New Week, New Family

Hey everyone,
Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? I hope so, we had a great one-super busy but lots of fun. Excited to ring in the new year tonight, in all honesty it's my first time in about 5 years that I'm attempting to stay up past midnight, we'll see how it goes.  Anyway, I know what you're really here for, to meet our new family! Well, here they are. The McKnights!




Aren't they the sweetest? Here's the deal with them, God totally challenged them to be willing to trust whatever He wanted for them, and He had their daughter on their agencies waiting children's list.  They accepted her referral right before Christmas and God's been moving mountains for them! Want to know something else? Their son and new daughter totally share a birthday, and that's an amazing God story in itself, check it out on their blog right after you donate ;) They're awesome, and they're adding an awesome girl to their family, let's be a part of it! Ready? GO!

PS: We have a surprise for you all later this week, so don't forget to check back! 

Praying for Russia

I know I told you all we're taking a little blogging break this week, but I wanted to pop in and encourage all of you to pray for the situation that is happening with international adoptions in Russia right now. As of right now, Russia has banned the United States from adopting from Russia; this bill is to take effect beginning January 1st.

Here is a link that explains the new law in more detail.

As far as I've seen, there will be an attempt to appeal the new law, but there is no guarantee it will change.

Here is a statement released by our agency on the topic:

"Update on Russia

With the news that Russia has banned inter-country adoption to the United States, our agency is deeply saddened by the thought that many thousands of orphans in Russia may be deprived the ability to join loving families. There are still some conflicting reports for how this affects families currently in process. We are continuing to monitor this situation and are working with advocacy organizations such as the National Council For Adoption to join them in expressing our disappointment that politics can be put above children’s interests. We are continuing to pray for the children living in Russian orphanages as well as the families in process to adopt." source

So you might be thinking, "what can we do?!" In all honesty, I'd say pray and pray hard, share the story, ask your friends to pray with you.  Do you know any families who are in the process of adopting from Russia? Pray for them, surround them with support, imagine having a child and then not knowing if you'll ever bring them home.  Bring them meals, be there for them in this time.  Although this is truly difficult for us all to comprehend, we must remain hopeful.  

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Merry Christmas!

All of us here at Give1 Africa wish you and your families the merriest Christmas, whether you're spending your first Christmas as a family with your new little ones, or you're waiting to see your child's face for the first time, we love all of you and hope you have a wonderful holiday season! 

We'll be taking a break next week to spend time with our families. 

BUT!

Stay tuned for the week after, we've got an awesome video to feature

Merry Christmas we love you!

Source

Advocating for the older ones

There has been quite a buzz lately in the adoption community about adopting out of birth order, and adopting older children.  This is kinda a tough topic to write about, but I'm gonna try to tackle it a little here today.  Here's the deal, the other day you read Beth's awesome post about inquiring about a child on the WCL.   Back it up a bit if you don't know what WCL stands for: Waiting Children's List.  That's your adoption lingo translation for the day :)

Definition of WAIT:

1. 1.To stay in a place or remain inactive or in anticipation until something expected takes place.
2. 2.To be ready or at hand.
3. 3.To remain temporarily undone or neglected. 

This definition describes millions of orphans around the world. They stay in one place, waiting with anticipation to be chosen into a family. They are ready, expecting, yet day after day they sit and wait for a family to call their own. Some will find one, and some will not.

-Ordinary Hero Website 

You might have some questions right away when you think of adopting an older child...  

"what about the language barrier?" 

"how will they get along with my other children?"

 "what do you do about school?"

 "what are their expectations when coming to America?"

These are all very valid questions and concerns.  And each family is different and each child is different.  What works great for your family might not work for another family and that's ok. You'll face challenges with any child regardless of age, every child has to mourn-weather they're morning for the family they lost (and are aware of) morning for the nannies they grew close to in the transition home or simply mourning for their country. Just like Beth said the other day in her post, if someone tugs at your heart, give them a chance to plead their case, learn more about them.

And ps did you know there's an app for Amharic you can get on your iphone for easy translation? That could definitely help the language barrier a little ;)

I've talked with some families who have adopted older children into their families, and they have given wonderful advice and been able to give a first hand account on what (at least with their family) you might expect.  That's the awesome thing about the adoption community, you can talk to tons of people and get advice on what they've gone through. Here's a few great blogs you can check out about families who have brought home older children:

Crockett Family
Verme Family
Hathaway Family

If you're interested in adopting an older child into your family, head over and read this post by Brittany.  She and her husband brought back their son from Ethiopia earlier this year.  She wrote a truthful and honest post about their journey so far, it's a great read.


I would seriously encourage you that if you have any questions, no matter how small or big, that you reach out to these families. Who knows, maybe your child is one on the waiting list...waiting for you :)

Some pictures from the Hills!

Hey guys, so you know our family of the week? Well, when they started Monday they were waiting for their court decree, which means the piece of paper that says they're parents AND that means they can show us pictures of their babies, and man, these babies are precious!

They're now waiting for an embassy date to bring these babies home forever, don't forget to go donate ;)

Belote Update!

Everyone loves to hear what our previous families of the week are up to right? Well remember the Belote family? Here's a note from mom to let us know what they've been up to;

December 4th marked the end of one journey and the start of a whole new adventure for our family. That's the day we adopted Baby Zeb in China. We knew right away he'd fit well into our family--he has a big personality, an open heart, and loves to laugh. We had started the process to adopt from China in 2007. After switching to the special needs program earlier this year, we were matched quickly to Hai Yang Lian. We committed to his adoption, knowing we'd have to trust God to provide the funding. We received tremendous support for his adoption during our week on the Give1Save1 blog. We were blessed by donations of all sizes from family, friends, and complete strangers. We were floored by the response!! Now that we have Zeb home with us in the states, we want to say THANK YOU to each person who donated, shared our video, and prayed for this adoption. Zeb will be having surgery early next year to repair his cleft lip and palate. We welcome your prayers as he gets the medical care he needs.

Lovin' being home with the siblings.  

Inquiring about a Child on the WCL

Hey guys,

Today I wanted to give you a little play by play on what happens if a certain face pulls on your heartstrings in a special way. You see the faces every day, but sometimes one of those messes with you more than normal. A nagging. A curiosity. A gut feeling. You pray for a family for this little one. You wonder if you might be the one. You mention it to your skeptical hubby who finally caves and says he'll entertain the possibility of entertaining the possibility, but don't get your hopes. So what might come next? Inquiring is a very serious step. Let's explore that scenario.

STEP ONE: Google
Seriously, I said it. Most children are on the Waiting Child List because they are older than most families are willing to accept, or they have medical conditions that no one is willing to take on or no one has thought to take on. That was the case with Jude. On the WCL profile there were maybe two sentences about him. You can't really make much of a decision based on that. You'll have to inquire to learn more. BUT FIRST, if it's medical, google that. His conditions were 'brain atrophy' and 'very low muscle tone'. Well, brain atrophy was a bit menacing, but I looked it up. You're looking for something specific, though. Best case scenario and worst case scenario of each diagnosis. YOU will have to educate yourself as well as you can as fast as you can so you can make an intelligent guess based on what you're going to find in that file. So arm yourself with WebMD first.

STEP TWO: Call the agency
Listen carefully here. Before you call your family coordinator, DO NOT NOTIFY ANYONE ELSE THAT YOU ARE DOING THIS! People will weigh in and right now you don't need anyone's opinion or encouragement or discouragement besides your spouse's. This is a nugget of wisdom. If you find something in that file that is a deal-breaker (and that very well may be the case), you don't want to have to tell Facebook that. And you'll be mourning a bit too, so don't go there. Save it for the flip side.

REMEMBER: Referral pictures are notoriously awful. Keep that in mind. It's not a professional photoshoot. Look beyond the wrong gender clothes, the crossed eyes, and the sad face. Pray hard. This was Jude's WCL picture.

STEP THREE: REVIEW THE FILE
Most family coordinators are very professional and very understanding of the gravity of even asking about a particular child. I felt alot of pressure (on myself) but our family coordinator assured us and reassured us that asking about a child does not mean accepting a referral and to really feel the fit out. There was absolutely no judgement coming from her or persuasion. That was wonderful.

When we asked for his file, she held it so no one else could review it at the same time. We had a few weeks to make a decision. In the file were 20 pages or so, mostly medical. Every doctor's visit was explained and charts that showed his growth and development (or lack thereof). We were able to discuss any of his info and paperwork with doctors and medical professionals to help us decide on the severity of his conditions based on that paperwork. ***Most doctors are not going to help you out a ton. It's a bit of a liability assessing a patient they've never seen from across the globe who'se been examined by doctors they don't know. They're just going to give you a best guess maybe.*** BUT we were told that the shape of his head might indicate how much and where the brain damage had been done. So we asked our family coordinator and she emailed Ethiopia. A few hours later we saw these...

STEP FOUR: MAKE A DECISION

That made the decision for us. We knew from our research that his muscle tone could be extreme and he was six months old and had never lifted his head. But when we saw these pics we knew he was progressing. And when we saw his smiles for his nanny, we knew he could connect with people. That was good enough for us! 

So I guess what I want to say is this: The three sentences you get aren't enough to make a decision. They are just there to create some curiosity. If one has captured your heart, inquiring will not hurt. It is simply allowing that child to present a case. It may be worse than you imagined and it's ok to say no (did you catch that?)! Or it might be better than you thought and totally change your life. But you'll never know if you never ask. 

New Week, New Family

Hey guys,
I hope you had an awesome weekend. Ours was full of Christmas parties and get togethers, pretty sure I ate my weight in sweets...not good, but tis the season, right?

We have such a sweet family on the blog this week. Meet the Hills.  They are getting ready to welcome sweet twin boys into their family from Ethiopia! Check out their video it is so unbelievably cute and sweet, I wish I was this creative!

They have met their babies, and are in the home stretch! I know how busy you all are with Christmas (literally) just around the corner, but I also know how awesome and generous you all are too! So, as usual, it's time to give and share! Let's spread some Christmas cheer and help these sweet babies home!

Click the link above and show some love! 

Hope+Sisterhood

Did you know that December 1st was World Aids Day? 

I don't know about you but I was encouraged by the out poor of positive truth being shared on Facebook, blogs, twitter, ect. 

I didn't know much about HIV and Aids before we entered the adoption world, and through awesome organizations like Project Hopeful, I've learned so much. I wanna take a second (or minute depending on how fast you read) to tell with you about this super great opportunity I learned about recently.  Project Hopeful offers a program called 'Hope+Sisterhood.'  

Here's what their website says about this program:

"Social stigma, lack of resources, and failing health can lead to a sense of hopelessness for mothers who are HIV+ around the world. Without options HIV+ mothers are forced to consider the unthinkable when they can no longer care for their children as they desire to. If finding alternative caretakers becomes impossible mothers are forced to either turn their children over to the mean streets or relinquish them to an orphanage. Often times orphanages will divide siblings with the hopes that by doing so they will increase their likelihood of adoption.

There is no end to the loss these families will suffer unless something changes.

The HOPE+ Sisterhood program was developed in honor of the mothers of the children of Project HOPEFUL volunteers who have died of complications related to AIDS. This program seeks to offer HOPE to HIV+ mothers and to prevent unnecessary loss for their families.

Everything begins with keeping HIV+ mothers alive and healthy so they can parent their children. With their health intact, HIV+ mothers can begin to acquire the means for self sufficiency through job skills training, micro-loans for small businesses, and a host of other resources. HIV+ mothers can also benefit from "sisters" in the US who will pray for them, write to encourage them, and stand  with them as they raise their families. If you long to make a personal connection and leave your mark for positive change in the live of a struggling mother with HIV the HOPE+ Sisterhood is for you! Project HOPEFUL invites you to partner with us as we launch our first women and children's program located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This program is created to provide holistic care as part of an integrated response to the needs of HIV infected mothers and their children. The Addis Ababa program has already obtained the full approval of the Ethiopian government, secured the facilities, and is simply awaiting financial support to begin operations.

The HOPE+ program will provide a residential facility for up to 14 women infected with HIV and their children (HIV positive and not positive). Our goal is to rehabilitate them with medical and emotional care, provide job skills training, employment within in our facilities, and even micro-loans to begin their own small businesses so that they can secure a safe and stable future for their families. The children will also receive medical care, clothing, and an education.

Through the creation of the HOPE+ Sisterhood Project HOPEFUL wants to encourage American women they CAN offer real hope and support to their HIV+ sisters in Ethiopia, and around the world. We invite you to form a relationship with an HIV+ mother and help provide her the resources she desperately needs to change the trajectory of her children's lives. Help divert a family off the path of hopelessness and onto the path of stability by raising funds for this program; become HOPE+ yourself!"

So, isn't that so cool! Do you know what that means? With the right medical care, an HIV+ mother is able to NOT pass the virus onto her unborn child.  That's the thing, here in the US, we have access to medications that can stop the virus from being transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. Did you read that? Stop the spread. With this program, we can help mothers in Ethiopia and around the world.  

Think about it, sponsor a mama.  Write to her, encourage her, make a connection with her.  This could be life changing, seriously.  

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Maybe for Christmas this year, your family can sponsor a mama through this program.  Talk about a gift that gives back.  

Want more information?? Email the  Hope+ Sisterhood Director Nancy Porter at nancy@projecthopeful.org

I Like Giving

Have you seen this yet? I Like Giving? It's right up our alley, you guys. I'm not intelligent enough to embed it here (or spell intelligent without auto correct), but trust me and check out this video, I Like Adoption.

The whole concept of the I Like Giving movement is to encourage generosity as a way of life. You can try if for 3 days (generous living, that is) by joining in on the website. They send you prompts to try each day to get you started. You guys are already pretty darn generous, but it's fun and neat to do with the kiddos. You can even order some free cards to pass out when you do a generous deed. Give it a go.

A Christmas Story, the Congo...

Not knowing much about the Congo, I checked in with my friend, Lindsey (who blogs over at Give1 Carribean) and who's in the process of adopting a little one from the DRC.  She checked in with her Congo mama's to see what everyone knew about celebrating in the Congo.  Over at the blog, Divine Moments, there's an awesome post about holidays in the Congo.  If you or someone you know is adopting or has adopted from the DRC, this post is super informative, and was lots of fun to read.  Here's what she says in an interview with a man who grew up in the Congo,  about Christmas in particular...

"Growing up in Congo, we did not have a chance to always eat a decent meal, to have decent clothes or a good pair of shoes. Christmas or "Noel" as we call it, is for us that one time of the year when we expected and prayed for clothes, shoes and most of all a bottle of coke or fanta. Yes, you read right; soda is a luxury for many in DRC and its an important part of the Christmas meal. Chicken or any meat which are expensive in major cities are always something children expect to eat for Christmas. Parents do their best in December to offer a decent meal and clothes to their children. Some decorate their houses but that's not the most important for the children. Families get together and people visit each other  and make the day a special moment. Christmas is celebrated December 25 except for the Kimbaguist church which account for about 10% of the Congolese population, their Christmas is May 25."

Ok, truth time. I'm super addicted to soda, diet Pepsi to be exact and the fact that soda is a luxury there and prayed for at Christmas time, hit me hard.  It truly is the little things, like a bottle of Coke or Fanta.  This might sound dumb, but when I enjoy my next coke or fanta you bet your stars I'll be thinking about those little ones in the Congo.

I would love for you to check out this holiday post over at Divine Moments, there's some great information not just about Christmas, but special holidays to the Congo people, and over on her blog you can find a link to donate to the children of the Congo to make their Christmas special. 

wait for it.

hey yall, I'm Wynne.  

and this is my husband, Stephen and our two Ethiopian kiddies - Camp + Asher. 

I've been here & there but always feeling a part of this give1save1 family.  Our week on give1save1 came at just the right time, allowing us to have the exact amount of money we needed to accept the referral of a little boy.  Now, God has done some amazing things since then and we  now have TWO little ones to love.  They have been home just over 6 weeks and my husband & I still look at each other daily and say, "is this real life?".  

I wanted to give you a little update on our family, and as I was sitting down to write it I totally felt like the Lord pushing me instead to give some encouragement to those in the waiting.  

I was reading in Habakkuk, and this scripture (marked "adoption" in my bible) really spoke to me. 

"and the Lord answered me.  Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.  For still the vision awaits its appointed time, it hastens to the end - it will not lie.  If it seems slow, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay."  Habbakkuk 2:2-3

We waited for a little over 2 years for our two.  There were some DARK days.  Days were we didn't trust in Gods promise, days we didn't know if we would get our daughter home, days that the dawn seemed like it was never going to come.  (you should probably download "Before the Morning" by Josh Wilson and put it on repeat). 

So I just wanted to encourage those of you in the waiting.  God has spoken, and He has a child(ren) prepared for you to love.  You might not understand His timing now, or you might not ever understand it.  But His timing is perfect.  His vision and plan for your family awaits it's appointed time.  If it seems slow, wait for it!  it will surely come!  it will not delay!  

then I promise, the day you have your baby(ies) home, and you are sitting on the floor of your living room reading that scripture again (while listening to Before the Morning), you will bawl your eyes out at Gods faithfulness.  

His timing is PERFECT.  

wait for it, believe in it, pray circles around it.

it will come!

New Week, New Family

Hey guys! 

  We have officially entered mid-December-yikes! Crazy fast month. Anyway, here is something that can keep that excitement of the season going- the Harvey Family!

 

Are they not so cute?!?! I love them. Here's a sweet note from mom,

After a lot of prayer (and mostly the Holy Spirit guiding our choices) we began to see that the Lord wanted us to stretch ourselves. To go outside of our 0-3 age range and to have eyes for waiting children of the world. Again we hit the internet, began making phone calls, and asking the tough questions.   Though we do not qualify for many other countries as I am only 25, we looked everywhere. Not wanting to limit where God had our child.  That is when we found Esther. A sweet 7 year old little girl who had been waiting for over a year with no interest at all due to her age. We prayed and read her file and story and after much counsel took another leap of faith to take this 7 year girl and pursue her to be our daughter.   In November of this year I traveled to Uganda to meet her for the first time. The experience was incredible and it was so clear to me that everything in our journey had to happen for a reason. To bring us half way around the world for a little girl with a smile that will melt your heart, and eyes that pierce your soul. She is our daughter, and we hope to return to court for her in the next few weeks or months. 

Ok, so are you guys totally in the mood to give? I hope so.  Let's bless this family with dolla' dolla' bills y'all! 

You all know the drill-click, donate and share!!! 

ERGO Winner Announced

Wow, you guys showed the Smiths so much love this week! Their sweet Sadie got home Saturday! 

Ok, onto the winner of the ERGO!

Ready?!

....thanks to Random.org the winner is 

(sorry for the totally crocked picture..)

Brianna Tenges!

Email Beth and she can get that ERGO sent your way!

Thanks to all who donated, it's been awesome to see so much encouragement this week

...And get ready because it all starts again tomorrow morning with a new family! 

A Christmas Story, Ethiopia...

One thing that's super important is keeping our child's hertiage a part of their life long after they leave Ethipoia.  Last year was about the time we offically started the adoption process and I remember that was the first time I'd heard the phrase "Melkam Gena" which means Merry Christmas in Ethiopia. Well, wanting to jump on the train, I went ahead and started researching my brains on what Christmas in Ethiopia might look like here's a bit of what I found (thank you TLC)...

"Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church.

The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga. Urban Ethiopians might put on white Western garb. Then everyone goes to the early mass at four o'clock in the morning. In a celebration that takes place several days later, the priests will dress in turbans and red and white robes as they carry beautifully embroidered fringed umbrellas.

Around the time of Ganna, the men and boys play a game that is also called ganna. It is somewhat like hockey, played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball.

The foods enjoyed during the Christmas season include wat, a thick, spicy stew of meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs as well. The wat is served from a beautifully decorated watertight basket onto a "plate" of injera, which is flat sourdough bread. Pieces of injera are used as an edible spoon to scoop up the wat.

Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ. The children walk to church services in a procession. They wear the crowns and robes of the church youth groups they belong to. The grown-ups wear the shamma. The priests will now wear their red and white robes and carry embroidered fringed umbrellas.

The music of Ethiopian instruments makes the Timkat procession a very festive event. The sistrum is a percussion instrument with tinkling metal disks. A long, T-shaped prayer stick called a makamiya taps out the walking beat and also serves as a support for the priest during the long church service that follows. Church officials called dabtaras study hard to learn the musical chants, melekets, for the ceremony.

Ethiopian men play another sport called yeferas guks. They ride on horseback and throw ceremonial lances at each other.

Ganna and Timkat are not occasions for giving gifts in Ethiopia. If a child receives any gift at all, it is usually a small gift of clothing. Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.”

Well, that was a bit lengthy, but don’t you feel informed now?! I’m not 100% sure exactly how much of these traditions we’ll keep going in our family.  I’m sure they will change from year to year, but I hope to aknoledge the holiday on January 7^th, and hopefully cook a traditional Ehtiopian meal (which may prove difficult since I don’t like cooking…at all) but I plan to try.

For your listening pleasure, Ethiopian Christmas Music

What holiday traditions do you plan to keep from your child’s birth country?

All you Congo families, ready for a Christmas Story from the Congo??? Stay tuned....

Love,

Steph

source: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga4.htm

No. 41

Hey guys,

I'm happy to bring you a little news from No. 41 today! Have you come across them yet?

No. 41 started on a whim and a prayer in March 2012, with the intent of teaching young women from the Noel Orphanage in Gisenyi, Rwanda (ages 18-25) not only to sew, a culturally relevant trade that would always sustain them, but to give back to their community through a feeding program supporting local schools.

Whoa, neat. My font changed. Anyway, how cool is that? We all love a product you can feel good about, right? But I really really love it when that product is super cute. I'm a brat like that. So allow me to show you their latest, the backpacks. They have them in small, medium, and large, all of which are $35. When you purchase one, they also donate one to a local student! I bought 3 of the smalls, one in each color, for my gang. Can't wait 'til they get here! Christmas, baby! 

Hearts For Hearts Girls

"What if you could change the world just from buying a doll?"

Oh my goodness, have you all seen these?! These are the Hearts For Hearts Girls.  Hearts For Hearts partnered with World Vision to create these sweet dolls that represent different girls from different countries.  Each doll has a story, and when you purchase one of the dolls, Hearts For Hearts give a portion of that purchase to World Vision, and World Vision takes that money back into the communities they work with to provide programs for children who live there. 

"It all starts with our dolls. Right now, there are six Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls: Lilian (Belarus), Rahel (Ethiopia), Nahji (India), Tipi (Laos), Consuelo (Mexico), and Dell (United States). Each of them has an important story to tell about life in her country, inspired by real girls who are strong, smart, courageous, and determined to rise above challenging circumstances." 

So does your shopping list include a little girl who might like one of these sweet dolls? Shop to support this holiday season, I want to buy one for ME. haha. 

Happy Shopping!

Love,
Steph

New Week - The Smiths + ERGO giveaway!

Hey guys,

I hope you're enjoying some of the Christmas-ness that's busting out all over. I am! We had an awesome weekend with friends and family, had a bonfire, hit the beach, and got Jude baptized!

Anyhoo, let's say hey to the new family of the week, the Smiths. 

This precious little girl is Sadie, and she's been waiting for her family for a long time. She's met her family twice now. The last time they traveled, they thought she'd be going home, but paperwork held them up and they had to go home without her once more. TODAY they'll be headed back for a third trip, this time with Sadie on that return flight next week! As you can imagine, an extra trip to Africa is pricey and was not planned for. This week we're going to see if we can put a dent into that ticket home for a beautiful little girl that's ready to be in a family.

This week, to sweeten the deal, Ergo has awesomely donated one of their newest designs, the Sangria carrier to one lucky donater. Once you've donated, just pop back here and leave a comment telling me you did so, or just leave a sweet comment for the Smiths. Or both. Two chances. We'll draw at 10pm on Saturday night. Steph will pick and announce the winner on Sunday. I have one of these, and you totally need one too if you have a child 5 or under. If you'd like to hear more about my love of the Ergo, read here or pop on over to their blog to read my guest post about Jude's adoption on the Ergo blog. Good luck! You might get blessed yourself this week while blessing the Smiths. :)

Fine Print: Continental US only, please. 

My New Favorite Advent

Hey guys,

So tomorrow is December 1st!!!! I love December as much as I love October, and that's alot. Every year I search a million fantastic advent ideas on Pinterest. I think "I can do that", but then I totally never do (I'm no Jenna , but follow her on instagram if you want to feel inspired and a little inadequate).
So anyway, I always start out with great intentions, but it just never happens. One reason is because I like a more modern look with traditional values and that's hard to find! So I usually have the intention of creating something. I had just come to the conclusion that once again, the advent was not going to happen this year, when look what I stumbled upon...

Just the right amount of funky for me! And guess what? Sarah is offering them as a free download as well as already done in her etsy store. I'm doing both. I'm a few days late since I just ordered them yesterday, so I'll be using a few downloads to get us started. Aren't they awesome?! Thanks Sarah!!!