C's Gotcha Day

This is long overdue.  While we were at camp, we had a celebration.  A special day in our family.  Corban had his Gotcha Day on the Friday of camp.  In case you don't know what a Gotcha Day is.....it's the day we got you....gotcha.

Lots of families who have adopted celebrate Gotcha Day...most in their own way.  In our house, we don't do presents or parties like a birthday.  We don't want it to become another reason to ask for more "stuff".  But we still make it special.  We do something together as a family.

The last couple years we've gone mini-golfing...because Corban loves mini-golf.  Usually there's ice cream involved....sometimes dinner too.  We also had some plates made a few years ago by Pitter Patter Art, for each of the boys.  On a normal Gotcha Day, they eat off of their special Gotcha Day plate.

Since we were at camp for Corban's Gotcha Day, this year his day had to be a little different.  Were Mission Meadows camp is located is right down the road from Midway State Park....a small amusement park for kids.  Corban decided he would rather go to Midway Park for the afternoon than go mini-golfing.  So that's what we did.

You have to click on these next two pictures to see how cool they are (because I can't make them any bigger and still get them side by side).  The one on the left was on C's gotcha day this year.  The picture on the right was taken a month after he came home.  Marjorie took him to Midway with friends from work.  SO COOL.

 

Daddy and C-digs just before he gets on his favorite....the Tilt-A-Whirl

Camp

Vacation isn't something we do regularly.  I know.  I know.  We should.  I'm fully aware of the need to rest etc.  I'm (Aaron) just not good at it.  I like routine.  Vacation is out of routine and it takes me forever to get back into routine after vacation.  So instead of week long vacations, we do short weekend trips or day ventures.

BUT that changed this summer.  In the Spring I had an invitation to speak at Camp Mission Meadows.  (for the record Marjorie says that this was not a vacation because I was still working.....but it was vacation for the boys and her and close to one on my part)

We LOVE Mission Meadows.  It's on Lake Chautauqua about an hour north of us. It's just a gorgeous camp.  A few years ago they built a giant new chapel building....that even though I've been in it, 100 times or more, still puts me in awe and reverance.  I've had the priviledge to speak out there two other summers (a few years ago) and our family just loves this place.

Beyond that....I love camp.  I realized while we were there, that camp is like the purest parts of youth ministry.  It's spending quality time with students, playing games, having good conversations over meals, laughing, swimming, and learning about Jesus and what he wants to do with our lives.  No paperwork.  No budgets (at least that I have to deal with).  No meetings to attend.  No newsletter article to write.  Just quality time with teenagers.  LOVE IT.

On top of all of that.....camp is where I started doing youth ministry.   Not Mission Meadows, but youth camp near Pittsburgh.  My buddy Kent Chevalier called me up and asked me to help lead music with him for a week, and then called the next day to ask if I'd be in charge of junior high boys.  I'm pretty sure I hung up on him.  He called back to beg me....and I caved in....and by the end of that week, I was hooked...not just on that group of boys (though that happened too) but on youth ministry.  So there's a special place in my heart for teen camp.

This week was fabulous.  The weather was near perfect.  No rain until campfire night (of course).  Just awesome.  I got to hang out with some amazingly cool kids all week and teach.  Mari and the boys arrived Tuesday night and then the fun really started.  We were so busy we forgot to take pictures until the last day of camp!  

Corban our drooler.













Notice the balled up fists....he did that in the first picture we ever got of him!













This was our little house they let us stay in.  The boys are showing off their cheapo toys we got at the dollar store to entertain them for an afternoon.

This is just after the big game where all the kids paint their faces, the staff let my kids play the game.  They were "jailers" and got to make captured students do funny things.  They loved it.

The staff let the boys help serve some meals.  They have a big bin of silly hats that you have to wear if you're going to serve.  These guys were awesome.

Friday night at Mission Meadows is the banquet.  All the students actually take showers and get into nice clothes.  The boys and I decided this year we were going all out.  So the three of us did white shirts and bow ties.  We were styling!

Tobiah likes his ice cream.

 So does Corban!













This is Tobiah in his natural habitat....surrounded by girls.















So as the banquet was happening, the heavens opened and there was water everywhere.  The boys wanted to play in it, so we took their shirts and bowties off and let them have at it.

My new shirt

So yesterday a package arrived addressed to Marjorie.  I called her asking her what she ordered and if I needed to open it right away....turns out it was a very late birthday present for me and I was allowed to open it.  It's a new shirt!  If you can't tell, it says "Superman was adopted."  Awesome.

(I know mom, I need a haircut again...I'm working on it.)

We have Australia!!!! Stats and Maps Part 2

You will recall that recently we had a Stats and Maps post.  The basis of the post was all the fun statistics that we get to see as owners of this blog.  The best is a map that shows where people are checking in from. 

At one point in the silly article, I told you that Marjorie really wanted to see Australia light up. 

Guess what happened this morning?  AUSTRALIA!!!!!

Very good friends of our have friends there, and got them to post a comment in the "Something's Missing" post.  It was a great comment to, because I'm going to use it this morning with the boys to learn some geography too!  How awesome.

Russia is still checking in.  Holland checked in again, but that's sort of expected since Marjorie's extended family still live there. 

FOR YOU:
1.  Where should our next country be that we want to get lit up and read this blog be?

2.  Who do you know internationally that's going to light something up here?

PS....this is all just silly fun.

Lopez Lomong story

If you know us, you know we have had (and will continue to have) a large relationship with World Vision. 

This morning on the World Vision blog, they started to tell the story of US Olympic athlete Lopez Lomong, who was born in Sudan and became a child combatant during their war and struggles.  I'm anticipating the coming posts.  You should read along.

Here's the first post in the series.

Statistics and Maps

Wanna know a silly pleasure we have with this blog?

There's a page that only we can see, that shows statistics.  It shows numbers of people that visit every day.  It shows what posts people are looking at.  It shows lots of cool things.

Our favorite though is the map.  There is a world map and it shows where people are checking our blog from.  We expected visitors from the United States and Canada.  Those are obvious.  It wasn't a stretch to believe people from Holland might check in, as both of Marjorie's parents originally came from Holland to Canada and have lots of extended family still there.  We also weren't shocked when a few friends living in Ethiopia checked in.

What we didn't expect was other places.  Russia, India, Ukraine, Latvia.  Now here's the thing...on one hand you can attribute some of that to random searches or hits.  There is a button on the top of the blog page that allows you to just bounce through blogs (at this point we've just lost everyone reading with ADD).  HOWEVER....when you get repeated hits from the same place, it's more than just bouncing through.

So welcome people we don't know from places we've never been to!

NOTE:  Marjorie feels like someone from Australia needs to check into our blog.  She'd love to see Australia green.  So if you know anyone over there that could help her out with that......

While we're at it....here's a fun stat that we can see.  We can see what kind of computer you're using and with what browser.  So we know who's using a PC or a Mac, or a iPad, or iPhone, or Android...and 7 people using.....LINUX!!!!  On this blog there are more people currently checking in via PC.  On Aaron's personal blog Mac users dominate.  (yeah!) 

On another note....We got a map from our adoption agency showing the USA, and where all the families are that are currently adopting through them.  LOVE IT!  We are the 1 in PA!!  REPRESENTING!!!!

I love that there's a family in Hawaii too.  

No deep meaning in this post....just fun stuff to share. 

updates on adoption

You are probably wondering what is going on?
We haven't posted any updates on our adoption....well there hasn't been any lately.
And no we still don't know if it is going to be a girl or boy.

This is what we have been doing....
paperwork paperwork boring paperwork...
update will
get physicals of all members of the family
check fire alarms and extinguishers on all levels of the home
notarize all paperwork
make sure our references are writing good things about us and getting it notarized!
make sure our passports are up to date
write autobiography
clean house
paint bathroom
child proof EVERYTHING again
take an adoption class......because....you know....we don't know much about adoption...
read "the Connected Child" and take test.

that's most of it....

Garage sale!!

We've talked about fundraisers coming up and ways you can participate.  Well here we go!!!

If you are relatively local to us, mark your calendar for August 4th.  We are having a fundraising garage sale.  Here's the scoop

The area of Warren that our church resides is Pleasant Township.  Pleasant Township has garage sale days on August 4th this year.  So we are using that day to have a hugemungous sale to help fund our adoption.  Our church is on board.  They will also be selling baked good for the church and there will be hot dogs etc.

Our Sale and How you can Help:

1.  DONATE-  We are looking for your stuff.  What exactly?  Most anything.  The sale will be by donation to our adoption so our hope is to unload it all.  Please don't give us your broken couch, or busted TV.  If the item is function or could be, we'll take it.  Please get in touch with us to donate items to the sale.

2.  VOLUNTEER- We're in need of help.  We're gonna need some help on Aug. 3 sorting and setting some stuff up.  Then again on the day of the sale.  We just need some bodies to help sell, set up, haul, organize, etc.  We'll probably need a bunch of help in the morning and then some help through the day but a good crew at the end to clean up.  Can you loan us an hour or two?

3.  BUY- Everyone loves a good sale right?  Come check out what we have.  Already, we have a bunch of great stuff piling up.  This one is going to be HUGE!!!

4.  PROMOTE- Maybe you can't make it.  Maybe you're out of town or have your own sale going on that day.  No problem.  Could you help us out anyway?  Can you share our sale anyway?  We have a Facebook event HERE that you can share with local friends.  Go for it!

All the Poor and Powerless

I found this song awhile ago.  It floored me.  Then the remnants of the David Crowder band (now called The Digital Age) did their own version of it.  Loved that too.

I recently played out a couple worship sets at a coffee shop and a local worship night at a theater.  This was what we closed with.  This has been the song of our household for weeks.  We sing it while making breakfast.  We sing it while folding laundry.  We sing it while playing in the back yard and when taking showers at night.

It starts quiet, but you gotta pump up the end.  Sing loud.  If it doesn't hit you the first time, that just means you need to listen to it again and turn the volume up.  SHOUT IT!

Why We Talk About Money

Can we be honest with you?  (as if we haven't been thus far)

If you'll remember from the very first post of this blog, we mentioned that the main reason we didn't think we were going to adopt again was money.  Adoption costs have gone up considerably.  For both Corban and Tobiah's adoption we had the money going into the adoption or knew we'd have it as we went.  That is not the case with this journey.

So as I talked to a friend of mine about this, it became quickly apparent that he didn't understand what that meant.  He said at one point, "If you don't mind me asking what's this going to actually cost?"  When I told him he couldn't believe it.  He said, "I was thinking it was going to be 5 or 6 thousand dollars total."  I wish.  In reality, we're looking at many times that.

These fees come in bursts.  Our next burst should be this fall when the paperwork we're working on now is complete.  That fee will be around 7-8 thousand dollars.  That's not the end....that's just the next fee that we have to pay.  That's not our travel fees (we have to both fly to Ethiopia twice).  That's not our fee when we're finally placed with our child (that's another LARGE chunk).  That's not embassy fees, fingerprinting fees, or visa fees.

So on one hand we're stoked to see God do a miracle right before our very eyes.  We're not worried.  We're anticipating.

At the same time we're trying to be diligent.  We're trying to be calculating in how to fundraise. 

I had another conversation with a different friend who asked how we can be adopting if we can't feed another child.  That's not the problem.  If you could magically drop a child into our home, we have plenty of room, we have every ability to raise another child.....it's the cost of getting said child into our house.  There is no "magically dropping child into our house" when it comes to adoption.

We tell you this mainly to dispel any misconceptions that might be out there.  This isn't cheap.  It isn't easy.  As we've stated before, we can't do it on our own.  This is also not to say that we're not investing heavily in this process.  We have already paid all the initial fees out of pocket and have money for some of the other fees and/or travel expenses....but we can't do it ALL.

As we've said before, you'll be hearing more about some fundraising things that are coming up in the near future.  We just wanted to use this moment to clarify why we keep bringing money and fundraising up......cause it's kind of a big deal.


EDIT:  Literally while this post was in the editing process, we received an e-mail from our agency explaining to us that because of increasing inflation inside Ethiopia, all families who have not had a referral yet (official matching up with a child), will have their fees increase.  I kid you not.