I haven't fallen off the face of the earth

I know many of you think I have fallen off the face of the earth, but I haven't....I'm still here! I have been so incredibly busy that this blog has taken a backseat to all of my other projects. I have had several people asking for updates, so here it goes:

ADOPTION:

We have now been in this adoption process for one year. Our first application was mailed on December 11, 2006. We are getting closer, but I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. The average wait for a referral from the time a family is placed on the official list is 6 - 9 months. We just hit the 6 month mark. We are really hoping to have a referral by March, so we could travel during the summer. That would be perfect, since I'm a teacher. We are in the top ten families waiting on a referral. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we don't have to wait over 9 months. We have been a little nervous and anxious lately. For those of you that haven't heard. There has been concern that the Vietnam adoption program could possibly close again. It closed in 2002 due to corrupt and unethical practices. It reopened in 2005 when a bilateral agreement was signed between the U.S. and Vietnam. This agreement would be in force for three years and then both countries would have to sign it again for adoptions to continue. There has been some concern lately that this agreement may not be renewed. What does this mean for us? We don't know yet. As of right now, noone is really sure what is going to happen. We are hoping that something is decided before we are presented with a referral. I have been through having a referral and then not being able to bring that child home. I don't know that I could bear that again. For now, we are just trying to remain positive and hopeful that everything will work out. Please pray for this situation and for all of the children and families that could be involved. I have faith that God has a plan for us and we must continue to wait for it to be fully revealed.

FUNDRAISING:
One of the main things that has been keeping me busy is fundraising for the adoption. I have tried to do one major fundraiser each month. It has been sooooo much work, but well worth it. When we started this adoption, we really didn't know where the money would come from. We dove in head first and immediately began planning our fundraisers. One year later, I'm happy to report that we have raised, earned, saved, or had donated to us over $18,000!!! We still have a ways to go, but we are very glad that we are this far along. We are very thankful for our family and friends and for all of their support, but most of all to God who has made all this possible. If anyone is interested in some of the ways we have raised money, just let me know and I'll be happy to share. The following pictures of Zion were from my last fundraiser.



THE NEW HOUSE:
Well, the hope of being in our new house by the end of the year is gone. I'm still hopeful for January. I'm having a hard time right now with colors. It was easy to pick the color of paint for all the rooms because I have known for a long time what I wanted. The carpet, tile, laminate, countertops, etc. is a different story. The more I shop, the more undecided I am. I'm a very visual person. I need to see the entire room. I can't visualize what my kitchen floor will look like by holding up a 12 X 12 piece of tile!!!! I guess I should just start knocking on doors of new houses and asking if I can take a look at their colors and decor...ha!! Robert has told me that my time is up! I have one week to decide..ughh! (I wonder if he has taken into consideration that it is Christmas???)

THE FAMILY and RANDOM HAPPENINGS:
The boys are doing great! Parker finished the first semester of 7th grade with straight A's. We are so proud of him. He is playing basketball and is loving it and of course so am I. He has had a growth spurt and is now as tall as I am. He has decided that he is sick of wearing glasses and now has contacts. He is growing up way too fast. As he gets older, buying Christmas presents for him gets more difficult (and expensive). Zion on the other hand is still easy to buy for. He wants anything and everything he sees! He is counting down the days until Santa comes! I love watching his enthusiam and excitement. He is still very much into trains. He was a train engineer for Halloween....and a very cute one I might add. As busy as we've been, we have still had the time to work in some other family activities. Both boys were in my niece's wedding in October, we spent the night at the Governor's Mansion on Thanksgiving, and welcomed our first great-nephew into the world in December. We had a little fun this year decorating for Christmas. We were disappointed that we weren't in the new house yet, so we decided to do something silly in our rent house, We hung our tree upside down from the ceiling. The boys love it! I'm sure years from now they will be telling their children about the year their parents went crazy during Christmas and hung their tree from the ceiling...ha! Making memories....even if they are silly!! We are still having the great name debate for our daughter. Zion's latest idea...Maney John Bakerham! Where did that come from??????

Wow, that turned into a novel. Hopefully everyone that is interested in "Life with the Loyds" is up to date on what's going on in our world. Stay tuned for the next chapter...hopefully it won't take two months again.