Giving Thanks

I always reflect on my blessings on my birthday each year. Tomorrow is my 41st birthday, so the time has come again. I am overwhelmed by the multitude of blessings that God has poured into my life! I have the most loving partner in life - my husband Matthew and our five beautiful daughters. They give me reason to breath every single day! I have been truly blessed by many new friends through the Internet and blog world. These families inspire me and strengthen me with their devotion to orphans and adoption. I also have my basic needs met - food, water, shelter, etc. God has been so good to me during my 41 years! He stood beside me during some troubled times and He never gave up on His child!

To all the blessings in my life: please accept my heartfelt thanks for all that you are, all that you have done, and all that you continue to do for me and my family. This journey that is being led by God is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult and emotional. With your support, we will complete it and have many new adventures to come. Thank you friends and God bless all of you.

Blessings!

We have been blessed with a donation from a wonderful non-profit ministry that supports adopting families! This will help us cover the next installment due to our home study agency! WOW! We continue to be amazed and inspired by the generosity of those who have never even met our family. We are humbled and thankful beyond words. Thank you for believing in us and lifting us up in prayer. Continue to pray for our home study appointment in Birmingham next week. We are blessed!

Puzzle Fundraiser

Quick reminder: Our Puzzle Fundraiser is a great way to support our adoption and become part of our future child's life forever! It is a very affordable way to donate to our cause - saving the life of a Ukrainian child. $5 per piece - the cost of a fast food value meal. Please prayerfully consider this fundraiser as a special way to join with us on our journey. Click the link below:

http://www.noodlepuzzle.blogspot.com/

Fundraising Mania!!!

In case you haven't heard, we are fundraising like crazy for our adoption of a special needs child/children from the Ukraine! I thought that I would list all of our links to these in one post today. These are all available on the left of our blog as well. We have:

Puzzle Fundraiser: $5 donation for a puzzle piece with your family name on the back

http://www.noodlepuzzle.blogspot.com/

Adoption Bug T-shirts: 6 designs to choose from on our Stever Family page

http://www.adoptionbug.com/SteverAdoption

Just Love Coffee Fundraiser: Variety of coffees & other items on our family page

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/SteverAdoption

Barefoot Books Fundraiser: Multicultural children's books from our adoption event page

http://www.kelli-stever.barefootbooks.com/

We are also so blessed to part of the Kingdom Kids Fundraising/Grant Program! You may visit their website and make a tax-deductible donation to our adoption. Just go to Family Grant Donations and type "Matthew & Kelli Stever" in the Designation box.

http://www.kingdomkidsadoption.org/

Thank you for reading this post and sharing it with everyone you can! We have been so very blessed to have the support of our immediate family and close friends. We would be additionally honored, blessed & fortunate to have your help! Please prayerfully consider a donation to our family adoption and help us spread the word!

Adoption Bug T-shirts!

We are so excited about our new t-shirt fundraiser! Please visit our Stever Adoption Family Page and support us! Let everyone know about these shirts because they are a great way to show your support of our adoption and adoption in general!

http://www.adoptionbug.com/SteverAdoption

Families to Pray For - Part III

I will never be able to list everyone that I would like to, but here are a few more families that need your love and support!

Davis Family

http://oureyesopened.blogspot.com/

Lorenz Family

http://journeytoapromise.blogspot.com/

Sisemore Family

http://tillgodbringsthemhome.blogspot.com/

Burman Family

http://burmanbunch.blogspot.com/

Join with me to pray for these wonderful families! They need our help! I am again humbled and honored that my family is in their company. Let us pray all of these children home!

Families In Need - Part II

I would like to recognize several more families that need our help. They need prayers, support, and donations to bring home their children. I have been so honored to have read their stories and even corresponded with some of them. Please take some time from your day to visit their blogs and read about their journeys. I am blessed to be in their company!

Basile Family

http://angeleyesadoption.blogspot.com/

Statz Family

http://ourfifthgirl.blogspot.com/

Harper Family

http://choosingcharlie.blogspot.com/

Lewandoski Family

http://findinghunter.blogspot.com/

Kacirek Family

http://kacirek.blogspot.com/

Toomey Family

http://onestitchatatimetoomey.blogspot.com/

Families In Need

I want to dedicate the next few posts to other families that I have met through emails, blogs, Face Book, Reece's Rainbow and such. I consider all of them wonderful, loving families who have a heart for adoption and are answering God's call. I will never be able to mention all of these good people that I have been so fortunate and blessed to meet. I will try to post about as many as I can. Please visit their blogs and find them on Face book and read their heartwarming stories. Pray for them, support them, and if you feel so inclined - donate to their adoptions. I have been inspired and lifted up by every one of them. May God bless them and lead them in a straight path to their future sons and daughters.

The Enskat Family

http://allabouttheenskats.blogspot.com/

The Sanchez Family

http://savingsofia.blogspot.com/

The White Family

http://whitesadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

The Land family

http://allgodschildrenukraine.blogspot.com/

The Parker Family

http://snadoption.blogspot.com/

The Salem Family

http://nogreaterjoymom.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned for more terrific families in future posts!

Large Families

I was reading posts on Face Book and came across a great blog post that you must read! That is - if you love large, multicultural, biological/adoptive families!

http://randybohlender.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/what-not-to-say/

I absolutely love this way of thinking! What a refreshing view of the large family! People should always think before they speak. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. It is a definite reread!

Blessings for a spectacular day!

Good Attitude

I have not posted in several days because I have not had a very good attitude. I have been a little bit down due to numerous things going on around me. I decided that rather than whining or posting about empty, boring subjects, I would just sit back and chill for a few days. Then, I read a daily devotional entitled, " Begin Your Day with a Good Attitude." I had to hang my head in shame! This is NOT the way I have been starting each day.

I am learning a few things during this unique adoption journey. I cannot allow money or the lack of it bring me down. I must have faith - not during the good times! Too easy! During the worst of times. Sometimes I have to sit back and be content with the small things. I must look at the problems and snags along the way as "challenges to my faith." Is this unknown orphan in the Ukraine worth some discomfort? Some pain? Some hard times? Some headaches and difficult decisions?

YES!

I need a wake up call now and then! Therefore, we will continue to fundraise, sell, network, refinance, & brainstorm every minute of the day so that we can make a difference in the life of one of the special children in a Ukrainian orphanage. Please pray for our family. We need this more than anything!

Special Note to Our Children

I came across this blog from another blog! It has crossed my path twice now so I must share it with you!

You must read this blog! http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-want-my-children-to-be-happy.html


What a perfect and beautiful way to explain adoption to our families! Thank you for sharing this with us! God bless you!

Quit Faking It

I would like to join Courtney at www.storinguptreasures.com with her campaign! Amen! She has a lot of nerve and I admire her for her candid post! I would like to attempt to share a little bit of my real life with you.

First of all, I will share a quote from her blog here:

"I am really screwed up. I need Jesus something fierce."

I also fake my faith sometimes. I try to pray the "right way" but many times I do not even know if I mean what I say. I know that God is very disappointed in me.

I am not always real when it comes to my precious children. Sometimes I even fake with them. I pretend to be Mother of the Year and work full time and look forward to weekends of zoo outings, playgrounds, book reading, etc. when all I really want to do is sleep the weekend away.

We go out for fast food - there - I said it. I wish we ate home cooked delicious meals that take all day to prepare and are filled with fresh, organic ingredients. But we do not. In fact, we very rarely eat true home cooked meals. We eat what is easy and quick to prepare. I am even faking the fact that I wish we ate home cooked meals more often. What a pain! I like the easy meals!

My home is a total wreck 90% of the time. We pick up more than clean up. I wipe off things with Clorox wipes more than thoroughly clean them. My kids eat crumbs off the floor sometimes.

I read all the articles on child rearing including time outs, time ins, creative discipline, no yelling, etc..... I yell at my kids. Yes - I yell at my kids. Sometimes I even throw a temper tantrum myself that is far more juvenile than theirs.

As I share some of the things I fake every day, I hope that you appreciate my honesty and start your own mini revolution too! I think what is most important is that we all admit our faults and try to be as real as we can. God forgives us and accepts us as we are. He is not a fake. He is EVERYTHING. I am nothing if not His daughter. And I love all of you as the fakers that you are too! : )

Overwhelming Support from a Friend

I have had the privilege of meeting a wonderful mother online. We met by God's plan through blogs and email. We both have a heart burdened by an orphan known as "Corinna" in the Torez facility in the Ukraine. We also both love coffee and coffee creamer and both live in Alabama! Josette has been such a sweet special friend to me and she is going 100% on faith! We will meet some day soon, but until then, I want everyone who follows our story to realize what a faithful, generous woman she is.

She parted with several items that were very special to her. They held dear memories for her and could have been sold for numerous other better causes than ours. However, she chose to donate the proceeds to our family adoption. We have not even been matched with a particular child/children yet. But - she believes in our heart for adoption and stands beside us on this journey.

I will never be able to show you the extent of my gratitude, my dear friend. Please know that you and your family have become a part of our family - you are a part of our future child's life forever. May God continue to bless your family and keep you safe and happy. I hope that one day I can give to you some of what you have given to us! Maybe our families can share a meal & fellowship together in the near future! I love you!