Crazy to Cupcakes

While we were in Uganda we had the privilage of spending a week with Dan and his two newly adopted children, Hannah and Joseph. It was really great for Charles Tucker to have some friends to play with once Henry and Mary Taylor left and Dan was such an encouragement to me along with his buddies Scott and Judd who came to our his rescue while he was in Uganda. They made Uganda more fun!

Once we were all a little adjusted with our new families here in the states...Charles Tucker finally got to see his old Ugandan buddies one morning for a playdate over at the Crazy's house... So sureal to see them in their new home, happy and thriving...God is sooo good!! Love these two kids...they have a special place in my heart. Can't wait to see what the Lord does through their lives...it's gona be good!!!

It was quite challenging for Shelly and I to get seven children to sit in one place for a picture, so lunch time was our next best option! None of us wanted to leave this fun, crazy house...Henry was kicking and screaming..and Charles Tucker loved playing with "JoHannah" and "Jophes" again...

Shelly has been such an encouragement to me since we have both come home with our children from Uganda. Can't wait to do more playdates with our Ugandan babies and learn from a mother of five! Shelly and Dan are also one of the couples that started Sixty Feet almost a year ago after hearing about this horrible prison for orphans in Uganda. You can read about our journey to "M" while I was in Uganda, HERE. Their eldest daughter felt such compassion for these orphans that she decided to sell cupcakes to raise money for "M"...which became known as the Cupcake Kids.

The Cupcake Kids was really the kids’ idea. They had been watching their parents becoming involved with a ministry in Uganda, Africa called Sixty Feet and they wanted to help out in their own way. “Why don’t we sell cupcakes and lemonade on the corner one afternoon and give all the money to the kids in Africa?” they said one day. Okay, why not? So we gathered some friends, designed a sign or two, baked some adorable cupcakes and sat out on the street corner. Some folks showed up. And God showed up…big time!

The first cupcake sale made $260.00, so then two weeks later they made 10,000.00 from several more cupcake sells all over the country. So neat to see God turn water into wine! We actually met Shelly and Dan at the first Cupcake Kids sale last spring....so neat to see what the Lord has done with Sixty Feet, along with the Cupcake Kids in less than a year! Pretty incredible!!!

Mary Taylor enjoying the first Cupcake Kids sale...

Well, on April 16, 2011, children from all over the nation are joining together for the desperate children of Uganda for one big Cupcake Kid's sale. Go HERE to learn how to host your own Cupcake Kids Sale in your neighborhood. Can't wait to do one in our neck of the woods!

 

Here are the Sixty Feet women at the Created for Care retreat at the beginning of the month. Look how yummy those cupcakes look??

So thankful the Lord has led us to these amazing people who have hearts for orphans. I feel blessed to be able to join with others on this journey to love the fatherless...believe me, we need eachother!

Charles Tucker's Adoption Day-February 4, 2011

Last week, around Tuesday, Dee came home and said, "I am about to file our papers to adopt Charles Tucker? Are you ready to go to court any time they tell us to go in the next couple of weeks?" Me: "You mean any day we will adopt him? Wow! That was fast!" Sure, enough, Dee filed the papers on Wednesday and our court date was set for Friday. It usually takes about six months to adopt in the states once you get home, but ours only took five weeks. Way to go Dee for working so hard on this!! So that is why you have been staying late at work???!!

So Friday morning before our court appearance, we headed to the airport to pick up an adoption blog friend, Sara, whom I had never met in person. She came in town for the Created For Care retreat for the upcoming weekend, but decided to spend the day with us, before the retreat started. Well, Sara, I hope you enjoyed our crazy family!?!

 Yes, I got them to pose in their p.j.s and boots, I could not resist taking a picture before we headed to the airport! Can you believe my crew is cooperating so well these days!! So fun for this mama!

It was so neat to finally meet Sara face to face after a year of knowing her through her blog and occassional texts and phone conversations. She is about to go pick up one of Charles Tucker's best buddies from the babies home in Uganda. Please pray she gets a court date fast, hopefully in the next couple of weeks!!!

So around 10:30, we headed to the court house downtown to make Charles Tucker officially a DeBardeleben. We got there early just to make sure we did not miss our court appearance.We found a small corner for the kids to play and run around. Then around 11:30, we entered the Judges' chambers and within three minutes, Charles Tucker became part of our family! It was somewhat anticlimatic, with our kids making noise and acting out, but thankfully we brought Sara along to cry for us and help us realize the magic of it all. Charles Tucker DeBardeleben is officially an orphan no more!! That is definitely something to cheer about!!

Then daddy had to go make some copies before we left of all the documents, so we let the kids run around a little bit more. Look how excited Henry is about his new brother!!!

Let me present to you "Charles Tucker DeBardeleben"

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

What a privilage it is to be chosen to be Charles Tucker's mommy. He is a precious little boy with a savior who loves him more than I will ever have the capacity to love him. He shows me more everyday what a blessing he is to our family. I am excited and thankful for the rode we have ahead of us and I pray the Lord will show me more and more how to best be the mommy he has called me to be to our new son.

**Sara and I then headed up to the Created for Care retreat to hang out with 250 other mommies who love orphans.. More on that later!