School Pictures Fall 2017 - Homeschool style

*if colours are looking awful and greenish on your screen....blogger can take credit for that. 

Another Year Over....December 2017

Well, I just opened a folder on my desktop titled "BLOG"....and found some 2017 photos that have been sitting for months and never made it to the blog.  Here they are! 2017 Was a good one...and I didn't pull out my camera more than a handful of times.  Maybe 2018 I will be better, but time just seems to move faster and faster each year!

*If colours seem off, they probably are...this seems to always be the case with blogger - i would never find a greenish tinted photo acceptable! ew! 

Capturing Moments

*please excuse the greenish color cast in some photos...not sure why blogger always gives me grief!

I am phasing out of doing photography as work....at least for the next few years.  Not to say I won't do friends and family sessions,  but as far as taking on more clients it just pulls me away from family time a little too much in this season of my life.  I love photography so much, and this summer I realized I had taken almost NO photos of my growing children this whole year, except on my iPhone (which is awesome - but not the same).  So I've been making a point this fall to capture organic moments in our daily life.  That moment each morning when the boys are eating breakfast in their PJs and telling stories to each other.  That moment when they are lost in their imaginations playing trucks. Aubrey squealing for joy on the zipline at the pumpkin patch....these are the moments I want to remember.  Here are a few I took yesterday.  Brodie has been packing his bags and boxes into the van each day for our "camping trip" (that we have no plans to actually take...brrrr), so at his request we took a little afternoon trip to the lake so he could gather some driftwood...

God Is At Work In The Mess

Today I listened to a podcast, a sermon by the Village Church (Pastor Matt Chandler). It was exactly what my soul needed to hear in order to stop dwelling on our circumstances and to instead dwell on the goodness of the Lord.  

The other night Ben and I both confessed to each other that we feel like we are never going to get our baby, that months may actually turn into years. This feeling came piling on top of the feeling that our child is alive and that her life right now may be one of trauma, abandonment, hunger, and deprivation of affection - even mere human touch.
I said I could never do this. I said I didn't think I could bear the pain of not being able to offer my child what he or she desperately needs - just to develop! -  as an infant and baby, to try and imagine my child without our love and protection.
It amazes me how God has brought us to this point, increasing our desire, our fight, our passion, and also our understanding of how He will help us.  That yes, I can do this.  It's not that I didn't want to, it's that I didn't know if my heart could handle it, handle knowing what my child had to endure.  But then I am reminded that really, they are all His children, even my biological babies, and He is at work in the mess.  And I know that this child is SO worth me giving up the walls that I think would protect my heart against the anguish.

For the past 7 months we have been working hard to fill out documents, and mail them in promptly, to schedule appointments quickly, to expedite the mailing of paperwork, all so that we could move on to the next phase....waiting for a referral (which means finding out the child that you have been matched up with).  

But lately, as I have said, we feel (just a feeling...nothing is certain!)  like it is going to take a while.  In case you haven't heard, we are in a Pilot Program.  This means adopting from Tanzania is pretty new.  Agencies need to figure out exactly what Tanzania authorities are looking for in our paperwork, and also make sure that everything stays legal and that the children being adopted are actually truly orphaned.  

Our agency is awesome, they are very cautious, and want to make sure that other agencies are having success before they send us in.  Some of the first families are going next month to bring their child home - so pray that is is possible! They were supposed to go this month, but apparently Tanzania only  gives a set number of travel visas, and this month was full. (Another factor we didn't know about!).  

All this to say, we could use your prayers...that orphaned children would either have a wonderful orphanage to be taken care in, or be adopted into loving, permanent families.  

"And still He seeks the fellowship of His people and will send them both

joy and sorrow to detach their hands from the things of this world

and to attach those hands to Himself." - JJ Packer

I really like when there is something to do other than just having to wait. Waiting for documents. Waiting for news of how the program is going in Tanzania. I like being able to feel like I have control.  God has brought us to a point where we just wait. Where we realize that we need to let go of control, detach from feeling like we can help move the process along faster, and instead hold on to Him and the promise that He is at work in the mess.  

"For I the Lord do not change" Malachi 3:6

We have always felt that the cost of adoption would not deter us.  That everything we have belongs to God, and He is a GOOD God.  But I would by lying if I said that it wasn't painful.  I knew it would cost a lot, but wasn't quite thinking $50,000.  Plus, we went from having no money after our time with YWAM, to having a paycheck, pay raises, and even a couple of bonus' when the oil was booming! We were feeling pretty good! Then the industry came to a grinding halt. Instead of bonus', everyone is surrounded by layoffs and pay-decreases. Honestly, we are still so thankful for what we have.  But it kind of makes the cost of adoption, the never ending writing of cheques, a little painful.

"For He is like a refiners fire...He will refine them like gold and silver" - Malachi 3:2-3

But today, I am thankful. Thankful that God has brought perspective back into my life, thankful that He loves us so much that He would detach our hands from the things of this world so that we wouldn't start placing our trust - or worship  - in them.  Thankful that my eyes are on a God who loves us, who is at work in this mess, who will refine us like gold and silver by putting us through the fire and then slowly get rid of the impurities in our life, in our character, and in our view of who we think God is and what His character is truly like.  He doesn't test us for His sake, but for ours. We need to know where we stand, what we believe about His character.  Am I really living like I believe that God's word is flawless? ("Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him" Proverbs 30:5....I love that Aubrey's weekly memory versus always convict and challenge me!). Do I believe that God is good and in control?  Do I trust Him? Have I put my trust completely in Him or in what I can control myself? Am I willing to give Him everything, even when it hurts?

"And therefore put Me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open 

the windows of Heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until 

there is no more need." Malachi 3:10

God is love. And God is good. He is willing and able to do more that we could ever ask or imagine. 

Not surprisingly, the boys are absent from this photo. 
A few conversations I will share with you : 
Brodie : "Mommy, does Santa have a penis?"
Me: uhhhh, yes buddy, he does. I think. (just kidding I didn't say that part!). 

Aubrey: I don't think it was the real Santa.
Me: Well his beard sure looked real to me!
Aubrey: Yes but guess what I saw! I noticed that it had some grey in it. 

Sometimes you just need a family movie date. 

Family Photos and a few Pom Poms for the Tree

As most of you know by now, we are well into the process of growing our family through adoption! I wanted to update our family photograph, since the kids have all grown so much in a year, but didn't want to do anything super fancy...I want to wait for our new baby to arrive and then we will do something really special ;) But for now...we got a good one for Christmas cards!

Crazy that Christmas is right around the corner! This year is coming to a close so quickly! By the time that 2015 comes to an end, we should be well into our waiting period. By this I mean waiting to hear just who our child in Tanzania is.  It is so exciting, and yet feels SO far away.

NOVEMBER  -  did you know that the month of November is National Adoption Awareness Month? (Don't feel badly if you didn't, I just found out!).  This is kind of the perfect time for us to kick off our Adoption Fundraiser.  If you think adoption is really wonderful, we would like to invite you to be a part of our journey.

It turns out that we will have to take 3 trips over to Tanzania before we can officially bring our little one home to join our family.  Agency costs, travel, obtaining documentation, paperwork fees, postage, all make the process quite long and expensive.  Our adoption is going to be right around $50,000 USD.  Our hope is that through fundraising and applying for adoption grants, that we can raise some funds to take some of the financial pressure off of our family.  If you'd like to hear more keep reading!

   The Love Tree for Tanzania!  

We have been busy making these adorable Anthropologie (the sweet clothing and home store) inspired Pom Pom Christmas Tree Ornaments.  Each one has a different number from 1-250.  They are handmade by our family, even our kids enjoy making them!

Pick a donation amount - a number on the chart that hasn't been crossed off.  And we will be sure to deliver an ornament from our tree to yours :) We will make sure to update photos of the chart so that it remains current. Follow us on Facebook or on Instagram to see how we are doing ;)

After making the numbered chart I realized that wow, that is a ton of squares. Kind of scary, but if it doesn't work out so well then we will have a lot of pom poms to decorate our own tree lol!

Donations :

For USA tax deductible receipts, you can donate to us here (5% will be used for credit card fees and administrative costs):

www.adopttogether.org/theschaefers

Other Ways to Donate:

If you don't need a tax receipt, you can also donate with a personal check, cash, or send money via Paypal to chelsaschaefer@gmail.com

Or Send Money to Our Adoption Agency:

Personal Check to : 

European Adoption Consultants Inc.

12608 Alameda Drive

Strongsville, OH

44149

USA

Specify the funds are for us!

The more people that we can reach with our holiday fundraiser the better, so please feel free to share on Facebook ! Thank you!!!

Autumn Updates

Hello!

I am still trying to get used to getting back into the swing of "blogging".  And to be honest, not sure that I am going to be writing out our whole life story here (but if you'd like to know, let's go for coffee!).  I definitely want to share photos, and share updates.  But as a busy mom of three little ones, I rarely have time to read other blogs (I've mastered skimming and quickly taking in the photos!) let alone write an autobiography of our life.

So UPDATE....how are we? We are awesome! Loving the little years with our kiddos, and taking as much time together as a family as we can get. Lately, enjoying the leaves, cool air, and warm sun. "How's the adoption going?" most people ask...I'd have to say that if it is in God's hand's (which we believe it is) then despite the setbacks it is going good. Each setback - which basically right now means that it is taking longer for our documents to get over to Tanzania than we hoped (because we have to keep gathering more documents that somehow got missed in the process, or expired and have to get redone ) - can definitely feel discouraging.  However, when we keep our eyes on Jesus (who has shared His heart of adoption with us in the first place) we feel pretty hopeful. He is way more into adoption than we could ever be, and we trust that He has perfect plans to grow our family in His timing.  So....that's where we are! SOOOO close to getting out our "Dossier" (fancy for - huge - package of all of our life's documents) to Tanzania. So close.

We have also been doing some number crunching. Looks like my hope for a $25,000 adoption was way off!  We are going to easily be pushing double that by the end. Sound scary? Not really, not when we know that all of our money belongs to God, and what better use for it? Praise the Lord for His perspective in our lives! We have started making these adorable Christmas Tree ornaments (Anthropolgie - like the store - inspired!) as a family, and we are going to have a little fundraiser, to give our friends, family and community the chance to play a part in our adoption journey....so stayed tuned for that, it's pretty cool :)

Now for the photos.....

Took a trip to the farm to see my family this fall. Love these horses.
















My baby girl just turned 6. bittersweet.







And my baby sister just got married! (There might be more photos to come....it's hard to resist.)