Hello 2013 & we have a referral

It scares me just a little bit that my last post was in December and I was talking about how fast 2012 went! Where the heck has 2013 gone?  Schools about to start again & then the holiday season will be under way before we know it.  Exiting news on the adoption front...we have a referral for a 2.5 year old boy!!  I'm kind of in love already.  Adam reminds me not to get my hopes up.  Congo has one of the highest rates of referral loss.  So the paper trail continues and we pray and hope that this sweet boy is meant to be ours.

Can't believe it!

Are you in as much disbelief about it almost being Christmas as I am?  Maybe it's the fact that we haven't yet had a decent snow fall or that we are having the most amazing weather for December, but I feel like the 2012 year flew by in record time.  Well as for the adoption process (and I feel like a broken record here) we are wrapping up our home study.  But there are about a million details involving this and I absolutely HATE details!  So we have spent the last week getting blood tests,  finding every document know to man on us, and asking for letters to verify this and that about us.  I'm just SO anxious to get to the good stuff.  I can't wait to get a referral and put a face to the name (Jonas) we have now had since 2008.  Who is this little guy going to be and how in the world is he going to fit into this crazy family of ours?  I do honestly worry about how this is all going to come together, but I know God will work out all those details I can't stand! I'm in awe of all the amazing and loving friends God has placed in our lives.  Some I have know most of my life and others just a few years.  But without that kind of support none of this would be possible.  God is just amazing in how He works out all those details.  After having to part ways with some friendships over that past years, it feels redeeming to have the kind of friendships we now have in our lives. To have people who honestly care about our lives and who sacrifice not only their time but their own finances to support our decision to adopt. It has been more than I could ever have asked for. So as the end of  2012 draws to a close and I reflect back over the year, I find myself in a state of gratitude for friendship!    We wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you have a healthy and happy New Year!

Love from the Neely Family

If you would like help us bring Jonas home there is a donate button to the right of our page. We also would so appreciate your prayers for a smooth process! Thank you!

moving right along

Well, we may not go down in history as having the fastest home study ever but we have completed all our visits and are waiting for our wonderful case worker to type it all up! So high fives all around...we are moving onward.  And with moving onward now comes another big decision.  To go with an agency or use an independent consultant.  Really leaning towards the independent consultant.  They just seem so amazing and I could really use amazing right now.  It just feels right.  But have to make sure our home study agency says it's ago!  The scary part in it all is that they tend to move a bit faster and we still need to save some more moola.  Don't really love spending too much time on that subject because it hurts my brain and seems really impossible.  Impossible is really a silly thing when it comes to our God- because he is just bigger than any of my worries. So no more talk on that.  If you think of us please pray for this next part of our journey.  Love to you all.

a little more progress

I'm obviously horrible at keeping up on this thing! But we did have our first home study and have our second one scheduled for this week! I also contacted an agency to do our international adoption through.  And we are now on a wait list to get on a wait list for a child 0-3 years old. I think the scariest part is hearing how fast this agency is moving families through.  I'm excited but wondering will we have the money we need in time??!! After I got off the phone with that agency I just sat there and cried.  Thinking that we could have our son home sooner then I imagined and thinking: is he even born, if he is does he have enough to eat?  The conditions in Congo aren't good and it just makes me sad. Deep breath and moving forward one day at a time.

blessed and moving forward

Oh this adoption process is already SLOW...mostly my fault. But three kids and us both working a ton, lets time slip away! Last week we were blessed with an AMAZING gift from some very awesome friends.  This will help us SO much with our adoption.  Contracts were signed & sent in so hopefully we will get our home study under way SOON.  Thankful for the people God has placed in our lives.

Where have we been what have we been doing

The last several months have flown by with all the holiday madness.  Christmas was just awesome this year.  The kids are all at such great ages and it was fun thinking maybe our little guy might be with us next year.  In October we took 16 hrs of parenting classes...you may ask aren't you already parent?. And yes, yes we are.  It's a state requirement that we have 24 hrs of  "parenting" classes.  They were actually pretty good, mostly because our agency rocks!! We have also been raising money to start our home study.  Some great friends in our small group own this company- so we have been busy cleaning new construction homes.  We also received donations in the month of December so we are really hopeful that we will be able to start the home study in February!! Thanks to all of you out there for your prayers, love and donations!!

We need you

It looks like Angel Dance is wanting to work with us just as much as we are wanting to work with them!! I'm very excited and extremely freaked out to start this process!! For me it is simply a money thing.  $25,000 to $28,000 is a lot to take in...but I'm just going to focus on our first big check we need to send it which is $2,450. 

How you can help us:

I would love to clean or help organize your home. My husband is quite the handy guy and really enjoys creating organizational space in garages. He also has put in several wood floors. 

I am doing some creative things: hair bands, upcycled t-shirt dresses and baby onesies.

Our lovely and wonderful friends Mark and Becky Kyle have generously given us the rest of their reusable shopping bags (which are very cute by the way) and we will be selling those for $10.  Becky is an amazing photographer and is giving us a portion of her earning towards our adoption. We just love them and their sweet boy they just brought home from Ethiopia!!
The kids also want to have a part in this and will be making homemade blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies.

We are so thankful for the wonderful people God has placed in our lives and feel very blessed to have such a wonderful support system around us!! Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers!!

The Neely family