And so it begins...

We have started getting Zachariah's little room ready for his little self! Okay, not really his room, but we've started getting things ready for his little room.  We have his crib, and I'm working on getting it ready to move into his room.

I love decorating, but along with decorating, I love pieces that have stories behind them.  We're so lucky to have many pieces in our home that come from family and close friends that all have memories and stories behind them.  Little Z's room will be no different. Each month I've been collecting little things along the way that will go in his room, and when he's old enough we'll share the story behind each one. 

Here's just a few things we've gotten so far, and their stories :)

I was given this map for a birthday gift this summer.  I'd been eyeing it for a long time, and was so excited to see it in person.  The map comes without any hearts, so you can place them where ever you'd like, ours has a heart on Ethiopia, and a heart on California. It's important for us to preserve Z's heritage and that we incorporate both American and Ethiopian things in our home. It's my prayer that this map will be a visual reminder of people that love him all over the world; from Ethiopia to California. 

This sweet doll I got when we went to see the Rwandan Children's Choir sing this last summer.  It was made in Rwanda and will be placed in a special spot in Z's room.  This doll s a reminder to us for the heart God has given us not just for Ethiopia, but for Africa as a whole.  When we make the trip to Ethiopia, I hope to get more things from Z's country to put in his room and our house, pieces of his county that will be a part of his story. 

The blanket the doll sits on is so very special to me.  It was handmade for little Zachariah by a former co-worker.  She wrote the sweetest note that goes with the blanket that I've put away in a special place to share with Z when he gets older.  In her note, she wrote that while she crocheted his blanket, she was constantly praying for him; for his birth mother and birth family, for the journey he'll soon go on in his young life, for Justin and I as parents to him-seriously I can't even write about it because I will begin bawling.  

His crib is a gift from a friend, it's spent many years with sweet babies sleeping in it, playing in it, ect. I can't wait for Zachariah to join the list. It is a special crib with special memories. 

So many people play a part in his story, and he doesn't even know them yet. I love it. 

On a complete sidenote, this past weekend I have felt a strong burden to pray for our adoption, not sure why, but if you're a praying person, will you join us in prayer? Prayer for our son, prayer for the 147 million orphans in the world, prayer for the country of Ethiopia and the adoptions that are happening there right now, and for the adoptions to come. 

Have a wonderful week!

Oh, and ps, this last week we celebrated 4 months waiting for sweet baby Zachariah! We're now month 5! 

 “But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”

-Habakkuk 2:3

I want them to know

I love Jesus, and I dream really, really big...

And that's okay. 

That just shows how much God's transformed my life, I don't think about the "mountains" anymore, because I've seen them moved. 

Sometimes I sit and I think about our son, and his country.

I think about his birth mother

Is she pregnant?

Where is she?

Is she scared?

Does she know she's going to give up her baby?

Does she know Jesus....

That last one has been a big one for me lately. I don't know if we'll even have the opportunity to meet our baby's birth mother, father or family. I don't know what we'll even know about them. 

If we meet them (and I pray we do), I want them to know about my Jesus, I want them to know what lead us to adopting, and what we will tell our son about our Jesus. I desperately want them in our family, both on this earth and eternally. I pray they will know Him. 



"The motivation should always be Jesus.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." -Francis Chan

Come at me bro

This past week, there was a lot of sadness around me.  Not just with me personally, but with friends, family, people I know and people I don't know. I could just feel the darkness trying to attack.  I felt like everyday I would get a text, a phone call or something that showed the reality of the fallen world we live in.  It made me feel like writing, getting things out on paper, but then again, sometimes it's best to just pray and be short and sweet. :)

Then, I remembered a quote I saw on Pinterest, a quote that made me feel strong and ready to take on anything.  Because although there is sadness and the evil one is trying to cause destruction, I have hope. 

Come at me bro. 

Will you share a story?

-Update on giveaway, thanks to Random.org, the randomly selected winner is Becky Fisher!

 Congrats Becky!!! :)-

When we began our adoption journey, I struggled (and still struggle) with an intense desire to do more. More for my community, more for the world, more for the country of my son.  Enter..Noonday.  Noonday allows me to share stories with others.  My story, the story of the journey we are on to our son, and the stories of women around the globe.  Stories of redemption. I would like you to join me in my movement, my crazy journey to do what I can to make an impact globally.  Noonday has officially launched the fall line, oh my word, it's gorgeous. Not just the pieces, but also the stories behind them.  I love them.  You can have a chance to win one of my favorite fall pieces, want to know how? 

Ok here it goes...

I'm hosting a giveaway, and here's how you can win! Doing each of the following receives one entry (unless otherwise noted) 

The giveaway begins Wednesday Sept 5, and ends Friday Sept 7th at 10pm, the winner will be announced Saturday the 8th! 

1. Follow our journey, if you already do, let me know :)

2. Share this giveaway on your Facebook

3. Share this giveaway on your blog

4. "Like" the Noonday Page

5. This one is BIG, book a trunk show for Sept. or Oct (this equals 5 entries! yay!) Trunk shows are awesome, fun and just a good time to swap stories and try on some awesome jewelry. If you don't live local, recommended a friend in the area and get them to book a show.  Seriously, you won't be disappointed. 

Ready to see what you can win?!

The Waterfall Necklace

A tri-level cascade of handcrafted paper beads set in gold colored brass make for an every day inspiration.

Handmade by African Style, a group that Noonday Collection helped launch in Uganda.

19" long. Composed of handcrafted paper beads and brass beads

Want to see WHO makes it?

Meet, Anita...

 Precious. 

Let's do this, lets speak up for women like Anita all over the world

On my heart...

For some time now, I have been wrestling with some deep issues, some yucky heart stuff that that's been changing who I am-it hasn't been easy, but it's been good. 

I thought about whether or not to share about what's been happening inside, knowing that being venerable can open up many doors-both bad and good.  It's not my goal to "change" the way others think by reading what I write, it's basically just things that I'm dealing with, and maybe someone else is dealing with them too, and reading this might help them too. 

When we started this journey of adoption, I wasn't who I am now, daily I'm changing, being challenged in many different ways. I felt the call to adopt several years before I even shared it with my husband, I kind of just put it in that "file for later" part of my brain, but it never really left. When we said yes to the call of adoption, there were things that we were presented with that I wasn't really prepared for, and still a lot of the time struggle with.  Knowing that there are 175 million orphaned children in the world alarms me.  That's global, not just Africa, not just China, India Russia or the US, globally, there are 175 million children without mothers and fathers. 175 million children who have no one to speak up for them, to make sure that they're safe, taken care of, warm and fed at night. There are over 1 billion people without access to clean drinking water.  I daily take for granted the accessibility I have to clean water...

There are times I lay awake at night and think about what I can do, I wonder what God's plan are for us, I know somethings in the works, I can feel it in my bones. There are days when I look at our house and think, what are you up to God? We have 3 "extra" bedrooms, we bought our house for a steal of a price knowing that it was way too big for us, but we got it even though several others were bidding on it too,  deep down, I know He's up to something...

God has slowly been changing my heart, towards Him and others.  This adoption journey is far from over, but I am SO thankful for what it's opened my eyes to, because now, it's my responsibility to share with others what I've learned and what I'm learning now. 

Just a glimpse of what's be happening in my heart, it's like a peaceful uneasiness, but I am learning a lot, and being stretched in ways I didn't think possible. It is good. 


I came across the verse below a few years ago, when God was preparing me for the journey we are on, it really stuck with me, and constantly challenges me. 

Rescue the perishing;
   don't hesitate to step in and help.
If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business,"
   will that get you off the hook?
Someone is watching you closely, you know—
   Someone not impressed with weak excuses

Proverbs 24:12, The Message

"Yahweh has remembered."

 Zechariah

"Yahweh has remembered."

For now, that is what we are planning to call our son.  We plan on keeping his Ethiopian name as his middle name to preserve his heritage. 

I have a feeling he will do great things, he will be a world changer. 

"Yahweh has remembered"

Three

Today marks 3 months waiting for sweet baby Z. Yes, yes he has a name. In a way, three months flew by, but another part seemed to drag on. It's funny, when you're physically pregnant, you know when "the end" is.  You kind of know when you can start to get the baby's room ready, when to have a baby shower, how much longer you have. With adoption, you kind of know, but not really, but kind of.  

We made a rule that we wouldn't start getting his room ready until we were DTE (dossier to Ethiopia. Side note..DTE is when your dossier (huge amount of paperwork) goes to Ethiopia. Once your paperwork is there is counted like 1 month DTE, 2 months DTE...until you get a referral) So now we're 3 months DTE.  We've gotten a few random things, but poor thing, his room has been a storage spot for the last year, so it needs some work (more like, I need to find a new place to store my craft supplies and junking finds)  But if you know me, you know I love to decorate and create, so I've of course been dreaming and planning (Unofficially ;) ), and I think it's time to get the ball rolling... 

Happy Saturday!