Worth the Wait

New Year, New Season, New Blog

2011-01-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

As we approach our 6 month Fami-versary,

As we enter a new year and a new decade,

As we close our season of waiting, and enter a whole new adventure of parenthood,

it is time for a fresh face in blog land.

So, today, on this first day of 2011, we announce

ReSoNate,

our new blog!

http://weresonate.blogspot.com/

If you have been following us at Worth the Wait, please consider continuing to follow us in our new location. If you have a link to Worth the Wait on your own site, please consider updating it to ReSoNate.

Here's to new beginnings - in the cyber world and the "real" world!

Ciao!

Hope Deferred is History!

2010-12-28T14:26:00.000-08:00

(mass picture alert: Our First Christmas together)

What a difference a year makes!

Christmas 2009, and many Christmases prior, we dreamed of this day.

Every meal, every gift opened, every carol sung - I imagined the day we would share these traditions with our children. The longing for a child is a deep anguish at times... a constant holding onto hope, sometimes by a thread. For so many years, holidays, parties, and vacations have been accompanied by this inner conversation and poignant questioning - when, O Lord, when will the "multiplication" and the "fruitfulness" You've promised be a tangible reality? The loneliness and grief have been periodically debilitating but hope has always picked me up, standing on the truth that joy always comes in the morning. Spring always follows winter...

and THIS is our springtime!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is the tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

This Christmas season, we are grateful to be living in a "desire fulfilled."

At the beginning of December, we attended our annual Church Christmas Party.

It's an adult only party, but since our babes' "family age" is just 5 months, they came with us.

E-man loved the lively game of corporate Family Feud and the Baby Doll loved grazing from our plates.

We'd barely walked through the door when Ayat snatched his grand-girl from my arms and whisked her away for a photo. (photo credit goes to Mark & Jen - thanks!)

These photos of Daddy and his girl were too cute to leave out.

She placed the paper cup in his mouth and then laughed hysterically.

... again and again...

... and again.

A few days before Christmas, E-man helped me make sugar cookies.

(A bit of free advertising for Trader Joe's cookie project in a box - fabulous and yummy!)

His jobs were cookie cutters and sprinkles.

On Christamas Eve Day, we headed out to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

The plan was to eat, attend Christmas Eve service, then open gifts.

We had trouble with transferring the carseats, however, and ended up skipping the service.

E-man loved sitting in the driver's seat out of the pouring rain while Daddy fixed his seat.

We finally arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house much to the delight of all.

Reading the Christmas story.

(note to self: find a children's book to tell the Christmas story. Any suggestions?)

Baby Doll would rather visit with Mr. Snowman than listen to the Christmas story in the NKJV.

Time for a family pic with Grandma and Grandpa.

camera propped up on a tv tray and large book... O where did I put that tri-pod?!

New favorite books.

On Christmas Day, we had a quiet time at home for a couple of hours, then headed over to Ayat and Ayate's (only 15min away) for our traditional Christmas brunch. Love this pic of our baby doll - before nap time when she was still bright eyed and bushy tailed. We've been getting over some nasty sinus colds around here.

Uncle J brought his Wii and we tried our hand at some Mario Brothers racing. Baby Doll always wants to be right in the middle of everything.

Oh how I love my girl! Snotty nose and all.

Kisses for Mommy.

Uncle J must have had fun buying the many gifts for each little person, including this stuffed pink dog for the girl.

Peek-a-boo!

Puzzles for E-man... he also got a helicopter, electronic learning toys, pjs and more!

s.p.o.i.l.e.d. and LOVED

cuddle time with the pink dog

The day after Christmas Family Photo at church.

Phew! Christmas festivities can tire a person out!

Every little girl needs a big pink dog to hang out with for some well-deserved rest.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the N-4 Family!

Hope deferred is history!

Love you to the Angels

2010-12-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

Bedtime:
E-man: Mommy I love you BIIIIIIIG. (arms outstretched as far as they'll go)
me: I love you sooooo Big
E-man: I love you Big Big Big Biiiiiiig
me: I love you to the moon
E-man: I love you... (thinking)... to the Angels! (wide eyes, big smile, as tho' challenging me to top that)
me: Wow! That's a lot.
E-man: Yah!

I didn't know it was possible to love like this.

Trimming the Tree

2010-12-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

Another FIRST: Trimming the tree!

We've had the tree up for over a week with just the lights on it. Today was the get 'er done day.

During nap time, I started putting on the bead garland.

Then, my little helper got in on the action. E-man kept saying, "Oh Mommy, it's so boo-tee-full."

The first ornament.

Mommy: Put them up as high as you can.

Almost done... and very proud of himself.

(This is what sleepy eyes with bed head looks like.)

We have several clusters of ornaments like this one. They resemble huge shiny white grapes.

And I'm not moving any of them because I've waited ten years for a child to "mess up" my symmetrical matchy matchy tree! I love it just the way it is.

When I announced that the last ornament had been hung, my sweet little man hugged the tree and began singing "lovely are your branches." Be still my heart!

In the meantime, the baby doll watched the tree trimming from her high chair, occupied by her fist full of graham crackers. When we let her down, she laughed, cheered and clapped.

She promptly knocked an ornament off and said "uh oh" several times. See it down in the corner?

A fabulous afternoon!

p.s. the baby doll is now walking all over the house with an occasional face plant into the carpet.

Final Stamp of Approval

2010-12-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

On Friday, we pulled the kids out of bed at the crack of dawn.
We drove two hours south.
We stood before a judge, raised our right hands, and swore to
"take responsibility for these children as though they were born to us."
We legally changed the kids' names and received the certified documents to prove it.
Phew! Except for post-adoption reports, our paperwork and legal work is finally complete.

This judge was so cool. E-man was a bit apprehensive at first when invited to sit with the judge, but he warmed up to him and now proudly reminds us, "judge gave me candy." It was surprisingly emotional for me. Perhaps it was not being present for the court hearing in Ethiopia (an agency lawyer represented us), and not hearing a thing at the Embassy appointment (because our baby doll was screaming her little lungs out), and now - standing here in this formal setting - before a judge - with my family looking on - I found myself tearing up, overwhelmed by the Lord's goodness to bring us to this point. I was glad the judge directed his questions to my husband, because I just knew I would burst into tears if he addressed me.

The whole thing lasted about ten minutes, but what a monumental ten minutes!
The children have been legally ours since May 17 and in our care since July 5, so this hearing is a necessary formality providing us with the documents we need to apply for U.S. citizenship. (Currently, the kids are on Ethiopian passports with immigrant visas.) From this point on, their names are legally changed as well.

It was fun to share this day with the "B" family who adopted two older children from the same orphanage. Congratulations to them!

It was fabulous, also, to have Mark and Liane (YWAM director and homestudy social worker) there too, snapping pictures like crazy. I'll probably do a follow up to this post when I get those pics. :)

Thank you to all who have joined us on this journey to PRAY OUR BABIES HOME.

We feel so privileged that God would choose us to parent these two little people.

They bring us more joy than we can express.

We are rich!

BOOK REVIEW: A Long Walk to Water

2010-12-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A short read, but profoundly moving. Based on the real life experiences of Salva Dut of Sudan.

View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW - Choosing to SEE

2010-12-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

Choosing to SEE by Mary Chapman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mary Beth Chapman shares her story with raw emotion and poignancy. Many will gain insight and hope from her willingness to be vulnerable. As a new adoptive parent, Choosing to SEE causes me to hold my children a little bit tighter and cherish each moment with them a little bit more. It was hard to continue reading at times, but to stop would have felt like cutting a friend off mid-sentence while that friend bared her soul. In addition, Choosing to SEE provides a profound perspective on eternal life after death... and the Chapmans have paid a high price to provide that perspective.

View all my reviews

Thanksgiving Day Milestone

2010-11-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

After two days of school being cancelled and not leaving our house, we ventured out on Thanksgiving Day to cure some cabin fever. We waited 'til the afternoon for the expected rain and warmer temperatures and headed to Ayat & Ayate's. We made it down our hill... slowly... over several miles of compact snow and ice... and finally to bare roads.

Thanksgiving Day highlight: To our delight, our girl took her first 3 steps from the coffee table into the arms of her name sake, Ayate. (Her second middle name is Lucille, which is my Mom's middle name.) We thought it wonderful that she took her first steps in the presence of us all - where she was cheered on with squeals, cheering and clapping.

"Ayate's heirloom rocker is just my size!"

"Yay! I'm sitting all by myself!"

"I'm going to try this walking thing again."

"I'm standing!"

"I'm falling."

We love our baby doll! She is our joy and delight.

"A sweet fragrance to the Lord,"

as the meaning of her name so adequately describes.

Today, we're off to our second Thanksgiving.

I'll be sure to get some pics of the big brother today. The baby doll kind of stole the show with her new trick.

(No Black Friday shopping for this mama... I stay as far away from the stores as possible from now til Christmas.)

p.s. We're still figuring out how to do a Christmas tree with this little curious munchkin moving around. Any ideas from you experienced mommies out there?

"Ishi Bishi" Spider and Twinkle Twinkle

2010-11-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

If you're on facebook, you may have already seen these, but they deserve a blog post all their I own.
Our E-man loves to sing and here's two of his favorites as only a 3 year old can do.

note: at the end of each, he asks, "May I please look at it?"

First Snow

2010-11-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

First snow of the year. First snow for the babes.
We awoke on Sunday morning to a dusting of snow and a bit more of a dusting by the time we returned from church.
E-man keeps going to the sliding glass door and saying with a dreamy fondness in his tone, "My first snow."
We feel like we're seeing it for the first time too - through his eyes.

The baby doll just wants lunch and a nap but she tolerated a quick photo shoot for posterity's sake.

p.s. the bloggin' hiatus has now turned into an occasional family update

Happy First-Day, Happy Four Months, and an Update

2010-11-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

We interrupt this bloggin' hiatus for two important reasons of celebration.
Our baby doll turned 1 year old on November 1!
and
Today, we have been a family of four for four months!

We had two birthday parties.

The first was celebrated on Oct 31st, which is Daddy's birthday.
E-man wanted to help blow out the "candy" - that's how he says "candle."

Baby Doll had her first bites of ice cream.

She shared her new dolly with Grandpa.

One week later...

Baby Doll shares a birthday with her Uncle (my brother) so we partied again.

She had her first cupcake.

She liked it.

Her shirt says it all.

"Grandma Spoils Me"

(both of them)

When E-man tried to say, "Happy First Birthday" to his sister,

it came out, "Happy First-Day."

So there you have it!

While on bloggin' hiatus, we have:

completed our first of three post-adoption reports,

begun the process for our re-adopt (where we go before a US Judge and the adoption is officially recognized in this country),

received more shots (much to E-man's dismay),

packed away the 12 mos clothes and replaced them with 18 mos clothes,

gone to the pumpkin patch for the first time,

had our first play dates,

donned hats and gloves for the first time,

had our first rides in the grocery cart,

had another family baby shower,

attended our first Reformation Fest (no Halloween for us),

and "discovered" Sesame Street on the computer.

Also,

E-man has forgotten most of his Amharic (bitter-sweet),

E-man is attending Sunday school class,

E-man is taking naps all by himself,

E-man is "reading" books and speeding around on his big wheel,

E-man has warmed up to Diesel, the Golden Retriever,

Baby Doll is saying "up," "Wow," "Hi," as well as "Maaaaa" and "Da",

Baby Doll is pointing, blowing kisses, standing all by herself, getting into everything,

and expressing her opinion (if you know what I mean),

and both kids enjoy their 2 hours/day with Ayate.

This mama,

is glad I only have to work part time and wishes I didn't have to work part time,

is happy for the progress and is sad they're growing up already.

Four months has gone by quickly but it feels like we've always had them.

I'm cherishing every moment and thanking God every day.

And two last pictures to say Happy Fall Days, everyone.

Bloggin' Hiatus & Family Snaps

2010-10-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

hiatus (noun) a pause or break in continuity in a sequence or activity - Oxford Dictionary of English

There are seasons when we feel the need to refocus. We need to "hit refresh," take a step back, and gain new perspective. I am in one of those seasons. It's time to remove distractions (and technology can definitely become a big distraction). It's time to reprioritize and realign. It's unclear to me how blogging fits into the changes I see on the horizon. So, I'm hereby announcing a bloggin' hiatus. Time is always precious, but now with my two babes, I'm understanding this truth more than ever. I will be focusing my attention, along with my husband, on learning how to train up and parent these two treasures in a way that pleases Father. I will be reading strategically, writing strategically, praying strategically, planning strategically, and spending face-to-face time with people strategically - basically, we're learning to LIVE strategically. It's time - and time is precious.

Before I hit "publish," though, here's a peek at our family photos, taken at the beginning of September. Our kids really love each other - I mean REALLY. We receive it as a gift from the Lord and we are doing all we know to cultivate their special relationship with each other, in addition, of course, to our relationship with each of them. We really have fun together and I believe our budding photographer (thanks Hayley!) really captured that.

As Tigger would say, "TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!"

p.s. feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts...
would you like to see this blog continue and why?

First Birthday, Third Birthday

2010-09-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Our much-loved little boy turned three on September 20th, the first kid birthday for our family, and a day we have dreamed of for many years. We made it a small family celebration with Ayat & Ayate, Grandma & Grandpa, and Uncle Joseph. We talked it up for several days and on the morning of, the first words out of his mouth, even before "good morning," were "birthday cake?" Enjoy a sneak peek:

Helping Mommy clean up the cake batter.

My first attempt at cake decorating. Don't laugh; we all have to start somewhere.

I made crazy cake (chocolate) with cream cheese frosting from scratch.

It was moist and delicious... if I do say so myself.

I had my idea of a schedule: sing Happy Birthday, eat cake, open presents, play with toys.

Uncle Joseph, however, thought the birthday boy should decide. So the schedule was:

Open presents, set up "the track," sing Happy Birthday, eat cake, play again.

These are the priorities of our three year old.

"The Track"

Uncle Joseph is scoring some major points again.

The baby doll was enamored with the "Who's that doggy in the window" musical puppy.

Well, actually, she was enamored with the tag on the musical puppy.

A couple weeks prior, Mr. Personality had watched Mommy blow out 39 candles, and he was ready!

He needed no prompting to blow out the candles; he knew to wait til the end of the song and he didn't wait a second longer. Then he immediately took the candles off (he calls them "candy"), handed them to me, reminded me that we can't eat the "candy," and said "cut cake Mommy please." Yes, he's a take control kind of guy, and can be a bit bossy... we're working on that.

(These snapshots are taken from the FlipVideo, so they're a bit blurry.)

Mr. Personality himself!

People often ask me if he's always this happy and smiley.

The answer is... about 80% of the time.

The other 20%... well, we won't get into that right now...

let's just say: Mr. Personality has a strong personality.

We consider it such a privilege to give this little treasure his first birthday party ever!

Our Little Lion Cub

2010-09-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Our happy little lion cub loves his baths.
He loves to be wrapped up and "held like a baby."
He says "Thank you Mommy - take care of me."
He loves band-aids on his ouches.
He tolerates having his hair done and teeth brushed.
He loves reading time and prayers and snuggle time with Mommy.
Sleeping-time preparations are a highlight around here.
We can't get enough of our little lion cub.
(Thank you to Aunt Pat for the hooded lion towel.)

Ten Years Ago Today

2010-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Love does grow stronger and deeper over time.

I love you, darling.

Royal Mail

2010-09-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

This post is a long time comin'.

A few weeks ago, we received Royal Mail, all the way from London.

My cousin, who lives in London, sent a care package.

Clothes, a fabulous book she used with ESL students in Japan, car stencils,

plus chocolates for the new parents.

If you know my hubby at all, you know how appropriate this t-shirt is.

And here's the little punkins, albeit in funky lighting, with their gifts.

On this day, they're my Ethiopian-British babes.

Thank you cousin Tauna! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Two-Year-Old Amharic

2010-09-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Before travelling to Ethiopia, to prepare ourselves to communicate with our toddler son, we acquired two books to help us learn some Amharic words. The first was somewhat disappointing, while the second was very helpful but limited. We learned the most once we set foot on Ethiopian soil and my persistent hubby began questioning every person we met on how to say and properly pronounce all the words we thought would be helpful with an almost three year old. My hubby walked around with a crumpled up piece of notebook paper and a pen in his pocket and would whip it out to scribble down a new word (and I do mean scribble! We still have the paper.) Every driver, guesthouse staff, waiter, or Ethiopian person who lingered in our presence was subject to his questioning. It was quite remarkable to watch and (admittedly) I teased him at first, but in the end, I was amazed at how much he learned in our short time in-country. As a family, we have benefited from his diligence.

Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook by Tilahun Kebebe

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This pocket-reference was not very helpful. A straight Amharic-English dictionary would be better.

Our First Amharic Words by Stacy Bellward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fabulous introduction to Amharic. Colorful with great pictures. Highly recommended for adoptive families.

View all my reviews

Below are the words we have used the most in the past two months. Many of these words are becoming part of our permanent "family vocabulary," too... not something we planned for, but something we think is really fun. It is amazing to watch our child learn English so quickly, but also a bit sad to see him lose his native tongue in the process. Somehow, by retaining a few Amharic words, it feels like we're saving a small piece of his past for him, as well as his little sis'. (Please note: these words are written phonetically as we learned them on the fly [some we learned from our almost 3-year-old boy via the point and talk method]... and our boy understands them, which is really our only goal... so no snickering out there!)

So, if you're adopting a toddler, here's a head start for you. Enjoy some "Two-Year-Old Amharic!"

gobas = good
gobas lej = good boy
wetas = milk
doba = bread
mousse = banana
ishi = okay
amasayganalo = thank you
koy = wait
nah = come
baka = stop
abutahin tazas = obey your mother
abutahin kazas = obey your father
tolo = quickly
tekafelu = share
lahsai-ay = show me/you
keenish koitana = a little while longer
algubunyim = I don’t understand
zim = quiet
ewedehalo = I love you (to boy)
ewedeshalo = I love you (to girl)
betam konjo = very beautiful/handsome
mukeeina = car/vehicle
kai = red
semaiyawee = blue
beecha = yellow
tikoor = black
kwas = ball
watahala = backwards
watafeet = forward

He's Got Mail!

2010-09-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

At our Family Party, Aunt Pat included these "makina" stickers as a gift for Mr. Personality.
It amazed us all when he dropped them while standing on the deck and the thin book fell perfectly through the tiny crack between the dextrex, with no easy way to get to it.
Aunt Pat whispered to me that she would buy another one when she got home and mail it to him.
Perfect! It arrived just a few days later and we got some big smiles from our little guy!
Thanks Aunt Pat!
He's been "sharing" them with us ever since.

note: these are his "regular" faces - these and more - it's not just an act for the camera.
He really IS - Mr. Personality with a capital P!

And for the baby doll's adoring fans, here she is on one of our final days of summer, just hanging out with Ayate's teddy.

Family Camp 2010

2010-09-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

Our church family joins together every August for a summer camp.

It is a key time of envisioning and relationship building that we look forward to every year.

We go Wednesday through Sunday. We enjoy morning meetings with a guest speaker and free afternoons with organized sports, a swimming pool available, and much more! The kids tear around on their bicycles while the adults eat foods they don't normally indulge in. Througout the day (and into the night), are the sounds of laughter, children playing, music, and cheers of card game victories. We end the week filled up in spirit and exhausted in physical body, eagerly anticipating the next one. J and I have never missed a year (J for 20+ years and me for 17 years)... until now. With our new family of four still very much in the early stages of bonding and establishing a schedule for our wee ones, we opted to attend only two days and not stay the night. We drove the hour to the campground/conference center on Friday and Saturday mornings, stayed for the morning worship, and then walked over to my parents' trailer (EJA calls it a "house makina") for naps. We then had the afternoons to hang out with people until driving home to sleep in our familiar beds. Even this limited schedule was over-stimulating for the kids; we don't have serious regrets, but if we had it to do over again, we would cut the schedule down a bit more. Still, it was great to be with everyone and the kids had fun.

Riding bikes with god-momma Auntie Katie and baby Joseph. The helmet is a gift from god-brother Andrew and is a little bit big right now. By the time he's really riding a bicycle, the helmet should be just right. Thanks Andrew!

Pastor Michael & Mama Yvonne hit the thrift store and filled up their back seat to bring our boy this very large aircraft carrier, complete with sound effects. EJA calls it a "big boat." Who do you think is enjoying it the most? (At home, this monstrous toy sets in the garden shed for outdoor play. It took a lot of time to convince our boat-lovin' son that it is TOO BIG for the BATH TUB!)

The aircraft carrier is a 3 year old magnet. So cute!

The baby doll enjoyed meeting some new friends her own size.

HIGHLIGHT OF FAMILY CAMP 2010:

One year ago exactly, we sat with this couple into the wee hours of the night, sharing and praying together about our dream to be parents and our immediate plans to adopt. They began their domestic adoption process the same time as us and brought home their son just a month before our trip to Ethiopia!

This year, we are showing off our babies and rejoicing with each other!

We love you guys!

God is good!!!

Can't Get Enough

2010-09-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

"Mr. I don't like the dark" found his complimentary E.mirates eye shades and this is how I found him one morning on the couch. Seriously, I can't get enough of this boy. He is total sweetness and unending comic relief all wrapped up in one irresistible package.

And the baby doll?

I can't get enough of this delicious chubbiness.

I kiss those cheeks, neck, and feet all day long.

Being with Family is so Refreshing!

2010-09-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

There's really nothing like family!

We planned August 28th, almost 2 months after our return from Ethiopia, as our Welcome Home Family Celebration. Everyone gathered at my parents' house where the kids had room to play. The weather was perfect. Thank you FAMILY for making the drive - south for some, west over the mountains for others, or across the yard for my "little" brother - it was a fabulous, memorable day! Thank you for rejoicing with us!

As always, we had some really good grub!
And Aunt Pat brought her chocolate cream pie - she knows better than to not bring it! :)

It was just great to be together.

Mr. Personality himself really enjoyed his cupcake... and all the other sweets my Dad and brother kept sneaking to him!

In addition to the previous post with the lil' princess cousin, the Baby Doll enjoyed some play time with a big cousin, M.

She's definitely not shy and can get kind of rough. M was a good sport. He's down for the count!

UNLIKELY TRIO, and my favorite pic of the day:
Seriously, this pic is so indicative of their personalities.
LA is hanging from the dump truck like a monkey, totally reminding me of his Dad (my cousin) when he was kid.
KH is talking and giving instructions or something. :)
and my EJA, hands folded behind his back, is listening intently, trying to figure it all out.

THE TRIO AGAIN
Somehow, K knocked EJA off the big wheel and they're all laughing.

These two played for a long time: EJA would ride the big wheel down the hill, LA would push him back up, EJA would say thank you, take a lap around the sports court and then down the hill again.

ummm... is that a bit of sass?

Gift opening time!
EJA loves his homemade cap from Auntie Cousin Patti.
Thanks to everyone for all the fabulous gifts!

An attempted family photo that we should have taken at the beginning of the party instead of the end.
Baby Doll was fussy and Mr.Personality was loaded up on sugar (DAD!), so there we go.

The whole gang! Minus a few cousins :( .

If only Granny and Papa were here.

Finally, after everyone had left, the Baby Doll was sooo tired, but insisted on a "ride" on the big wheel.

So thankful for family!

Cousin-Sisters!

2010-08-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we gathered at my parents' house for a Family Welcome Home Party!

Auntie and Uncles and Cousins were all introduced to our newest additions.

It was a CELEBRATION! What a fabulous and memorable day.

I will do another blog post about our special day.

But first, I thought these two little pun'kins deserved a post all their own.

This baby's mama is my second cousin, so I guess that would make the babes 3rd cousins? There is only about one month difference in their ages.

You can tell from the pics that our baby doll has a personality as big as her pink flower headband and her new cousin-sister didn't quite know what to make of her. I could think of a million captions for these fun shots, but I'll let you fill in the blanks yourself. Enjoy!

Meant To Be

2010-08-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

I have no words. Steven Curtis Chapman has done it again. He has such a gift of putting the words of our hearts to song.

To my beloved children: you were Meant to Be. We are so proud of you and we are looking forward to the lifetime ahead. We thank our God every day for joining our hearts to yours. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.

Party at the Park

2010-08-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, after church and a naptime, we ventured out to our local man-made ~~pond~~ lake and park for a 3 year old birthday party. FIRST birthday party! FIRST sandy beach! FIRST Sunday outing! FIRST time almost making Mommy sick on the spinning-thing! It was a really hot day, so it was good to get out of the house for awhile, too.

Enjoy a few pics of our little excursion.

And Happy Birthday to our 3 year old buddy, A!

FIRST time with a squirt gun; he mainly sprayed himself.

reluctantly posing with the birthday boy

You can't tell from this picture, but he was spinning quite fast!
Mommy got on and lasted about 60 seconds.

Having a blast!
A few minutes later, after several kids had come and gone, we noticed EJA was staring straight ahead and his smile was strangely absent... ummmm, that's enough spinning for one day.

Transition to the waterfront... Baby Doll isn't quite sure what she thinks of the water and sand.

Do you like the beach EJA?
Yes, but I'm really too busy floating my boat to stop for pictures.

Just a little proof that Mommy was present for the occasion.

Summer is almost gone.

I'll be returning to work part time next week... but I really don't want to think about it.

For now, I'm just delighting in every single moment with my two treasures.

Now I understand what parents mean when they say "it goes by so fast."

Already we've seen such changes in our little ones - I don't want to miss a thing!

Mr. Personality in action

2010-08-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Our boy is a ham.

He's been wanting a cap of his own - just like Daddy's.

Ayate found a simple one to get him started with his own collection.

He came up with these "looks" on his own.

Can you tell he loves his picture taken, too?

Daddy's hat

Mommy's hat

E.J.A's new hat

All Three

backwards

sideways

peek a boo

signing off

First Time to Church

2010-08-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

Two Sundays ago, we ventured out of our cocoon to our first church service as a family of four.

It was only a one hour service that particular Sunday (because it was our annual ServeFest where we join other churches in the community to serve the city by doing various jobs), creating a perfect introduction for our darlings. The kids did great. We will be keeping them with us in the service for an undetermined amount of time, so we're thankful for the "training room" at the back of the sanctuary, with its floor to ceiling one-way glass windows. We didn't need it that first Sunday but we did use it last week and will continue to do so. Our little man loves music and dance; it didn't take him long at all to start clapping his hands and doing a little jig.

We snapped a few pics to chronicle the FIRST, but the kids were a bit tired and not really into being photographed.

Sleepy Heads

2010-08-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Whatever Daddy does, he wants to do too
(in this case, a golden opportunity to get the kid to take a nap)

Ten Thousand?!

2010-08-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

My stat counter just topped 10,000 hits / page loads / viewings / visits.

That amazes me.

I started off this blog as a creative way to keep family and friends involved in our adoption process.

Then, I began to discover hundreds of fellow-bloggers also adopting from Ethiopia.

I spent hours and hours scouring the internet for other couples with a similar "story" to ours, and I discovered a need I didn't realize I had - a need for connection. Even though blogging is primarily a "surface" connection, and my strong support of face-to-face loved ones are the ones I choose to share the nitty-gritty deepest parts of my heart with, I found it inspiring and encouraging to follow other couples who were "doing adoption." The adoption process is so unique, so wild, so profound, to walk it alone would be --- well, one would be crazy!

The Blogging Community has become an integral part of the Adoption Community, a twenty-first century phenomenon. Here we share our ups and downs, our thoughts and insights, our forward steps and our bumps in the road, and then, when we bring our babies home, we turn it into a brag book with lots of pictures, which in turn encourages those currently WAITING for their wee ones to stay the course. When I took that first step into the blogosphere, I didn't realize where it would or could go.

So, where are you Ten Thousand?

If you are a regular reader, or even a sporadic reader, and have never left a comment here, please do.

I would love to know how you found us here on our little piece of the blogosphere and I would love to know what keeps you coming back. Are you in the adoption process? Are you considering adoption? Are you friend or foe? I would love to hear from you.

Credit where credit is due:

Thank you to A at the Watershed for starting this conversation about the bloggin' community. Thank you for sharing your journey. I have been encouraged on our own road to parenthood.

Let's end this post with the cutest little piggies I've ever laid eyes on:

Off to Grandpa Grandpa's

2010-08-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

Our little man can't quite say "Grandma and Grandpa's House."

It comes out as "Grandpa Grandpa's." So cute.

Mommy and the Baby Doll

"I wonder how long until they take this magazine away from me."

Enamored by the glass globe that plays "You Are My Sunshine."

After a visit at Grandpa Grandpa's, we had our first dinner out with the kids.

They did well, even though the baby doll is a bit squirmy for those little wooden high chairs.

And we had our first experience on what it means to be a "conspicuous family," the title of one of our online adoption classes. In a nut shell, it means - white parents with black children turn a few heads. This topic deserves a blog post all its own, so I'll save it for another time.

We're delighting in all the FIRSTS this season brings.

Sibling Lovin'

2010-08-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed to have two children that love each other.

As parents, we couldn't be more pleased at how well they interact.

Our little man is so gentle with his little sis'.

And little sis' is enamored with her big bro'. She watches him all.the.time.
It's like she's thinking, "What is he going to DO next?"

This picture totally cracks me up.

"My little sis' is sooo beee-u-tiful."

We like to read books together.

Oh! That smile!

Lot o' lovin' going on around here

Wave Bye-Bye! See you all next time.
Our Mommy has some more fun pictures to post soon!

G.roundhog Day

2010-08-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

Remember the movie G.roundhog Day?

The one where B.ill M.urray's character wakes up to the same thing day after day after day?

(I actually remember turning it off early because the concept drove me crazy.)

In the months leading up to our adoption, we had conversations that began to suspiciously remind me of this movie. Either I or my husband, sometimes the two of us together, would have a conversation with a person that went something like this:

PERSON: So, what's new with you?

ME: We're adopting from Ethiopia!

PERSON: How exciting!

ME: Yes, we will pick them up in [appropriate number] days/weeks.

PERSON: Wait a minute. Them? You're getting more than one?

ME: Yes! We're thrilled.

PERSON (with concern): How old are they?

ME: eight month old girl and 2 1/2 year old boy

PERSON: [any combination of blank stare, wide eyes, dropped jaw, chuckle, or outright loud guffaw] And you're getting both of them at the same time?

ME: Yes.

PERSON: Wow, you're taking on a lot at once. You're going to be really busy.

ME: Yes.

After the 37th conversation (seriously, this happened so many times, I lost count), when I noticed the "G.roundhog Day" resemblance, I told my husband: either there are a lot of naysayers around here or we are totally clueless. I eventually began to chuckle each time this conversation was repeated, and began to add to the end of the conversation:

Yes, and the beauty of it is, we've never had just one child, so we won't know the difference.

And the TRUTH is: God gives each of us the grace, strength, and power to accomplish every task He puts before us.

Now that we're a month into parenting, I see that these people were not naysayers.

We were - truly - gloriously clueless.

Their concern was genuine, even appropriate. They were right, we are really busy.

There's more dishes, more laundry, more trips to the doctor, more meals to prepare.

There's less time for reading, sleeping, exercise and quiet moments of solitude.

There's toys all over the floor, crumbs under the table, and urine outside?! the toilet bowl.

What they didn't tell us is just how WONDERFUL it would be.

They didn't tell us how IN LOVE we would fall.

They didn't tell us how we would MISS THEM when they're sleeping.

They didn't tell us we would SMOOCH their cheeks all day long!

They didn't tell us we would take a MILLION pictures in an attempt to capture EVERY MOMENT because it all goes by so QUICKLY!

They didn't tell us how we would LAUGH at their antics and squeal with DELIGHT every time they do something new.

Cluelessness is not such a bad thing.

As my dear pastor's wife says,

"Parenting. It's the hardest job you'll ever love."

Beef Teriyaki, a.k.a. Beef and Rice

2010-08-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we bought Beef Teriyaki for lunch and our little man did a little happy dance after the first bite and we breathed a sigh of relief. (He's a tad bit picky.) Husband, however, got Yakisoba "with a kick" for himself. It was way too hot for me, but the young man tried some and loved it. Seriously?! I grabbed for my drink after one bite! And the almost-three-year-old loved it? The only problem is, he didn't want his beef teriyaki anymore, and we had a slight melt down. *sigh* Lesson #256 for the new Mom and Dad: serve the same thing to the whole family.

What's on the menu for lunch today? You got it - leftover teriyaki. We instruct the little man to climb in his booster seat and get ready for lunch. As he's climbing up, he says, "Teriyaki, No." J & I look at each other and I whisper, "Let's call it beef and rice and see what happens." So, we put the SAME THING as last night in front of him and say, "beef and rice for lunch." He smiles, "beef and rice?" He takes a bite and says, "Mmmmm, good." And he eats it all up! He even added teriyaki sauce to it, but when he asked me the name, I called it, "sauce."

Is that deceptive?

Ethiopia Trip - The Rest of the Story

2010-08-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

After picking up our kids on Monday, July 5th, the rest of our time in Ethiopia is really a blur. You might say we jumped into parenting with both feet. But that is an understatement. After nearly 10 years of marriage, just the two of us, dreaming and dreaming about being parents, we now took the N.estea Plunge - head first, off the top diving board, with no life guard on duty. Needless to say, the journalling stopped. Picture taking nearly stopped. We kicked into survival mode without even thinking about it. A couple of days into it, one of the other families in our guest house asked me, "So, how does it feel suddenly being the parents of two?" I think I looked at her blankly, realizing I had not even considered the question, then mumbled something only mildly intelligible. Those first few days, we were certainly elated to have these two little people in our charge and, at the time, we felt like we were doing fine, but today as I reflect back, and see the blank pages in my journal, I see that God was truly carrying us... because we were treading water. Maybe all new parents feel this way?

On Tuesday, I really don't remember what we did. I think we did some shopping.

On Wednesday, we were picked up in the late morning and taken to the Thomas Center to see the physician. We went with two other CHI families each adopting a toddler girl. It was a fairly quick but quite traumatic time for all of the kids. They all disliked, actually hated, being examined by the doc, even though it was very quick and not invasive at all. There was a lot of screaming and crying going on, but we managed to get a few fun pictures before that all started.

With my dear little man in the hallway of the 2nd floor.

Mr. Personality with one of the lovely nannies.

It's easy to tell that the staff love what they do. The children are well-loved and well cared for. We are grateful for that.

Husband with the baby doll outside of her former nursery. Her crib was on the right, where the chair is setting.

We returned to the guest house for a late lunch time. We had time for a short rest before being picked up again for a time of celebration at the Thomas Center, followed by dinner at a fabulous restaurant.

Daddy and baby doll enjoy a moment just before leaving for the evening's event.

At the Thomas Center, baby doll gets some final lovin' from CHI staff.

(Note to Adoptive Families: This woman, if I heard correctly, is the wife to Abdissa the lawyer. She was holding our girl on Monday when we arrived to meet the kids for the first time. Abdissa, however, was in the States at the time, so we did not get to meet him. Instead, a wonderful lawyer named Benjamin took us through the in-country legal aspects of our adoption.)

Still at the Thomas Center: we were all given a gift of traditional Ethiopian dress. We put them on over our clothes and snapped some pictures. Our little man looked so handsome in his new threads and was so excited about them. (I have since learned that he does have an opinion about clothes... and about hair.)

My favorite picture of the entire trip: Daddy and Daughter.

Pure elation.

I've posted this picture before: our family picture, taken at the TC on the night of the celebration. Since I took so few pictures, I'm so pleased that we still ended up with a nice family photo.

Following the TC celebration, we all went to a nice traditional Ethiopian restaurant complete with amazing traditional dancing. I took some great video, but will save that for another post.

The food was so delicious. We ordered lamb with lentils. It's served on top of the injera on top of these cool basket tables (I wish I could bring one of these home). Everyone just digs in. No personal plates here. It was so cute to see our boy just dive right in, so adept at eating with his hands; it was like he was just craving some Ethiopian food. We were all so tired, but greatly enjoyed our time nonetheless.

The rest of the week, like I said, is a total blur. On Thursday, our final paperwork was delivered to us. We could have left that evening, but had scheduled a Saturday departure. Our original thinking was that we wanted a couple of days to "experience our children's culture." There were pros and cons to this decision. The PROS were that we believe it eased the transition for our boy as the initial days of getting to know us were in the presence of Ethiopians who were able to translate for him/us. We had a laid back couple of days, hanging out at the guest house and doing a bit of shopping. Our son had fun riding the tricycle at the guest house and we were able to get to know another American couple (who currently live in Italy). The CONS were that being away from home limited us from getting started with a routine, establishing a "family way," and receiving much needed support from friends and family. We knew the kids were sick and probably needed antibiotics to get well. J and I were extremely tired and, simply, ready to be HOME. I'm not unfamiliar with the third world and under any other circumstances, I'm fine "doing without." But with two new children, I was so ready for clean water, the use of a high chair, a bigger bed to sleep in, grocery stores and transportation to get there, and medical care that I trust, not to mention the comforting support of loved ones. Hindsight is 20/20, of course. If we were to do it again, we would arrive a couple of days earlier to "experience the kids' culture" and leave as soon as the agency allows. (Perhaps some future adopting couples will learn from our hindsight... but maybe it's just us.)

Finally, Saturday night came. Our flight left at 7:30pm. We tried to arrive at the airport at 4:30pm, but a glitch with our credit card delayed us and we didn't arrive til about 5:15. That was a bit nerve-racking but we made it. Since it was coming on bed time, all of us were tired and cranky. The baby was crying. It was nice when we were finally able to sit down in our seats. Note to adopting couples: when the airline says to confirm your flight and confirm your seat assignments, they really mean it. We really had to fight for our bassinet seats at every step... if you're interested in more detail, let me know.

We arrived in Dubai at about 12:30am. The kids were really tired and fussing (both kids had a really hard time with the descension) and the airport was out of strollers. The Dubai airport is gigantic. It is a LONG walk from the terminal to immigration... we are talking really long, folks, even when you don't have kids with you. Fortunately, a staff member had mercy on us. We approached her and requested a stroller and then waited patiently for her to radio for, what we thought was, a stroller. It turns out, she got us one of those airport motorized open air vehicles, the kind you usually see the elderly being driven around in, or maybe someone with crutches. We climbed aboard and sped through the airport, complete with blinking yellow light and horn! Our boy really perked up, laughing and squealing throughout our "makina" ride. We were going fast enough to blow our hair backwards... well, fast enough to blow MY hair backwards.

Then, we walked a bit, took an elevator (their elevators could fit a small car in them! no joke!) and made our way to the immigration line, where we stood for a half an hour with a crying baby, only to be told we had to go to a different line to get visas for our kids! What?! We were just so tired... long story short, by the time we went through all the steps, we didn't get to our hotel room (for the forced layover) until 2:30am and had to wait some more for a crib... only to receive a 5:30am wake up call. This forced layover was so nice on the way to Ethiopia, but it was a nightmare on the way home.

We arrived at the airport again at 6:30am for an 8:30am flight. Both kids were dead asleep. We managed to get strollers for them this time, but then realized we really had too much carry-on luggage. We couldn't manage it all. So, a very nice Arab woman on airport staff helped us immensely. We told her our dilemma and she marched us right up to the front of the line where we checked two more pieces of luggage. (The bummer was that we were rushed and tired, so some of my souvenirs ended up smashed to bits by the time we reached home.) This lady was so genuinely concerned for us and was so friendly; she even pulled out her phone and showed us pictures of her own kids. Our two lovelies slept through the whole thing, awakening only moments before we boarded the plane, long enough to give them a snack.

Did I mention how tired we were? It would be neglectful not to mention here, and give serious credit to my husband for his patience: although I was able to keep it together for the sake of the kids, press in to the Lord for His grace, and appear poised to an untrained eye, my husband knows me better than that, and caught me - more than once - fighting back the tears, or when the kids were sleeping, letting the tears flow just a wee bit. I just needed to be HOME. Thank you, darling. You're my rock.

Every airport should provide strollers like these. What a blessing! Seriously, I don't know how we would have survived without them that morning. Aren't they darling? The kids - not the strollers.

I didn't take one picture on the flight home.
It was 16 hours of pure boredom and stale air... but we did score the bassinet row and the food was fabulous. We arrived home in one piece, with only a couple of meltdowns on the way, to a large welcoming party of loved ones. I think every person there had a camera, so there must be a lot of candid shots tucked away in digital memory.
* hint, hint *

So, we became a family on July 5th in Ethiopia.
And we began our new life as a family of four, in the security of our own home and in the hearts of those we love, on the evening of July 11th.

Thank you, Lord, for this amazing journey.
You have gone before us.
You have held our hearts.
You have given us wisdom.
And we are grateful.
Thank you for choosing us to parent these amazing children.
We are dependent on You to raise them in a way that pleases You.

Ethiopia Trip Day 6 continued - A Lot of Firsts

2010-08-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Once we were done with paperwork at the CHI offices, we returned to our guest house for our first afternoon and evening together as a family of four. In just a few short hours, we had a lot of FIRSTS.

This is how we roll in Ethiopia... no car seats here.

It's hard to get a decent picture on the bumpy side streets.

Our first meal together at the guest house.

It didn't take me long to discover that feeding a baby on your lap is challenging.

I was so glad to get home to a high chair.

First play time with Daddy.

First nap with Mommy.

It's been a long, eventful day, little man.

...first nap continued

... continued first play time with Daddy.

First baths

she was a bit bewildered, but didn't cry

(now, at home, she totally loves her baths)

What a doll baby!

Baths completed. New pajamas.

Elisha Amir was so excited for his new jammies with monkeys and basketballs.

So ended our first day together.

Thanks for all your prayers.

We will celebrate July 5th as our Family Birthday.

Pouty Face

2010-08-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

He (and we) will laugh about this one day.

He is still adorable though, don't ya think?

First Outing: Ayat and Ayate

2010-08-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Our first outing, besides doctor's appointments, was to Ayat & Ayate's house on Saturday.

My parents will be called the Amharic translation of Grandma and Grandpa.

Wund Ayat = grandfather, formal

Sayt Ayat = grandmother, formal

Ayat & Ayate are the informal version, so we were told by our driver in Ethiopia.

My Dad even had a shirt made up that says Wund Ayat on it!

He is one proud Ayat!

My parents put in a large piece of play equipment in their backyard while we were in Ethiopia.

Elisha Amir got to be the first to try it out.

He was apprehensive at first.

... but that didn't last long.

After the first go, he ran around and around, saying "One more."

Elisha Amir did not care for my brother's dog, Diesel, one bit.

But Cassia Hana was not afraid of him in the least.

When Diesel stuck his face in her's, Cassia stuck her hands right in his mouth and tried to take his ball!

... then she laughed at herself.

Uncle Joseph scored big points on their first meeting with a remote control car for a gift.

Later that night Elisha Amir summed up his feelings, "Uncle Joseph, gobas (good). Big dog, no good."

Don't worry, Diesel, he'll warm up to you.

Elisha had no trouble figuring out how to operate the car: forward/backward with one hand and steering with the other. Here he is explaining to Ayat how it works, while enjoying a swing.

"Driving" is serious business.

Meanwhile, Cassia Hana gets some lovin' from Ayate.

(Her shirt reads "off to Grandma's.")

On the way home, our boy asked,

"Tomorrow? Ayat's? Yes?"

I think the love is mutual.

Ethiopia Trip Day 6 - WE.ARE.A.FAMILY.DAY!!!

2010-07-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

What you've all been waiting for!

July 5th = WE.ARE.A.FAMILY.DAY!!!

We were picked up about 8:30am and taken to the Thomas Center, CHI's orphanage where our children have been living since we passed court in mid-March. We are grateful for the loving care they received there. The kids were apprehensive at first, but they warmed to us really quickly. The pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!

At the gate to the Thomas Center.

Our first view of our children!

Elisha Amir was standing with all the other children and holding a bouquet of roses.

Cassia Hana was being held by a staff member, also holding a bouquet of roses.

They were wearing the outfits we sent to them about a month before.

The next set of pictures are stills taken from our video of the special day.

(Thank you to our driver, Gideon, for capturing these moments on my Flip Camera!)

Oh Happy Day!

After meeting the kids outside, we went inside to see their beds and meet some of the nannies.

We were only at the Thomas Center for about 30minutes.

We then got in the van and drove to the CHI offices at another location.

We completed our paperwork with the agency's lawyer and hung out for a while before heading back to our guest house.

And there you have it!

A snapshot of the day we've been dreaming of for a long time!

Definitely, it was Worth the Wait!

G'ma and G'pa

2010-07-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Look who came to visit!

Grandma and Grandpa Nystrand!

Ahhhh... kisses for Grandpa!

Today was the first time Grandma and Grandpa were able to meet their grandkids!

They were supposed to come over the day we ended up going to Children's Hospital with the girl.

Then, we were dealing with so much sickness... but I think they would agree that it was Worth the Wait! They came bearing gifts - of course! That's what grandparents do! And we had a great visit! We look forward to many more visits, hugs, and kisses to come.

Note: these are the first grandkids on both sides, so you can imagine the excitement and joy in both families.

Ethiopia Trip, Days 4-5 - Adama & Addis Shopping

2010-07-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

The first five days in Ethiopia, I wrote extensively in my journal. Once we received our children on Monday, though... I.wrote.almost.nothing. And I'm okay with that. There were much more important things to focus on - namely TWO gorgeous little somethings. Before we get to Monday, though...

Our first full day in Ethiopia, Saturday, July 3rd, was a trip two hours outside of the capital to the city of Adama. It is here where our children spent the first part of their short lives - at YWAM's Orphans and Widows Home. We wanted to see the home and the city, and meet the director and staff who cared for our kids. Here's an excerpt from my journal and some pictures of our day:

"At the guest house, we had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, injera mixed with meat and berbere spices, lightly toasted white bread with condiments, porridge, and strong coffee. (This was our breakfast every morning.) It was quite tasty. Tsebay is an excellent hostess.

On the streets of Addis Ababa

At 8:30am, Abebe picked us up for our trip to Adama. Our driver, Gideon, is a long term friend of Abebe... John enjoyed talking with them about a myriad of topics including sports! (Yes, even in Ethiopia, my hubby can find someone to talk sports with.) It was a two hour drive of smooth highways as well as super bumpy dirt roads. The African landscape is beautiful even amidst the abject poverty. Compared to India, traffic is smooth, organized and carefree. (Compared to the US - that's another matter.) Along the way, we saw horse drawn carts carrying passengers and/or goods. The horses look like they're on they're last leg and the carts as though they could break apart. Also, along the dusty roads, we saw herds of long-horned cattle, herds of goats, and individual to groups of donkeys carrying sacks of grain. Most of these animals were being herded along, some with whips, by men, women, and boys. People and animals cross the roads at random. Drivers honk and shake their hands at each other (even Gideon!) but none is done in anger; it's all just part of the cultural scene. Except for being hot and sweaty, it was a very pleasant drive. (I must interject here, Ethiopian driving is much preferable to the Indian way of chaos and incessant honking.)"

The Road to Adama

(through the dirty car window)

streets of Adama

we saw one camel on the streets of Adama; he walked right in front of us but I wasn't very quick on the draw with my camera

Upon arriving at the Orphans and Widows Home compound, we were bombarded with questions about not bringing the children with us. This questioning was a reflection on the affectionate nature of the orphanage in general as well as the specific love for our little man. He really has a charismatic personality that draws people. The director, staff, and resident widows love him so much and were dismayed that we were not able to bring him back to Adama with us.

Inside the compound of the Orphans and Widows Home

(where our children lived for many months)

... including the van that transported us.

The director, Tezerra, introduced us to each of the widows and told us a little bit of their stories. We fell in love with these beautiful ladies and wish we could have spent more time with them. We love that YWAM runs homes that include orphans AND widows - such a reflection of the heart of Jesus for orphans and widows.

I was also "on assignment" to take pictures of all the new babies in the orphanage. What a privilege! I'm not able to post any of the pictures, but here's a pic of John in the nursery with Tezerra's husband. He was getting a crash course in Amharic using the alphabet chart. Outside of the lens, they are surrounded by nannies and babies. It was especially a privilege to get to love on two specific babes who have families waiting for them here in my neck of the woods! I got to love on them as well as take lots of pictures and video. Their new mamas are my friends. (You can meet them on the blogosphere here and here.) I can't wait for these babes to come home to their new families!

Before heading back to Addis, we went to another part of Adama to the site of the new Widows and Orphans Home. It will be five stories tall with a compound in the middle. We were standing on the floor of the third floor (pic below) and the view was great. I was hesitant at first to walk up the scaffolding, but it is amazingly secure. I made John take my picture. Hi Mom! Hi Dad!

We stood in the middle of this new construction listening to Tezerra describe her God-sized vision for this place. It is truly an amazing story that began with a literal dream, confirmations, and now fulfillment. We prayed with her before leaving and then went for lunch at a nearby hotel.

the road in front of the new construction

The following day, Sunday, we attended church in Addis Ababa at City Church. We had hoped to sneak in the back of this large charismatic church and enjoy the service inconspicuously, maybe even sneak some video. Upon entering though, an usher snagged us and led us to the center second row to seats marked as reserved! Prayer had already started and we felt sooooo conspicuous. Oh my goodness! Well... "when in Rome"... we bowed our heads and began to pray right along with everybody, hoping to "blend in." Yah right! When worship started, we were swept away. It was the most vibrant, heart-felt, responsive time of corporate worship we have experienced in a long time! I'm telling you, they have IT! (I'm referring to Craig Groeschel's book by the same name.) The speaker was very animated; there was much laughter from the congregation. We couldn't understand a single word, but we were not bored in the least. After the service, one of the leaders greeted us and asked if we'd had a translator. Translator?! They had translators! I was so disappointed... but we didn't know. We were still glad we went, though. If we return to Ethiopia, we will definitely go back there and make sure we request a translator.

After the service, we visited the largest Orthodox church in Addis, but we were not allowed to take pictures. We did some shopping. Our driver, Befusekad, said "she's a good shopper" referring to my bartering. I haven't bartered since living in India. It can be fun but rather exhausting. Later in the week, we tried to go to the Haile Selassie market but it was closed for construction. Then we tried to go to the gift shop at the Leprosy Hospital, but they were closed too. So, back to bartering at the little shops we went. I convinced Befusekad to help me barter, though. By that time, we had the kids with us, and I just wanted to spend our money and get going.... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We ended our Sunday with lunch/dinner at Passion Burger. John and I had pizza while Befusekad had a burger. They had really good french fries and delicious fresh mango juice! Mmmmmm. Then we went back to the guest house to pack a diaper bag and get ready to meet our children the next day!

The view from our balcony at the EthioComfort Guest House.

... to be continued.

Garbage Truck

2010-07-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

"Big Makina!"

(def. makina in Amharic = car)

Our little man's favorite thing: cars of any variety.

Cocoon Intruder

2010-07-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

So, we're going along snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug in our little cocoon;

we're gettin' in a groove, settin' down a routine, when out of nowhere, an intruder appears and tears a hole in our cocoon! Never fear, though, we'll get it repaired in due time.

Here's the translation:

Last Saturday, we went to the pediatrician's office for what we thought was a quick trip for the nurse to "read" the kids' TB skin tests. (We also had to turn in some stool samples. Collecting stool samples - now there's an introduction to parenting!) To our amazement, the wee princess had a 10mm bump from the skin test, which is considered positive by the H.ealth D.epartment. Oh dear! Worried looks from the new parents. Unconvincing reassurances from the nurse. The whole family ushered to an exam room for a long wait... a three hour wait.

Here we are waiting. Fortunately, the new Mommy remembered to bring one bottle (now I always pack two!), a few snacks, and the camera.

There was one book in the room: Old MacDonald. I must have sung ee-i-ee-i-o a hundred times.

The wee princess had to have a chest x-ray, which looked clear, but still had to be submitted to the h.ealth d.ept. Then we had to wait for the weekend doctor to call the h.ealth d.ept and Children's Hospital to determine what would come next.

We ended up going home for about two hours. Then, I drove J and the princess to Children's and dropped them off at the Giraffe Entrance for a two night stay. A two night stay?! Yes, this new momma cried. I never dreamed our family would be separated this early in the bonding process. It turned out to be a special time of bonding between Daddy-daughter at the hospital and Mommy-son at home. Our girl had to be tubed through the nose in order to receive three gastric aspirate tests. The samples they gathered all showed negative for active TB, but they still have to watch them for two months to see if the bacteria grows. TB, apparently, is a slow growing bacteria. (I think there's a profound spiritual principle in there, but I'm too tired to piece it together right now.)

In the meantime, I came down with a sore throat, which went into a flu bug, which went into a really nasty, stubborn respiratory infection, including a deep cough night and day. Our dear son was such a trooper, mostly entertaining himself while I lay on the couch in survival mode. Before the worst hit me, though, the two of us drove down to Children's to visit Daddy and daughter. Our little man liked the giraffes.

We were joined together as a family of four again on Monday.

Daddy has been doing an amazing job of caring for all three of us.

Mommy is finally on some meds that are putting her on the upward swing.

Now, we're sewing up the cocoon, resuming the establishment of a routine, and growing in love every day.

Ethiopia Trip, Days 1-3

2010-07-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Grab a cup of tea or coffee, sit back, and enjoy a synopsis of our trip to Ethiopia.

On June 30th, my parents drove us to the airport for a morning flight to San Francisco.

We had stayed up til 12:30am to finish packing. It is no small task to pack for 2 children you've never met and stay within the weight restrictions. We were also carrying 40 lbs of formula for the orphanage and hand carrying a laptop for the ministry. It was like a comedy act weighing our luggage. I would stand on the scale, John would hand me the bag, then he would look at the screen while I plead for him to hurry because the bag was so heavy. (The scale did not go high enough for my 6'2" hubby to do the weighing.) We had to redistribute several times to get it just right. At the airport, we were pleasantly surprised that our efforts paid off and every piece of luggage was within a pound or two of the 50 lb limit. Since we have not travelled since 9/11, all of the new security measures, although appreciated, were intense - take off your shoes, 3oz or less bottles of liquids in a 1 qt ziploc, CPAP had to be removed from the case and inspected... etc. etc. J had to remove his neck purse with HALF of our money for the embassy and put it through the scanner - THAT was nerve wracking. My advice for future adoption travellers: use a waist belt pouch like I had.

In San Fran, we found our way to the Emirates counter and were second in line for check in. We were pleased to score the Exit seats with a ton of extra leg room. The only downside to the the exit row is the heavy traffic to the restroom right in front of the seats and the lack of storage space - a small price to pay. For the sake of future adoptive parents, here's my assessment of Emirates Air: We were not impressed with the service. The individual tv sets are nice, but J's never worked for the entire trip. On the way home, all three of our seats had malfunctioning tv sets. The bathrooms were only serviced once in a 15 hour flight. Garbage was never collected. Hour upon hour would pass without ever seeing an attendant and our button to call for assistance did not work. On the return flight, I walked to the back of the plane to get water for formula. I overheard (it's hard not to eavesdrop when they're standing two feet in front of you) two separate conversations of other passengers complaining about these same issues to the flight crew. I have read so many great things about Emirates that I was surprised by our experience. Maybe we just got a poor crew? The return trip was only a little better. The overnight stay in Dubai was nice on the way there. On the way back though, with the kids, the added layover was exhausting. If we adopt again (oh! did I say that?!), we will purchase a straight through flight such as with Ethiopian Air. --Before leaving San Francisco, we both called our parents for our final "in-touch" before coming home with our babes.

Like I said, the overnight stay in Dubai was nice on the way there. It was a 12 hour forced layover, so we were able to get a full 8 hours sleep in a very nice hotel "compliments" of Emirates. I took a prescribed sleeping pill and felt so refreshed for the final leg of our trip. Here we are in the hotel room. Ready to go get our babes!

Below is a snapshot of Dubai taken from the shuttle bus.

Dubai is a maze of asphalt and metal in the middle of sandy desert. At midnight, it was in the 90s with humidity so thick you could slice it with a knife. It was stifling. The smog hanging over the city made you feel smothered. Now we can say we've been to the "richest country on earth." It was ritzy, shiny, with lights everywhere, and I was eager to be on my way. They pride themselves on being a major hub for international travel and there were signs everywhere that read "You are the center of our universe." Strange place.

The Dubai airport was comfortable. Security is tight. Staff members are all over the place, ready and willing to answer your questions. A regular mall and "eat street" is bustling with people. We ate crepes and pastries for breakfast.

The airport is absolutely gigantic. Put on your walking shoes! Everything is so shiny and bright. With waterfalls, live gardens, and bathroom attendants cleaning up after you, it was a comfortable place to pass the time. A mass of humanity hurried to and fro, eager to reach their final destinations.

Finally, it was time to board our last airplane. It was a crazy scene. People were pushing and shoving, not listening to the attendant who was taking our boarding passes. We were "herded" down an escalator and outside to a waiting tram. The tram then took us through a maze of matching Emirates airplanes. The ride was like a rollercoaster with sharp turns and abrupt stops. I wondered if they were going to attempt to drive us all the way to Ethiopia. Finally we stopped in front of a plane and climbed the steep stairwell into the aircraft. We took a window seat and a middle seat and settled in for the final 4 hours to the country of our children's birth. It was surreal and I started to tear up at the thought of how close we were.

Our first view of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the land of 13 suns. At the Addis airport, we stood in line for about 30 minutes to get our Ethiopian Visas. Then we went through immigration, collected our bags (all the while telling the coolies that we could manage without their help), changed dollars into birr, and put our bags through security scanners. I only had to open one suitcase; my case of extra batteries looked suspicious. Then, we headed out the front doors. We immediately saw a young man holding a sign with the name of our guest house and were greeted by Abebe, YWAM's in-country representative. In a way, it felt like a homecoming. We had seen pictures of this man with our son and it was a relief to see a "familiar" face.

At our guest house, we freshened up a bit in our room. Then we went downstairs for a coffee ceremony. Ethiopian coffee ceremonies are very important social and hospitable events. Sometimes they last for hours as family and friends enjoy each other's company. Ours lasted about an hour. They start with fresh green beans, roasting them over an open fire. Then, the hostess leaves to grind the beans in a back room, returning with hot water and "brewing" the coffee over the fire. Popcorn is also served. The coffee is strong, served in tiny little cups.

This lovely woman, Tigist, is a worker at the guest house. She conducted the ceremony for us. She speaks little English, so we smiled a lot, while the niece of the guest house owner visited with us and explained the coffee ceremony. Later, the owner of the guest house, Tsebay, joined us and we spent at least an hour visiting with her. What a lovely introduction to Ethiopian culture!

Next, we got settled in our room, had a little rest, and then went downstairs for an Ethiopian meal complete with injera, the staple sourdough-type-spongy-pancake (the best way to describe it to Westerners) made from tefla flour, the grain unique to Ethiopia. Yummy! Before we turned in for the night, we enjoyed our first African sunset. This pic is taken from our balcony. So ended our first day in Ethiopia. We went to sleep dreaming of our next day trip to Adama, the birth place of our children, to see the orphanage where our children lived for many months.

... to be continued...

Happy Faces

2010-07-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

We have happy faces around here... about 50% of the time.

With a mix of tiredness and jetlag, transitional confusion and frustration, snotty noses and basic needs, and the proverbial, inevitable crossing of the will, Mommy and Daddy are doing their best to discern the needs of each situation. These Happy Faces keep us filled with laughter and joy - more than enough to sustain us for the next bout of challenges. I have to admit, Mommy had a bit of a "controlled" meltdown this morning and Daddy reminded her, "His grace is sufficient for this." It's true. God has called us to steward these beautiful, amazing, affectionate little people, destined to do great things for Him. We will press in to our Daddy and trust that His Grace enables us to do all things. When we are weak, He is strong.

We have a doctor's appointment today... praying for some relief for the cold-type symptoms our little ones are struggling with, as well as some other minor issues that are common to orphanage children.

Thanks for your prayers.

(p.s. thanks to my Mom for capturing these priceless photos of our babes)

Gettin' it Together

2010-07-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

We're in the process of gettin' it together around here, trying to find a new normal, establishing some semblance of a routine. J & I are TIRED, but having so much fun. Our kids are doing great considering the giant sized change that has just occurred in their young lives. I'm a bit disappointed in myself at how few pictures I took in Ethiopia... I took about 250 pictures: about 50 of them were of the new babies in the orphanage, almost all of the "scenery" pictures are through the dirty car window, and the rest are probably at the guest house. When we were out and about, I usually had my hands full with one kid or two, plus a backpack. The trip was busy and focused, just not that conducive to a lot of picture taking. I did get a few winners though and eventually I will blog a day-by-day account of our trip. For now, we're getting to know our KIDS... OUR kids! Wow! They are incredible little people. We are so blessed. I leave you with this picture taken at our agency's celebration night where they said farewell to the kids and gave each of us a gift of Ethiopian traditional clothes.

WE'RE HOME!

2010-07-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

We can't express how glad we are to be home.

It was a long, difficult trip, but all that doesn't matter now because we're Home Sweet Home.

Except for some minor health issues, our babes are doing well.

Thank you to everyone who came to greet us at the airport.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support over the past year plus!

We're in love with our babes and looking forward to getting into a routine.

Kids and Daddy are napping, Mommy soon to follow.

More details and Ethiopia pics coming soon to a blog near you.

Daddy's Flower Princess

2010-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

My 6'2" basketball-playin' manly man, went to a BOUTIQUE yesterday and came home with:

Flower Head Bands!

"These are for my princess," he said.

Is that not the sweetest thing ever?!

Thank you to Shannon for this very recent picture of our Ethiopian Princess.

(...and congratulations to their family on the recent Coming Home of their princess.)

Tell your brother we're coming soon, baby girl!

Kids' Room!

2010-06-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

At last, their room is done!

I am very pleased with the pale blue walls and white furniture.

The stuffed monkeys are a Christmas gift from Uncle Joseph (my brother).

I love the open area between the bed and crib. This will be their play area.

The large map has been a part of our decor for a long time. J is not sure it is secure enough to be safe for our babes. We may replace it with some Ethiopian decor. :)

It has been quite a job to convert our office of seven years to a kids room, but it has been a fun process.

I keep going in there just to "look" and even caught J just standing in there once doing the same.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

These two beautiful plaques, that now hang on either side of the window in the kids' room, were given as a shower gift from my very good friend Debra.

They include the names and name-meanings of our kids.

The verses on each plaque are very meaningful and chosen with prayer:

Psalm 145:1-7 for Cassia

and

Isaiah 62:2-4 for Elisha

Now on to organizing and cleaning the rest of our house!

Reality

2010-06-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

Why I haven't been blogging:

... and that's not the half of it!

Our front room is nothing but piles with narrow access paths. Believe it or not, though, it IS organized - according to what goes in the kids room, what gets packed, and what goes to the garage.

Amidst the chaos of packing, painting, shopping, cleaning, furniture assembly, and paperwork, 24 hours of flight time with nothing to do but read, watch movies, and snuggle with my hubby is sounding pretty good.

Even so, I'm determined to savor every chaotic minute of it!

I've been waiting for this for a long time!

More nesting pics to come.

"Like Father, Like Son"

2010-06-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

That's what J said when he saw this picture... When it comes to food, never waste a single crumb.
I think I'll be packing some Goldfish crackers for our trip.

Through this process, I have been amazed at how many people have "come out of the woodwork" who have been to our children's orphanage and been touched by the lives of our babes. Our son, in particular, is bigger than life and has been described to us as: charming, adorable, so sweet you could eat him with a spoon, full of life, humorous, resilient... and more. It is apparent to us that our little man has a charismatic personality that draws people. It is a privilege to be called by God to parent this amazing little person - for we are convinced that the destiny God has for him is so much bigger than us. As evidence of his God-given charisma, I currently have over 50 pictures of him, sent to me by several people, half of whom I've never met.

We cannot forget our beauty queen, though - sleeping beauty in this case. I have over 30 pictures of her.

She is an absolute doll! We're coming soon little ones!

(Thank You to Katie in NYC for the most recent installment of our babies' pictures. We also thank Mark&Liane, Chris, Kelly, Shea, Jeanette, and the CHI in-country staff for keeping us connected with visual reminders that we ARE parents! Soon we'll be taking our own pictures of our lovelies!)

BOOK REVIEW - The Hospital by the River

2010-06-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

The Hospital by the River: A Story of Hope by Catherine Hamlin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As we prepare to bring home two little ones from Ethiopia, I am reading everything I can get my hands on about their home country. I first watched the video Walk to Beautiful and was so moved that I had to order the memoir to read the whole story.

Dr. Hamlin writes simply but with much detail and poignancy. I have been shocked to learn about the plight of the fistula pilgrims... a widespread problem that I knew nothing about. The stories of the fistula-stricken women will break your heart, but the sacrifice of those ministering to them will inspire. Dr. Hamlin and her husband have sacrificially and wholly laid down their lives for these lovely Ethiopian ladies who have been cast off by their families and communities.

Additionally, The Hospital by the River serves as a great first-hand-account resource of the history of Ethiopia since the 1960s. The author provides vivid descriptions of the landscape, the people, and the culture. Highly recommended reading.

View all my reviews >>

BOOK REVIEW - Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft

2010-06-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft by Mary Hopkins-Best

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Toddler Adoption reads like a textbook with a few personal stories mixed in. It is well written and well-organized - a worthwhile purchase. I gleaned some useful insights and I will likely refer back to this book in years to come.

My frustration with adoption books, so far, is that they are so clinical and theoretical, explaining in great detail the challenges of attachment issues and the deep rooted issues from which they stem. While it is certainly valuable to have an understanding of where your adopted child may be coming from emotionally and psychologically, at this stage in our process, I am hungry for the PRACTICAL. Somebody tell me HOW to be intentional about attachment. Give me something tangible. Give me a starting point. Give me some hands-on tips of how to foster a bond from day one with our God-given gifts, these children we are called to steward.

I was reading this book at work on my lunch break; when I reached PAGE 196 and read the section title, "Parental Strategies to Foster Attachment," I exclaimed out loud, "Finally!" Finally something I can sink my teeth into! The next several pages provided some simple pieces of advice - for example, when pushing your child on the swing, stand in front of him, rather than behind. Eye contact and physical touch are so important, with all children, but particularly with adopted children with whom we are "making up ground" in the area of attachment.

While reading all of these books, I keep in mind that, ultimately, the Holy Spirit is our teacher. We are stewarding God's children and all the wisdom we need to raise these little people is found in Him. We will take it one day at a time and enjoy the process.

View all my reviews >>

The First Gift

2010-06-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Our care packages were delivered.

This is now my favorite picture.

He is wearing the outfit and holding the giraffe that, just a few weeks ago, were in our hands - the first gift from Mommy and Daddy. It is truly amazing to see these items now with our son!

Isn't he just the most precious, adorable, irresistible little man EVER?!

We're coming soon, son!

We acquired this picture in a roundabout sort of way.

God is so good and we are so grateful!

(Thank you Liane for the "tip" and Shea for taking the picture!)

note: we sent a care package for our wee princess too, but don't have any pics.

Date Day

2010-05-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

My Darlin' and I took off for the big city today for an Adventure.

It was pouring at our house, but only sprinkling in the city and the rain held off for us.

The only plan we had was that we wanted to eat crepes.

So, we parked near the Center, walked through the Folk Life Festival (all I'm going to say about that is - hmmm, interesting), and hopped aboard the monorail for West Lake. Then we started walking up Pine for the Crepe Place we'd read about.

It turned out to be much further than we anticipated but we decided to just keep walking.

Our journey took us OVER the freeway and up Capitol Hill.

We finally arrived at our destination: 611 Supreme.

It was a quaint little cafe with old wooden floors.

We ate our crepes.

They were good but "nothing to write home and tell Mom about," as my hubby would say.

Then, since we were close and had a coupon, we walked another 5 blocks eastward, to try out Cupcake Royale.

Again, "nothing to write home and tell Mom about."

Now we can say we tried this famous place in Seattle, but we really don't know what all the hub-ub is about. The cakes were really quite dry, although the frosting was yummy.

On the trek back, I spotted the Elliot Bay Book Co. - a place I've been wanting to check out.

It's off the beaten path so I was amazed how busy it was. Inside the rustic two-story building are old wooden floors and floor to ceiling bookshelves. Amazingly, I was able to refrain from spending $.

Back at West Lake, we decided to take a peek in Children's Place... oh.my.goodness. It's now my favorite kids store! They were having a fabulous Memorial Day sale and we found some great things for our little man!

By the time we boarded the monorail, walked through the Center again, and hoofed it to our car, we were bushed. It was great to spend the day together, exploring the nooks and crannies of a great city. Next time we do this, we'll have two little bambinos with us! Can't wait!

It's the Simple Things

2010-05-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I finally did it. Out of a million choices, and on a budget, I made a decision and ordered a diaper bag. (Memorial Day Weekend coupons help, too.) Cute and classy, isn't it? I love polka dots! Sometimes, it's the simple things that make us happy.

Shower of Abundance

2010-05-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

My co-workers pulled out all the stops and lavishly showered us with gifts.

My Mom joined us for the event, our VERY FIRST BABY SHOWER EVER!

She's VERY excited for her grandbabies on the way (and that's an understatement.)

Giftcards galore... we're going to have us a shopping spree!

Loved this sign they made for us! What a fun crew.

My hubby worked at this school many years ago and still knows many of the staff, so we made it a co-ed shower. He enjoyed seeing some of his old cronies.

At home, I took everything out of the bags & boxes and laid it all out.

WOW! These are going to be some well-dressed kids!

Thank you MMS staff. You have overwhelmed us with your generosity and support!

Been Praying for Rain

2010-05-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here in the great Northwest, we don't have to pray for rain; it just comes without us even asking. One month with no rain is a "drought." When the sun breaks through the clouds, even if the thermometer still reads below 60F, out come the sunglasses, flip-flops, and motorcyclists. Here, we live for the next sunny day while still being grateful for the rain that puts the GREEN in the Evergreen State.

We've been praying for a different kind of rain, though... the rain of the blessing of children. In September, we will celebrate ten years of marriage and we've been praying for "rain" for almost that long. Rain is so refreshing. It makes everything new. It makes things grow. Even things that are dry and appear near to death, perk up in the rain. Rain is amazing!

One definition of rain is "to give or administer abundantly."
Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
You restored your inheritance as it languished... Psalm 68:9

Soon, our little ones will be with us forever. The drought has ended. Today it is raining... and raining in abundance.

Care Packages

2010-05-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Sending small care packages to our son and daughter! Our directors Mark and Joy are heading to Ethiopia today and will "introduce" our babies to their new parents - us! Wow! They are ours and we are theirs. Soon, we'll all be together.

"daddy loves me"

Ready for travel. If only we could fit in those ziploc bags.

We PASSED Court!

2010-05-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Introducing our son!

Our strong-in-spirit little man,

Elisha John Amir

And our daughter!

our beauty queen, the Ethiopian princess,

Cassia Hana Lucille

Thank you all for your prayers and love!

The journey to our babies is almost complete and we are in love.

Words cannot describe the exultation, the joy, the relief we feel on this day.

May 17th is now Family Day in our household!

Less Than One Day!

2010-05-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

My body is here, but my heart is there.

Sometime between tonight and tomorrow, our court hearing will take place. Our names will be spoken before an Ethiopian judge as prospective parents for these two wee ones. Then, sometime on Monday, we will KNOW.

Dear God, Thank you for the journey. You have led the way and we have followed. You, who called us, have provided. You have held our hands over the bumpy spots. You have caught our tears and You have rejoiced over us with dancing. You make all things new and You complete what You have begun. You have adopted us into Your family, for which we are deeply grateful. Now, may our adoption of these little ones, be a demonstration of Your heart as an Adoptive Father. You are the giver of dreams, the keeper of dreams, and the fulfiller of dreams. You are a super GOOD Daddy! Love, Us

Two!

2010-05-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Can you guess these languages?

Dos

Hoolet

Wawili

Deux

Dois

Two

... days, that is!

That's the day after tomorrow!

I'm on the edge of my seat. Anxious. Eager. In a daze.

Sunday night, while we sleep, an Ethiopian judge will decide our future.

We wait. We pray. We trust...

...knowing that our future is really in the hands of The Great I AM.

Three

2010-05-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

What does our adoption and baseball have in common?

In baseball: three bases, three strikes, three outs, 3x3 innings
And for us: 3 days 'til court!!!
So, because I'm running out of ideas for this countdown thing, I'm stretching it a bit. In honor of 3 DAYS, here's an oldie but a goodie: Abbott and Costello performing Who's On First? I never get tired of this one.

4

2010-05-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

... that's all I've got for today!

Five

2010-05-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

SIX... only Six Days, my friends!

2010-05-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

In honor of "Six Days until Court," here's Sesame Street's Classroom Countdown from six. The music and puppet dancing is a crack up. And the main puppet is an African-American named Jamal... check out those dance moves!

Seven, VII, 7

2010-05-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Can you name the:

7 dwarves?

7 continents?

7 wonders of the world?

7 oceans/seas?

7 deadly sins?

7 churches of Asia?

-----------------------------------------------------

7 days = 1 week

and that's how long we have until our court hearing!

No More Tears and Eight More Days

2010-05-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

There were no tears on the way to church this Mother's Day.

My awesome husband, my incredible Dad, and my cherished friend blessed this expectant Mama today with mementos. My Mom requested bbq hamburgers for lunch... great idea Mom! - very little preparation and no noisy restaurant. We had a fun, relaxing day at their house with my brother and the conversation frequently included dreamy references to our two special ones on the way.

Only eight more days 'til court!

And this post would be incomplete if I didn't say Happy Mother's Day to my amazing Mom. She just doesn't stop laying down her life for others (especially my brother and I), sacrificing, and loving. She loves to have fun AND she is full of wisdom - what an incredible combination! She is my bestest friend and I love her so much! Her grandchildren will love her too!

Nine!

2010-05-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Nine patch quilt

Nine lives for a cat

Nine planets in our solar system

Nine innings in a baseball game

Nine squares in tic tac toe

NINE DAYS 'TIL COURT!

We're in the single digits, people!

BOOK REVIEW - Exploring the Spirit of Adoption

2010-05-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Exploring the Spirit of Adoption: Healing the Heart of the Fatherless by Dennis Nice

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This short book is profound and insightful, even in its simplicity. I recommend it to everyone who has a heart for adoption or a compassion for the fatherless... or even for those who need to be healed from fatherlessness. At last, an "adoption" book really worth recommending. (There is so much mumbo-jumbo out there.) The author is an adoptive father who provides practical insight for adoptive parents, as well as spiritual parallels that will benefit anyone.

"The pages of this book focus on the heart of the adoptive child as a parable for the healing that we all need."

"This is the trap set by the enemy of our soul. If he can get us entrenched in the cycle of fatherlessness, generation after generation, he can keep us in a bondage of soul and spirit that not only compromises the individual, but can diffuse the effectiveness of the church as well as destroy the heart of a nation."

View all my reviews >>

10 More Days til Court

2010-05-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Only 10 more days until our babies' cases are heard by an Ethiopian judge!
We're praying for the favor of the Lord.

Here's Sesame Street's classic countdown from 10 in honor of the occasion.

COURT DATE in the SPRING TIME!!!

2010-05-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

This IS the year of the favor of the Lord!
I have been amazed over the past week at the level of FAITH demonstrated by our friends in praying for a court date to be assigned before the May 9th deadline. We have, of course, been praying the same, but at the same time, I kind of felt like I didn't want to be presumptuous. Sometimes I would think, "maybe the Lord wants us to travel twice," so I prayed but I held it loosely. Still, we couldn't get away from the abundance of demonstrated FAITH for this particular request, through the support of our amazing friends and family.

When we began this adoption process, following a long difficult winter season in our lives, God clearly told me that we were entering a season of spring time. He also made clear to me that this adoption process would have His fingerprints all over it. He said, "No one will be able to deny that my hand is on this process." Certainly, God's hand is on every adoption process and every couple's journey looks different. Sometimes His hand looks like winter and He definitely has a purpose in the long arduous winter seasons. He molds us and shapes us during those times, as painful as it may be. THEN, when spring comes, we appreciate it so much more. For us, winter came first, then adoption and spring time! And today, I am dancing on air.

At work today, I was knee deep in state testing preparation, a stressful time for any school's staff. I was not thinking court date (doesn't it always happen that way?) when I received an email response from our case manager that there was good news about our court date and that Joy, our Ministry Director, would be calling. (Darn! The one day I didn't carry my phone around in my pocket!) I pulled my phone out of my purse and sure enough, there was a message from Joy from 30 minutes earlier. We played phone tag for a few minutes, then... drum roll please... I got the news: We have an assigned COURT DATE for MAY 17th!!! AND, because it was assigned before May 9th, we will not be travelling for the court hearing!!! Wow! Wow! Wow! That's the favor of God! Needless to say, the stress of state testing did not bother me anymore. I've been walking on the clouds all day. I immediately called my Darlin' and then my Mom, who then called a million people. Ohhhhh, what a glorious day! And how appropriate that our COURT DATE is in the SPRING TIME!

So, a lawyer will represent us in court on May 17th. Then, we will be assigned an embassy appointment which is when we travel to meet and bring home our babies! Pray that we pass court on May 17th with no glitches, and for financial provision as we prepare to travel to Ethiopia in, hopefully, June.

Growing Up

2010-05-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Our girl is 6 months old today and starting to roll over all by herself.

Our boy is counting and learning the alphabet.

*Sigh* They're growing up before we even lay eyes on them.

Soon, babies... Soon we'll all be together... FOREVER.

Some Family Circus while we wait

2010-04-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Two Weeks

2010-04-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

... and counting. Our documents have been in Addis Ababa for two weeks today, so we could receive a call anytime now telling us of an assigned court date.

Anticipation. Expectation. Waiting.

Yesterday's monthly medical report shows that our babes are growing:
Our strong-in-spirit Little Man is 34" tall and 33lbs.
Our Beauty Queen is 24" and 17lbs.

I have to say, honestly, it's really hard to think about anything else.

All is Well

2010-04-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hearing this song by Robin Mark for the first time this week reminded me of God's hand in our lives in EVERY season. He is the author of seasons... yes, even the Winters. With the anticipation of the homecoming of our Ethiopian babes and becoming parents for the first time, J & I are currently basking in the glory of a joy-filled Spring. I am convinced that this "Spring Season" for our family is that much more joyous due to the long Winter we have come out of, a Winter that seemed it might never end. Ron Kenoly sings, "When you're going through hell, don't stop... don't stop, don't stop, don't stop." We have to keep walking, keep moving foward, keep pressing in. God is near to us in EVERY season and He has a purpose for each season of our lives. We are thankful for the processing, character-building Winters, and we are thankful for the Springs that make all things new. Whatever season the Lord has you in today, I pray the words to this song encourage and inspire you to seek Him and find Him. (lyrics below)

All Is Well
Johnny Parks and Claire Hamilton (sung by Robin Mark)
© 2009 Integrity Worship Music/ASCAP and Parks Publishing

He lowers us to raise us
So we can sing His praises
Whatever is His way all is well

He makes us rich and poor
That we might trust Him more
Whatever is His way all is well

All my changes come from Him He who never changes
I'm held firm in the grasp of the Rock of all the ages

All is well with my soul
He is God in control
I know not all His plans
But I know I'm in His hands

He clothes us now then strips us
Yet with His Word equips us
Whatever is His way all is well
And though our seasons change
We still exalt His name
Whatever is His way all is well

Somebody pinch me!

2010-04-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

According to Fed.Ex Tracking, our referral documents arrived in Addis Ababa yesterday!!!

Our referral documents are in-country. They will be joined with our dossier documents and a lawyer will submit our documents to the court. We expect to be assigned court dates in 2-3 weeks. Please pray this happens... and pray that the court dates for each child will be assigned for the same day. Because our children are unrelated biologically, there will be two separate court cases.

It's really happening!!! Hope deferred is history! We are about to become parents!
Somebody pinch me!

Thank you all for your prayers. Nesting pictures coming soon.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

Another "last" for us today: our LAST Easter as a family of two. After a wonderful church service, we had a quiet Easter dinner with both sets of grandparents, and we gave each Grandma a "Grandma Brag Book" full of the pictures we have of our two beautiful chicks. Around the table, we all dreamed of how different this table will be next year: a bit noisier, a bit messier, and filled with joy unspeakable.

Yes, we are dreaming of next Easter with our children. We will begin teaching them about the foundation for Christianity: the resurrection of our Savior! We will throw in a community egg hunt on Saturday for good measure. We will celebrate the Resurrection with our church family on Sunday morning. Then, we will add a high chair and a booster seat to the family dinner table. Maybe we'll have a nap time, or maybe we'll just play hard and crash later. We can't wait!

Thank you Lord! For your tender mercies and lovingkindness.
Joy really does come in the morning!

True Wealth

2010-04-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

Bellingham.... to Memphis.... to Paris ... to Dubai (UAE) and on to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our dossier documents travelled this route. Now our referral documents (child acceptance agreements) are on the same route, currently on a "lay-over" in Dubai. They should arrive in Addis by Monday where they will be married to our dossier. We expect to be assigned a court date within 2-3 weeks. It's very likely we will fall under the deadline to only travel once, rather than twice. I have mixed emotions about this as I was just starting to get used to the idea of travelling twice and thus meeting my babies earlier... but, truly, our days are in God's hands and His timing is perfect.

As our documents set in Dubai awaiting transit, I'm struck by the contrast between Dubai and countries like Ethiopia. Dubai is the richest country in the world, home of the only indoor ski resort in Arabia and home of the largest man-made marina in the world - truly the picture of a people who have more money than they know what to do with. I have never been impressed by such boasts as the UAE. I'm more impressed with those who SPEND themselves for others and seek no public recognition. I'm impressed by the Mother Teresas of the world who will never get a nobel prize. I'm impressed by those I know in India, Mozambique, Kenya, China, Taiwan, Ethiopia, and the cities of America, who are making a difference in the lives of people, who work tirelessly, giving what little they have to meet the needs of those around them. True, we all need finances to live, but I'll take the dusty villages of India, or an orphanage in Africa anyday, over an indoor ski resort in Arabia. And I'll take my 2 bedroom home with my Ethiopian babes on the way, over all the wealth in the UAE. No question!

What IS true wealth, anyways? I submit that it has nothing to do with money. It has to do with what is intangible, with what is eternal. It has to do with relationship. It has to do with family. It has to do with people. It has to do with investing in the next generation with our lives.

Book Review: Fields of the Fatherless

2010-03-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

Fields of the Fatherless: Discover the Joy of Compassionate Living by C. Thomas Davis

If "pure and faultless religion is to care for orphans and widows in their distress," how many of us are REALLY walking in a pure and faultless religion? This short (but profound) book will challenge you to put feet to your faith & action to your beliefs. Fields of the Fatherless is about giving ourselves to sacrificial, compassionate living. It's about turning our focus outward, even to our own hurt. It's about not being afraid to "get involved." Adoption is definitely a part of this response, but Fields of the Fatherless is about discovering the joy of compassionate living in all ways. Here are a few quotes that particularly impacted me:

p.39 "If the fields are white for harvest, why do we spend all of our money painting the barn?"

p.47 "God puts the poor in our lives so we will reveal compassion. It's a test for us and a promise for them."

p.81 "John Piper believes... adoption is the 'visible gospel.'"

p.113-4 "The padlock on our compassion is FEAR... fear is what prevents us from growing and changing. Fear wants nothing to change; fear demands the status quo. And the status quo leads to death."

View all my reviews >>

Grandma Shopping

2010-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Some eager new grandparents (my parents) came over for a late lunch today. And Grandma was not empty-handed! A box full of newly purchased children's books, a stuffed lamb with rattle, and an Amharic phrase book are now WAITING, along with the expectant parents. Of course, the all time classic Goodnight Moon was not neglected. And the Dr. Seuss Colors & Shapes flash cards are perfect for Teacher-parents.

I highly recommend this little board book Whose Knees are These? - written by an African-American man who sought to provide some children's books for African-American toddlers. I LOVE this book (with its partner Whose Toes are Those?) and can't wait to read it to my little ones! My favorite page shows a little boy in a little sail boat and reads,

I've searched the world and seven seas.

Never have I seen such charming knees.

It reminds me of my very first blog post written last summer after our vacation by the sea.
I'm definitely in my third-trimester and nesting has become a priority... I'm just not sure when the due date is.

A Stork and a Pen... now we WAIT

2010-03-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

This week was productive. The Assistant Stork (a courier service in Washington D.C.) completed the authentication needed on our dossier at the U.S. State Department and the Ethiopian Embassy. Our dossier is currently on its way to Ethiopia. On Wednesday, we met with a pediatrician to review our kids' medical reports and get a game plan for when we return to American soil. We love this Dr. and are confident she will take great care of our babes. Directly from there, we took our Pen and, with the help of our good friend Kim, got our referral documents notarized (these documents officially say, "We want to adopt these two children.") Today, we received our 2nd round of immunizations: Hepatitis A&B, Tetanus, Polio... and oral meds for typhoid await consumption in the fridge. Plus, we are armed with prescriptions for malaria meds and Cipro that will go with us to Ethiopia. (I don't remember this degree of precaution when I went to India... but that was 1992. The world has changed a lot since then, I guess.) It feels rather strange to be all done with our paperwork. Since August, I have lived and breathed adoption paperwork. Now, the process and timeline is completely out of our hands, as we wait for the Ethiopian government to issue us a court date. There are quite a few "unknowns" that would be disconcerting if we didn't believe that "our days are in His hands." Our God is ultimately in charge of this whole process and we put our trust in Him.

My Mom shared this Scripture with me from Deuteronomy 1:30-31,

"The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place."

It is true. In the wilderness, the Lord has carried us. Now, we have come to this place and He continues to go before us, fighting for us. What an amazing Father we serve and follow. We have waited and waited for this season, and now we will wait again... just a little bit longer.

...lone tree in the desert

2010-03-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Be still my mama's heart! I read this amazing and gripping quote in the book Fields of the Fatherless.
It is a quote from the Jewish Talmud. I think I'll post it in my house somewhere.

"A mother is likened unto a mountain spring that nourishes the tree at its root, but one who mothers another's child is likened unto a water that rises into a cloud and goes a long distance to nourish a lone tree in the desert."

BOOK REVIEW: The Whole Life Adoption Book... and other insights

2010-03-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Finally! Another book review. I love to read... just about anything. So, you should know up front that any blog I author will include book reviews. I love to learn and I love to glean from the wisdom of others, knowing that sometimes I have to spit out a few bones. My focus has been entirely on adoption paperwork for the past couple of months. Now, after a huge sigh of relief, I feel like I am again able to read up on adoption issues... as well as a bit of pleasure reading. Here's a book I have been reading - some skimming - for quite awhile and now I'm ready to put it on the shelf and move on to something else.

The Whole Life Adoption Book: Realistic Advice for Building a Healthy Adoptive Family by Jayne E. Schooler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A 3-star resource for adoption in general. It was a good "starter" book as we began our adoption process. I particularly gleaned insights from the chapter on transcultural adoption, a well as a few additional nuggets throughout. However, I find myself wanting more depth. I'm looking forward to reading more books specific to toddler adoption and transcultural adoption. Today, I ordered two books from A.mazon: Exploring the Spirit of Adoption: Healing the Heart of the Fatherless: understanding the spiritual parallels of adoption and Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft.

I also ordered The Hospital by the River, written by the doctor who founded The Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. I've been wanting to read this book that is not available in our library. This amazing story of the Fistula Hospital is also featured in the Emmy winning documentary A Walk to Beautiful. (I borrowed it from our library, but you can also watch it in entirety on You-youknowwhat... it's heartbreaking, but really really amazing - definitely worth the 53 minutes of viewing time.)

Right now, I'm also reading Shepherding a Child's Heart and Fields of the Fatherless, as well as skimming Focus on the Family's Childcare manual... PLUS my usual bedtime pleasure reading. J thinks I'm crazy and sometimes I wonder if he's right, but that's just how I roll, and he wouldn't have me any other way. :) That's love. More book reviews coming to a blog near you!

God's Dream is Bigger than our Passions

2010-03-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

One does not have to look very far in Scripture to gain an understanding of God's Dream for the fatherless. His "dream" is that the solitary (the fatherless) be placed in families, and that the orphans and widows be cared for. Our God hates injustice and promises to be a stronghold for the oppressed. Although we may not "like" every bump and turn in the roads of our lives, we can be confident that "He works all things for good," and ultimately, in the end, our God Wins!

At our weekly Thursday night meeting, the subject was parenting. Our speaker (our much-loved spiritual mama, DeeAnn M) made a statement at the very beginning that resonated with me: God's Dream is Bigger than our Passions. There are two truths that I grasped ahold of that night, our first ever message on parenting as parents!

1 - Children are "God's dream;" it is His idea, His mandate, that we be "fruitful and multiply."
2 - From Genesis (3:15) to Revelation (12:17), we see that there is a battle raging for the "woman and her seed." It cannot be denied that there is a WAR against our kids... for their hearts, their minds, their innocence, their destiny. It is my mandate as a mother to go to war - in prayer- for my kids! And that is what I commit to do!

In view of the recent and shocking changes in the Ethiopian government regarding the processing of adoptions, I am confident that God's dream is bigger than my passions. My passion, of course, is that we get our babies home sooner than later. This passion is painful at times - manifested as a lump in my throat, a ball of steel in my gut, or a welling of tears in my eyes. I look at their pictures with longing. I wish I could hop on a plane tomorrow and bring them home. Through it all, I am certain that God's Dream is steadfast. He started us on this journey and He will continue to lead us to them, and lead them home. We are LIVING God's dream! What an amazing thought! In addition, DeeAnn also reminded us, as a congregation, that there is a "spirit of adoption" in our congregation, a word that has been given to us before, which then prompted her to pray for J and I publicly. She said that she "commends us" and "the stakes just got higher" in our fight to bring our babies home. We were honored and blessed to be supported by our church family. Yes, we are living God's dream!

For those of you not yet aware of the recent changes: On Wednesday, the Ethiopian government issued a statement that adoptive couples are now required to appear at the court hearing, in addition to the Embassy date. Up until today, a lawyer would represent adoptive couples at the court date (this is the date we were anticipating to be in April for us), and then an Embassy date would be assigned for 6-8 weeks later, when the adoptive couple would travel to pick up their child/ren (we were expecting a June date for this appt). This news has come as a shock to our agency and all other agencies working in Ethiopia. No one knows, at this point, just how this ruling will affect adoptions already in process. This change places an additional financial burden on adoptive families because it requires an additional trip to Ethiopia. No one knows if the change will cause delays or slow down the process - a heart wrenching possibility for everyone.

BUT - through it all we choose faith. We choose trust. We choose to not give in to worry and fear. We've been "in training" for this for a long time; our spiritual muscles are strong. Please join us in conitinuing to PRAY OUR BABIES HOME! I leave you with this "oldie but a goodie" song by Twila Paris. I woke up Thursday morning with it on my mind:

This is no time for fear

This is a time for faith and determination

Don't lose the vision here

Carried away by emotion

Hold on to all that you hide in your heart

There is one thing that has always been true

It holds the world together

God is in control

We believe that His children will not be forsaken

God is in control

We will choose to remember and never be shaken

There is no power above or beside Him, we know

God is in control, oh God is in control

He, She, and We

2010-03-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

HE:
has big, bright, eyes that shine.
is full of joy.
has a smile that lights up a room.
is full of energy and playfulness.
has a hint of mischieviousness in his gaze.
is our strong-in-spirit little man.

SHE:
has perfect heart-shaped lips.
is a good eater (every picture we have shows formula dripping from those perfect little lips).
has gorgeous dark brown eyes and perfect little round ears.
is chubby cheeked.
has beautiful wispy black hair.
is our sweet princess.

WE:
are gazing at their pictures all.the.time.
are nesting.
are in love with two little people we're yet to meet.
are amazed that we get to parent these two little ones.
are longing (I mean LONGING) to get them home.
are grateful to the Father - for His will, way, and timing is Perfect!

My Heart is in that Envelope!

2010-03-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I took the day off of work to go to the State Capitol with my Mom.

First I stopped at the bank for a cashier's check, but they weren't open yet, so I had to wait. When I did get inside, the teller went through the whole process of withdrawing money and typing up the check, then their printer went down. It would take until the end of the day to fix it. So, I took a deep breath, held back the tears, and left. This glitch put us back an hour... but not the end of the world...

Next we drove the hour and a half to the state capitol. We have been anticipating this trip for months: the culmination of MANY hours of labor. The authentication went fairly seamless. The first gentlemen to help us started to look through our documents, and then, without a word to me, literally yelled, "Help!" to his co-worker. I would have been worried if I hadn't been holding back a laugh. A lady then finished what we came for, but I had to explain to her exactly what to do. We waited until after our task to admire the exquisite architecture of the building. (Just look at those columns and the cool wooden door!)

Then, we walked two blocks to a recommended Sandwich Shop that did not disappoint. Yum! My Mom and I love soup and sandwiches. My hubby would have loved it, too. (And I WISH I had noticed that bookstore next door!)

THEN, off to a different branch of my bank for the cashier's check, and across the street to FedEx. I cannot find the words to explain how I felt sending off those original documents. For months and months, these documents have been spread out on the table, or patiently waiting in a portable file. They have been sorted and resorted, notarized, copied, and notarized again. I have read the directions so many times, I couldn't possibly make a mistake. I hope! We have been "paper pregnant" and now we've sent off this "paper baby," entrusted into the hands of FedEx, The Assistant Stork courier service and the U.S. government.

It was surreal for me. My HEART is in that envelope! My Mom was a nervous wreck. (Sorry Mom, but you confessed it yourself.) But we did it! Eventually these documents will be sent to Ethiopia, bringing us one BIG step closer to our babies. OUR babies - babies that now have faces and names - babies that we are in love with.

Finally, a stop at Costco where some Grandma-shopping began. Aren't these the cutest little dresses? And then to Babies R' Us (can you say "overwhelming?") where I started a registry.

We were exhausted from a long day (plus I'm getting over this dumb sinus infection), but felt great about all that we had accomplished. Now... onto the more fun preparations... like painting.

We're coming sweet babes! We're coming!

Godparents

2010-03-02T17:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple pictures of our dear dear friends seeing pictures of their godchildren for the first time! Their little guy looks a bit bewildered. He is so darn cute and is currently about the same age our little princess will be when we bring her home.

We love you guys! It is such a privilege to walk this road of life with you.

Referrals!

2010-03-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

Hello bloggin' friends. You know we received our I-171H. Here's the rest of the story...

We got our Homeland Security fingerprints on Feb 3rd. We anticipated a 5-6 week wait time for approval. That approval was the last document needed to make us "paper-ready" to receive a referral of a child/children. We didn't expect anything until mid-March, so we were just kind of in wait-mode, not expecting any movement for awhile. Last Tuesday, one day shy of TWO weeks since our fingerprints, we received the coveted document of approval. The SAME DAY we received that approval, I also received a phone call from our Adoption Ministry Director. She told me that she received notice of our I-171H approval, was very excited for us, and that she had two children in mind for us. I was totally in SHOCK! I really couldn't do anything without hubby, so I told her we would call her back the following night. We called her back and put her on speaker phone. She told us about these two children who currently reside in the same orphanage. The little man, age 2 1/2, is described as the "darling" of the orphanage, and the baby girl, age 4 months, is described as "thriving."

We took nearly a week to seek the Lord about His will... and, now, we know that we know that BOTH of these children belong with us. The Lord has given us confirmation after confirmation. So, we called our director back and asked her to proceed with the referral paperwork. It's been an amazing week... with not much sleep, I might add! We received the official referral materials via email a few days later.

This week, we have taken time to just process privately and let it all sink in. It's hard to believe that these long years of waiting are coming to a close. We just keep looking at their precious pictures and can't wait to get them home. We're not permitted, by law, to post their pictures or names on the internet... not until we pass court and they become legally ours. You'll have to take our word for it - they are absolutely gorgeous! If you see us in person, we can show you their pictures, though, because - of course - we're carrying pictures around with us!

This week, we will get our dossier documents authenticated at the State and Federal levels. Then, they will be sent to Ethiopia! Then we wait for a court date, then an embassy date. Hold on babes, we're coming!

Ethiopian Fellowship Night

2010-02-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

On Saturday evening, we were privileged to attend an Ethiopian Fellowship Night sponsored by YWAM Adoption Ministry. It was held at an Ethiopian restaurant in the central district called Lalibela's. Wow! If you want an Ethiopian experience with fantastic food, try Lalibela's. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside it is decorated beautifully and is very comfortable.

There were about fifty people there, adults and children, of mostly adoptive families. We got to meet and speak with families with Ethiopian children as well as couples who are in the process of adopting with us. Many of the people were dressed in traditional Ethiopian dress and it was fun to hear the older adopted children speaking in their native tongues to one another.

(I "stole" this picture from our new friend's facebook page - Thanks Chris! Here we are eatin' us some Ethiopian grub - Yummy.)

We ate "Ethiopian style" - which is basically a community plate where everyone scoops up the food one bite at a time with the injera. Injera is a spongy, sour dough flat bread. My years in India trained me pretty well at eating with my hands, but the Ethiopian experience is very unique.

We were also treated to an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. A local Ethiopian immigrant who is also a middle school teacher, an artist, and the author of a children's book about the coffee ceremony, spoke with us about the coffee ceremony, which is a common practice in Ethiopian households. The women roast the beans over an open fire, then prepare the water in a certain way; it is a very key time for fellowship and socializing. In Ethiopia, the ceremony often lasts about three hours, but we were given an abbreviated version of about 30 minutes. Normally, I cringe at the taste of black coffee, but THIS was exquisite. You have to taste it to believe it. Also, I was struck by the speaker's description of how the older women teach the younger women how to properly conduct a coffee ceremony. It is such a picture of generational transfer.

To our hosts, the staff of Adoption Ministry, thank you! We had a fabulous and memorable time!

Our Story

2010-02-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

I wrote this back in December and now I want to share it. It's a little bit long but I think you'll enjoy it.

If our story was a fairy tale, it would go something like this:

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She waited a long long time for her prince, longer than most. Some days it seemed he may never come. But it did. One day, her Dad said, “Daughter, a boy has come to court you. He wants to make you his own.” The girl was so happy. It was the prince she had been dreaming of. Their courtship was quick. The wedding was large and beautiful. Many years later, people were still talking about it.

When they returned from their newlywed adventure, they opened their gifts, and settled in to their small rented cabin in the woods. They were very happy. The only thing that would make them happier was a new prince or princess to call their very own. After awhile they bought a house. It had two bedrooms. “This will be just right for our new prince or princess.” And they started to fix it up. The years went by, however, and the room for the new prince or princess sat empty. And the boy and the girl were very sad. Sometimes they were even mad. Their fairy tale start seemed like long long ago.

Their friends were getting new princes and princesses, and throwing big parties for them. After awhile, the girl especially, didn’t like going to the parties anymore. Her sadness was growing and the boy didn’t know what to do about it; it only made him sad too. People would ask them, “When are you going to get a new prince or princess?” and the boy and girl would look at each other sadly, and quietly reply, “We don’t know.” And one day followed another. So many days went by, in fact, that people stopped asking, and the boy and girl didn’t mind. It was easier to not talk about it.

One day, the boy and girl decided to ask a medicine man for help. The medicine man was very kind and very knowledgeable about how to get a new prince or princess. The boy and girl were very happy because the visits gave them hope. They were diligent to do everything the medicine man said, even when some things were painful. Over the course of two years, the medicine man tried many things but still there was no new prince or princess. “There’s no reason you can’t have a new prince or princess and there is one more thing we can do,” he said, “but it is very costly and it might not work.” By then, though, the boy and girl were very sad again. They didn’t want to try this “one more thing” with no guarantee and they walked away from the medicine man, never to return again. After that, the days were long and very hard. And the days turned into years.

BUT the Great Physician was their friend and He gave them much comfort and strength to face each day.

The boy and girl faced many dragons. Some days, they stood side by side and chased the dragons away. Other days, if the girl was too sad to fight, the boy would chase the dragon away. Sometimes, even the boy was too sad, and the girl would chase the dragons away, always with the help of the Great Physician. The dragons always returned, though, knocking on the door. Sometimes, they were in disguise and tricked the boy and girl into letting them in. Those days were the scariest of all.

Then one day, the boy and girl realized something very important: All this fighting was making them strong. The dragons couldn’t trick them anymore. The boy and girl finally realized that they really were bigger, stronger, and smarter than any dragon. The Great Physician had been teaching them this truth and they didn’t even know it! That was an exciting day… and a great relief.

The boy and girl still wanted a new prince or princess but they had learned to trust the Great Physician and they weren’t sad anymore. One day, the Great Physician came to them and said, “I have a new prince or princess for you. But I have to ask you, do you trust me?” The boy and girl looked at each other. They wanted to answer the question carefully and truthfully. The boy and girl looked at each other and then turned to the Great Physician and said, “Yes, we trust you.” Then, the Great Physician smiled and said, “That’s good, because, if you will follow me, I am going to lead you down a long unfamiliar road. Some parts of the road will be bumpy but in the end, the road will lead you to your new prince or princess.” The boy and girl were really listening. “This road will take you to a far off land, where everything is different. In this land are many little ones waiting for a mommy and a daddy.” The girl started to cry a little bit and the boy listened carefully. Their spirits were renewed with hope and joy for the future. Then the Great Physician said something very important. He said, “Now I am changing your names. You are no longer ‘boy’ and ‘girl.’ You are ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy.’ You must see yourselves this way.”

And so, the new mommy and daddy followed the Great Physician to the faraway land where the new prince or princess (or maybe one of each) waited for them. The new mommy and daddy weren’t sad anymore and they realized that happily ever after does happen, even when there are big bumps in the road.

… the new mommy and daddy are still on that road to the faraway land and this fairy tale is still being written.

Notarizing! Round 1

2010-02-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

2 Original Dossiers

19 Documents Each

20 signatures per person

2 future parents

and 1 notary public

= 1 more step closer to our babies

Thank you to our dear friend Kim who signed and stamped away for us!