We were approved to start the home study application on Dec. 12 and were told we had 3 months to complete all of the requirements prior to having the social worker come to our home for the home study. This included birth certificates, marriage certificates, copies of passports, state fingerprinting , federal fingerprinting, floor plan of our home, 3 hour psychological tests, and more. As of Thursday- WE. ARE. DONE. with the application!

ON TO THE HOME STUDY!

Over the years, I would purchase items in support of other families’ adoption journeys. One shirt helped bring home the cutest little guy from South Korea, a few from different families’ adoptions from China, and one shirt helped pay for the ENTIRE ADOPTION for a family adopting from Bulgaria. These have just been small things I could do to help.

I’ve seen photos of airport-homecomings where the family (new child in tow!) is surrounded by loved ones sporting their adoption tees. I cry every single time I see them. Since the first support shirt I received in the mail, I’d dream up our future tees and their design… envision our families in them… our child in our arms… I knew we had to have shirts.

Evan and I did not enter the adoption process until we were fairly certain we could handle the financial strain. That being said, we have had numerous people ask us how they can get involved. One way would be to purchase a shirt. Please know the funds from the shirt sale will go directly towards the fees associated from the time we match with our child(ren). Specifically, the child’s care in country (food, clothing..), their passport(s), their airfare, their re-adoption in the United States, etc.

How it works: We are working with a company called Fund the Nations. We have our friends/family purchase shirts directly from us, we order the shirts, and ship them out ourselves.

TO ORDER:

1. Choose a color and size. (Adult XS-XXL)
2. Send choices AND shipping address with payment ($20/shirt) via Venmo (@EmilyCuyler), PayPal (emilykatherine306@yahoo.com), our message me if you prefer to send a check.
3. That’s it! We’ll do the rest.

We are so thankful for you all!

We knew from the beginning that our families would be ecstatic. First grandchild on Evan’s side and first Korean grandchild on my side. 😉 Each family was given mugs with the Korean symbol for “family” imprinted on them and a poem. Below is the generic poem we gave/sent to our closest friends and family. I had so much fun writing them and even more fun watching our loved ones reading them. SO MANY TEARS.

A few frequently asked questions:

1. Why South Korea? The short version: God told us to. The longer version: I’ve known since second grade I wanted to adopt from an Asian country. (Cue: “Yeah, Right!”) I remember meeting my parents’ family friends at Fazoli’s who had just brought home their daughter from China. She was in a little pink stroller and, although a fleeting thought as a curly-headed-no-care-in-the-world second grader, I knew I wanted a child from “there.” The “there” has changed over time after (quite literally) years of research and prayers into programs in China, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan (which has since stopped international adoptions), India, and South Korea. From there, we wanted a generally stable, ethical, child-centered country that we met the requirements for. Same with the agency we chose.
2. Why adopt first? Essentially, it is just the best way for us to grow our family right now. We know God has all of our children picked out, whether boy or girl, adopted or biological. It’s just the right time for us. Most think since we have been together for over 10 years and married for 5 that we have struggled with infertility. Thankfully, this is not part of our story, but we will roll with the punches however our family grows in the future!
3. How old will the child be? They estimate 18-24 months at the time they arrive home, although we feel prepared to accept up to the age of 5 as God sees fit. Siblings, twins, boys, girls…. We welcome them all!
4. Isnt it like…. super expensive? Yes. More on that at a later date.

The next thing will shock all of you, I’m sure. I love to talk. (I can here Evan’s hearty “AMEN!” from the other room.) Quality conversation is my thang, so if you have any other questions- let me know!