New blog...new life!! 1st post to the new blog!!

Please follow our journey to complete our family. ;o)

You can click on the picture above, or on the title below. It will take you to our new blog!

Our Family Completed

Bags are packed and.....

Bags are packed and.....

Well almost...I am still working on it just taking a break.

And....We are fully funded!!!!!!!! We now have every thing we need to bring our daughter home! God has shown up at the 11th hour in just the way He loves too so that all the Glory and Praise belong to Him!!!! We were hanging on by a thread quoting scriptures, praying, and fasting for a miracle and God has answered! I just wanted to share that we have everything we need and we are so excited to be in this place about to bring our daughter home. Things did not happen the way we thought it would but all that matters is that it has happened and come through. Nothing is going to prevent us from bringing Jaidyn home and God has proved His faithfulness and answered our prayers!! Next update from the airport!!!

Small Step, Faithful God!

Yesterday morning I took a small step forward or giant leap, however you may want to view it, and booked our airline tickets. I have been watching the internet prices closely over the last two weeks because I knew that the airfare would increase due to the holidays. We are only working with a certain budget and I was praying for the airfare to stay within that budget. I mean praying, pleading, begging God to cause the airfare to go down in price....WAY down in price. God is so Faithful and He really does answer prayers and perform miracles today even for me! I asked our travel agency to try booking the flights one day early to see if that would get us a better deal and guess what?? The tickets were the exact amount that I had asked God for!! The exact amount! That may seem like nothing to some people but it was a HUGE answer to prayer for me! Our tickets are $1000 per person round trip and our daughter's one way ticket is under that amount!! HUGE!
I also believe that God sometimes likes to show off just a little bit and He really did that for me. I was scared and discouraged and not sure how this is going to come together and happen. But that is not all that God did. Right after I got off the phone with the travel agency I recieved a call from my dad telling me that he had a check to give us to help with our adoption. My sweet Dad has a lawn care business and one of his customers will pay him for the whole year and usually pays him in the summer. This year that customer decided to pay him this month instead and my Dad is donating that money  of $1400 to help Jaidyn, his granddaughter come home. I know it is taboo to talk about money and I know that I mention it more than most people, but to me, that is the hardest part to all of this and the scariest part. Today, God showed me that all I need to do is get out of the boat and keep my eyes focused on Him, not the waves crashing all around me, and He will be Faithful to provide and bring our daughter home!!!! God's heart is for the orphan and when we step out of the boat of safety and security, He will show up and show off!! Thank you God!!!

Consulate Appointment and Travel Schedule!

Here is our Schedule for China!!
12/07 – Depart US


12/08 – Arrive in Beijing to participate in the tours on 12/10

12/10 – Arrive in your province, if you’re skipping Beijing. Can arrive anytime on this date.

12/11 or 12/12 – Gotcha Day! This will be finalized on your inner-China itinerary!

12/16 – Fly to Guangzhou

12/17 – Medical exam/TB Test in Guangzhou

12/20 - AC appointment – Oath Taking Ceremony

12/21 - Family goes to AC to pick up passport with visa at ~ 3:30 pm

The frenzy has begun and now I gotta start packing?!? I am so far behind that there are not words to describe it! Not to mention Christmas?? How will it all get done? I have no idea.I only know that The Lord is my strength and through Him I can do all things! I am praying that scripture over and over. I am schedulesd to work until November 30th with only two days off during that time including Thanksgiving. I have to do list within the to do list. Get travel homestudy updated- need new physicals, new budget list, paycheck stubs, and police reports again because everything is over one year old and don't forget the Visas!! Nevermind the things I need to do at home. And making all the arrangements for children on who is staying with who. I will never know why this happens like this every single time. I will never know how I manage to get it all done, but somehow it works out. I only know that God will come through, give me strength, energy, wisdom, provision, and help me get to my daughter on the other side of the world because He loves her more than I could even imagine. Stay tuned and watch the miracles unfold!

Finally got the picture!

Here it is: the Kindle Fire that you can win with just a small donation to help Jaidyn Grace come home and be with her forever sisters Jordyn and Jailynn!! I just wanted to post a picture that we have the Kindle in our hands and will give it away on December 1st. Just $2.00 for one ticket or $5.00 for three. Post the give away on facebook or your blog and get another ticket! We need help to bring Jaidyn home for Christmas and reunite her with her sisters. She has been waiting for a family for a long time! Please consider being a part of her story and help her come home!! Jordyn and Jailynn

Another fundraiser for all the Scentsy fans!

 As you all know...we’re in the midst of our adoption from China and we’ve set up a fundraiser to help Jaidyn come home for Christmas. Scentsy makes beautiful wax warmers that use a light bulb to MELT fragrant wax, not burn it. They’re so much safer and healthier than candles! Visit https://jennc.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=61522587 to find some great Christmas gifts. The page should say “Kerr Family Adoption.” Please repost this on your pages. Thanks! I am sorry that I have to do this. We are three weeks away from travel and in need of a miracle for Jaidyn.

Win A Kindle Fire: Help Jaidyn come home for Christmas!

Here is the Kindle Fire for our fundraiser. Sorry for this picture but we actually have the Kindle Fire on hold until it comes out on the Nov 15th. As soon as we have it in our hands I will post new pics. SO here is how it works: one ticket is $2 or 3 tickets for $5.00. Also, if you post my fundraiser on your facebook page or blog you will get 2 free tickets. Just leave me a comment that you posted it ;).I will also put tickets in for the support that we have already received. Every dollar raised will help Jaidyn come home for Christmas and it is all for her. She has been waiting for us for a long time and we are ready to have her home for her first Christmas.Please consider helping Jaidyn and spreading the word!! We want you to know that this is for her and not us and we are so thankful for every prayer lifted up and every donation.
                                                               

Product Features

•7" color multi-touch display
Great for viewing movies and TV shows. Brings colorful magazines and books to life.
•8GB storage (6GB for user content)
Provides space for storing books, magazines, TV shows, movies and music.
•Cloud storage
Access to Amazon's cloud storage with free storage of all Amazon digital content.
•Amazon Silk browser
Cloud-accelerated Web browser is ideal for streaming video, music, games and more. Supports Adobe Flash.
•Built-in Wi-Fi
Allows you to connect to Wi-Fi at home or to hotspots on the road.
•Amazon.com Kindle Store
Offers more than 1 million books, magazines and newspapers plus over 18 million movies, TV shows, apps, songs, magazines and books.
•Whispersync technology
Synchronizes your last page read, bookmarks and annotations across your devices so you can always pick up where you left off.
•Apps and games
Includes Facebook and thousands of apps and games to download.
•Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback with wireless off.
With the included lithium-ion battery.
•Weighs 14.6 oz. and measures just 0.45" thin
For easy portability.

Just imagine how happy she will be to spend her real first Christmas with Jordyn and Jailynn and her forever family. Thank you for helping Jaidyn!

We have the Kindle Fire in our hands and I will post a picture of it soon! Please consider purchasing your tickets for a chance to win and help Jaidyn come home for Christmas!

Exciting Times Ahead!!



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That's Right!! We have our second TA!! We are all so excited. We hope to leave on Dec 8th so Jaidyn can be home for Christmas. We need lots of prayer to see this happen. So the frenzie to travel begins!! And the To Do list never ends!! We are also going to have a some items to give away for a fundraiser. Please know that we appreciate every prayer and every dollar that is raised and we do not ask lightly. If you feel led to help Jaidyn come home for Christmas we will be eternally thankful. I will post the details for a give away for a Kindle Fire and other  awesome items. 



Mums and a Ninja

Jordyn and Jailynn with their homecoming mums watching the homecoming parade.

SO I only have two pictures to post from Halloween and homecoming right now but at least it is something. I worked on Halloween night so I did not get to take the pictures. DH took everyone trick or treating in a neighborhood close to where we live. We usually do not go trick or treating and instead go to a fall festival, but due to my work schedule this was better than nothing at all. So who is the Ninja???? My sweet little girl Jailynn. Gone are the days of princess costumes and dress up. Now it is all Ninja fighter and power rangers. She is so funny. I think she just wanted the ninja costume for the play swords. The next day everyone came home to find that Noah raided everyone's candy stash. He figured out all there hiding places and went into each room eating two or three pieces throughout the day. He was a very sneaking little guy. I told them they had to learn to find a better hiding place and to watch him more closely. He knows how to get what he wants!!!

All about the names.

So I feel the need to explain my thinking behind the names. First, I have a weird compulsion to stick with A names and J names. I have no idea why except that I started with my bio kids and felt that I had to continue the trend. My first son was named Joseph after his dad and his middle name is Edward after my father. I stuck with Joseph because, one it is a Bible name and I happen to love Bible names and, two,because it was after his dad and my dad. Name problem solved and we call him Joey. Five years later, I was remarried and we were having a girl. I was beyond excited and one day during a Bible study the Lord whispered to me that her name would be Anna Joy and she would be a Joy to all who meet her. The name Anna was special to my husband because that was his grandmothers name. That is where the A and J trend began. andA and J just had to stick. So, four years later we are expecting another baby and I was beyond excited again. I really thought I was having a boy that time and his name would be Andrew Timothy. I was shocked when we had the sono and we found out she was a girl. I had no idea what to name her and we just thought of Amanda Hope at the doctors office and knew that was her name. Just this year we had someone email us our family ancestor's traced back to 1600 from Scotland, and I saw that one of the women from 1800's was named Amanda. I thought that was kinda interesting. Four years later we are expecting again and this time we are having a boy. We chose the name JonMarc Timothy after John Mark from the Bible.  Ok, so that is why we have A names and J names.
       When it came time to choose names for our girls from China, I really struggled with what to name them. I wanted to keep their Chinese names as well as give them an American name. Mainly because Jordyn's Chinese name was You He and difficult to pronounce. Her nickname was HeHua after the lotus flower and it has a beautiful meaning that her life would blossom into beauty although she had a tough beginning. I loved that and felt it was important. I tried really hard to find an A name for her but we could not all agree on the name. At that time we were big fans of American Idol and Jordin Sparks was one of the contestants. We all liked her and liked her name. I was also reading a book about crossing the Jordan as a Christian and into the promise land that God has for us. So we prayed and felt that her name was Jordyn Faith and that we were taking a leap of faith to bring her home. This was our first adoption and there were tons of obstacles for us. God met us where we were and provided miracle after miracle to bring her home. Back to the names, we added her Chinese name as well so her full name is Jordyn Zohe Faith Hehua Kerr. There you have it. Zohe means life and I felt that it was special to add that to her name and kind of incorporate the her Chinese name into. Two years later we are adopting again, from Jordyn's same orphanage, her little friend. Jordyn is ecstatic and cannot wait for her to come home. Her Chinese name is You Yu and again we decide to continue the trend and give her an A name or J name. The J name Jailynn is chosen for her because Jordyn really liked it. We heard of her name from an adoption journey video we had from our agency and felt that it fit. We chose the middle name Charity from the Bible to continue the Bible name trend and because we had a already felt a deep love in our hearts for her. So we named her Jailynn Charity Yu. Now here we are again adopting the third little girl from their same orphanage and what do we do about the name?? I really wanted to name her with an A name this time and I had my picks: Allison, Addison, and Avery were my favorites. However, the a names were voted a no by the majority of our clan and the J name won: Jaidyn Grace Anfeng. I did not fight against the name because I absolutely love the meaning behind Jaidyn: which meant in Hebrew "Jehovah has heard". That meant so much to me and confirmed He had heard our prayers over her. Besides I won the A name battle when we adopted Noah. I changed his name to Andrew Noah. I know that it does not really go together but I was not sure if we will go down the adoption road again and I still had the name Andrew in my heart for a boy. All the names can be quite the tongue twisters and I have to confess that I usually call them all by the wrong name. Try saying Jordyn, Jailynn, Jaidyn, Anna and Amanda really fast! I usually get them mixed up and get the eyes rolled at me and the look of aggravation. I love all their names and more importantly, I love the individuals behind the names!They are all blessings and I could never imagine my life with out them! That's my story and I am sticking to it!!

Thinking of Jaidyn

 Not one day goes by that I do not think of sweet Jaidyn. I think about her at the orphanage, getting ready for school, coming home from school, doing her school work, eating her supper, and getting ready for bed. I long to hold Jaidyn in my arms and give her a big hug. I can't wait to see her reunited with Jordyn and Jailynn. I know that she will be so excited and happy to see them. I also wonder if she even realizes that her life is about to change forever. I am sure that she knows something is about to happen because she has seen it happen before to Jordyn and Jailynn. First there was a cake sent to them seemingly out of no where. A special cake with presents and pictures of strangers. Then Jordyn was gone from the orphanage. Two years later the same thing happened to Jailynn. A cake appears with presents and pictures, then in a few months, Jailynn is gone. Now, Jaidyn has received a cake of her own. There were presents and pictures and a letter. Soon, she will also leave the orphanage and she will be with her best friends. They will be sisters forever. I hope that she realizes that we are coming soon. That we are working so hard to bring her home. Most likely she does not really understand what is about to happen. Jordyn told me that she did not have a clue about what adoption meant. She thought that she was going on a vacation with some people she didn't know. She told me that she was very scared and did not know what was happening to her. That explained alot about her reactions and behaviors. Hindsite is 20/20. Jailynn was just so happy to be with Jordyn that I don't think she cared who we were or where she was going. She is very smart and she understood alot about what was happening. Jordyn is also very intelligent, she just was not prepared. She was told that she was going to be adopted but that was it. She did not know what adoption meant. Just makes me wonder how much Jaidyn understands and how her transition will go. I hope and pray she will have a smooth transition, and I hope that it will help having Jordyn and Jailynn by her side. However, I also know from experience that adoption rarely goes the way we hope and imagine it to go. I am certain, though, that these three girls are meant to stay together. I know the bond they share is stronger than bonds of siblings and they can not wait for Jaidyn to come home. I think about how long this adoption process has taken and all the bumps along the way and I wish that it had gone faster. I wish that Jaidyn was already home and this was all behind us. All I can do is keep fighting to bring her home, and keep praying for God to help us bring her home. I know that the fight is worth it. I know that she is worth it and she deserves to be home. Every orphan deserves to be home growing and thriving in the love of a family. Everyone has a unique and different story. Jordyn was almost adopted before we knew about her when she was 3 or 4 years old and for reasons that we do not know, the family was unable to adopt her. Jordyn has the special need of cleft lip and palate and she is Hepatitis B positive. Jailynn had cancer at 8 months old and almost lost her life. She had emergency surgery and treatment and she is now cancer free. Jaidyn has Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus. She has had physical therapy and treatment and her CP seems to be a mild case. However, there are never any guarantees with any child adopted or biological. So this is their story. All three girls had their own unique struggle to overcome and they overcame their struggles together. Jordyn remembers when Jailynn was taken to the hospital at 8 months old and she was with the Director and Nanny when they took her to the hospital. Jordyn and Jailynn both remember when Jaidyn was getting therapy and treatment for CP. We have heard their stories told by them and we have seen their love for each other which also caused our hearts to grow in our love for them.

I just want to say THANK YOU! To everyone that is visiting my blog and giving a donation to help Jaidyn come home. Seeing the kindness of people that we don't know help us to help a child in need of a family brings me such encouragement. I was very discouraged over this adoption because it has taken us so long. I have felt that this mountain was too much for us and that it was impossible. But seeing the donations lifted my spirit so much and made me realize that God is in this with us. That we will bring our daughter home and this is gonna happen. The day that I posted on Adeye's blog I had little hope, but I felt a nudge from the Lord that I should just put the link to my blog on it and prayed. I also prayed that it would rain where we live because we have not seen drops of rain in a long time. We have actually had fires around our home in our neighborhood. Thankfully, not one house was affected and the fires were stopped. So, I prayed that God would send the rain that we need so badly and help our family bring Jaidyn home. Well, the next day it rained for a long time. A good soaking rain! I was so suprised by the fact that it rained the very next day and I remembered that quick short prayer. I felt in my heart that God was speaking to me that I am not in this alone and He is on my side. Now, I know and believe the scriptures and pray and quoted them in my quiet time. I know that He is for me and not against me and that through Him all things are possible.But to really see it happening is just so exciting. I felt joy and hope and peace rising back up inside my heart.  I know that He called us to keep the three girls together. I felt it when I was in China and we took the picture of the three girls sitting together at the school. I just had this faith rise up in me that they would all be in our family.I also quickly tried to reason that it was crazy thinking to try it, and tried to just remove it from my mind. I also know that during one of my times of prayer  asking God to find a family for her I heard His voice speak to me that we are her family. We knew her, met her, and prayed for her and He was placing her into our family. So thank you for giving and helping Jaidyn. Thank you for being the hands and feet of the Lord. We will pay it forward in return. I just hope to convey how much this means to me and to our family. We are so very thankful!

Jaidyn Grace

Jaidyn at school

Thank you from all of us!

Update on Jaidyn

       First of all, I just can't believe how fast time seems to be moving and how slow at the same time. I feel like the days are spinning by me and I am getting no where fast. We had to request a new TA for Jaidyn. I was so sad that we had to push back our travel and so disappointed. But the truth is that I was not ready, we were not ready, and our funds were not ready. How can we be this far in to the process and still not be ready?? I really just don't know anymore at this point. I only know that thanks to the audit on our tax return we did not have the funds available. Now my heart breaks as I think about Jaidyn still waiting for us and still waiting be with Jordyn and Jailynn.
      Rather than risk not being able to bring her home at all, we decided to request a new TA and hope to travel in November or early December. So now we wait. We are waiting for a new TA. While we wait, I am working every extra shift I can as a RN to save money for travel. I took matters into my own hands and decided that I would make this happen one way or another. The result is not very pretty. I am working 5-6 days a week and missing my family sooo much. I am also fighting fatigue and a sinus infection. I know that this too shall pass and she will be in our arms in a few short weeks. The days and weeks feel soo long like time is standing still. I am not feeling sorry for myself or this situation. I got over that about a month ago. No, I am thankful to have a job where I can work extra and I know that this too shall pass.
        I also believe that God will provide for Jaidyn to come home in spite of me. I know that I have taken this into my hands and I am trying to make it work, but I also know that God is bigger than the money we need to bring Jaidyn home. God is the one that provided for Jailynn to come home and Jordyn to come home. When we adopted Jaidyn, I was literally walking on the water with Jesus. Because I did not have all the funds together for travel. I still needed the several thousand dollars for the in country fees. I was praying and praying on the way to the airport. Suddenly, the money came in from different places and different special people in my life. This time around I had made a promise to myself that it would not happen that way again. What happened to my promise to myself??? I had a really good plan that just did not go as planned. I had no control over the circumstances and it threw me for a big loop. I know that I am just going on and on. I don't mean too. I am trying to make sense of it for myself I guess.
     The truth is that adoption funding is hard. I have tried fundraisers and not done so well. Raising a family and working to bring home a child from the other side of the world is hard. Things happen that are not planned for and unexpected. I have heard comments and felt or sensed the judgement that we should have all this planned out ahead of time before starting the process. In an ideal world that is the best scenario. However, when we began adding to our family through adoption we stepped out in faith believing that this was God's plan for our family. We believed God for a daughter from China. An older child that would not have a chance for a family. We stepped out in faith and God met us every step of the way. Little did we know that He would ask us to adopt another waiting child, and another. We never dreamed of coming this far and keeping three special girls together. Forever sisters. How will God provide this time around? I am not sure. I know that He will, even when I mess things up and make mistakes. Even when my plans don't work out. I believe that we will bring Jaidyn home and it will all be to the Glory of God. Does it make sense? No. It is something that seems impossible to me, something bigger than us, something more than what we are capable of doing.?Yes.Somehow, that is just how God does things. He calls us to do something bigger than ourselves so that we can see His Hand at work in our lives. I know this to be true. I also know that He is teaching me to let go and let God. I know that through all three adoptions I have grown closer in my walk with Him and I have grown as a person. I know that I just have to trust in Him and wait for His timing and for His help. In the mean time, I will work to get ready to bring my daughter home.

Jailynn and Jaidyn together in China before we adopted Jailynn.

Jordyn, Jaidyn, and Jailynn in China when we were adopting Jailynn.

Jaidyn waiting to come home.

Kicking off Anna's Senior Year in Drill Team and Band

Jailynn with the Mascot Panther

Anna plays the Flute in Marching Band

There she is in her drill team costume with her flute.

Anna is also Leut. of Blue Bells Drill Team. She hopes to be in Drill team in college.

David and Anna

Anna, Jailynn, and Jordyn

We are so proud of Anna in all that she does. She is a very busy girl taking college credits in high school, advanced classes, drill team, marching band, and robotics. She is a wonderful big sister and role model for her younger sisters. She will be very much missed when she takes her next step in life: college. I am not sure how I will hold up because I am already starting to grieve over the fact she will be leaving the nest.

Celebrating Jordyn"s 12th Birthday and four years together.

Sweet Jordyn

Jordyn loves school and she is a straight A student.

Jordyn requested to celebrate her 12th birthday with a shopping trip with Mom. Awe, melt my heart.

This girl's a fashionista in her new outfit!

Amanda,Jailynn, and Jordyn in a beauty pageant this summer.

A natural on the stage!

Jordyn shines in the spotlight!

Three beautiful sisters!

So Blessed to know you, Jordyn, as my daughter!

In aw of my beautiful daughter. Jordyn is beautiful inside and out.

Jailynn won our hearts too!

Jordyn loves her family, her sisters Amanda and Anna.

Jordyn loves her big sister Anna.

Jordyn has brought so much love and joy to our family. She is a beautiful young lady and the love of Jesus shines through her. She is such a wonderful daughter. We are blessed and honored to know her and be her family. We adopted Jordyn four years ago and because of her love for her friends she left behind we adopted Jailynn in 2009. Soon, we will have Jaidyn home to complete our family. Jordyn has blossomed into a beautiful, sweet, caring young lady. She has touched my heart and I am blessed to be her mother.Adopting an older child can be intimidating and has challenges, but the rewards outweigh all of it. I cannot imagine my life without sweet Jordyn. I thank God for the opportunity to know her and the privilege to be her mother.

Summer Days Gone By....

                                                      Noah's favorite thing to do.

                                                  He loves playing at the beach.

                                                Jordyn and Jailynn enjoyed the ocean.

                                           Can you tell how much he loves the water!

                                            Playing in the sand.

                                                        JonMarc rarely came out of the water.

                                   On the ferry together with Grandpa, sister Andrea, baby Jonah,
                                   Jailynn, Jordyn, and Noah.

                                      Noah had fun on the ferry with is Grandpa.

                                                 Jordyn and Jailynn.

                                        I loved spending time with my sweet girls.

                                         Amanda, beautiful as always.

                                     Three sisters looking out into the ocean.

                                     Amanda, Jonah, and Noah.

                                         More summer fun by the pool.

 

      

Noah 4th Bday! He loves his Dora cake!