Joy in the Journey

Things I am Thankful For....

2011-05-22T13:46:00.002-05:00

I love weekends. A few reasons I love them is that they usually involve sleeping in more than during the week, and lots of time with Jeremy! There are days I know I am lucky and blessed and there are days that I forget. There seems to be more days that I forget. Today I woke up to the sound of baby squeaks, not cries, just those sweet sounds that remind you there is a baby in your home. My heart was instantly thankful. I looked over at Jeremy who was peaceful sleeping and just felt so blessed. I am thankful to be married to Jeremy and to now watch him be a dad. A few reasons I am thankful.....

He gets things done
He serves anyone and everyone
He never does anything halfway
He loves my cooking and often tells me after a meal that it tasted better than anything at a restaurant
He is passionate about his job
He loves to walk with me
He supports my passion for teaching and coaching and does whatever he can to help me be successful
He is patient
He would trade any luxury or amount of money for my happiness and peace
He lays down his life for me
He loves to watch softball with me

.......just to name a few of my favorite things!

Twas the Night Before Baby...

2011-02-28T20:38:00.003-06:00

Everybody told us we wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, but I thought they meant because of the nerves... it is really because the phone is ringing off the hook. Trust me, I'm not complaining because it is such a blessing. We are so thankful of all the folks in our "village" of supporters.

In these last days leading up to the baby's birth, I've been reminded several times of the way this whole situation is out of our hands. We've asked questions, read books & articles, made lists, prepared the house, and re-checked all the details along the way. In the end, we still know that this baby and this process are in the hands of the Lord.

We've committed from DAY 1 to telling God's story along the way ... and we are so excited to celebrate the grace God has given us in our journey to become parents.

I can't believe it is finally here. Everybody asks if we are ready, and I guess we are as ready as we'll ever be! We've gotten more advice and more support and more prayers than we deserve.

We are truly grateful for everything and everyone. And we can't wait for you all to come and meet Baby Madison.

Jeremy

The Final Week!

2011-02-19T09:44:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe that Madison is due in about a week. After years of waiting, hoping, and praying our little miracle is going to be here! You guys have been so faithful to support us and to pray for us and for Madison. Please be in prayer on March 1st, which is the date we will go in and she will be induced. There are so many unknowns and variables that will happen at the hospital. To be completely honest with you, this is the time I am the most scared about. I am nervous about what it will be like to be in the room with her when Madison is born, I am nervous about what her reaction will be to seeing and holding Madison and I am nervous about the time when we leave the hospital with Madison and our birth-mom leaves without her. Please pray that God will give Jeremy and I peace in our own hearts, but also the ability to say the right thing and be who our birth-mom needs us to be during this time. We feel that this is THE baby God has planned to be in the Echols family and are just believing for this difficult time to smooth and to be a special time in our lives, in our birth-moms life and in Madison's life. Thank you for praying!

We will update facebook and our blog as things progress.
Emily

2011-01-20T19:28:00.003-06:00

A few months ago I saw this adorable baby get her picture taken each month and she had the cutest little onsie on that had the month on it. I thought it was the cutest thing and such a great way to share with friends and family how old they are and how they have changed. So I researched and found this amazing product on Etsy.com They are actually stickers made out of vinyl that you stick on a onsie each month. The whole set of months 1-12 was only $8.99. I ordered it and they came in today-so cute and after the pictures or the day you can peal it off and use it in a scrapbook! Just a fun idea....can't wait to use it with Madison!

2011-01-18T19:48:00.002-06:00

We wanted to write to say a few things and to update you on the upcoming arrival of Madison Grace.

1. We want to say thank you so much for praying with us, praying for us, giving to us financially, crying with us, believing with us and for us, and for walking by us as we have journeyed down this road of adoption. It has been a tough journey filled with up's and down's but God has had His hand all over it. We are so thankful for the people that God has surrounded us with, some right here in Nashville, some in our neighborhood, and some in other states. We know that although the wait has been long, a lot longer than I would like, God's timing is perfect and He has been at work behind the scenes working to perfectly form Madison for our family. She is going to have an amazing story to tell and I just wanted to thank you for being a part of this journey.

2. Please keep praying, everyone in the adoption world says that the last month or two can be the toughest because of the hormones and up's and down's that the birth mom will be experiencing. We know this first hand and are praying for a smooth ending. There are still so many unknowns for us and things that I don't even know to prepare myself for. We still need the birth father to sign his rights over, still have a few important meetings with the attorney, still have a meeting with the social worker at the hospital to arrange what the birth will look like, and then of course the actually birth, hospital, signing over the rights, and the 10 day waiting period until everything is final. These are some specifics that you can be praying for. There is so much still left and my prayer is that I can be a strong support for the birth mom and show her the love of Christ during this time. It is a hard balance and I am the most nervous about the birth and the hospital, what is my place to say, do, help with......just pray that God would make all that clear to us as we work hard to support her.

3. We have an ultra sound on January 25th and will find out more details and the doctor will set a date to induce then. He said right now it looks like the last week of Feb. or first week of March! We will update you after that time. I have not seen the birth mom since the middle of November so I am praying that this appointment will be a special time. I feel like I have gone on and on, but I did want to THANK YOU and give you a few things to be praying for! Can't wait to share Madison pictures soon!

Choosing to SEE

2011-01-03T18:08:00.003-06:00

I got a great book for Christmas. It is written by Mary Beth Chapmen and is called Choosing to SEE. It tells the incredible story of her life. The thing that I took away from the book the most was this is a woman who is completely honest. She is honest about the good times in her life but also the low and dark times in her life. Her honesty and vulnerability were refreshing to me. She did not claim to have it altogether or did not claim to have the answers to some of life's toughest questions.

I am learning that choosing to SEE is a choice that I face daily, to see things from God's perspective. His perspective can be very different than mine at times.

Our journey to start a family over the past 4 years, has hands down been the toughest road I have walked in my life. It has challenged my faith in a way that nothing else in life has. It has brought me face to face with the head knowledge that I have grown up knowing but am now having to live out and hold onto. As I continue to walk down this road of adoption, I am continually having to choose to SEE. I am having to choose to SEE the hope that God is there to offer me daily. I am having to choose to SEE the joy that is available to me through a life abandoned to my Savior. 2011 is here and my hearts desire and prayer is that this is the year that we receive our gift and become parents to-Madison Grace Echols. I know that if that happens it will be such a time of joy for us, for our families, and for so many of you who have prayed with us and hoped with us.

What are some things you are choosing to SEE in 2011?
Emily

2010-11-28T21:33:00.002-06:00

Several of you have asked about an adoption update. The last week has been some what of a roller coaster of emotions and we ask that you pray for our birth mom. We know that this process is filled with ups and downs and all we can do is trust God. God continues to test our faith and demand that we cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us. He knows the situation and we are trying to trust him. We can not share much more that this point but ask that you pray. Our friends, family, co-workers, and blog world have been so faithful to lift this baby up and we can't tell you how much we appreciate this!

Come on March!!!
Emily

Today's Meeting With the Adoption Attorney

2010-11-02T20:25:00.000-05:00

Part of the adoption journey involves working out all the legal issues involved. In short, the meeting this afternoon was positive and we are pretty relieved about the progress we are making through this journey that involves a lot of uncertainty. That's the headline .... if you want more details, keep on reading.

This afternoon started in the waiting room of the attorney's office. The adoption process IS a waiting room. We met the birthmother at the office of this adoption attorney who comes highly recommended from some friends of ours.

I'm a detailed guy, and in a work setting I'm accustomed to working hard in a meeting .... but this meeting was INTENSE. I don't know how to put words to it. Imagine sitting at a table watching 2 people talk about things that can and will shape the course of the next steps in your life, yet you have no control over any of it.

The meeting began with the attorney sitting down and saying to the birthmother, "You have ALL the rights in this situation, and you get to decide how things will go from who is at the hospital, the name on the birth certificate, to who can get in to see the baby after its born, and who takes the baby home. All of these are things we have hopes and expectations for ... but all are out of our control. We are thankful that the birthmother has been very sweet and really seems to be working with us and including us in much of the process. A lot of what happens at the hospital hasn't been decided yet but she wants us to take the baby home from the hospital and she loved the name that we had picked out!

Ironically, we all came with different expectations for what the meeting would hold. I thought it was gonna be a "meet & greet" where we talked through the basics and just did some preliminary discussions. The birthmother said that she put on her facebook status, "Wish me luck, I'm going to sign my rights away." She thought that today she would be officially signing away her rights and stuff. In reality, the meeting was somewhere in between those 2 expectations ... but it was another step in the journey ... and it was good.

After 2 hours of this intense meeting, filling out forms, and asking questions we went outside and chatted for about 20 minutes. We talked more with the birthmother, thanked her, and just sort of decompressed from it all. While we were talking, she said that her best friend's grandmother always said that she was put on this earth to do something great. She had never believed her until now. She says that she believes that it's true now and that she's so glad to be able to do this.

We are thankful. Please continue to support us and to pray with us for a healthy baby, for good influences to surround the birthmother, and for this process to be successful.

Madison Grace Echols

2010-10-26T18:32:00.003-05:00

It is hard to believe that this time last week, we are waiting to find out boy or girl! It feels so amazing to know and to put a name with our sweet baby. Something that has been so special in the past week has been our time each evening where Jeremy and I go into Madison's room, sit on the floor, hold hands and pray for our baby. We have been praying so many specific prayers and giving God our hearts each day. When you adopt, you are entrusting your child into someone else's care, which is so difficult. I often find myself wondering, what is she eating, how much is she sleeping, is she taking care of herself, what is our baby hearing.....so many things that I can only trust God with. It has become one of my favorite parts of the day.

So many people have told us that they are praying for our baby and our situation. We are putting together a book for our child that tells her story and we are wondering what specifically you are praying. For example, I always find myself praying for protection around the baby, for her health and that everything would develop like it should. My mom often finds herself praying that our baby would never feel rejection over being adopted and prays that love would surround her from day one! Is there anything specific that you have been praying? We want to print out a few of these prayers to put in her book. It may be one word or one short sentence, but comment and let us know how you have been praying.

It will be so amazing to see how God specifically answers those prayers! Your faithful prayers mean so much to us and will one day to Madison as well.
Emily

Our Sweet Girl

2010-10-22T21:42:00.004-05:00

This is the sweetest video my husband made of our day! After years of waiting, hope-less feelings, nights of tears, and countless prayers-our dreams are being fulfilled. The video says and expresses it all. I am blessed with the most amazing husband-he is also fantastic at making videos!

2010-10-17T20:38:00.003-05:00

This week is what I refer to as "Birthday Week." I love birthdays and love to celebrate all week. This year I am getting the sweetest birthday gift ever. Thursday, October 21st, I am going to the doctor with our birth-mom to have a sonogram and find out if it is a BOY or GIRL!!! God's timing is so good and I feel like it is such a sweet gift to get to be a part of this, much less find this news out the day before my birthday!

Please pray that this is a sweet time for us, but also pray for this sweet birth-mom. I know this will be a tough and emotional time for her as she hears those words. I hope this will be a time that I can love on her and minister to her, while also feeling excitement (such a tough balance)!

I am excited and on Friday, the only thing I want to do for my birthday is go register for our baby at Babies-R-Us, so we are having a date night at the baby store! We were registered but about 3 weeks ago we got a letter in the mail saying they kicked us off the registry because no one had purchased anything off the registry in over a year!!! I had to laugh...who knew you could get kicked off a registry! It has been a long process, even Babies-R-Us feels that!

Let's take a vote....BOY or GIRl??? Comment what your guess is! Tune in to facebook, twitter, and the blog for the ANNOUNCEMENT on Thursday night!

Tonight I met the birthmom

2010-10-08T20:29:00.001-05:00

Emily set up a meeting for us tonight...the birthmom brought her little daughter and we brought Ladybug. Emily had already been to the doctor with her a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn't met her yet.

We met at a park and it was a good visit. We talked a little and played with the little daughter who is almost 2 years old. The situation itself is a little awkward, and we didn't find much common ground yet. But the important thing is that we met and it was a good visit.

After we left, Emily texted to thank her for meeting us, and she replied and said, "don't thank me, it's an awesome feeling to do this for y'all."

We are excited about this step in the journey, and still very thankful for all the sweet support that we have from our "village."

JE (hopeful & emotionally exhausted)

2010-10-08T11:46:00.002-05:00

So many of you have asked, "Has anything happened since the doctor's appointment?" Not a lot has happened in the past 3 weeks but we were suppose to meet yesterday so that Jeremy could meet the birth mom, but she canceled and re-scheduled for today. We are praying that we will be able to meet this afternoon and Jeremy will have the chance to meet her. We are reminded daily that we are on a roller coaster and just continue to hold the hand of God and ask Him to guide us and lead us through this journey. We continue to pray daily for this birth mom, and sweet baby growing inside her. We appreciate all of you who have joined with us, praying faithfully right along with us. It means more to us than we can express. We have felt God's presence and peace through the last 2 months of this new phase of our adoption journey. As I was reading Luke today, I came across this:

"And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is Holy. He satisfies the hungry with good things." Luke 1:46,53

We serve a great God, who is at work behind the scenes on our behalf!

Emily

Impossible

2010-09-24T17:32:00.001-05:00

We are truly blessed. We got this card from sweet friends who are supporting us through the journey. I'm continually amazed by the sincere encouragement we have received.

Jeremy

1st Doctors Appointment

2010-09-23T20:24:00.002-05:00

I went to the doctor today with the birthmom. Everything went well and there is a healthy little baby inside! The heart beat sounded perfect and she is 16 weeks. She asked me to go to the next appointment with her which is schedule for October 21st and we will find out if it is a boy or girl then. I am thankful for the blessing of being there with her and the blessing of joining hands with her and the doctor at the end of the appointment as he prayed for her and the baby!!! Thank you Jesus for sweet moments in this journey that remind me how much you love us and how you have your hand in this journey!

We are hoping Jeremy will meet her soon!!!

Emily

Welcome to the Village

2010-09-22T05:09:00.001-05:00

Hey - this is Jeremy this time ...

So many folks have been supporting us in prayer and with words of encouragement through our adoption journey. We are blessed to have a great support network, and early-on, we claimed the reality that it takes a village to raise a child.

For our adoption profile scrapbook/portfolio, we took a picture with a ton of friends and supporters who were in our lives at that time. Since we took this picture in March of '09, there have been so many more folks who have joined our "village" so it was time to offer an official welcome to all our new supporters & let you know that you don't have to be in the picture to be a part of the village.

Top 5 things that can make you part of our adoption village:

5. read this blog periodically. Whether you are family, friends, or found us through the lettered cottage...we appreciate the time you have committed to reading about our journey and praying for us.
4. pray for us, for the birthmom, for the baby, and for God to get the glory thru this whole thing. From the beginning, we've realized that this story isn't about us but it is about what God can do through us. Our lives are being changed and God's hand is evident. We know that there will be others who will be blessed by our journey if we are faithful to give God the glory.
3. write a comment on here or on facebook from time to time. We love to hear from friends around the country even though we can't always sit down together and talk. It is very special for us to go back and read comments on previous posts and status updates from time to time, so thanks for encouraging us in a visible way. We also think its pretty cool that we'll be able to share with "Little E" that he/she was prayed for before we met or knew any of the details.
2. love on us. Emily is a words of affirmation and gift-giving/receiving person and I'm a quality time person. I don't share this to ask for anything from anybody, but more-so to say thanks to all of those who have been so kind as to show us love in the specific ways that connect with us best.
1. get excited with us and walk with us through the journey...whether you live near or far. We've been talking about holding back our excitement for fear of getting our heart broken at some point in the process ... but truthfully, if this whole thing falls through, we'll be heart-broken whether we've "held back" or not. So we've decided to pursue this current situation and go ahead and get excited about it. If this ends up being our baby, then we don't wanna miss out on the excitement of any of the steps along the way. So get excited with us!

(bonus points awarded if more than one of these statements apply to you!)

We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful support network along the way for our journey that has included disappointment, infertility, waiting, and uncertainty. Folks are already walking the journey with us, getting excited, and supporting us in prayer....and to all of you, we say "THANKS" and "WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE!"

JE
twitter.com/coachechols
je.posterous.com

2010-09-21T19:43:00.002-05:00

Today I met this sweet birthmother. We talked for an hour and it was just amazing. I am honored that God would connect us so instantly and that He would choose to bring us together in this way. I have to admit I was anxious to meet her and talk to her. I had two sweet co-workers who prayed with me and for me before she came and it was such a blessing to know that at that very time so many others were praying. Our time together went very well and she invited me to join her on Thursday for the doctor's appointment. I am THRILLED to get to go with her and even see the baby and hear it's heart beat. I am so relieved that she felt comfortable enough with me to want me to support her during this time. It is hard to contain my excitement about this situation and now that this may be the first report that I get about the baby that God has planned from the beginning of time to be a part of the Echols family!

I feel over-whelmed by the e-mails, texts, phone calls, facebook messages, and notes we have received by you all. It is truly a gift to have friends and strangers who love us and are praying for this situation. You are all a part of this story and one day our sweet child will look back at all this and know how loved they truly are. Every good and perfect gift is from HIM. Great is His faithfulness!!!!!!!

Emily

2010-09-20T19:27:00.002-05:00

Today has been one of those days where I feel like I am seeing God unfold His plan right before my eyes. I love those times when we see God move and feel His hand in our situation. Thanks so much to those of you who have been praying for us and our situation with this birthmother. Things seems to be progressing. We have talked through text numerous times and today I received a text from her saying, "Do you have a doctor you would like me to see or a specific place to give birth to the baby." I happen to teach with a guy whose dad is a WELL known and GODLY OBGYN. He instantly called his dad and his dad said, I want to do this and go through this with Jeremy and Emily. What a miracle in and of itself. I never imagined that a Godly man who is on our side would be taking care of this sweet mother and baby. He encouraged me to call her and give her his name and number. I called her tonight and it was such a blessing. Jeremy and I have been praying for so long for the first time we meet or talk to this mother and let me just say, I felt God's peace and presence. We had a wonderful conversation. She is suppose to call the doctor tomorrow and even said that when the apt came for her to find out the sex that she wanted me there!!! Could this really be happening. God is laying this road out before me and allowing me to be a part of this little life from the very beginning! We talked for a while and she told me that she wants to come up to school tomorrow to see her friend Kelly and to meet me. Kelly is a girl on my softball team and if it all works out she is going to come by tomorrow after school and meet me!

Please be in prayer for this time tomorrow. Please pray that I would know how to love her right where she is and minister to her. I know we are suppose to stay guarded and know that things can change at any moment, but I know that right now God is in this relationship and I am praying for a peace each step of the way. Thank you again for your sweet prayers, support and love.

Emily

Adoption Jouney

2010-09-13T20:36:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I want to share this journey with so many of you. We have had so many people ask, pray, care, and love on us. We know there are ups and downs, good days and bad days, highs and lows with this process and want to involve yall! I wish I could call all my friends when something happened, but that isn't possible....so we decided the best way to share news would be our blog. We will post the story here and you can follow along with us, pray for us, and join us in this wild ride!

Here is the story in a nutshell:

-about a month ago a girl I coach in softball told me she had a friend who was pregnant and wanted to give the baby up for adoption

-she already has a child, is 20, and knows she simply can not care for another child financially

-she was also adopted herself

-the girl contacted me through e-mail and we talked for about 2 days. She seemed pretty serious and wanted to meet, but then I did not hear from her for 3 weeks

Then today I received a text with a picture of an ultra sound and the message, "Thought you might want to see the baby". I had no clue who this was from and when I asked, it was the girl. She also sent me another e-mail today saying that she had been busy, still wanted to meet, and telling me that she and the baby were healthy. WOW...what a roller coaster! This is where we stand with this situation. Right now we are taking it one day at a time knowing that things can change at any moment, but also praying for her and for this baby. Please join us in praying that God would smooth the road and make the path clear if this is the precious child that He has been waiting to add to our family. We are so thankful and need your love and support during this time. We will update the blog as things change for the better or worse....it is a journey and we are asking that God lead us, grow our faith through this, and tell a story through this that can only give praise to Him.

The Echols

Fireplace Facelift

2010-08-17T20:42:00.003-05:00

I know my blog is primarily about our journey through adoption and our desire to have a family, but today I wanted to share a fun little project we have been working on this week. I have been looking for about 3 months for the "right" tile to give our fireplace some life! I finally found it. I love the way it turned out. It gives the fireplace a fresh, modern look for a very affordable price!

Quick survey: what is the best small project you have done to give an area of your house new life?

Emily

Mustard Seed

2010-07-23T10:08:00.002-05:00

"Although you realize you can't control the storm, you can control how you respond to it." Our response to situations in life shape our character. I am learning this more and more as I wait on God to form our family through adoption. I am learning that God is more concerned with my character than with my calendar. I can easily get so caught up in my own calendar, in my own planning, that I lose sight of the character that He is trying to develop in my right then.

God has been speaking to me through these short yet powerful phrases:

1. Joyful Trust: we can all trust God for something, but am I trusting Him joyfully? Am I filled with joy and anticipation as I wait on him to bring us a child?

2. Small Beginnings: Sometimes trusting Him starts with a small mustard seed. It takes one small step of faith for me to place my heart and life in my hands.

3. Unlikely Source: The plan that I had for my life and family did not involve adoption. This plan and means for us to get a baby is an unlikely source, which means it is filled with twist and turns that I could not prepare for or even know how to navigate. But this unlikely source for me is going to result in the biggest miracle I have experienced in my life and what a story it will be!

4. Irresistible Growth: My desire is not to survive this long wait but to see my life and my faith developed in ways I have never experienced before. I want to experience irresistible growth!

Gd shape my character today and help me to lay down my calendar so that I can trust you joyfully!!

Emily

Cinderella

2010-06-25T09:38:00.004-05:00

Let's be honest for a minute. Does your life ever feel like the story of Cinderella? You are trying so hard to get the shoe to fit, clearly your foot is not fitting in the glass slipper but you continue to try to force it in. I know that at times I feel that way through this journey of adoption. I see others all around me where the slipper of motherhood and I envy those who are wearing it. Like the step sisters in the story, I understand the longing to be someone I am not. I ask the questions, "Will this slipper ever fit for me?" "How long will I remain on the sidelines watching friends and strangers slip on the slipper of motherhood with no effort?" "Where is my miracle?"

God reminded me today that He does have a slipper for me to wear. He desires me to wear the gospel of peace. He desires me to rest in His peace knowing that He has not forgotten me and has a perfect plan for me. His plan for my family may not look like my plan for my family. I am praying today that He will give me the courage and strength to accept His plan and to slip on the slipper of peace. I know that at times I am like the step sisters in Cinderella, asking, questioning, and trying so hard to get that shoe to fit. I could be wrong but I remember from watching the movie that the step sisters looked worn, weary, and bitter from always trying to get the wrong shoe to fit. I do not desire to let bitterness in and pray today that I will slip on the slipper of peace that only God can bring.

-EMILY

Painting about our Journey

2010-05-27T21:40:00.007-05:00

This week we received a blessing from a sweet friend. It began with a random facebook post ... continued with a conversation about inspiration for a painting, and led to this sketch by our friend Mary.

The sketch captured our hearts and felt like it represented the different stages of our adoption journey. Below are a few pictures that Mary took as she painted.

The finished product currently hangs in our bedroom (seen below) so we can see it everyday. It serves as a reminder of our journey to this point and it gives me hope for the future when we will add a child to our family. One day this will hang in the baby's room and will be a part of the story we tell our child.

This wonderful gift is even sweeter because Mary had several friends from my office jot notes and sign the back of the canvases. These notes are so supportive and encouraging to us in our journey. We are blessed to be surrounded by our village of supporters.

UPDATE: Mary has a website to display her artwork... you can contact her about purchasing some of what she's done before or about requesting custom art. http://www.wix.com/marycarlisle/art

2010-03-06T08:25:00.003-06:00

So many of our sweet friends and family have asked us, "How can we pray for you during this time of waiting." As I read my devotion this morning from, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, I thought "This is it. This is how I want my family and friends praying for me." Listen to these words and pray that this is how Jeremy and I will together approach this time of long, hard waiting!

Make friends with problems in your life. Though many things feel random and wrong, remember that I am sovereign over everything. I can fit everything into a pattern of good, but only to the extent that you trust me. Every problem can teach you something, transforming you little by little into the masterpiece I created you to be. The very same problem can become a stumbling block over which you fall, if you react with distrust and defiance. The choice is up to you, and you will have to choose many times each day whether to trust or defy me.

The best way to befriend your problem is to thank me for them. This simple act opens your mind to the possibility of benefits flowing from your difficulties. I will not necessarily remove your problems, but my wisdom is sufficient to bring good out of everyone of them."

Make friends with the problems you face in life, it is through those times that we are transformed!

Emily

2010-02-22T07:31:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you, but I can easily forget how dependant I am on Christ. This morning as I spent a few minutes reflecting on His Word, these words spoke to me.
"You need Me every moment. Your awareness of your constant need for Me is your greatest strength. Your neediness, properly handled, is a link to My Presence. However, there are pitfalls that you must guard against: self-pity, self-preoccupation, giving up. Your inadequacy presents you with a continual choice-deep dependence on me or despair. The emptiness you feel will be filled either with problems or My Presence. Keep on asking and you will receive, so that your gladness may be full and complete."

I have to admit that lately I have been filled with questions, self-pity, and self-preoccupation. Questions fill my heart, "Why can't I have a baby, why is so easy for others, will this ever happen for us, why is this dream unmet and unfulfilled." All of these questions cause self-pity and cause my eyes to be on me and my situation. I am left with a choice: deep dependence or despair. It is so easy to choose despair. My desire and prayer is that I will use this time of waiting for a child to deepen my dependence on the One who knows the plan. He has a baby already in mind to be a part of our family and I get to watch His miracle unfold and be a part of it. I pray that today, you will be reminded of how much we need Him.

JE & Emily in a LifeWay Events promo video

2010-01-15T14:53:00.003-06:00

A while back, Emily and I were invited to share parts of our story at a video shoot for LifeWay Marriage Events. The video came out today....and now I can't wait to go to an event!

Click to check it out:
http://www.emedialink.com/video/9430/Love-and-Marriage-Events-2009

What do you do with your Christmas Cards?

2010-01-05T19:01:00.002-06:00

I love getting Christmas cards. I feel like I race to the mailbox during the month of December to see whose came. I love the pictures and the updates. Christmas cards really are a part of why I love the holiday season. So this presents a problem to me: what do you do with all these sweet and precious cards after the holiday season is over. I could not bring myself to throw them away, so here is the idea I came up with. After New Year, I put all our cards in a basket, along with a big stack of notecards and stamps. When we sit down together at the table to eat dinner (a few nights a week) we draw one out. We pray for that family at dinner and have a fun discussion about how we know them, a funny memory about them, or why we love them. After dinner I write a quick card to tell them how we prayed for them and why we appreciate them! It makes me feel like Christmas for the next few months. It is a great way to pray for so many that we love. I think this will be such a fun tradition to do when we have a child as well! What do you do with Christmas cards after the season? I would love to hear your fun ideas.

It Has Been a While

2010-01-02T08:05:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Echols

It has been a while since we have posted anything on here, mainly because of the business of the end of a semester and the craziness of the holiday season. There is really no new adoption news, but I did want to thank those who prayed for us during the holiday season. I was told that Christmas can be one of the hardest and saddest times for people who are waiting and longing for a child, but I have to say God's grace was sufficient. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year and I just decided that NOTHING was going to still the joy that comes for me during the month of December. I spent time praying during the first week of December that this month would be a time of joy, laughter, excitement, and celebration. God answered those prayers. I was surrounded by friends, parties, gifts, and times to celebrate the birth of Christ and to be honest it was a joyful month.

This month Jeremy and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary! Today we are going to get away and take some time together to do some personal planning and some marriage planning for the upcoming year. We are going to re-look at our budget, set goals for ourselves personal, financial, and for our marriage for 2010. It is exciting to think about all that God has in store for our lives and for yours for 2010. One of our prayers and hearts desires is to become parents in 2010. If you are interested in marriage planning or goal setting, here are some great ideas of things that you can get away (by get away, I mean Panera today) and plan for together.

Family vision statement and/or scripture that describes how you want your family to operate.
Date night. Some couples do this instinctively. Others need to schedule a time to get away from everyday life so they can reconnect as a couple.
Ministry. How can you serve together?
Read a marriage book together. Will reading one chapter at a time and discussing it afterwards work for you? What about listening to an audio book together while your in the car?
Health and wellness. Do you need to find time to exercise? Can you work out together? Are you on the same page about food?
Dreams. What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? What needs to happen to accomplish those dreams?
Budget. Mark wrote a great post on this subject here.
Child(ren). What do you want to teach your kids during the next year? Are you on the same page about discipline and rewards? (We've only been parents for seven months so we certainly don't claim to be experts in the parenting field.)
Improvement. How can you improve as a spouse? Is there something you can do that will help him/her?
Calendar. What does your life look like during the next year? Five years? Ten years? Are there seasons where you can help others more? Or do you need to cut back during other times? Are you traveling? Do you have time to study if you are in school? Do you have time to get in the Word? What about time with immediate and extended family? Alone time? Church? Community involvement? Social Engagements? Date night? Time to exercise? Time to Read?

This isn’t an exhaustive list but that's what works for us right now. There are tons of other great items to discuss as a couple. Can you think of any? If so, please share! Thanks Mark and Christine for sharing ideas with us

Emily Echols

Sad News

2009-11-24T14:00:00.002-06:00

We did receive an e-mail last night saying that we were not selected by this mother. She chose someone who lives closer to her because she wants a very open adoption. I have to admit the news was hard to hear, it is so hard not to get your hopes up, not to start thinking about that baby, and not to picture yourself with this child at Christmas. One of the hardest parts of getting this news was thinking about how many more times we have face this exact situation. I am going to have to get tougher and less emotional involved. It does not seem fair that when I receive news that our profile is being shown that I can't get excited, or buy an outfit like every other woman who is expecting, but the reality is I can't. It is too hard emotional. So my prayer now is that God will show me how to get tougher and less wrapped up in the emotion.

We have been discouraged by the news but we know that one day we will look back at al the e-mails that said we were not selected and know exactly why. We will be holding and looking into the eyes of the reason. The journey is hard but the destination will be rich and incredibly full of meaning and growth!

Thanks for your sweet words, hugs, cards, and especially prayers. Please keep praying for Baby Echols!

Thanks to birth mothers

2009-11-23T06:54:00.000-06:00

Continuing my thankful theme for November ... I'm thankful that birthmothers choose adoption.

Here is a great article from The Tennessean "Give thanks for birth mothers who do what's best for kids." I agree with the author that birthmothers are the hero of the adoption story. (hopefully really soon we'll have a chance to meet the hero in our adoption journey)

I appreciate our sweet neighbor down the street who shared this article with us. Thanks Mrs. Melva.

Saturday evening update ... no news yet

2009-11-21T16:46:00.003-06:00

We've been so blessed by the response to from our support network regarding Emily's post last Thursday. I'm truly humbled by the way we've been encouraged, supported, and prayed for by so many friends. Our "village" has grown with new friends joining in to lift us up in prayer through the many uncertain steps in our adoption journey.

If you are new to our blog .... catch up real quick on our story, and the email we got last week asking for our openness to sharing our profile with a couple that will be featured on an MTV show. We are honored that you've taken the time to read our blog and support us with prayer.

The update for today is that there really isn't any new news ... but we've learned a lot in the past couple of days.

Emily articulated what she learned by saying that #1 - we really can get through this adoption process. She has expressed to me that she's at peace with whatever comes with this family's decision. We've never known how we would respond to waiting while our profile was being shown to a family ... but the Lord's peace is comforting and much bigger than the situaiton.

#2 - we've gone so long without hearing anything from our agency, but this very sudden email we received proves that God is always at work in our lives (even though we don't know what is going on behind-the-scenes) and that our whole time of waiting could possibly come to an end very quickly ... whether it is this child or another one.

We also had a friend send over the link to a previous episode of MTV's 16 & Pregnant ... which we watched and we were completely blown away. Watch the episode about Catelynn & Tyler and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Baby Room Paint Colors

2009-11-21T13:35:00.004-06:00

Lots of folks have come to check out our blog in the last few days ... and apparently we left out the paint colors from the Baby Room Details & the Baby Room Tour.

Here are the paint colors:

Lighter stripe is "Fencepost" by Glidden.

Darker stripe is "Natural Choice" from Sherwin Williams.

Beware if you use these colors ... your eyes will deceive you when paining b/c they both look soooo light when going on the wall. When they dry, you get the great contrast, though.

Our First Adoption Decision!

2009-11-19T16:36:00.003-06:00

Today has been a CRAZY day. Here is the e-mail that we received from our adoption agency today after hearing nothing from then since June. Jeremy and I came home and discussed, sought others counsel, and prayed about it and agreed that we have to be open to however God chooses to bring us a baby. We e-mailed them back and said we are open to them sharing our profile with this birthmother! The reality of a baby coming home with us actually set in today, but it is with guarded excitement knowing that we may not be chosen. Can you imagine us on MTV? I don't want to spoil the fun so just read it yourself.....

Please pray for God to open and close doors and for patience for us as we wait!

Hey Jeremy and Emily,

We have a Media situation that we are asking you to consider. I am choosing to email you so you have time to talk about it and pray about it since this is an unusual situation. This is what I can tell you about the situation:

MTV is involved with this situation and will be filming this birth mother’s story for
the cable show 16 & Pregnant.
The chosen family must be very very open to interacting with the birth mother, birth father and their families as well as knowing that all of their personal information will be public as it will be shared on TV and the media (releases will need to be signed).

Birth mother is in Fort Thomas, Kentucky (close to Cincinnati)
Healthy Caucasian baby boy due Dec. 16th
Direct Placement
Birth father is involved and on board for adoption plan
Birth mother’s family supportive of the adoption
No drugs or alcohol use

Free Basketball

2009-11-18T17:23:00.003-06:00

I'm thankful for basketball season finally arriving. Its the greatest game ever invented, and I love to watch it.

In the last 2 weeks I've been to see middle school basketball, high school basketball, and college basketball. We're season ticket holders for Vandy hoops which is a ton of fun, but the best deal ever is to get to go to see basketball at my wife's school FOR FREE!

We just walk in and says "hi" to folks because teachers get to go for free. Now I'm wondering if Emily would ever consider teaching at Duke or maybe Michigan State so we could try to take advantage of the same deal! (I guess I'm just dreaming big!)

I was glad when they said...Let us go into the house of the Lord

2009-11-15T16:22:00.002-06:00

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

Worship at our church was one of the strongest indicators that Gladeville was the place for us to plant our lives for now. Today was a cool worship concert and celebration. We sang new songs and lifted our hands to the Lord. I'm thankful for our church.

Frosty to Go

2009-11-12T15:56:00.000-06:00

On my recruiting trip this week, I was thankful for Kyle driving so I could enjoy a Frosty. Normally I'm driving, and it is just too tough to eat a frosty and drive at the same time.

....simple things in life. This is one that I'm thankful for.

Thankful for Home!

2009-11-11T20:25:00.001-06:00

After being out for the week, I'm so thankful to be coming back home. I love to sleep in my own bed, I love to see my wife & my puppy, I love being able to get comfortable, I love to take a walk in the neighborhood, and I love to set my own alarm clock for the mornings!

I'm always thankful to return home and be welcomed.

Roadtrip Sunsets

2009-11-10T20:22:00.004-06:00

Today I was on the road w/ Kyle from the Centrifuge office and we saw a great sunset on the horizon ahead of us. It was beautiful to watch the colors turn from bold bright orange to burnt orange to the reds, pinks, and purples.

Thankful for having Emily home

2009-11-09T05:35:00.001-06:00

This weekend Emily took a road trip with some of her school friends. I'm glad she had a great time, and I survived, ate, and managed on my own...but realized all over again how much fun we have by just being together.

I'm glad to have re-realized this while she was gone. I believe it is these simple reminders that keep us continuing to grow stronger together.

Thankful for time-savers

2009-11-06T22:47:00.004-06:00

I'm thankful for the time-saving DVR.

Last Sunday evening I was able to watch the Titans game in just over an hour. During the game, Emily and I took a walk and got yardwork done. It was a blessing to take advantage of the time-saving DVR and still get to enjoy the game.

Decorator Extraordinairre

2009-11-03T19:35:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for my wife who is willing to do whatever it takes to get good deals on home decorations. In this case, she rode in the back of the truck holding a lamp.

It wasn't freezing, but it wasn't very warm.

Way to go Em!

Sunset walks with my wife

2009-11-02T17:36:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for sunset walks with my wife.

We are able to enjoy the fresh air ... which is pretty cool this time of year. We are away from phones, chores, & projects and the only distractions are chats with neighbors or things we see along the way.

Last night we walked and talked about stuff going on ... no real agenda, but just good time spent together. I'm thankful that Emily is into simple stuff that keeps us close ... like walks in the neighborhood.

Please comment below with any stories from walks with your spouse, or other simple things you do to stay connected.

Thankful ... the place to start

2009-10-30T23:04:00.004-05:00

This month I will try a new thing for me... I'm going to run with a blogging theme of photos. My theme for November is "thanks."

.... sooooo creative, I know.

Last month when I was inspired by a friend's blog theme which was Orange October. Grace is a talented photographer with a lot of creativity... so I know I can't rival all that ... but I certainly need to give her credit for the idea.

So, throughout this month I'll post pictures & stories of stuff I'm thankful for....and hopefully it will encourage or inspire you too.

Jeremy

What can I do to pass time?

2009-10-15T14:04:00.002-05:00

As we wait on our sweet baby, everyone has suggestions of things to do to pass time. Many people have said, take trips, redo your house, read books, but as I have sought the Lord about what I could do to help take my mind off the waiting, God has reminded me of my passion to encourage. I am not sure what it is about encouragement but I love to encourage, to see others feel loved, and to add a little bit of brightness to their day. Maybe it is because I love the feeling of being thought of and encouraged myself. For the next two weeks, I made a personal goal to encourage one person per day through a hand-made, encouraging card. Isn't it amazing how when we do something for someone else in need, we forget that we are waiting or struggling ourselves? Here are my first 3:

1. for my sweet mom and dad who did so much for me while I was there. There is just no place like home.

2. for my Aunt Liz who drove me to the airport on Wednesday.

3. for my neighbor who had knee surgery today.

Time in Texas

2009-10-12T17:53:00.003-05:00

I am visiting my family in Texas! It has been a fun trip to spend time with my family and to relax with my family.

Today I got to talk briefly with my cousin Merri, who adopted sweet Cora about a year ago. We were talking about what she did to pass time as her and her husband Steve waited to get Cora. It is always just refreshing to talk to someone who has walked this road, felt the pain of waiting, and who now has THE baby God had ordained to be in their family. She reminded me today, that no matter how long it takes, how hard it is to wait, or how difficult the process may seem, God has a child for our family. He also has a plan for those who have supported us and who have watched us walk through this process as well. We talked about how exciting bringing that baby home will be for us, but also for our families, our friends we work with, our neighbors and our church. We pray that this process is something that brings glory to God, that our lives would change because of this process and that people who have stood back and watched would be changed and would only be able to give God credit. God is good and His plan to create families is perfect. I needed a reminder of this today. I wait in anticipation to meet our baby and to watch His plan unfold before me.

Baby Room Details

2009-08-29T11:37:00.006-05:00

I sent a letter to Layla, who has an incredible blog, with pictures of our baby room. My friend Courtney showed me her blog and the stripes in Layla's reading room. Layla posted my pictures on her blog and the response from people has been overwhelming. Some of you wanted to know a few details about the baby room, so I am going to hopefully help with that. Since the adoption process itself is so expensive, we were really on a budget with this room and I was thrilled with the way it turned out. It was also such a fun project for us to do together to help take our mind off all the waiting and also to give us a feeling that we were doing something to get ready for the baby!

So the Curtains: The Bamboo shade is from Target and the white ruffle curtains are also from Target. The picture of the window area is posted above. The curtains were $19.99.

The bed and dresser actually came from a great baby re-sale store called Once Upon a Child. This bed and dresser was the floor model so we got a great deal on it. We got an even better deal because the dresser was the same style but was white, so we bought them together, sanded and painted the dresser to match the bed.

The glider is also from Once Upon a child. They have floor models there but they also have books of fabric that you can pick out and order a chair. We found that these chairs were cheaper than Babies-R-Us, Target, USA Baby and many other babies stores. The only catch is that because we picked the fabric, it did take about 7 weeks to come in. The only place that had gliders cheaper was Wal-Mart but after reading reviews we decide to go this route. The good thing about this chair is when the baby grows we can use it somewhere else in our home.

The giant safety pin was ordered online from: a place called Uptown La-De-Da and was $47.00.

We used the same colors to paint the bathroom and did one stripes through the middle. We are finishing up this project this weekend and I will post pictures of the finished product on Sunday night.

Please let me know if there is anything else you wanted to know what. Thanks again for your kind words about our baby room and for some many moms who have adopted sharing your stories and encouragement!

Thanks for looking!

Emily

Baby Room Tour

2009-08-27T20:55:00.004-05:00

Emily is a great designer & hostess ... look out Design Star!

She's also entered some pics of the room on HGTV's Rate My Space. Click here to rate it and comment on the HGTV site.

A Heritage

2009-08-25T17:08:00.001-05:00

I read psalm 61:5 this morning...check it out... I have worried in the past about not having a heritage, legacy, son to pass down the family name. This verse assures me though that the name more important than "echols" is the name of the Lord...and there is a heritage with those who fear His name.

A Heritage

2009-08-25T17:07:00.001-05:00

Tax Free Weekend

2009-08-07T19:37:00.001-05:00

We were out tonight at Target and got some "taxfree" diapers and a set of little onesies. We are slowly accumulating diapers while we wait.

JE

Practicing being a parent

2009-08-01T12:43:00.001-05:00

This week on our walk, we stopped in at the neighborhood park because my dad and Scott were in town visiting.

While we were visiting and watching Scott swing, Emily put Ladybug in the baby swing. It was pretty funny to see a dog on the swing, but also sweet to see Emily talk to her and gently swing her.

We aren't crazy...just practicing for when we get a child, and trying to have some fun while we are waiting.

Been a while...

2009-07-29T16:44:00.001-05:00

It has been a while since I've posted. We have worked on some final touches on the baby room...gonna post a video tour when we get the glider in.

Emily had an "essentials" shower hosted by some sweet friends in the neighborhood. Her mom was here and that was a fun day. I'll get some pics and have her write a bit about it.

I've been traveling a good bit with work, but camps are ending this week and next... And I am done with my summer travels which is nice.

Friends have been very kind to ask about updates regarding our adoption, but there are no new updates other than being "officially" on the waiting list.

Since camps are done, I am gonna write more here on at least a weekly basis...occasionally more often. For family fun and random stuff you can follow me on Twitter. Twitter.com/coachechols

Yield

2009-06-26T16:55:00.001-05:00

There is an object lesson here. We can either yield to God's direction or be broken.

I commit to seeking the Lord's path for our family ... And following it.

Fabric for the glider

2009-06-25T13:49:00.001-05:00

glider

2009-06-25T13:48:00.001-05:00

GeoTagged, [N35.92096, E86.82888]

Today we got this glider for the baby room. I will put the fabric on my next post.

Baby Room accessories

2009-06-21T15:36:00.002-05:00

Last week when we put on the bedding and started putting stuff in the baby room, Ladybug couldn't help but try out some of the cool stuff. She really wants "Little E's" room to be perfect!

The Baby Room

2009-06-18T16:31:00.002-05:00

The baby room is coming together. I came up with a design plan and Jeremy and I worked this last weekend. My friend, Courtney helped me have confidence in the stripes and I finally found a neutral bedding that I liked. I still have personal touches to add and things to hang on the walls. I am looking now for a fabric rocker/glider, if you know anyone who is selling one or know a good place to get one for cheap, please let me know. I went for a soft and soothing color pallet and will add touches of blue or pink later!! It has been so fun to finally get in there and decorate. My sweet friend Haley went with me this week to register at Babies-R-Us!!! I would have died without her. It is beginning to feel real. Now I can spend time in the sweet room praying for our baby!!! Let me know what you think!

Waiting!!

2009-06-16T20:24:00.003-05:00

Why is the concept of waiting so hard for us? Is it because we are trained to get things when we need them, is it because everything we want is at our fingertips? We are all waiting for something. For some of us it may be waiting for a loved one to come to know the Lord, waiting to get that job we want, waiting to see God move in our own lives, or waiting for a word from him. We happen to be waiting for a child. So many times as I wait, I am tempted to try to plan, to ask why, or even wonder why others are not having to wait like I am. I found this song today. It is called "While I wait" by John Waller. It says, while I wait I will serve you, while I wait I will worship, while I wait I will not grow faint....I will wait. I feel like the lyrics of this song spoke right to my life situation. I am committing to still serve, to still worship and to not allow myself to grow faint as I wait. As I wait for a baby that I already love, a baby that God has hand picked for our family, I will not miss how God wants to change me in the waiting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7TSGptd3Y

Testing a new blogging app

2009-06-14T22:36:00.001-05:00

Tonight I am testing a new blogging application for my iPhone. If this works well, I will me able to manage my work and personal blogs on the go via my phone.

More to come soon.

Practicing for a baby

2009-06-07T21:30:00.004-05:00

This weekend, I tried to tie a bow on Ladybug (the dog) in case we got a baby girl. I figure I could use all the practice I can get....

Here's the best bow I could do....

And here's what Ladybug thought about it....

Time to Vote!

2009-05-26T21:33:00.002-05:00

We have not done a great job lately at blogging, but that is because there has really been no news on the adoption. We are waiting to receive a call any day now saying that we were approved and are officially on the waiting list! That will be an exciting day, but we also know it means more waiting! So with my time, I have decided to do a design board for a mock girl and mock boy baby room. This way when we know, we can spring into action and get it done, so matter how short the notice is. Right now I am working on the girl room, so I decided to put the link up to a few that I like and let you vote! Comment and let us know which one you like!!!

#1 http://www.beyond-bedding.com/pink-and-brown-hotel-baby-girl-crib-bedding-set-jojo.html

#2 http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?DeptID=62438&CatID=62729&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=133290e&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=62438%7c62644%7c62645&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=31&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=62438|62644|62645|62729

#3http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10855112

Look forward to seeing the response. The boy choices will come later! Thanks for voting!

Our Profile | Part 2

2009-04-23T06:14:00.003-05:00

Sweet Prayers

2009-04-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Emily got this message last weekend from a friend (and blog reader) who is in the adoption process with 2 little ones.... it is so sweet-inspiring-encouraging. This sweet moment was too good to keep to ourselves. Thanks for sharing Nancy.

We were out of town today and were getting home late. While we were driving, Callen started getting tired and wanted to say his prayers. He was saying them like he always does. When he got to the end, he said and for Jeremy and .....before he could say Emily my precious little Anisa chimed in and said "Emily". It took me by surprise because I didn't realize she had been listening to Callen when he says his prayers. It was so cute and precious! So, now you have one more little prayer lifted up for you.

I just had had to share that with you. It was too sweet!

Nancy

Waiting for the Wait

2009-04-16T05:33:00.002-05:00

I picked this clock for the picture b/c it is odd, and seems really long. (HINT: That's exactly how we feel about where we are in the adoption process right now.)

After the home visit yesterday, today begins the "waiting for the wait." We know we'll probably be on the waiting list for a year and a half to 3 years, but right now we're waiting for Carolyn our case worker to write up her report from her visit and get our files ready to be shown.

They say the waiting is the hardest part ... and since the initial burst of adrenaline and paperwork, it seems like most of what we've been doing has involved some sort of waiting. I know patience is a virtue - so we are doing our best.....

We got a lot of questions answered during our discussion with Carolyn yesterday, but we didn't like all the answers we got. She was very kind, gentle, and very honest with us. However - hearing that 18 months on "the list" is a reality just isn't very comforting.....and all the variables of what may or may not happen becomes discouraging. The adoption process is odd.

So we wait....

If you know us well (or have read this blog for very long) you know that Emily and I are planners. We like to organize the details, plan the work, and work the plan. Unfortunately, regarding (a) the birthmother selection process, (b) pre-birth meetings, (c) hospital options, (d) placement options, and (e) legal termination there are about 6 or 7 variations of what "could" happen. There's no way to wrap my mind around all those variables at this point which leaves us at the place of doing nothing....just waiting.

She also talked to us about doing baby showers (which several of you have asked us about). Her advice was to do them after placement takes place and rights have been terminated. This was pretty hard to hear too, because we really wanted to bring home the baby to a pink -or- blue baby room that was all ready. It's not that unusual of a thing to want to do ... but this process is odd.

Odd. Waiting....

Please pray for us as we wait.

Home Visit Today

2009-04-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

Our home visit is today! Lift us up in prayer as we have Ms. Carolyn, our case worker over to check for safety stuff and review our paperwork.

She's coming at 3:30pm, so everybody in our neighborhood be on your best behavior and nobody blow up our cell phones from 3-5pm b/c we'll be getting ready and hosting her.

I'm excited....

....nervous...

.... ready!

Our Profile | Part 1

2009-04-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here is part 1 of our profile that will be shown to birthparents whenever we get an opportunity:

- our letters to the birthparents
- pgs 1 & 2

I'm Back!

2009-04-13T05:52:00.002-05:00

I'm back to writing again. We've got a new look for the blog.... new header.... and a couple of new features on the sidebar.

There has been a little confusion by some folks about who writes on this blog...and to clear up any confusion, it is both Emily and I. But mostly me. You can usually tell at the bottom of a post, it will show "POSTED BY JE."

.....which leads to more confusion for a few folks. I, Jeremy, am JE. It's my initials, and has been my nickname for as long as I can remember. No, I didn't give myself this nickname. It just happened, and it stuck.

Back to what I started writing about .....

I took some much-needed time off from blogging here ... for a variety of reasons, but I'm back and intend on continuing with my earlier commitment to taking the "journaling challenge." You'll start to see a variety of new posts from me here....some by my phone (sorry I can't figure out how to keep the extra text from automatically attaching to the bottom of my phone posts).

Again, I'll ask for suggestions for topics....but as always, please comment and share thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement. It means a lot to know that folks are reading and joining with us in our journey.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T00:46:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Emily's parents for sending us a fun Easter package. Here's a picture of a toy they included for "Little E."

JE's Letter to Birthparent | Rough Draft

2009-04-10T22:39:00.003-05:00

I plan to make this a hand-written page in our adoption profile. Any of you who know me can certainly help give suggestions for how to clearly convey who I am.....use the comments below, or contact me directly.

Dear Birthparent,

I am in awe of the courage it takes for you to make an adoption plan for your child. I sit and write this letter with the hope that God will see fit to give me an opportunity to be a dad. At this moment, I can imagine as you look at profiles that you hope to find loving people to care for your child. It’s a big decision, but you can know that whether I have the privilege of meeting you or not…my heart goes out to you during this time.

My wife and I aren’t able to have kids of our own, but we have so much love for children and we hope to be parents one day. I work for a Christian kids camp and my wife is an elementary teacher so we are around kids a lot. We know how important it is to provide a safe home for a child and we look forward to providing all the fun things kids love to do: birthday parties, summer vacations, going to ballgames, and making chocolate chip cookies.

Our faith is important to us. We attend church regularly and also co-lead a home group with other couples. Some of them have kids, and we are blessed to have a church family that supports us and will surround our child with love. Through my job, I am able to encourage and challenge camp staff in their journey with the Lord…and I’ve got a mentor who meets with me and challenges me also.

It’s not easy to express who I am in a few short sentences, but you can know that I love my wife with all my heart and that our desire is to share that love with a child that is entrusted to us. We have a loving family and an awesome “village” of friends and supporters around us who are already joining us in prayer for the child God will bring us, for the child’s birthparents, and for that child to grow up and be a follower of Christ.

Today I hope you sense that you are being lifted up in prayer – because we know our profile is being shared and we have our friends and family supporting you and whatever decision you make.

Thanks for reading about me and considering our home as a place for your child to be loved. I hope this glimpse into my life has helped answer some of your questions.

Jeremy

2009-03-28T15:16:00.001-05:00

Can we get credit for a parenting class for this? i learned about how to throw a birthday party for a one year old. One day this will be us. You just wait!

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Adoption Update

2009-03-27T13:09:00.004-05:00

The funny thing about this blog is that I, Emily, am usually the one who journals. I have so many journals filled with writing. Jeremy, on the other hand, does not have one journal but has taken on the challenging of journaling or blogging about our adoption process. For me, writing during this time has been more difficult. One reason is that my hand was constantly cramping from all the paper work I was filling out, so when I had a free moment, writing more was not top on my list of things to do. The other reason is more selfish. I have had a difficult time putting my feelings, my emotions, my thoughts into words during this process. To sit down and write out how it feels to know that you and your husband may never have your own child, that you may never be able to look at the little one running around the house and see yourself or your spouse in that child, has just been hard. It has been a period of time in my life of clinging to God with all I have and yet also wrestling with God over these dreams, desires, and expectations that I have that are seeming to go unmet. Letting go is never an easy thing to do, but I have to admit, letting go of this dream has felt like the ground beneath me is shaking. I know that God is in this, that this process of adoption is for something bigger than me wanting a child, wanting to buy cute clothes, and decorate a room. He is using this process to shape me, to change me, and mold me in a way that never would have happened with out this journey of adoption. What is it in your life that is not going according to your well thought out plans or dream? Are you letting that process mold you? It is a daily choice for me and some days I am better at saying" Yes Lord" than others.

We had our couple interview on Monday. This was our first chance to sit down one on one with our social worker and let her get to know us. It went well. We felt like she saw who we are as a couple and our heart. At the end I asked the question: how long and the news was hard to hear. She told us right now, the waiting list has 30-35 couples ahead of us and the time frame she gave us was 18 months to 3 years! We have found that humor can relieve pain at times, so I started thinking my baby furniture may be out of style by the time we get our baby!!! In hearing this news, we could only continue to ask God to prepare our birth mom, and hand pick the perfect baby for us! My individual interview was today! Jeremy still has his and our home visit is April 15th. After that we should be a family in waiting! Thanks for sharing this journey with us!

Emily

couple of days off

2009-03-24T21:31:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a couple of days off from blogging here ... will re-start next week.

Just running a little low on ideas right now and needing to catch up on some other projects. Please use the comments below to suggest some topics, questions, direction for blogging that you would like to hear.

Loyalty

2009-03-20T06:06:00.003-05:00

"Don't assume that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother- in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever doesn't take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me." Matthew 10:34-38

This challenges my commitment and loyalty to the Lord as compared to those around me. This is a hard saying of Christ - it turns everything we assume on its head. It changes my perspective about following Christ -- because so much of life is wrapped up in the loved ones around us. Right now, a lot of our time is spent preparing, praying, and thinking about receiving a baby through adoption. But all this should look like enemies and adversaries compared to my love for Emily, Little E or anyone else.

I'm challenged by this level of commitment - and know that it's not where I'm living day-in and day-out. Please share other thoughts our insights from this passage.

Joy In the Journey | our story

2009-03-18T05:50:00.002-05:00

-- there are folks who happen by our blog and have not been a reader from the beginning, so this is designed to be an update page -- UPDATED 2/11/11

We are Jeremy & Emily Echols

We are on a journey.

Our journey brought us together in 2001. We lived in Texas at that time -- since then we've moved to Oregon and now live in Nashville, TN.

In December of 2008, we found out that we would not be able to have kids on our own. As we sought the Lord's guidance, we began to explore adoption. The more we learned, the more we felt God directing us to pursue adoption.

We attended an orientation meeting with Bethany Christian Services in February 2009 and started on our paperwork for the adoption process. We are both wired up to tackle to-do lists, so we completed and turned in our paperwork 2 weeks and 2 days after getting it.

In the spring of '09 we completed our final appointments and interviews at the agency offices, then we had our home visit where they check our home for safety. In early June 2009, we became a "family in waiting."

That is where we stood for almost 2 years. We haven't been selected or contacted through our agency - which has been disappointing.... but we've been pursuing an independent adoption.

The connection came through a former softball player that Emily coached. The baby is due around March 1st and we have been able to be a part of the process. God is in control, and we are so excited to have little Madison Grace in our arms soon!

We've got a great support network and we love each of our family members and supporters dearly. We are counting on them.

We are on a journey.

We are Jeremy & Emily Echols

Choose Joy

2009-03-17T05:58:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, our worship leader spoke on "Joy" during the call to worship. A statement he shared that really stuck in my mind was, "Choosing joy is a discipline of setting our focus on something other than the pre-occupation of our daily lives."

This struck a chord with me as I reflected on the last 3 months of my life. There are the few days in the process where you can't help but celebrate, but overall the adoption process (in-and-of-itself) is not a joyful one.

The adoption process is long, and it tests your endurance.

The adoption process stretches your ability to smile politely each time somebody tells another story about "a couple they know" who started the paperwork for adopting and suddenly got pregnant.... (Hear my heart, I can truly be glad for them, but it doesn't make it easier to hear, because don't you think that's what we sometimes hope for?)

The adoption process has become part of the all-consuming pre-occupation of my daily life for the last few months....and it isn't going to be over tomorrow.

These are all reasons why joy is a discipline.....why it must be asked for....prayed for....and it seems even then, it must be a perspective that is chosen. Only in the rare occasion does it unexpectedly overtake you.

So, Emily was very wise to name our blog "Joy in the Journey" because that is the perspective we are seeking. We want to seek the Lord, and choose joy each step of the way in our journey. It's not easy, but our friends and family are a big blessing along the way. We seldom feel totally alone in our journey because of the "village" that surrounds us.

Please pray today that we will choose joy today in the journey...that the pre-occupation with daily life (work, coaching softball, adoption) will not cloud the joy of the Lord that He has in store for us.

It takes a village to raise a child

2009-03-15T20:28:00.008-05:00

Today was a very fun day for our adoption journey. As we are working on our "profile scrapbook" Emily had the idea of making one of our profile pages focus on our "village." We invited some of our closest friends over for a photo shoot for this page. The top of the page is pictured here:

The rest of the profile page is a picture of some of the friends, neighbors, and co-workers who have supported us and loved on us through the process of adoption. We ended up having about 65 people come to our house today. Below are a couple of fun pics Ian snapped as we were assembling the group. Then you can see the 2 pictures we took of the group....everybody couldn't even fit in one picture!

Special Thanks to Ian for setting up his camera, taking the pictures, and working on them in photoshop. Also special thanks to a great picture countdown fella - Seth Weston knew what to do and helped count-down the picture for the second group, it was great!

I'm so overwhelmed by the number of folks who came over...and how sweet and supportive everybody was. It was a long way for some folks to drive just to take this picture, but their support spoke volumes to Emily and I during this time of our lives.

For those of you who were able to be here, please comment below and tell some of your favorite moments from the time together today. We want to capture as many of these special memories as possible for the baby.

Here are a few of our favorite moments:

Everybody surrounded us and prayed ... It was a first for me, to hear Chase pray for the salvation of Baby Echols, and for the baby to grow up to be a person who loves the Lord. In all honesty, I guess I figured that this would be a type of prayer that I would begin praying whenever the baby came home, but it was so special to hear those things voiced in prayer before we even know the baby's name. I've been challenged to make this a part of our family's prayer times.
Several nicknames have been given to the baby already which surfaced today: Baby Echols is most common. Our friends Tina, Nixon, Preston & Haley have strongly suggested the name "Jemily." And my personal favorite nickname right now is "Little E."
During the prayer, Blayne (our cute little 4-year old neighbor) noticed that Emily was crying a little, so she sweetly reached over and held Emily's hand for the rest of the prayer. Blayne also whispered to her mom to ask if "all these people were going to say a prayer?" It was so funny!
Ladybug greeted everybody and the kids loved petting her and playing with her. We don't have any kids toys in the house....but we have lots of puppy toys, so all the boys enjoyed throwing those around the house.
Meredith dashed through the door just before the photo .... fresh off the road from her weekend at FUGE Winter Camp in North Carolina!
Haley wrangled Ladybug while we assembled all the people for the picture....thanks for holding up Ladybug so she could be in the photo!
SHARE MORE MEMORIES BELOW IN THE COMMENTS.

Baby Room | Construction Phase 3

2009-03-14T18:35:00.004-05:00

It's done for now.... the room is painted, moulding hung, and "frame" details hung on the wall too. It was a fun project and we had lots of help. Special thanks to day to Chase and Courtney for coming over and helping with the carpentry and caulking. They were also a huge help with the dresser project. The dresser I sanded last night is now drying .... and will be revealed soon as a matching piece to the black baby bed.

While I'm pretty physically fatigued tonight, I'm already looking forward to a great afternoon with friends tomorrow as we celebrate with our village. Tune in tomorrow afternoon for a post about that.

Baby Room | Construction Phase 2

2009-03-13T23:15:00.005-05:00

Here is how it all started...w/ my plans and measurements sketched out.

Tonight I sanded down the dresser...that matches the baby bed, except for the color.

Special thanks to Mr. Scheck for loaning me some tools for the project. Tonight I finished the molding around the walls in the baby room. Emily went to bed early, but Ladybug was my faithful helper.

Notice the fun cuts in the corners....and Ladybug keeping a watchful eye.

Are the wall rectangles better vertical or horizontal? Please comment below.
(don't make fun of the pictures....Em was asleep and I had to hold the piece up to the wall and reach way back to snap the photo. Ladybug was not help for that part....)

Sweet wife!

2009-03-13T05:58:00.000-05:00

Here is my sweet wife and our puppy. Emily & Ladybug have been really helpful while working on the baby room and doing various projects around the house.

Emily helps with measurements, holding up the boards, checking to make sure everything is level. I can always count on Ladybug to inspect (with the intent of chewing) anything that I drop....so she keeps me on my toes.

All kidding aside, I would rather tackle these projects with Emily instead of anybody else in the world. She means so much to me and it is so fun to watch her get excited about each part of the process!

Baby Room | Construction Phase 1

2009-03-12T20:52:00.002-05:00

After work, I started working on the molding that goes around the baby room. The white paint turned out great, and the molding is looking good so far. I've done all the big pieces, but not tackled the toughest corner cuts yet.

Enough of this stuff, it is starting to resemble hard work....I'm going to get a shake and relax!

Morning Commute

2009-03-12T06:43:00.004-05:00

Still adjusting to time change I guess, but I didn't get up in time to write a post this morning....

Paint-Kind Words-Gotcha

2009-03-10T05:35:00.002-05:00

This morning, I am still so thankful for the friends who came over to help us paint last night. It went pretty quickly, and one important detail that I didn't mention before is that no paint got on the carpet!

When our neighbor Amanda came to snap a picture of Ian and I in the garage painting, she said, "Ok, Daddy look this way..." At first I didn't realize she was talking to me, but a second later I was really touched by the fact that this is another small step towards becoming a parent. In the middle of painting, I didn't really take a sentimental moment, but as I reflect, those kind words were my favorites of the night.

In other news, Emily has a co-worker who finalized the court proceedings for adoption of his little daughter yesterday. Today they are having a big gotcha party to celebrate with family and friends - and it is very cool to see them come to the end of this part of their adoption journey. Congratulations Brent....enjoy the gotcha party.

Monday Night Painting | only 4 coats to go!

2009-03-09T20:26:00.006-05:00

We are so thankful for these friends who came over to help us paint tonight. Click here to see lots of other pictures....thanks Amanda! It was short notice, but Emily cooked up some pizza casserole and we knocked out the painting in about an hour.

The clean-up took about another hour, but that's all part of it. We've still got another coat to do tomorrow and a little touch-up in some corners because we are covering up a beige wall with white.

Special thanks to Lydia, Kristen, Amanda & Ian .... (and baby London for keeping us company too!)

HELP WANTED: Painting Monday!

2009-03-08T19:36:00.005-05:00

This weekend we got a lot accomplished for the adoption! We got all the safety latches on the "harmful" cabinet and plug covers on. We are going to be the only house in America that is "child proof" without a child! I am glad we started though, if you have never installed them, carve out about half a day! It is harder than it looks. Here is a couple fun pictures of my sweet husband working hard! -Emily

So you see how much help I got from "Lazy Ladybug" and "Emily the Photographer." The vision is for the bottom of the wall to be white and the top to be pink/blue. Instead of building the squares for the wall, I found some at Lowe's that are pre-cut and just need paint.

All the supplies are ready for painting, and it's gonna happen tomorrow night! This is my call for help to anybody who is available about 6-7pm....to help paint the walls, moulding, and trim work for the walls.

Just holler at me to let me know if you can make it, and we'll do pizza or sandwiches or something. -JE

Baby Room begins!

2009-03-05T05:36:00.004-06:00

We are getting started in a real way on the baby room. It is one project that we can tackle during this process and feel like we can have some "normalcy."

The pictures above show the vision for the baby room....we will do a paneling of this sort around the bottom of the wall (maybe 48 inches high or so) and then paint pink or blue above the white paneling.

This saturday is my day to start on measurements, clear out the room etc.... so I'll put up some before and after pics as we go through the process.

In other news:

the first MJCA Lady Saints softball scrimmage this afternoon
our second home group bible study group meeting is tonight. We are going through the Love Dare bible study w/ other young couples....based from the Fireproof movie.

Too many to declare

2009-03-04T06:15:00.005-06:00

"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare." Psalm 40:5

This morning, my thoughts were still on the chorus "my joy comes in the morning!....I'm trading my sorrows...." (be very glad I'm only singing in my head, and not out loud!) As I thought back on yesterday and look ahead to today, it is true that there are so many blessings that I could never name them all.

Whenever I think about listing or naming blessings, my mind always goes to the thanksgiving projects where you write stuff you are thankful for on turkey feathers....and I'm thinking that turkey would have to have a big backside for all the blessings I could write.

Funny thing though....

I don't see blessings all the time. I have to look for them and take time to notice them. Sure, there's the occasional "smack you in the face" experience, but more often that that type of experience, God is right there fulfilling his promises to me, surrounding me, sustaining my faith, sending the subtle encouragements, bringing supporters across my path, and opening doors of opportunity for me to bless others or receive a blessing.

It just takes noticing ... so my goal today is to move into a posture, a perspective where I am attentive to the blessings and opportunities the Lord sets before me....to stop, and to celebrate and thank God. Please post a comment below to (a) share a thought this sparks in your mind or (b) share a blessing that you might ordinarily miss, but you want to take time to celebrate it and thank God for today.

joy comes in the morning

2009-03-03T05:55:00.003-06:00

I've got a song stuck in my head....maybe you will to after this...

"I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my pain..... Joy comes in the morning!"
(maybe one day I'll figure out how to link to the song and you can hear it...)

Yesterday was a tough emotional day as Em and I chatted. I find myself internally processing rather than outwardly expressing things, but the frustration with "the process" and the hope for the future seemed to collide yesterday. I think the frustration got the better of me.

However, late last night I was on facebook and an old college friend chatted me up and eventually called on the phone. We talked for a while, and he asked all about the adoption process and our experience. It just meant a lot that he cared and called.

So back to the song...I woke up this morning humming it, and trust that the Lord placed it in my head. I'm gonna trust that He'll keep it there and reflect those truths from scripture in my day as well.

investing in future leaders

2009-02-27T06:08:00.002-06:00

This weekend, I'm at an off-site training event for camp staff. One of our topics of conversation yesterday during a session was "investing in future leaders" within our camp programs.

As our camp directors began talking about this in the sense of camp, I also began to think about our adoption and our child. I was able to put words to an "expectation" or "dream" that I have for our baby. One thing I look forward to is investing in that child and bringing him/her up to be a leader one day.

In the context of our camp programs, it doesn't matter whether a staffer becomes a "director" or some other type of leadership position....we make a point to invest in each staffer, with the hopes that each staffer will become a leader in his own setting in life, wherever that may lead. For our child, I have the same desire....it doesn't matter that our baby becomes a president of something, a chairman of a board, or even a director of a camp.....a goal and dream that I have (as much for myself as for the child) is to invest in such a way that he/she has the leadership tools and confidence to excel wherever the Lord places them in life.

For a snapshot view of what we are doing this weekend with or training event, you can check out our camp staff blog.

God Provides

2009-02-26T19:23:00.003-06:00

I feel like every time I get to the point of feeling discouraged, over-whelmed, or frustrated with the adoption process God provides just the encouragement or love that I need. Last night was a perfect example of that. Jeremy and I started a Sunday school class for newly weds at The People's church in Franklin. When we moved to Mt Juliet, we had to switch churches and have deeply missed that class, those incredible people, and the community we shared with them.

Last night 5 girls from the last that I had not seen in about a year met me for dinner. They were so sweet to ask all about our adoption, listen to all the details, and express their genuine excitement. One of the girls gave me a card that I read later that evening. Her and her husband wrote a sweet card and also gave us some money for our adoption. What a humbling experience to see the body of Christ reach out, give of themselves, and care for us. It was just such a sweet reminder that God knows our needs and that He is walking with us through this new, scary, and unknown road of adoption! God does provide for our needs. What a sweet reminder last night was to me of His provision.

Emily

my arm still hurts

2009-02-26T06:34:00.002-06:00

The shots from Monday are still making my arm feel like I got "frogged" right on the muscle. Emily told me that I was crazy for letting them give me a tetnus shot in my right arm. I guess she was right.

This weekend, I'm at a training event for camp directors with my work...here is a link to some of our shennanigans during setup.

Here is a praise/thanks report from some encouragement we've received the last couple of days:

Emily had a wonderful dinner with friends from our old sunday school class. They were sweet with her and very encouraging about the impact we had on their lives during that time. Amazingly, that is always a two-way street, because they had a huge impact on us as well.
Em's cousin sent me a really sweet post on facebook about this journey and the blog.
We found out about another softball player who was adopted. How cool is that?

It is really a blessing to be surrounded by supporters and folks who care about us through our journey.

Funny School Story

2009-02-24T22:13:00.003-06:00

So here is a funny school story. I left school early on Monday afternoon to go get my physical, but I told my class I had to leave for my adoption. When I got to school this morning, the other 3rd grade teacher said, "Mrs. Echols here is what happened after you left yesterday."

She lined her kids up to go home and she over heard a girl say, "No we are not waiting for Mrs. Echols, she left school early today to go get her baby. She had to go get him because he is going to start school here tomorrow." Then at 9:50 that night she got a call at home from the girls mom saying"My daughter told me that Mrs. Echols got her boy today, I can't believe no one did anything for her, I am going to run to the store, what do I need to buy her." The other teacher just about died!

Moral of the story: when you are a teacher and you tell your kids something, you never know what they will actually get out of what you said AND you never know what they go home and tell their parents! So I guess I need to go to her class tomorrow and explain our unique situation!

Emily

I've been shot!

2009-02-23T18:10:00.003-06:00

Today was "physical" day....and I spent the afternoon waiting in the waiting room, waiting in the exam room, waiting in the exam room again (this time wearing not much more than the gown that opens in the back), waiting for the bloodwork.....see a theme developing? But in the end, I came away with an updated tetnus shot and the check-up completed.

After the Doctor's office, I was able to take our whole packet of paperwork to the Bethany Office with the next payment and turn it in! Now we are waiting for results for all the different things we've submitted like fingerprints, counseling visits, etc... In other news, we were able to get 2 appointments tentatively scheduled during Em's spring break!

These were all milestones in the process - and for now, we've done all that we can do.

Last Step of this Phase!

2009-02-23T05:37:00.002-06:00

Today is the last step of this current "phase" of the process. We have appointments this afternoon to get our physicals and bloodwork done, and then I'm going to take the aformentioned batch of completed paperwork by the Bethany office to turn it in.

The next step is a set of interviews with our case-worker, Mrs. Carolyn.....and the actual home visit. Pray that we are able to schedule some of these appointments during Emily's spring break. We are getting closer!!

2009-02-21T13:11:00.001-06:00

Chair we are looking at

The Baby's Dresser / Changing Table

2009-02-21T12:52:00.002-06:00

Here is the dresser to go with the black bed at the floor sale. WE GOT IT!

The Baby Bed

2009-02-21T12:51:00.002-06:00

This is our new favorite bed. We are probably going home with this one from a floor sale at a baby store. WE GOT IT!

Wish List!

2009-02-21T11:57:00.002-06:00

This is on JE's wish list! Let's go racing! They come in pink, yellow, and black.

Getting ready to rock

2009-02-21T11:43:00.001-06:00

Here is Emily rocking in the free world.

Buggy Decorations

2009-02-21T11:40:00.001-06:00

Cute decorations that remind me of Ladybug! She's gonna be a great older sister.

Notes

2009-02-21T10:54:00.002-06:00

Here's a cute magnetic board for artwork and notes from grandma!