Nanna Camp

On Thursdays during the summer my mom has Nanna camp. My brothers children come to her house to play and learn about Jesus. My kids were so excited to join in on the fun!!!

 The girls made a cake for our 4th of July party.

 All of the kids decorated the garage for the party.

Waiting on the cake and ice cream!!

One step closer!!

Our dossier arrived in Ethiopia today!! We are one step closer to bringing baby BB (that is what we are calling her for now) home!! It will take them about 1 month to translate our dossier and submit us for a court date. After they submit us for a court date it will take about 3-4 months to go to court and then about 3 months later we will be able to go back and pick her up!!
The support we have recieved from our family and friends has been overwhelming!!! We are so thankful to each and every one of you for your support. Again we are in awe of God's work in all of this...He is amazing!!

Radnor Lake

Love me some Radnor lake!!! One of my favorite places in Nashville. My mom and I spent alot of time here hiking during my college years and it brings back great memories. The kids love it to. It is not unusual to see deer, snakes, turtles and otters. Today we saw turtles and a beautiful butterfly.

Day at the park

Yesterday we went to one of my favorite parks in Brentwood...Crockett Park.

 Tate playing peek a boo

Lyla Grace loves her big brother!!

Is it Christmas??

No but you would think so by there excitement...we are at Nanna's!! The kids absolutely love coming to her house. Clay drove us to Nashville and flew back to Orlando to work for 2 weeks.

 Playing the piano is one of Lyla Grace's favorite things to do. I think she will be a singer songwriter...loves to make up her own songs.

 Grandpa Tim is a superstar.

 Nanna turned the garage into a play area for the kids...omplete with centers (reading, art, and home). Lyla Grace wanted us to turn on music and she would play babies in the home center or do art for hours.

Tate calls Nanna "Nina". So cute!!

Wonderful day!

So yesterday I was feeling a little overwhelmed with fear and worry about our baby girl being so far away. Is she being cared for? Is she healthy? Is she happy? I prayed God would give me peace and take away my fears. Today I received an email that someone from our agency had posted pictures from the care center in Harar where our baby girl is living. I was able to see some wonderful pictures of her which gave me so much peace. She said she was being held by one of the nannies when she arrived. She was alert, happy and seemed to be close to normal weight. Again I am in awe of God's plan for our family. We feel so thankful that He chose us to be her family!!!! 

Exciting news...

Clay and I are happy to announce we accepted a referral for a 3 month old baby girl from Ethiopia. Can you believe it???? We mailed our dossier to our agency 2 weeks ago and expected to wait up to 8 months for a baby girl. We never thought it was possible to have a referral this quick but nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)  We really feel God orchestrated all of this in His perfect timing. We are in awe!!!!

What's next? We will travel in about 4-5 months to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for our court date. If we pass court we will travel back to pick up our baby girl 10 to 12 weeks later. Please pray for our sweet baby girl. That she will receive what she needs and be loved on as much as possible. Please pray for Clay and I that our fears will not overcome us and we will ask God for help.

Clay and I are so thankful for all of the support we have received!! The encouragement and love have been overwhelming and so inspiring. God is sooooooo good!!

Then you will call and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say; here am I. Isaiah 58:9

Putting the Pieces Together

Our adoption process has offically begun and we are so excited to share our journey with you. We have a substantial amount of money to raise in the next few months. It is a bit overwhelming however we fully believe that God will provide.
In effort to raise money for the upcoming fees we purchased this 500 piece puzzle. When I was trying to find the perfect puzzle I came across The White Umbrella by Slyvia Walker...

When we first decided to adopt a baby from Ethiopia I read a book There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene. Besides it being a life changing book it had a reference about religious Ethiopian women carrying umbrellas in a display of gratitude to God for answered prayers. We are so grateful to God for leading us and give Him all the glory.
 

We are inviting you to "sponsor" a piece of the puzzle for $10. With each piece of the puzzle you sponsor we will right your name as a permanent reminder of your part in bringing our baby girl home.

Once all of the pieces are sponsored we will have it framed and hang it in our house. It will be a constant reminder for all those who supported us on this journey.

If you are interested in sponsoring a puzzle piece please mail to Rein Adoption Fund 1925 Parks Oaks Avenue, Orlando, FL 32808.

We want to thank you so much for your encouragement and support in this awesome journey!!!!

Operation paperwork...complete!!

Our dossier paperwork is complete and on its way to our agency!! It is hard to believe that it took less than a month to complete our homestudy and compile all of the documents needed for our adoption. The next few months we will be waiting on our agency to match us with a baby girl :) Please pray for me to be patient during the next few months. Also please pray for our sweet baby and her family in Ethiopia. 

Family Fun Beach Week

We spent the week of Memorial Day at New Smyrna Beach with 5 other families. My mom (Nanna) came with us which made the week even more special. It was an awesome week relaxing and playing.

 Family picture on our last morning.

 The kids enjoyed morning walks on the beach with Nanna!!

 Group picture with all the kids (Armstrongs, Reins, Wrights, Wallers and Kallenbachs)

 The boys (mostly Scott) built a monster truck ramp and tunnel.

 Nanna and Tate

 Lyla Grace enjoyed her boogie board in the pool more than the ocean :)

Last night at JB's Fish Camp to celebrate Scott's birthday.