About
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My name is Amanda. I started making clay jewelry in June of 2020 just for fun. After making a few prototypes, my husband Kyle encouraged me to sell my earrings to help fund our adoption. I was hesitant at first, but I talked with a few friends about the idea and decided to take the leap of faith. It all began with just a few tools and our kitchen counter. I started selling on Facebook, which was a great start. Since then, business has grown, and I now have an in-home office, helpful tools, and a new website to connect with customers. I couldn't be more thankful for all the people that have supported me along the way...especially my family. I love spending time with my family and traveling the world together. Below are a few pictures from our adventures together.
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We recently traveled to Disneyworld, Chicago, Boston, and Acadia National Park.
Mia loves playing soccer and gymnastics, and Eli loves cars and spending time with his sister.
Mia loves playing soccer and gymnastics, and Eli loves cars and spending time with his sister.
Adoption
Adoption has always been something that has been on our hearts. We wanted to open our home to a child that needed a forever family. As God has been so kind to us to adopt us as His children, we wanted to share this love with a child and give them a loving home. We prayed a lot and waited for our desire to adopt to intersect with God's timing for our lives. After about 2.5 years, it finally happened on July 12, 2023 when we got a call at 5pm about a little baby boy that had been born that morning. We were told about the financial, health, and legal risks. We were told that we could have to stay in his birth city for over 30 days. Once all of that was shared, we were told we had 10 minutes to decide. As Kyle and I talked about it together over the phone, we kept reminding each other that all we can do is say yes and trust that God will take care of the rest. After we notified the agency of our decision, Kyle rushed home from work so that we could tell Mia and Eli. They were beyond excited that they were going to get a little baby brother. That night, we were sent this picture of him:
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We couldn't wait to meet him, so after telling Mia and Eli, Kyle booked a flight, rental car, and hotel within minutes, and we packed up Mia and Eli's bags so that we could bring them to grandma and grandpa's house. It was really hard to say goodbye to them because we didn't know how long it would be before we would get to see them again. We then went back home and packed up our bags along with some baby items before going to bed at midnight for a couple of hours of sleep. We left for the airport at 3am for our flight at 5am. As we waited at the airport, we still couldn't believe what was happening, and we continued to pray for the little baby boy and the risks involved that were waiting for us in Phoenix. On the flight, we kept praying, slept a little, and talked about different baby names. We landed at 7:15am, and by 8 we were anxiously/nervously walking into the hospital to meet Baby Boy ***** (birth mom's last name). As we entered his room, the nurses were holding him. They explained how he was doing and let us hold him for the first time.
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The rest of the day, we took time to bond with him and meet with various nurses, doctors, and case workers. The next morning Kyle got up at 3am (5am our time) and went over to the hospital to spend some quiet time with him and feed him for the first time before things got busier at the hospital.
Later that day, we were asked what we wanted to call him. "His name will be Luca Paul Prince". Paul was the middle name given to him by his birth mother. We wanted to keep that name in honor of her. It was around this point that we started to realize that everything was going even better than we could have ever imagined. After 4 days (on my birthday!), we were able to bring him "home" to stay with us, but we knew it could still be weeks before we were given permission to fly home due to paperwork and financial/legal risks.
However, after just 3 days, the legal risks subsided, and we were told we could fly home the next day. So at 7 days old, we were able to fly home with baby Luca (with his doctor's permission). As we walked down the terminal back in Nashville, we could see Mia, Eli, Grandma, and Grandpa waiting for us at the exit. They were holding a sign: "Welcome home baby Luca". We were overwhelmed with emotion as they got to meet their baby brother for the first time, and we got to see them for the first time in about a week. It was truly a special moment...one that we will never forget.
As we look back upon our time in Phoenix, it was truly God intervening on our behalf, and it couldn't have been any clearer. The financial, health, and legal risks were quickly overcome. We couldn't believe how smooth things went based on what we were told in the beginning. We are so thankful for God's provisions.
Luca is now home with us as part of our family. Mia and Eli love him so much, and we couldn't be happier as a family of 5.
Luca is now home with us as part of our family. Mia and Eli love him so much, and we couldn't be happier as a family of 5.
