Auction Approaching!

Okay, so tonight I'm finishing our 3 Day "Adoption Auction" post for tomorrow.  Gathering all the info, taking lots of pics, pricing, etc.  We've had several generous people donate their talents, services, and items for auction.  We are so blessed and humbled by this.  We can't wait to share with you all that we have to offer!


When exactly are we holding the auction?  I will post all of the auction items on this blog (in separate entries) tomorrow.  You can peek, but you cannot bid until the start time. ;)  "The Adoption Auction" will start tomorrow night, Thursday, March 1st at 9:00 p.m. and end at 9:00 p.m on Sunday, March 4th (Hotlanta Eastern time). To bid, you will post a comment underneath the item for which you are bidding.  I'll tell more details tomorrow.  Simply put, when time's up...highest bid wins!


Would you do us a favor? Tomorrow, when I post the "Adoption Auction", will you please share it with your friends, family, email, twitter, Facebook, small group, etc?  The more people know about it, the more likely this auction will be successful....which means more funds for our crazy expensive adoption journey!


Sneak peek:
We have a tempting Scentsy basket, several hand-painted canvases, a huge family game night basket, a voucher for a mobile petting zoo (including ponies & other fun things!), several Atlanta Hawks tickets, hand created one-of-a-kind stationary, a custom piece of Subway art on canvas, an adorable personalized burp cloth, bib, & onesie set, a beautiful handmade blanket...


* Of course, think of what you might like.  But, also, think of your wife, sister, friend, mother-in-law, child's birthday, baby shower, date night or gift for your guy, child's teacher, or co-worker.  If you're going to buy them a gift anyway, why not get a good deal & support a good cause at the same time?  *My attempt at a sales pitch.  Is it working?*

Thanks so much for your support.  

I'll post the blog during the day tomorrow so you can help spread the word. 

Thank you!!!

~ 6 in Love ~

So, our Mommy is not all that good w/ sales.  

So, will you do it for US?

Or what about US?

Adoption Auction Reminder

Hey everyone! 


Don't forget to let everyone know about our upcoming Adoption Auction.  It will be held on this blog, beginning this Thursday, March 1st.  I will post more info and details in the next day or two, so check back.  Thanks for your help in spreading the word!  We're looking forward to raising more funds towards the adoption of our two Honduran babies.  One step closer to bringing them home! 


* Oh, and if anyone has any last minute item they want to donate to the auction, we'll gladly accept!!  =)  

Thanks so much!

~ 6 in Love ~ 

It's All For Them

It's all for them.  Thinking of our little ones today.  

Children like this:

and this:

They are in my heart always.  I can't wait to meet them.

~ 6 in Love ~

Almost There

Okay, so we're rounding out our pair of crazy weeks.  Birthdays & holidays over for a while.  I think I'm in the clear, when we find out that...

My younger brother is getting married in less than a month!  Fast, but oh so fun! 

Aren't they cute?: 

So, I'm happy to add wedding to-do's on my list.  Can't wait!  Tomorrow they're letting me take some 'Engagement pictures"...so fun.  

Anyway, so besides that, we're still juggling a lot of "Adoption" work:

(1) Paperwork seems never-ending.  Hoping to be done with this section this week, because we all have our physicals next week.  Then we could put it all in the mail & keep the ball rolling!  In order for us to be able to submit these sections of paperwork- and move to the next 'adoption step', we need $300 for the app fee & $900 fee for 1/2 of homestudy up front.  So, here comes the 'math': that's $1200 to send with the paperwork.  We have currently fundraised/been donated a total (as of today) of $825!!!  Wow, thanks friends!  So...continued math lesson... that means that we need only $375 before we can mail these 2 sets of paperwork in!  If we're hoping to get that in the mail at the end next week, that's kind of fast.  But, we know it's possible!  

(2) We have already had 3 sippy cups returned for Sippys 4 Siblings!  I'm so impressed...thank you!  *Sidenote: I was dropping G off her church class on Sunday, when I comment to the young man working how sweet the "Sippys 4 Siblings" display is.  He offers me a cup, to which I turn the picture of the flyer around and say, "No, this is us!" Haha, we both laughed.  He proceeded to tell me that the counter was FULL, and that the 5 cups I saw on display were the ONLY ones left!  He said parents were taking them left & right.  Oh my gosh, I had no idea!  So, church family, thank you so, so much.  We really appreciate you!

(3) The Adoption Auction is quickly approaching!  Earlier I announced that our first Adoption Auction online fundraiser will begin next week, on March 1st.  As of now, we have had 8 generous people donate items to our auction!  I am thrilled with what we have to offer. * However, I was hoping to receive a few more things before the auction begins.  So, this is the last week if you have an item that you'd like to donate...please just comment on here or send me an email: peachzyo@hotmail.com  * The second part of this is that we really need to get the word out about the Adoption Auction, so we can reach the most people.  So, if you can, please share our information & blog to others you think may be interested in bidding on items & helping us bring our babies home!  **As I mentioned in a previous post, I'd love to advertise the business/persons donating the item.  I can list their name, number, website, a short description, etc. when I post the item for auction!

Just a few of the items you will find at our auction 

in a few days: 

A rarity: handmade one-of-a-kind envelopes!

Several of these!

A piece of Subway art, printed on canvas, and customized just for YOU!

The maker of the above cuteness has promised a *custom* bib, burp cloth, & onesie set!  

More details to come.  

Finally, recent randomness from our life:

Took Cuban Daddy out for his birthday lunch

Yummy cake! (or so I hear...doh)

Watching the big doggies in the backyard.  

Speaking of, we are really needing to find our sweet, friendly rescued, mix-breed (brother/sister by adoption) dogs a new home.  They are 7 (blonde, male) & 5 (brown, female) years old. There are too many reasons to list right  now.  But they are amazing, loving dogs & great with people.  They have lived their lives together & we want them to stay together. If you or someone you know is interested, please let me know!

 And, yes, I realize that it is completely ridiculous that they are wearing human vests.  But aren't they cute?!


And I'm serious about needing to find them a loving home.

Pretty please?

G decided that it was a perfect day (& it was!) for a picnic.  She found the perfect spot, I made a quick dinner, & then we were back outside to enjoy this amazing *February* weather.  Here are the kids: eating pasta & veggies, enjoying the sunset, listening to birds (& translating their 'conversations'...funny stuff), waving to neighbors, & finding airplanes in the sky.  

I love times like this.  

Fun on our riding toys.  

K got 3 months of gymnastics classes for his birthday!  This was taken at his first class...

which he LOVED!

Saving the best for last?  This is G's drawing on Cuban Daddy's birthday card.  From left to right:

K, Cuban Daddy, G...and God & Jesus.  So glad They were there! ;)  

Not sure where Mommy was though...yikes.

Summary, friends: (Former teacher- I just can't help myself):

* We are $375 away from being able to mail in our packets of paperwork!
* Thanks for working on your Sippys

* Still collecting Adoption Auction items...need to get those in soon.  It begins next week!

* Please help spread the word about our adoption journey...and our upcoming Auction!

* Adorable pair of doggies in need of a loving home soon.

I have mentioned once or twice that I'm in love with these two, right?!

Thanks for all of the love and support.  We are humbled & blessed.

~ 6 in Love ~

Heart Walking

We've had an exciting week at our house!  Within one week span, we celebrate Valentine's Day, K's 2nd Birthday, & Cuban Daddy's Birthday too (in a couple of days)!  So, this mama is just about planned...and cupcaked...out!  (Especially since I'm making all the yummy food...and not enjoying any of it! Explanation pic to come.)   This blog is an "Adoption" blog, but it's also about our personal journey along the way.  Sometime I will post "adoption", sometimes "personal," and sometimes it will be how the two relate.  

Valentine's this year has been really fun. As I thought about it, I realize that the saying is true.  Your children really are your heart walking outside your body.  My, oh my, how I love these guys!!!

G & K on Valentines' morning, opening their little gifts from Mommy & Daddy.  K's fav- a "brrrun, brrrun" (aka motorcycle).  G's fav- a "tiny" baby just like she wanted. *And yes, they haven't even had breakfast, but she's decked out in dress up clothes. 

Valentine's to hand out!  How cute is this idea I stole from Pintrest?  G loved making these for her classmates. 

With my angel at her school party 

Cuban Daddy & I usually go out to dinner just us for Valentine's...nothing super special, we are low key.  Time alone is rare, but we love it when we do!  This year, though, we both had the idea to take G & K with us.  So, we headed out to a yummy Italian place!  G & K seemed to love the bread here as much as Cuban Daddy!  The kids brought their 'tiny' babies with them to keep them occupied at dinner.  Here they are talking to each other:

Their idea to pose behind the bench w/ their babies (*I couldn't get them to look for anything). 

Still hoping for a cute Valentine's pic of our little dates: not happening.  Don't worry, after such intense outcry, they were released from picture duty to do what they really wanted to: walk the 'balance beam' they are sitting on.  

After taking pics, I realized something.  Maybe our two Honduran babies were represented with us tonight (G & K's 'tiny' baby dolls!).  I mean, tonight is all about love.  And although we don't know them yet, they already have our love.  Silly as it may sound, I was excited 'they' were there tonight! And that leaves me to wonder their gender... these two are 1 boy, 1 girl.  G claims that she's getting another brother and sister, so we shall see if she's right!  I'm trying to warn her that that may not be the case, though!  Here we are with our 'babies'. ;)

Finally got that Valentine's pic I wanted.  

G being a super proud big sister at her school Valentine's party:

And what I made for my Valentine: I took his favorite T-shirt (The first gift I ever gave him.  I brought it back from studying abroad.  We were 'just friends' at the time, but the emails he wrote while I was away had me running to the internet cafes daily.  I made him work hard, but his charm won me over!)  Anyways, the other day, he was getting super buff at the gym and ripped it beyond repair.  I didn't want to toss it, so made this little pillow out of it.  

Happy Valentine's, Baby!  

I can't believe that my baby is TWO!?  How that happened since I just delivered him yesterday, I have no idea.  Wow, he is such a joy.  He is the happiest kid around.  Smiling & bringing smiles to all that he meets...all the time.  Such a friendly, sweet little guy.  He's extremely active, already very coordinated, and into everything!  He begs everyone to "wrestle," and this delights his Daddy, Popi, and Uncles, considering they ALL wrestled.  Now's a good time to embarrass Cuban Daddy by mentioning he was a State Champion. He'll love me for that.  Anyways, K is also so very loving.  You can't leave with hugs & kisses!  He's super smart, speaking really well lately, learning quickly, & finding even more things to climb on. He loves his "Sissy Pie" to pieces and always tries to copy her.  He's a bit of a pickier eater than Sissy, but when he's hungry...he's *hungry*!  I wanted to make his weekday birthday fun, even though his party was on the weekend, so I took him on a day date, just the two of us.  

First up: (Remember the 'biscuits' promised to our sweet Honduran babies?) Well, they are K's favorite breakfast, so we had to go get one after dropping G at school.  

Next up: a place that we love.  Very appropriate since he loves trains...and is having a train party.  Fun place to walk around & find stuff to get into... So we did.  

That's my happy boy!

We met Cuban Daddy for lunch!  K getting Daddy to blow his mac 'n cheese, 
because it's "vewy hot."

Choo choo party, here we come!  *Sorry, took all the party pics with my Nikon, so don't have those uploaded yet.  I made my first cupcake cake for his party, and although it wasn't near perfect, it turned out a lot better than I (& probably everyone else) had expected!  I mean, I didn't remember until recently that we owned a mixer.  And, let's just say, Cuban Daddy took over mixing this night, seeing as I forgot 1 of the 4 key ingredients & almost burnt up the mixer.  
Sorry, Honduran babies, your Mama's not a baker.  
But I can order from Publix like nobody's business.

A few random things from this week:

At K's birthday party, an amazing couple of friends brought us this!  Our first full sippy cup for Sippys 4 Siblings!  Yay!  They are fast...wow!

Remember peeling the little oranges I mentioned in the Promises for Days Like Today blog entry? Well, I bought some more mandarins (they were on sale), and boy was this guy happy!

I love seeing my babies' creative minds at work.  G created this at school.  I love it!  

*So here's one of those times where I think about #3 & #4.  I wonder about their birth family. I  wonder about  what they've been through.  And I am sad.  But then I think about the Daddy...and the family...that they are going to have.  And I think about they life they are going to have.  I think about how loved they will be.  

I think about the future when one day, they will make drawings like this:

Speaking of Mr. Wonderful, here's a cute pic I snapped tonight.  I walked in to tuck G in after they had storytime.  Only one of them is fake sleeping.  Can you tell which one?!

Finally, in reference to cupcakes earlier, I am on Day 20 of a 30 day Challenge I'm competing in (against no one but myself).  I've lost 11 lbs.  Cut out all sugar & all that turns into sugar.  Very limited dairy.  No fruits except berries, green apples, & coconuts.  Lots and lots of greens.  And no Dr. Pepper.  Jesus help me.  I'm working out almost every day.  I feel much healthier & am happy to make this my new habit. 

Thanks so much to everyone who has continued to donate to our Adoption Auction!  Since I last posted, I have received promises of a couple more donations.  We still need more for this to really be as big as we had hoped!  So, anyone out there they would like to donate an item to our online auction beginning March 1st, please let me know!

Off to workout & clean up an after-party disaster.

~ 6 in Love ~

Updates

Okay guys, so lots of updates to talk about today!

(1) Adoption Auction

           Since I first posted about this a few days ago, I have already had several generous offers for donations for our Adoption Auction!  I wanted to let everyone know more about our upcoming online auction to raise money for our enormous adoption fees.  A few of you have asked when it will begin.  We have set a date!  The Adoption Auction will begin Thursday, March 1st.  I am thinking we may do one item per day, but I'm not 100% on that.  We have already received promises (due to arrive at my house in the next couple of weeks) of the following donations (a little teaser) in no particular order:  Several Atlanta Hawks' game tickets, a Scentsy basket, a family game night basket, handmade one-of-a-kind stationary, another handmade goody, and a custom piece of Subway art!  I may throw in a canvas or two of my own art as well.  I am so appreciative to all that have donated already...thank you!!

            I will accept donations for the auction all the way up til the auction. So, if you or someone you know could make or own or can get a hold of something that we could auction off, we'd be so grateful!  Another idea -which I will be doing as well- is to ask your favorite local place (restaurant, store, theatre, etc) that you frequent or 'know' someone at if they would be willing to donate an item or a gift card for our cause.  It doesn't hurt to ask, right?  Remind them that I will ADVERTISE their information along with the item being auctioned.  And of course, make sure they know their contributions will literally help two orphans from Honduras have a forever family!  

            If you are interested in donating, or have a question about the auction, feel free to email me at peachzyo@hotmail.com.  Thanks, friends!

(2) Paperwork Meltdown

            Okay, so I nearly *lost it* the end of this past week.  All over paperwork.  Oh, and communication.   I'm sure it won't be the first time.  But, boy was it ever frustrating. I can feel a knot forming between my shoulders as I recall it now.  I would like to say, "Here's the short version," but I make no promises.   This paperwork is a mountain.  It's a beast.  I've heard more than one adoptive parent tell me that this is the toughest part of the whole process.  (I'm guessing fundraising as well?)  So, anyway, we have one agency that we are working with to do the adoption (Dillon/Buckner).  We will communicate with them throughout the whole process.  The other agency is a local one that will complete our Home Study.  The gist of the problem last week: one was telling me one thing, the other telling me another.  And it was over an important matter, and involved whether or not we'd have to wait more than 8 weeks longer to complete a certain step/get approved.  Anyway, that's TWO months longer than we had expected to have to wait before getting on the waiting list to bring our babies home.  It was all very, very confusing, and I won't bore you w/ the details.  I can hardly keep them straight in my own head, so I won't cloud yours. ;)  But I was having a hard time figuring out what exactly was correct information, what they wanted, what I had to do first, when certain things were due, what amounts were needed first, etc.  It was a maddening couple of days.  (Which could have contributed to my near breakdown in the chiropractor's office this morning.  Poor guy became a counselor too. Did I mention this month of Feb. I'm doing a new diet/exercise program? Well I am.  And I haven't had sugar or dairy or LOTS of other things in 2 weeks?  And I've lost 8 lbs so far.  Yay me!)  Moving on.  So FINALLY I was able to talk to our homestudy agency, who revealed that it was a miscommunication & unfamiliarity of a certain way that GA does things.  She was so kind & helpful (& eased my stress....guess she could sense it on the phone?!), and she called Dillon/Bucker on her own, figured it out, and called me right back to set it all straight.  Ahh, what a God send!  Finally an answer to the riddle.  

            So the solved riddle provided both encouragement and discouragement.  How is that possible?  The encouraging part is that we do NOT have to wait the additional 8 weeks to get something approved we thought we did.  Yes!  (The faster we get on that list, the faster we can rescue our orphans).  The discouraging part is that although we don't have to wait, we do have to do another step faster than what we originally thought, making some of the payments due earlier than we thought.  Yikes!  

            That brings me to my next point...

(3) Funds (!)

         Awesome news: we've raised over $500 since our adoption announcement at the end of January!  Thank you all so much for your help.  We could NOT do this without you.  Thank you family, friends, and several complete strangers who have heard our story through friends' blogs & Facebook pages!  We appreciate every single donation.  

       I think since you all are helping, you deserve to know what the money is going towards! =)  We have already paid a $50 App #1 fee.  We have bought sippys, labels, envelopes, stamps, etc. for the Sippys 4 Siblings start up.  We are working on completing App #2, and upon mailing that paperwork (ideally w/in a week or two), we will send a $300 check.  *This has to do with the confusion in (2)... Then, we have to do our Home Study paperwork & mail them a check for $900.  Few little fees not calculated in getting through paperwork, fingerprinting, documents, etc. as well.  Then once the Home Study paperwork is in, and we're in the system, they will do a step for us.  Only THEN can we be approved for App # 2.  After that approval, we owe $3500.  Big one.  Then we complete the home study (takes a few weeks) & owe another $900 to them & another $3500 to Buckner.  <There's more after that, but we'll stop there for now.>  

        So, yeah, I don't know about other people, but that's a lot of money...really fast...for us.  And the hard part is knowing that we can only do the paperwork as fast as we can raise the money.  So, at this point, we're not waiting on paperwork.  We're waiting...and trusting God...and raising money.  It's hard to think that there are babies...children... in orphanages all over this world, waiting for their parents to raise the money to bring them home.  We're just one of those stories. We're just one of those families.  But they are as real to us as ever, and so we will work hard and do all that we can to get them home as soon as possible.  

          So that's the $ update. 

(4) Reminder of Fundraisers:

       * Sippys 4 Siblings- We've had an amazing response with SO many willing families!  If you are hearing about this for the first time and want to participate, send me your address & I'll happily mail you a sippy cup. You then just fill it with your spare change & then mail it back to us! (Or we can meet if local).  Some of you are using your own sippy cups, and that works too! -There's no current time limit on this on-going fundraiser.

        * Adoption Auction- See info in (1)

        * T-Shirts! - We are hoping to have T-shirts created, printed, and ready for purchase by March!  I'm designing "Adoption" tees, so look for those soon!  Is it silly I can't wait to wear one? For those of you who don't know me personally, I wear T-shirts. Every. Day.  I'd say, "Poor Cuban Daddy." But I wore them when we met in college eleven years ago & haven't stopped, so he knew what he was getting into.   Eleven years ago?  Geez, I must have been like, what, 10, then?? ;)

         * It is **possible** that we will try to squeeze our (ginormous?!) yard sale in the end of March.  I'll keep you posted.  

(5) Thanks.  That's just it.  Thank you all so much for your support.  For sharing our story (email, twitter, Facebook, word of  mouth...). For participating in fundraisers.  For your prayers which are so needed.  For your words of encouragement.  We are grateful for you.

After reading ALL of that boring stuff, 

you deserve a few pics of G & K:

Math Question: Does doubling the number of children in a family automatically double the number of 

"Little People"?  We may need a bigger house...

I love my babies.  They love theirs.

Get used to our front door.  It's the go-to back drop when Mommy wants a pic on the way to or from somewhere. And the sweeties are usually happy to oblige. ;) *Not looking so 'happy' here though...Ha.

Donuts with (Cuban) Daddy at school...they were so excited!

  My lunch date!

Yours truly

~ 6 in Love ~