(As of today)

Have you noticed I haven't been blogging much? Have you noticed it's only been adoption info and not our life stories like the good 'ole days? Maybe not, but just in case... that's because they are being written elsewhere ;) And will be available for you to read later if you wish... (grins and winks) (maybe some finger guns and clicking)(the kind that mean you have a secret, not the kind that means you like guns)(are hashtags just the new parentheses??)

In an attempt to organize my own thoughts (hashtag/parenthesis...If I appear calm and collected in any way- online or otherwise- please just know that is a lie. My brain is busy and functioning in high alert keeping my eyes enlarged pretty much all day, every day.)

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Here are the answers to the most popular questions asked in person or elsewhere recently....
Please do not expect complete sentences.

The very last of our adoption paperwork is with the Chinese government and will be picked up soon. Then we are just waiting on official TRAVEL APPROVAL.... yay! Pret-ty exciting.

Except... there's still a big giant unknown in when we will actually travel. If we get travel approval before December 20th, we have every intention of hopping on a plane within 48 hours to make the very last day possible of meeting Lincoln this year.

It would take a bit of a miracle, and it would be fairly chaotic, but my spirit just won't let me give up on that hope. Not yet. We dig adventure and this is the scenario we are praying fervently for.

Because there is a holiday in China January 1-3, meeting her the next week is not an option.
THEN because Chinese New Year is the end of January and everything will be closed again... there are only two days we could possibly meet her in January. It's all very up in the air and it's a wee bit stressful... the not knowing.

We are preparing to leave in a little more than two weeks, just in case one last miracle occurs... but trying to go with the flow. We know it has already been decided anyway.

The other side of that, is that airline prices are going up up up all the time.  And booking at the last minute will be even more expensive. We are prayerfully planning for those expenses. And if you are casually browsing flights to China, please stop -- ha. Prices are raised when it is the believed that there is increased interest. So, you know, maybe even email the airline and be like, "I don't care if you lower the flights to zero, I am never going to China!". It might work?

Related note: In all serious, if you have airline miles or hotel points that your heart is telling you to donate, we will accept and help you fulfill your heart's desire.


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If you haven't heard, we have a matching grant!!
EVERY DOLLAR donated will be doubled! Up to $2,000!
Kicker- it's over tomorrow.
We are still just over $7K short of being funded (depending on travel/airfare) and if you are looking for somewhere for your year end tax-deductible gift, here's your shot!

DONATE HERE. Every dollar doubled!!

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Able. is still available and makes a great Christmas gift!
**As of today** the price has been permanently lowered! Thank you all for recognizing that the initial price of the book was helping bring Lincoln home and for purchasing in honor of her! Any royalties made from the book (trust me, it isn't much LOL) would arrive too late to benefit her adoption and the price has been lowered to recognize that. Also, in about 48 hours, it will be available digitally on Kindle!

It isn't perfect, and maybe someday we will do a follow up more professionally, but we believe in it and the need for it right now. So please continue to buy and share at these new reduced prices!! Continue to acknowledge and celebrate differences! Everyone is able :)

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We are racking our brains on how to raise the rest of the money. Not knowing how much time we have is making it tricky. Should we try another cupcake sale in an other area? Should we have an online auction? What do I have that you want? What can I make for you?

I saved all my holiday and collector edition Barbies in their boxes (including Midge's Wedding Party from before I was born AND an original 1984 Cabbage Patch still in the box that my mom almost went to jail for). Saved 'em right so I could be a millionaire someday, only to find they are worth practically nothing. (hashtag/parenthesis... side eye for all us 80's babies.)

Open to ideas and suggestions and more than anything else- open to prayer. I know it's been a constant request. Maybe it will be a George Bailey situation and God will be like "What is all this chatter about the West family?! Let's do this once and for all." (Hashtag/parenthesis... I have so many fake conversations with people and airlines and God.) But it won't be because we don't know what we already have.  WE KNOW.

I would rather do just about anything than fundraise. It hurts my soul more than you can imagine. But for her....

We have to do what we have to do to get this baby home. We have to participate in the miracle. We are SO close.  I will make so many promises to pay you back in whatever way I can because she is worth it.
Everything feels weird and confusing right now, but THAT I know.


THANK YOU. FOR EVERYTHING.
As hard and long as this process has been, we have truly loved using this experience to contract/expand our village. <3 p="">

QUILT GIVEAWAY!

Alright, village. We have approx. 8 weeks to raise the remaining $8k in adoption fees. We are puh-raying that the plan includes selling our (old) house but must keep trucking. God wants us to participate in the miracles :)

So up next: QUILT GIVEAWAY!!

The quilts were a SUPER hot ticket item at our silent auction to bring Roman home, so my MIL made one to help us bring Lincoln home too 💕💕

We have SIX of her quilts in our home and use them every single day. They are made to be used and cuddled and they wash great.

This is brand new and handmade by Mary Lee​​!  It measures 70x80. I think it would be so handsome in a little boys room ❤️ but the neutral browns and golds would truly work anywhere in your home!

To enter the give-away, make a donation to our FSP here:

http://reecesrainbow.org/105346/sponsorwest-3

$10 donation = one entry

And then an entry for each additional $5.

$10= one entry
$15= two entries
$20= three entries
$25= four entries

and on and on....

Text or email me a copy of your receipt so I know how many entries you have!

We will draw a winner NEXT MONDAY, OCTOBER 31 (Lincoln's birthday!!!) on FB live.

This is a beaut ya'll and you don't want to miss it!!

GO HERE!!

And also thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou.

So so grateful for your love and support. More than you can possibly know. 

TO ORDER 'ABLE.'

Thank you so much for supporting our book!

I thought I should do a simple post containing only pertinent information for ordering and sharing ease. 

We receive the most in royalties, if you you order from CreateSpace eStore HERE. 

**Some report having trouble completing orders from their phone. I suggest using a computer to purchase. 

If you prefer Amazon or are an Amazon Prime member and want free shipping, order HERE. 

To read more about how Able. came to be, click HERE. 

Just a reminder: For the rest of the year, 100% of royalties go toward our adoption of our daughter Lincoln. 

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Be sure to share! :)

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ABLE.

Oh, friends. This was such a labor of love and I'm so excited.

WE WROTE A BOOK!

This was a much more tedious process than I imagined. 

Creating the book was easy... editing, formatting, processing, publishing was tricky (tricky tricky tricky tricky... just a little Run DMC to get you pumped.)

It's not perfect, so it suits us well.

I don't have my copy in hand just yet, but I can't wait. So nervous, ha. 

Layla and I wrote this together on our front porch one Sunday afternoon. We tried to blend her sweet 12-year-old ideas and what I know about some special kiddos.  We also worked together on the watercolor illustrations. I loved doing this together with my big-hearted, talented girl! 

Official book cover ^^

Able. is about a group of animals, each with something that makes them a little "different".  We don't list their specific needs, because our hope is that every child will recognize a little of themselves in at least one character.

Maybe they wear glasses or are a little clumsy, maybe they communicate differently, maybe they are extra tall or extra small, maybe they sometimes act without thinking, maybe they feel anxious or get upset easily, maybe they aren't as physically strong as some, maybe they talk a lot or are extra wiggly, maybe they have extra medical needs...

(I will say the animals are inspired by six of my favorite humans...)

No matter their "differences", EVERYONE IS ABLE. Period.

We also chose a large print font making it easier to read for children with vision impairments or dyslexia.

One of my favorite passages:

Everyone continued toward the

watering hole together, talking excitedly.

Tiger feels crowded and the chatter is too loud.

He begins to roar!

Leopard pounced onto a tree stump,

 but tripped and lost her glasses.

Leopard can’t see without her glasses!

When she puts her glasses on,

she sees Tiny Panda signing ‘help’

and pointing off the path.

Tiger has gone to the Calm Down Cave

where it is quiet. 

He will feel better soon!

When he is ready, Tiger joins the others.

Tiny Panda gives him a tight squeeze.

Tiny Panda is able to help.

We really really think this will be a fun read for all kids.  We hope it will inspire all to value differences and recognize special ABILITIES in others and themselves.  We would love for this to be in homes and classrooms all over. That's why we took the time to make it available in several ways. 

It is for purchase now!

You can order your copy (copies?!) from the CreateSpace eStore HERE. 

(We earn more per book if you choose this option.) 

It is also available on Amazon HERE. 

And it should be available on Kindle soon- we have a few more details to work out there. 

**PLEASE NOTE: 100% of royalties from now through December will go toward our adoption of Lincoln, but we do plan for the book to be available permanently. 

The more visibility the book gets, the more it sells! So please please please share in in your adoption communities, special needs communities, school communities, advocacy communities, work, family/friends-- everywhere! Share! Help us get this sweet baby girl HOME!!

So grateful for your support and I hope you love Able. as much as my kids do!!

*As a reminder, if you wish to make an additional tax-deductible donation, you can do that HERE. 

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happenings.

I had hoped to type an adoption update last week with a big fat D T C {dossier to China} stamped across it, but that didn't happen. blerg. The issue was resolved, now we are waiting waiting waiting for one document to get through the embassy and then everything will finally be on it's way.

So cute how I'm brushing past the absolute and complete nervous break down I had.

Honestly, we've handled each little delay well I think, trying to just go with the flow. Until last week. Last week it was just too much.

House falling apart, vehicle falling apart, kids acting crazy and more and more ... another adoption delay just put us over the edge. Totally typical in adoption or... life, but not easy. However, we know when you are walking in obedience that devil gonna try to get ya.

Maybe the timing is so we can sell our other house. Maybe it's so Layla doesn't miss school to travel. Maybe it's because of who we are suppose to cross paths with in country. Who knows. but God is working in the meantime. And we were gratefully reminded several times over to praise from the pit. So, we worship. Plus eat junk food and cupcakes. It all feels better.

I fell apart for just a minute and then I handled it.
Some day I'm going to tell Lincoln the story of how we ran all over the state (several times, actually) and trudged UP HILL IN THE RAIN to get her home. These kiddos are good people.

We have been less vocal about adoption funds this time around for a few reasons.

1) We have been able to pay all of our fees so far. Give Jesus a hand praise.
2) We hoped our old house would sell by now and we planned to use that to fund the adoption. It hasn't... yet. It needs some work and we haven't had the time/money to put into it (See also: adoption and previously listed complaints.) Working on that now and will soon re-list. I'm confident.
3) Life.

Best I can tell, using estimates for flights/accommodations, we need about $13K to be fully funded.

Since the house hasn't sold... yet...  here are the back up plans:

First,
Our tee shirts sold well! We sold 78 and made over $800 with additional donations.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
I know several of you said you missed out. We *are* planning to re-open the tee shirt sale at some point- be on the lookout and let me know if you want me to tag you when we do.

The puzzle fundraiser is open always- but moving slow. I haven't pushed it because ya'll don't seem too excited about it. If you missed it... we have a globe puzzle to put together for Lincoln and AG's room. For every $5 you donate to our FSP, we will write your name on a piece of that puzzle so she can see who all helped bring her home. Sweet, huh? **If you donated before we mentioned the puzzle OR if you bought a shirt/shirts, your name will still be written on a piece. It's has lots of pieces, so plenty of room for more names :) Tax-deductible donations can be made HERE. Send me your receipt so I know how many pieces you've claimed!

We also have a give away coming up! People love to win stuff, right??
My MIL **made** a quilt for us to do this.  <3 nbsp="" p="">Right now it is exactly one bajillion degrees out so I was planning to do that in early fall when there's a chill in the air and everybody is all "Ooohhh I wish I had a warm, cozy handmade quilt right now." We gotcha covered.


Still trying to figure out how to bring the cupcakes back and make that work somehow. TBD.


And... AND... the big one. The my travel buddy (Layla!) and I have been working on a project together we are so excited about. Details coming, but you're gonna love it. I can't wait to tell you more! Here's the sneakiest sneak peek....

Worth celebrating:
Lincoln's first (and second and third) mail came- swoon. It was the snuggliest little panda that we ordered for her. We put together a small package and sent it to another China mama who will be visiting her orphanage soon. Can't wait to get another peek of our girl and this time, with pictures of HER FAMILY. And I can't wait to do this for other waiting families when we go :)

Also, monogramming all the things because she shall be a southern belle, ya'll!  I mean, "we" monogrammed the actual beach.

Layla's new passport has been ordered! Look at this sweet baby-turned-almost-teen who can't NOT smile like she was instructed. So funny.

And other much-much-muchness, but I'm trying to stay adoption related right this second.

DTC next week and then the BIG WAIT! So close!

Romans 8:6New International Version (NIV)

6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Summer Summary.

heyyyyyy.
Haven't blogged for a bit. I never do much in summer anyway and I am almost thinking blogging is obsolete considering social media? But each time I come here, I notice how many times this page has been visited, and I realize it has spread well beyond my FB friends and family.

Apparently, it has recently been shared somewhere new. I don't know where, but an influx of  ....anonymous... RACIST comments were waiting for me when I returned. Comments about me, our children... most of them completely ignorant and nonsensical.

Given the timing of it all, I assume someone shared our blog in some gross hole in the internet wall for this purpose specifically. I'm not sure what it was meant to accomplish, but it's inspired me to continue writing. Too write more, to write bigger, to write louder. You've only proven it necessary.

So... Hello, to all readers. I hope you find something positive here.

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It feels very weird to be shifting out of summer and back to routine on only August 1st. 

It's good though. Necessary. 

Our summer started off so weird with Cale being so so sick. I kept it kinda breezy, but the truth is, things got pretty scary there for a minute. Thankfully, he/we recovered and even though it seems like summer flew by in a rush, looking back I see we actually squeezed in some worthwhile memories. 

Our gifted vacation fell right smack dab in the middle and was everything we needed but I don't want to miss the tiny moments either <3 p="">

{so many pictures}

Cale took this at one of the  manymany doctor appointments when he was finally on the mend. SO tired. But I love it. 

Everyone finally well enough to get out and play. 

Our future paleontologist looking so paleontological.

Morning after recital smoothie <3 p="">

Prepping for kindergarten....

Swim days with grandparents are obvi.

Everyone working together on the old house, getting it ready to sell...

Hanging out at the Secretary of State's office (while I get adoption paperwork authenticated)

Layla speaking at VBS.

Sweet smiles.

Things that really made me smile:

Brothers who tell everyone they are twins (four months and 16 inches apart)

"Triplets" who get along sometimes and play flag football in the rain. 

Layla fishing from a canoe (never thought I'd say that)

Big brothers who give piggyback rides.

Little girls who take a stethoscope with them everywhere they go (bed, bath, doctor appointments, church... never know when you'll need one. )

Little girls who spontaneously get baptized <3 p="">

(A friend at church captured THE most angelic pictures on her phone of Brynnie coming out of the water in her white robe, but her phone was stolen before she could send them to me! So sad.  This was right after.)

We summered well. Really well.

Now, on to the next phase....

Prayers appreciated as the Growing Wests head back to school!

Changing routines is hard for these littles.  Anxiety is powerful, but so are confidence and declarations! Thumbs up emojis. Or do finger guns and make clicking sounds. And pray :)

Tee shirt!

Our adoption tee shirt is now available and will be for sale for the next 15 days! We set a goal of selling 50 shirts, but would not be upset if we we smashed that, ya know ;) We wanted something unisex, that was not super specific but meaningful for us. I got hooked on this line from a book many, many moons ago. It's been a family motto since our beginnings. Applicable to all things, right?! Foster/adoption, moving across the country, shaving your head, paying for oodles of dance/music/martial arts/etc classes, giving second chances, parenting children with special needs ... we are big fans of doing "crazy" things in the name of love! <3 eel="" free="" nbsp="" p="" romeasttowest="" share.="" share="" to="">

front

back

Several styles/sizes available

Order your shirt(s) HERE!!


Update: 30 sold the first day!! We have the best village.

Update! {swoon.}

Things have been so busy on the home front, I haven't had a chance to update on our adoption of little Miss Lincoln Mabel lately.

Since both Roman and Anna Gray's adoptions were expedited, this is our first time to experience a "typical" timeline. That could feel painfully slow if we let it. The bright side of having so much going on right now, is maybe it distract us from waiting so terribly long for our girl ;)

Except to her big sister. "Mom, I want Lincoln." Constant.  And then slobbers all over my phone kissing her pictures.

I love a list. I make lists for everything and even more than the list, I love to cross things off the list. Sometimes I add things I've already done- like brushing my teeth or putting real clothes on- just so I can cross them off and feel accomplished. This is the same chart we used for Roman's adoption and I love to check off those numbers! Right now, we are in between steps 4 & 5, waiting on immigration approval.  I have absolutely no idea how long that is taking these days for a 'typical' adoption. Don't wanna know. Just gonna coast through and check off those numbers as they come.

Most asked questions thus far:

When will we travel?
Our dossier is all but ready to head East as soon as we are approved. At that point, the process is a little more predictable. I think generally travel is 4-5 months after our dossier gets to China. So probably winter, Early? Late? We dunno.

How old is she?
Lincoln is 2 1/2 right now... but tiny. The last measurements we got put her in a size 6-9 month clothes. We plan to send a care package to her in a couple of months and will hopefully get an update then. I'm still trying to learn what her orphanage allows, etc.

What are her special needs?
She does have Down syndrome and nystagmus, but otherwise healthy :)

Will Cupcake Tuesdays return?
This CRACKS ME UP. I have gotten so many messages about Cupcake Tuesdays! Such a happy question.
The cupcakes were a successful fundraiser and so much fun! But ya'll... so much work, ha. I don't know if I have it in me this time. Right now, I'm thinking instead of a weekly occurrence, we might do one or two big cupcake sales. Make all the cupcakes at once, sell all the cupcakes at once? I'll keep you posted.

We will be launching a tee shirt sale... next week! We designed it as a family and are really hoping it does well. I'm a tee shirt hoarder. There are probably enough tee shirts in the world already, but it doesn't matter. I have six kids.  This is, like, my uniform. I can't be alone in that, right?



Ya'll hear from me constantly but Hubs doesn't do social media, he just shows up looking handsome in photos from time to time. We each had to write an update to our personal bio for our home study since adding Roman to the family and he copied me on his when he sent it to our social worker. I thought it was only fair that ya'll hear from him too {sharing with permission}.

Spoiler alert: He's the best.

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UPDATE: (Nathan)

Roman didn’t become a West until he was almost 8 years old but he plugged into this family like he had been a part of us his whole life! I’m not going to lie but I thought the “transition” into our life might be long since he had lived a relatively lengthy different life and now it had completely changed. Boy, was I way off. Right from the start he developed his own unique, loving and personal relationship with every one of us and it took no time to feel like he had been with us the whole time.

Roman brought to us a new understanding of resiliency from everything he has been through and everything he continues to overcome and his curiosity and enthusiasm to learn (EVERYTHING) has energized our family,  As a father I couldn’t be more proud to watch my family’s eagerness to teach and show him everything. He plays so many roles in our family- from little brother who hangs on everything his big brother does to protector of his “baby” sister. I thought our family was amazing already but he managed to make it better.

Last year we made another large change…. We packed up (literally) and followed a path that God was shining a very bright and blinding light on. We moved to a different community, new house, new schools, new buses, new places to eat, new parks to play in, new grocery stores, new streets to ride bikes on….  We are always apprehensive of change (and by "we", I mean me). All of this “newness” has been nothing but upgrades for each and every one of us and this has changed me spiritually in ways I can’t even explain. My eyes, ears, and heart are more open to understanding and trusting what God is showing us and wanting for us. All of this had given me a sense of “completeness”... So I thought!

There she was. A short bio and a picture on a computer screen. Here I am getting settled in to all these changes and feeling a sense of “We are here, everything is settled”. And all of a sudden there’s another small void. That one very small piece missing from a 1,000,000 piece puzzle like my grandmother used to put together. And you are in awe of the puzzle, but the more you go back and look at it, you begin to no longer admire the beauty of all of that together but only focusing on that one small piece that’s missing. It's like God is shining a big bright flashlight on my daughter who is on the opposite side of the world.

Now I’m anxious. I’m anxious to meet her, hug her, watch her with her siblings, see how she changes us all and how we change her. I’m anxious to put that last piece in our beautiful puzzle and show it to the world- complete.

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Hang on, sweet Lincoln. We are checking off numbers as quickly as we can!

{freeze frame from a video we have of her. presh.}