Summary of Our 2011 Adoption Journey

So, as we are counting down the hours of 2011, we can't help but think about our journey this past year.  We hope and pray this is our last New Year's Eve celebrating as two, and that next year our family of three will be together.

You can imagine at times like these (and it was even harder at Christmas), our hearts ache and yearn for our child that is so far away.  Sometimes it's as if we are spinning our wheels, a feeling that we are not really going anywhere in our adoption path.  We know that's not true, but honestly that's the way the holidays make us feel.

In an effort to cheer ourselves up, and double checking our finances in preparation for tax season, we created a little presentation of the adoption journey in dollar signs.  We have been so blessed by family and friends from the beginning.   The adoption process can be so fuzzy and gray at times (and we have all the literature and information at our fingertips), we thought that this would be an easy way for our loved ones to see where their donations and prayers are going.

Let's start with the adoption expenses we have already cleared.

We haven't paid our Dossier fees quite yet, but are expecting that to go through in the next week.  We went ahead and marked it as "paid" since we know we have those funds covered.

As many of you know, we have been working really hard to raise this money.  Until October, John was only working part-time but we were still determined to stay out of debt with this adoption so we can be prepared financially to support a baby.  Again, we were blessed by family and friends along the way, just look below.

Unfortunately we have yet to receive our donations from the marathon, but we are hoping that will arrive soon.  That, along with future T-shirt sales, will add to our fundraising total.

In addition, we have been picking up every odd end job that comes our way.  As we went through our adoption deposit receipts, these are a few examples of what we found: babysitting, dog sitting, countless hours of tutoring, tutus for Coppell Dance Centre, Advocare, Daily 5 Presentation in Crandall, CISD mentoring, and chauffeuring our favorite Coppell lacrosse player.

Although crossing these expenses off our list is a major accomplishment, we know there are more fees to come.  In addition, we want to be prepared for the unexpected hurdles that may arise.  Here's what we KNOW we can expect:

The hardest part about this is we just don't know when all this will come about.  We are definitely in the "waiting" stage now, only this time it's in Ethiopia's hands, not the U.S. government. (More on that when we get our number!)

Finally, to sum it all up:

Our intentions for this post are simple really:

1.  Thank our friends and family for the support emotionally, in prayer, and finances.  Hopefully you have a better understanding of journey so far.

2.  Celebrate our progress in the process of adoption.

Looking back on 2011 we will always remember this was the "climb" in our adoption.  Yes, it's been stressful, down right agonizing at times, but we can honestly say we have never felt so close to our Lord, Jesus Christ or our friends and family.

Wishing you all the best in 2012.  Please continue to pray for our family, especially our sweet baby in Ethiopia waiting for his/her forever home.

Sincerely,

The Scotts

Chosen Half Marathon

To say the last three days have been busy is an understatement!  This was a very important weekend for our adoption.

First of all, we received a copy of our home study with all the signatures.  Friday morning John dropped off the packet of paperwork at USCIS.  There were several forms we had to include in our I-600, the petition to classify an orphan as an immediate relative.  We are not sure how long this will take to process, but in the meantime we will pray, pray, pray.  Once we receive approval, our dossier will have all the parts and be ready to send to All God's Children and Ethiopia.

Secondly, Nicole completed the half marathon on Saturday.  John was unable to run because of his injuries in the car accident.  Nicole's brother, Elliott stepped in at the last minute to run with Nicole.  Thanks Elliott!   Nicole's sister Angie and niece, Elizabeth, were at the finish line cheering us on.

The finish line! (Yes, I think I was smiling the entire 13.1 miles.)

 Nicole and Elliott

 My favorite little cheerleader!

 My unofficial time!  Notice the distance 13.17, hmmmmm!

Talking to my Dad (wishing they were there) and drinking a Spark!

My Dad and Sister showing their support in Florida, wearing our adoption shirts.

Although I don't have any other experiences with marathons, I have to say this one was pretty awesome. It was a beautiful route through the hills.  A little chilly (42 degrees) but nothing we couldn't handle.  Actually, I probably wouldn't consider that cold except for the last four months that I was training the average temp was in the mid 90's.

One of my favorite parts of the marathon was the pictures they had lined up right before the finish line.  They had enlarged pictures of children that were adopted with the help of ABBA/Chosen Marathon.  There is no way you could give up when you see those sweet smiling faces.

Not sure when we will find out how much we raised through the marathon.  They were registering the runners up until the last day and rumor is they raised over $153,000 this year.

Don't forget our friend Becca is hosting a Stella and Dot jewelry party this Wednesday, November 2nd.  You can shop online by going to this link.  If you would like to order, please contact Melissa directly here.  If you live nearby, stop by Blue Mesa in Southlake any time between 7-9PM.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as we continue on our adoption journey!

With love,
Nicole and John Scott

Waiting for our paperwork...

Just a little update on what's going on with us.  We are patiently waiting for paperwork.  Our home study was approved, we just need for the official copies from the agency so we can pass along to UCIS.  We have been waiting for this paperwork for over a month- ugh.  Once we get this, things will start moving very quickly.

On another note, John started a new job as Youth Minister at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Arlington.  Right now he is working part time and keeping his after school job and tutoring.  He is anxious to go full time, so I'm sure come January we will be crazy busy!

I'm working insane hours at school, as usual.  All I know is this schedule is NOT going to work when our little one(s) comes home.  John and I are working and praying hard that this will be my last year teaching until our kids are back in school.

The marathon is less than two weeks away.  I've been running and training for several weeks now (with a little help from Advocare supplements), but I'm still very nervous about the hills in Gruene.  John was in a terrible car accident last Thursday, so we are not sure if he will be able to run.  He definitely wants to, but lets just say it's not looking good.  To find out more about the marathon click here.  We are The Scott Family Ethiopia Team.

On November 2, my good friend Rebecca Burda is hosting a Stella and Dot jewelry party.  All the proceeds will go directly to our adoption fund.   Even if you do not live nearby, you can order online and have it shipped to you.  If you are not familiar with Stella and Dot- you will love it!   Evites go out this Wednesday and I will post details on the blog so nobody is left out!

Hope all is well with all our friends!  Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers while we wait for our paperwork!

Chosen Marathon Donations

So, John and I are working hard training for this marathon.  I still cannot believe I'm actually going to do this! 

I just wanted to give you all a little update on the Chosen Marathon donations.  This is a great way to make a tax-deductible donation, but it's a tad tricky.  If you go the marathon site http://www.marathonforadoption.com/ you will want to scroll across to the button that says "Donate." It will drop down a menu and you want to select "TEAM."  It will open a new page and there is a big red button "Support a Team Through Bethseda."  This will again take you to a new page, halfway down there is a yellow button that says donate.  You will have to put in credit card or paypal information first.  Then, it will take you to the next screen that allows you to review your order/cart/something to that effect.  When you review your order you must put our team name in the special instructions.  We are the Scott Family Ethiopia team.

The next screen will show you a receipt.  Don't worry that it does not have our team name on it.  You should receive an email confirmation receipt with our team name soon after.

Thank you friends and family for letting us know about this little hiccup.  Please know we appreciate all your support!  XOXO- John and Nicole

Chosen Marathon

Lace up those runnings shoes because will be participating in the Chosen Marathon for Adoption on Saturday, October 29, 2011 in New Braunfels, Texas.  We created the Scott Family Adoption Ethiopia team at http://www.marathonforadoption.com/.  You can go directly to this link to sign up for the half (with Nicole) or full (with John) marathon.  Even if you do not run with us you can support us with prayers, spreading the word to friends who may want to run with us, cheering us on at the finish line, volunteering at the event, or simply making a donation on the website.  If you decide to make a donation, just make sure you note our team name: Scott Family Adoption Ethiopia.

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." -Mother Teresa

Home Study and Other Updates

Sorry for the delay in posts.  We have been completely overwhelmed with home study and dossier documents.  Who know FBI fingerprinting could bring Nicole to tears?  (It's all taken care of now, check that off the list!)

The garage sale was nothing short of incredible.  We way surpassed our goal and could not ask for more.  If you haven't watched the video, please see below.

We are about three weeks into our home study.  Our social worker, Tinya, is the absolute best.  We are so lucky to have her!  The hardest part-the paperwork-is almost done.  Can't wait to check this off our list, just waiting on those fingerprints.  HA!

We are diligently working on our parent education.  We have six out of twenty chapters done in the workbook- sweet!  However, we are on a hold since Nicole is currently in Connecticut. We will hit the books again this weekend.  Then move along onto the online education.

There really is so much more to tell you- the upcoming marathon at the end of October, Nicole's quilt for our baby, our upcoming adventures with Ethiopian recipes, T-shirts (no we haven't forgotten see pics below), and our Advocare business- but we will save that for later in the week.

Please pass this site along to your family and friends.  So far everything has gone very smoothly, and we know that is because of your thoughts and prayers!  Keep it up and check in soon to find out more.

Adoption Fundraiser

We are so very thankful....

We cannot even begin to describe how blessed we feel to have so many wonderful friends and family.  For the last four days we have been in full blown garage sale mode.  We have been all over Coppell picking up generous donations for the sale.  There are so many amazing pieces- two treadmills, a sleeper sofa, antique chairs and lamps, 2 desks, wingback chairs, a wooden playset, a 1966 Encyclopedia Britannica set, 5 TV's (yes, five!), strollers and so much more.  It's been a lot of work getting everything organized, but we know it will all be worth it in the end.  We cannot thank you all enough for all the love, support, and prayers you have sent our way.

One more thing we accomplished this week- our paperwork for All God's Children!  My goodness, there must have been over twenty places in that 12 page contract that we needed a notary.  Thank you Susan for being so patient with us, we love you!  Our contract hits the mail tomorrow- a major hurdle in our "paperwork" stage.

Next week we will compile our documents for the home study.  Luckily, since we just completed this process back in November, we have all our paperwork organized and tabbed in a binder.  Really all we need to do is get a medical clearance from the doctor.  Our wonderful social worker, Tinya, from Family to Family, will start meeting with us the last week in June and is hopeful she will finish in less than six weeks.  Amazing!

Lastly, we are posting a video below for all to see.  Dennis Wilkinson, the pastor at FUMC Coppell, has been an incredible cheerleader for our adoption cause.  Not only did he climb up into his super hot attic to grab some items for the garage sale, but he has been spreading the word of our adoption.  We love Pastor Dennis!  If you watch below you will see his son, Graham, is tremendously talented.  One of our favorite things about this video is getting to see the extended family sing along with Graham.

To find our more about Graham go here: http://www.grahamwilkinsonmusic.com/

Garage Sale

That's right, we are having our very first fundraiser on Friday, June 17th in Coppell.  We would love to take all your junk (and by that we mean anything!) off your hands for the sale.  Just give us a call and we will come pick it up!

Natalie is putting the final touches on the Scott Adoption T-Shirts and meeting with our favorite t-shirt lady tomorrow.  We will post the images on here soon and start taking orders.

Please, please continue to pray for our adoption.  We are excited, scared, overwhelmed, and overjoyed to be at this stage.

We've only just begun...

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Isaiah 30:21

We are at the very beginning of our Ethiopian adoption process.  We have decided to work through All God's Children International (www.allgodschildren.org).  One of the reasons we picked this agency is because they have an amazing program called Positively Chosen.  This will allow us to adopt a special child that is HIV positive. (To find out more about this check out www.projecthopeful.org)  Although we have been "pre-approved" for this program, we have not been officially matched with a child and will probably have to wait a few months for that decision to be made.

Right now we are trying to get our ducks in a row, which includes a LOT of paperwork.  You all may remember back in October when we were frantically pulling paperwork together for our Russian adoption.  Since we are now changing adoptive countries, we will be starting the home study process over again.   On top of that, we are also investigating several fundraising ideas and grant programs.  When we look at the numbers for this adoption it can be very scary, but we are putting our faith in Him!  

Just last week, Ethiopia announced they are decreasing their international adoptions by up to 90%.  This may mean we will be waiting significantly longer to be able to take our sweet orphan home, but we know that this is all in His time, not ours.

This is a video of Hannah's Hope Ethiopia.  John and I watched it a couple of weeks ago and it's been on our minds ever since.  

As we continue on our adoption journey, please keep us, the orphans, and the incredible staff at All God's Children International in your prayers.  May all involved in the process know God's eternal love and follow the path He paved.