Playdates!

Miss Katherine Grace had a little playdate this afternoon.  Miss Ella came over to "play" for a few.  :)  Ella is just two days older than Katherine Grace.  

Our little lady is growing leaps and bounds!  She has long past grown out of her clothes (mainly because of length!).  Its crazy how long she is getting!  Poor thing... wearing her little high waters!  :(  Momma is going to have to fix that!  ;)  

Until then... Brantley

Prayers Answered....

I tried so hard not to have too many expectations for yesterday's start of our homestudy.  Thankfully, I really didn't have any anyway.  So, we went into our meeting with our social worker a little unsure of what to expect.  I have to say, thank you Lord for matching us with the social worker we have!  I feel so blessed. and more than comfortable with her.  We both know, this was a perfect match for us, and our personalities. I felt an instant connection, and felt at ease throughout our 2 hour conversations.

Plus, we received some VERY good and exciting news yesterday.  You see, yesterday was the first of 4 "meetings" which will complete what is known as a homestudy.  The next 2 "meetings" will be individual meetings with our social worker.  So, mine will be next Tuesday morning with her, then Richard's will be next Tuesday afternoon.  After that, we will schedule our home visit.  That will be the final "meeting", when they come into our home, check thing out to insure everything is fit for a child, etc.  After all of those are complete, she will start our final paperwork and have everything processed.  She said, generally that takes about 2 weeks before approval takes place.  When approval happens, we wait.  We're officially on the waiting list at that point and we will simply wait for God's timing and our placement to take place.

Now... the exciting and good news about all of this is that our expected timeframe to be on the "wait list" is  mid to late October!  That is so exciting!!!  I won't lie though... for several months now I've been so eager to be in this place, and so anxious that now that I am here... I'm beginning to feel scared!  Its crazy how my emotions have constantly changed throughout this journey!  Either way though, what a blessing it has been and I'm sure will continue to be as God reveals His plan to us daily.

Thank you for your prayers and constant encouragement!  They mean so much to us!

Until then... Brantley

One week till Training Day!

Yay!  Let the countdown begin... AGAIN!  This time, we're counting down to our Training Day with Bethany Christian Services next Friday.  This training day is an all day "class".  We will hear from a birth mom about her experiences, some other adoptive families, have lunch and go over all of the logistics and details on what to expect from here on out!  Craziness!  I'm so excited!

So, this time next Friday, Richard and I will be wrapping up our training day class.  We hope to meet our social worker at that time too [hopefully].  Speaking of that, we should be assigned our social worker any day now.  Wahoo!  These past few days we have been praying for our social worker.  Praying that we will have someone who will be good with our personalities, and someone who will be easy to work with.  Its strange, but all along I have been praying for our baby and birth mom, but never our social worker until now.  I guess because things are starting to feel more and more real...

Well, we can't wait to fill you in on everything!  Oh and last thing...

We got in our last shipment of T-Shirts!  ALL Smalls!  So, if you've been wanting to order a t-shirt, please let us know.  We're hoping we can sell everything that is left soon.  :)

T-Shirts are $17 if picked up.

T-Shirts are $20 if shipped.

And of course we still have the gallery full of prints for sale!  ALL profits from all of our fundraisers go directly into our adoption fund.  To view all of our fundraisers, click on the "icon" up at the top of this webpage that reads "fundraisers" to see the details.   We believe God has some amazing plans in store... we're so excited to continue seeing everything play out!

Until then, Brantley

What to expect!

I am a GOAL SETTER 110%!  I LOVE having something to plan ahead for, and this adoption planning has been right up my alley.  Literally, you wait only to wait some more!  Its kinda crazy and from the stories I've heard from others... they hate that part of it.  But for me... I'm liking it!  :)  During the time that we await each step, we set goals for ourselves.  For example, this past waiting period, we set a goal to raise money through our yard sale!  Which, we did!  Praise God for that wonderful miracle!  For this time around, our goal has been to work to complete the crib bedding (actually, that's my mom's part!), and complete our adoption profile books (which I just finished!).  I'm so bad about finishing things too early and then struggling to find more to hold myself over!  [as if I'm not busy enough!]

I'm sure once we're on the actual waiting list and just waiting for the day to be placed... then the waiting will drive me insane and probably make me cry, ALOT!  But for now, I've been eagerly looking forward to our August 27th Training Day with Bethany Christian Services.  That is where we will hear from a birth mom, hear from other adoptive families and learn more about what to expect during our home study and after placement.  It makes me excited!  So... in the past couple of weeks, we finished our paperwork, had our physicals & everything else we had to do.  Right now, they are awaiting our SLED checks, and then, we will be assigned with a social worker!  Wahoo!  That is one thing that recently hit me.  I am going to start praying that God's hand is in that.  I want so badly to be paired up with someone who fits our personalities well, and will be good to work alongside.  After all, this is such a priceless time in our lives!

So... please pray for us this next week!  We're so excited to hear from a birth mom!  That is what I look forward to the most!

Until then... Brantley

Day off... I wish.

Well, due to the nature of my work, I usually try and take Mondays off to recoop from the weekend.  So, Mondays are generally relaxing and my one day to sleep in (at least a little).  Well... not today.  Not only did I NOT sleep in, but I spent the entire day running around with my head cut off.  I woke up super early (along because my phone was ringing off the hook).  Then, I spent most of the morning reading work emails, returning phone calls, etc.  Stuff I should have waited until tomorrow to due... but oh well.  Now I'm ahead of the game (I hope anyway).  Then, I headed over and picked my dad up and he ran errands with me.  It was nice though, I have to admit.

I made more copies and signed more papers that somehow I left out from before (of our adoption papers).  Then, I printed some more things and dropped everything off to Bethany in person.  And just as the topping on the cake... WE were the 3rd couple to turn in their paperwork from our group.  Wahoo!  You see, our biggest fear was that Bethany wouldn't have enough signed up to continue with the August 27th Training Day.  They have to have a minimum of 3 couples to move forward with the scheduled training day, otherwise, they reschedule.  So, needless to say, we were stoked to know that we made the 3rd couple and its official!  :)  It was a great way to wrap things up.  

So, please continue to pray for us over the rest of the month as we eagerly await August 27th!!!

Until then, Brantley

Photography Fundraiser!

Okay, I have asked for ideas for some other fundraisers and I think I may have just the thing.  I received a couple emails, as well as a comment on one specific thing.  Photography!  Am I sensing something from all of my readers?  Either way, I will be offering sessions the during the week of Monday, August 23rd - Thursday, August 26th for this particular fundraiser.  This week also has a little significance.  The reason being... that Friday is our adoption training day!  So, its one more thing we have to look forward to before being assigned our social worker & getting started on our Home Study (the last thing before waiting list/placement)  So... Here is how the fundraiser will work.

Sessions can be up to 45 minutes on location or at our studio/building.  

It can be any one of the following:

Family • Baby • Couple

You will receive 30 digital files on a disc, along with a photo release from us.  

Meaning you can print from the disc, upload to facebook, blog, etc.  They are yours!

Sessions will be $100 and 100% will go towards our adoption fund!

If you're interested, please contact me personally.  Either email me at richardandbrantley@yahoo.com

or brantley@alldressedupphotography.com.  If you don't hear back within 24 hours, then something happened and it didn't make it to me.  I'm very quick at responding.  Obviously, we will be limited on the number of sessions, due to the number of days we're offering this.  However, if we receive a great response, we may extend the offer for another week.

Giveaways, Fingerprints & LOTS of Paperwork!

Yep, our adoption is full of ALL of the above!  First thing is first... today is the deadline to enter for the Apron Giveaway!  If you haven't already, please do!!  Again, it helps us spread the word about our adoption and raising support... and also puts something really cool in your hands (if you win) for FREE.  So, you really have no excuse not to register, right?

Also, we will be posting this next week's really cool giveaway which has been donated by Kitty Hurdle!  I promise, you will want it!  So, be sure to check back in at 5:00pm today to see the winner announced for the other giveaway and see what this week's new one will be!  Whew, long sentence!

Lastly, THANK YOU!!!  My email inbox was flooded yesterday afternoon almost immediately after making yesterday's post!  How awesome you guys are for stepping us and helping us out!  I saw that many of you have been helping us spread the word, which we're tremendously thankful for!  So, keep it up and thank you for your sweet encouraging words of encouragement!  Richard and I spent most of yesterday finishing up the last of our adoption paperwork, having our fingerprints made, making copies of medicals & taxes, etc.  Yeah, the list goes on and on.  The last thing we have to finish - we each have to have physicals at our doctor's office.  Yippee!! (lots of sarcasm there)

Alright... so remember to ENTER the giveaway, pray for our journey & spread the word about our yard sale on the 31st!!!  :)  Its almost here!  Thank you again everyone, we'll meet you back here at 5pm!

Until then, Brantley

Hope Now

Thursday is finally here and we all know that means tomorrow is FRIDAY!  Praise God!  This day has been on my calendar for so long and I have never awaited a Friday like this in so long!  Tomorrow is our adoption orientation day and I'm sure most of you will be so happy when I stop doing my daily countdown for it.  I'm hoping that we will get some more details, have more information to share and really get this ball moving.  I am an emotional wreck and I'm not sure my husband wants to put up with me much longer if I continue down this path.  (teasing)  But in all seriousness, things are going well considering not much has been done but the waiting game.  I'm thinking this will be a big trend in the upcoming months.  

This morning I slept in until 8:00am, which was AMAZING!  I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days with some major sinus issues and just a lack of sleep.  I started getting horrible tooth aches because of it and well, its just been a really hard week for me.  But, today I woke up refreshed and ready for a new day!  I have so much hope for the future, hope for this baby we're praying so hard for.  I cannot wait, it makes me cry just thinking about it.  Yesterday, we went over to a friend's house (Leigh & Gray) to pick up a bookshelf that they so graciously donated to our yard sale.  The ironic thing is that they too are trying to save up and raise support for their own adoption of two ethiopian children (click to view their blog) .  Yet, they still helped us out and bought one of our shirts.  Then, just last night I got another email from a past bride.  She said that she and her small group girls wanted to help out in some way.  They didn't have much to donate, but said that they would love to come and set up a lemonade stand and sell that for us the day of. Its acts of kindness and generosity like this that have kept me strong.  Ahh, I'm tearing up again.  Thank you so much everyone, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you are doing!  This has been so amazing, that there is no way to give credit to anyone other than God!  Which is so awesome, because that's all I've wanted from day 1, was for Christ to be glorified through all of this.  For me to surrender completely and trust in Him... that if this be His will, He will bring the details together and provide.  Wow, how awesome!

While on that subject, here is a quick list of what's been donated so far....

3 tvs, baby toys, children's books, purses, kitchen appliances, rugs, door mattes, home decor, blinds, bookcases, misc furniture, electronics, paintings, artwork, frames and framed prints, lamps, books, clothes (really NICE clothes), bedding, decorative pillows, games.... and the list goes on.

Guys seriously, I cannot say it enough, its completely overwhelming in the best possible way!  People have contacted us from the woodworks (people that I've never met) to offer things for our sale, ask how they can help and offer out their support to us!  I never in my wildest dreams would have ever fathomed this sort of support!  We still get emails from people saying they have some things but don't feel it would be worth it to sell.... who cares, it may seem so small to you, but every little bit can count, I promise!  We are more than happy to take anything you are willing to share and sell it.  Whatever doesn't sell at this first sale, we will most likely do a second sale later on.  After that, depending on what is left... we might save for our auction in the fall, take to Goodwill, or offer to other families who are doing adoption yard sales.

So please, don't feel like your items aren't of worth and won't make a difference.  God is awesome and so are yard sale shoppers!  (insert some humor)  haha 

One piece of encouragement that I hang on to.  Hope.

Addison Road wrote and sings a song called, Hope Now.  I absolutely love it and listen to it almost every morning when checking my emails.  

(CHORUS)
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

(VERSE 2)
When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I'll be ok
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter my from the storm

Just a little something for your day!  And lastly, a quick count of t-shirts available.  
(Sizes in Stock: 5 small, 10 Medium, 10 Large)
I can't wait to fill you all in on our orientation tomorrow! 

Until then, Brantley

Yay!  Our adoption T-Shirts are IN!!!!!  I picked them up today from the wonderful people at Image Ink in Lexington.  They do a great job and have great turnaround time.  :)  I'm so excited about the end results!

Here is a shot of me sporting the great new shirts!  We have LOTS, plus we just placed a second order for some larger sizes.  (small, medium, Large, X-Large and 2X are available)

I am wearing a small.  I like the fit.  Richard will be wearing a medium.  The lettering is in chocolate brown with the bird in a really nice pop of blue!  LOVE them!  Again, if you're interested, we'd love to sell you one.  They are $17 each and all profits will go towards our adoption.  So, don't wait, order one now if you'd like one!  The back is scripture: John 14:18  I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully a t-shirt will interest you!  ;)  Don't forget about our giveaway!  The deadline to enter is Tuesday!!!

Until then, Brantley

July 4th Morning!

Well good morning everyone!  Some of you may still be sound asleep in your comfy little beds while I'm writing this post.  Not us... we're wide awake and have been for the last hour.  Its 7:40am on Sunday, July 4th.  I have to be honest and say that I honestly wish I was sound asleep right now, I'm so stinking tired, its not even funny!  Yesterday, a sweet friend and photographer that I know, Kathy, filled in our for our other good friend Brooke.  You probably remember Brooke from a few posts back, she delivered twins.  Fortunately, when Brooke found out a ways back that she was pregnant, Kathy and I also happened to be available.  This isn't the first time we've worked alongside one another, so we had a great time.  Kathy also filled in for my husband, Richard last summer while he was out of town.

Anyway.... we worked out butts off and were so glad we could help out our friend.  Knowing she is home with her sweet, healthy babies, made yesterday completely worth it!  By the time I got home last night, it was midnight.  Lets just say, I will be a great mom in the sense that I am perfectly fine going to bed at an early time.  I am more a morning person than night.  Not really sure why, but thankful for that.  So, as I'm sitting here sipping my coffee and trying so hard to wake up and not feel so sore from a long days work... I'm thinking about all of those men and women who give so freely for me.  I know its so common to see comments like that made on the 4th of July, but deep down, I am so thankful for  them.  I know I wouldn't be able to do what they do, be away from my family like that, much less stand on the enemy line and fight for freedom!  Its scary just to think about it.

So, on this beautiful Sunday morning, I am thinking of them!  I am thinking how incredibly brave each of them are, and how much they must really miss their families right now!  So, thank you!  Thank you for serving and giving of yourselves!  Well, its Sunday and we're so excited to have finally joined a new church and finding ourselves plugged in after so long.  :)  Its a good feeling and I'm excited!  Today, Richard and I will be greeting guests.  I hope I can wake up & get perky and FAST!  haha  Plus, I'm stoked because THIS Friday (yes, I said THIS) is our adoption orientation!  It feels like such a dream to me, but it is really here! (almost)  So, Happy 4th of July everyone!!!!

Until then, Brantley

SC Gamecocks Fly Flag Flies High

I headed over to the State House today to grab some quick shots of the state house with the carolina flag flying high!  It was entertaining watching everyone get so excited over something!  But, it was fun and I'm excited about the shots I took.  So, if you're interested, we decided we would sell these as well in order to raise funds for our adoption.

To access: Go to our website, All Dressed Up Photography 

Click On Client Galleries.

Type in the Password: gamecock

Here are some sneak peeks with our logo on it.  Any prints purchased, logos will be removed.  This is simply for web purposes.  Enjoy!  On another pretty cool note, I'm about 45 minutes away from being exactly 1 week for our orientation with Bethany Christian Services !!!!!  Ahh, I cannot begin to tell you how ready I am for this to come!  So, please continue to pray for us as we anxiously await this.

Until then, Brantley

It has begun!

Well its official!  (not really)  But it is official that we started the paperwork and we're on our way to adopting a child.  Hey, thats one step closer than we were.  The preliminary paperwork and application has been completed and was mailed out this morning!  Step 1, completed.  As a part of being open an honest with everyone, I want to also share with you along the way, the financial side of this.

Along with completing the preliminary application, you must also mail in a check for $50.  This is simply an application fee.  Once this is completed and reviewed, we will be called in for an adoption orientation.  (basically an overview of what is expected).  At this time, they will go over all payment options, finances, and the whole sha-bang!  After that comes the "Formal Application"!  With that application comes a $500 application.  Whew!  And from there, the costs go up and UP and UPPP!

Like I said, its going to be a long journey.  I'll keep you posted as things progress and we hear more news.  For now, a little scripture I found that is my encouragement for today.

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  - Joshua 1:9

Adoption...

Adoption is something very precious to me, and something I have felt very passionate about for many years.  Ever since I met Richard and we talked more about marriage, I realized this was something we both wanted in life.  I am a firm believer that God gives this passion to certain people for a reason.  Now I'm not saying its bad if you have no desire to adopt, but I feel a deep calling.  Over the past year, we have started the journey of looking into agencies, even the possibly of adopting through DSS.  However, the journey ended when we felt the door kept closing on us.  Well, we're back on track and feel that God is tugging harder and harder at our hearts.  I feel this deep yearning and sense of peace like never before.  I feel very confident that God will bless us with a child, and one day soon.

Now, you may ask, do you not want a child of your 'own'?  Yes of course we do!  We, so badly would love to have a child of our own.  However, we feel that God is calling us in this direction at the time.  One day we hope to also have a child made from us.  But for now, this is the journey we plan to take.  Its so exciting, yet still so scary.  We have recently started the very early stages of the process through Bethany Christian Services.  Bethany is a Christian Adoption Agency, and they also have a local office here in Columbia.  This was a huge benefit for us in choosing Bethany.  Not to mention, we know several other couples who have adopted through them and have had an amazing and personal experience.

Please continue to pray for Richard and I as we embark on this next phase, or journey in our lives!  We're so excited to see what God has in store for us, and to meet this child that God has for us!