Please consider supporting us through Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries

Stephen here. So no big news, still waiting. Just thought we would post a little update. We are STILL waiting on the Child History. We have now officially been waiting 308 days for this. Once we get this, we are told things can go much quicker. We did get news that there is a Thai volunteer that sees him at the Babies Home on a weekly basis and she has agreed to start teaching him some English words and showing him pictures of his "mommy" and "daddy". We are very happy to know they will be doing that for him. Angela is ahead of me in her lessons of Rosetta Stone - Thai Level One, so I need to get cracking.

On another note, we wanted to tell you about a ministry we are involved with called Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries. They have agreed to serve as a means to gather financial support towards our adoption expenses. You can give by check or online and your gift is tax-deductible, and then funds are disbursed to our expenses. In order for the gift to be tax deductible, our names cannot be written on the checks. A post-it or additional note would suffice. No gift is too small and we appreciate those of you who have already given. We have raised about $2,100 so far through this method. We can also send you a brochure if you would like, just let us know. Here is their address and link to give online:

Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries
Attn: Donna Bost
1417 North Lincoln Street
Spokane, WA 99201

https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=308208&websiteurl=http://www.kingdomkidsadoption.org&siteid=2387

We hope to be able to post pictures soon. Just not sure when/if that will be allowed. I believe we will have to make the blog private, so watch for notification of when that happens. We know this is a very busy time for you all, and thank you for considering us in your giving this year. We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas with your family. Please continue to keep up with us during the process. We really are blessed for all of your love, prayers, and encouragement.

A CHRISTmas gift from the grandparents!

Yesterday we mailed out our second package to our little man. But this time, the gifts were from Max's grandparents! They all wanted to make him a very special part of Christmas this year. There will be lots of gifts around the tree for him that Stephen and I will get to enjoy opening, but they wanted to make sure he got a little something to open himself. Isn't the t-shirt awesome (it says "My Mom & Dad)?! We weren't sure if the staff would allow him to wear it or not, so we had two made just in case and that way he'll have one here at home as a keepsake. We also made sure to include a football for him. Stephen is soooo excited to one day share his love of the game with Max. I can't wait to see the two of them tossing the ball around in the backyard (make it soon Lord!!!) We all know that Max may never remember receiving these gifts, and that there is very real chance that they may all get lost in the shuffle at the baby's home and not return home here with him, but that's okay. We want Max to know when he looks back at this blog, that his WHOLE family loves him beyond belief and that without a doubt he is a very real part of all of us. We are SUPER excited and finding comfort in the hope that this should be our last Christmas spent apart!!!!

Wisconsin = BEAUTIFUL

So, I admit, when my schedule worked out that I was able to join Stephen on a business trip, I was pumped....but then I found out the trip was to Wisconsin! Wisconsin?! Why couldn't it be one of his trip to LA or Florida?! But, my apologies to Wisconsin. It was awesome! We spent most of our time in Door County, the peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan, and it was incredible. The leaves were still on the trees and the colors were beyond words. Who knew a place like that existed so far north? We had a fabulous time, met some great people, and got to relax a bit. For those who are looking for a fun getaway, its perfect. Quaint streets with little shops and B&B's along the water. Perfect!

On the adoption front.......well nothing new. Our social worker is on vacation (which I suppose she's entitled to!!) so we won't be hearing anything for sure until she gets back in another week or so.

My awesome husband got me some really great stuff for my b-day and once I get the pictures together from that I'll be sure to post them. Now, we're off to Ohio for the weekend to spend some time with our super awesome friends. Can't wait!

Our little Aggie, class of 2029!!!!

Stephen, proud papa that he is, got his little man some new football watching gear. The white t-shirt says "I may be little but I'm a BIG Aggie fan." and the maroon one says "Start 'em young, raise 'em right, aTm" He was so pumped when they came in the mail. Can't wait for my two favorite guys to finally get to hang out!

Surprise!!!

This past Thursday night was AWESOME!!!! I headed to the church office, expecting praise team practice and was totally surprised by a shower for Max!! There was cake (totally delicious and made by Dawnetta!!)and lots of gifts!!!! Look at all this stuff!

We got a car seat, tons of toys, super cute clothes and the Rosetta Stone in Thai (thanks Michael and Rachael!)




Max's room is really starting to fill up!!

My incredibly talented sister-in-law (and super proud aunt, might I add!) Made the cutest shirts for Max and Noah (my nephew). Aren't they adorable?!?!? Can't wait to see the boys side by side wearing these!

HUGE thank you to the praise team (especially Jon and Debbie for organizing everything). You guys are AWESOME!!

Nesting at its finest!

So, we had a super fun day painting Max's room. We've still got lots to do, but we're really happy with the color. The curtain's were a last minute purchase, and I think I like them! Now I've got to press them because they look a mess!!! Our plans still in the works include, a new ceiling fan, staining the dresser to match the bed (that Stephen's dad built!), finding some fun things to put on the walls, and a toy box that my dad is going to build that will match the bed too!!! This morning when I got up, it was so fun to walk past his room and see his little bed there! It makes it all feel so much more real. Can't wait to have him home!

A present for our little man!!!

Tonight Stephen and I went out and bought Max a few things to send along with his photo album. It was so much fun! Of course, we had to watch ourselves, I think we were tempted to buy the whole store. Our social worker reminded us to keep things small and simple for now. So, that's what we did. He's now got a toy truck, a book with simple English words, a coloring book, a super cute truck t-shirt, and a bear to snuggle with. And, of course, the thing that excites us the most is that Max will now have pictures of his mom and dad!!!

I also have to take a little time to brag on my awesome husband a little bit. Since we set out on this journey of adoption, I have been looking forward to the day that we got to share our news with our awesome church family. I thought we would have to postpone the big announcement until next week since Stephen had to be on campus this weekend for work. Well, Stephen pulled some strings at work and planned the big reveal with our pastor without me knowing! It was the coolest thing. Our beautiful little boy's face up on our big projector screen and the pure joy and support of our whole church family. It was awesome!!!!! And sooooo emotional. I feel like all week all I've done is cried tears of joy. Its been great!

Now for Stephen's birthday tomorrow! He wants to spend the day painting Max's room. What an awesome dad! We're going with blue, and we've chosen the cutest bedding. I'll be sure to post pictures when we're done!

Stephen and Angie

And then there were three...

So....I finally get to post the blog Stephen and I have been praying for for what seems like forever!!! We are so excited to let all of you know that we have a son!!!!!!!!!! His name is Max (after Stephen's awesome dad) and he was born August 29, 2007. He is currently living in a baby's home in Thailand, and from all the picture's we've received, he looks like he's doing great. Thailand asks that adoptive families not post pictures of the children online, and we want to respect their wishes. So, unfortunately we can't share his super cute face with you right now. We will however have pictures with us at all times (just like all proud parents do!) and would LOVE to show him off any chance we get!

At this point, we don't have a ton of info on Max, but here's what we do know. He was born with a cleft lip and he had that repaired in January of this year. We've seen both the before and after pictures and we have to say, those Dr.'s in Thailand did an awesome job!! He'll still need a few corrective surgeries here in the US, but that's nothing we can't handle! Otherwise, Max is totally healthy from what we've seen. Our social worker has been super helpful and she even sent us a copy of his medical records. Some of it was in Thai, but what was in English told us that his heart, lungs, eyes, and ears all check out!! He's average weight (28 lbs) and slightly above average height (34 inches). We're told that Max is super sweet and kind of shy with strangers. Our social worker actually just returned from Thailand and she got to visit with him a little. We're soooo jealous!

Just like before we received this awesome news, we now have to be prepared for more waiting. Now all of Max's paperwork has to be prepared and matched with all of our paperwork before we can look towards getting a travel date. There are more official documents that have to be completed along the way but we won't bore you with all those details!

Stephen and I are putting together a photo album that will be mailed to Max with our photos in it. This way he can hopefully become familiar with his mom and dad's faces before we meet him.

We have no idea how long the wait will be at this point, but that's okay. We have a son, and God is soooo good!!!!! Thank you all again for all of your words of encouragement and prayers. This journey has been hard at times, but it has been so comforting to be able to share it with all of you. Please, please, please continue to pray for Stephen and I as we begin truly preparing to be mom and dad. Also please pray that we are able to find the finances to bring this little guy home. And, just as importantly, please be praying for Max. Pray for his health, his happiness, and that God would begin preparing his heart for the day we meet!!!

Slowly but Surely

Hi Everyone! We are really sorry its been so long since we've blogged. We haven't had much excitement on the adoption front until recently. We found out this week that our dossier has made it to Thailand!!! God has just really blessed us with a speedy process. We were under the impression that our dossier wouldn't even be mailed until we completed our paperwork with immigration, but much to our excitement, we were able to proceed! Speaking of immigration, we heard from them this week too ( we were anticipating another 6-8 week wait)!!! Stephen and I go to St. Louis on Monday to get our final set of fingerprints. This is huge believe it or not! This is the final, and we mean final, step in the process as far as what we need to complete. Once we get this done, all we have to do is wait.......and wait........to be matched!!!!! We're still hoping to have the name and picture of our child by the end of the year, and travel in 2010. So, we've got some serious waiting ahead of us. But, its a comfort to know that all of our paperwork has reached Thailand. Please pray for us, and for patience through the home stretch. So far, our patience hasn't been tested much, everything has truly been moving along so quickly. But now is where it gets hard. And for those of you who don't already know this...I'm not the most patient person.....especially when it comes to being a mom!!!

Baby Kull's first Christmas (in our hearts)!

Happy New Year everyone!

We have always known how awesome our family and friends are, but this Christmas we were very reminded of all the love and support we've been blessed with. On Christmas morning, we had as many gifts to open for Baby Kull as we did for ourselves! The t-shirt we got is from my parents and I can't wait to wear it! They also got us an awesome baby book that is for adopted children, and its great. There's a place for us to write about Stephen and I as a couple and why we chose adoption, and there's spots to put picture of all the baby's first. And they aren't your typical firsts like "first step" (our child will likely already be walking) but there are things like "first family holiday together" and "first birthday celebrated as a family" I can't wait to fill it up! My parents also got Baby Doo (Stephen and I decided we needed a nickname to call our baby, and its a long story, but that's what we came up with) a Little Tykes Noah's Ark, complete with all the animals. Its the baby's first toy, and I can't wait for them to play with it! And we got some books that I think will really help us build our baby's vocab.

Stephen's sister Virginia crocheted us this BEAUTIFUL blue blanket and I don't know if she intended for it to go in the nursery but we think it will look perfect there! Stephen's cousins Mark and Heidi got us two Thai cookbooks that I can't wait to use! I'm a little nervous, seeing as how traditional recipes don't always turn out so good for me, but I am definitely up for the challenge!

My brother and sister in law made us the wall hanging that says "A match made in heaven." I can't believe how creative Rachael is. She is definitely going to come in handy when we decorate the nursery!!! We also received a letter from our future baby, complete with an authentic return address from an orphanage in Thailand. We received the letter on Christmas eve and both Stephen and I cried when we read the words, telling us how much our child is looking forward to meeting us and how they already feel our love for them. I hope Michael and Rachael know how much that letter meant to us. It also came with key chains that say "Someone in Thailand loves me" and we are proudly carrying them with us!

My grandma also sent us a blanket and a super cute "lovey". Its a green and white dog and Stephen and I have already decided that it will be the first thing we put in our first care package to our baby. We are encouraged to send things to our baby once we received their name, that way they have things from us, and things of there own that they can bring with them here. I'm excited to hold that stuffed animal and think someday our child might hold it as they fall asleep!

The second picture is our nursery as it is now. We've decided not to buy any furniture or decorate completely. We really want to make that room special and individualized for our baby, so we'll wait until we get our referral. But, its been absolutely impossible to pass by the baby section and not splurge once in a while.

We also just want to say a special thank you to those who gave us special, heartfelt gifts towards our adoption fund. We never expected to receive such generous donations, but please know that your gift means soooooo much and we can never say thank you enough.

Happy New Year everyone and we pray God will bless you abundantly! We love you!