tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46781473412705068962023-11-16T01:29:45.294-06:00Our Every Little PieceDustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-48345542971570654062014-05-18T17:11:00.001-05:002014-05-18T17:11:47.922-05:00The Perfectly Timed Package. <div dir="ltr">
(Two posts in one day? What?!)<br /><br />May 7th is not one of my favorite days of the year. On May 7th of 2013, we had an ultrasound confirming that we had lost a baby for the fourth time. On May 12th, Mother's Day, our loss became physically real. It was a very painful reminder that we still were not "parents" even after the two years since our D&C from our third loss. (May 13th, 2011. May was obviously shaping up to be my favorite month.)</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
This year I've dreaded having so many "milestones" in the span of 7 days, plus Mother's Day. (I wasn't expecting to have two little ones in the house to keep me busy!) These days are difficult. They aren't just reminders of was lost but also that I'm still not a "mother" by most people's definition. My short pregnancies are far too often overlooked. The (unintentionally) hurtful comments are endless.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSw11uTAk8SVm715YKa19P8gl9GHf66JEN0WT-zZolRotx6R_FX-HnqAM8GagPM55u1UTyjpz5r5qReUzZvQK53ir_q3GbQCeVbUD460HlBzm9Re3XYlJl1bW__JeFGzZUuHDm6X9XaOb/s1600/mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSw11uTAk8SVm715YKa19P8gl9GHf66JEN0WT-zZolRotx6R_FX-HnqAM8GagPM55u1UTyjpz5r5qReUzZvQK53ir_q3GbQCeVbUD460HlBzm9Re3XYlJl1bW__JeFGzZUuHDm6X9XaOb/s1600/mom.jpg" height="320" width="306" /></a></div>
<br />
I was pretty surprised when I came home on May 7th to find a box, wrapped in green paper, addressed to me. It was from one of my sweet friends I've been blessed to find after our losses. She's been so excited and supportive about our foster journey. I opened it to find a box STUFFED full of clothes and socks. She must have been stocking up for this box every time she went shopping! It had an outfit for every age between the age of 12 months to 5T. Plus socks.<br />
<br />
I pulled out every outfit. I oohed, aaahed. Then I cried. A good cry. I didn't expect to cry a good cry on May 7th. Aside from being incredibly kind (seriously, unbelievably amazing), this package was a reminder of how close we are to being parents. Yes, our parenthood is going to look different. Our kids may come and go. They'll be ours for that time though. We'll be there to love and hug. The first ones to get them up in the morning and the ones to cuddle them before the get into bed. We're going to have the blocks and shapes to step on in the living room after the lights go out. (Ouch. This happened this week. It's not pleasant. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.) We're right on the verge of it all.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6svqN_SrsR94s_2A2b8XLCq9eW37SqPckN5aNjJm-dxNcIqcK18hLFbuX4KCuUMTO_jKY0kekc5fq424vzBTO4ziXY_g1jw3xi3LagVdtEyBc7hIKRwumaD4srRT2JCVwxzw3xpLh6o27/s1600/beautiful+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6svqN_SrsR94s_2A2b8XLCq9eW37SqPckN5aNjJm-dxNcIqcK18hLFbuX4KCuUMTO_jKY0kekc5fq424vzBTO4ziXY_g1jw3xi3LagVdtEyBc7hIKRwumaD4srRT2JCVwxzw3xpLh6o27/s1600/beautiful+people.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So, sweet friend, you know who you are. I could never thank you enough. I know you probably didn't plan the timing, it was all His. You are so wonderful. I'm so thankful for everything that you put into this. You have no idea how much it means to us. You ARE a beautiful person, through and through. We are blessed that you are in our life! <3 </div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-88626323261353161362014-05-18T16:36:00.001-05:002014-05-18T16:36:40.308-05:00Our First Foster Experience.I've been trying to blog for a week and a half now. I WILL get my last post done, I WILL get my last post done.<br /><br />Saturday, one of my long time and closest friends (she's family!) graduated with her Master's! I was able to celebrate her wonderful accomplishment at a BBQ her boyfriend and family threw her. It was hot and wonderful. So much fun!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrScYBwejlyzySODHsIets5FiWPgmTXfEctZVl750VHD4ElLSXMxXjEVafcrFRmCADH-rQWN2trMAhF2fN-HTnH1NGTCdOMSMNqQxHhXFBBvM4b6C78sL_UltSU-7xnqRu626eIUm_fi9/s1600/2014-05-10+15.58.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrScYBwejlyzySODHsIets5FiWPgmTXfEctZVl750VHD4ElLSXMxXjEVafcrFRmCADH-rQWN2trMAhF2fN-HTnH1NGTCdOMSMNqQxHhXFBBvM4b6C78sL_UltSU-7xnqRu626eIUm_fi9/s1600/2014-05-10+15.58.27.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9alty19aQ16S5aBD2s7xbR0LW1x1nC6fzQiAKAD8ORUcf5NCjiYQwMmZJefJJLd7kwOfS6y6FBYWrRvhadwvkOhqD3rBi7ej5PJdDRES8pYbC5ZURwBERKxzzmCIcBZy3iwiLIUehYtQ/s1600/2014-05-10+15.59.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9alty19aQ16S5aBD2s7xbR0LW1x1nC6fzQiAKAD8ORUcf5NCjiYQwMmZJefJJLd7kwOfS6y6FBYWrRvhadwvkOhqD3rBi7ej5PJdDRES8pYbC5ZURwBERKxzzmCIcBZy3iwiLIUehYtQ/s1600/2014-05-10+15.59.22.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Congratulations Lara!! <3 <3</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While I was at the BBQ, I got a call from our agency asking us to take in four children for emergency respite. Four little ones, five years old and under. My heart would take every single one of them. Realistically, I knew couldn't fit four kids into either vehicle. We don't have a house for four children. So, it broke my heart to say no. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
An hour or so later, I got another call. "Are you sure?" They still couldn't find someone and needed these babies moved now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
No, we really can't take four.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Shortly after. "We have to split them, can you take the younger two?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Let me tell you, going to zero kids to two kids is exhausting. Our house isn't quite ready but it's close so that made the transition made even more interesting. This year, we spent our first Mother's Day with kids in our house. It was completely unexpected. I knew that we were throwing control out the window by deciding to foster. This week has cemented that fact in my head. I'm very quickly understanding that with fostering, everything, absolutely everything is unexpected. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These little ones are still with us. Today they are spending the day, reunited with their older siblings, with a potential adoptive family. The older siblings weren't the only ones excited. Our two little guys were squealing with joy to see their brother and sister! Please pray for everyone involved. This is a big decision to make, especially because they have four children already. <3 </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I think for our first experience, we've had a great one. The kids adjusted fairly quickly. They sleep pretty well and eat extremely well. Our "Oh!-We-need-this!" is growing quickly.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We leave for Omaha VERY early Saturday morning, so the longest we can have them is Thursday. They can't go out of state with us. (We're just emergency respite for now and if we were already licensed, it takes longer usually to get an okay for out of state visits.) It's been a blessing that this family has expressed interest in adopting the entire sibling set. They've had them for six hours and a half hours. I can't wait to hear how things are going. Please, please pray!</div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-70695186220403261632014-04-25T22:53:00.001-05:002014-04-25T22:53:34.269-05:00We're Getting There!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXmwN4By3FoR64zc0yP7BChxooTbHjc2DFVWrtYx50kSK9IlTRu4J8ZQToBv5MEB5XDaaJK2O_j1a22ENk2Sm5lnCBfomoHjAbr0oUCsbueKJqIWFHXY3chJXdyD-R14Hq5eTzH5Mlmvs/s1600/2014-04-08+20.24.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXmwN4By3FoR64zc0yP7BChxooTbHjc2DFVWrtYx50kSK9IlTRu4J8ZQToBv5MEB5XDaaJK2O_j1a22ENk2Sm5lnCBfomoHjAbr0oUCsbueKJqIWFHXY3chJXdyD-R14Hq5eTzH5Mlmvs/s1600/2014-04-08+20.24.06.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">About three weeks ago I really confused a bunch of people when I posted in search of a second crib. Thanks to a super sweet friend, we ended up with a second one. In fact, it's a PERFECT MATCH to the first one we had. In addition to the two cribs and changing table, we also added a dresser. Hey! (This picture is actually a few weeks old but we have to little ones sleeping over tonight so I can't take new photos right now!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you here for the first time, no we're not pregnant. We're going through the process to get licensed to foster. There's more about this decision in the previous post. :) Once we're licensed we hoping to give a home to two children, under the age of two. At this point, we're going through our list of to-dos and checking them off. Today I checked off a few and started working on a few more. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This weekend will bring more work!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vrb22UKqoIC6CWQoj5z8_NtXtiAT9k3vNS5gvykStKBHb7AnOyNzvU8jn3KtfNxM3GgWrgPT_Vxz3DHbgkzBltjpx7Ox438vi17cR8XsQAE7HVlOscwRrPr94HUP85GTsm4sHJCuFjlQ/s1600/20140424_173203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vrb22UKqoIC6CWQoj5z8_NtXtiAT9k3vNS5gvykStKBHb7AnOyNzvU8jn3KtfNxM3GgWrgPT_Vxz3DHbgkzBltjpx7Ox438vi17cR8XsQAE7HVlOscwRrPr94HUP85GTsm4sHJCuFjlQ/s1600/20140424_173203.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kiddOsPn_6nUnjEpjP6mafhp_DvSPNnWhE9s79WN0Zxv6dyGXWhTYWn3RG50AeZNQ-5OV1ImEj2V2DDi8YsCxrzzvQgQokizIE3cCSUTTqfhK5zFwuoiHT9N6Tqr74Tw5U0nR0iQ8-Bw/s1600/20140424_175602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kiddOsPn_6nUnjEpjP6mafhp_DvSPNnWhE9s79WN0Zxv6dyGXWhTYWn3RG50AeZNQ-5OV1ImEj2V2DDi8YsCxrzzvQgQokizIE3cCSUTTqfhK5zFwuoiHT9N6Tqr74Tw5U0nR0iQ8-Bw/s1600/20140424_175602.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let me take a second to brag on two of my out of town friends!! Recently I received two packages. One containing all of the toiletries on the left (kid and baby shampoo, body wash, bubble bath, toothbrush sets, etc.) and a package of diapers! The other package was a box full of different sippy cups!! Seriously. We are so blessed by the support system we have around us. <3 <3 <3</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week I'll be putting a lot more work into our "baby" room. I can't wait to post more photos!</span></div>
<br />Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-59686797009172711352014-03-18T19:48:00.002-05:002014-03-18T19:48:36.463-05:00We Have A Crib In Our House.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRASduGLkuWjQ_uEm3RrA2V_s-ShGsaSoz2VMHoxEZs7lSn5lDE0efPdfGwRtn1fub55tfWJy-3qxc7xb2nfaMu6hDnHy00OJajJXwJCIkhl3AM-n5nE7aCGfDgNv6Fr-l5TyfnWCLSIo/s1600/mindmatter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRASduGLkuWjQ_uEm3RrA2V_s-ShGsaSoz2VMHoxEZs7lSn5lDE0efPdfGwRtn1fub55tfWJy-3qxc7xb2nfaMu6hDnHy00OJajJXwJCIkhl3AM-n5nE7aCGfDgNv6Fr-l5TyfnWCLSIo/s1600/mindmatter2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had been putting this post off for a while. I wasn't sure exactly what to say or how to say it. I was worried I might upset someone who had been supportive of our adoption journey. Then I realized I was being silly. Really silly. Everyone who has been supportive of us has done so because they love us. We love each and every one of you. All of the support has been so incredible. We hope that you will continue to emotionally and prayerfully support us in the months and years to come.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi9NbKk0_oNtDHSXuqKnj11mUufdkC6wQpvLfTcHFHiicc_HTJQtRH1ckIH6uc1Pd0P7X6R2biioKomSWsVX3TDfCcx1xAzC9zETjXkOzJ4-5VfreNTQ41Lz2cAx7_IpXzw3nN3gwE9hD/s1600/2014-03-18+19.00.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLi9NbKk0_oNtDHSXuqKnj11mUufdkC6wQpvLfTcHFHiicc_HTJQtRH1ckIH6uc1Pd0P7X6R2biioKomSWsVX3TDfCcx1xAzC9zETjXkOzJ4-5VfreNTQ41Lz2cAx7_IpXzw3nN3gwE9hD/s1600/2014-03-18+19.00.47.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because we have a crib in our house. In fact, we're going to need a second one. We also have a changing table and some toys. There's a high chair in our kitchen and two car seats in our garage. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the last two months, I'd been having this feeling and I wasn't quite sure if we were in the right "place" anymore. After a lot of prayers, plenty of discussion and hours upon hours upon hours of research, Dustin and I decided</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> that we want to open our home and hearts to foster children. We decided we wouldn't tell anyone other than our parents until after our first training class. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Training day 1 was March 1st. (Literal DAY, it was 12 hours long.) </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Training day 2 was this past Saturday. We were joined by quite a few active families and all of their children. Another long day, but wonderful day. We met so many great people.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was fantastic. Even though both days, we inevitably heard some heartbreaking stories and had to cover to several extremely difficult topics, I left with a completely overflowing heart. Dustin enjoyed day 2 more. He had some wonderful conversations with some experienced foster dads and he felt extremely encouraged at the end of the day.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We still have quite the list of things to get done. We're hammering it down though! We're ready to love on some little ones who really need it during especially difficult times in their little lives. We know it's not going to be easy. We're expecting it to be extremely difficult. We're pretty sure we'll get hurt.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One thing I know for sure: it will be so worth it.</span></div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-72342847417037003512014-03-13T23:32:00.001-05:002014-03-13T23:33:41.808-05:00Chaaaaaanges!There's changes coming. If you visit our blog for updates, you probably noticed it immediately. There's a bunch of them! Links are hidden, pages are gone. In fact, even the name changed. If you read our posts through your reading list, well then, I'm telling you now.<br />
<br />
Changes are coming. And the name just didn't feel right anymore. The puzzle piece thing still worked but the rest was just wrong. So, bare with us. I promise, I won't leave you in the dark for too long. We're busy with all these exciting changes. <3<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACc06nn9BiKNsF8nLAF6WWezz2sKJsu71hogBvzrcnandYIalEpiqBaHXfF98O94Q2Nimwxth16v-Wjg-aw4up22ASeDjG3zaMQXNMnew5AAK4qSu4yT_54Wxi_8S_saw-e_dNUWKAIJE/s1600/questions+and+answers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACc06nn9BiKNsF8nLAF6WWezz2sKJsu71hogBvzrcnandYIalEpiqBaHXfF98O94Q2Nimwxth16v-Wjg-aw4up22ASeDjG3zaMQXNMnew5AAK4qSu4yT_54Wxi_8S_saw-e_dNUWKAIJE/s1600/questions+and+answers.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-33949197585470009092014-01-31T18:53:00.000-06:002014-01-31T18:54:11.605-06:00Mary Kay and Scentsy Love!One of the brightest things to come out of our losses is the friendships I've gained with the women I've met. I wish we all could have found each other some other way but I'm glad that I have them in my life.<br />
<br />
One of those sweet ladies is my friend <a href="http://www.marykay.com/aseward-petersmith" target="_blank">Ashton</a>. Recently she's dived into the world of Mary Kay! She has been so extremely supportive but it took me by complete surprise when she offered to have a fundraiser for us! Starting tomorrow (February 1st) through the end of the month, a portion of her profits will be donated to our adoption fund! If you are a Mary Kay fan (or know someone who is, Valentine's Day is coming!!!), please head on over to her <a href="http://www.marykay.com/aseward-petersmith" target="_blank">page</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.marykay.com/aseward-petersmith" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk17Dm5r4Dt7LhLgXTavBXTMo3nyCIbulkFoX4gKzO6gov5BfVqAynBMSnoGa4_FvnG-asvqiv-CEue8jYjM2yWrzZ5jN6bKpvf5yUyuECBg8q75z-FGX1Z1R9Lhyphenhyphen2BL2QSWhsB_F2D9-/s1600/MK.jpg" height="104" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was completely blown away by Ash's offer. We talked about it for a few months until just a few days ago, she posted about it on her Facebook page. She shared a little about both of our journeys as well as the plan for February. Shortly after sharing, a friend of hers, a complete stranger to me, got in contact with her. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meredith.scentsy" target="_blank">Meredith</a> is a Scentsy consultant. She has also offered to donate a portion of her profits from the entire month of February to our adoption fund!! Please like her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meredith.scentsy" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. You can visit and purchase from the "Maddie Sanford" <a href="https://meredithlaverne.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home?partyId=221100153" target="_blank">party</a>. (If your concerned that you're not in the correct party, at the top of your screen, you should see an arrow. Click on the arrow. Next to my name you can click on "Shop!")</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://meredithlaverne.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home?partyId=221100153" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gxJlbO8FeRdQRHA4vk6Osk16XQcu17KqEgXIVA2PghYn1CytwkQ3_IU10AWvkQ8fi335vkTNW_mmi1PjYZZnYA3WBSdtBVtOWUF2T7dufLWOuS0FGSNme4UiZCEfpqPi9rLXY1y0Mr21/s1600/Scentsy.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Thank you again so much ladies for your donations! Thank you also to each one of you that are keeping up with our story and shopping. It's appreciated so much more than you know!! :)</div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-62260410264068215782014-01-02T12:18:00.002-06:002014-01-02T12:18:38.893-06:00Hi, I'm Maddie and I Have an Addiction.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before our fourth loss, I was on a healthier living kick. I lost about 35 pounds. During the pregnancy, I wasn't allowed to work out. Most foods I had been eating, made me completely sick to my stomach. After the loss, quick and easy foods were usually not the foods I should have been eating either. So, I gained some of that weight back. As we got back closer to the holidays and moving, I was determined NOT to continue to gain more weight back. While I was trying to find the best way to stay accountable over the holidays, a friend shared a dietbet with me. It began Thanksgiving and ended Christmas. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIRLTC99CVNUKSU9WWMK4JIU8nAItY9C9U6ogUtIbAmLo3ltH7y_mO0HcMIbcMjvsJkc5q43vA72T9AMpCqgWb_SLzeSeXi9XmDuyW2-xQwFsP5W-fJZA6L4wikHayPw25t6M0tP0Fvo2/s1600/christmas_dietbet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIRLTC99CVNUKSU9WWMK4JIU8nAItY9C9U6ogUtIbAmLo3ltH7y_mO0HcMIbcMjvsJkc5q43vA72T9AMpCqgWb_SLzeSeXi9XmDuyW2-xQwFsP5W-fJZA6L4wikHayPw25t6M0tP0Fvo2/s320/christmas_dietbet.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I signed up, I paid my $20, and I weighed in. I had never done one so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I tracked my weight over the four weeks and did my very best. The best part, I WON! I won $51.38!! Woo! When I woke up to the e-mail saying I won, that was it. I was addicted. I immediately needed another one. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBngzt6AEMS5nenwEswnN_fBzbeUhGkqdmfIhHa6bf_CCjXEwm6fBeWS49SY3UatAGpcfXwYZ0i-lMUdnqxT6YvzfsV09_Jbt-fZWG23JWLm7W_74K9pLVC61CPcPLNNunlEmPg41ReeQs/s1600/newyear_dietbet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBngzt6AEMS5nenwEswnN_fBzbeUhGkqdmfIhHa6bf_CCjXEwm6fBeWS49SY3UatAGpcfXwYZ0i-lMUdnqxT6YvzfsV09_Jbt-fZWG23JWLm7W_74K9pLVC61CPcPLNNunlEmPg41ReeQs/s320/newyear_dietbet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jess and Ash are now hosting a <a href="http://diet.bt/1ccSGXB" target="_blank">New Year Bet</a>. This bet is $25 and currently the pot is up to $1200. You're betting that you can lose 4% of YOUR body weight. ALL of the winners split the pot. The final weigh in is January 30th-31st. It started this morning but you can still join. Please feel free to come join us!</span></div>
<br />Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-3221677483798112582014-01-01T17:09:00.000-06:002014-01-01T17:09:41.478-06:00Hello 2014!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDy1GptLLptTz23FPxF_a_7dadMmn-t2MTQ5uPtPna9RN_lqrpsKPQYsg6TNCvjKeDHNwBCoOeL3l7-BNXOHicoDUeVnHtSZd2I4ixxQzKGWS6ik9ujtOytzKJPbfoQM7gI2KeLtcyfbJ/s1600/2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDy1GptLLptTz23FPxF_a_7dadMmn-t2MTQ5uPtPna9RN_lqrpsKPQYsg6TNCvjKeDHNwBCoOeL3l7-BNXOHicoDUeVnHtSZd2I4ixxQzKGWS6ik9ujtOytzKJPbfoQM7gI2KeLtcyfbJ/s320/2014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year!</span></b></div>
<br />
I can't believe it's already 2014! It seems like it was just January 2013! 2013 definitely had it's ups and downs for us but overall, it was a great year for us. :) We're hopeful for another wonderful 365 days.<br />
<br />
Several years back, a blogger that I followed had a list of 365 things she wished to accomplish the next year. It wasn't necessarily one a day, just 365 over the the next year. I'm a huge list person, so I thought it was awesome. Every year since then, I've wanted to do the same. Every year, I've failed at making the list or half way through the year, I forget my list. Then toward the end of that year, I recycle a lot of my list and try to come up with the rest of my 365 goals. This year, I have my list. (On time!) For the most part, my goals seem pretty attainable. There's a few that will make me really push myself but what would be the fun if they were ALL super easy?<br />
<br />
My goals (I actually ended up with 400. The extras ended up being really easy now that we're home owners and there's a decent list of little things we want to do this year to the house.) are typed and ready to go. They are totally random. Some are house related, quite a few are adoption related. Some will push me to be more involved in my community while others will hopefully keep me much more active. I have goals that I hope will make me a more loving wife and friend. They are all over the place. I'd love to get them ALL accomplished but thinking back over my history with this list, to stay realistic, I'm hoping to at least get half of them done.<br />
<br />
Do you have any goals for this year?Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-26581348115655676952013-12-31T12:34:00.000-06:002014-01-01T17:09:58.851-06:00Honey, I'm Home!Really this time! You've been missing me because I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off! I was convinced our underwriters hated us. Our closing date kept getting pushed back and pushed back but it finally happened! We closed on the house and we MOVED!<br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf58i0QL33iX6URT8e6f9fX82pD3n5UAvmkBQTDV3Nu1axHj4Xb_XGG2ihacrznvwvivNtmaEhOMjioZVytP5_lGR8AcpJq-RywFIMqBG1srtgj1LN_gNDYXDIqdaxIznWU8NJm24SvQqD/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf58i0QL33iX6URT8e6f9fX82pD3n5UAvmkBQTDV3Nu1axHj4Xb_XGG2ihacrznvwvivNtmaEhOMjioZVytP5_lGR8AcpJq-RywFIMqBG1srtgj1LN_gNDYXDIqdaxIznWU8NJm24SvQqD/s320/house.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">WE'RE HOME!</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We moved the day after Christmas which was crazy enough. Now we're trying to get things updated and settled. There's a few things that needed to be done right away. Dustin took Friday off to change all the locks. He also took the ancient thermostat off. With the help of my best friend's husband, the new, fancy WiFi controlled thermostat is up and running. Now, he's working on my "honey-do" list for the kitchen before the unpacking can really happen. Our refrigerator will be delivered in two days. Hopefully in the next two weeks or so, it will really start to LOOK like we live there.</div>
</div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-70149891407961843182013-11-17T22:04:00.000-06:002013-11-17T22:28:35.479-06:00It's Been a Crazy Month!! It's been a month since I've gotten a chance to post an update here. Man, it's been a crazy one! In the last month, we've put offers in on four different houses. Two of those houses were bought from underneath us and one of them our offer was rejected. The fourth one might be THE ONE! Our offer was accepted and the house inspection looked GREAT. The termite inspection is tomorrow afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed for us!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD3Pt6cK2RMfpGfembknXAXMVcZneOQuf_aEB1OHarpBM5OpXDypv9gDOIAOsHYUTTEgCsN1vIYV-vtYdbzTTqYn3yOXTtG_bUh1iUAOl7SImc15VDnVMfnaJcYIWUMzfS-ZEGOBVyz3v/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD3Pt6cK2RMfpGfembknXAXMVcZneOQuf_aEB1OHarpBM5OpXDypv9gDOIAOsHYUTTEgCsN1vIYV-vtYdbzTTqYn3yOXTtG_bUh1iUAOl7SImc15VDnVMfnaJcYIWUMzfS-ZEGOBVyz3v/s320/house.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We've had three fundraisers that were very successful! The rummage sale raised over $700! Dealicious Cakes' gift certificate sales raised $100! Kim's Peanut Gallery's auction raised over $200!! We still have a few more ideas that we're trying to plan out and schedule. We're really looking forward to them.<br />
<br />
Edit: Oh! Our puzzle has also raised $360!<br />
<br />
We've both been really busy and we're hoping that everything goes as planned and we close on the house December 20th, or sooner. (Ideally, I'm hoping for the 13th.) This will give us a chance to settle for Christmas and the new year. Then January will bring last minute preparation before getting our home study completed!<br />
<br />
Before I began this blog, I had another blog. I really miss blogging about all the happenings in life so there's a very good chance that soon this blog will not just house our adoption updates. Hope you all don't mind. ;)<br />
<br />Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-3250885840172190082013-10-13T16:10:00.001-05:002013-10-13T16:10:58.667-05:00Rummage & Bake Sale Benefit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During the last post I talked about my friend Melissa, the owner of Dealicious Cakes. I also mentioned my friend Deena, who helped create the flyers and gift certificates for the October Fundraiser. It turns out that a month or so ago, they started organizing a secret benefit for Dustin and me! After they had some details nailed into place, they contacted one of my best friends, Katie, to help finish organizing and to pull it off.<br /><br />I didn't know anything about it for a few weeks. One day, Katie took me to lunch before a secret errand. This secret errand ended up being Deena's house, so they could tell me all about it! There will be a bake sale and a lemonade booth for some yummy treats while you shop the rummage sale! Rumor has it there will also be some games for the kids! My sister will have a Jamberry table set up. You'll also be able to check out <a href="http://looking4ourmissingpiece.blogspot.com/2013/09/sues-pot-holders.html" target="_blank">Sue's Pot Holders</a>! I may also have a Thirty One table set up. :)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcQiroX8j59-GCxP06Cxc9JuEbdJL-n4ZpcsDJRdIwNpflUFUcnhaISPpqsHWH2LUfuDU8uRe2UmtLxB9CYukHZDbT7GzibKMPIboDCoP6mSca3M7JEX81eg5h2OqxDt8RMcFyrFqeWmG/s1600/rummage_sale_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcQiroX8j59-GCxP06Cxc9JuEbdJL-n4ZpcsDJRdIwNpflUFUcnhaISPpqsHWH2LUfuDU8uRe2UmtLxB9CYukHZDbT7GzibKMPIboDCoP6mSca3M7JEX81eg5h2OqxDt8RMcFyrFqeWmG/s320/rummage_sale_sign.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flyer!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiC7urrrTTsgO_Zb3zCZH8yB0i4XH1BNbT7_91krXtVfzuXUaccaXGFU-VIFWVs74q4gYfgve4bxZr8AZQEJS0c0CYZ7aeYa8OgTXWTU9W-yiR1YiOLyBgDd2YOO5oiMFuJ34c_6bemkR/s1600/benefit_signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiC7urrrTTsgO_Zb3zCZH8yB0i4XH1BNbT7_91krXtVfzuXUaccaXGFU-VIFWVs74q4gYfgve4bxZr8AZQEJS0c0CYZ7aeYa8OgTXWTU9W-yiR1YiOLyBgDd2YOO5oiMFuJ34c_6bemkR/s320/benefit_signs.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />If you're coming out to see us, you can see the yard from Eisenhauer as soon as you pass Dell Oak Dr. If you can't, just look for these!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihACrMqXvl39_DxmdZSDurQkBcAA6YaVRZwwQf62Y2m4yU7NQaDAI_ldfnaNFQrTHIgpvYfC6eQqkGrdRnnb3Jcfz2fuNJdE2FKLNWCY6aRrFhLS61WiyXRnH3ceeo4EqVlSiQ6D3aSetx/s1600/thermometer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihACrMqXvl39_DxmdZSDurQkBcAA6YaVRZwwQf62Y2m4yU7NQaDAI_ldfnaNFQrTHIgpvYfC6eQqkGrdRnnb3Jcfz2fuNJdE2FKLNWCY6aRrFhLS61WiyXRnH3ceeo4EqVlSiQ6D3aSetx/s320/thermometer.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Deena created and print out all of these wonderful items. I can't wait to use our thermometer tracker!!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have any items sitting out around that you've thought about getting rid of or donating to Goodwill, please e-mail us! I can pick up or meet you! This is a great time to go through your closets. ;) We will happily take these items off your hands! All of the proceeds are be donated to our adoption fund. We have a goal of $2,000 for the day. Help us meet (or exceed!) this goal!! :D</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-20786606377263129172013-09-23T14:13:00.002-05:002013-09-23T14:13:15.456-05:00Dealicious Cakes Benefit Fundraiser.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Two-three years ago, my sweet friend Melissa started her own cake business. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dealiciouscakes" target="_blank">Dealicious Cakes</a>. (It's cute because her maiden name is Deal.) She's fantastic and the cakes are definitely delicious. For almost three years, she's been making all sorts of cakes for me. Here are just a few of them!<br /><br />Click the photos to view a larger version. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmxAuV_-iXFHvo9tsOGC6cLSB_Gen40CC7V_EA-SYjvJMtl6x7jJRDs8shEnjkghfnIfNZW8wiGLiVxFqm9QYTd1wHVJWDNS2toAL4184EqG_wVLL6wKPHdM72Rgu9eg1j5qTbJMdAObz/s1600/christi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmxAuV_-iXFHvo9tsOGC6cLSB_Gen40CC7V_EA-SYjvJMtl6x7jJRDs8shEnjkghfnIfNZW8wiGLiVxFqm9QYTd1wHVJWDNS2toAL4184EqG_wVLL6wKPHdM72Rgu9eg1j5qTbJMdAObz/s200/christi.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtx-eLZjHBIoccghAxU9vlTBAvZk9q27eF-zQg5UPEREZoNybAXtX5oXYRIdyZRZ0FJA_afiyXf2e6xyp8eT0RPTkHPZa6Va78CRe-CP1VteLv-jKnKDL4QeyAlvkAzQOiI3EVXnXALKJ8/s1600/riley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtx-eLZjHBIoccghAxU9vlTBAvZk9q27eF-zQg5UPEREZoNybAXtX5oXYRIdyZRZ0FJA_afiyXf2e6xyp8eT0RPTkHPZa6Va78CRe-CP1VteLv-jKnKDL4QeyAlvkAzQOiI3EVXnXALKJ8/s200/riley.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baby Showers</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Christi's Under the Ocean/Pirate Theme and Katie's Little Red Wagon Theme)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe6IQbFukFIG6bnmrOCM-ccz2rAj2IZGCR5OCEeJZuDaSeArxbWz2VJBZ-7ZOkAX8kSs7WiLV1HwXoazMl4Jv5IODxQTahfuet2VGwURLCCv6DXHFN1urM_UT1qB2FhcEfm5vqIMi9pEU/s1600/margie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe6IQbFukFIG6bnmrOCM-ccz2rAj2IZGCR5OCEeJZuDaSeArxbWz2VJBZ-7ZOkAX8kSs7WiLV1HwXoazMl4Jv5IODxQTahfuet2VGwURLCCv6DXHFN1urM_UT1qB2FhcEfm5vqIMi9pEU/s200/margie.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuI-kMlYgIyyQrZoCFqJAQ9cJ6eYv_KoItdSizYXmF0GFCNaAPFtH958DBpcs_7yKBHh1NloUDBfUjwS7wbFbxEoAEoyhIv41Y07Kul5ffaV8KiAeUYPlz20x8mXHkBTD70S3qqM69bC0/s1600/dustin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuI-kMlYgIyyQrZoCFqJAQ9cJ6eYv_KoItdSizYXmF0GFCNaAPFtH958DBpcs_7yKBHh1NloUDBfUjwS7wbFbxEoAEoyhIv41Y07Kul5ffaV8KiAeUYPlz20x8mXHkBTD70S3qqM69bC0/s200/dustin.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Birthdays</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Margie's "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY" Texas Hold 'Em Cake and Dustin's Golf Course cupcakes)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZa72G6bcCZC6opPj9qoIVRZ1vP2TYfCJH9Bxnz5el3GUa3COLFa_vCNKpm5PCBTJKpiW5EnL9lnH6tcR65Yb83gueFQquFzOTcb8906292Z8UUc4qD-2lzo0WQOfdBO-Q1Yse0i48eov/s1600/mel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZa72G6bcCZC6opPj9qoIVRZ1vP2TYfCJH9Bxnz5el3GUa3COLFa_vCNKpm5PCBTJKpiW5EnL9lnH6tcR65Yb83gueFQquFzOTcb8906292Z8UUc4qD-2lzo0WQOfdBO-Q1Yse0i48eov/s200/mel.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Graduations</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Melanie's UTSA graduation cake and cupcakes)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next few aren't ones she did for me but that I LOVE anyway!</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyXvA5fFynWcSrx9PMBdcrw5QCGPz4SJ3WuYcErCP9I_ZJZSgRKjtB30GpxUilaVNqaMgB4ArRyMuTy-g9Q5Z1OnYkkFlkEJxM35AuiHZT2aEmG8yppkuMg9XvLxMdJMxA_DECt9dZPcO/s1600/thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyXvA5fFynWcSrx9PMBdcrw5QCGPz4SJ3WuYcErCP9I_ZJZSgRKjtB30GpxUilaVNqaMgB4ArRyMuTy-g9Q5Z1OnYkkFlkEJxM35AuiHZT2aEmG8yppkuMg9XvLxMdJMxA_DECt9dZPcO/s200/thomas.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYVuarHrjcFYfjK4eisE_q_4XB5ePkR5pctunIKXzOe5-rJ6BJEQc7C1B18lIfWLdGbd9Jeod1He6a-cbwsolz9-lJyQeSWPq9JM94gP7BuroDvQW9OIc-q62ENao5WaryPMYCaKWxX29/s1600/thomas+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYVuarHrjcFYfjK4eisE_q_4XB5ePkR5pctunIKXzOe5-rJ6BJEQc7C1B18lIfWLdGbd9Jeod1He6a-cbwsolz9-lJyQeSWPq9JM94gP7BuroDvQW9OIc-q62ENao5WaryPMYCaKWxX29/s200/thomas+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwDAYo0YeD6LM01QqbPkDMGIO86osJn6kdHGwQOnZkfFHm6g3uNRqNRjWRm8wF8cMF7RGpfKd7gk4HD6LKGo0bQOOpwSdm0C50NmUZCpe31uRQWT-HMY0YuP1KOiT2nLbM5-7I2VKgQ5P/s1600/cowboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioFfhQTNcpD0ccOVMeMFV4JzwrjW78S46nJtZEQtcFWEEFRePgWvY58UWl365jGd307cRDlZlepupO1KIIc6aiox1HEmdYkG0Kg8I7ikmD2WVpev_FimKwqbrOMZskPg9NPkoArdpWV5_/s1600/cate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioFfhQTNcpD0ccOVMeMFV4JzwrjW78S46nJtZEQtcFWEEFRePgWvY58UWl365jGd307cRDlZlepupO1KIIc6aiox1HEmdYkG0Kg8I7ikmD2WVpev_FimKwqbrOMZskPg9NPkoArdpWV5_/s200/cate.jpg" width="144" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p1l2keTo4DcMXpnUEqnPy9ww-_n_-8rE-ZQ32m9C3GFDDXY2rh_rauBFPjlf8u5pOZKivgP2Nf_m3mlkDC8f6egdUCWs2xXRqa-H-5PaFIcEH3ICye3_kxtDzUR2-BbJNFy9fxitJw8S/s1600/clemens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p1l2keTo4DcMXpnUEqnPy9ww-_n_-8rE-ZQ32m9C3GFDDXY2rh_rauBFPjlf8u5pOZKivgP2Nf_m3mlkDC8f6egdUCWs2xXRqa-H-5PaFIcEH3ICye3_kxtDzUR2-BbJNFy9fxitJw8S/s200/clemens.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Melissa can do it all. She's also done wedding cakes, holiday cakes, sports cakes, and just because cakes. I'm sure I'm missing something.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last week, Melissa came to me with an idea. She offered to sell gift certificates during the month of October to support our Looking For Our Missing Piece fund. So, after some strategy planning and the help of Deena's (you'll hear more about her shortly!) awesome skills, this is what we came up with. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib28i7KEht387NKnHLSwZ_wnuCEKiOklbucezF3OG9zBfPATFnMc-mUATgYsRCuyZ82Wn7AJxmrey9RJ1Gy4-JoNYQipzwVkL8m8af7wA-R3Lc4yx2nNxcy78GCTDzD-_L2vuYAs4f2Wis/s1600/Cake+Flyer+B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib28i7KEht387NKnHLSwZ_wnuCEKiOklbucezF3OG9zBfPATFnMc-mUATgYsRCuyZ82Wn7AJxmrey9RJ1Gy4-JoNYQipzwVkL8m8af7wA-R3Lc4yx2nNxcy78GCTDzD-_L2vuYAs4f2Wis/s320/Cake+Flyer+B.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />During the month of October, purchase a $25 gift certificate for only $20. Half of the sales go to our adoption fund! You can use your certificate anytime before March 31st. You can also use multiple gift certificates. (Need a larger, layered, really detailed wedding/birthday cake? Purchase 5 gift certificates for $100 and have $125 towards a cake, cupcakes, or cookies with Dealicious Cakes! Purchase 4 gift certificates for $80 and have $100!)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you have questions, please feel free to email me at looking4ourmissingpiece@gmail.com. You can also find Melissa on her facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dealiciouscakes?ref=br_tf" target="_blank">Dealicious Cakes</a>, or at 210-607-9081.</span></div>
<br />Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-75747542893610949472013-09-23T12:40:00.000-05:002013-10-13T15:32:08.273-05:00Sue's Pot Holders<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;">My grandmother LOVES to crochet. One of her favorite things are pot holders. As soon as she found out about our adoption plans, she began crocheting pot holder sets for sale. So, as promised, here are photos of the sets that are already complete. If you'd like to purchase some of her pot holders, they are <b>2 (one set) for $7, or 4 (two sets) for $12</b>. (If you live outside of SA, I'll have to charge shipping. Just let me know where I'm shipping them to and I'll get you a number. :D)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;">Click on the images to see a larger version.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7kQfM5JEj4VR7nvkKipWmSkl4DPQWE1kHgf3QE8iu0JEvKKf2Ii9yhx0S_prxsF75Tu5pcACnDgI4JSm2tElzBftMxhMyWWgb6agRYH54L_Wq5fWrAEM8CrtQbMwIR6s-p7Tp8KrOzFZ/s1600/IMG_6504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7kQfM5JEj4VR7nvkKipWmSkl4DPQWE1kHgf3QE8iu0JEvKKf2Ii9yhx0S_prxsF75Tu5pcACnDgI4JSm2tElzBftMxhMyWWgb6agRYH54L_Wq5fWrAEM8CrtQbMwIR6s-p7Tp8KrOzFZ/s200/IMG_6504.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBf6zh5ukju08NRjQIdC__D69qdbvL3A6FuE8BRiBxT5WaRBbA9kPhOItcUdZEQbdniJZdBhsnLjzEMKgrvDSlz0NY7zzV8fWVQbEw6NKz6GZwxse53L95hkLhfdKkdrobYcVYwpIJoLpK/s1600/IMG_6509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBf6zh5ukju08NRjQIdC__D69qdbvL3A6FuE8BRiBxT5WaRBbA9kPhOItcUdZEQbdniJZdBhsnLjzEMKgrvDSlz0NY7zzV8fWVQbEw6NKz6GZwxse53L95hkLhfdKkdrobYcVYwpIJoLpK/s200/IMG_6509.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />Set & Closer View</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdBttdg2A6gXBrz43EMpEYGaZeZmsItzigMclKs7zCu9_VMzWuyE1Yv1JUYEdZoExHfN_Z5SGkaBho2wFcvALUR9ek_O57NMU384hs24dswYyWSYK06_HsnN68gTEgRAXq-9SYhfTlIzg/s1600/IMG_6505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdBttdg2A6gXBrz43EMpEYGaZeZmsItzigMclKs7zCu9_VMzWuyE1Yv1JUYEdZoExHfN_Z5SGkaBho2wFcvALUR9ek_O57NMU384hs24dswYyWSYK06_HsnN68gTEgRAXq-9SYhfTlIzg/s200/IMG_6505.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSuRVkYTcnhHqqfXraoj3MjTs6XmTH3vcGeHzMnpQP7Ty7-fqp-_fWwVqk8U2yohnCLn5ucTxJuCHBvMq6HZqgWQ9aQ3tLHIDpyoT4StjBEzXczpvan9KuIv_LhyphenhyphenljTz14jwl6q6lxlt7/s1600/IMG_6506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSuRVkYTcnhHqqfXraoj3MjTs6XmTH3vcGeHzMnpQP7Ty7-fqp-_fWwVqk8U2yohnCLn5ucTxJuCHBvMq6HZqgWQ9aQ3tLHIDpyoT4StjBEzXczpvan9KuIv_LhyphenhyphenljTz14jwl6q6lxlt7/s200/IMG_6506.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Set & Closer View</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2-MFDVjvImJX4vIqN0_S7wFG9VNS4O4P-nX6xREqJSe-g3f3-Av1it5RCbXTfrQZyVwCXx1C_GuL3S-0Wvhz0v6A7mUsCUBPzA5fBaF4aYxZKzsSM0j_tySQtQt-1_hw7UYIiVe78VPq/s1600/IMG_6507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2-MFDVjvImJX4vIqN0_S7wFG9VNS4O4P-nX6xREqJSe-g3f3-Av1it5RCbXTfrQZyVwCXx1C_GuL3S-0Wvhz0v6A7mUsCUBPzA5fBaF4aYxZKzsSM0j_tySQtQt-1_hw7UYIiVe78VPq/s200/IMG_6507.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvd1c-9A9weGghX5xO_F46ERAQPhoYeV643mPCdpdZN8EtfnmSAlh1uzCJsyAjpC80XcYA868u0-bTkKwjg9v6LQVX8tSej0fjUuHGIkw80UWpAvWMaFTgYn7IgLVaMlp5AHlup81qwUd/s1600/IMG_6508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvd1c-9A9weGghX5xO_F46ERAQPhoYeV643mPCdpdZN8EtfnmSAlh1uzCJsyAjpC80XcYA868u0-bTkKwjg9v6LQVX8tSej0fjUuHGIkw80UWpAvWMaFTgYn7IgLVaMlp5AHlup81qwUd/s200/IMG_6508.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Set & Closer View</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3i0zTgmOX8uImGiQVhhNC2kkKUHNpRHYUIjNtUqDZ2kRPf2tW4KiZsloSQRF4E0_JH-2Y0gpk1zsWXf0RmDxqVqCCH13woNixYwEg9oMuv6xsS77uj9cyyw2YhkwVozNtTxbRTTdD9DP/s1600/IMG_6510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3i0zTgmOX8uImGiQVhhNC2kkKUHNpRHYUIjNtUqDZ2kRPf2tW4KiZsloSQRF4E0_JH-2Y0gpk1zsWXf0RmDxqVqCCH13woNixYwEg9oMuv6xsS77uj9cyyw2YhkwVozNtTxbRTTdD9DP/s200/IMG_6510.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHPVRNebOjti_qsJWD_F9qFpdk6fd-GdaasHvgjwfX8kxwgAZxy-c_3PHDMZAbXWzxeV08NzAnLSWAPYviQFGOuVATD8EvqepLTG-72WnTLpo0CYF_EaU_5sOUqWTXVV7emkwH8Hc5hKt/s1600/IMG_6511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHPVRNebOjti_qsJWD_F9qFpdk6fd-GdaasHvgjwfX8kxwgAZxy-c_3PHDMZAbXWzxeV08NzAnLSWAPYviQFGOuVATD8EvqepLTG-72WnTLpo0CYF_EaU_5sOUqWTXVV7emkwH8Hc5hKt/s200/IMG_6511.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Set & Closer View</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBAAGsG_eqJWyN2y4ACZxU-frjCkjE-jPnGUCiqy7WY1KFRYiKKC6S0BBK5IrwYcOWd8-PgBo8dtIRpGjlAz0viE6yXcH5BP4psHc-E_kfy9sf7I3P-BTnvwbh4_zL1WvJQ8erMXa8F4v/s1600/IMG_6512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBAAGsG_eqJWyN2y4ACZxU-frjCkjE-jPnGUCiqy7WY1KFRYiKKC6S0BBK5IrwYcOWd8-PgBo8dtIRpGjlAz0viE6yXcH5BP4psHc-E_kfy9sf7I3P-BTnvwbh4_zL1WvJQ8erMXa8F4v/s200/IMG_6512.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGmyCGhHz5H67XJMi0lH76yJ7e0Jaa2Gk7Nd5j3myWsn4YwcK32ihLQZU5cb_1l8jrcmHewXpVWIxDIvT01Lpr1ttBXsTQ8hsd-lc9XT9zVPCEA9grGreym89IyRuWPpRnrNX4J78LlK2/s1600/IMG_6514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGmyCGhHz5H67XJMi0lH76yJ7e0Jaa2Gk7Nd5j3myWsn4YwcK32ihLQZU5cb_1l8jrcmHewXpVWIxDIvT01Lpr1ttBXsTQ8hsd-lc9XT9zVPCEA9grGreym89IyRuWPpRnrNX4J78LlK2/s200/IMG_6514.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dhxqcwxLhuIGGtGnXXDTF370uuLUdXWC2tRKdT8rs_dO4SlDBRJBFqoojDotjbGlcbK85WI1WY2wdVhMiSIM0A_8C1Eh77_INl_ZRJ7smAQ_AGuWeuBHAhZovjLeh11TprRsAEh8zYp8/s1600/IMG_6516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dhxqcwxLhuIGGtGnXXDTF370uuLUdXWC2tRKdT8rs_dO4SlDBRJBFqoojDotjbGlcbK85WI1WY2wdVhMiSIM0A_8C1Eh77_INl_ZRJ7smAQ_AGuWeuBHAhZovjLeh11TprRsAEh8zYp8/s200/IMG_6516.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2aMtBIsvAN2yEx_GgPrc85i2FsM2nSME8yGb9W2Wp6fssFC7Snrwr_nZS5SXI_-e2LP1VV2Nf7XJACHxzfOQrGH3u0fOP6JylsUDa9nGrEyJyRCRMMSD1qQetYeW-y0kGB9J0ExGIlBd/s1600/IMG_6517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2aMtBIsvAN2yEx_GgPrc85i2FsM2nSME8yGb9W2Wp6fssFC7Snrwr_nZS5SXI_-e2LP1VV2Nf7XJACHxzfOQrGH3u0fOP6JylsUDa9nGrEyJyRCRMMSD1qQetYeW-y0kGB9J0ExGIlBd/s200/IMG_6517.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFx-tMu-Is53gnXcAeIyEF8KpUrBCgBvcMiYa_7EeFKlI7G22XsmNs3-d027VhkuhGiqOP60izixgGV84cbjFuTG71Zz3ZF6yRJDjMnyeV0bXz1CDNnmbaKuYWCEUEdiL9WIZNvPqJg4Dt/s1600/IMG_6518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFx-tMu-Is53gnXcAeIyEF8KpUrBCgBvcMiYa_7EeFKlI7G22XsmNs3-d027VhkuhGiqOP60izixgGV84cbjFuTG71Zz3ZF6yRJDjMnyeV0bXz1CDNnmbaKuYWCEUEdiL9WIZNvPqJg4Dt/s200/IMG_6518.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FWcZsxSIvHJs26c7DUxzST7Knkpe6eDiA6HWfqhOQFAE3JdMfCS2YARU9ktwOj8783jGX6Cxb_vyg6oUHsIieqYtIAbwlK48MelxzPrlPzcAxbdtL-kOYjaNCgMFYJVZxnFhA01PB_LS/s1600/IMG_6519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FWcZsxSIvHJs26c7DUxzST7Knkpe6eDiA6HWfqhOQFAE3JdMfCS2YARU9ktwOj8783jGX6Cxb_vyg6oUHsIieqYtIAbwlK48MelxzPrlPzcAxbdtL-kOYjaNCgMFYJVZxnFhA01PB_LS/s200/IMG_6519.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHisgGH_hZoQcI0wUcMHn5XdY_S-nGxzWwdAZ62N6-Qd3UJFNH0hFkf5yhhSJwozjWSD154fZQ-sbtlRKZ_vPJg17aTcjLdiyoAvBkcvlkNGUKaxX-faF0_dbtSUch06bdHvPMb9eARjJx/s1600/IMG_6520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHisgGH_hZoQcI0wUcMHn5XdY_S-nGxzWwdAZ62N6-Qd3UJFNH0hFkf5yhhSJwozjWSD154fZQ-sbtlRKZ_vPJg17aTcjLdiyoAvBkcvlkNGUKaxX-faF0_dbtSUch06bdHvPMb9eARjJx/s200/IMG_6520.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQYrAUirh6l2mKDbxUZP1mhpSpSlwi0nBSTdUGz3vzg7QGpM91XJKywYPKxKN6JkX1BpI8AvEfJ_0oDbZtX6P2oLM-jai6Azuiae8dF3hgt1__fTD2MW_44d1LuqGNs-bgTUlv16abQaQ/s1600/IMG_6523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQYrAUirh6l2mKDbxUZP1mhpSpSlwi0nBSTdUGz3vzg7QGpM91XJKywYPKxKN6JkX1BpI8AvEfJ_0oDbZtX6P2oLM-jai6Azuiae8dF3hgt1__fTD2MW_44d1LuqGNs-bgTUlv16abQaQ/s200/IMG_6523.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrwmIGyzprYVu-HmgW1SjYVmt9pzdhgd3mWWRq0OnmEThUNhG5PrBPxJYx4ciYLsrbWI0cFLmeaX61J45xMYcX7dBP77z_1dE-LTbTXO0dUuUfydRmrHA90MBx6lsWU_fdSrUxafUd5Pe/s1600/IMG_6521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrwmIGyzprYVu-HmgW1SjYVmt9pzdhgd3mWWRq0OnmEThUNhG5PrBPxJYx4ciYLsrbWI0cFLmeaX61J45xMYcX7dBP77z_1dE-LTbTXO0dUuUfydRmrHA90MBx6lsWU_fdSrUxafUd5Pe/s200/IMG_6521.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09UOwzMrJx2A6cx6C1cm6Bgh3ll_57J5_0whGlwlIblmzgzr10jvy5iv3WCPKJOWHGVdvU038cNnbAHtAcFkbxDksW-6fuJXZn6GZ5YXMsYM9Zj4LgxvSGDkn9F0NfEuYrLwv_qgceAgb/s1600/IMG_6522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09UOwzMrJx2A6cx6C1cm6Bgh3ll_57J5_0whGlwlIblmzgzr10jvy5iv3WCPKJOWHGVdvU038cNnbAHtAcFkbxDksW-6fuJXZn6GZ5YXMsYM9Zj4LgxvSGDkn9F0NfEuYrLwv_qgceAgb/s200/IMG_6522.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Set & Closer View</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYBhoVujmPgOuRPVNCW2IJ0OkqBNLcWWk85wum7DKML9gkQXk9ehhsm7jKkREaPdlvkbpkMVK8f24JdCNU6vPqN0cfEvAxhVBNJFBiDKvtrYgiu3ieL-m_qG6Pcu615ZTovw8kFU526fl/s1600/IMG_6524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYBhoVujmPgOuRPVNCW2IJ0OkqBNLcWWk85wum7DKML9gkQXk9ehhsm7jKkREaPdlvkbpkMVK8f24JdCNU6vPqN0cfEvAxhVBNJFBiDKvtrYgiu3ieL-m_qG6Pcu615ZTovw8kFU526fl/s200/IMG_6524.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9H6gGryYnwWX60Tft3722Lt_Oslq_BAEeP4a3H62grz0RVzd18tlTKJRPt-t0Y5PI5C51vBEEFj1zqFICa9RN8MLrlnFkL7-1uOTwhgl4QhBSGhf-zTBbGpL0RWTI6gomGFP_7PfpVH_1/s1600/IMG_6525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9H6gGryYnwWX60Tft3722Lt_Oslq_BAEeP4a3H62grz0RVzd18tlTKJRPt-t0Y5PI5C51vBEEFj1zqFICa9RN8MLrlnFkL7-1uOTwhgl4QhBSGhf-zTBbGpL0RWTI6gomGFP_7PfpVH_1/s200/IMG_6525.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Set & Closer View</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E9XtzKIeLAcu0ykagFdlbhAja80aWX_2c7RFis7vMSzglMPaMsynAKYZokC4bTIOYYCN1wx6JciFB3eE39NYMxGXtOjcA_hQETryT8SHvs1LMhVZA7JCjcs4l5eGNyLx8_PhGA1xNTQ6/s1600/IMG_6526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0E9XtzKIeLAcu0ykagFdlbhAja80aWX_2c7RFis7vMSzglMPaMsynAKYZokC4bTIOYYCN1wx6JciFB3eE39NYMxGXtOjcA_hQETryT8SHvs1LMhVZA7JCjcs4l5eGNyLx8_PhGA1xNTQ6/s200/IMG_6526.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iQIVxzxa4kbZuFArsuTyha_hdgixq0G58Xstx6J9mksibuZuz8kpIHxGikMAa6X0rP806326tAYCkTK2-SxB4Hzivku8JOviQErOVraeLcUQGjJoP03U3ET8S6hoCjXyGlL2lfyafVzT/s1600/IMG_6527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iQIVxzxa4kbZuFArsuTyha_hdgixq0G58Xstx6J9mksibuZuz8kpIHxGikMAa6X0rP806326tAYCkTK2-SxB4Hzivku8JOviQErOVraeLcUQGjJoP03U3ET8S6hoCjXyGlL2lfyafVzT/s200/IMG_6527.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
ALL of the money from the pot holders will be going into our adoption fund. If you'd like to purchase a set, please email me at looking4ourmissingpiece@gmail.com</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span>Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-47148153556718667172013-09-16T18:15:00.002-05:002013-09-16T18:15:46.063-05:00Adoption Auction.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dLnAftflafOzAsc9hW5svkkB-TTdCNVXKNcWbsfyK48EmfH9JnGbbOO3FiYuCiH-sw-F2CKxg-jtVTVGdejHeeU_6lweYrUSHmUlHE69LNtChe7c2t_EZkN4H0L4y9N-BviaKvOIowY1/s1600/kimspeanut2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dLnAftflafOzAsc9hW5svkkB-TTdCNVXKNcWbsfyK48EmfH9JnGbbOO3FiYuCiH-sw-F2CKxg-jtVTVGdejHeeU_6lweYrUSHmUlHE69LNtChe7c2t_EZkN4H0L4y9N-BviaKvOIowY1/s400/kimspeanut2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love cute little boutiques. You can always find awesome stuff AND you're helping out a family. Usually, the owners of these boutiques are moms who got their start trying to make extra cash so they can stay home with their kids or put them into dance, football, soccer, gymnastics, tennis, ice skating.... you get the idea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my favorites is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kimspeanutgallery" target="_blank">Kim's Peanut Gallery</a>. She makes some cute things! If I need a baby shower, birthday or Christmas gift for a little one, chances are are I can find something from her. Aside from that, she's a great lady and a wonderful (online!) friend. I messaged her not too long ago to ask her if she'd be willing to donate something for a silent auction or an online boutique auction, benefiting our adoption fund. She's so sweet, she offered to host it on her page! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Right now we have the dates: November 3rd-10th. More details will be posted as we get closer. Five great boutiques have already committed to joining and we hope to get more soon!</span>Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-14647239416548306152013-08-18T17:27:00.002-05:002013-09-16T15:00:09.160-05:00Adding A Piece to Our Puzzle<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrn2JPG5MRaKNih2EdtX4ZU84PxREQSZunme8Apnzy-vmeKoW1u52umRuPu2a2KCQgHVViK1UO04BGJnK1tjW8zV0YnbG2IdHnTLch89_jEzCJBCxO3q-fdSFPSLz3FCeFygOIZXCtKKa/s1600/puzzle_piece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrn2JPG5MRaKNih2EdtX4ZU84PxREQSZunme8Apnzy-vmeKoW1u52umRuPu2a2KCQgHVViK1UO04BGJnK1tjW8zV0YnbG2IdHnTLch89_jEzCJBCxO3q-fdSFPSLz3FCeFygOIZXCtKKa/s1600/puzzle_piece.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Brace yourself. Unless you've researched adoption before, the number I'm about to share might make you fall over. Even though we knew the ball park estimate, the actual number still shocked us a little bit.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The adoption fees, agency fees, medical expenses, and legal fees will be around $34,000. In order to help us lighten the load of this amount, we're planning on doing several fundraisers. One of our planned fundraisers is a puzzle fundraiser. People who would like to participate in this fundraiser will "sponsor" a puzzle piece. The cost of a puzzle piece is $10. Once you purchase your piece, we will write your name on the back of the piece. As pieces are sponsored, it will be put together. Once the puzzle is complete, it will be put into a double sided frame and hung in the baby's nursery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Originally I was going to post a photo of the puzzle we'd be putting together. I think it's much more fun if everyone has to wait until it's put together. ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How to Sponsor a Piece:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Click on the Donate button in the sidebar and pay securely through PayPal. You do not have to have a PayPal account to do so. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Write a check or donate cash and hand deliver to myself or Dustin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Mail a check to us. (You can email us at looking4ourmissingpiece@gmail.com for our address)<br /><br />(Since our letters have gone out and the blog has "gone public", we've have several people let us know that PayPal wasn't working the way it should be. If you have a PayPal account, you can send any donation to maddielynn321@gmail.com. I'm sorry for the issue. We're working to resolve it!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKezNrwYKxEUoHfu3HuGAeErLtpSDxyaJyNCHBgi6nngeMiS6UyAe1vgZy1GAHNohPg-8Imw3zGBQITtdp9M5dtJAwKrdGJ5eENOS_QdO1cudRUZlAcZp1BOT_zM2UIl_dV12JdPGbHekn/s1600/blank+pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKezNrwYKxEUoHfu3HuGAeErLtpSDxyaJyNCHBgi6nngeMiS6UyAe1vgZy1GAHNohPg-8Imw3zGBQITtdp9M5dtJAwKrdGJ5eENOS_QdO1cudRUZlAcZp1BOT_zM2UIl_dV12JdPGbHekn/s320/blank+pieces.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We're so incredibly thankful for everyone's sweet words and loving support. You all are absolutely wonderful!</span>Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-7127876263241934822013-08-13T15:56:00.001-05:002013-08-13T16:04:04.751-05:00"September-ish"<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEhMFxWyiO7o-WOg4Ayj_PvsntX6e2L2lngnMxDO-dpznUSBytgvdjJpQDzQhICdzdf5LyMA_NFrW-BiyMDqo3sfRnyYpgcuQaP4qV5YZiRIYNTplICelNSoGs0OW3UczGKFWL1ws-ap0/s1600/Screenshot_2013-08-13-15-59-05-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEhMFxWyiO7o-WOg4Ayj_PvsntX6e2L2lngnMxDO-dpznUSBytgvdjJpQDzQhICdzdf5LyMA_NFrW-BiyMDqo3sfRnyYpgcuQaP4qV5YZiRIYNTplICelNSoGs0OW3UczGKFWL1ws-ap0/s320/Screenshot_2013-08-13-15-59-05-1.png" width="320" /> </a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
There has been a slight change in plans!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Dustin and I had a conversation about some of our fundraising options and our thoughts on them this weekend. When our support letter came up, Dustin mentioned that he'd like to send them out "September-ish."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
WOOOHOOOO! I'm so ready to come out publicly with our choice to adopt. Hearing this was music to my ears. I guess I need to get on collecting those addresses!</div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-6907559512690925872013-08-13T14:30:00.000-05:002013-08-13T22:06:25.913-05:00Sweet Angels. (Not Adoption Related)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbPNBPUg7h4oWRzXopz-VBKbl1En8IbUaxtNYr5kB03h1wL9nc2fxhaqBljNPQ9CFnvhKL15F8bym_shP5M1tjd4Ege9_GpNr4ERNu3QVEv_05_19TAT1Lwud7BckVk88yLAbzNukmgIG/s1600/sparkles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbPNBPUg7h4oWRzXopz-VBKbl1En8IbUaxtNYr5kB03h1wL9nc2fxhaqBljNPQ9CFnvhKL15F8bym_shP5M1tjd4Ege9_GpNr4ERNu3QVEv_05_19TAT1Lwud7BckVk88yLAbzNukmgIG/s320/sparkles.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
At some point after our third loss, I found myself in a very bad place. I was extremely depressed and it wasn't getting better. I didn't want to find a therapist or psychiatrist to talk to because I felt like by doing so, I'd be admitting that something was wrong with me. Looking back at this I can tell you two things.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1) There was ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with me. The things I was feeling are completely normal of a grieving mother. Having three losses back to back only intensified my emotions. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
2) My thoughts on finding someone to talk to was completely ridiculous. Someone unrelated and unattached to us was exactly what I needed. Needing the outlet didn't mean there was anything wrong with me. It simply meant that I was sinking in my feelings of helplessness and failure and desperately needed someone to reach in, pull me out, and help me sort through everything. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When things continued to get worse insteaf of better, I gave in. I decided that I needed to look for SOMETHING that could help. I began the search. I found a local MISS (<a href="http://www.missfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Mothers in Support and Sympathy</a>) chapter. The website explained that it was run by two women who had both had losses. They met twice a month, one meeting being for women in a pregnancy after a loss and the other being a general meeting for people who have suffered a loss and their adult family members. I decided to attend the upcoming general meeting. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I cried the whole way there. I walked into the meeting planning to just listen. I listened to stories from the women who lead the group. I listened to two or three families who had been to meetings before. There were also two families who first comers. Listening to these people share their feelings was an amazing weight off my shoulders. Even though we all had such different stories, the emotions and the thoughts were all the same. I thought, if I'm crazy, they all too!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This group of people have become essential in my life. They saved me, without even realizing it. We began a monthly ladies dinner nights. We have celebrated new pregnancies, tiny little take-home babies, new jobs, and new homes. They grieved with me when we had our last loss. No matter where life takes us in our journey to start a family, these ladies will be forever important to me. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Two weekends ago, our MISS chapter had our second Painting With A Twist fundraiser. We were painting two angels: a mother and child. Once I added red hair to both angels, I knew I wouldn't be giving my woman wings. This last pregnancy, the only names Dustin and I could agree on were girl names. This has NEVER happened. So, my child angel became a girl. I can't very well not honor my other little angels though. So, I added my Sparkles in the top right corner. (Our first three were affectionately nicknamed the Sanford Sparkles when I added them to my family tattoo on my side. I haven't yet added my 4th but it will be a pink one!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am so happy with how my beautiful painting turned out. I can't wait to hang it in the new house in honor, not only of my sweet angels, but also the amazing MISS people I've been blessed with. I wouldn't be the person I am today without their help during those crucial months.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
**If you know someone who needs people talk to after a death of a child (of ANY age) please don't hesitate to send them to the MISS website. If they don't have a local chapter nearby, they can be set up with a mentor to talk to.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.missfoundation.org/">www.missfoundation.org</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-54623531578920094132013-08-03T09:11:00.002-05:002013-08-13T15:26:51.680-05:00Our Support Letter.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG3Q4Nkm0e8BBbLvdwozp0Mp6qA3JoZHVpr22-x7VcIab008moyXBWwWhAqLDlwFGiiISpfp-rqHzDtfmWGW_ZUwaL7RrGTrWggo7J4F9ENY4o-ErTNFims8lfKoxAb5-pI_bQLVgp6qs/s1600/peace+love+adopt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG3Q4Nkm0e8BBbLvdwozp0Mp6qA3JoZHVpr22-x7VcIab008moyXBWwWhAqLDlwFGiiISpfp-rqHzDtfmWGW_ZUwaL7RrGTrWggo7J4F9ENY4o-ErTNFims8lfKoxAb5-pI_bQLVgp6qs/s320/peace+love+adopt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">If we have your mailing address, be on the watch out. This is the letter we will be sending out asking for your love, support, thoughts, and prayers during this journey. It's going to be a very long (and stressful) journey but we know it will be wellll worth it in the end. We also know we're incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dustin and I have decided on October 1st as the day they'll be going out. I've been trying to decide if I want to include a photo in them. If so, would I include something we already have? Or get with one of the photographers we know and get a new one? Any thoughts?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Friends and Family,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> From the
first time we began discussing a future, Dustin and I saw kids in our
future. During different times through
our relationship the “ideal” number bounced back and forth between two and
four. Our journey to begin a family has
definitely been less than ideal. Some of you know the general details of our
struggle over the past three years, including our losses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> After
our fourth and most recent loss, we began looking into other options. The difficulties getting pregnant, the fight
to stay pregnant, and the devastation after a loss is simply too much to bear
at this time. We have decided to begin
the adoption process! We didn’t come to
this decision lightly though. Much
research has been done. Many, many
prayers have been said. We are very
excited to where this will take us. We
are writing this letter asking for support.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> First,
we ask that you keep us, and this adventure we’re about to set out on, in your
prayers. We have wanted to start a family
for some time now and know that God has the perfect child for us out
there. Also, please pray for the family
we will be working with. We know the
decision to place their child for adoption will not be an easy one to make.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Secondly,
we humbly ask for financial support.
Domestic infant adoption is very expensive. I am now a consultant with Thirty One and my
commissions are being set aside. We hope
to watch God bless my business. Several
fundraisers have been discussed and are in the planning stage. If you’d be interested in supporting us
financially or in the fundraisers being planned, please feel free to contact
us! We would love to hear from you!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Our road
to adopting a baby has only just begun.
We have met with an adoption agency.
By the end of the January or February, we hope to be an “active” family
for birth families to choose from.
Although this is a long process, we are extremely excited about what is
to come.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I plan
to blog as a way to document our journey.
If you would like to follow us or would prefer email updates, please let
us know. Thank you so much for your
prayers and support!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With love,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Gothic Std B";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dustin & Maddie</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">looking4ourmissingpiece@gmail.com</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span>Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-59036404832333711492013-07-30T00:29:00.000-05:002013-08-13T15:29:30.850-05:00October 1st.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdbZL82E22qaGz-I3LtrxUDVFzQWWmKuaxQqfNd54a-7_47hd7PcKkql-rii2T0rho8vph3RvvZrJUcOZZZbT3xYGfoz6v3rXSbDihWeQDcDvv8m-ShFQEr3ZuufNiOnHIbg7jDspgZL3/s1600/calendar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdbZL82E22qaGz-I3LtrxUDVFzQWWmKuaxQqfNd54a-7_47hd7PcKkql-rii2T0rho8vph3RvvZrJUcOZZZbT3xYGfoz6v3rXSbDihWeQDcDvv8m-ShFQEr3ZuufNiOnHIbg7jDspgZL3/s320/calendar.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That's is the day that our support letters are going into the mail and that we will come out publicly with our plans to adopt. The days are dragging. People ask how we're doing and if we're going to start trying again soon and I just want to open my big mouth about our next adventure. I'm ready to send those letters out yesterday. It doesn't help that they are all finished. I'm currently collecting addresses. I'm playing with the idea of including a photo of the two of us, but I'm not sure if that's just too cheesy. At least I have time to decide!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's hope August and September go by as quickly as the rest of the year has.</span>Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-81317160493708028992013-07-21T22:31:00.001-05:002013-08-13T15:28:10.651-05:00Domestic Infant Adoption.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU0iJNf1n9xknGwmlhZvaMAgIyhz2BZUrxDq97QoWoH96QrbCtbWGuEO8kym0t41uIfntoLaSat_WHPXARwL7FfMLMuZX5g4jx8ga7MVXBAZH6eb0JnVXL9-mNbKuy1iA0RJKgIzu2BEx/s1600/infants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU0iJNf1n9xknGwmlhZvaMAgIyhz2BZUrxDq97QoWoH96QrbCtbWGuEO8kym0t41uIfntoLaSat_WHPXARwL7FfMLMuZX5g4jx8ga7MVXBAZH6eb0JnVXL9-mNbKuy1iA0RJKgIzu2BEx/s320/infants.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There are many different types of adoption programs. Dustin and I have decided to pursue domestic infant adoption. (DIA) Like most, it's a long process. Here's some of what we have ahead of us:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Applications</li>
<li>An orientation session</li>
<li>Lots and lots and lots of paperwork</li>
<li>An adoption readiness seminar</li>
<li>Complete a Home Study</li>
<li>Introductory Letter (or a "Dear Birth Family" letter)</li>
<li>Waiting, waiting, and possibly more waiting</li>
</ul>
<div>
Once we're matched, that's not all. Then we look forward to:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Placement</li>
<li>Post-placement supervision</li>
<li>Finalization in court</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
I plan to blog as much as I can about the process but we'll definitely have slow times that we're just waiting for something. We look forward to sharing our journey with you!Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-50149362493736012013-07-17T20:57:00.002-05:002013-08-13T15:29:58.532-05:00Why Adoption?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YNXvnCWaS5M1zCruxjoQxCZNiAfF2Z26Tit1j3PbC5w8RcsR4Vlfe43e_mBdOA8WRajlzgeVBABOl5eMGQTzAc7_4lD7P2FUs78eFE8ymU4AflXighI-bgf2KyJdULEFHBzZQ46X_HjA/s1600/adoption-is-the-new-pregnant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YNXvnCWaS5M1zCruxjoQxCZNiAfF2Z26Tit1j3PbC5w8RcsR4Vlfe43e_mBdOA8WRajlzgeVBABOl5eMGQTzAc7_4lD7P2FUs78eFE8ymU4AflXighI-bgf2KyJdULEFHBzZQ46X_HjA/s320/adoption-is-the-new-pregnant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Adoption is an interesting topic. People don't know a lot about it the process, the different options or much of what it entails at all, other than an adoptive family is paired up with a birth family who can't parent for some reason. People have mixed feelings about it as well. It seems that most have a pretty positive outlook on it but there are people that believe are very selfish in their hope to adopt instead of alternatives.<br />
<br />
Some people believe adoption is an incredibly selfless act. People think that the adoptive parents are "saving" the child and giving it something he or she wouldn't have otherwise. This isn't (at all) the reason we've chosen adoption. We've chosen adoption because we want, desperately, to start a family. In the two years between our last two pregnancies, adoption crossed my mind frequently. When I thought about, I felt such a tug at my heart. I mostly just pushed those feelings aside, as we were both determined to get pregnant on our own. We both very much wanted to experience a successful pregnancy. At our first appointment for our 4th pregnancy, things didn't look so good and we ended up in a state of limbo. At this point, adoption started creeping back into my head. The tug and ache at my heart returned. After it was confirmed that we were losing another baby, I knew we would be adopting.<br />
<br />
Our doctor reminded us that there wasn't anything stopping us from trying again, on our own, or with a fertility intervention. Nothing had come back abnormal in the many tests that had been performed. It didn't matter. Adoption would be our next step.<br />
<br />
When people say that we're "saving" a child, it makes us out to be some kind of a saint. We're not. If some mentions how lucky a child is to be adopted, they are wrong. So often it's the PARENTS who are lucky to have that child. To be given the chance to love and nurture it. To be chosen by the birth family to step in and taken on the roles of mom and dad. That's a blessing to the adoptive parents. I hope and pray that we will be blessed with a child. I would feel SO incredibly lucky to be chosen.Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4678147341270506896.post-76019485717611290632013-07-13T10:51:00.001-05:002013-07-13T10:51:02.030-05:00Our Story.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0xBP2t9yU6F0RY-mPVxaDxu_1dujUrF3bYIQcVvcx0JZVaUk1n0DcE2uBPi-Alg8-R6g5Y7LyTneqw88nHFw75KlkZGOxgaVbICfURTkzkPzj1e2NQy7l8YM3obP7yD7lGw7MAhCHXFp/s1600/dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0xBP2t9yU6F0RY-mPVxaDxu_1dujUrF3bYIQcVvcx0JZVaUk1n0DcE2uBPi-Alg8-R6g5Y7LyTneqw88nHFw75KlkZGOxgaVbICfURTkzkPzj1e2NQy7l8YM3obP7yD7lGw7MAhCHXFp/s320/dance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We're Dustin & Maddie. Most of you probably know that though because chances are, we gave you the link. There's still the small possibility that you found us through another blog, the bump, or google. Even if you do know us, maybe you don't know our history. I'd like to take the dreaded FIRST POST to tell you our story. (Really, the first post is the worst. What do you say? How do you start? What are you going to write about?)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We met when we were 19 and 17, respectively. A mutual friend set me (Maddie) up on a date with one of her & Dustin's friends. Although this guy was a complete sweetheart and we had a great time, we knew about halfway through the evening that we had no interest in being anything more than friends. So, when my girlfriend called to check on us, we told her exactly that. She invited us to join her and Dustin at a nearby pool hall. Dustin says he could tell his friend was failing in impressing me and he asked if he had permission to pursue me. After receiving the go ahead, Dustin put on the charm. At least that's how Dustin tells the story. In fact, I thought he was being a little bit of a jerk. Some how he managed to get me out with a group of friends several times over the next few days though so maybe he's right.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One particular evening, I got extremely frustrated with his teasing. I made a comment to him to get back at him. He completely shut off from me and wouldn't speak to me. I followed him around like a little puppy dog trying to apologize. I felt absolutely horrible. After cornering him, I apologized sweetly and kissed him on his cheek. He continued to refuse my apology. I apologized again and kissed his other check. No such luck. After another apology, I reached up to kiss his nose. Sneaky Dustin caught me first and gave me the softest kiss. I had been set up. I was also officially hooked and we were inseparable for the rest of the summer.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That August, I moved an hour away for school. For the next year, we took turns traveling to see each other during any free time. Fast forward three years, a ton of ups and downs, and several moves. Our four year anniversary was quickly approaching and the three girls closest to me were SO SURE he was going to propose on our 4th anniversary. After spending a fantastic day together on our anniversary, there was no proposal. Before I left for the evening, we decided to go out for ice cream. On the way, he made an unexpected detour. And I got my proposal. :) We got married exactly a year later, on our 5th anniversary. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have now been together for over 8 years, married for 3. Before we got married, we knew we wanted to start having kids immediately. So, we stared trying immediately. In our first year of marriage, we had three miscarriages. Just a month and a half before our anniversary this year, we lost our fourth when we miscarried once more.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our journey to start a family has been a very difficult one. We've been through things that I'd never wish on my worst enemy. We're stronger, better people now. Our marriage is stronger. Our losses aren't the end of our story. Our story just beginning.</span></div>
Dustin and Maddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17646586471605156166noreply@blogger.com8