12 Years & Counting!

Today marks the 12 year anniversary of Jennifer finishing her chemotherapy. Please join me in congratulating Jenn on this milestone and giving thanks to the Lord for what He has done in her life!

Slide Show Attempt

I'm testing a cool slide show tool that I saw on another adoptive family's blog. Hopefully it will work...

All in the Family

On Saturday, Zack & I went to a housewarming party for Adam (my youngest brother). While we were there, we took more pictures so we could do a few more introductions...

Introducing Uncle Joey & Aunt Kristy (my brother & sister-in-law). They live in Sharpsburg. Kristy & I have been friends since high school - she’s the sister I never had! Joey works in finance and insurance, and Kristy is a preschool director. I love this picture because I snapped it while they were laughing, and it just turned out so cute!

They have 2 daughters. Anna is 10. She loves horses, plays basketball, and is a cheerleader, among many other things. Anna is an incredibly mature young lady and a shining example of what it means to be a Christian!


Alli is 4 ½ and has more energy than anyone else we’ve ever met! She definitely has the most spunk & style on her soccer team! She loves to play Littlest Pet Shop and to dance. She told us that she plans to share all her toys with her new cousin, because “that’s what good friends do”.

And these are my grandparents, Nana & D'Daddy (aka Betty and Harold). D’Daddy has been teaching both of us to play golf. We’re far from playing on his level, but we have a great time! And I get my love for shopping from Nana. If shopping was a sport, Nana would win a gold medal! They are both wonderful, godly people that we love and respect so much.

All of these faces are further evidence of how loved and cared for our little guy will be!

ATTENTION ALL BLOG FANS: Are you enjoying our blog? Are you reading it? What do you think so far? Please take a moment every once in a while and leave a comment to let us know you're out there. We see the hit counter rising, but it would be nice to know that it's not just our moms checking it 3 & 4 times a day. :)

We've had several people ask how much this is going to cost and how the fundraising is going. The adoption will cost approximately $22,000. We still have a ways to go, but we are almost to the $13,000 mark. If you'd like to donate to our little guy's fund, you can email us at dovefamily@bellsouth.net. Thanks!!

Home Study Part 3 DONE!!!

Today Jenn and I met with Tonya for our last home study interview. It was pretty informal and the questions were not as difficult as I thought. I was pretty nervous because I heard some of the questions could be pretty personal. Because of this, I suggested that we meet at Dreamland BBQ for our final interview, not to mention their pulled pork is fantastic. I guess my thinking was- it is harder to ask personal questions at a crowded restaurant. Not that we have anything to hide, it's just- you know! She basically just went over some of the answers from the prior two interviews and made sure that everything looked correct. She said that the couple that sent their fingerprints off to the GBI right before us got theirs back yesterday, so hopefully things are moving fast. I am afraid that our passports are going to hold us up. The man at the post office assured us we would have them back in 6 weeks. We'll see.

It seems like an eternity until we will get to travel over to pick him up and bring him back to a whole new world. I can't believe that by Christmas, we could be parents. How scary is that? For those of you who know us well, you know how messed up and neurotic our dog is- can you imagine what we can do to a child?!

I can't wait to have him here and teach him all of the things that my dad taught me, like how to throw a ball, how to shoot a corner jump shot, how to box out and get position for rebounds, how to catch a football and most importantly teach him how to bleed orange! Go Vols!

Imagine, next summer, I could be taking him down to the lake and Tommy and I can teach him how to kneeboard and water ski, dad can teach him how to fish, and d'daddy can teach him how to swing a golf club.

But what if he is not athletically inclined? We have music people around too. Jenn can sing, play flute, piccolo, sax etc. Both of her brothers were in the band and can play some instruments too. Tommy and I both play guitar- although he plays significantly better than me. Josh is a vocal performance major, mom loves music and taught youth choir for years and Charles is currently involved in the music program at his home church and has worked with youth and children's choirs in the past.

So basically what I am telling you is that this little boy is going to have the best of everything. There is no doubt he will be loved and that the love of Christ will be shown to him by everyone in his family. What a lucky kid. I guess he is asleep right now, it is the middle of the night in Ukraine. I hope he is sleeping well and not having a bad dream. Jenn and I talk about him all the time and even call him by name when we are alone. Adie turns her head when she hears us say his name. I think she may even be thinking of him too. What a lucky kid. I can't wait to meet him.

So Many Interviews, So Little Time!

We had the second phase of the home study today - things continue to move along! Tonya did each of our individual interviews. Another hurdle crossed. Only one more visit to go, then we'll have to wait on some paperwork to come back before the home study is officially complete. We're hoping to get the third visit in tomorrow, but Zack is on jury duty this week so it depends on whether or not he has to go in tomorrow morning. If he does get called, then we'll have to wait and meet for the third and final time next week. Stay tuned for the latest.

Meet the [grand] Parents, part 3

Last but certainly not least, we would like to introduce you to Zack's mom and dad, Ben & Barbara. They live in Duluth, about 15 minutes away from us. Ben and Barbara are very involved at First Baptist Duluth. Ben works as a mechanical engineer for M.I. Technologies (his division was formally part of Scientific Atlanta) - he has been with these companies for over 35 years. Barbara has worked for Wal-Mart for a number of years now, but plans to retire once our little fella comes home. She has generously agreed to help out with childcare.

Isn't our kiddo going to be spoiled??? 3 sets of awesome grandparents that we know will do nothing but love on him and help us raise him up in the way that God desires.

And while on the subject of family, here is one more of the uncles. This is Zack's younger brother, Josh.

(Is it just me, or do they look a lot like Joey & Chandler in this pic???)

Josh just recently bought his first home in Flowery Branch. He works as a commercial adjuster for Safeco Insurance. He enjoys golf, music, and hanging out with his girlfriend Kim.

Well that's almost all of our 'immediate' family.

Next week we'll introduce you to Little Guy's other uncle as well as his aunt and 2 cousins.

ADOPTION NEWS: We're still hoping to get our other 2 home study interviews squeezed in this week, but Zack has jury duty so we have to work around this.

Meet the [grand] Parents, part 2

Next up in the grandparent tour is Jenn’s mom, Kathy. She and her husband, Tommy, live in Milledgeville. Tommy has been with Georgia Power for over 30 years. Kathy works for a party store, and is also a consultant for Signature Homestyles.

They are both very excited about our big news, and we know that they will be super grandparents! They live on the lake and we spent part of this weekend visiting with them. We can already imagine our boy spending summers down there, swimming in the pool, playing on the boat, and making lots of memories together!

We also spent time this weekend with Jenn’s youngest brother, Adam… or as he put it “the favorite uncle”. We’ll have 3 brothers vying for that position, so we know our little guy will be getting tons of love and support!

Adam lives in Newnan, where he just bought his first home. He works in security systems. He likes to play golf and work out, and loves the Georgia Bulldogs.

Where in the World is Ukraine?

Many of you are probably wondering where Ukraine is... here is a map that should give you a little bit better idea. Ukraine is situated between Romania and Russia.

April 26, 1986
It may not be a notable date to some, but it is actually a very significant date in the histories and lives of many people our age and older. This was the day of the nuclear incident at Chornobyl. It is located 60 miles north of Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv, very close to the Belarusian border. Ironically, Belarus suffered more than Ukraine due to wind patterns.

"Ukraine", or "The Ukraine": That is the question
It seems most Americans refer to it as "The Ukraine", but in fact that implies the former Soviet region. Ukraine has been an independent country since 1991, and the correct reference to the country is simply "Ukraine".

Ukraine Facts...

• "Ukraine" means borderland
• Largest religious group is Ukrainian Orthodox Church
• Ukraine is home to one of the largest Jewish communities worldwide
• Ukraine's currency is the hryvnia
• Ukraine is the largest country of those fully situated in Europe

(Thanks to the book Culture Shock! Ukraine... here's a link to it on amazon... http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Shock-Ukraine-Guides/dp/1558684204/sr=8-1/qid=1171591147/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-2682143-5670836?ie=UTF8&s=books)

Home Study Begins

We are now officially on our way to making this dream into a reality!!!

Our coordinator came to the house today and did the first phase of the home study. We submitted our home study application and did a mini-interview. She also did a quick walk-through of the house to make sure we have adequate space and all that good stuff. Still 2 more interview/meetings to go for this first phase of the process, and she's hoping to get those completed next week. I love working with someone who is so on top of things!

Anyway, I think everything went very well. I feel like we're really on our way now! Thanks to everyone who was praying for us today. We've jumped the first of a lot of hurdles, and it feels great!

Z & J

Meet the [grand] Parents...

This will be the first in a series of posts where you get to meet the grandparents of our little guy... he is going to be blessed with 3 sets of awesome grandparents. And he'll also have a total of 4 great-grandparents!

First up is Jenn's dad, Charles. He and his wife, Lori, live in Woodstock. Charles owns his own security system company. Lori is the director of the Fire & Rescue Academy in Dekalb County. They are very involved in their church, including leading the missions programs there.

I (Jenn) had lunch with Dad today, since he had a meeting up the road from my office. Zack wanted me to get a picture while we were together, and I forgot until we were on our way back to my office - so we had to improvise with the timer on the camera... I hope that's why my face looks so big...?

Anyway, he and Lori have been kind enough to be among the first to make a contribution to our adoption fund. We appreciate their generosity so much. But more than that, we appreciate the love and support that they give us, not matter what we're going through.

ADOPTION STATUS: The first leg of our home study was supposed to begin this Wednesday, Feb 14. But Tonya (our coordinator/case worker/lady who will keep me sane through this) had to reschedule for Thursday. So please be in prayer on Thursday morning as we really make this process official!

Take care, and check back soon for more!

Z & J

P.S. If you have questions, feel free to post them in the comments or email us at dovefamily@bellsouth.net. We will periodically do posts where we try to answer your questions about this process.

Our Journey Begins

This is it - our first official post on our blog, detailing our journey to our son.

Most of you have heard that we've decided to adopt. But where should we go to find our child? We met with a couple from our Sunday School class who recently adopted 3 children from Ukraine. For some reason, that country had been in both of our minds and hearts for a while. After meeting with Chris and Julie and their incredible children, Brayden, Abby, and Alyssa, we felt confident that God was leading us in this direction.

So now the long... and overwhelming... journey begins. We are seeking a boy under the age of 5. We ask each of you to be in prayer for us as we begin this process. We've just started the enormous task of completing what seems like endless amounts of paperwork in order to make our dream come true...

There is so much ahead of us, and we are placing all our hope in trust in the Lord to send us where we need to go. Please be praying for the little boy that is over in Ukraine right now, waiting on us.

Be sure to check back often for updates on our journey!

In Him,
Zack & Jenn