share our story/experiences with others!

With much love,

Next Thing Ya Know...

I round the corner and see a girl, holding a balloon and a sign that I can't quite make out. As we get closer, I realize it has a name on it...my name. I've never seen this girl in my life, but I'm sure that I'm meant to meet her. As I approach, she smiles and says, "You must be Jessi." I nod, still unsure of what's going on. She introduces herself, hands me an envelope and the balloon, and puts me in a cab. She explains that everything I need to know is in the envelope.

As I open it, the cab driver asks me where I need to go. I quickly shuffle through the pages that I've just extracted from the envelope and find an address. I don't know where I'm going, but as the cab pulls away from the curb, I begin reading the letter.

1/5 Dear Jessi Daniel, it's your boyfriend, Josh. From Indiana. 

Welcome to my game. In this envelope, you should find a card with a location. 

You'll be getting there by cab. Just tell the driver where you want to go, and they'll take you. 

Pay with the cash enclosed and be sure to leave a tip! Hold on to the change.

Your first location is Buckingham Fountain. 

When you get there, you will see one of my friends holding a balloon, and a sign with your name. 

Talk to them to get your next clue. Don't worry. This won't be stressful, 

and I'm not sending you to super crowded places. 

This is just my way of being creative and having a little fun before you leave. 

Don't call or text me unless you have an emergency.

That is all.

J.L.S.

As we pulled up to the fountain, I saw a guy standing there with a balloon and sign. I got out and walked up to him. He handed me another envelope and put me in yet another cab. I pulled out the instructions, told the driver the address [[which was another fountain]] and read the next letter enclosed.

The same thing happened at stop 3/5 [[The Moody Bible Library]] but when I got into the cab this time, it was a sweet older Indian couple. I told the man where I needed to go, [[which was the courthouse in The Dark Knight where they are holding the funeral/memorial service and all those people get shot...romantic, right?]] and he asked why I was holding a balloon. "I think I'm getting engaged," I told the pair. They immediately burst into enormous smiles and said many "Congratulations!" I turned red from all their attention and excitement. They proceeded to tell me about all the joys of being married as they held hands. They were seriously the sweetest couple!

When we arrived at the courthouse, a man was standing there with a sign and a balloon. He handed me an envelope and as I turned around, I noticed the couple still sitting there in the cab watching us with huge smiles. As we approached the cab, the man exclaims "Is this the lucky fellow??" I explain that no, this is not my boyfriend and that I think I have one more stop. They tell me to get in quickly because they "really want to get me to my engagement!"

We drive over to the Planetarium [[my fifth and final destination]] and see nothing but a huge crowd of people. I see no signs. I see no balloons. I'm so confused as I get out of the cab. Where was Josh? I begin searching around the entire building. I get back around to the front to see my sweet cab drivers still sitting there giving me questioning looks. I tell them that Josh is around here somewhere, I just have to find him. I stand there and wave as they drive away. 

Panic sets in. 

I don't know where I am.

I don't know where Josh is.

I don't know where my family is.

I'm lost in Chicago!

I call Josh. He answers [[sounding worried but slightly annoyed]] and tells me how to find him.

I walk along the beach and find a secluded spot surrounded by trees, and Josh. There he is, sitting in the sand, waiting for me. I join him and as we look out at the beautiful waves of Lake Michigan, he proposes. 

I, obviously, say yes and we sit there quietly for a few minutes, just soaking in all of the beauty of this moment. I then decide that I should call my parents, tell them the happy news [[which they totally knew about the entire time and still kept quiet all day! Kudos to them!]] and that I hadn't been kidnapped during the process.

I'm not the best at being in front of the camera...

The rest of the day was kind of a blur of calling loved ones, and trying to soak in the fact that I was to  be married. Everyone was emotional, and there were many tears [[mostly from mom who was excited because we had just gotten engaged but also super nervous because I was going to Southeast Asia the very next morning!]]

Well, enough words!

Here are a few of our engagement pictures [[courtesy of the lovely and talented Beky Smith!]]

My arm looks super dark in this picture!

I just love Josh in this picture. haha

These next two are a little blurry, but I just loved them so much.

In the New Year...

Over the past few months, I've taken a break from my blog. I've posted a few times, but nothing major for a while now. I've just been focusing on other things.

• I've been growing my handmade business, Fāyán Knits.
• I've been focusing on my husband and my relationships. It's really important to me to have people on my side. People I would fight for and know would fight for me should I ever need it.
• I've been focusing on rest. I've had a few warning signs lately that I need to slow down my schedule [[migraines, etc.]] I also need to learn to say "no" to things because being a people pleaser leads to nowhere good.

But, with a new year, comes new hope! I'm taking a week of rest starting Christmas Eve. During this week, I plan on actually sitting down and taking time to create a working schedule for myself. It seems like I have 3 main parts of my life right now and I can't balance them equally at all. If I'm too into keeping up house, my business and blog suffer. But these last few weeks, my sole focus has been growing Fāyán Knits, so our home and my blog have taken a back burner.

Also, I've been reading The No Brainer Blog by Hayley Morgan. I will be making a few changes to the blog and how I do things around here. This book has been so inspirational and helpful! If you have a blog, please consider hopping over and picking up a copy. It's seriously great.

So, since this will be my last post of 2012, Merry Christmas, y'all! + Happy New Year!

Catch you on the flip side!

Family Photos: Session III

A few weeks ago, I was asked to take some family photos for my aunt, uncle, + their family. I love how these turned out and can't wait to share this sneak peek!

 

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to capture these photos!

Much love,

Autumn Family Photos: Part Deux

A couple of Saturdays ago, I had the pleasure of taking photos of a new family in town. They were so much fun and such good models! [[If I put them in place, they knew exactly what to do. It was fantastic!]] Here are a few pictures from the day:

Little MC asked if we could take a picture like this! Who am I to refuse such sweetness?

Thank you guys so much for the privilege of capturing this season of life for you! I had a blast! =] 

[[p.s. HUGE thank you to Jami for assisting me in this shoot! You got some beautiful photos and the extra hands were so very helpful!]]