Merry Christmas!

Just a quick entry to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Here's to good health in 2006! I know that's what the entire Harrell family is praying for in the new year. We have had a lot of sickness in the family this year. From me....to Todd's step-father......and now Todd's niece, Kelly Anne. She has cystic fibrosis and is back in the hospital with an infection for the second time in two weeks. When you say your prayers at night, please remember her name and pray for a quick recovery for her. She is 10 years old and we are scared that she may not get out of the hospital by Christmas. Thank you.

GOD BLESS!!

The Harrell Family

Brandon is now 5 years old and having a ball in Kindergarten! His last report card said that he is progressing well academically but would rather socialize with his friends than listen to his teacher during group time. He is so much like his mama!! Carson is now 2 1/2 years old and is a little stinker! He has tons of personality and makes us laugh all the time. Being a mama to them is so much fun and I can't wait to be a mama to a little girl!

Here He Goes!

Here's Brandon getting baptized. He was so excited. When the pastor asked him if he wanted to go first, he immediately said, "yes". I was so excited that I cried! 

Brandon's Baptism Day

November 27th...Brandon gets baptized by immersion. Todd was able to be in the baptismal with Brandon since he is a yolkfellow (or, a deacon in training). I know it was an honor for Todd to be able to participate and something that he will never forget.

We Have An Agency Picked Out!!

Well, we went to our meeting at Coordinators 2 last Tuesday. It was very informative and we decided to use them for our adoption. We really liked the social worker who conducted the meeting. She was adopted as an infant and was a birth mother herself almost 25 years ago...having given her own son up for adoption. She was able to talk with us from both perspectives which was very interesting. There were about six other couples there, all either interested in adopting from the US or from China/Guatemala. Even after reading everything I have online, I learned a few new things myself. I know that Todd learned a lot, too. The next step for us is to submit our application. This includes basic information about us along with a list of references. We are now contacting those people we want to be references for us just to be sure it's okay with them. We are going to wait until after the first of the year to submit the application, however, because there is a $150 application fee (due when we submit the application) along with another $1800 for the home study fees and $1000 for what they call the post-placement supervision fees which will be due about 60 days following submitting our application. We need to be sure we will have that money when we need it before we submit an application. That's all the news from here! I hope this finds everyone well. And, thanks for visiting our site! God bless and have a Merry Christmas!

The Announcement Has Been Made!

Well, Todd and I finally announced our news to our families and our church family. Everyone seems to be supportive and Tracey, Todd's sister, told me that she is excited for us. It really means a lot to us that everyone is okay with the idea of us going to China for our daughter. I already love her and I doubt she has even been born yet! We also had it announced in church Sunday (the same day Brandon got baptized by full immersion!) and everyone there also seems very supportive. The pastor jokingly announced that the "Harrell family is going to adopt TWO children from China"! Todd and I immediately said, "Just one!" Hee-Hee! Anyway, we are very excited and it seems that talking about the adoption seems to be rolling off of our tongues easier now. We are going to an informational meeting tomorrow night, November 29th, at Coordinators 2 in Richmond, after which we will make our final decision about which agency to use.

It's Just the Beginning

It's only the beginning and Todd and I are already feeling a mixed bag of emotions. We are really excited but at the same time, scared to death. We want a daughter for our family and, after a lot of prayer and a lot of discussion, we have decided that God wants us to add a daughter to our family through adoption. I'm especially feeling pulled toward China and I am convinced that is where God wants us to go. (Although, I don't know how confident Todd is! LOL) We are starting to investigate agencies and I have emailed about a dozen so far with questions about my cancer history. To our surprise, we have actually received a wide variety of answers...from no waiting period to adopt after cancer to a waiting period of five years. Five years!!! I can't wait that long! We have found an agency in Richmond who will work with us and we are going to attend their informational meeting on November 29th. I am so excited!!

We do have other concerns, however. The total cost of the adoption process is going to be about $20,000. We have already come up with a few different ideas for fundraisers. Todd's company is also giving us $3,000 to assist in the adoption costs. It is an awful lot of money but we are faithful that God will provide and that in the end we will reap the rewards by holding our precious daughter in our arms.