Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treating was a blast! The kids loved it of course. Matthew and I love it too! A big thanks to my phone buddy in Georgia - you are the best! Keep your fingers crossed for us to hear from our home study agency soon. Pray for acceptance and speed!

Renewed Hope

I am going to say that the most important thing to have during this exciting journey is someone who has traveled it and can offer support and wisdom. I have found so many new friends that have given us just that! My new friend from Georgia is wonderful! Our families have much in common. I hope that we will be able to live a life of service as beautifully as they are living. I am waiting on the home study agency that we applied with to call us and accept us! I am looking forward to Halloween with all my little cuties!

Have Faith

Isn't that the hardest thing to do? I am so weak sometimes! Even though it had been a disappointing morning, I talked with a very helpful person at a different agency, and she was very positive and encouraging! I think that we just have to choose the right country and program. This is the hardest thing I have ever done! It is difficult for a control freak like me to hand it over. Matthew and I will continue to focus on fundraising and donating and helping these beautiful children. They are what is important. My pride got in the way but not for long! We will adopt because we were meant to - just in His time. Thank you for all the prayers and support - especially all of my new friends from RR.

Frustrated

This is Matthew, Kelli's husband. It takes a lot of life experiance to get through life, some good and some bad. Why are the rough times the only thing people see? Without our pasts we will not grow and learn. This early rejection has a really different feeling than I would have expected. It is not just where you have been but what you made of it that makes us who we are. I am about the most stubborn person I know. Now I am going to be working twice as hard to succeed. Obsticals slow me down, but push my resolve as well. It is sad though, seperated by half the world and formalities.

Rejected

That is how I feel today. Sad and grieving almost. Funny - even though I have birthed 5 children and miscarried two, I feel so horrible right now. We were turned down by the adoption agency who works with Armenia, Bulgaria, and several other countries. Apparently, our past struggles and income are coming to haunt us. I mailed off the application and fee to the home study agency in Birmingham yesterday. Now, I wonder if that was a good idea. I left a message with them, so hopefully they will call me back and give me some advice on where to go from here. Just a sad feeling today. I know that I need to hand it over to God and move forward. Please pray for us right now.

Little Girls at Home

Just a quick note about my girls at home with Super Dad! McKinley is rolling over and over and trying to crawl! Kennedy and Avery are playing and running and learning every day! Alex is passing school (yay) and complaining (teenager!) and helping out a lot. Matthew is being a super stay at home Dad / contractor part time / housekeeper / cook etc..... He is the best! Morgan is loving her new freedom and her new house! And finally - Grandma is shopping for girls clothes and taking us out for pizza tonight! Thanks Grandma! No cleanup tonight! I love my girls! They are all so smart and sweet!

Ideas

My wonderful husband has been brainstorming some great ideas for fundraisers! This is one of his strong points, he says! He is creating flyers & postcards to raise awareness for Reeces Rainbow / international adoption. We are also going to sell bulb packets and wristbands that he has designed. The girls are going to help me bake some cookies and other goodies to sell also. We are also considering placing a Donation Jar in certain places that we spend money. Lots of ideas floating around in the Stever household! It gets us very pumped up about adoption! Trying to do anything and everything we can to make a difference. Still hoping to get a confirmation on the Armenian Program, though. Keep praying for our family!

New Friends

I want to say this: if nothing else comes from this new journey we are taking, I have corresponded with some of the most gracious, kind, caring, & friendly people ever! Thank you to all the moms that have welcomed me - especially from Reece's Rainbow. It means so much to have support during this difficult and exciting time! I am thankful for each and every one of you. God bless all of your families and your hearts. You are all in our prayers and thoughts, and I wish you the best in all you do!

Nerves & Impatience

We are waiting to hear if we have been accepted into the Armenian Adoption Program. We are waiting to send the Home Study application - need the fee which we will have in a few days. This is the hardest part for me! I know that I had better get used to it during this process! I have prayed every single day that He show us what we are to do. His will - very difficult for me.

We had a great weekend with the girls and Grandma. We went to breakfast and the zoo together - even in the colder weather! We had so much fun. She is a wonderful Grandma - the girls love her!

Please pray that we hear good news soon!

Getting all the kids ready for bed and thinking about our future son/daughter. Hopefully, we will be accepted into the adoption program. My husband and children are everything to me! I love being a wife and mother. Continue to keep us in your prayers.

OUR JOURNEY BEGINS?

We are the Stever Family. We consist of: Matthew & Kelli, Morgan, Alex, Avery, Kennedy, & McKinley. Oh, & our Golden Retreiver Bay. Matthew & Bay are the only males in a house full of estrogen! We have heard a calling to adopt. It is so strong that it is all we can talk about, think about and dream about. Our biological daughters' ages are: 21, 17, 4, 2, & 6 months. Now we have applied to adopt a child or children overseas - specifically Armenia - if things work out. They usually do not work out like we think, so we are trying to hand this over to God.

I have felt such an urgent call from God that I cannot even begin to explain the force. I have been estranged and away from God for a long time. Now I believe He is determined to make me listen! Everyone around us thinks we are crazy and does not understand our desire to adopt - especially since we wish to adopt a special needs child - preferably one with Down Syndrome. They are blown away!

Keep us in your prayers please! We need them so much!