Good Morning Family and Friends!
I am so excited to have found this fabulous site for you to be able to donate if you choose. The Pure Charity site allows you to make a tax deductible donation that goes directly to our adoption agency. Click on the icon on the right of the blog to access our site. We are going to continue to do some more fundraisers in the coming weeks or months, but some of you had asked how you can give now to our cause. This link allows you to do just that, and it's tax deductible! Every single penny that we raise from this goes directly to our adoption accounty which is spent solely on the fees charged from our agency.
We have heard from our social worker that she is almost done writing our home study, the next step is to go before the director to be approved. Once approved, we are on the waiting list! I cannot wait to be on the waiting list! We have begun to gather items that will be needed for Zoie to arrive. We found a set of bunk beds for the boys, which they are so excited about. We also found a crib for Zoie. We won't move the boys into a room together until closer to bringing her home, but it is nice to know we have what we need.
I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support during this time. I promise money is not the only thing needed, that will come as we are trusting in God's timing. Prayers are the most important thing we need. We will happily take any prayers and positive thoughts you want to give! We are so thankful that you are all along with us on this journey. Expanding our family is a team effort and we are so honored that you have chosen to go through this with us!
TZ
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
August Update
Greetings everyone,
Back to school time is here again for us. Gone are the days of sleeping until 7:15am, at least Monday through Friday.
We wanted to take a quick minute and let you know where everything stands in the adoption process. Right now our social worker is hard at work on our official home study paperwork. It could be another month or so before that is ready. Once that's done, we are approved to begin getting our name out there for mothers to look at. Tarrah spent the last few weeks of vacation working very hard on the book that will be shown to potential birth mothers, and in my honest opinion it looks amazing! 7 copies of it have been sent to Macon to begin to be distributed, once we're home study approved.
While the process is moving right along, so is the need for donations and fundraising. In the coming weeks we will be sharing information with you about some family photo sittings that a good friend of ours is going to sponsor for us. We would love to have you come out and help us during this project. Stay tuned for details.
If you feel so compelled, please feel free to donate to our fund now by clicking on the PayPal link on the blog. All the proceeds that we get, either through donation or through fundraising, are going straight into our Zoie fund so that we can pay the various expenses that come our way. Our next major deadline is coming soon when our home study is finalized. At that point we will need to provide the agency $1500 in order for our profile books to be shared. We can't do this without your help!
As always, we want to be an open book about this. Feel free to drop us a line, ask whatever questions you have, or lend your support. All of you who are reading this are our family and we want you to be a part of this life-changing process!
Peace,
NZ & TZ
Nick's Email Tarrah's Email:
nickzomer2003@gmail.com tb2123@hotmail.com
Back to school time is here again for us. Gone are the days of sleeping until 7:15am, at least Monday through Friday.
We wanted to take a quick minute and let you know where everything stands in the adoption process. Right now our social worker is hard at work on our official home study paperwork. It could be another month or so before that is ready. Once that's done, we are approved to begin getting our name out there for mothers to look at. Tarrah spent the last few weeks of vacation working very hard on the book that will be shown to potential birth mothers, and in my honest opinion it looks amazing! 7 copies of it have been sent to Macon to begin to be distributed, once we're home study approved.
While the process is moving right along, so is the need for donations and fundraising. In the coming weeks we will be sharing information with you about some family photo sittings that a good friend of ours is going to sponsor for us. We would love to have you come out and help us during this project. Stay tuned for details.
If you feel so compelled, please feel free to donate to our fund now by clicking on the PayPal link on the blog. All the proceeds that we get, either through donation or through fundraising, are going straight into our Zoie fund so that we can pay the various expenses that come our way. Our next major deadline is coming soon when our home study is finalized. At that point we will need to provide the agency $1500 in order for our profile books to be shared. We can't do this without your help!
As always, we want to be an open book about this. Feel free to drop us a line, ask whatever questions you have, or lend your support. All of you who are reading this are our family and we want you to be a part of this life-changing process!
Peace,
NZ & TZ
Nick's Email Tarrah's Email:
nickzomer2003@gmail.com tb2123@hotmail.com
Monday, July 22, 2013
Final Home Study
Greetings adoption fans!
Last week was a crazy week for us. Lots of cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Pressure washing, vacuuming and cleaning carpets, organizing closets and rooms, etc. Basically if it was dirty before, it's not now. All of that was done in preparation for our final home study visit with our awesome case worker Tricia.
Our visit started at around 11:15, and the boys stole the show. They were so excited to see her and show her around that they didn't even wait for her to get out of the car. Once we corralled them back until she rang the doorbell, it was green light for center stage. They showed her all over the house and then proceeded to have a "war" with their umbrellas (which had been uncovered during the big cleanup exercises earlier in the week).
From the adult perspective, the visit was a piece of cake. Everyone kept telling Tarrah on the message boards and things that this was nothing to stress out over and just to relax. However, when someone is coming in to your home to tell you if you're worthy or not to adopt a child, it's a really stressful feeling! In retrospect, we should have listened to them a little, but at the same time it's nice to have done a much needed deep cleaning on the house. I mean, who knows when the last time was that this house was pressure washed! We showed her around the house, addressed a few key points (Zoie's room, fire extinguisher, where the safe is located, etc), and then had our final pre-adoption chat. The whole visit lasted maybe 45 minutes. I felt bad that she had to travel up all this way for such a short visit, but then again it was awesome that it wasn't too taxing or difficult.
Now, we wait. We have to wait about 6-8 weeks for her to write up our home study. Once that's done we have to wait to be shown to potential mothers. Then we wait to be selected. This waiting also gives us time to come up with some much needed funds. When the home study is written, we have to pay $1500 to the agency. I (Nick) will be working a part time job at a local tutoring company to start chipping away at it. Donations are gladly accepted via our PayPal account!
Be on the lookout for our next fundraiser: a family photo shoot! We will have a couple of locations for you to choose from. More information in the coming weeks on this one!
Well, that's about all. We are plugging along nicely in the process. It's all in God's hands and His timing now. This process has definitely been a reminder that our timing is not His!
Peace,
NZ & TZ
Last week was a crazy week for us. Lots of cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Pressure washing, vacuuming and cleaning carpets, organizing closets and rooms, etc. Basically if it was dirty before, it's not now. All of that was done in preparation for our final home study visit with our awesome case worker Tricia.
Our visit started at around 11:15, and the boys stole the show. They were so excited to see her and show her around that they didn't even wait for her to get out of the car. Once we corralled them back until she rang the doorbell, it was green light for center stage. They showed her all over the house and then proceeded to have a "war" with their umbrellas (which had been uncovered during the big cleanup exercises earlier in the week).
From the adult perspective, the visit was a piece of cake. Everyone kept telling Tarrah on the message boards and things that this was nothing to stress out over and just to relax. However, when someone is coming in to your home to tell you if you're worthy or not to adopt a child, it's a really stressful feeling! In retrospect, we should have listened to them a little, but at the same time it's nice to have done a much needed deep cleaning on the house. I mean, who knows when the last time was that this house was pressure washed! We showed her around the house, addressed a few key points (Zoie's room, fire extinguisher, where the safe is located, etc), and then had our final pre-adoption chat. The whole visit lasted maybe 45 minutes. I felt bad that she had to travel up all this way for such a short visit, but then again it was awesome that it wasn't too taxing or difficult.
Now, we wait. We have to wait about 6-8 weeks for her to write up our home study. Once that's done we have to wait to be shown to potential mothers. Then we wait to be selected. This waiting also gives us time to come up with some much needed funds. When the home study is written, we have to pay $1500 to the agency. I (Nick) will be working a part time job at a local tutoring company to start chipping away at it. Donations are gladly accepted via our PayPal account!
Be on the lookout for our next fundraiser: a family photo shoot! We will have a couple of locations for you to choose from. More information in the coming weeks on this one!
Well, that's about all. We are plugging along nicely in the process. It's all in God's hands and His timing now. This process has definitely been a reminder that our timing is not His!
Peace,
NZ & TZ
Saturday, July 6, 2013
AND THE WINNER IS......
The Names......
MARGARET McCARTY! CONGRATULATIONS MARGARET!
Please email me at tb2123@hotmail.com with which doll you would like (you can find them here http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/static/character.jsp). Also please let me know what address to send the doll too.
Thank you so much for all who participated in our American Girl Doll Raffle! We made $220 towards our adoption fees! We are so blessed to have each of you in our lives!
Next up for fundraising: Family photo sessions with Marianne Nash Photography at a local park. Details to come. In the mean time you can checkout Marianne's photos at https://www.facebook.com/#!/mariannenashphotographyanddesign
Love you all!
Nick, Tarrah, Quintin, Kai and Zoie!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Home Study, Macon Visit #2
Greetings blog fans and followers,
Nick has the controls for this post, so watch out!
Today Tarrah and I made the always exciting drive down to Macon for another meeting with our case worker. This was a monumental trip as the next time we make an adoption trip south will be to bring Zoie back home. We have made it through the 2 required classes regarding the agency and the 2 required meetings with our case worker. Now she just has to come and see us one more time; this time in our neck of the woods with the final home inspection. So we will be busy preparing the house for her July 19th visit. Lots to do! If you are dying to get out of the house and help someone out, we've got plenty of jobs to be crossed off our list. Don't be shy!
The meeting went really well. Some logistical items to start with and then the individual interviews. Who would have guessed that Tarrah and I would give almost identical responses to questions that we didn't know about ahead of time? Yeah, we're that good. Or that alike. One or the other. There's a reason why we're together! And we didn't throw the other one under the bus, so the drive home was tolerable and we actually spoke to one another. We had to ask at the end just to make sure that everything was on the level for us, and it is. She doesn't seem to have any questions or concerns for us as of right now. Woo hoo!!
One final reminder: You have exactly one week to purchase your tickets for the American Girl doll raffle. The winner gets to choose the doll of his/her choice, a $110 value! The winner will be selected on July 4th, so you still have time to enter. Tickets are $10 for 1, $20 for 2, $25 for 3. If you want more of that, just let us know and we'll hook you up!
Thank you all for joining us on this journey to bring Zoie home. Each of you plays a vital role in this process and we can't do it without you!
-Nick & Tarrah
Nick has the controls for this post, so watch out!
Today Tarrah and I made the always exciting drive down to Macon for another meeting with our case worker. This was a monumental trip as the next time we make an adoption trip south will be to bring Zoie back home. We have made it through the 2 required classes regarding the agency and the 2 required meetings with our case worker. Now she just has to come and see us one more time; this time in our neck of the woods with the final home inspection. So we will be busy preparing the house for her July 19th visit. Lots to do! If you are dying to get out of the house and help someone out, we've got plenty of jobs to be crossed off our list. Don't be shy!
The meeting went really well. Some logistical items to start with and then the individual interviews. Who would have guessed that Tarrah and I would give almost identical responses to questions that we didn't know about ahead of time? Yeah, we're that good. Or that alike. One or the other. There's a reason why we're together! And we didn't throw the other one under the bus, so the drive home was tolerable and we actually spoke to one another. We had to ask at the end just to make sure that everything was on the level for us, and it is. She doesn't seem to have any questions or concerns for us as of right now. Woo hoo!!
One final reminder: You have exactly one week to purchase your tickets for the American Girl doll raffle. The winner gets to choose the doll of his/her choice, a $110 value! The winner will be selected on July 4th, so you still have time to enter. Tickets are $10 for 1, $20 for 2, $25 for 3. If you want more of that, just let us know and we'll hook you up!
Thank you all for joining us on this journey to bring Zoie home. Each of you plays a vital role in this process and we can't do it without you!
-Nick & Tarrah
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Quiet time
Good Afternoon!
I just noticed I have been quiet for a few weeks. Life has been busy as usual. We went to Hilton Head with the boys and had a great time on "bacation," as Kai calls it. We are now working on things around the house for when Tricia comes here on July 19.
On the adoption front nothing big is happening right now, we will meet with Tricia this Thursday for our 2nd interview with her. I will get to start working on the profile book after this meeting. I cannot wait to have that part done.
On the fundraising part, we are doing well, we have 37 entries in our American Girl Doll raffle. After that is done we will not do much for a while. Nick has gotten a second job to help us get out of our debt sooner and start saving more. In the fall a good friend of ours will be having family photoshoots for us. We will have a day or 2 we will have sign ups for you to have your family photos done here in Cherokee County. I do not know all the details yet, but will let you know as soon as I do.
Thank you everyone for the prayer and support, I pray that you are able to see the good, bad and wonderful aspects of Adoption. I pray some of you decide to grow your family in this way as well.
9 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE DRAWING!!!!!!!
TZ
I just noticed I have been quiet for a few weeks. Life has been busy as usual. We went to Hilton Head with the boys and had a great time on "bacation," as Kai calls it. We are now working on things around the house for when Tricia comes here on July 19.
On the adoption front nothing big is happening right now, we will meet with Tricia this Thursday for our 2nd interview with her. I will get to start working on the profile book after this meeting. I cannot wait to have that part done.
On the fundraising part, we are doing well, we have 37 entries in our American Girl Doll raffle. After that is done we will not do much for a while. Nick has gotten a second job to help us get out of our debt sooner and start saving more. In the fall a good friend of ours will be having family photoshoots for us. We will have a day or 2 we will have sign ups for you to have your family photos done here in Cherokee County. I do not know all the details yet, but will let you know as soon as I do.
Thank you everyone for the prayer and support, I pray that you are able to see the good, bad and wonderful aspects of Adoption. I pray some of you decide to grow your family in this way as well.
9 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE DRAWING!!!!!!!
TZ
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Home study interview #1
Yesterday we were able to meet with our Social Worker, Tricia, for our first home study interview. We got up at 6:15 am and left the house by 7:15 to make sure we arrived in Macon in plenty of time. Our appointment was for 10:30 and if you know Atlanta traffic one day that can take an hour and a half the next the same trip can take 3 hours. We were blessed and highly favored and it took us less than 2 hours. Since we had so much time to kill we were able to get some shopping for Malakai's birthday party done.
We made it to the agency in plenty of time and were quickly greeted with a very pleasant lady. Since we were early Tricia was not quite ready for us but we didn't wait too long. We sat with her and went over the paperwork we had already submitted and she made us very comfortable. I really had no idea what to expect so it was nice how relaxing it was. We were able to get answers to some of the questions we had and left feeling very confident!
We now have our next 2 appointments set up with Tricia, one more in Macon on June 29th and then she comes for our home visit on July 19th. From then we wait about 6-8 weeks for her to write up our homestudy. That means by middle of September we will be waiting to be chosen from a birthmother. I am really looking forward to that point, but nervous at the same time since I do not wait very well:-)
Don't forget about our American Girl Doll raffle! We don't have many entries right now, so your chances are very good! Winner will be chosen July4th!
Love to you all!
Tarrah
We made it to the agency in plenty of time and were quickly greeted with a very pleasant lady. Since we were early Tricia was not quite ready for us but we didn't wait too long. We sat with her and went over the paperwork we had already submitted and she made us very comfortable. I really had no idea what to expect so it was nice how relaxing it was. We were able to get answers to some of the questions we had and left feeling very confident!
We now have our next 2 appointments set up with Tricia, one more in Macon on June 29th and then she comes for our home visit on July 19th. From then we wait about 6-8 weeks for her to write up our homestudy. That means by middle of September we will be waiting to be chosen from a birthmother. I am really looking forward to that point, but nervous at the same time since I do not wait very well:-)
Don't forget about our American Girl Doll raffle! We don't have many entries right now, so your chances are very good! Winner will be chosen July4th!
Love to you all!
Tarrah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)