A Heart For Adoption

Thankful Heart

2012-01-30T22:44:00.004-06:00

I have posted before about the Veggie Tales Madame Blueberry movie. And in the movie there is the most precious song. It goes a little something like this....

I thank God for this day,
For the sun in the sky,
For my mom and my dad,
For my piece of apple pie!

For our home on the ground,
For His love that's all around,
That's why I say thanks every day!

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!
I'm glad for what I have,
That's an easy way to start!

For the love that He shares,
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day!

For some reason this song has been in my heart a lot lately! Mostly the part that I put in bold.

I look at my house, a house in U.S. standard that is sub par at best. We have 3 children in a 3 bedroom home. Meaning that yes...two of my children sleep in a room together. Crazy...I know! Our home is little...my kitchen is little, we have 2 tiny bath rooms, and 3 tiny bed rooms, our carpet has stains, we could use new paint, my dishwasher does not work well, But watch what happens what I say it with a thankful heart!!...

I look at my house, and thank Jesus that I have a home! We have three amazing, God given, children who fill my house so beautifully full! Our home is little, I am so thankful that I don't have any more rooms that I have to clean!! I am so thankful that I have 2 bathrooms! Most people in this world do not even have a bath room in their home. I have 2!!!!!!! Thank you, Lord. We have carpet...an absolute luxury. It is soft and warm for my children to play on. My walls are not dirt...and they can be cleaned, I'm thankful that I have a kitchen in my home full of food, dishes, cups, silverware, and all kinds of luxuries.

Amazing isn't it..how when it is said with a thankful heart it is all so much more beautiful! I have never been so close and more in love with Jesus and my heart is becoming so full of LOVE and Thankfulness!!! I look for every opportunity to show love. To lighten someone else burden...to let my light shine! Because right now inside of me I feel SO FULL OF LOVE AND LIGHT!! I am so excited to continue my relationship with our Lord and Savior!! Life is so exciting!

I pray for all of my readers to become more Alive in Jesus and become so FULL of love and over the top THANKFUL that everything beings to look brighter, more beautiful...(even your dirty floors.)

As the year ends...

2011-12-31T11:07:00.006-06:00

The year 2011 is ending. And what a year it has been. I was reading through my devotional "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young and I could not help but reflect on this last year and how this devotional spoke so clearly of this last year. I will quote it and then explain my reason for relating to it. Her devotional is like Jesus is speaking directly to you... it is powerful.

As this year draws to a close, receive my peace. This is still your deepest need, and I, your Prince of Peace, long to pour Myself into your neediness. My abundance and your emptiness are a perfect match. I designed you to have no sufficiency of your own. I created you as a jay of clay, set apart for sacred use. I want you to be filled with My very Being, permeated through and through with Peace.

Thank Me for My peaceful Presence, regardless of your feelings. Whisper My Name in loving tenderness. My Peace, which lives continually in your spirit, will gradually work its way through your entire being.

As I read this today I wanted to talk about a few ways I felt Peace this past year.

Adoptions: Many of you who are reading this right now might be in the beautiful mess of adopting precious children from all around the world. Know that adoption is Gods heart. As we are each adopted into God's heavenly family.

In the throws of 3 failed court dates and our dossier expiring the day we passed court there was a lot of reason for worry and unrest...but by leaning on our Prince of Peace I found Peace. People would tell me all the time..."How are you so calm?!? If I was going through what you are I would be pulling my hair out!!" And every time someone would say that to me I would whisper a prayer of thankfulness to Jesus. It confirmed to me that I had a very precious Peace that I knew could only be from our God.

Speaking events: I am no public speaker!! But because of our story of adoption and redemptive hope from our miscarriage and the life changing implications this journey has given I have been asked 6 times to share our story in very big public settings! For every speaking event I would be consumed with fear! (3 of them were live radio interviews in Chicago!!) I would shake, become very short of breath, get nauseous and feel ill. Then I would remember who has brought me to this place, who gave me this story to share and I firmly believe that all of the bad that has happened to our family has been to give glory to His name! And so I would pray...and then I would feel Peace. Thank you Jesus.

Financial uncertainties: The body of Christ answering the call.

Wow is all I can say. We were able to adopt 3 children in 2 years. We started the adoption process not even one year into Darin working. When we followed Gods lead to adopt Stella and Ben not even 6 months after bring Claire home, we did it AFRAID! We have no money in our bank account! We had just brought home Claire and we still had not figured out how much it would cost to fit her into our families finances...let alone two more children...But we knew what God had laid on our hearts...and it was confirmed that we were doing the right thing! We had people give us their extra change, 20 bucks here and there, hundreds and even thousands to our family!!! There was Peace in knowing that the body of Christ was moved to help our family come together and follow a very scary, uncertain call...

Peaceful in her daddy's arms.

Darin is such a source of peace for me as well. He is such an amazing daddy. He loves these children with a unconditional love. He makes me fall in love with him more and more each day when I see his love for his babies. His love is true and pure for his family. I am so thankful for my awesome hubby!

Today I reflect and I give God thanks for the amazing year he has given us!

Please join me today in reflecting on the peacefulness of our God!

To love or not to love...

2011-12-12T11:23:00.008-06:00

LOVE:

1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
reference
The T-shirt fundraiser we had to help bring the babies home said,
"It's all about love."
I believe that it is all about love with my whole heart.
I would love to tell you all that it is just as simple as those 4 little words... but it is not.
I believe that love is a choice. You choose to love unconditionally.
And once you make that choice to love no matter what...it is easy! You will find that loving and being in love happens quickly and deeply.

To choose to love... to love a child... a child you do not know... a child God knows... He knows the plans he has for you together... plans that are bigger, better, more then you could ever imagined on your own... Choose love...
It's all about love.

-Jolene

Keepin' it simple

2011-12-04T12:05:00.007-06:00

Reflection # 2

Keeping it real, simple, and fun is where it is at these days! When the TV's are off and we are just hanging out as a family that is when I see true love shine though! When I watch the kids interact with each other and show each other love, it fills my eyes with the biggest happiest tears. My heart skips a beat. I feel my insides warm. My throat tightens. I feel pure joy. If love is a feeling I can tangibly feel it when I see them play together.

As a family we have decided to slow life down. And it has proven to deepen our love for each other as a family unit. Darin is one involved daddy. The kids LOVE him so much! When they hear the garage door open they know he is home from work and they scream in excitment! (like I would if Justin Timberlake would walk in the door!) ;)
Because of simplifying the time clutter in our lives it has given more reflection time, more time to sit back and soak up their innocence, love, simple joy, and the magic of being a child.
Life is better.I will stare in amazement at the children God has blessed us with.
I think about how happy I am to be able to keep them warm, clean, healthy, FED.
In times past I was just thankful they were asleep and I did not have to tend to their every need.
Now that we have more quality time I sit in awe and I think about how amazing it is that I am able to be in the lives and supply for the needs of these miraculous children.
Praise God!
Now I might be starting to sound a little crazy, and I understand that just a few post ago I was talking about how drained and frustrated I am with my children, and don't get me wrong there are still times where I will break. But those are few and far between these days!
Praise God. I have been renewed as a mother.
I can honestly say that every day I fall deeper and deeper in love with my precious children!
I have made a decision to keep my focus on LOVE.

It keeps my focus on the truth. The truth that God knew exactly what he was doing when he put it on our hearts to add to our family. Not just one more but 2. God knew the plans for love he had for our family. His plans were not for me to be over whelmed and frustrated. His will was for LOVE.
Pure. Simple. Love.

Busy

2011-12-01T12:27:00.006-06:00

Life is crazy busy right now! We are all still here and life is moving 100 mph! Here is a little picture for you all! I will be better at blogging once life slows down...phheewww.

This picture was taken Dec 16th 2010. Almost one year ago! This was the very 1st moment I had ever held my son!

PS...My heart is beginning to ache again for Ethiopia! The year 2012 might be another roller coaster. I am excited to see what God has planned! I am just going to hang on tight! Start praying for me now!! :)

Reflections

2011-11-18T13:45:00.004-06:00

Finding time to reflect is a hard thing to do these days. So I am committing to posting one refection from this last year, each week, until the new year.
Reflection #1
Since we have been home I have not truly taken time to reflect on the last years happenings! What an AMAZING year it has been! At the beginning of 2011 we were still not sure that we would financially be able to bring Stella and Benjamin home. We took a huge leap of faith (some would call it reckless and financially irresponsible) and it was humbling to see God move through HIS PEOPLE!
We had to have almost $35,000 in 11 months. By extremely cutting back our personal expenses and the generosity of so many people we were able to have all of our adoption bills paid off. Minus the cost of our flights we put on a card but we were able to pay that off shortly after coming home.
I still feel the love and support of the community that came together and rallied for our family to bring us together! And to all of you THANK YOU! Thank you just does not even begin to touch they way I feel toward all of you who were obedient to God's call to help us to protect and love the fatherless, with out you all we would not of been able to bring 2 of God's precious children into our home.
Thank You Everyone who helped us financially and through prayer!

Yep, our Christmas Tree is up!

2011-11-14T20:17:00.004-06:00

Another reason for the Christmas tree!! SNOW!!!

The girls legs hanging out from under the tree! We showed them how to look up and see all the lights!

Daddy lighting up the tree!

To say that I am in the Christmas Spirit this year would be an understatement! I was thinking about why the excitement of the season really caught me this year, after after thinking about it for a just second it dawned on me...last year we were in Ethiopia visiting Stella and Ben! We did not even really get to celebrate it last year!

Last year was one of the most emotionally pulling, emotionally draining, roller coasters of my life!

To many people the holidays are a great time to reunite, gather together, and enjoy each other company. (At least that is what we believe to be true from magazines and talk shows HA) So while we were suppose to be gathering together as a family over the holiday season Darin and I left our sweet baby Claire here in the states and we flew half way around the world to be with our other daughter and our son! So this year we are making up for lost time celebrating together as a family, we are all together home safe and sound and in love with each other more then I could of possibly imagined or hoped for!! So the Christmas tree and Christmas music came out early this year!

Benjamin: Last year at this time Ben was still in Ethiopia.

Benjamin: Now; Sweet, Happy, and home!

Stella: Last year still in Ethiopia

Stella: Precious, Pretty, Happy and HOME!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Why do we read blogs?

2011-11-04T10:40:00.006-05:00

Is it just another form of entertainment?

Is it to be motivated?

Is it to be inspired?

Is it to get a glance at others lives?

Is it to become one big net work of people?

These are just a few questions I have been tossing around in my head lately.

I know why I blog. I blog to let people in on what it is like to be an unconditionally loving, imperfect, adopted, interracial, christian family. My hopes are that this blog might inspire just one family adopt!
There are so many defenseless, hopeless, mother/fatherless children out there who NEED YOU!
On the other hand I blog to bring awareness to what it happening in Ethiopia. You see my children are one of the few who got placed into a loving family. There are millions of orphans in Ethiopia alone who will never have a loving family unit. They will grow up in an orphanage...in an institution.
And then there is an entire other group of children who grow up on the streets of Ethiopia. These children are the children Awake and Alive is targeting. There is a group of young children being left at home (home is a few pieces of scrap metal put together) for up to 12 hours. Their mothers can not afford to put them into school. So there they sit all day long. Some are as young as 4!! I know all of us know some one who is 4 or close to that age! Can you imagine them being left home all day?!?

Please help Awake and Alive get these children off the streets! I can not do it alone!

If you can not give lot that is understandable but I KNOW THAT ALL OF US CAN GIVE SOMETHING! even if it is just $1!
Lets show those precious children in Kechene that they matter!!! It could of been one of my children...or yours out on the streets!
Lets not let where a child was born determine weather they live or not! They are extremely vulnerable out on the streets!
I need each one of you to give! This is where blogging goes from just reading and calls you to action!

Joy to Frustration

2011-11-03T11:58:00.006-05:00

What do you do when parenting turns from one of the biggest joys in your life to one of the biggest sources of frustration?!
That is the question I am offering up today. I do not have the answer as I am in the thick of the frustration! I love my children and I know that God picked each one of them and put them specifically in our home to be raised as a Shrock. :) My love is unconditional. I am keeping it real and I am at a bit of a low point...

What has been frustrating me?

The constant fighting and bickering between the kids. I am always breaking up fights. I wish I knew how to explain to a 2 year old and 2 one years olds that it is much more fun to be nice to each other!!
One of them is climbing on everything! She does not know boundaries! Nor does she have a fear of heights! I have found her on the kitchen table, on top of our entertainment center, she has pushed chairs up the the counter and been up there more times then I can remember, she will quietly go into the bathroom climb up on the toilet and get into all kinds of things in the bathroom she should not. This will all happen in a matter of a morning. So I am pulling her off of things constantly!
They are into EVERYTHING! Ask anyone who comes to our house, it is as baby proofed as possible, still some how I find myself telling them the N word (NO) almost 100 times a day for touching things they are NOT to touch!! The TV is a hot spot lately as are the DVD's, toilet paper, the outlets, (they have the covers on them but that does not stop them from trying to take them off) my phone, the computer, my camera, diapers and wipes will be pulled out and thrown all over the house...sigh...
The 2 youngest are teething. So they are just plain mean to each other these days. Hitting, screaming, biting, screaming, pinching, taking toys, screaming...did I mention there is a lot of screaming lately?! My oldest likes to egg them on by taking something she knows they love, so they will produce a body chilling, shrill scream that makes me want to go through the roof!

These things sound petty as I am rereading them but when I am with them for up to 12 hour a day and I am breaking up fights and chasing kids for about 10 hours of that one day only to get up the next day and do it again it is emotionally and physically exhausting!

How do I handle the frustration?

I try to be as calm as possible. I do not want escalate their already frustrated little selves. Most of the time while they are in the heat of a little fight I will remove them and set them in the time out corner. They stand in the corner for 2 minutes. Then in very simple words I tell them what they did that was wrong..."No Screaming"..."No Hitting" but it only take 30 seconds before they are at each others necks or into something again!! It is very draining.

I am questioning myself.

Am I a good parent? Are the ways I am handling these kiddos correct? Why do they keep doing the same naughty things over and over...what am I doing wrong?

I am frustrated that I am frustrated!

I am a women who counts her blessings and know I am blessed by these little ones beyond comprehension. So I am so mad at myself for being FRUSTRATED WITH THEM! I do not like to have frustrated angry feelings, especially at my children! Just because I do not want to have these feelings does not mean that I can stop feeling them.

I desperately need a new fresh perspective on how to parent and find the joy in the chaos!

Ideas and resources welcome!

New Family Pictures

2011-10-27T13:15:00.009-05:00

My sweet little Ethiopian...

2011-10-19T13:30:00.006-05:00

My Sweet Stella still has so many "Ethiopian traits." This is something I love about her SO MUCH!

Stella is a tiny little peanut. She is about 22 lbs (Ben is almost 30lbs) and she is a shorty. She just has a tiny patch of hair that grows on the top and a little hair that come in at the bottom of her head. :) We have tried to cut the top and back to let the rest catch up but the sides and back just do not grow...

In Ethiopia feeding some one is a sign of love. She LOVES to feed anyone and everyone. But especially her brother Ben...because, well quite frankly he LOVES to eat, he is really laid back, and he will take food any way he can get it!

Another Ethiopian trait I love about her is her casual affection. It is nothing for her to put her arm around her brother. I will find them spontaneously holding hands while they walk down the hall, or when they are sitting and playing.

Stella is a cuddler. She loves touch. She can melt your heart with a simple grab of your hand. She is beautiful and I enjoy this sweet little Ethiopian-American girl to my core!

I am so thankful that she has kept these great traits!

Your My Best Friend

2011-10-15T20:22:00.002-05:00

We hear this a lot lately.

Claire loves to tell us that we are her best friend.

With all kinds of different things that she likes to say these days...

I just don't know if there is a much sweeter phrase that could come from my little ones mouth.

Claire, You are my best friend too!

Claire will tell me all the time,"Mommy, my best friends are Ben and 'Tella."

{Were still working on saying Stella}

And I will say,"Oh Claire that makes me so happy! I hope you will feel that your whole life!!"

Claire and Ben are definitely best friends.

Claire and Stella are best friends for sure!! {when they want to be}

I do not think there is any one else in the world that values being Claire's best friend quite like her daddy does.

I love to hear Claire say,"Daddy... your my best friend."

Claire the feeling is totally mutual!

Hold a true friend with both your hands. ~Nigerian Proverb

This bites!!!

2011-10-12T12:26:00.004-05:00

Teething...

Clearly pizza was not the right choice for a teething little Stella. She did not eat much of it. I kept trying to put little bites in her mouth and she kept pushing me away saying, "Nooooo!"

I just looked in her little mouth and sure enough she has 6 teeth on the top that just popped through and 2 on the bottom... You can see these sharp little white specks all over her gums...
OUCH!!
No wonder she has not been so nice lately...
It all makes a bit more sense.

Some of the battle wounds from Stella teething include but are not limited to:
Big bit mark on Claire's middle finger. {If she shows you do not be offended she is just showing you her ouchy}
Big 'ol bump on my little mans head. Stella did not want him on "her" chair.
Constant screaming matches from the girls, which turn into hitting and then ='s scratches, bumps and bruises. {Seriously they are only 2 and 1 years old!! I can not imagine 18 more years of this!}

I think we are on the tail end of Stella teething though!!
Pheeww....

I would truly appreciate prayers for my patience though all of this!

Tangled...

2011-10-03T21:09:00.005-05:00

Tangles abound in our home.

Stella and Ben's hair is growing and that creates some tangles....
I am excited to see how Stella's hair comes in!! I am sure it will be gorgeous!

Claire's hair is a constant battle with tangles. It is by far some of the most beautiful hair I have ever seen. But that does not mean it does not come with it's tangles.

The kiddos have really learned how to tangle.
{And not tangle in a good way.}
They fight all the time! (I am not exaggerating..all the time)
Stella and Ben have this extremely high pitched scream that will make your ear drums burst. Claire enjoys getting a BIG scream out of them every now and again...
It is not cool!

The kiddo's favorite movie is Tangled right now... and I must say that I LOVE it too! The best daddy in the world surprised his little girls with the movie on Saturday! Its been playing almost non-stop since. It keeps their attention for a while and gives me a little time to relax and not have to break up a fight. ;)

So we have been Tangled lately.
Some Tangles are so much fun.. on the other hand... some not so fun.

What movies do your kiddos love? I will be tired of Tangled soon with as much as we watch it these days and I will need a new one soon! Suggestions?

Healing up well

2011-09-30T13:34:00.006-05:00

Hello my sweet Friends,

Just wanted to let ya all know that I am healing up A-OKAY.
If you have a weak stomach you won't want to look at these next pictures. But I have a warning on my side bar that tells ya I am keeping it real and raw ;)
Consider yourselves warned!

Yesterday.

Today.
Looking less red and swollen.

I have that, "Don't Mess with ME look" now ;)
Watch OUT!!
Talking is tough and I still can't smile but I do my best to smile with my eyes! HA

Happy Weekend!!

Cancer...They got it all!

2011-09-27T21:56:00.004-05:00

Cancer...

What a scary word!

I have told you all that I will keep it real on here. But there is a fine line between what you share on a blog and what you tell your close friends. So I am sharing this now because... well the cancer is all gone. (Almost) There is still a spot of pre-cancerous cells on my nose. Next week I will use a chemotherapy creme that I will apply 2 times a week at home. The creme will bring the cells up and burn them off in about a weeks time...sound fantastic right?!?!

I was told if you have to have cancer this is the very best cancer to have ...pheeww.

It is not life threatening...pheeww

It will just take a surgery to remove the cancer...pheeww

So that is what happened today. I went in and had a spot of Basal Cell Carcinoma removed off my upper lip. Unfortunately they did not get it all the 1st time and I had to wait for about an hour and then they had to numb me up again and remove more skin. After 4 and a half hours and 11 stitches it was over. Praising God that was all it was!!

It is really hard to look cute with this giant thing on my face!! :)
I tried to smile but I just ended up looking REALLY MAD!!

It is funny the babies just stare at it the giant wound and Claire just wants to touch it.
I love their sweet innocent hearts.
It is amazing how when your health is in question
everything truly becomes more beautiful and bright!
Thank you God for giving me the opportunity to continue to be healthy
and watch my children grow.

You know you want it!

2011-09-24T13:13:00.003-05:00

Holy smokes, Awake and Alive is GIVING one of these SWEET shirts away!
Click here to find out how you can get entered to win!

Oh Stella...

2011-09-20T12:05:00.009-05:00

I know I blog on Stella quite a bit...

But this girl just gives me way to much blog material...

So here is our new battle...

You will see in a second that Stella is giving us quite a fight!

She does not like to wear clothes..Bottom line. (Who does really...)
So we have had many "mishaps" where we will lay her down for her nap

and she will take her clothes off before she falls asleep

then of course being 17 months old she will go potty in her sleep.

{Those are NOT fun "mishaps" to clean up}

We really are trying to win this battle!
But if you look close you can tell that she is fighting right back

Please notice the duct tape in the picture below.
SHE ALMOST GOT IT OFF!!

We really are doing our best to keep her dressed but it is just so hard when you are battling a child with a will like Stella Marta's.

It's a good thing she is so DARN CUTE!

I still am not sure how she got her shirt like this...?
Its a mystery that will probably never be solved.

Please tell me that I am not alone in this battle.
Advice would be very much appreciated on how to keep clothes on
and messes to stay IN THE DIAPERS!!!

Prepare for a heart change...

2011-09-19T11:29:00.002-05:00

We are so excited to announce our 1st mission trip to Ethiopia! We will be visiting the forgotten and "cursed" slum of Kechene. We will be there to kick off the start of the school, that we have been working so hard to raise funds for and we will be building relationships and showing God's love. If your heart pumps faster when you watch this video I would encourage you to be in prayer about traveling with us over the next few months.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARIN

2011-09-15T20:53:00.006-05:00

Darin you mean so much to our family!!
You are an amazing daddy
and I could not imagine going through this life
with out you!
Your my rock and best friend!

You have made these 2 little ones daddy's girls

Your the best chauffeur I know.

You are my best friend, although Claire would argue that SHE is your best friend!!

You are the comforter.

You protect and love our kiddos and that is so beautiful to me!

For all you are to me and our little ones
I hope that on today, your birthday,
I can show you how thankful I am to have you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARIN!!

Doing "IT" quitely.

2011-09-10T18:59:00.008-05:00

There are many, MANY things I have learned how to do quietly.

Why???... you might ask,
did learning how to do things quietly
become big enough to make an entire post out of?

Well this is why ...

Because there is nothing more precious
to a momma of three,
then three sleeping little loves.

And there is NOTHING worse to a lover of three little kiddos then accidentally waking one of them up and getting this reaction...

I want to give you a little list of all the things that I have learned how to do quietly

Here I go, The small list of things I have learned to do quietly,

1. Walk. It is amazing how much noise you can make just by walking down the hall!

2. Blow dry my hair..I close my bedroom door and then go into my closet and close that door too.

3. Close doors. Make sure you have your hubby grease all the hinges. (lesson learned)

4. Rinse your hair in the shower. This one I have to say I am really proud of! I learned that if you have a lot of hair when you wring out your hair and the water hits the bottom of the tub it makes a loud noise and it can and will wake up a baby!! So here is what you do...when your hair is full of water, wring it out onto the shower curtain!!! It just slides right down into the tub rather than splatting on the bottom of it.

5. Talk on the phone. This is obvious but go into another area of the house... another lesson learned the hard way...

6. Play with the other kids while one is sleeping. This was a simple fix. All the rooms are down the hall way so when one of them is sleeping I just block off the hall with this great long foot stool my hubby got me. (which is now the toy box instead of a foot rest...but ya know its all about what works these days.)

7. Laundry. It is all about closing the lids and doors gently...oh so gently.

8. Going to the restroom. Don't flush until they are all awake. Trust me.

One might say...
just do those things like you normally would do
and the kids will get use to the noise.
That sounds really simple and great.
But the reality of it is that I would have to go through A LOT of this...

When all I really want is this

So there ya have it.
A few of my hard life lessons learned
on being quite
while little ones are asleep.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me some of your tips on being quite, we all gotta stick together on this nap thing! It makes a mommas world go 'round.

PS for all of you who checked into my post because of my blog title...sorry to disappoint! I have no tips for ya there. That is not what this blog is about ;)

Love ya and thanks for reading my ramblings...

Joy PARTY!

2011-09-09T07:25:00.005-05:00

Pure JOY!!!
Nothing makes my little man happier then being naked and having his socks and shoes on.

So today I am linking up this little bit-o-joy with my good buddy Erin's blog.

If ya need some JOY today my I suggest you go check her out and check out all the others who linked up their joy!

http://livinginyellow.blogspot.com/2011/09/capturing-joy-party-come-one-come-all.html

A girl and her Grandpa

2011-09-06T20:40:00.006-05:00

Claire has many, many amazing relationships.
Claire is such a sweet and lovable child.

But,
One of the most precious relationships Claire has is with her Grandpa.
It makes me smile how she talks about him all the time!
Her and her grandpa have sweet songs they sing together.
They tell the most fabulous stories to each other,
about how birds land on their shoulders,
and squirrels run under their legs.

They go on walks, ride on tractors, go fishing,
read books, watch movies, have slumber parties, eat popcorn,
they are making some great memories.

And love between them is unconditional.

Now that we are all a little older, (sigh...)
take some time to think about someone who spent extra time with YOU
someone who made you feel special.
I would love to hear your precious memories and
I am sure my other readers would enjoy
hearing about them too!

Sisters

2011-08-30T10:25:00.007-05:00

I was just looking through my pictures and I came across this one and I just burst into tears. As I was thinking about why I was crying I realized these things.

1- My sister is my best friend. And I pray for these 2 girls that they will find that in each other.

2- I just went out to dinner with my mom and sister last night and we were just like 3 best buddies hanging out! I can see my life with these 2 girls in 20 years...going out to dinner as 3 best friends!

3- This picture is so precious to me. We were leaving the airport after traveling 32 hours, bringing Stella and Benjamin home. And we had been away from Claire for 10 days! So to see them united was mind blowing.

4- This picture was of their first meeting and that moment for me was SO full of emotions! It brought me SO MUCH JOY to see them together and loving being together!

5-It is absolutely amazing how God brought these 2 girls into our family to become sisters...

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. ~Margaret Mead

How is your relationship with your sister,
or
do you have a friend who is a sister to you?!?

Give Away at Awake and Alive

2011-08-23T09:56:00.004-05:00

Unbelievable!!

If you have a love for Africa and you want to show it
You have to check out
This blog!

You can win this GREAT necklace!!

Life at the Shrocks

2011-08-18T12:16:00.007-05:00

They are getting so big so fast!!

Stella rockin' her mad writing skills

Stella wants to do EVERYTHING her big sister does..she is 16 months and even wants to sit on the potty... and can accomplish the task from time to time...

Ben rockin a giant smile.

This little boy brings so much silliness to our home...Oh and he has learned how to defend himself...the girls do not take advantage of him quite so much!!

Claire rocking her new bike

She is such a big girl!!
She is smart as a whip
(what ever that means) ;)
And is really starting to get the hang of the big sister thing!
I am seeing glimmers of hope because
she likes to make them smile, she likes to share, and she likes to tell everyone about them!

Breakfast at the Shrock's.
I am normally sitting in the seat between Ben and Stella shoveling food in to their little mouths.

I am so thankful that we are now falling into the grove and life is smoothing out!
(it took 5 months) ...But that's OK.

Thank you Lord!
All Glory is His.

I miss Miss Macy...

2011-08-17T22:27:00.007-05:00

I want you all to meet this A.mazing little girl! Her name is Macy and she is my favorite little cousin!

Macy spent this whole summer with me! She is an A-1 baby sitter! She knows how to play and love on my babies…but the girl can also lay down the law!! She feed them, changed dirty diapers, laid them down for naps...you name it she did it!!

So how do you repay an 11 year old for being your side kick in takin care of 3 little ones 2 and under?!?!?!

You take her to get her nails done for the 1^st time…not just a paint job...oh no we went all out acrylics with hot pink zebra stripes!!

You get lunch at Sonic…somewhere I had never been...but I gotta say I liked it!! Thanks for introducing me Mae Mae!

Then you spend a few hours at the mall…get an Auntie Anne's pretzel.

Let her try on some shoes you PRAY she never actually wears!!

And last but not least…

You buy the girl some duct tape so she and her friends can make…bracelets, bags, and bows!!

Oh yes that’s right.

She is a little entrepreneur.

She is selling these sweet bags once orders come in they are making them! You can find them on FB here.

I love you so much sweet Macy! Thank you for all of your hard work!
I know God has Huge plans for your life!

Check out what Erin is doing

2011-08-14T18:46:00.005-05:00

If win I will get to put Awake and Alive's blog on her side bar for the whole month on September!! I am so excited! Praying so hard I win!!! It could open up lots of doors for the forgotten kiddos in Kechene, Ethiopia!

Benjamin at OneTrueMedia.com

2011-08-14T12:44:00.003-05:00

Here is the story of how Ben came to be part of our family! Please watch, be inspired and inspire others. Feel free to share with others who have a heart for adoption.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Story of Stella

2011-08-12T11:49:00.005-05:00

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Linking up Joy

2011-08-11T21:26:00.005-05:00

Joy

Joy is: A daddy and his baby girl.

Joy is: Knowing Darin is the love of my life and I will spend the rest of my days with him!

Joy is: Benjamin with a full belly!

Joy is: Watching my baby girl try to be a big girl.

Joy is: Bringing hope to the hopeless in Kechene Ethiopia.

Bringing Stella and Ben home!

2011-08-08T23:44:00.005-05:00

Sorry it took me so long... I've been a little busy with 3 little ones ;)
Enjoy this video, be inspired, and be blessed!!! I only let you all in on this very personal journey in hopes that it will inspire just one person to change the world for one more orphan!!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

My little climber...

2011-08-06T10:52:00.008-05:00

I am more then positive that Stella will be my child who goes to the hospital the most...
How do I get her to stop?!?!
Help!

Passion?

2011-07-30T12:05:00.007-05:00

So I have been coming to the realization that we all have been made for specific reasons...duh right?

But I found myself getting upset that not EVERYONE had the same passion I did for Africa, Ethiopia, Kechene and their people.

You see I have this burning, intense, flip my world upside down passion inside me!! I have never been so in love with Jesus. And this comes from seeing 1st hand what poverty looks like. God has put me in widow's homes, God has put me in orphanages, I have kissed African women and children infected with HIV. I feel like I know why Jesus was so broken for the poor and marginalized and until I felt that 1st hand I do not think I really "knew" Jesus and what it truly ment to be "Christlike."

Now when I step back and I think about what has transpired in the past few years of my life I am very troubled by who I have become with all of this. You see it is very easy to get angry at people who do not feel the way I do, or see things how I do. It is easy for me to become prideful because I "get it." But lets be real!
I do not "get it" at all!

I have never experienced what it would be like to have my child die from hunger. I do not know what it would be like to give my children contaminated water because contaminated water is all we have to drink, I do not know what it would be like to be and orphan child and have to protect and raise my younger siblings, I do not know what it is like to be taken from my parents at 7 or 8 disfigured and then put out on the streets to beg for money.
I do not "get it" as much as my pride would like to think that I do.

But in the past few months I have begun to "get" something. This passion is not about me! All Glory goes to God! I have to continually remind myself that I have done nothing to deserve to be in this place where I can make a difference! God is using me and I am trying HARD to HUMBLY accept the path God has set me on.

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
~1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Not everyone will experience the passion I have be given from God to help educate and protect the children of Kechene. Not everyone is called to adopt children. And all I am doing is trying to be obedient and deepen my relationship with Jesus. This is God's path for MY life,
Not your life, my mom's life, or my best friends life.

So I ask each one of you today not to look at anyone else "path." God will led you if you will allow Him to! (trust me it is more fulfilling then you could ever imagine)

What passion has He put in You?

Leave a comment and let me know!

Mood of Monday (Its Wednesday now)

2011-07-26T07:14:00.010-05:00

My Heart is SO FULL!
After spending the weekend with some of the most amazing people I could possibly think of I am so happy this Monday.

It was so wonderful to see so many of the kiddos again! I loved to see the transformation in them. From being in an orphanage to being in a loving home ... that changes everything for these kids! To feel worth and love...
something everyone deserves.
I had the privilege to see it 1st hand this weekend in so many kids!

And it also made me take a step back and reflect on my little ones,
And the transformation that happened in MY LIFE because of bringing them into our lives.

Adoption changes everything!

I love this picture! It was so muggy in TN that is fogged up my lens but I kind like it ;)
Swimming with daddy, we were in the pool A LOT!
Some of the ahhhmazing CCI momma's
Oh my trouble....

Always a good time with the Armburstmachers.
These are just a few pic's from this amazing weekend!! Loved every second of it!

It is FUN FRIDAY

2011-07-22T12:24:00.005-05:00

Lots of fun happening around here today!!

We are celebrating my little sisters 24th birthday at my parents house tonight! She pick out quite a menu for this evening I am mostly looking forward to the brownie cheese cake!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE SISTER!!!!

We are also busy packing for one of the most fun weekends I can think of!! We are going to the Celebrate Children Reunion!!!

While we are at the reunion we will get to see some of the kiddos we met in the orphanages and we will get to see the amazing transformation that happens once they are placed in to a loving home!! The kids become full of life and it is so beautiful to see what a parents love does to a child!!

The reunion is going to be in Nashville, TN! So you better believe that we are taking our 2 year old and both 1 year olds on an 8 hour trip!!! It will be interesting but Darin and I have already decided to just have our expectations of them really low so we are not frustrated all weekend. HA.

Whats the longest you have ever traveled with young children? I would love to hear some funny stories to keep myself sane on the trip ;)

Have a lovely weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-20T09:28:00.002-05:00

Moody Monday

2011-07-18T11:02:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I wish I could throw fits like this again. They only last a minute or so. This girl sure does know how to let her emotions out!! Its a good thing that she knows how to express herself, but she really needs to keep it in check sometimes... but ya know she is only 14 months... whats a girl suppose to do???

you can still see the "tears" in her eyes... but she wants to smile.

And by the way all of these "mood's" happened in about 15 seconds.
Yep that's my Stella!

Sleepy Sunday

2011-07-17T12:56:00.005-05:00

We have had one crazy weekend! (sigh)

I love nothing more then the weekends. Darin is home and the kids enjoy having him around. He is always pumped and excited to spend time with them after working all week.

So sleepy

Darin and I celebrated 7 wonderful year of marriage.
It has been so much fun taking time this weekend to be together, just the two of us!!

But that meant that the kiddos have been with grandmas all weekend. And they are beat.

What did you all do this weekend? Do you notice a difference in your kiddos after they are at grandmas house too?

Fun Friday

2011-07-15T11:15:00.003-05:00

So lets be real, every day here is fun! But I will now be making it a point to make sure we do something "extra fun." But unfortunately since I just decided to make this format for my blog last night I really did not have much time to plan anything. So this is our typical Friday. Macy my cousin is here. She is 11 and helps me out a ton! She loves my kids almost as much as I do!!
Benny Boo eating breakfast.
He loves to eat!!

Claire got into my tupper ware cabinet and decided this would make a "fun" hat. And that poor bunny she is holding has been through the ringer. He is not allowed to come in the house any more because he is so dirty and has been put in the kiddy pool a few too many times. But she loves him anyways.

A little bit of play time with mommy.

Holy Smokes she just keeps getting prettier and prettier.

Gorgeous! Stella is such a gem! She is SO funny. I might just do an entire Funny Friday on her because she could take an entire blog post with all the funny stuff she does.

My promise to you.

2011-07-14T21:18:00.005-05:00

Moody Monday

Wordless Wednesday

FUN Friday

Sleepy Sunday

So to say the least I have been preoccupied. My blog tends to come last these days. But it should be priority. It is how I will look back in 5 years and say... Oh how I miss those days and ...I totally forgot about "this, or that."

So this is not only my promise to all of you, but to myself and my family. I will make it more of a priority to keep up to date on the happens of the Shrocks.

So tomorrow is going to be our Fun Friday! Expect something tomorrow evening!! Until then here are a few pictures.

Too much fun with Meggan!!

Breakfast in the morning.

Just an average day doing laundry.

Best friends in the making!!

Fun Fun Fun!

Love it

2011-07-10T16:10:00.003-05:00

I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Summer Time

2011-07-05T15:37:00.004-05:00

Just thought I would post some pictures of the beautiful faces I get to see every day!!! So in love.

2011-06-29T11:45:00.003-05:00

I would love if all my 40 followers on "a heart for adoption" blog would lovingly follow my "Awake and Alive" blog.

Sending love

2011-06-27T08:42:00.009-05:00

2 Loving daddies and their PRECIOUS baby girls.

I start this post with showing what one way to love looks like. But there are MANY WAYS TO SHOW LOVE.

I am going to give you a simple way that will slowly, over time start to change your heart and open your eyes to make your world much bigger and better!!

James 1:17 ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

As Christians we are called to love, protect, support and pray for the least of these. Through Awake and Alive, the organization started by myself and fellow adoptive momma Danielle we will be offering you exciting ways to get involved and be a part of what God calls pure and faultless religion.

We are in the process of starting a school in Kechene, Ethiopia. Kechene is a slum in the capitol and these children NEED your help to get an education and CHANGE THEIR WORLDS!! We will also be taking mission trips over there, and that will be a great opportunity to see the reality that these little kiddos deal with every day.

You can find us on Facebook, by searching for Awake and Alive to keep in the know that way also.

It's a love hate thing.

2011-06-11T19:32:00.009-05:00

Pacifiers...

I loved them!!! They were the BIGGEST blessing for the past 2 years. And have been THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD the last few days!!!

We have decided Claire is 2 1/2 and old enough to not have that thing in her mouth all the time!!! So we went cold turkey!

Claire was so proud to become a BIG GIRL and say," bye bye" to her paci's.

One night I asked "Claire do you want to go to bed with out your paci tonight? It will make you a big girl." and she said, "yes Mommy." She had NO CLUE WHAT SHE WAS IN FOR! Neither did we....

That night was OK Darin held her on the couch until she fell asleep. No big deal...I was thinking, "wow this is going to be easy." The next day was Sunday and she woke up TICKED... wondering where her paci was... I reminded her she was a Big Girl and she did not need a paci any more!!

She then informed me. "I want to be a baby!! I do not want to be a big girl!!!" Oh boy... here we go.

A few days went by and it was not fun for ANYONE!!! ...we limped along with no paci

It was literally like a drug with drawl one night!! She was shaking, sweating, crying, and could hardly breath! I was scared for her! Darin laid down with her until she fell asleep, around 11!!! I went in to check on her around midnight before we went to bed and she was still sniffing in her sleep. ((((HEARTBREAKING)))))

Then it was Monday and I had to tackle her and the absence of the paci all by myself!! It was absolutely awful!

She was a bear when she woke up! She just cried, threw fits, and was mean! Then it was nap time and boy oh boy... when I finally got her to sleep at 3 (nap time is normally 12) she slept maybe 15 minutes and woke up and was NOT HAPPY!

So I called Darin, because after 3 days of this I was at my wits end, and said..."we might need to give the paci back, but just at sleeping times!!" And that is what we have done.

We can all sleep and she is doing OK with the fact that she can only have Paci when she is in bed...All is well in her world again...

Awake and Alive 1st annual garage sale

2011-06-08T21:28:00.003-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wow it has been a year.

2011-06-08T05:52:00.011-05:00

It has been one year since our referrals! With adoption there are many different "stages" in which you become a family. In your heart, legally, and then once they are actually in your arms and in your care.

We became a family of 4 in our hearts on June 17th when we got our referral and 1st saw pictures our baby Ben.

And a family of 5 on June 29th when we received pictures and we saw sweet Stella for the 1st time.

What a difference one year makes!!

Baby Ben

Sweet Stella

It is amazing to look at the difference.

Full

2011-05-24T19:47:00.006-05:00

So full.

So full of JOY.
So full of LOVE.
So full of PEACE
So full of EMOTIONS.

So full of THANKS.... I am THANKFUL.

When I look at these pictures I am just so full.

When I think back on our last adoption process, my heart swells with love and appreciation for each and everyone of you who went before our Heavenly Father and prayed for us, for those of you who gave so generously, whether is was donations for our garage sale, MONEY, (which this time around we needed EVERY SINGLE PENNY) hand me down clothes for the kiddos, donations for the orphanages when we traveled, and those of you who allowed us to borrow cameras and suitcases for the trip. I am so thankful for all of you who called, e-mailed, hugged, encouraged, and were just present during in the crazy ups and downs during the hard, hard wait.

I now am so thankful again to each one of you who pour love into our sweet little ones! We are truly blessed and I am in awe of the people God has put into our lives and into their lives. Each one of you has touched our family in such a deep, life altering way that is is hard to put into words.

I look at those pictures and I reflect on the struggles we faced during the process, the heart ache during the wait, the ups and downs, the unknown. I think of it and I am so thankful for all of that hurt we experienced because it makes these pictures and our life now that much more FULL!

Awake and Alive

2011-05-16T21:29:00.007-05:00

So excited to announce that our non profit organization Awake and Alive is up and running.

www.awakeandalive.org

Our 1st annual Awake and Alive garage sale is happening on June 3rd and 4th. All the money raised is going to educating children in the slum of Ethiopia, called Kechene.

Children like these beautiful little girls will be affected by your generosity.

Awake and Alive will be sending young kids in this area to school. If kids in this region are not able to go to school they will have to help their parents work. Many of the women in this area are widows and they have to take their young children miles up into the mountains to collect sticks to sell for fire wood in the city. Many of these sweet kiddos are not able to attend school because the mother does not have the money to afford a uniform or school books.

If you feel led and are interested in helping change the life of children in Ethiopia by donating some of your spring cleaning or old items to our garage sale please leave a message and I will contact you ASAP.

You also can donate monetarily on our website.

www.awakeandalive.org

Blessings to you and to this cause!

go for it, get involved, make a change, and be changed!

A few pictures

2011-05-16T10:31:00.005-05:00

Just fun

2011-05-06T09:21:00.006-05:00

Because my last post was so heavy, I wanted to post some of the FuNnY things that have been happening around this crazy house!

Claire is obsessed with poop. She always wants to look at it after one of the babies makes a mess. She has told me that she is big enough now to change their diapers. And honestly if they would hold still long enough I think she could do it! But the ironic thing is that she does not want to go in the potty. She will tell me, "no I poop in my diaper." Another funny, Claire has a corner that she always goes to and poops in. There is a gap between our fridge and pantry. Thats where the "magic" happens.Also Claire found out the hard way that when things are thrown in the trash they are gone for good. Yesterday she asked to watch Barney and I was looking all through the DVD's and I could not find it anywhere!! I asked her, "Claire do you know where Barney is?" and she said, "I put him in 'da trash." So there was a life lesson because a few minutes before that I just threw the trash out. :( Barney is no more... Sorry Sweet girl.

Stella has learned that being chased is a BLAST.

And then there is Ben who just laughs at everything.

What a joy they all are!!

Letting Go

2011-05-05T09:35:00.009-05:00

To say that I was overwhelmed the last month would not even come close to describing how I have been feeling.
The 1st 2 weeks of having Stella and Benjamin home was nothing but Dr. appointments and hospital visits. (regular adoption stuff)
Stella was scared and teething so I literally could not put her down. If I would put her down to tend to another child I would have to get her distracted first, but that would be short lived and she would come screaming and thrashing back to me. So I held her for a month straight.
Ben has had what we thought to be scabies and we have treated him 6 times!!! That also means that we bleached and bagged everything 6 times!! Only now to be referred to a dermatologist because it is not going away. Scabies is HIGHLY contagious and none of us have gotten it. So I am sure that is not the problem.
Claire was adjusting to having 2 new ones in the house. Everyone told me how she was acting was normal. But it was not "normal" for me!! Claire has always been so well behaved, well mannered, and so sweet. But since they have been home she has struggled. Its been about a month now where she would throw herself on the ground, throw her head into the wall, hit, scream and just burst into tears for no real reason.
I thought I had to be right there for EVERY out burst, every whimper, every laugh. I thought it was my motherly duty to jump at every noise! Not to mention that I still thought my house had to be spotless and laundry had to be done and put away.
After a month and a half I have come to the realization that I just have to let some things go.
I have learned that I need family,friends, and coffee!! I have learned I can not be there for every fight the girls have. They just have to learn to duke it out. I have learned that just because Ben is quite does not mean he does not need me. I have learned that Claire's fits are her just being 2 and needing extra praise. I have learned that I have to take care of my mental health if my children are going to get a good momma. I have learned that Stella is so much fun, and she is hilarious. I have learned how to see the absolute blessings that God has given me. I have learned that reading to, playing with, kissing and hugging my babies is far more important than having my make up on or my hair done. I have learned that if there are crumbs on my floor and dishes in the sink..its cool, I have a great excuse now! I have learned that not having their teeth and hair brushed every day is not going to make me a horrible mother. I have also learned that some days they might just stay in their PJ's all day and that is OK. But the biggest thing I have learned is that I have to let go of some of my outrageous expectations of myself and of my kids and that has made me a MUCH better momma!

Let me be very honest when I say that I was not able to keep a clean house or keep on on the laundry or spend all the time I wanted to with each kiddo and I was not even making meals at the time my head was spinning like a top. I felt so heavy with guilt and so overcome with the feeling of being inadequate that it would paralyze me. So with a lot of prayer and an amazing husband I was able to see more clearly what is important! I am sure that I will experience these feelings again, but I will always have the hope that things get better.

Thank you Lord for teaching me when I need to be taught!

Easter

2011-04-24T20:21:00.004-05:00

My Parents gave the kiddos these sweet little rocking chairs for Easter! They love them!

My New Life

2011-04-20T19:09:00.006-05:00

I will take you a day in reverse.

It is 8pm and all of the kids are in bed...(sigh.)

Change diapers

Before that it is some SERIOUS play time with daddy!! Some nights we take all of the cushions off the couch and love seat and we play a little game Claire's calls "alligator." Stella and Ben love to climb on top of the cushions and roll off. Other nights its a game of hide and seek. Where Claire always hides in her closet and we do our best to act like we have no clue where she could be ;). Darin will find her and she will run as fast as she can to me.. I am her safe base :) Ben and Stella just giggle and laugh while their big sister goes crazy!!!

Change diapers

6:30 is dinner time. So far we have had meals come to the house every Monday through Thursday since we have been home!! Come on people, talk about some serious love and support from friends and family!! I am totally blown away by the BLESSINGS!! Dinner is interesting, we feed the kids 1st. Normally Darin feeds Ben and helps Claire and I get Stella, then its clean up the kiddos, get them interested in something to play with or give them some puff's, or Cheerios, and we will get Luke-warm dinner. :) We all sit there together for about a half hour. Wouldn't change it for anything!!

Change diapers

The hardest part of my day is between 4 and 6. That is the time where all of the kids are up at once and they are bored with me and want daddy to come home. They are typically getting hungry and fussy around 530.

Change diapers

Lunch and naps start at 12. Lunch is your typical Mac and Cheese, apple sauce, and green beans. (what I grew up on) Every now and again I throw in a hot dog, switch up the veggie, or if we have some kind of left over from the night before they might get lasagna or other kind of pasta. After lunch it is nap time and all the kiddos go down around 12:30 or 1. They all will sleep for 1 and half hours. Claire sometimes is down for 3.

Change diapers

Mornings are always fun. It brings the excitement of a new day! We are all up by 8. Sometimes one of the girls might be up around 630 or 7. I will get breakfast on a wake up basis. Then we play and the babies go down at some point after breakfast. It all just depends on when they get fussy and I feel they need a nap. They are all morning kids. I have found that mornings are the best for them! They are sweet and snugly.

I could not have made this unimaginable adjustment with out my mom! She is the most amazing, loving, helpful, compassionate person I know! Thank you MOMMA!

Beautiful

2011-04-16T14:02:00.009-05:00

Just Ben

2011-04-10T20:08:00.006-05:00

This post is all about Ben! Our sweet little son who just turned one!!!

Ben is one amazing little man! We have only spent 3 short weeks with our son but the love and joy he brings to us is unmeasurable. He has these sweet eyes that make everyone "Oooooh" and "Aaaah" when he smiles! Ben LOVES his bath time, balls, and hitting and banging on anything that makes a lot of noise! He is a very happy kid, but you can tell when he just needs some alone time. (His sisters can be a little over whelming) It is normally around 3:30 he will get fussy and easily irritated so I will put him in his crib with a bottle and about a half hour later he comes out just as happy as can be! Ben sleeps through the night and always has since we have had him. We just are so in love with our Baby Ben!!! Happy Birthday little man, we are so glad we got you home in time to celebrate your 1st birthday. We look forward to celebrating your sweet presence in our lives for many more years!!!!

A little video for you all.

2011-03-31T21:15:00.006-05:00

Stella was so proud to show her daddy how she can walk!! It was precious! Darin had just gotten home from work and she wanted to walk right to him! LOVE IT. Ben as usual has to be all over his Daddy too!! Darin does not get a break from the kiddos until they go to bed.

How things are going.

2011-03-26T12:15:00.003-05:00

A lot of people have been asking how life is now that we are all home and the only way to describe it is BUSY!

I have only been out of the house 2 times, but life is non-stop! It is constant feeding, diaper changing, napping, crying, laughing, and playing.

Claire is doing OK at best. She is having a hard time understanding why she is not getting 100% of the attention any more. She will throw herself on the ground, bang her head on the wall, and cry randomly. All of course attention getting mechanisms. So I have been trying to handle that the best way I know how. I know it will take time and eventually she will come to love her Bro and Sis. I see little glimpses of hope every now and again. So please remember her in your prayers.

Ben is just as sweet and easy as can be. I have to be very intentional with him because he easily gets lost in the mix. So I will make special time just for me and him when the girls are napping. She has a sweet innocent way about him. He is quick to smile and lots of fun to play with.

Stella is something...right now I am looking at her and she is laying on the tile licking it. HAHA She is FULL of life and personality. She is either totally HaPpY or she is MaD... and there is not much in the middle. She has the biggest smile but... She has a nasty little habit of biting.

There is a small update..its all I have time for ;)
Thank you all again for helping build our family!!

"Children Of God" - Official Music Video

2011-03-26T12:14:00.003-05:00

Silence the music at the bottom of the blog.

Home

2011-03-21T20:01:00.005-05:00

Claire and Stella held hands the whole way home from the airport~
Ben loves stuffed animals!
Finally All Together!!!!

Emily came to Ethiopia with us!! When she can home my sweet brother asked her to marry him!!! YAY!!!

Stella and Benjamin..here we come!

2011-03-08T06:46:00.004-06:00

The time to celebrate has finally come!

This has been a stressful, long, hard journey! But doesn't it seem like when things are that way once it comes to an end it is just that much sweeter! So it is with absolute praise to our great and mighty God that I can FINALLY say we are leaving to get them!!! In a few hours we will be on a plane!!! (huge sigh)

As I am reflecting on the "journey" to Stella and Benjamin, the thing that is most astonishing is my pure peace. I know that is a peace that could not come from me. The most amazing peaceful feeling was after being in Ethiopia and spending 8 days with our children. I did not think I would have peace at all after meeting them and then having to leave them.
I can not put into words how much it took for us to lay our son back into his crib. That was not a peaceful feeling... He was in a room with many other babies and we were not sure the next time he would be held! And the kicker was we were totally capable and able to just take him home with us...but of course we all know that is not how it works. Yet, after the heart wrenching moments we experienced shortly after walking out of the orphanage, we were at peace. HOW?!?! ...Thank you Holy Spirit for the gift of peace. I would not of been possible to make it though on our own.

Our trip to ET will be full!! We will have 5 very full days and 2 days where nothing is planned! We will take one day and spend it at Bright Future. While we are there we will be spending time in the after school program there and with the people of that surrounding town. Day 2 will be our Gotcha DAY! We will pick up Stella and Ben and then just enjoy them and spend time with the other kids at the orphanages. Day three will be a long day of traveling and visiting, 4th day will be Church with Stella's orphanage, 5 will be Embassy days 6 and 7 are open. pheeeww I am tired just writing about it ;)

I am humbling asking for your prayers! Here is just a small list of specifics.

Health for us and our babies.

Safe travels

Please pray Stella and Ben receive us well

Pray for Claire to adjust OK and for protection over her while we are gone

Our great friend Emily is coming with us, Please pray for her that she is touched forever by this trip.

Thank you again for praying for us!

~ The Shrock Family

Darin, Jolene, Claire, Benjamin & Stella

We have been cleared!

2011-03-02T10:22:00.004-06:00

PRAISE THE LORD!! We have everything set up and we are all ready to go! Our flights are booked and our guest house is reserved!!

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers! I am so excited to start our life WITH Stella and Benjamin!!

The last two days have been crazy because on Monday we found out we were cleared and we thought we could set everything up to leave this week!! So I booked flights and had everything set only to find out yesterday morning that we could not travel next week!! So yesterday was full of emotions! I was mad, then sad, I had 100 things to do!!! But by the end of the day we found out that we were 100% sure as to when we could bring Stella and Ben home!! So by the end of the day I was so EXCITED to have everything set in stone!!! WOW it is such a wonderful feeling!! There is a lot of stress relieved but now it is time to focus on preparing Claire and the house for having 2 more babies!!!

ONE WEEK!

The time is near!

2011-02-26T11:36:00.003-06:00

We are getting closer to FINALLY being able to bring home Stella and Benjamin! We have heard the good news that Stella was cleared to come home but we are still waiting on Benjamin's case. We think it should be with in the next few days and then we will book our flights and head to Ethiopia to BRING THEM HOME!! I am so excited and READY to have all of my babies home. It has been a long hard wait but we know that all of the tears, stress, and heartache of waiting will be more then worth it when they are home. I will keep you all updated as to when we leave!
Your continued prayers are appreciated!

Francis Chan - Balance Beam

2011-02-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

Lord,
Please let me pull my full twist on the balance beam! ;) I pray I do not cling to the comforts of this world. I love You.

Introducing Ben and Stella at OneTrueMedia.com

2011-02-02T08:16:00.002-06:00

Giggly Ben, Smiley Stella

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are offically a family of 5 today!!!

2011-01-31T07:35:00.005-06:00

Introducing Stella Marta and Benjamin Fikadu.

It is with pure joy that I am able to announce to you all that we passed court today!!! I am humbled by all of the prayers said to our God almighty for our family! Thank you for loving us and supporting us!

We did not even know that we had a court date today! So this has come as a complete shock and a miracle has been worked through the amazing staff of CCI in Ethiopia!

How we became a family.

2011-01-28T17:55:00.008-06:00

I have found that lately there have been a lot of new followers to my blog. So I thought that I will go a head and give a total back ground of our life and how adoption has changed EVERYTHING!

About 2 and a half years ago my husband Darin and I lost a pregnancy. It was a pregnancy that came really easily. We only "tried" for about 2 months when we found out that we were expecting! I was over the moon excited. All I had ever wanted and ever dreamed about was being a mommy. I carried the pregnancy for 3 months. We went in for my 12 week check up and we still could not hear a heart beat. The Dr. scheduled a ultra sound and we found out that the baby had stopped developing at about week 3 or 4 but my body kept supporting the fetus as if it were growing. So the Dr. gave us 2 options a D&C or I could wait until the pregnancy ended itself. There was a lot more and it got pretty ugly, but in the end we ended up having a D&C and that ended up being a botched procedure.

We then spent the next 9 months hopelessly trying to get pregnant. I have to say that was honestly the lowest of lows in my life. I obsessed over being "pregnant." ...I would lay awake at night and my mind would wonder and I would think to myself... " OK if I got pregnant this month that would make the baby due in July, if the baby comes in July that will mean he will have a summer birthday and won't get to celebrate it's birthday with it's class mates. .. Eww that would mean I will be pregnant during the hottest months... I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl... I wonder if it will have Darin's eyes or my blond hair, I wonder if it will get my blue eyes or Darin's brown eyes... I wonder if the baby will sleep well, I wonder what we will name it, I wonder what sports it will play, I wonder...I wonder... I wonder...

It went from wondering to being mad!! I was so mad after each month we would realize we were not pregnant!! Then I would lay awake and think ...We did everything right...I checked for when I was ovulating...I did not drink...I did not smoke...(I never smoked anyways :) ) we were healthy... we listened to ALL of the advice that EVERYONE seemed to have on getting pregnant..Why were we not getting pregnant!?!?!?! I was at my absolute wits end. I would lay awake sometimes all night long, crying... tossing thoughts around in my head.... and then cry some more...

Until one night, after about 9 months of all of this, I heard the most clear, God spoken words in my life..."You do not need to get pregnant to be a mother."....

That changed everything!

The amazing thing about that and how I so clearly know that was our Father speaking to me was the plain and simple fact that I was over whelmed with being pregnant!! And when I was at the absolute end and I could take no more and I know in my mind I could of never came up with anything else but being pregnant God spoke into me to adopt.

I woke Darin up and told him what had just happened and then I went and wrote everything down from that amazing night!

I went from being totally consumed with getting pregnant to becoming a mother. And I realized that those two things, pregnancy and being a mother, did not have to go hand in hand. I started praying again and turned all of my worries to God. That Sunday we went to church. Our pastor was preaching on the healing power of God. And all of the hate and anger I had melted away. I was released from my suffering and my focus became outward instead of being absolutely inward!!! God moved a mountain in me!

From then on adoption is all we have known! We signed on with an adoption agency 3 months later we had our referral.... Dollame

and 3 months after that we were FOREVER a family!! August 23rd, 2009.

Claire has been home for a year and a half. She brings so much joy and love into our lives and we praise God everyday for allowing us to be called her mommy and daddy. Present day, January 27th, 2011.

Now we are patiently waiting the home coming of our next two children. Stella and Benjamin, it has been a long hard fight. I have found my faith in God being tested but again and again he has proven His faithfulness by providing a peace that is unimaginable. Sometimes the feelings of all of this failure reminds me of trying to get pregnant. There is nothing I can do to change the out come and so I am reliving some of those emotions. We have had 3 failed court dates and are still waiting to hear when our 4th will be. All we want is to be reunited with our children and have our family whole!

So we are waiting for the next chapter in our lives. We want our children home!! It is unbearable at times... but there is also peace in know that God's plans are bigger and better then we can imagine. So please continue to pray for our family.

We did not pass again.

2011-01-24T07:10:00.002-06:00

Emotionally is sure does not get any easier the more court dates that fail. We still do not know when our next one will be. Please Pray it is successful and quick! I would if you would be willing to comment any words of encouragement today!

Count Down to Court!

2011-01-22T14:22:00.005-06:00

Claire just can not take the pressure of all of these court dates any more!!!!!!!
It is time again, and the excitement is building. We have our 3rd court date on Monday the 24th. We are praying 3rd time is a charm. Thank you again for all of the words of encouragement as this has been one of the most stressful times in our lives. It is sometime unbearable when we think about the fact that we received our referrals when Ben was 6 weeks old and Stella was around 8 weeks old. They are now both almost 10 months. So with that said we are hoping to have them HOME before they are a year old, but my hopes are not too high. There is peace in knowing that God has amazing plans for them and we know with out a doubt that they will be here is His perfect timing! So please continue to pray as our next court date approaches! Thank you!

Awake and Alive

2011-01-17T20:46:00.005-06:00

This is taken off my partner in loving the worlds blog :) I love how she describes our love and passions for Africa. We are starting a nonprofit to support Africans here and abroad, and it will be called Awake and Alive.

www.daniellesdance.blogspot.com

I also wanted to say how crazy excited Jolene and I are about Awake and Alive!!! Seriously!!! I think we would get an A+ for passion. However, we're working hard to do other stuff other than just dreaming. We're working on a website, a blog, the paperwork (that would be Jolene's awesome husband, Darin, actually), our board, making connections with other organizations doing great things in Ethiopia (Bright Future and Project Mercy, for example), making connections with organizations here doing great things for Africans (like the Red Cross Refugee Services, for example), gleaning wisdom from friends in other non-profits with hearts for Africa, contacting Africans living in the area, inviting them for dinner, hearing their stories/ideas....you get the point. A lot is going on! Until the other blog is up and running...and even when it is...we'll be keeping you posted here.

All this is going on while the Shrocks are praying desperately to pass their THIRD court date on January 24 (or 22nd. Now, I'm second-guessing!) They have had 2 in a row with disappointing results. I am in awe of how strong they are being. Jolene's words: "I know these babies WILL be home when they are supposed to be!" Pray for them, please.

If you want to get involved, let us know. We would love to share our vision with you. In the meantime, I think we've settled on an official mission statement (unless it changes before we get the website up :) ):

Awake and Alive desires to support Africans locally by building relationships and helping them acclimate into American society. Abroad, we wish to support existing organizations on the ground in Africa. Finally, by providing education and experiences to the Church we aspire to encourage Christians to be a part of the solution for the poor.

Silly Claire

2011-01-15T13:57:00.004-06:00

I thought with all the "blah" that has been happening this cute video of Claire will lighten the mood.
This is a video of Claire. She is overly tired and we had family over so she was getting a lot of attention. And this is how she was acting. Oh and yes some one does say, "Oh no I think she is going to throw baby Jesus." We have a nativity scene and Claire love to carry baby Jesus around. :)

We did not pass again.

2011-01-14T05:23:00.004-06:00

Hi there. I just wanted to post a quick note that we did not pass court again. This is our second attempt. Our 1st court date was Dec 22nd. And yesterday morning we found out we did not pass again. And it seems like there was a misunderstanding with some paperwork and we are praying that there is some clarity soon so this can be resolved and we can pass court and then move on to trying to get through the US embassy... Thank you for all the prayers!

Merry Christmas Indeed!

2011-01-07T13:10:00.004-06:00

Today in Ethiopia they are celebrating Christmas! We received a wonderful gift yesterday!

You see we did not pass court when we traveled to Ethiopia because our Dossier (ALL OF OUR PAPERWORK) had been lost. I was at an absolute loss! We are using the same dossier that we used to adopt Claire and it expires in February. So when we were told that our paper work was misplaced I thought we would for sure have to start over and redo all of our paperwork!!!
I had been sending out prayer request to everyone I knew!
Even the oh so amazing Ordinary Hero Organization posted a prayer request for us 2 days ago. I Emailed Kelly Putty on the morning of the 4th. I was shaking I was so at the end of my emotional rope! I told her what had happened and asked if she would use her amazing network of adoption advocates to pray for our case! She had it posted on her blog early that morning at about 1 AM and we received some great emails and comments on our blog encouraging us to stay strong and know that God is in control! That same day at 3pm received a message from our adoption coordinator that our paperwork has been found and that everything should go through on the 13th!!! So we received an amazing gift from God! Thank you Lord!

PS Claire and I then spent about 30 minutes with the CD player as loud as it would go and we were worshiping, singing and dancing!!! :) I am normally the one laughing at her when she is dancing but I am proud to say that I had her cracking up at me!! :)

Full of emotions

2011-01-04T10:26:00.007-06:00

Today is a hard day. I was not sure why but then I looked at the calendar and it has been 2 weeks since we found out that we did not pass court. That might be part of it. But I think the hardest part is that is has been 2 weeks since we have seen our Baby Ben and Sweet Stella. I can not put in to words the experiences and emotions that we had over in Ethiopia. People are always asking about the trip and I do not mean to be rude or flat but I just do not know what to say. Some times I feel as if it were a dream. I see the pictures of us with the babies but it is hard to remember being with them. I think it would be easier if we had passed and we would know that our case is moving forward. But we are 7 months into having our referrals and we are at the exact spot we were in June. There is my little rant, my sad side. But on the other side of those feelings there is SO much to be thankful for!!!
We have Claire home and she is more then a blessing!! We still have our referrals! Ben and Stella are healthy and growing beautifully! We do have another court date set for less then 2 weeks. January 13th. (pray we pass) Darin and I have a wonderful strong marriage. We are setting up a not for profit to help African families here and abroad! We have amazing family and friends who are helping support us! And there is also much joy and peace in knowing that God has bigger plans for us and our babies then I could ever dream of! I know there is reason for waiting. But still....( as one of my CCI friends put it) it physically hurts not to have your children in your home, tucking them in, reading bed time stories, kissing them constantly, rocking them, watching them grow, and just being part of their little lives, when it is purely a matter of paperwork.
Please continue to pray for our family as we hold on tight to this roller coaster of a journey to become a family!!
PS I would love if you would leave comments, words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Ethiopia pictures

2010-12-31T18:49:00.005-06:00

Leaving the South Bend Airport on December 14th. The beginning of one emotional roller coaster of a trip!

We are standing in front of the Addis Flower Guest house. We were getting ready to go get Benjamin! The gates to Benjamins orphanage! We could not believe we were so close!

Benjamins Orphanage!

Some beautiful Ethiopia snap shots!

I love you to Ethiopia and Back

2010-12-30T05:27:00.002-06:00

I will start from where I left off...We lost power for one day and then the internet was down for 2 days. After all of that, the craziness of taking the babies back to their orphanages began and I just did not even know where to start blogging again. So I have been home now for a few days, I have tried to collect myself again, and I will try to get it all blogged.
My last post was on the 20th. As you read we were able to bring Stella to the Guest house. And I was shocked! I really did not think she would be able to come spend the week with us! But she did and it was so wonderful! She is just adorable! It took her a night and a morning to get use to us but when she did... it was perfect!!! She can crawl and sit totally unsupported. She also is eating solid foods and does not care much about her bottle. That is totally different from Claire and Benjamin, they love their bottles! Stella is a 100% momma's girl! She would crawl on Darin and play Peek-A-Boo with him but when it came to feeding, and holding her it was all me, all the time! :)
Ohhh then there is Ben!! The thing that surprised me the most about him was how BIG he is!!! I took all 6-9 month clothes because he is 8 months old. Every out fit was up to his elbows and the pants were up to his knees! So he is in at least 12-18 month cloths!! He can not sit up yet and he tries to crawl. But the thing that is the most striking about Ben is how quick he is to laugh!! I would just look at him and say Fiikkkaaadoooo (that is his Ethiopian name)(it is actually Fikadu.) and he would let out the cutest baby shriek and have a huge smile. Now Ben was a Daddy's boy. He and Darin have this really cute bond already! He is joyful!
Both of the babies had something weird going on with their skin so we to them to the doctor on the 20th. Ben has severe eczema and Stella had infantigo. So we got medication for both of them and hopefully they are still using it at the orphanages!!
We had to take Ben back on the 21st to his orphanage. We could not take them to court and his orphanage want him back before the 22nd. It was one of the hardest experiences of our lives. We laid back down in his crib and we could not walk away...We kept telling him we would be back as soon as we could. He just smiled at us as our tears were flowing!
On the 22nd we had court and we did not pass. The babies paper work was there are they have passed their part. Unfortunately our paperwork is lost somewhere in Ethiopia!! So we are not exactly sure what is going to happen. It had absolutely nothing to do with our agency, they are doing all they can to find it. So we have another court date on January 13th. :( Hopefully they find it by then. I really do not even want to think about what will happen if it is not found by then... GRRRR. But the babies are for sure ours!! Now it is just a matter of when they will get to come home. Could be 2 months, could be longer. We just do not know.
We had to take Stella back on the 23rd and that was easier because we had gone through the court process and we knew he paper work went through and that she will be ours! So it was difficult. But there was more peace in knowing that we will have her and Ben soon!
Then the night of the 23rd we headed home. Our flight left at 2 AM Ethiopia time (6PM) U S time and we were at home by 10PM Christmas eve. Of course this a shortened version of the trip but there are some parts I do not know how to put into words...

2010-12-20T13:13:00.003-06:00

This is Jolene's friend, Danielle. She has not had a lot of time the last 2 days to post, but she wanted me to let everyone know that they have both of their precious babies (they picked up Stella 2 days ago and have had her with them ever since!). They are doing great. She also asked that people PLEASE PRAY as their court date is December 22nd. I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

Day One and Two in Ethiopia

2010-12-17T10:41:00.001-06:00

We landed early this morning at 3 AM. We went to sleep around 4 and then we were up at 7:30 because we thought our ride would be here between 8:30 and 9 AM. But around 9 a group of people had to go to court, and then right after that another group of CCI people had to go to their Embassy appointments. So that kind of left us without a driver. Once everything settled down around 12 we were able to have a driver take us to Baby Ben’s orphanage. The day was beautiful!!!! It was about 80 degrees and sunny. When we pulled up to the orphanage the older kids, who ranged from 3-6 years old, were singing Jesus Loves Me and all kinds of precious little kids songs. Then they took us upstairs where they keep all the babies. We took our shoes off and walked in to the baby’s room. And all of the babies were sleeping. We woke up Benjamin and he was still very sleepy. I held him for about 5 minutes and he just stared at me. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. He had constant eye contact and my heart melted for this miracle God up into our lives. In the babies room there were 10 to 12 little ones in there it was so heartbreaking. There lay of these tiny little babies who were not being tucked in, sung to and rocked to sleep every night. Don’t get me wrong the nannies who are there adore these children and they get great care. But there is nothing like having a mom or a dad who can give that one on one care. I was then very happy to find out that all of the children at that orphanage have already been placed in to forever families. And their parents will be there with in the next few months to bring them home. After that we spent some time playing with the older children out side on the play ground. There are about 13 -15 older kids there. Again all already placed into a family! J

We then came back to the guest house with Benjamin and he was wide awake laughing and snuggling. HE LOVES HIS DADDY. Wow there is a bond there already! Darin has this amazing demeanor. He has a very low soft spoken voice and Baby Ben just melted into him and Darin held him most of the night. At one point I went to take him from Darin and he turned and snuggled his little face into his daddy. It was so fun to see that bond begin to start.

We were able to Skype for about 15 minutes tonight!! And that was so wonderful We talked to baby Claire and my mom, dad, and Justine were all able to see Benjamin.

You all might be wondering what about Stella. Well we just found out that her orphanage director, the woman who authorizes Stella to leave the orphanage is out of town until Saturday. So we will not even be able to go see her until the 18^th. It is just a bummer for me since our baby girl has really been such a mystery to me these last few months. I can not wait to see how she has grown!! On the 18^th we will go and hopefully be able to have her here at the guest house with us until Tuesday, the day before we go to court. Tomorrow will be very quite. We will just spend time with Ben and relax. My time clock is all off. It is actually 1 AM here, and that makes it 5 PM at home. So I am all off.

Thank you for all of the love and support.

We made it to Ethiopia!!!

2010-12-16T08:15:00.001-06:00

There is always something so surreal when you realize you are in the same town as your children. After waiting for them for 6 months we are literally only a few miles and a few minutes from them. But it is 3 am (7pm your time) unfortunately we have to be mindful of others sleeping. But all I really want to do it GO GET THEM! J Our travel went perfectly!!!! Thank you for all of the prayers! God is good all the time. We left South Bend Airport at 7 on the 14th and arrived in Ethiopia at 2AM on the 16th so with the 8 hour time change is was something like 23 hours of travel. The flight from Chicago was 11.5 hours and I took a nice little pill and when I woke up there was a lot of turbulence and I actually got sick 2 times!! I had never had motion sickness before but I think the pill making me sleep and all of the turbulence did something to me. Then from Istanbul we had a straight flight to Ethiopia. And that was about a 6 hour flight. Anyways we are here we are safe. I am so happy to be back in Ethiopia!

On a sad side, it was horrible to leave my baby Claire!!! I did really well until we had to go through the security screening, and actually walk away from her. I just could not help but let the tears roll. It was the sick hard lump in the throat, eyes burning that you can not control kind of cry. And once she could not see us any more I heard her say, MOOOMMY, mommy mommy….and she was crying hysterically. That was my worst fear…. And then I lost it again.
Well Darin is in the room trying to sleep and I really should try to sleep just a little too. We just heard that Alazar is picking us up between 8:30 and 9 am to go get our babies!!! I could not be more excited!

Sending all of my love and please continue to pray for our family.
Jolene

3 days!

2010-12-11T06:17:00.004-06:00

The nerves are setting in! Our anticipation is growing as we are trying to finish some last minute Christmas shopping, parties, and fun. We also have not packed for ourselves yet. All donations and all things for our babies are packed. So Darin and I need to get on that soon :)
But there are some exciting things happening here...
Thursday night we met with Karl and Danielle Black and it is official. We are starting a not for profit organization. Our vision is becoming more clear and it is very exciting. We will be focusing on African aid, here and abroad. Lots more to come on that!!
Then yesterday my sweet baby Claire turned 2! I can not believe it. She is growing beautifully! One of her new favorite things is to try to prolong bed time by praying for EVERYONE she can possibly think of. It melts my heart and even tho right now her intentions are to stay up longer my prayer is that her compassion and love for people grows through her LONG prayers. :)
Today we have 2 Christmas parties. The 1st one is with Darin's side of the family. So all of the cousins will be together (minus 2 who are still in Ethiopia) And they will be spoiled with all kinds of gifts from Grandpa and Grandma. Then this evening we will venture down to Fort Wayne for Darin's firm party. That is always a good time for me to put faces with names I hear Darin talk about all year. :)
Sunday is church. I am excited to worship and spend time with church family right before we leave. Monday Claire has her 2 year check up and shots and I will need to do my last minute shopping for the trip. And Tuesday off we go!
So we still have a lot going on! Life is fun and exciting. And I am so thankful to God who is blessing us!

My Prayer

2010-12-06T19:55:00.003-06:00

Thank you Lord Jesus that you have answered my prayer. My prayer to have my eyes and my heart opened so that I may make a small impact on this world and the children you have placed in my life. I pray that other people ask this for themselves so that thousands, even better millions of helpless, homeless orphans will have a FAMILY. Please open eyes and then set feet into motion! In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

Crazy 8

2010-12-06T12:33:00.004-06:00

8 more busy days and we will be off to Ethiopia. Tuesday and Wednesday I work from 9am-8pm I am trying to get everyone in before the holidays. Then Thursday I will go up to Lansing MI to visit a friend who just brought her baby girl Ezra home. www.ryanmeggsjourney.blogspot.com Then we will get together with good friends of ours for a meeting that Thursday evening. Friday is baby Claire's 2nd birthday and I will be having a little party for her that night. Saturday we have 2 Christmas's!!! Christmas with Darin's family and then Darin's work Christmas party that evening. Sunday is church and last minute shopping for the trip. Monday Claire has her 2 year Dr. check up and shots. Then Tuesday we fly fly away... I liked that is 8 looked crazy because at this point that is how I feel!!!!

We are Down to 10 Days!

2010-12-04T14:44:00.006-06:00

Only 10 days and we will be off to Ethiopia! Tomorrow will be single digits!! I have very strong mixed feelings...I can NOT wait to get my hands on my babies, Stella and Benjamin. But I will be leaving my baby Claire Dollame. Please pray for ALL of our spirits as we go through this extremely emotional time in all of our lives.

THANK YOU

2010-12-02T15:47:00.004-06:00

So much thanks to give! Thanks to our amazing God who time after time has provided. Darin and I started the process of adopting these 2 babies with hardly a dime in our savings. We had just brought Claire home 6 months before we signed back up with CCI. We did it afraid and with all of our hope in God and the stirring of the Holy Spirit in family, friends, and complete strangers. And God has shown Himself again! We placed 2nd in the adoption fundraiser through Ordinary Heros!!!! 2nd out of 54 families!! We were able to raise $1,170 WOW we are so humbled by the love of everyone who has supported us! THANK YOU!

My Crazy November

2010-12-01T05:47:00.006-06:00

Wow looking back November has been insane. I am so very thankful that it has been all "good" insane. We have been doing so much celebrating and planning this month.
To start the month off I had picked up an extra day a week at work. So I now work 2 days a week. Even tho it does not sound like a lot I was very comfortable just working one. :)So that jammed up my weeks a little. But we need the $, plus it is right before the holidays so it made my clients happy because it made it easier to get in. It is all good!
But then we also decided to book our flights!!! So at the beginning of this month we did that. And now the seriousness of planning and packing for a huge 10 day trip to Ethiopia, Africa is real!!
My dad turned 50 and we threw a surprise party for him. So there was lots of planning and shopping for that. PS He was totally surprised.
And then it was 2 Thanksgiving meals on turkey day. We went to Darin's parents for lunch. And the whole family was there. It was awesome. There we probably 50 people!! Then to my parents for dinner and there were probably 30 people there!
Every Friday night we have our God Son Tariku spend the night and then Saturday is full of indoor soccer. Its a blast and that now fills our weekends.
I have been working on the Ordinary Hero fundraiser. Trying to sell those shirts.
My lovely friend Danielle and I are dreaming big!!! Check out her blog at www.daniellesdance.blogspot.com (more on that to come soon!!!) But that has also consumed a lot of my thoughts. All I can say is that life is so exciting and I feel humbled and blessed when I think of the loving, supportive people in my life.

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My Mom and Dad on my dad's 50th birthday. They still look like a couple of teenagers! Love them
My dad's new hobby is making a boat. So one of his friends though it would be funny to make a mini Arc with my dad on it. So funny Millers!

Surprise!!!!!

Oh the pre teens in my life....

Please don't forget

2010-11-15T13:18:00.003-06:00

This web site is giving $10 for each T shirt sold! It is a great way to get some Christmas shopping done and help us raise $ for our travel! The top 3 families who raised the most money will get their money doubled!!!! I just received an E mail saying that we are in the running for the top 3! So please please consider giving one of these shirts as a gift or splurging on yourself and getting an awesome T shirt! Thank you very much~

www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com

or you can click on the ordinary hero button on the side of my blog page! Please remember to put Darin and Jolene in the "message to seller" box as you are checking out~

Flights are booked!

2010-11-13T21:29:00.003-06:00

OK it is time for me to pour it all out again! It has been a while since I have gotten emotional on my blog because quite frankly I was not sure how to feel. It has been such an emotional roller coaster the last few months. We signed back up with CCI in the middle of February. And we had just brought Claire home at the end of August. So it was not even 7 months home with Claire when we we feeling God was leading us back to Ethiopia to bring our babies home! At this point we had completely drained our savings because we were able to pay for Claire's adoption costs with no loans or grants. We were able to do it with a T shirt fund raiser, and some help from some close family members plus both of us were working full time and we drained every penny out of our savings. But this time God was knocking on our hearts and we have had to totally rely on Him and His stirring in the hearts of our friends, family, and complete strangers to pay for adoption costs. And wow has God ever shown Himself!! Never in my life, that I have been aware of, have I ever been in financial need. But now we are and just by telling people how our hearts have changed and how we have changed the very fabric of how we live to help orphans God has been stirring in the hearts around us.
I have been so humbled by the many people who have given hundreds even thousands of dollars to us! I am so thankful for the passionate and loving hearts of the church family in our lives! They see our love for orphans and they have given to us when it hurts!!! WOW. That right there is enough to fill your heart so full of love, joy and peace that I still wonder how people can question the power of our God. So that in and of its self has been amazing to see Gods amazing power at work in OUR lives!! I could end my post right there and it would be sufficient. But there is more :)
So that was the peak of the roller coaster. The amazing high that you get when you see Gods awesome power working in your life. But there have also been lows. Waiting... patiently and impatiently... waiting...waiting. We waited for 4 months for referrals....then we waited 4 months to have all of Marta's paperwork...then we waited to have both our cases submitted...then we waited for a court date... then we waited to book our flights because there was a chance that our court date might be moved up....and now we are waiting to travel to meet Stella and Benjamin...but even worse still is we will have to wait to bring them home...another 6-8 weeks after we meet them...waiting is so hard...
But the roller coaster is beginning to start up another hill!! We are going to be able to stay with Stella and Benjamin for 8 days in Ethiopia! We will leave on Monday December 14th and come home on December 24th. It was actually cheaper for us to stay longer then it was for us to only go for a few days! We actually saved almost $1000 dollars by staying 3 extra days! Which is more then OK with me! It does amaze me that flight cost can fluctuate that much. So my heart will be torn. We will be away from our baby Claire for 10 days...I have never even been away from her for 24 hours! But I will get to meet my beautiful children and spend 8 full days loving and enjoying every second I get with them, OUR COURT DATE IS DECEMBER 22ND!!! Please remember that day in your prayers! It is very crucial to our entire adoption process. That is the day we will go before the Ethiopian judge and they will review our case. If we pass court they will legally be our children. Then they will begin getting their birth certificates, passports, and visa information together. And then the day before Christmas we will leave them for about a month in a half. So please continue to pray for our family that we will all transition OK and that our hearts can handle what they are about to be put though. It is amazing how just knowing that people are praying for you can create a peace that only God can give!

It is adoption awarness month!

2010-11-04T07:28:00.008-05:00

SHOPPING WITH A PURPOSE!
The holidays are quickly approaching so I wanted to let you know of some opportunities to purchase some fabulous Christmas gifts with a purpose

www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com
Click on the big red ordinary hero button on the side bar of my blog.

This website is offering an amazing opportunity for adopting families to help raise money for their adoptions. We are still quite short on money to bring those two sweet babies home! They are selling awesome T-shirts! I actually have one of them. They would make great Christmas gifts or even just a good gift for yourself. We will get a huge chunk of the money made from the t shirt sale PLUS you will get a great T shirt!
If God is moving in your heart to help friends in need this is your chance. The reality to the fact is that we do not have enough money to being the babies home at this point...and that is scary. But we are trusting and praying that God will provide!
So what you do is:
go to the site
find a shirt you like
order it
and put Darin and Jolene Shrock in the "special note for seller" box.

We also still have our coffee fundraiser going on. You can click on the side bar where it says "Coffee Fundraiser." Coffee is a great gift!!!

I also at this time want to send a HUGE thank you to all of the people who have blown my mind with the financial help they have already provided. Individuals who have given to us what I would make working for a month!! And so many other who have brought tears to my eyes as they spontaneously gave when I know it hurt them to give so much!! Darin and I have truly been humbled and we are so thankful and greatful for the amazing support and LOVE we have felt through this adoption process.

I took this from my friends blog :)

2010-10-28T12:29:00.001-05:00

Perfectly said.....
So I wanted to share something that a long time client and dear friend said to me the other day that left me seriously just beaming, tears welling a bit in my eyes and thinking "Yes, Yes you are so right". We were talking of Ezra and how she came to us. She asked what we knew of her history and I said "We know nothing" and she said as she was walking out the door "Well, God does, He knows everything and he knew exactly what he was doing" with a lil wink and a big smile on her face she was off to enjoy the rest of her evening, and so was I.

We all know that God has a "plan" for us. God hand picks these children, and each child of every family has a different story, a different background-he knows exactly who will go with each family. Who knows-he may be "hand picking" one for you right now and you just don't know it. I'm glad that we do. I am stealing this quote from my girlfriends status from Facebook she posted the other day, and it couldn't be more perfect-

"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend that they are not real until you hold them in your arms. But once you do-everything changes"-David Platt

This is from my dear friends Meggan's blog

Update on Claire

2010-10-21T12:37:00.004-05:00

Claire Dollame is getting so big and she is growing up beautifully. I am so happy and bless to be called her mommy. A few things we have been working on is sleeping in an big girl bed, potty training, learning colors, counting to 5, saying please and thank you, and playing with lots of babies so she will know how to play and interact with Stella and Ben. I some times can not even believe how much I love her!

Last night she slept in her blow up Dora bed all by her self! I tucked her in, and checked on her a few times. And she slept in there until about 6. The picture of her hanging off the side of the bed was from last night. SO SO SO precious and cute. I told Darin I did not care if it woke her up I had to take a picture of her.
The rest of the pictures are from Kerchers Apple orchard.

Submitted!

2010-10-10T12:04:00.004-05:00

BIG BIG news this week! This is news we have been waiting for for 3 and a half LONG months! We have been submitted to court! This means that all of our paper work and both of our babies paper work is out of our agency's hands and in the hands of the Ethiopian courts! Praise God! I do not have much more to say except... Hallelujah!

I'm Baaack

2010-09-20T14:52:00.001-05:00

Again I want to start off this post by praising God. There has been so much growth in me spiritually in the past 6 weeks and I am so very thankful! Like the Veggie Tales song says, "A thankful heart is a happy heart." Even though nothing has changed in our adoption journey I have so much to be thankful and happy for! We accepted the referrals for Fikadu and Marta on June 29th. Fikadu had active TB when we accepted his referral and he was in the hospital. I am very happy to announce that he is out of the hospital and in the last video we got he was not coughing at all. From what I have read on TB it is normally a 6 month intensive antibiotic treatment, so in November he should be finished with his treatments! Praise God! Marta is growing beautifully she is healthy and so adorable! I already have such a bond and love for these 2 babies that sometimes when I think about them I feel like my heart could just leap right out of my chest!
I am going to do my best to organize my thoughts and pour out all that has happened since I have been "disconnected." I will start with events that have happened.
At the beginning of August I went to my very 1st concert!!!! The Jonas Brothers! I went with my little cousin Macy who is 10, my sister Justine and my mommy. We had so much fun and they actually put on a good show. I told Macy for her 8th birthday that when the Jonas Bro's come to town we are so there. Well they did not actually come to town for 2 more years, LOL she was still excited though!
On august 23rd we celebrated the one year anniversary of Claire Dollame's Gotcha Day! Darin got off work early and we spent some great time together as a family. That was a very emotional day, reflecting back on our trip to Ethiopia was very emotional. I would just burst into tears... not sad tears but well...emotional tears. :) I would look at her sitting in her car seat in the back of the van...she would smile at me when she saw me looking at her and I would giggle then cry. I feel truly bless to be called her mother. To have this sweet child call me Mommy is one of the greatest gifts from God. Then on the 28th which was actually one year from the time we landed in the States we celebrated with family and friends! We had a big party! Claire got all kinds of clothes, toys, and even her first coloring book and crayons. Which she is now totally into! Then we celebrated my mom's birthday on September 13th and Darin's birthday on the 16th. We also celebrated 5 year birthday for the salon where I work and have now worked at for 5 years!! That was a blast! :) My brother James had spine surgery on September 17th and he is recovering very well from that. He hurt himself while playing softball. He has always been accident prone. But this was his first surgery of any kind, and my mom was out of town, so Claire, my Dad, and I spend the day at the hospital with my big bro James. They had to go in from the front of his neck to get to his spine and put the nerve back in... I am not sure all of the specifics but it was pretty major surgery. Glad everything went OK!

I have read some outstanding books! My favorite and the one I feel the most connected to is called The Whole in Our Gospel. I wanted to post a little blurb from the book that touched me deeply.

" It starts with you. In the end, God simply calls you to be faithful to things He has given you to do. He doesn't require you to be a superstar, just faithful and obedient, by praying, loving, serving, giving, forgiving, healing, and caring-doing small things with great love."

Wow to me there was so much healing in that! And I believe that to be true! I was feeling so overwhelmed. Some of the things I saw in Ethiopia have haunted me! Truly I felt as tho there was nothing I could ever do to help. The problems seemed so big! But I realized that I was not put on this earth to be overwhelmed, depressed, and to the point where I did NOTHING for the country that has given me SO MUCH.(my children) I am here to be faithful to Gods calling on my life. Wow what amazing plans God has for each and every one of us if we will allow Him to live and work in us like that! I feel blessed to be used for God, for His glory whatever that looks like and where ever that takes us! Amen!

I'm Baaack

2010-09-20T13:06:00.004-05:00

Internet Hiatus

2010-08-12T21:06:00.002-05:00

Hiatus

I have decided to go on a 2 month internet hiatus. I have really been thinking about how to simplify my life lately and what things I can cut out so that I can stay focused on my purpose in this life. And I have realized that the internet soaks up a lot of my time!! I will get on the internet a few times a day…checking to see if I have an email from our adoption coordinator  which there rarely is! I will check face book or surf the web. Time that I could be using to read scripture, pray, clean my house better, cook, be more attentive to family and friends is spend on trying to get on the internet or mindlessly surfing the web.
The reason for 2 months is because as of right now the Ethiopian courts have closed and because of that we will hear nothing about our case for at least 2 months. So with that, if you need to get a hold of me you can give me a call or a text. I am very excited about this and I feel like disconnecting for a little while will be good for me and everyone around me!  Love you all! I will post an update sometime in October. Please remember to keep our family in your prayers.

VIDEOS!

2010-07-30T20:59:00.002-05:00

Because I can not post them yet I will go into detail about the most precious videos we received in the mail today. Our agency is amazing not only do they send tons of photos but we also get videos! WOW :) I will start with Stella Marta because she is now older the Benjamin LOL. When we were given the referral it was said that in the end on June she was 2 months old. But in the video that was taken mid July she was sitting unsupported for about 5-10 seconds! Clearly not something a 2 month old can do. So Sue our coordinator told me that Stella is more like 5 months old. Stella is not quick to smile...but who knows it could of been nap time :) She seems VERY short :) In the video they call her Marti I think it is adorable! Marti. She is very alert and aware of her surroundings. Her huge eyes are taking everything in and she is a very calm and easy baby. Still no hair :)
The next video I watched was of Benjamin. He is in the same orphanage that Claire was in. We sent over a care package that had pictures of Me, Darin, and Claire Dollame. And at one point in the video we can hear a mans voice ask. Is that Dollame? And Sue our coordinator says, "Yes. Fikadu will be Dollame's brother!" Then you can hear all of the nannies in the back ground and you can tell they are looking at Claire's picture and they are saying Dollame, Dollame and giggling! So very cool! But Ben is just a tiny little guy! The pictures are deceiving. He looks frail. But he has the gigantic smile! And he likes to smile a lot! :) Ben's eyes are so big! I keep telling everyone he is SO pretty! Several times I have had people ask me if he is the little girl. LOL we won't tell him that when he is older. He has huge cheeks and this skinny little neck. He does not have very good head control yet. And he can not be more then 9 or 10 lbs.
I was thinking about it today, Claire has a December birthday, if it is true that Stella is 5 months she will have a February birthday, and if it is true that Ben is 3 months old he will have a April birthday. So in the winter every 2 months we will have a birthday!! :) Claire is 14 and 16 months older then her sister and brother.
Another big this that has happened or I guess did not happen is that we did not get in before the Ethiopian courts closed. That is wonderful for the country of Ethiopia as it means that they are getting enough water for their crops, but it is not good for us. The Ethiopian courts will be closed for the next 2 months. They will not open back up until October. :...( and the last I heard we have not even been submitted to court yet! So that means that I will have nothing to report about our adoptions for the next 2 months.So now our time line looks a little more like this...
Court date sometime the end of October.
If we pass the 1st time we could be traveling the second week of December to bring home the babies. This is now our BEST case scenario. And that will make Stella 10 months old and Ben 8 months old. So please keep our babies in your prayers! And please keep us in your prayers that we may find patience and peace in these next few months. God Bless

SO EXCITING!

2010-07-18T14:45:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness! :) What a fun and exciting week it has been! We received some new pictures of Benjamin and Stella. They got the packages that we sent to them! We sent them each a blanket, outfit, a little stuffed toy and a plastic photo album of pictures of Darin me and Claire. It was so amazing to see them with their gifts from us! I wanted to take a little time to describe the babies since we can not post pictures yet!
Stella... I feel like her name is perfect for her! She has huge bright eyes, what little hair she does have as of right now appears to be straighter. I am sure as she gets older it will not be straight by any means but perhaps more curly rather then TIGHT SPIRAL curls like her sister Claire :) She has a sweet round face, a little button nose and nice full lips. Her medical report says she is 11 lbs. We have no pictures of her smiling yet, that may take some time because she is still only 2 and a half months. She is adorable and ohhh so cute!!!
Benjamin...He is still so tiny! The out fit we sent was 3 months and in the pictures they laid it on him because I am sure the out fit would of swallowed him up! It looked huge! He has eyes that are so big and round! His hair also appears to be straighter as if it will be more wavy instead of kinky curly. His lips...oh my goodness his lips they are only as wide as his nose lol but they are full and the most beautiful shade of light pink. But let me tell you when I first saw the picture of Ben with his HUGE smile my heart felt like it might leap right out of my chest and I burst into tears!
We are so excited to add these 2 PRECIOUS children to our family! We have a video of Benjamin. Claire ALWAYS want to watch it! She loves Benjamin and Stella or in her words... " brudder Ben." (brother Ben) and "tella" (Stella.)

A few more pictures

2010-07-10T17:21:00.004-05:00

I thought I would post a few pictures of this summer. We met the Loveday family who adopted 2 beautiful girls from CCI. CCI is the same agency that we adopted Claire from and the same agency that my friend Laurie is adopting Tariku from. Tariku and the Loveday's oldest daughter became friends at the orphanage in Kamashi and now can continue their friendship here in the states as their forever families will only live about 2 hours from each other!!

Some Summer Pictures

2010-07-10T16:50:00.002-05:00

In a bit of panic

2010-07-02T11:24:00.008-05:00

Overwhelmed...The excitement of accepting 2 referrals is quickly smothered by the reality of our financial situation. We normally are very private about $. But I feel as if I need to be very honest so that God can work. So here is the reality of our situation.
Darin is an attorney, but he was hired at a firm at the worst of economic times. I actually made more $ as a hairstylist then he is making as an attorney. With that said I am now working 2 days a week so I can stay home with Claire. So we actually are making about as much $ now as we were when Darin was still in school and I was working full time. But now we are on family insurance which is as high as our mortgage, Darin's school loans are also like another mortgage payment for us. We are able to make it monthly. The $ made for these adoptions is coming mostly from fund raising. We had a garage sale a month ago. We basically sold everything in our house that is not of use to us daily. Home decor, clothes, toys, wall hangings, our spare bedroom stuff, books, extra TV's, all of our DVD's, and a lot of stuff people donated, we sold! We made enough for one flight to Ethiopia, but this time we need 4 flights! We are going to have another sale this fall, one last push before we bring them home but to be honest unless we sell our furniture I do not know what else we can sell. LOL But we will try.We also sold T-shirts again that brought in a couple hundred $.
Here is the amazing part of this. Darin and I like to think that we are pretty responsible people. And that we do not just do things with out thinking them forward and backwards. But when it came to these adoptions we basically had zero $. But we both knew God was asking for us to put our faith in Him. And He has shown Himself already through the money we have already raised. We know that God would not let us get this far and then not pull us through. We, as of right now, do not have the money to bring our children home. I know God is about to move a mountain through His people. Please be in prayer for our family!

Now here is a run down of our adoption costs.

Agency fee's ...PAID

$14,000 in country fees..we just sent a check for $7,000 yesterday. The other $7,000 will need to be paid after we pass court and the babies are legally ours. So 7,000 of the $14,000 is PAID

$10,000 for travel...this is where we are not sure where the $ is going to come from.

If you have ever felt the need to help support orphaned children now is your chance. You will be helping bring 2 babies into a loving home. Please prayerfully consider helping. I am humbly asking. Our family is depending on your help.

http://www.onehundredgoodwishes.com/family/JoleneShrock

On the side bar of my blog you can click on the good wish page to donate or click this link.
Just a side note if you are reading this and you have any fund raising ideas I would love to know about them.
God Bless
Jolene