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Lily bug is snuggling her Eeyore!

Looking at her mommy and daddy!

Looking at her mommy and daddy in her sweet outfit mommy got at TJ Maxx!

As of today...we still haven't heard anything on Ms. Lily. Maybe tomorrow:). But on a brighter note her nursery is almost complete. She has a sweet little room decorated in shabby chic pinks, white, and green. When we get her pics up on the walls, I will post some pictures of her room. This little girl has a room full of adorable outfits and toys just waiting for her. We sent her a care package a few weeks ago....the pic I posted shows her snuggling her Eeyore toy we sent her. I have also been looking into travel costs and OH MY!!!!!!! Just because it's summer plane tickets are doubled! I have a friend who adopted back in Dec. and her ticket was around $1200....I have been checking around and it's looking like it's gonna be between $2200-$2700.....I hope I can come across some better prices before we do travel. Sorry this post is so random! haha...just had a few things I wanted to say! Talk with you all soon! Emily

Our 1st Big Scare

I'm finally out for summer....so let the blogging begin. LOL. I finished my Ed.S and now I actually have free time! A couple of days ago my world was turned upside down when I heard from our agency. They said that one of Lily's birth parents had disappeared. None of the family knew where they were.....and the duties requested by the judge were not completed. This individual has had since April 25th to do one thing......a FREE homestudy. We did not know when our case would start moving again.....our adoption had actually been put on hold. So what did we do? Cried.....and PRAYED! I actually prayed out loud in the shower. I told Satan he was NOT going to win this one. I went to bed listening to Psalm 18 (which is amazing btw). The LORD is my ROCK, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. Psalms 18:2-3. Please read the whole chapter...MAN it's awesome! Anyway...within 24 hours I got word that the courts of Taiwan had all they needed to make a decision on Lily's adoption case. So did the family member finally show up?????? I don't know....but I do know that GOD moved! He is GOOD ALL THE TIME. We are now waiting on a decree!!!!!! I am praying specifically to get that this week:). I am so relieved and so happy that our adoption is not being put on hold and that our baby girl will be in our arms soon. She is so precious! We have been able to skype with her 4 or 5 times.......everytime was incredible. The first time she saw me I said-" Hi baby girl....I"m your mommy!"....and she smiled SO BIG! She just melts my heart. I am going to try to post some pics and videos! They rarely post right for some reason....so here goes! Oh BTW...Lily bug turned 5 months this week!!!!!! I have enjoyed getting emails from people around the world who are interested in international adoption. Please feel free to email me anytime! I may not have all the answers, but I will certainly do the best I can!!!!  Blessings, Emily

This is the sweet pic that broke my heart yesterday:)
So cute!

This is one of my favorites!!!!!

This pic is framed at home, on my desk at work, and is the desktop on our computer!

I could just kiss that sweet face!!!!!!!

My sweet snuggle bunny....

The Lord is FAITHFUL!

It's so exciting to be able to call myself a mommy. I am still in awe that we got a referral earlier this month. It has been a crazy past couple of weeks with paperwork, picking out baby furniture, paint colors, school work, etc. But I am honored to have something to keep me busy. I think one of the best things I did during the "paper pregnancy" lol...was go back to grad school...again. Ha. I finish up in a couple of months...but it has kept me busy and kept my mind elsewhere. So many people told me that the "official wait for a referral" was a lot easier than the "after seeing your baby's face wait". I'll be the first to say....YOU"RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT ONE. After the initial shock of finally getting a referral, it has really sunk in..........I have a baby girl on the other side of the world growing up without me. I had a "moment" today. A moment that we all deserve to have every now and then. I just had to embrace the ugly cry. lol. I was on the phone with my sweet mother....and just let it all go. I feel a lot better now. Jason and I went to Lowe's to pick up the paint for Lily's room. The idea of getting her nursery going makes me feel good. Yesterday morning before we left for church I received a new pic of Lily. She has just grown so much over the past week and a half that it broke my heart. I went on to church and cried all the way thru worship. I needed to cry though...and I needed to worship. As I sang the lyrics "you stay the same through the ages...your love never changes...there may be pain the night, but joy comes in the morning...and when the oceans rage...I don't have to be afraid...because I know that you love me....your love never fails" I felt the Lord comfort my heart. I know the wait is hard, and will probably just get harder...but I also know that the Lord's timing is perfect. Everytime satan tries to bring worry and fear over me I will just sing those lyrics to Christ! I have not slept a lot since I got Lily's referral. I guess that's good practice for when she actually gets here. haha. We went shopping for her yesterday. I got her some of the CUTEST outfits ever. HH told me that she is really getting chunky. lol. So I am sending 3-6 month clothes for her. Sorry this post is so random....I just have so much to talk about. We are not sure when we will get to travel, but we are praying specifically before May. The new laws go into effect in May...and I would love to be able to spend the summer with her. So please pray along with us on this. I am going to post some pics for you all! I hope you enjoy them as much as me:). I already love this baby girl more than life! Blessings, Emily

MEET OUR BABY GIRL...LILY WYNN!!!!!!!!!

Our baby girl was born on January 13, 2012

6lbs and 6oz

20 in. long

Many more details to come...........

Hope for the Hopeless

Hello Everyone! I would like to thank each one of you for taking the time to read my blog...I was totally shocked when I saw how many people from countries all around the world that have been reading this. I am sorry that I haven't kept it more updated. Now that I'm out for the summer I will certainly do a better job. If you have any questions about adoption, please feel free to email me at emilysmk@hotmail.com.....if I don't know the answer I will try my best to find it. One of the biggest steps of our adoption to this point was finding the perfect agency.....I can't even express how many hours that my husband and I put in research to find the right one. There probably is no such thing as a PERFECT agency....but there is definitely an agency that the LORD has for you. I can honestly say that I feel HH is totally perfect. I feel this way because they love Christ and openly make decisions based on prayer and what is best for each baby there. We are so blessed to be on there waiting list. I remember just a matter of months ago feeling so sad and helpless. It seemed as though every agency had some crazy rule that kept us from meeting requirements to adopt with them. Some moments I even felt like maybe we weren't in God's perfect timing because nothing seemed to be going as planned. BOY WAS I WRONG! I was reading blogs....LOL....and came across HH. And from that moment the Lord has opened every door and window around to make this a smooth sailing process. God is good and I can't say it enough. If you are feeling down and out, please don't give up. There are so many homes and agencies out there that we don't even know about that are just waiting on you to contact them. Just pray about it and continue to research and read blogs. Pray for a divine appointment with the right place. Jason and I can't wait to see our little girl for the first time! She will be worth the wait......we all have to remember that Jesus provides perfect timing.....He is the only thing that is PERFECT after all. Be blessed everyone! Be still and know that I am God...Psalm 46:10

Summer is here!

As a teacher, the hardest part is saying goodbye come the end of May. These kids become such a huge part of my life. I can't even express how special they are to me. The students and their parents are like family and I learn so much from them. Every little hug and smile makes each day brighter. If you want to feel loved...become a teacher. Those babies will love you to pieces. I love my job and l love my kids. Throughout college I felt that I would go into the classroom and teach the kids....but I had no clue of all the little things they would teach me. I love differently because of them. It was in the classroom that my heart grew for adoption. I tell my students everyday that I love them...that I believe in them...and that I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that they will do amazing things in their life! I believe there is power in the words we speak and I strive to speak great things over them! These little ones are going to change this world for good! They are special and they are loved!!!!!!!!!! Here is a little info. on our adoption process-We recently found out that we were cleared through immigration! We were so happy that the process went so fast! Now we are just waiting on a referral......it's all in the Lord's hands....I wouldn't want it anywhere else! Be blessed everyone!