Blessings for orphanages and transition home :)

We are able to take donations for orphanages and the transition home our children are in...if you would like to give please let me know. We need to have everything by July 11th to get it all packed and sorted.

This is a list from our agency of the needs!

Here are the donations we are seeking:

1.   Iron drops

2.   A+D diaper ointment, diaper rash and all purpose skincare formula

3.   Diapers (for up to 30 pounds)

4.   Unscented baby wipes

5.   Powder Formula with DHA/RHA

6.   Enfamil and Similac lactose free formula

       *  other lactose free formulas with identical nutritional value also accepted, including: 

           a.  Kirkland brand from Costco

           b.  Target's generic formula

           c.   Parent's Choice formula from Wal-Mart 

Soy based or other special formulas are also acceptable as long as they are the above-mentioned brands

7.  Children's clothing (new or slightly used); both genders; 0-8 yrs old.  Needs include day clothes (especially pants), pajamas, underwear, and shoes...girls clothes (18-24 mos) is now covered!

8.  Bath towels for children

9.  Toys to stimulate babies such as colorful objects, rattles, etc, that are appropriate for babies up to 2 years

10.  Children's DVDs, especially educational or spiritually based movies

11.  Children's devotional books and books with spiritual and character building focus

12.  Devotional books for older children

13.  Hair shavers (3 needed)

14.  Hand sanitizer

15.  SCRUBS - nannies wear scrubs while working (sizes small and medium)

Medications/Medical Donation Needs

16.  Multi-vitamins

           a.  Tri-vi-sol (0-6 months)

           b.  Poly-vi-sol (6 months - 2 years)

           c.  Chewable multi-vitamin (2-9 years)

           d.  Adult mulitvitamin (9 years plus)

17.  Tylenol (acetaminophen)

           a.  Infants

           b.  Children

           c.  Suppository

18. Baby nose saline spray

19. Neosporin

20.  Syringes for giving medicine

21.  Plastic and Latex disposable gloves

22.  Mouth and nose masks

23.  Benadryl liquid/elixir

24.  Permetherin for scabies

25.  Lice kits

26.  Toothbrushes, toothpastes, dental floss

*PLEASE check the expiration date on all donation items as expired items will be discarded upon receipt and cannot be used.          

Tickets Booked

--heading to Ethiopia on July 14th! Hard to believe we are going to be meeting our

kids for the very first time in a little over 2 weeks! After much thought we have decided to take Zach and Nick with us. We are excited that they will get to experience where our children have come from and start to form relationships with them while we are there.

As you can imagine we are in the midst of preparation, getting shots, figuring out what to take, plans for Micah, meals for Luke and Micah, etc. etc... :)

Plus we are having a GINORMOUS garage sale on July 9th! I know that's probably going to put me over the edge since we leave the 14th but need to raise some mula for our 2nd trip to ET which will be when we bring the

kids home.

If you have any "TREASURE" you would like to donate to our sale please let me know! I will be glad to pick it up (or send a boy to pick it up!:))

Thank you for being excited alongside us!! 

PS

You can order anytime from Ordinary Hero and we receive 40%.

They do have awesome stuff! :)

Ethiopia HERE WE COME! :)

YES! We have a court DATE of July 22nd!

We got the call today... I was having lunch with my Dad for Father's Day at a barbeque restaurant and had my phone sitting on the table on vibrate. I noticed it buzzing around on the table with the 703 area code. By the time I grabbed it there was no one there. I ran out the door (b/c it was too loud) telling my Dad I thought it was our agency...poor Dad, left him eating his ribs by himself! :)

I called back the number and told the gal on the other line someone just called me from there..she asked who and I said I didn't know... (I guess I could listen to the voice mail!) but I was hoping it was Kristen!

Sure enough it was Kristen calling to say we had a court date!

Everything seems like it is in fast forward motion as we will be figuring out flights in the next day or so.

We haven't gotten our shots yet so have to call the international travel clinic tomorrow..etc. etc.. :)

Now is an AWESOME time to pass the word along about the OH $500 grant we could win plus 40% of  all sales goes directly towards our adoption travel costs! 

It's only until Tuesday @ midnight! (TN time)

Just go to the Ordinary Hero Store

and select Tracy Autry from the affiliate drop down bar when you check out.

         

We covet your prayers.

WOO HOO again!

Nick and Luke modeling OH shirts :)

Ordinary Hero

is doing another grant give away! The top 3 sellers will win a $500 grant! WOO HOO!

If you missed the last OH sale NOW is the time to shop and help us bring our 4 sweet children home!

We receive 40% of all sales!

They have all kinds of cool t-shirts

bangles

totes

donations for children in Africa

Check them out!

Just make sure to select Tracy Autry in the affiliate drop down bar.

We are waiting patiently for a court date in Ethiopia. Praying it is in July!!

Saving up for the 2 trips we will make--1st is court, 2nd is for Embassy and bringing our children home.

THANK YOU for being a PART of our JOURNEY!

Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones. Prov.15:30

We DO have NEWS for you! :) 

I haven't posted b/c it has been crazy around here! 

The good NEWS is:

We received our I -171 H form in the mail (also called Favorable Letter of Determination)

in the mail on JUNE 2nd! 64 days after our application date...whew! USCIS had sent us a letter requesting more financial info. so we had to have our social worker do an update on our homestudy and then we submitted that. 

Christopher, Memaw, me, Luke and Grandma at Adoption Surprise party

Family album with encouraging notes

I overnighted our approval letter to our agency on June 3rd and they shipped it to Ethiopia. It got to ET today which means our case can be opened for court. YEA! 

Please pray that we have a court date in before the end of July! Rainy season starts August and goes through Sept. and the court shuts down so we wouldn't be able to have a court date until October. 

We have been getting such sweet pictures of our children by other families taking care packages for us and it makes us want to go asap to bring them home!! :)

donation box and fundraising bracelets

Vince and Lynette! :)

The next GOOD NEWS is Nicholas graduated from high school last Friday. Wow! It's hard to believe he is done. Our family from Texas and TN all flew in and we have had wonderful times together!

More GOOD NEWS :

Our sweet friend Lynette and my brother Vince organized a surprise Adoption Celebration Party for us on Sat. We played an Jeopardy Game with Ethiopia facts and had lots of laughs. Lynette had everyone fill out encouraging notes for our kids in ET and us and put them in the family album. They also set up a box for donations :) For us it was very encouraging! Thank you to all our sweet friends who came and surprised us!

Good news! Good news! Christ died for me. Good news! Good news! If I believe; Good news! Good news! I'm saved eternally. That's wonderful EXTRA good news.

That's the song I think of when I look back at all the the good things these past several weeks!