5 Months Waiting

We can't believe it has been 5 months already. Time is going fast on our wait. When we started the waiting process we didn't know what to expect. The first month I watched the phone, although I didn't think we would get the call that soon. But, now we are busy getting prepared for them to come home so we are staying very busy. We are updating paperwork because it had been over a year since we started this process. That is hard to believe. More paperwork! And we are working on fundraising and grants. The Penny Jar Project is going very well. I will keep you posted on the progress because great things are continuing to develop with the PJP. Thank you again to all who have given jars so far. We have raised just over $5000 in "Penny Jars". God is so good and He will finish His work He has started in us! Praise HIM!

Change has happened in the Kingsbury home!

The Kingsbury home has had some big changes in the last week (big for us anyway)! No, we did not get any news on the adoption, unfortunately. Scott and I have been doing a lot of talking the last couple months about how we could simplify our lives by adjusting our schedules, creating more margin, and making more money. Simple right? We haven't been seeing much of each other lately with him working days and me working nights. It's been difficult. Everytime we talked about it, it seemed the only solution was for me to go back to work. Ughh! I love being home with the kids all day and homeschooling them. In fact, if it were up to me I would always stay home with the kids and not work at all so I could school them, make nice meals for my family and keep my house clean and in order.


God had other plans though. We really want to pay off some debt along with preparing for the adoption costs and despite my efforts, I couldn't come up with a better idea so... YEP... I've gone back to work. In the future I can hopefully, again, be a house wife, but for now we had to make the tough choice.

I called my boss and asked her if she needed anyone during the daytime to work. She was so excited. She said it was a miracle that I was asking because they really needed someone and she would love to have me. That means we would have to put the kids in public school (yikes!). I have always homeschooled them. So, we asked the kids what they thought and they said no way! We continued to talk about it a lot more and somewhere along the way God did an amazing work in their little hearts and in mine too. Within just a few days we were all excited about the change. ONLY God could have done that in our hearts!


Scott and I walked them into their classrooms together and met their teachers. They are both very sweet. In fact, Silas's teacher is a friend of ours from church and was in our community group for awhile. That was a nice suprise.

They started school on Tuesday this week and I started work on Wednesday. We are all tired from the change in schedule, but we had a great week. I love my job and the kids love school. In fact, Sophia is at a birthday party now with all her new school friends and was greeted at the door with hugs from four of the girls in her class. Praise God for that. Our children adjust to change so well. When we moved here to OK from TN they never skipped a beat and now it seems the same. Silas loves his class too and his teacher. He was tested this week and is one of the top in his class. That doesn't surprise me at all. He could probably do just fine in 1st grade, but I want to keep him with his age group. I will just have to challenge him more at home. I didn't realize how much "busy work" they give them in public school. It is crazy how many papers Silas brought home in the four days he went this week and to me it all seems like preschool work. So, it will be a challenge to keep him from getting bored. Sophia's class seems to be right on track for her. She is doing great in her class and participating a lot already.

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know what the Kingsbury's have been up to in the last week. Crazy change around her, but God is in control!!!!!!!! I prayed at the beginning of the week that God would take care of every little detail so that I wouldn't have to worry about them. And He did more that I could have ever done on my own. It really is amazing how faithful God is in every situation when you give Him control. Thank you Lord for Your Peace!

4 MONTHS...

Well, it has been four months waiting now (as of Dec. 26, and I am late getting this updated). We are in wait mode and fundraising mode right now. We just spent the holidays with family and friends in MI and TN. It was a great holiday season for us, but very busy also. I talked to our caseworker at Gladney a few days ago and I was telling her how fast this process seems to be going. Time goes so fast anyway when we stay as busy as we are. I try to cherish each moment with the kids because they are growing so fast. I can't even imagine how fast life will go with four kids at home.

I just called our caseworker to see on her end how things were going and touch base and I had some questions for her. Of course, I knew that she couldn't "tell" me anything because she doesn't know anything yet either. She will get a call from the in-country staff to say that our referral is ready and then she will call us. So, I just filled her in on what we have been doing in the waiting period. I can't wait until the day I see her number come up on my phone.

Well, the Penny Jar Project is going great! Just in the month of December we collected 75 jars. In real dollars that equals $750.00. Praise the Lord! We want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to the PJP. We greatly appreciate all of you and you are already a part of our children's lives. They will one day realize how great of a gift it was from all of you. Again, we really want a picture of you when you fill your jar so we can make a picture of all your faces so they can see who brought them home from Africa. We are also now connected with a non-profit organization called Life Song for Orphans and can receive tax deductible gifts towards the PJP. Email me for more information or send your pictures to tonikingsbury@cox.net .

Ethiopia just celebrated Christmas there on January 7th. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. You can read more about the holiday in Ethiopia at

http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/traditions/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga4.htm

Merry Christmas to our kids in Ethiopia! Or should we say Merry Ganna?

By the way, Sophia wanted this to be our #4 picture. She did it all on her own with her geoboard in math yesterday and brought it to me. I love that they are always wanting to stay involved in every part of the process. They are so excited to have a new brother(s) and sister(s).

Become a "Jar Head" with a Penny Jar Shirt. All the cool kids are doing it!

That's right... get a Penny Jar shirt and you too can become an official "Jar Head"! Click the drop down in the shopping cart to select your sizes.  Shirts are $25 each [including shipping]. When you purchase a Penny Jar t-shirt you fill a jar, bringing us one jar closer to bringing our kids home!

3 months waiting...

Another month has gone by and no phone call. That's ok because I am really not expecting it anytime real soon. It takes awhile. But, it still could be any day!

I was looking at the Penny Jar Project funds and got excited about the jars coming in. Just in the past four months we have raised over $ 1700.oo with pennies! That is pretty cool! We only need about $17,000.00 more (not including travel costs). We have raised over $5000 so far. We are applying for grants and working on some fundraising events for next year. We want to say thank you to everyone who has donated a "jar" or two or lots more. We appreciate you all more than you could ever know. We know God will provide every penny that is needed for our kids to come home. THANKS EVERYONE!

Also, I realized that it has been one year since we started our adoption process. We applied for our adoption through Gladney in December. We decided to adopt in November of last year. I can't believe how fast time goes by. We will have our babies in our arms before we know it. We can't wait! I think about them every single day; how old will they be, girls or boys, what will they look like, are they ready for us to come get them, am I ready for four kids, how will they adapt to our family, and so many other thoughts. Every single thing I do during the day I think about doing it with four kids. I can't wait!

Oh, and by the way we are #6 on the waiting list for sibblings. We were #10 last month. There were 8 referrals just last month with Gladney. The list is moving fast. It could be any day!

Well, that is all for today. I have four kids over my house right now (good practice) and need to get off the computer. :)

(look at the 3 month picture good because the kids made it and it tells a little story)

Lessons about Ethiopia and the culture...

I am sitting at home sick right now all by myself. The kids are at a friends house and Scott is, you guessed it, working. Note: it's 7:40pm. Sick, by myself, what do I do? So, I got out our Hague Training videos we are to watch before we travel to get our kids. We also have to take a quiz online when we are done. I watched two videos so far and they are each two hours long.
The first video was about attachment and bonding. It was interesting and informative because we will be going through that soon, I hope. I do pray that our kids will bond with our family quickly and without much trouble. But, I would be silly to think there would not be some struggle in the process. On the video they make you take an "adult attachment" quiz. I praise the Lord for my mom who loves me the way she does and therefore I don't have a problem with attachment. And I think my kids have a very healthy love in our home already.

So, the six things they said to watch out for are: 1)fails to make eye contact, 2) may be stiff when you hold them, 3) very friendly to strangers, 4)doesn't ask for help or comfort, 5) has an increased tolerance for pain (because there is not anyone to run to when they get hurt), and 6) may be unkind to animals (because they don't have pets, they only have watch dogs that are mean).

Now I will explain some of the culture differences that explain the above a little more.

1) Faith and Family are key to them. They are very traditional in everything they do. The family is very close-knit and extended family and/or even other families live together in one space.

2) Respect and Humility - they are taught to be very respectful to the elders and really anyone. They would never interrupt a conversation between two adults. (imagine that) With the elderly they bow and shake hands and with friends (either gender) they give four kisses per check. They will not give you eye contact because it is considered disrespectful to look into someones eyes.

3) The gender roles are different. The man is the dominant bread winner and would never be caught doing any house hold chores. (So, if I get a boy I have some teaching to do :)

4) They don't date, ever. Most marriages are arranged. I am for that!

5) Religion - they are very religious and may attend church daily. They fast often. They are either Christian or Muslim.

6) Race and Color - they do not see themselves as inferior in any way. They wouldn't understand any racial issues we have here in America.

7) They are used to a structured life-style. They want guidelines.

8) Hair and Skin care - they need a moisturizing shampoo but only about once a week. Braids are best for the girls when they are little. They will need education on brushing teeth and proper hygiene.

9) Safety - they are not used to the things we have in our home like ovens, irons, etc. that could harm them. So we need to teach all of that right away. And they don't know a stranger, so we need to teach "stranger rules" right away. And they don't know boundaries. They would wonder off and come back when they are ready. That could cause some stress on us.

10) And the last for now...Food - that is a big change for them. They have very spicy food and a totally different texture. They also use their hands to eat. We have already experienced the food when we went to the Ethiopian restaurant in OK City this summer. It's "different", but I did eat it. It is an acquired taste for sure. Looks yummy, huh!!!

Well, there is so much more to learn. We are learning as we sit and wait on our phone call from Gladney. Wait, wait, and wait some more. We have a lot of waiting to do since we are only 2 months into the waiting process.

Orphan Sunday - November is Adoption Awareness Month

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

2 Months Waiting

Well, it has been 2 1/2 months now waiting. I have been so busy with school and work and church that I have not had time to update. We have not heard any word on our adoption, but that is expected right now. But, God is doing so many great things all around us with adoption. We have some friends who are leaving this week to go get their 3 children from Africa. And some other friends getting their baby boy, Silas, very soon. I love that others all around us have a heart for adoption also. There are so many orphans that are waiting for their forever families. Our kids are out there waiting too. They have no idea how much we already love them and can't wait for them to come home. We are number 9 on the "unofficial" waiting list. Someone has put together a list of everyone adopting from Gladney with what age child(ren) they are waiting for right now and where they are in the process, etc. And out of all who are waiting for a sibling group like us, we are the ninth on the list. We still have no idea how long that will take to move up the list. But, God knows the exact date that we will hold our children in our arms!

One Month and counting...

We have been waiting one month now. It flew by so fast. Ever since we have been placed on the official waiting list for our adoption I can't stop thinking about that phone call that could come at any time. Although, I have been so busy that this month really did go fast and it made me realize how fast this time will go by just waiting. I am also reminded that God is in complete control of the time that is perfect for us to bring our kids home. I constantly think about the details and possibilities: what ages the kids might be, where they are right now and what are they doing, what they will look like, will they be boys or girls, are they ready for their forever family to come and bring them home, are they happy and safe, will they understand our language or speak it...so many questions going through my mind all day long. The kids talk about their brothers/sisters all the time also. They can't wait! But, for now, it is like being pregnant and dreaming of the day they arrive. We need this time to prepare for them to come home, finish all the details of the adoption process and raise the funds to complete the adoption. Our plan is to take Sophia and Silas with us to Ethiopia when we pick up the kids, so we are trying to raise enough money for that too. My mom might try to come also and help us with our 4 children while in Ethiopia.

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18
God did not leave us as orphans, He adopted me and my family into His kingdom as His children. Therefore, we are adopting our children into our family so they may be adopted into His kingdom one day. What a blessing it is to be walking with the Lord in His journey!

They are getting TOO BIG! Kids "school pictures"

Here are the latest pictures of my awesome kids...

Sophia Rose is now 8 years old. She is such a beautiful young lady

Silas Jaxon is my handsome little man. He will be 6 years old next month. Wow!
My kids are just getting too big. These are the picture we took one day when they got some new school clothes for their birthdays. We just said these would be the "school pictures" this year. I will be taking more later this fall.

The WAIT begins...

We are OFFICIALLY on the WAITING LIST for our children in Ethiopia as of August 26, 2009. We got the email yesterday on the way to Tennessee. We are so glad to be to this point in our journey. This is all becoming so real to us now. Our friends at church Sarah and Johnathan just got their referral on Tuesday night. I was with them and got to video tape the news. I was in tears as I watched them get their news of their new baby boy. I can't wait until we get our phone call like that. They can't tell us how long our wait is for siblings. We are waiting for two siblings or cousins ages 5 years old and younger. So, the wait begins...

OUR children are waiting for us to come get them!

When I watch this video and others like it my heart swells. I feel love for every one of those beautiful children, all 4.8 million of them. Two of those children in Ethiopia are ours and waiting for us to love them, feed them, play with them, teach them, and just hold them. They are yearning for a family and I can't wait to give them that. My arms can't wait to hold them and my eyes can't wait to see their smile.

As Christians we are all in some way responsible to meet the needs of the orphans and widows. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 So that makes me think, what is OUR role? We are bringing two home soon. What can YOU do? Whatever God leads you to do; pray, give, serve, help, feed, educate, or adopt. There are so many ways we can help these children in Ethiopia have hope. That is why we want to extend the Penny Jar Project to go beyond our adoption and help others to adopt or help a certain orphanage. We don't know yet what God has planned for the Penny Jar Project, but we know it doesn't end with us and our adoption. Please watch this video and them pray for these children.

This video is from Children's Hope Chest...

Penny Jars Coming In...

We have Penny Jars coming in all the time now. It is so fun to see them coming to us on paypal and people just handing jars to us. Today I had one of my students in swim lessons (3 years old) hand me a bag of pennies for the Penny Jar Project. It was so sweet and so cute! Thanks Savannah! And thank you to EVERYONE who has given us their jars so far. Please don't forget to take a picture of yourself (kids) holding the jar and send it to Scott on the http://www.pennyjarproject.com/PJP/Welcome.html website. We have to pay our next big chuck of money for the adoption this month, so if you have your Penny Jar ready send it our way. Our family is going to go door to door in our neighborhood to see if anyone has some change and see how much we can get that way. We are trying to think of creative ways to do the Jars. If you have any other ideas send them our way. Thanks again! The Penny Jar Project Rocks!!!!!!!

Gladney Approved!!!!!!!

We are officially Gladney Approved as of July 9, 2009. That means we are approved to adopt a child(ren) from Ethiopia. Our dossier (foreign paperwork) is almost complete. All we have left to get is our CIS approval letter (after we get our fingerprints done). That is exciting news. We are so excited to be done with the paperwork part of our journey. It took us 7.5 months to complete the paperwork. Soon we will be on the waiting list for our kids in Ethiopia. We can't wait for that. I can't tell you how much we already love these children. We always tell people that we have four kids, but two are in Ethiopia waiting to come home. God knows the exact time that we will hold our kids for the first time and not a moment sooner. That is what we are holding on to right now. We want them home now, but we are patiently waiting on God's perfect timing. Keep up the praying! We feel all your prayers daily, thanks! We will keep you posted.

Our Website is up and running now...

Check out the Penny Jar Project website. It is up and running. You can donate your pennies now on the site. Don't forget to take a picture of you and/or your family after you have filled your jars! We want pictures. Everything is explained on the site.

http://www.pennyjarproject.com/PJP/Welcome.html