The Journey Begins!!!!!!!

Boy have I been waiting to say that for a LONG time!

I can announce with such joy and happiness that our adoption journey has begun! I have been praying and asking God for a long time to open doors and show us His Will to lead us down His path! He never ceases to amaze me! Things didn't go as we thought they should in the beginning because...well God didn't want us to go that way. So after prayer and much investigation we have followed His path and are moving full steam ahead with this adoption!!

I love that after 10 years of waiting and praying and watching. God picks the perfect time to say "Go"! This journey will not be without turmoil or frustration. But I know that the end will far outweigh everything we will face in the journey! We literally will hold His promises in our arms! To say we are excited is an understatement! We are over the moon!!

Our application has been sent in, a few fee's have been paid. We have done some preliminary paperwork and it gives us great joy to share with you an adoption term we have learned over the years because now our Homestudy begins! We are.....

which simply means we will begin gathering all the paperwork necessary (and its a LOT) to bring our daughter home to her forever family! God has not revealed who she is to us yet but we will be sure to share that with you as soon as we are able to. There are rules and all! But we are so giddy rules aren't bothering us at all! So come along with us on our journey to bring home our Ladybug!! We are in love with her already and do not even know her yet!! So thankful again for God's timing! Pay attention you never know what He may be asking you to do! No matter what it is just "Do Something!"

Join us on our journey as "baby" makes 6!

Lots of Love and Ladybugs!! :)

The Tarter Family! 

Teresa Bartlinski; What I learned from a Princess!!!

Teresa Bartlinski is a little heart warrior Angel adopted by the Bartlinski family. If you are on adoption blogs, or heart blogs I am sure you have heard of sweet little Teresa. Teresa's diagnosis in the orphanage was terminal. This sweet little one was born with "half a heart". Without proper care in the orphanage she should not have lived. BUT GOD, (don't you love it in the Bible when it says "but God? means He has more planned) had a wonderful plan for sweet little Teresa "Fang Fang". She was in Half the Sky orphanage and they were taking wonderful care of her but they could not give her the care she needed. All Teresa ever asked for was a family of her own, and she was determined and strong willed enough to fight to get that family. Half way across the world, the Bartlinski's heard of Teresa's plight, and was drawn to her. They prayed and asked for guidance, but all the guidance they needed was placed in their hearts by God. They knew little "Fang Fang" was to be their daughter. They were warned that she may not even make the flight home, her situation was so dire. However, those people did not know little Teresa the Princess Heart Warrior! She fought and she made it home with her forever family! Did I mention Teresa has 8 brothers and sisters?! 4 of which were special needs adoptions from China as well. Boy did she have a beautiful family waiting on her!! They all loved her very much! She fought through lots of surgeries and her  health issues were worse than they knew. Not only did Teresa need a new heart, but new lungs as well. A transplant would be critical, but dr's were afraid her little body could not handle a double transplant of both lungs and heart. One day last month God did a miracle in sweet little Teresa!

Her lungs somehow healed enough to be able to have the single transplant of her new little heart! Teresa was excited! She and her family took her packed bags and headed off to the hospital!

Teresa's whole life was a miracle and now they were asking God to do another miracle. Sweet little Teresa needed to have this heart work. 

But that wasn't the case, her "hero heart" was rejected. But Teresa fought on! She was bleeding and needed transfusions and her little chest cavity was just too small. The doctors decided that since her body had rejected this heart that she needed to be added to the top of the donor list again. In the mean time she needed to have her "hero heart" removed and put in the artificial berlin heart. Her Mommy's blog really tells this whole story in detail about all the fighting she did and how strong willed Teresa was. Here you can read the complete story. Her blog is Our Place Called Home. People all over the world prayed for Teresa last Monday when the berlin heart was being transplanted. We knew this could be it, exactly what she needed! Teresa was a Princess! Wore her Princess Teresa crown and ball gowns everywhere! So that day we all changed our profile pictures to something with Teresa on it, or something like this

to let her family know we were all praying and we wouldn't stop fighting for our little Princess and her heart!

Our sweet little Teresa fought and fought but her little body just could not handle it anymore. Teresa rode her  Princess bike without oxygen into the arms of Jesus on July 1, 2013 at 3:23 pm. Oh but she loved her Jesus! She knew Him and had accepted Him into her heart and life when she was just four years old! So Teresa had much joy knowing she would meet her Jesus one day! That day came sooner than anyone wanted. We know that she is safe and secure in His arms and that brings everyone comfort!

Now let me tell you what Teresa has done in my heart! I prayed for this little one for so long and asked others to pray for her as well. I knew she was a fighter! I never met her personally and don't know her parents but through her Mommy's blog and her video's and stories of Teresa I fell in love with her! Never have I prayed so drastically for someone I didn't know or hadn't met. I just felt God moving saying, keep praying! So I did! I am also a member of a group on Facebook that asked for prayers for this sweet one. I have to tell you I just watched God do some amazing things through this little one! Over 5,000 people were praying for her all over the world! Only God can use an orphan to bring together SO many people. It did not matter race, or religion or nationality, we just all prayed! And when Ann told us that Teresa went home to be with Jesus, I cried! My heart was broken. How could someone so little I have never known get into my heart like that? Only through our Jesus! She also put an urgency on my heart about our own adoption. Life is too short, kids need families. Some kids are in dire situations and need us to help them get the medical attention they so desperately need! We cannot stand by and let these children die when sometimes simple medical care is all they need. Won't you join us in advocating for these sweet ones?! Every child deserves a forever family just ask Teresa Bartlinski! See how much her family made a difference in her life, and even more important how much she made a difference in theirs! Imagine what she is doing for the Kingdom! Teresa we "Won't forget about you" sweet one! We love you MORE!!! Your whole life was a miracle!! 

In loving memory of Teresa Bartlinski the Little Princess Warrior who now resides with our King!

Lots of love and Ladybugs :)

Lots to Blog about, Moving Forward as well

Hi friends! Just back from a wonderful concert at my church! Dino from Branson MO stopped by and shared his beautiful talents with us, and a double duty had my Mom with me for her 60th birthday. She LOVED it!! Lots of birthdays this weekend. My sweet sweet nephew turned 5 today and can I tell ya, that little one gets cuter every time I see him! What a privilege it is to be his Aunt TT :) See how cute he is!

I just love this little guy he stole my heart the first time I held him! And has had it wrapped around his little fingers ever since! Love love LOVE him to pieces!! (AJ I stole this pic from your fb page hope ya don't mind its just too cute!) Anyway so we celebrated with a Toy story themed party. His Mommy is an awesome party thrower let me tell ya. He loved it and all his cute little friends loved it too. Although I am not sure who was worn out most, all the kids or my sweet Sis in law Autum! Way to go girl you rocked it!! What a fun time we all had, and Jake will always remember it!!!!!!!!!!

So this is the first blog I am typing from our new home! We love it! We are very very humbled by it and are honored that God is allowing us to be here at this time, praying its permanent but knowing we will go wherever He leads. It is more than I could ever have imagined or dreamed. We are adjusting well. Things are put away except I have not done the dreaded hang up all the pictures things, and I find myself wanting to get new stuff to put in here (the house is bigger than we have ever had) but I am controlling myself. I have a bigger goal in mind at this time and that stuff can wait. (although that is harder to do sometimes when I find the cutest little *whatever* to fill whatever space I think it would fit perfect) but I am stickin to my guns!! :)

Kids are in the second full week of school and they are doing great. The first few weeks are not so bad time wise, but look out next week we will kick into full band mode! Tired and running full steam for 2 straight months! Lots going on. Both kids are doing the CTC program this year. Sis is continuing in her Culinary Arts program and Tommy will be doing Auto tech and repair. He loves it!! Then he too will attend college at a local school to get his degree in that specific field. He was truly meant to do this stuff, its amazing to watch him, its in his blood! Ernie is doing well back down at SBU. I am just praying for him to find a job so he can feel better about some things. If you pray would you pray for him as well? He really needs this job for multiple reasons. I am one proud Mom of all my kids!!

Now on to some interesting news. You know how sometimes you overlook things or you completely miss them? Well back in July I was in a conversation with a bloggy friend about meeting a certain requirement to start this adoption. I just have known for awhile there is no way we would meet it for awhile. Well she commented back on how exactly it could be done, but the thing is for some reason I missed that comment till yesterday!! Oh my goodness when I opened up the comments link on the blog dashboard (which BTW I always knew it was there but just never accessed it) there was the complete instructions on how exactly we could meet this requirement!! Might I also add that it was midnight when I read this comment and everyone except my daughter was asleep. So I ran into where she was, jumping up and down so excited I wanted to pop!! I had to hug someone and tell someone right then!! Now here is the funny thing. I do believe if God would have allowed me to see that comment back in July I would have been sad, too much was going on and I had my plate full at that moment. But now, now I can digest it and take care of a few things, and BAM we will meet the requirement! Now I have NO idea where any of the money will come to fund this adoption, not even the application fee but I have FAITH in my GREAT BIG GOD that He can take care of it!! After all He owns a cattle on a thousand hills, and caring for orphans is a command that He gives us!

 Our Pastor asked us last week, How big are your prayers? Your prayers are only as big as you allow God to be. Well I know how BIG my God is so I am stepping out with BIG prayers for lots of things so that we can begin this adoption!! Is this finally IT????? Oh my goodness Oh my GOODNES, Oh MY GOODNESS, OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!! After all this time waiting could this actually be it??!! Please pray with me friends that God will open the right doors if this is truly it and that He will give us clear signs on how to proceed! I am calling on the Power of the Resurrected God to show us each step and how to proceed! There is POWER in His name Jesus!! WOOHOO!! Here am I Lord, SEND ME!! OK I am a bit excited, just thinking of the possibilities!! Wonderful night worshipping our living God! And the words to these two sweet songs this morning from our worship pastor, Pastor Lee. Love ya Buddy!! Thanks for your faithfulness in serving and sharing the gospel through music!

Here are the words to those songs (just parts of them)

Savior He can move the mountains (our mountain is the financial aspect of this adoption)

My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save,

Forever author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see (CHINA)

Were singin for the glory of the Risen King

Savior He can move the mountain

My God is mighty to save! He is mighty to save!

The other song is this:

What a moment you have brought me too,

All the freedom I have found in you,

Your the healer you make all things new

Yeah Yeah Yeah, yeah Yeah Yeah

I'm not going back, I'm moving ahead

I'm here to declare to you

My past is over, in you

All things are made new

Surrender my life to Christ

I'm moving, moving Forward!!

So my friend, Our God will move the mountains to bring our sweet baby girl home from China for us, He promised me all those years ago. And I myself am moving Forward with Him leading the way, surrendering all the fear and frustration and misunderstanding and anxiety over to Him. He is MY Savior and Redeemer and If God is for us, Then who can be against us?!!! Lord please bring our Ladybug home to her forever family! I'm trusting you with everything and I say that with a big grin on my face and tears in my eyes!!

Lots of love, and lots and lots of Ladybugs!

Tammy :)

P.S. For those of you who have heard my story about God sending me ladybugs, when we moved into this home, there were HUNDREDS of Ladybugs (albeit dead) in the window sills of the basement and some by the front door!!!!!!, and then God sent one to my HUBBY! in the grocery store the other day, of all places! He saw it from a distance and went over and rescued it to take it outside!! God is SO good!! We do NOT deserve His blessing but we are praising Him for them anyhow!!