Adoption Update

The totals are in, we raised $400 from the Pajama Fundraiser. Thank you so much to all those who ordered the comfy PJ's!!! :)

Well, if you saw the Waiting for Dallas facebook page a few days ago we shared a prayer request as well as a praise.

More info about our prayer request:

Over the past several months we have been in contact with a local birth mom. We have been hoping that if she did choose adoption that she would pick us to be that lucky couple to adopt her baby. Her due date is quickly approaching but as of right now she has not made any clear decisions which make is very hard to see things going any further. In this current situation as well as the others that we were hoping would work out Chris and I are ONLY praying for God's Will; even if that mean we are meant to just keep waiting. So for now we are going to focus on the agency and if she does come to us within the next few weeks we will see where is goes. Either way the birth mom and her sweet baby are always in our prayers.

More info about our PrAiSe:

The adoption agency that we have chosen is the St. Elizabeth Foundation. For the past few months the awesome ladies there have been extremely helpful. Since the agency is in Louisiana they have worked with us so that we were able to meet all the Texas as well as Louisiana's state requirements for adoption. The only thing we have left to do on our end is to complete our profile book (click on the link to learn more about a profile book). Chris and I have been working with one of very good friends Amy to put our book together and we plan on having it complete by the end of Dec.  Once they receive our profile book they will show it to prospective birth moms and dads so that they can be part of the process of choosing the couple that their child will call mom and dad.

Okay now to the exciting part ...
A few days ago I called the agency to let them know about the profile book and to make sure we had done everything else we needed to do and I was told that we are officially #11 on their waiting list.
When I heard that my heart hit the floor (in a bad way) because the previous agency that we were going to work with only did about 1 adoption a month and in my mind I thought that meant it was going to be another 11 months before we would be #1.

I was honestly holding back tears as I said, " What exactly does that mean?" 

She quickly replied, "Well there is really no way to know an exact time, it just depends on how many birth moms we have come to our agency....(my stomach was in knots as I was trying to calculate just how long that would be then she continues) ... it could honestly be as soon as a month or maybe 3 or 4 months, again it just depends." 

I then quickly asked, "Well what if we get to #1 and you don't have our profile book?"

She replied, "Just get it to us when you can. It will all work out in His timing." 

Those words still ring in my ears. That right there is one of the biggest reasons why we picked this agency. They are amazing, encouraging, honest, and are truly seeking God's will for each birth mom and dad, baby and adoptive parent that is a part of their agency. 

YAY! That's our new excited news! Thank you so much to all that have been praying for Chris, Dallas, and myself. We are hoping that 2015 will be a VERY exciting year for us!

Please take to time to share our story with all your friends and family and be sure to share our You Caring page. 

Dallas' adoption is going to cost about $30,000.00 and as of today we have raised $15,880.00 which means we only need to $14.120.00 in order to reach our goal. 

You can make a donation directly on our page or you can wait and keep an eye out for our upcoming fundraisers!

Again, thank you so much to all our friends, family, acquaintances and even complete strangers that have been praying for us! 

Keep it up!

Pajamas!

This is your chance to do some Christmas shopping and help us bring baby Dallas home at the same time! It's SO simple!!

1. Go to: www.pajamafundraiser.com

2.  Pick ANY 3 items for $30.00

3.  Message or email me the pattern, size, and quantity you would like.

email: waitingfordallas13@gmail.com

4.  Make the check out to Bethany Lopez 

*Add $3.50 for every $30 you spend to cover the tax
**If you are out of state or live far away PLEASE add an additional $5 to cover shipping!**

Orders and payments DUE by DECEMBER 1st!!

**40% of every $30 spent will help bring baby Dallas home!

Thank you all soooo much for the support!

Total raised: $14591.14

Amount still needed to adopt through our agency: $15,408.81

Home Study

First I want to say THANK YOU SoOoOoOoO Much to all those who were praying for Chris and myself yesterday during our home study! It went GREAT! It will take a few weeks for the social worker to type up the official approval but once that is done we are cleared for all adoption opportunity that may come our way through our agency or private. :)

We are very happy it's over and excited about the future!

Summer and Adoption Update

It just hit me today that I have not blogged all summer! You would think that since school is out I would have so much more time on my hands but that was just not the case. I'm still learning how to say "no" to things when I already have so many other things going on. :)

Here is a little recap of my summer . . .

I love going to church camp with the kiddos every summer!

This summer I had to leave camp a little early for a very important interview and GOOD NEWS, I got the job!!! I am going to be a kindergarten teacher this coming school year!

Chris and I went to the Lopez Family Reunion this summer . . .

We also got a take a very fun trip to Kentucky with some of our very best friends for a week of relaxing, four wheeling and hanging out . . .

We had a little date night at the drive-in movie!

This was just a few of the fun things that made up this crazy fun summer. :)

Adoption Update:

At the beginning of June Chris and I got our finger prints done and finally got all the adoption agency paperwork filled out and put it in the mail ...

Not long after the paperwork was mailed we got the 

"All-Clear/Approval" from the agency!!!!! :)

The next step was the home study paperwork and in July we were able to put that in the mail ...

The social worker called and we have set the date for the home study! It's the end of September!!!

We have been very open about our adoption journey and as many of you know we are open to an adoption through the agency as well as a private adoption! I posted this past Saturday evening on the Waiting to Dallas page that we met with a birth mom and her family about a possible private adoption. We want to ask that you all continue to pray. We have not made a final decision yet and we can not give any more details than that but when I have more to tell I will! :) 

As much as we are HOPING and PRAYING that this is baby Dallas we want God's will to be done!

Newest Fundraiser Update:

Purchase a raffle ticket for only $11 and you are entered to win some super cute Thirty-One swag! 

Click here for all the details!!

Babies Laughing

My best friend, Heather, recently posted an old video of her babies laughing on facebook and as I was watching I was reminded of the day these sweet babies were born. They we so small and fragile and they were fighting for their lives. There were times that even the doctors seemed like there was no hope left but thankful we service a MIGHTY God who was and is watching over the babies.
Now they are 5 years old and FULL of life! There is NEVER a dull moment and I am so thankful that Chris (aka Uncle Rufus) and Myself (aka Aunt Bethy) get to be a part of their lives on an almost daily basis! Below are just a few of the videos I found of these babies laughing . . .

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

God is so Good!!!!

7 Years

7 year ago today Chris and I said, "I Do!"

It was and still is one of the best decisions of my life!

This past weekend we booked a hotel and planned a weekend a relaxing of celebrating my graduation and our anniversary. We kicked off the weekend with a graduation party with some of our friends . . .

We were definitely missing a few people but thank you so much to those 

that came out and celebrated with us! :)

When we got to hotel that night they upgraded our room to a suite and 

when we walked in this is what we found ....

Saturday morning we got to sleep in and when we woke up we realized we really didn't have ANYTHING planned other than a concert that night ... It was an amazing feeling! :)

We went shopping, to the movies and just enjoyed each others company.

That evening we met up with Uncle Scott and went to Richardson for the annual Wildflower Festival. 

We saw Joan Jett from REALLY far away then we headed over to watch 

The Wallflowers

Here is a clip of them singing one of their hits: Three Marlenas

We were able to sleep in AGAIN Sunday morning! It was sooo nice not having to set an alarm for anything. 

Sunday afternoon, after another movie we went and had our yearly couples massage and then we headed home to get everything ready for another week of work and to love on our Georgie!

Here is a glimpse of the last 7 years . . .

7 Years

100's of Fights & Make-ups

3 Dogs, 4 Homes, 6 Cars

70 - The number of anniversaries I still want

to spend with You!

Mother at Heart

Here we are again, it's almost Mother's Day and yet again I am not holding my baby in my arms. Yes, it is very frustrating and I'm going to apologize now if I randomly start crying through out the day but even through all this I still have hope!

Honestly though, even with hope some days just plain SUCK! Some days I just can't take it anymore, I stop trying to keep it together and I am sad. I'm sad because I know without a doubt that God would not have placed this overwhelming desire on my heart to be a mom if that was not going to happen one day and I am sad because that day isn't today. I am sad because I already have so much love for my baby/babies and I don't get to share that with them. I'm sad because there are parents that don't realize that their screaming baby is a gift from God and I would give anything to be tired because my baby kept me up all night.
Some days I am just plain sad!

My prayer is that God will continue give me comfort as we wait for Dallas (our adopted baby) & Jameson (if/when I conceive). I pray that God continues to lead us as we are making decisions about our future family and that He will be with Chris as he is dealing with my emotional  breakdowns.
I am thankful to know that I am not alone through this journey because God has blessed me with an amazing husband and supportive friends that have seen me at my worst and my best and love me the same.

One day I will be a mom
and one day I will get to hold and snuggle my baby on Mother's Day
but for now ...

God Bless

-Bethany

Class of 2014

I did it! A few weeks ago I took and PASSED the state teaching certification test so now I am an official certified teacher!

My team at work decorated my door and gave me a little treat.

This past weekend I FiNaLlY graduated from

 with my Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies. 

I was able to cram a 4 yr degree into 9 whole years ;)

Thank you so much for everyone who helped me through this journey and prayed for me! 

As of right now I will be teaching Computer Foundations again next year but if another classroom position open I may be switching. 

For now I'm leaving it in God's hands.

Now I have more time to focus on home study and agency paperwork as well as getting our home ready for baby Dallas! 

Waiting for Dallas 5K

The 5K was a success!!!

Chris and I were overwhelmed with all the love and support from everyone that came out as well as our virtual runners. 

Thank you thank you thank you!!

I was talking to Zoey (one of the kids at the 5k) and 

she asked, "Do you know all these people?" 

When I told her I really didn't know a lot of the people there she replied, "Wow and they are all here for you and baby Dallas, that's so cool!" 

Zoey was sooo right! It was amazing! 

Here are just a few of the pictures from Saturday, if you would like to see more go to the Waiting for Dallas 5K facebook page.

Here are the kiddos before their 1 Mile Fun Run

Right before everyone took off, and this isn't everyone :)

 

Uncle Scott, Chris and John all won metals along with MANY others ....

Pretty much everyone in my family got a metal except me . . . I was too busy talking to make it back fast, even then I doubt I would have placed but all that matters is I made it! :)

Here are all the first place winners from each age-group ...

This guy was in town for the weekend from Ohio that found out about the race and came and ran.

We even had The Avengers! 

The Avengers also brought Dallas a little gift ...

Here are our Waiting for Dallas 5K keepsakes ... Rebecca, our fearless leader/race director, had this canvas painted for us and had the runners sign it. WE LOVE IT!! 

During the entire planning process the crew (Rebecca, Anna, Amy, Adrienne, Ashley, Yaitza and I) just kept repeating to each other, "God's got this!" and I guarantee that without His guidance and intervention this would not have been possible! 

We are so excited to announce we raised OVER $5,000 on Saturday!!!

We don't have the exact total due to some refunds and donations that have not been counted yet, but we'll have it soon.

We now have over $14,000.00 saved!

Only about $16,000 to go!

If you were at the race Saturday and have pictures please send them to waitingfordallas13@gmail.com

Why Dallas Scott?

Dallas

I can not remember when it was that I actually decided I wanted my first baby to be named Dallas but I know it was before Chris and I had even met. I always thought it was unique name but at the same time it's easy to spell and pronounce which is often not the case when it comes to unique names (believe me, I've seen my fair share of unique names after teaching for almost 7 years).

After dating for a little while the topic of baby names came up and Chris and I quickly found out that we both had the name Dallas picked out! Different reasons, same name!! :)

Chris loves to read and one of his favorite books is The Outsiders which made into a movie in 1983 and one of his favorite characters from they book, played by Matt Dillon in the movie, was names Dallas aka Dally. 

Scott

When we started thinking about a middle name to go with Dallas we both agreed that we wanted it to be Scott pretty quickly. Scott is one of Chris' uncles on his mom's side. He was like a big brother to Chris growing up and they are still very close today. They both share the love of singing and playing guitar and Chris has always looked up to him and valued his advice and admired his accomplishments. 

So there you have it, Dallas Scott will be our sweet baby's name and we are patiently waiting for the day when we get to hold, snuggle and love on him/her! 

Updated total: $8,487.00

Only $11,513.00 to go

I love roller coasters!

I love the feeling of slight panic as the coaster click-click-clicks up the ramp and the butterflies in my stomach as I hold tighter and tighter to the handles/lap bar/anything I can get my hands on as we roll over the first drop. I don't even mind the feeling of almost blacking out as the coaster corkscrews down but I have to say I'm on a roller coaster that blows all of the panic, butterflies, blacking out from good ol' Six Flags out of the water!

It's called adoption and it's the craziest 
emotional roller coaster I've ever been on! 

After asking for prayer yesterday on our Waiting for Dallas facebook page a sweet facebook friend, who is an adoptive parent x7, posted this on my personal page ....

along with some pretty great advice:
"...it's okay to be on that roller coaster, just remain seated and keep your eyes up!" 

Now that I'm on this roller coaster I won't be getting off 
"until the ride comes to a complete stop" 

~Please keep those prayers coming!~

More ways to help ...

We are getting closer to our goal but since we are still a little under $13,000 short we have a few more fundraisers coming your way!

1. The one and only Amy Horton of Amy Horton Photography took this photo in California last month and is taking orders for the print on wood!

Size: 8x10

Cost: $100.00

*$25.00 of every order will go to the Waiting for Dallas adoption fund!

Please email me if you are interested and I can give you Amy's contact info.

blopez519@gmail.com

2. Mrs. Lacey Vaughn is an Certified Consultant for Scentsy and she is donating all of her commission from the month of March to our Waiting for Dallas adoption fund.

Go to: www.lurooisheavenscent.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Buy

*When checking out be sure to select Waiting for Dallas!

Chris and I owe both these ladies a HUGE thank you for giving their time, talents and resources to be a blessing to us and our future little family! 

Dallas is one LOVED baby! :)

Adoption Update

When Chris and I first set out to adopt our plan was to go through an agency and in my post that covered the FAQ about our adoption I had mentioned that we planned on going through a local agency called Chosen Child. We had been in contact with them for months and planned on beginning everything in January but in January we were informed (after waiting, preparing, and planning) that they were not accepting new prospective parents at that time and it could be a while until they would be. After dealing with that let down and frustration we began the search for a new agency. We found a few others that we were interested in and after contacting them we discovered that we are going to be on a waiting list (minimum 2-3 years) almost anywhere we go. 

Needless to say we were hit with that overwhelming question that usually come up at times like these, "WHY God? Why?" and "What are we supposed to do next?"  

We know that God would not have put such a strong calling on our hearts for adoption if that wasn't what we were supposed to do but we seemed to be at a standstill. We didn't know where to turn next. 

So we stepped back and handed it over to God!

> You may or may not have noticed the changes we made to our You Caring Fundraising page and the baby bottle on the side of the blog . . . 

* We had originally planned on ending our fundraising in December of this year but that date has been moved up a little to August.

*We also originally aimed to raise $30,000.00 which is the cost of adopting through most agencies but we have lowered the amount to $20,000 (we are hoping to lower this again when we get more details)

>You may have also seen our recent post on the Waiting for Dallas facebook page that we have begun the home study process, which is something you usually don't do until a little later on in the adoption process ...

Are you wondering why?!?!?

Well, we can not give many details now but we have been given the opportunity of an independent/private infant adoption later on this year!!

We would GREATLY appreciate your continued prayers as we have some big decisions to make and a few more hoops to jump through before everything is said and done!

New Total:

We've raised: $7,117.00

Only $12,883.00 to go!

Reason to Run

I wouldn't call myself a super girlie-girl . . . I like being outside (as long as I don't have to sleep out there and there is electricity and plumbing near by), I can step on my own bugs (as long as it's a little one and NOT a spider or grasshopper or cricket), I don't have to get my nails and toes done monthly (just kidding, yes I do!), I can live without a blow dryer and curling iron (as long as I have a ponytail holder and don't have to go anywhere important), a little sweat isn't that big of a deal (as long as it is really only a LITTLE and running is not the cause of the sweat)!

Well, never mind, I take that back, I am more of a girlie-girl than I thought! :)

But, I have found that even a girlie-girl like me can deal with a little sweat when you find your reason to run! Yes, I have actually begun running (more like a slow jog, for now) 3-4 times a week and here's why . . .

A good friend of ours, Rebecca, is a runner and when she found out about our decision to begin the adoption process and saw how much it was going to cost and she felt God calling her to do something to help. She found a 12 week Bible study called Run for God and it goes along with a 12 week couch to 5K training and in January we began the study and training at our church!  

Here is a few snapshots of the group that meets on Sunday nights for the bible study and training ...

The original plan in this bible study is that once you have completed your training the class signs up to run in a local 5K but Rebecca had the idea that we would plan, organize and have our very own Waiting for Dallas 5K and all the money raised would go towards the expenses of Dallas' adoption. 

Talk about motivation!

First, I have to say, I have been AMAZED at how God has been working to help us get all of this together. Planning a 5K is a bigger deal than I ever expected but things have truly been falling into place!
God is Good!!

Second, I owe a HUGE thank you to the 5K committee that is working behind the scenes to get everything ready! ThAnK yOu Anna(my sister), Amy, Yaritza, Adrienne, Ashley, and of course Rebecca! Y'all Rock!!

Third, I am amazed at the progress I have made. I've gone from DyInG (I wish that was an understatement) after 1 min of running to being able to complete 5 mins of running while talking at the same time! 

**Side note: Run for God has a 12 week couch to 5K app that goes along with the bible study but you can only get it if you have an iPhone since I have an android I was out of luck. Instead I found an 8 week app that I have been using and I have successfully completed weeks 1-4**

I still have not experienced the "runners high" I've heard so much about but I am proud of myself for making it this far! :)

Here I am  .... no make-up, SwEaTy, red faced, crazy hair but all that matters is that I have found my reason to run, my reason to get over the fact that sweating sucks!

I am running for Dallas!

I am running so that one day I will be able to point back and say to my baby, "Look how hard we worked to bring you home, look at how much we wanted you to be in our family, look how much we loved you before we even met you!" 

 

Saturday, April 26th

Oak Point Park
2801 E. Spring Creek Pkwy
Plano, Tx 75074
Race begins at 8am

P.S.
Even a girlie-girl can give up her manis and pedis too if it means she's saving a little money that gets her one step closer to holding her baby. :)
Over the past few months I've gotten better at painting my own nails ...

A Letter of Love

Dear Birth Mom,

     I want to start out by letting you know that from the moment Chris and I made the decision to be adoptive parents you & your baby have been in my thoughts and prayers daily.
     I have had the desire to be a mom for as long as I can remember. I've thought about what it's going to be like to hold my baby for the first time and I have prayed, cried, hoped, and even begged God to let me experience that feeling but for reasons that I may never fully understand that day has not come, yet. You allowing us to adopt your baby is the amazing answer to years of prayers and you need to know that I will never take the decision you are making for granted. When your baby is placed in my arms for the first time and it becomes my baby, all the years of tears and asking why will all fade away and all the waiting will have been worth it.

     As much as I want to be a mother that is not our only reason for choosing to adopt. Adoption has always been on my heart. It is a desire to be there for a birth mom and dad to let them know that no matter the reasons that led them to adoption they are loved and have been prayed for and their baby will be loved so much more than they could possibly imagine. I believe that by choosing to give your baby up for adoption you are demonstrating one of the biggest acts of selflessness and love.

     My heart and prayer is that you will know God's direction for your life and that He will grant you the peace you need as you make this life changing decision.

Dallas' Mom

Homemade Cookin'

Who doesn't love some good ol' country BBQ with all the fixin's and some homemade banana pudding? Is your mouth watering yet??

If so, you're in luck!

This coming Saturday, January 25th

6:30-9:00pm

at Collin Creek Church (1905 E. Parker Rd Plano, Tx)

the Austin family (an awesome family from our church) is hosting a BBQ and Silent Auction to help us get one step closer to bringing Dallas home.

Cost:  

Adults: $18

Children (6-10): $8

5 and under: Free

*cash, check or card accepted

Meal includes:
*Pork, brisket, and fried chicken with all the fixings
* Banana pudding
*Tea, water and coffee
~ soft drinks available for purchase~

Silent Auction Items & Companies represented:
Custom made book cases
Autographed football by Daryl Johnston
Granite cutting board
Custom artwork
Edible Arrangements gift card
Thirty-One product
Premier Jewelry
Shear Beauty - $100 Hair Makeover Gift card
burlap heart product
Advocare Products
Nerium Products
Mini Session with Amy Horton Photography
Starbuck goodie basket
Raising Cane's goodie basket
Scentsy Warmer and 2 scent bars
$30 Nothing Bundt Cake gift card

Free Oil Change from Christian Brothers
& much more

We hope to see you all there! Spread the word and be sure to check out and "like" our Waiting for Dallas facebook page!

Raising Funds with Raising Cane's

Date: Tuesday, Jan 14th

Time: 10 am - 10 pm

Where: Raising Cane's in Mckinney

75 and 380

**Be sure to mention you are there for the WAITING for DALLAS Fundraiser!**

~If you stop by be sure the check-in on Facebook!~

Updated Totals:

We've raised: $4,168.00

Now we only need: $25,832.00

Sponsorship Opportunity

Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 8 AM

Oak Point Park

2801 E Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, TX 75074

Waiting for Dallas 5K is a fundraising event to bring baby Dallas home.  My name is Bethany Lopez and I attend Collin Creek Church in Plano, TX with my husband, Chris. We have decided to adopt our first baby after battling with different fertility issues for past few years. We have had our baby’s name picked out for over 8 years now and are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to hold him or her in our arms. With that being said, we need to raise $30,000 in order to start the process and cover the expenses. The Waiting for Dallas 5K is a race to bring Dallas home!

This is where you and your company come in to make a life changing impact. We are currently looking for several sponsors in order to make the race profitable. There are several costs that go into holding a 5K that entry fees will most likely cover but will not allow for a profit. We are looking for donations to cover the cost of timing, food, city permits, race location, security, etc. As you can imagine, the list goes on and on. The more sponsors we have, the more money that can go towards starting the process of bringing Dallas home. Your support and donations will help Chris and myself get a step closer to holding Dallas in our arms.

Below are the sponsorship opportunities:

$250 – your company name will be displayed on all race t-shirts

$500 – your company name, address and telephone number will displayed on all race t-shirts

$700 – your full company logo will be displayed on all race t-shirts

$1,000 – your full company logo will be displayed on all race t-shirts and you can set up your own sponsor tent on race day

We are also accepting business cards, flyers, coupons and other advertising items that are beneficial to you and your company to place in the race packets. This is your opportunity to advertise at a much lower price than usual while helping a great cause.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. I look forwards to hearing from you.

Dallas’ Mommy aka Bethany Lopez

Email: blopez519@gmail.com

Cell: 469-258-1182