Hey Everyone! Sorry for the long hiatus from posting. We, as well as all of you, have been extremely busy this holiday season. We are blessed to have amazing families and friends (We have so much love for them that we drive around like crazy people to see them!)

We were encouraged this Christmas season to see some depth of understanding of the season with the kiddos… maybe more-so from Ava than Jesse, but he will get there 🙂 We had some good conversations about Christmas and why we  have good reason to rejoice over our Savior’s birth. Ava had a tender heart to give this season, spending every cent of her money on gifts for her loved ones. For those of you who haven’t seen the clip of Ava singing yet, click HERE. We were so proud that she works so hard to learn it.

We celebrated Jesse’s 5th birthday last week as well! Hard to believe he’s already 5! Our Buddy is as cute and sweet as can be, but has lots of energy and keeps us constantly moving. At this point, he thinks it is a major plus to have a birthday 2 days after Christmas. I hope he continues to feel this way! It makes for a lot of celebration in a quick amount of time. We celebrated him with a Sonic the Hedgehog party with family. He was in heaven!

So, for some adoption news:

After a successful photo-fundraiser this fall, we attempted a Christmas fundraising store this winter (we joined forces with the Pierce’s and we split the proceeds:) We brought in almost $1,000 selling donated items. A big thank you to all of our friends and family that bought items! Another huge thank you to those who helped us acquire the items to sell. (Shout out to Mimi, Shelagh, Katie, Darha, Christa, Aunt Marge, Joanne, and many more who helped. You guys are amazing!)

We were also extremely humbled and shocked to receive quite a few checks from family and friends in the last couple of months. You all know who you are.  I am often moved to tears when I think about these gifts and the love behind them. I am speechless… We are blessed beyond measure!

We had an AMAZING experience with our social worker. We really loved her and she made the home study experience as painless as possible 🙂 Huge answer to prayer! We have passed our home study and are on to finishing up the documents for our dossier. We took quite the paperwork break over the holidays, so i have to admit, we were freaking out a bit today when we pulled it all out. Lots more to do! Prayers please that we would have patience and clarity when figuring this whole paperwork process out. It’s pretty overwhelming…

Hopefully we are getting closer to getting a referral. We really have no idea on when to expect it, but we are hoping for one soon (in the next couple months would be great.) We plan on letting you all know when we have accepted a referral. 🙂

Prayer requests:

*Please pray that we would be able to understand what is expected of us for this dossier. We have realized that neither Michael, nor I are gifted in “the determination to figure things out.” We both tend to want to quit when we are frustrated or don’t understand something. That is not an option right now! We are thankful for the Pierce’s who have had to walk us through many stages of this process. Thanks for not getting frustrated with us! We love you!

*Please pray for the little guy who is waiting for us. At times, this Christmas I felt an ache in my heart knowing someone was missing. Pray that he is safe, that he is being cared for well, and that he senses God’s supernatural peace. We are excited to meet him 🙂 Check out this cute video posted by our agency.

*Please pray as we are starting to think about school for next year for the kids. We are unsure as to whether we will be homeschooling or sending them both (or one of them) to school. Please pray that we will feel a clear direction.

*Lastly, Please pray for my (Mary’s) anxiety. For the last 7+ months I have dealt with panic and anxiety attacks fairly regularly. Honestly, it’s been the hardest thing I’ve dealt with in all my life. I often think about what life was like before these attacks and it’s difficult not to feel a loss for the (mostly) easy and stress-free attitude that I felt prior to these attacks. The hardest time of day for me is when I first wake in the mornings (around 7ish.) So prayer warriors, please go to the Father with this. I am holding onto His promises – John 14:27- Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

WE LOVE YOU ALL AND ARE SO VERY BLESSED BY YOUR SUPPORT!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 🙂