We have currently raised $770 in our Google Nexus 7 raffle! Thank you for all of your support! We will be giving one raffle ticket to each donor for every $10 donation. Our goal is to raise $3,000 and we are almost one third of the way there! For more details, scroll down to the blog posted dated August 24, 2012 or click here:
Our last fundraiser - the Google Nexus 7
Friday, August 31, 2012
Hailey's Baby Shower
This week the women from our church hosted a baby shower for Hailey. It was an unforgettable evening and we felt so loved and supported! It was so strange driving to the shower. I wanted to pinch myself and kept wondering, "Is this really happening?"
As the shower began, someone noticed a spectacular rainbow glimmering through the window. We immediately ran outside to snap some photos. God has done so much throughout our adoption journey, and the rainbow was yet another reminder of God's faithfulness in our lives.
As the shower began, someone noticed a spectacular rainbow glimmering through the window. We immediately ran outside to snap some photos. God has done so much throughout our adoption journey, and the rainbow was yet another reminder of God's faithfulness in our lives.
We are so grateful to The Village Church of Irvine for their years of prayers and encouragement. This past year The Village Church partnered with Lifesong for Orphans in providing adoption grants for church members. Our family received a $3500 matching grant and we are so grateful!
Tickets, Suitcases, and a Car Seat!
What a week! Yesterday our tickets arrived and it was strange to see 5 tickets. We are a family of five! Hailey has a lap seat for the flight home.
I have finally finished my huge "to do" list of packing and shopping. We sure have a ton of stuff for such a tiny girl! We have packed diapers, food, bottles, sippy cups, toys, clothing and more. I can't believe that we're taking six suitcases!
We are also bringing gifts for Hailey's foster family, our social worker and adoption agency staff. We will be giving Hailey's foster mom my favorite book, "Radical." I require all of our orphan outreach trip members to read this book and it has deeply impacted me personally as well as all of my team members.
Tonight Mike put Hailey's new car seat in our car. It still seems so surreal! It will be empty tomorrow but this seat will have an adorable little passenger strapped into it next Sunday!
I have finally finished my huge "to do" list of packing and shopping. We sure have a ton of stuff for such a tiny girl! We have packed diapers, food, bottles, sippy cups, toys, clothing and more. I can't believe that we're taking six suitcases!
We are also bringing gifts for Hailey's foster family, our social worker and adoption agency staff. We will be giving Hailey's foster mom my favorite book, "Radical." I require all of our orphan outreach trip members to read this book and it has deeply impacted me personally as well as all of my team members.
Tonight Mike put Hailey's new car seat in our car. It still seems so surreal! It will be empty tomorrow but this seat will have an adorable little passenger strapped into it next Sunday!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
OC Register Article
Today The OC Register printed an article about the quinceanera, which was hosted by Jenni's orphan outreach team in El Salvador this past July. We are grateful for The Register's interest and willingness to share the incredible story of such an unforgettable event.
Click here to read: Jenni Ramsey of Santa Ana Makes Dreams Come True in El Salvador
Click here to read: Jenni Ramsey of Santa Ana Makes Dreams Come True in El Salvador
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Presenting... Hailey Jane!
Today we received the official approval from our agency to post Hailey's photos on the blog. We are so thrilled to introduce her to the world!
Here are a few of our favorites:
This is Hailey's referral photo. It was the first photo we saw of Hailey when we received her information packet on June 12. This photo was taken at the adoption agency office in Seoul and we received a video a few weeks later of Hailey playing with her foster mom in front of the same bear. We will be taking custody of Hailey in this office next week. Unbelievable!
We received this photo of Hailey at the end of July. She is a big, healthy girl and we love her smile!
These photos were taken at Hailey's "dol." The "dol" is the Korean 1st birthday celebration, where children dress in traditional, Korean clothes. Each child is given an item to select on a table, and the item is supposed to indicate their interest/future direction. Hailey chose a gavel, which reveals her intelligence. The adoption agency in Seoul told us that she may become a lawyer and will be very smart! Happy belated Birthday Hailey!
Here are a few of our favorites:
This is Hailey's referral photo. It was the first photo we saw of Hailey when we received her information packet on June 12. This photo was taken at the adoption agency office in Seoul and we received a video a few weeks later of Hailey playing with her foster mom in front of the same bear. We will be taking custody of Hailey in this office next week. Unbelievable!
We received this photo of Hailey at the end of July. She is a big, healthy girl and we love her smile!
These photos were taken at Hailey's "dol." The "dol" is the Korean 1st birthday celebration, where children dress in traditional, Korean clothes. Each child is given an item to select on a table, and the item is supposed to indicate their interest/future direction. Hailey chose a gavel, which reveals her intelligence. The adoption agency in Seoul told us that she may become a lawyer and will be very smart! Happy belated Birthday Hailey!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Attachment and Bonding
Over the past few years as we have prepared to bring home an internationally adopted child, we have been blessed to attend seminars, read books and hear personal stories about attachment. Parenting an internationally adopted child is a journey filled with joys, surprises and unique challenges. As we have prepared to attach and bond with Hailey, we have eliminated many of our commitments and emptied our schedules for the next few months.
What will this look like for our family? I will not be leading any overseas teams in the near future. The next All Blessings trip is scheduled to El Salvador in July, 2013, and Mike will most likely lead the team. We will not be hosting our weekly community group or any other events in our home for a while. And we plan to limit visitors and even outings to large places (church, big events) for the first few weeks and possibly months. We will be following Hailey's cues to see how she reacts around strangers and how comfortable she feels in new settings. Our family will basically be "hunkering down" as much as possible, spending time in the safety of our home as Hailey begins to familiarize herself with the sights, smells, sounds, emotions and daily routines of the Ramsey household. Our primary goal is to build trust with Hailey as quickly as possible.
We deeply appreciate your prayers as all five of us adjust to the new normal. There will be tremendous adjustments for all of us, and especially for the boys. Please pray for patience as we enter into this exciting, new season. Over the past month we have memorized Bible verses to help prepare our hearts for Korea and for life with Hailey.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." - I Corinthians 13:4 (Jordan's verse)
"Be joyful always, pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (Aidan's verse)
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us his Spirit." - I John 4:12 (Mike and Jenni's verse)
What will this look like for our family? I will not be leading any overseas teams in the near future. The next All Blessings trip is scheduled to El Salvador in July, 2013, and Mike will most likely lead the team. We will not be hosting our weekly community group or any other events in our home for a while. And we plan to limit visitors and even outings to large places (church, big events) for the first few weeks and possibly months. We will be following Hailey's cues to see how she reacts around strangers and how comfortable she feels in new settings. Our family will basically be "hunkering down" as much as possible, spending time in the safety of our home as Hailey begins to familiarize herself with the sights, smells, sounds, emotions and daily routines of the Ramsey household. Our primary goal is to build trust with Hailey as quickly as possible.
We deeply appreciate your prayers as all five of us adjust to the new normal. There will be tremendous adjustments for all of us, and especially for the boys. Please pray for patience as we enter into this exciting, new season. Over the past month we have memorized Bible verses to help prepare our hearts for Korea and for life with Hailey.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." - I Corinthians 13:4 (Jordan's verse)
"Be joyful always, pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (Aidan's verse)
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us his Spirit." - I John 4:12 (Mike and Jenni's verse)
Friday, August 24, 2012
Our last fundraiser... the Google Nexus 7 raffle!
I still can't believe that we'll be boarding a plane in just one week to bring our baby girl home! We are busy planning, packing and preparing, but it seems so surreal!
We have been so grateful for all of the support that we've received over the last five years. Our hearts are overflowing as we reflect on all of the emails, cards, gifts, donations and words of encouragement that we have received! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
With the end in sight, we still need to raise close to $3,000 to cover various expenses, including the required post-placement social worker visits, home study paperwork and court appointment costs to finalize our adoption. Our dear friends have offered to purchase a 16 GB Google Nexus 7 tablet for our final raffle. As some of you may remember, we raised $2,750 through our iPod raffle in 2010. The Nexus 7 is valued at $250. Our friends will mail the Nexus to the winners at the end of the raffle.
To read more about the Nexus, visit: The Google Nexus 7 (16 GB)
Here are a few details:
Manufactured by ASUS for Google, the Nexus 7 is the hottest Android tablet in the market today.
It features a fast quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, stunning graphics architecture, a great 7-inch screen and most importantly a relatively affordable price tag of $259.00 for the 16GB version.
Nexus 7 is the only tablet that ships with a much improved Google Android OS version 4.1 codenamed Jelly Bean. This revision ushers in some compelling new features that improve user experience and functionality. You also get a front facing camera and dual microphones for video chats on Google + or Skype.
We will give one "ticket" for every $10 donation made to Lifesong for Orphans for our adoption. We'll draw the winner on Sat, Sept 15, and announce it on our blog. Please spread the word. The information for how to donate is located on the upper, right side of this blog. Donations can be given online via Paypal or mailed to Lifesong. If you choose to mail your donation to Lifesong, checks must be mailed by Sept 9 (in order to be processed before the raffle).
Thank you for helping us to bring Hailey home! We can't wait to see who the winner will be!
We have been so grateful for all of the support that we've received over the last five years. Our hearts are overflowing as we reflect on all of the emails, cards, gifts, donations and words of encouragement that we have received! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
With the end in sight, we still need to raise close to $3,000 to cover various expenses, including the required post-placement social worker visits, home study paperwork and court appointment costs to finalize our adoption. Our dear friends have offered to purchase a 16 GB Google Nexus 7 tablet for our final raffle. As some of you may remember, we raised $2,750 through our iPod raffle in 2010. The Nexus 7 is valued at $250. Our friends will mail the Nexus to the winners at the end of the raffle.
To read more about the Nexus, visit: The Google Nexus 7 (16 GB)
Here are a few details:
Manufactured by ASUS for Google, the Nexus 7 is the hottest Android tablet in the market today.
It features a fast quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, stunning graphics architecture, a great 7-inch screen and most importantly a relatively affordable price tag of $259.00 for the 16GB version.
Nexus 7 is the only tablet that ships with a much improved Google Android OS version 4.1 codenamed Jelly Bean. This revision ushers in some compelling new features that improve user experience and functionality. You also get a front facing camera and dual microphones for video chats on Google + or Skype.
We will give one "ticket" for every $10 donation made to Lifesong for Orphans for our adoption. We'll draw the winner on Sat, Sept 15, and announce it on our blog. Please spread the word. The information for how to donate is located on the upper, right side of this blog. Donations can be given online via Paypal or mailed to Lifesong. If you choose to mail your donation to Lifesong, checks must be mailed by Sept 9 (in order to be processed before the raffle).
Thank you for helping us to bring Hailey home! We can't wait to see who the winner will be!
PREPARING FOR KOREA!
This past week we enjoyed our annual family vacation in Palm Desert. Our dear friends have allowed us to use their time share for many years and we've been blessed to create so many memories in such a beautiful place. Yesterday we received the thrilling news of Hailey's visa approval, which means that she is almost ready for travel. We should receive the official "travel call" from our agency on Monday or Tuesday at the latest. I received the news in the green chair pictured in the photo below. I filled out our adoption application (for El Salvador) five years ago in this chair, and took this photo of the boys before mailing the application (in August, 2007).
Since we had two cars in the desert, we decided that I should return home to work on flights, shop and prepare for Korea. Mike and the boys spent the last day of vacation together, which gave me 24 hours to focus! The photo below shows me five years ago as I walked to the timeshare office to mail off our application. Yesterday I waved good bye to Mike and the boys with the hope of finally seeing our baby girl in the coming week!
After much discussion and research, we are holding flights for Sat, Sept 1. We found direct flights at a great rate, and will save significantly by waiting a few days (this is the last week of summer in Korea). We also realize that we need the coming week to prepare. Our church is throwing a baby shower for Hailey on Tuesday night, and we're really looking forward to celebrating together with our church family. We'll return home on Sun, Sept 9, after enjoying seven full days in Korea. The boys will miss their first three days of school, but we know that it will be worth the trip of a lifetime!
Last night I went shopping at Babies R Us with my mom. We are so thankful for all of our family members, who have been so supportive in our adoption journey. My mom has been especially helpful and supportive in so many ways, and it was so fun to shop together for the "last minute" essentials! We will continue to post updates in the coming week!
Since we had two cars in the desert, we decided that I should return home to work on flights, shop and prepare for Korea. Mike and the boys spent the last day of vacation together, which gave me 24 hours to focus! The photo below shows me five years ago as I walked to the timeshare office to mail off our application. Yesterday I waved good bye to Mike and the boys with the hope of finally seeing our baby girl in the coming week!
After much discussion and research, we are holding flights for Sat, Sept 1. We found direct flights at a great rate, and will save significantly by waiting a few days (this is the last week of summer in Korea). We also realize that we need the coming week to prepare. Our church is throwing a baby shower for Hailey on Tuesday night, and we're really looking forward to celebrating together with our church family. We'll return home on Sun, Sept 9, after enjoying seven full days in Korea. The boys will miss their first three days of school, but we know that it will be worth the trip of a lifetime!
Last night I went shopping at Babies R Us with my mom. We are so thankful for all of our family members, who have been so supportive in our adoption journey. My mom has been especially helpful and supportive in so many ways, and it was so fun to shop together for the "last minute" essentials! We will continue to post updates in the coming week!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
We pick Hailey!
Tonight we started to pack Hailey's suitcases for Korea. We're not sure when the travel call will come, but we want to be prepared! Many friends have suggested that we use Ziploc bags for travel (for soiled clothes, etc.) and also for packing individual outfits. Tonight I packed Hailey's first outfit, and it couldn't be more perfect! It's actually a hand-me-down from our niece, Sadie... It says, "pick me."
We know that God hand-picked Hailey Jane for our family, and we can't wait to finally hold her in our arms!
On Tuesday night we hosted an open house/fundraiser for our adoption. We raised close to $200 through the beautiful Noonday Collections products, made by women in third world nations. We were so blessed by our family and friends who attended and shopped.
It was fun to show off Hailey's room as well as the DVD. The boys enjoyed learning the stories of the artisans who create the Noonday products. We are so grateful for so many supportive family members and friends! Thank you for traveling along this journey with us!
We know that God hand-picked Hailey Jane for our family, and we can't wait to finally hold her in our arms!
On Tuesday night we hosted an open house/fundraiser for our adoption. We raised close to $200 through the beautiful Noonday Collections products, made by women in third world nations. We were so blessed by our family and friends who attended and shopped.
It was fun to show off Hailey's room as well as the DVD. The boys enjoyed learning the stories of the artisans who create the Noonday products. We are so grateful for so many supportive family members and friends! Thank you for traveling along this journey with us!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Boys' Passports!
BIG NEWS!!! Today we received the boys' new passports in the mail! Yay!!! We renewed their passports last month and have been praying that they would be processed quickly (and checking our mailbox daily).
We are starting to prepare for our trip to Korea (hopefully some time in the next two months). Needless to say, life around our house is very exciting! Yesterday the boys watched the DVD that we purchased for Hailey,"Pororo" (her favorite Korean cartoon). We have purchased gifts for our Korean social worker and Hailey's foster family.
We are beginning to pack Hailey's travel bag and are researching flights/housing. Hailey's emigration approval is currently being processed in Seoul. Once her emigration permit is approved, Hailey will have a visa physical/interview and then we wait for the travel call from our agency. Stay tuned for updates!
We are starting to prepare for our trip to Korea (hopefully some time in the next two months). Needless to say, life around our house is very exciting! Yesterday the boys watched the DVD that we purchased for Hailey,"Pororo" (her favorite Korean cartoon). We have purchased gifts for our Korean social worker and Hailey's foster family.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Fundraising - Approaching the Goal!
Today is my 42nd birthday and I just received an unforgettable birthday gift! Our dear friends emailed tonight to tell us that God has led them to cover our travel costs for Korea. We are speechless, overwhelmed and amazed! When we lost all of the money in our failed adoption in El Salvador, we knew that it would take a miracle to raise the funds needed for a Korean adoption. $35,000 seemed overwhelming but I'll never forget Mike's perspective. He reminded me that "$35,000 is like 35 cents to God!" And we have watched this miracle occur right before our eyes as family, friends and even strangers have contributed towards our adoption costs. One friend has even contributed on a monthly basis over the past year, a gift that we never expected. As I updated our fundraising thermometer on the blog tonight and realized that we just passed $30,000, I was once again reminded of God's faithfulness and power! Thank you Daddy God!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
A Trunkshow Fundraiser for Hailey!
We will be hosting a Noonday Collection trunkshow at our home on Tues, August 14, from 7-8:30 pm. Noonday Collection was started by an adoptive mom who encountered beautiful artisanship while adopting her child in Africa. Noonday sponsors "fair trade" artisans from countries like Uganda, Rwanda, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and India and part of their sales are used to support orphan care and adoptions. To read more about Noonday and see products, visit
http://www.bonnienourse.noondaycollection.com/
If you are unable to attend the fundraiser, you can order items online. 20% of all sales will go towards our adoption costs! Just note that your purchase is helping the Ramsey adoption fund. My friend, Bonnie Nourse, who teaches Spanish at Orange Lutheran High School and recently returned from a short-term trip to Argentina, will be representing Noonday. We hope to see you here on the 14th!
http://www.bonnienourse.noondaycollection.com/
If you are unable to attend the fundraiser, you can order items online. 20% of all sales will go towards our adoption costs! Just note that your purchase is helping the Ramsey adoption fund. My friend, Bonnie Nourse, who teaches Spanish at Orange Lutheran High School and recently returned from a short-term trip to Argentina, will be representing Noonday. We hope to see you here on the 14th!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Registering at Babies R Us!
It's difficult to explain the emotions I experienced last night as I walked up to the desk at Babies R Us and asked to register for a baby! What a moment! The lady behind the counter was very sweet, and I discovered that her daughter-in-law was Korean! I was also able to mark "adoption" on the registry application. How cool! Purchases can be made from our registry online at:
http://www.toysrus.com/registry/index.jsp?ab=BRU_Header:Utility2:Baby-Registry:Registry
My close friend, Kristin Sellars, who has a one-year old daughter, helped me to navigate through the aisles and overwhelming choices. Thank you Kristin! I definitely think that many baby items are "over the top" and unnecessary, but I was so grateful to register for some of the items that Baby Hailey needs.
We also welcome any used items! The major needs that we have at this time are for a stroller, car seat, baby carrier (Ergo), diapers and clothes (size 18 months or larger). Hailey already weights 24 pounds, so we estimate that she will wear size 18 months+ and diaper size 4.
http://www.toysrus.com/registry/index.jsp?ab=BRU_Header:Utility2:Baby-Registry:Registry
My close friend, Kristin Sellars, who has a one-year old daughter, helped me to navigate through the aisles and overwhelming choices. Thank you Kristin! I definitely think that many baby items are "over the top" and unnecessary, but I was so grateful to register for some of the items that Baby Hailey needs.
We also welcome any used items! The major needs that we have at this time are for a stroller, car seat, baby carrier (Ergo), diapers and clothes (size 18 months or larger). Hailey already weights 24 pounds, so we estimate that she will wear size 18 months+ and diaper size 4.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
El Salvador trip video
Last Sunday our team spoke about our incredible trip to El Salvador during the service at The Village Church of Irvine. Our team members shared about the modern day miracles that we experienced through the quinceanera. We are so grateful to our church family, friends and supporters for all of the donations, financial gifts, prayers and support that we received!
We also showed our trip video, which highlights our unforgettable week serving in El Salvador. Please take a few minutes to watch!
The next All Blessings Intl. orphan outreach trip is scheduled for July, 2013, in El Salvador. Dates are TBD. I will be taking a few months off as we bond with Hailey and have postponed the fall, 2012, trip to Guatemala until fall, 2013. At this time, Mike is planning to lead our July, 2013, trip to El Salvador.
We also showed our trip video, which highlights our unforgettable week serving in El Salvador. Please take a few minutes to watch!
The next All Blessings Intl. orphan outreach trip is scheduled for July, 2013, in El Salvador. Dates are TBD. I will be taking a few months off as we bond with Hailey and have postponed the fall, 2012, trip to Guatemala until fall, 2013. At this time, Mike is planning to lead our July, 2013, trip to El Salvador.
Mike's sermon
Last Sunday Mike preached during our quarterly Missions Sunday service. He did an amazing job, was very comfortable and I was so proud of him! He shared briefly about our adoption journey and also shared some of his experiences serving overseas.
To listen to his message, click on this link:
www.villagechurchirvine.com/sermons/sermon/contending-for-the-mission-of-the-master
To listen to his message, click on this link:
www.villagechurchirvine.com/sermons/sermon/contending-for-the-mission-of-the-master
Hailey's New Room
We have officially completed Hailey's room! Yay!!! The boys have been great helpers and painted the letters for Hailey's wall last weekend. They also loved playing with their old baby toys and reading their old books when we pulled them out of the boxes from the shed! Adorable! Now we just need to fill the baskets with diapers, the closet with clothes, the drawers with socks and the bed with a baby...
We have had so much fun creating her room, and we did it in less than $100! We saved Jordan's baby furniture and Hailey will be using our guest bed. My grandma purchased the bedding for us as a gift and we had many of the other items saved in storage.
Since Hailey is currently sleeping with her foster mom, we have chosen to cohabit with her. We want to keep as much of her daily routine as similar to Korea as possible, and cohabitating is also strongly suggested for bonding and attachment.
We still have a big list of things to do to prepare for our trip to Korea! Tonight I will be registering at Babies R Us with a close friend (who also has a one-year old daughter). Stay tuned for details!
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