Saving money for "sister"

Ok - I just have to share this with you! I was chuckling so hard (but trying not to show it to Meg so I wouldn't make her mad).
After gymnastics on Wednesday, I gave Meghan a dollar to buy a snack for her and Jacob to share. She chose Skittles for 75 cents. She wanted to keep the quarter - to "save so I can get my sister". I had her give me back the quarter and I ended up giving it to Jacob to buy an Airhead candy (he didn't want Skittles . . . ). She about tackled me and Jacob to get the quarter, yelling at the top of her lungs "NOOOOOO . . . don't spend the quarter mom!!! We need it for getting my sister!!! NOOOOO! Mom!! Don't spend it!!!". Of course - everyone who was there (luckily it was only a couple ladies and their little kids left) just looked and stared. I smiled and said "she is very excited to be adopting a sister". :) . . . . . . what I really wanted to say to Meghan was "If you are so concerned about saving money - then let's return your Skittles that you spent 3 quarters on." . . . I was tempted. :)
Poor Meg - she asks me frequently: How much paperwork have I finished? How much more do I have to do? Why haven't I finished it yet? Will her sister be here by her birthday (May 5th)? When will she come? When can she get bunk beds for her and her sister? . . . . and on and on! :)
How cool is it that God would answer the desires of this little girl's heart!?! Tyler has always wanted another sister as well. When I was pregnant with Jacob he was hoping it would be a girl so we could name her Kaitlyn or Kathryn - his "favorite" names. He still tells me he hopes her name is Kathryn (or that we can call her that). :) I like the name too, but we'll see. If she is older (5 years old or so), then we will probably keep whatever name her mom gave her. If she's young - we may change her first name. I just don't know yet. I'm still praying about that one.
Well - thanks for checking in on us! Have a great day!
Lori :)

We begin our Home study!

Yeah! Next wednesday, May 3rd, we will officially begin our homestudy with Carol Galvin - a wonderful social worker that was recommended to us. I know she's wonderful - because she's put up with all my questions and confusions before even being able to start our homestudy! Plus - many other people have highly praised her! :)
We are still plugging away at all the paperwork and notarizations. It's amazing to me - how many hoops we have to jump through to prove we are good parents and can adopt this child. It will be worth it in the end! I would do many times more paperwork even!! (and I know I will throughout her life!). This week we will be starting on our 3-4 page autobiographies for the homestudy. Should be interesting. . . . hope my memory doesn't fail me when writing it! :) hee, hee. Or - maybe that would be a good thing. :) Who knows!
Thank you for supporting us in this adoption. If any of you feel led to share your support of us through prayer or finances (or knowledge & expertise in this process) - please check the links under "How can I support the Wests?". Thanks so much guys! God bless you all
-Lori :)

Family Pics

Here's our current gang!

I may try to add some more photos later. For now - gotta go get the kids in bed!

- Lori :)

Guatemala info

Want to know more about Guatemala?

Guatemala (land of trees) is a beautiful country, with two mountain ranges (the Sierra Madres and the Cuchumatares), the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. It is the largest of the Central American countries and has a growing tourist business. It is the seat of the remarkable Mayan civilization and boasts many cultures and ethnicities, primarily Amerindian, Caucasian, Spanish and African American. It is referred to the "land of eternal spring" for it's moderate temperates.

But Guatemala is not without its' problems. A country roughly the size of Tennessee , the population numbers over 14 millions. 75% of the population is below the poverty line. The average number of children per woman of childbearing age in Guatemala is 4.5. Many of these women are not able to support their children due to poverty. Many have them out of wedlock, which is culturally unacceptable there. As a result, there are literally thousands of children who are available for adoption there. Last year, Guatemala released almost as many children for adoption as China , a much larger country. There tends to be more boys than girls available for adoption there.

Guatemala has made the adoption process a very reliable and informative one for families. Children are very well cared for, oftentimes from birth, in foster homes. They receive excellent medical care and are well nurtured by their foster families, thereby helping to prevent bonding problems later in life. Most of these children are available for adoption at a very young age, one month.

The foreign country fee for Guatemala is usually around $19,000. While this is a higher fee than is offered by most countries, these costs are offset by a very short travel time, usually around three days, and the proximity of the country, which lowers airfares considerably. In the end, Guatemala is comparable in cost to other countries such as China , Russia and Korea .


"The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000 people dead and had created some 1 million refugees."

-Lori :)

Update and prayer requests

So here’s the latest update:
1. A co-worker of J's donated $1000 (out of the blue) towards our adoption! Way to go God! What a blessing! (Thanks guys! You know who you are!) (only $20,000 + more to go!)
2. Our home study agency says that we can start our home study now (we'll have to wait till J gets back and our social worker gets back from some conferences - so probably the first week of May)
3. We've had our fun physicals! :) Yee-hah!
4. We've gotten a lot of paperwork done, but still have probably 20% more to do, then send it all to the Sec. of the State and then the Guatemala Consulates for authentications.
5. We have our fingerprinting appointment with Homeland Security on May 11th.
6. Hopefully Mark Johnson (from A Helping Hand) is still currently looking for our daughter at one of those 2 Christian orphanages (see previous post).
7. We still need: Bunk beds (for Meg and her new sister), a new, bigger van for J (we can't fit into his current vehicle), a bigger kitchen table that will seat 7, and a variety of other odds and ends for our daughter (clothes, etc. Waiting till we know how old she is, etc.).


Prayer requests:
- For the safety of our daughter in Guatemala
- For peace in my heart as we go through this process
- For Divine guidance in our lives and the lives of those helping us with this process (i.e. – our social worker, adoption agency, family advocate, etc)
- For Finances – the total adoption process is going to be around $26-29,000, plus the above mentioned items we will need. Pray for wisdom on how to finance it (ie - support letter, grants, loans, God's miraculous provision, etc). I know that He will provide somehow as this was His plan - I just want wisdom (so I don't get ahead of Him and His timing and blessings).
- For the safe and speedy delivery of all our documents we have to fill out and send, and for the paperwork process to be without problems, delays, etc. Pray for Divine intervention in the whole process.
- For the bonding of this little girl with our family - her heart and ours!

I think that's it for now. We covet your prayers and support.
Blessings!
Lori & Jeremy :)