God will see us through...

I know I haven't posted any true adoption progress updates lately. I wish I had some big event to share, but the truth is we have been at a standstill lately. We have just been so busy. We went from Thanksgiving to Christmas ( just as everyone else did). But the day after Christmas, we started a new roller coaster. That was the day Matthew was scheduled to be evaluated for the possibility of developmental delays. We left that day to await his feedback appointment. THEN, we were surprised by the realization that Gabe was only a month away from his first birthday, so we had to get busy with planning that. Then came the feedback appointment with Matthew. The doctor believes that Matthew exhibits mild levels of autistic behavior, likely Asperger Syndrome. BUT she feels that he is so mild that if we enroll him into a good Pre-K program that will work with him on his speech and his quirks that by the time he is in 1st grade (when Aspergers could be truly diagnosed), he will not exhibit enough signs to even test him. Those were wonderful words of hope to us!! She recommended a great Pre-K in Enterprise, so since that day we have been working to get our house sold or rented, checking to see what is available in Enterprise to rent, and PRAYING.
There are times when it feels as if our adoption is on complete hold, BUT Matthew needs us. We haven't had alot of time to work on our classes. I am still carrying on with fundraising as time permits. While it feels like nothing is going on with the adoption itself, we know that God is still working on our adoption whether we are or not!! He is always working and putting things together for our good. His timing is PERFECT, and we have complete FAITH in His plan for our lives. He is with us, and He will not forsake us. HE brought us this far, and HE will carry us on.
It's a lot to take in, but through it all God is showing us more and more about who HE is and how much He loves us. He is guiding us every step of the way. He has definitely closed some doors in the process, but He has also opened some. Some relationships have been broken, but new ones were also formed. It is in times like these that you do see who your truest friends are. I know that sounds cliche, but it is full of truth. Some people step up to say "How can we help?", while others seem to enjoy kicking you while you are down, and some just seem to vanish without a trace!! I know that it is all a part of God's plan for us. I pray that He'll show us what we need to see and learn in all situations. I pray that our walk grows ever closer to Him. I pray for Matthew as he goes through his everyday life, that he will meet all challenges with strength, courage, grace and an unshakable faith. I pray for wisdom for his doctors and teachers, that God will guide them as they work with Matthew. I pray for all of our family and friends, that (whatever they are facing) God will work inside of each of them to bring them peace, healing, repentance, strength, courage, salvation...Whatever it may be, God knows the needs. I thank each of you for your continued prayers for us, our family and our adoption journey. They mean so much to us, and we do deeply appreciate them and you.  God bless you all!

Cookbook Fundraiser

Hello everyone! 
I know it has been a while since my last post.  We have just been so busy with doctor appointments, birthday parties, and life in general.  I just wanted to take a minute to let everyone know about our upcoming fundraiser:  COOKBOOKS!  :) I need recipes to fill the cookbook up with!! If you would like to help me, you can contribute up to 3 recipes per person.  This is because each contributor will be listed in an index in the back of the cookbook along with the pages that their recipes are located on, and there is only enough space for three page numbers per name.  Does this mean that you can only turn in three recipes?? NO.  If you have your grandmother's Chicken Pot Pie recipe and your great aunt's Chili recipe, you can submit those under their names. Remember: up to 3 recipes PER NAME.  :)  So if have some great recipes, I'd love to include them in our cookbook.

How to send recipes:
1.) Facebook message - a link to our Facebook page can be found on the right hand side of the page.
2.) E-mail - christy.r.laramore@gmail.com

Make sure to note who each recipe belongs to when you message me  :)
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I will be preselling the cookbooks. The cost is $10 per book, and each book will contain over 150 recipes, hopefully closer to 200 if my culinary-gifted friends will share some of their finest with me. ;)  The cookbooks will arrive in time for Mother's Day.  They will also have a Mother's Day gift page inside the front cover that you can fill in "To:", "From:" and the date. The book is also loaded with other neat extras. If you would like your cookbook mailed to you, I can do so for $3.00 for 1 cookbook, and $1.00 for each additional cookbook. We are not guaranteed to have any extra cookbooks, so preorder today!

To preorder, send payment to:
Christy Laramore
104 Crescent Drive
Enterprise, Alabama 36330

Be sure to include a note of how many cookbooks. Make checks payable to Christy Laramore. Make sure that you write it for enough to cover the cookbooks you are ordering and appropriate shipping cost (if needed).

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SO LET'S REVIEW:
1.) Up to 3 recipes per NAME
2.) Cookbooks will arrive in time for Mother's Day
3.) Cost = $10
4.) Shipping (if needed) = $3 for l cookbook, $1 for each additional book.

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I am excited to be holding a cookbook fundraiser. It's going to take a lot of work; so I've been told by others who have created cookbooks... and am now finding out for myself!! But it will be worth it. Please continue to pray for us as we go through the process. We feel so blessed to be on this journey. I know I say that in almost every post, but it is just as true now as it was the first time I said it. Thank you all for your continued support, and I look forward to receiving some super yummy recipes!  :) God bless!

Updates to our blog!

Just wanted to take a minute to tell everyone about some of the newest additions to our blog! Please check out our new sponsors on the right hand side of the page!  We are so happy to be working with them! Also take note of our "Donate!" option, made possible by Fundraise.com. All major credit cards are accepted.  Thank you all for your support!


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