Our Family Tapestry

A hut under the stars

2008-09-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

(A guide leading us back to our hut the next morning.)

After meeting with the birth family, we had to leave quickly because it was getting dark and we had not yet reserved a "hut" for us to sleep in for the night! Both Yalfal and Kinetibeb seemed to be in good spirits when we left. They were waving goodbye and shouting, "Ciao! Ciao!" and were full of smiles while we were taking our last pictures with their family. The social worker told us that they would probably demonstrate a sense of relief when leaving since they can sense the tension but are still too young to fully understand what has happened.

We had about a 15 minute drive down a muddy and bumpy road where we all were bounced and jostled around the van like popcorn in a popcorn popper! We all have bruises to show for it! We were driving on an incredibly narrow dirt road navigating through the lush and dense African forest.

We saw so many amazing things on just the drive alone, one of which was a black panther that crossed our path and of course, monkeys galore!

By the time we arrived to the main hut to sign in, it was completely dark but we saw one hut situated in the middle of all the vegetation. All we had been told up until that point was that we would be staying at a lodge/hut where hyenas roam, so I was a little unsettled to say the least. As Brad went into the hut to sign in, I was wondering how we were all going to sleep inside the hut! I decided to take the kids inside the hut to check it out and come to find out, the hut was HUGE inside and absolutely gorgeous (and just the hut where you check in)! Soon, we found ourselves following a guide on a beautifully groomed pathway filled with gorgeous flowers and steppping stones that led us straight to our own thatched roof hut! It was so authentic and stunning from the outside, we all couldn't wait to see inside!

Once inside, it was truly a "one room hut" that had a couple of partitions that separated the main living area from the two bedrooms.

(These pictures are pretty bright because of the camera's flash compared to how dimly lit the hut was at nighttime.)

(Above and below are pictures of the two bedrooms...notice the laterns!)

There was a large wooden pole in the center of the hut and everything was supported from the pole. The roof was a woven thatched roof and the perimeter of the hut was woven cane with stone at the bottom base. There were three windows with wooden shutters and the only light came from laterns situated around the inside ledge of the hut. There was a small bathroom with white concrete walls, tile flooring, a small corner shower, water heater, porcelain sink and toilet, and of course, a window. It was an amazing experience and such an authentic, gorgeous place to stay!

After we checked everything out and got settled, we all walked down to a larger hut where they were serving dinner buffet style. They had many traditional Ethiopian dishes that Yalfal and Kinetibeb just gobbled up! At dinner, Kinetibeb had a major breakdown, but we were able to eventually comfort and soothe him; however, we were all sad seeing him so upset and wondering what all he was internalizing from the long and exhausting day. After dinner, we bathed the kids, took showers ourselves and were all thrilled to finally get some sleep! (Here is the "dining hut" to the right and the adjoining "kitchen hut". These pictures were taken the next morning so we could see them in the daylight.)

Very early the next morning, we discovered that the kids had accidents in their beds, so we bathed them again, and Brad, Aunt Brittany, the kids, Solomon (our driver), and a guide went on a hike to find hyenas!

(Solomon using a stick to "poke" into the hyena dens!)

(The dark mud pit in the center of the bushes is one of the many hyena dens they saw on their hike!)

They saw coffee trees and hundreds of raw green coffee beans, several hyena dens (but thankfully, no hyenas!), a scarecrow in the forest, and pineapple groves with real pineapples growing!

I stayed behind at the hut to have some downtime as I was extrmemely emotionally spent and needing some quiet time. It was exactly what I needed....by the time everyone came back, I felt refreshed, recharged and ready to meet the new day with more patience and resolve that I deeply needed!

(I had no idea what this new day would hold for us emotionally...more to come on that later!!)

Meeting the Birth Family

2008-09-13T23:42:00.000-05:00

(continued from Travel to Yirgalem - Part 2)

We finally pulled off the main dirt road onto a little tiny dirt "path" and we began to hear cheers of little children as they ran beside our van. They were yelling, "YALFAL! KINETIBEB!" and both of the kids perked up with curiosity while pressing their little faces against the windows to see who was calling them. They instantly began squealing with joy and calling out to the other children! It was just a wonderful moment to witness Yalfal and Kinetibeb recognize a small part of their past with such glee! Solomon pulled our van up in front of the orphanage that their grandmother had originally brought them to for care. As we got out of the van, sweet little hands were grabbing for Yalfal and Kinetibeb, but you could tell through both of their sweet smiles, they were beginning to feel insecure. (The little red gate of the orphanage in Yirgalem.)

Brad carried Kinetibeb tightly, while I carried Yalfal close to me and Brittany followed with the video camera. We were lead across some meager tree limbs that were placed across a dirt ditch leading to the gate of the orphanage. It was truly like walking across a tightrope and I was sure I was going to lose my balance and fall flat on my face in the dirt with Yalfal, but thankfully, I was helped across. There was a small little yard in front of the orphanage where I stopped briefly to make sure Yalfal's face was clean (and really to catch my breath as I was incredibly anxious about this meeting)! I am assuming Brad was just as nervous, since he had continued on to the entry of the orphanage unaware I had taken a "breather"!

I quickly caught up with him and together, we entered into the orphanage where our babies had been relinquished. It was a very sobering moment that I hadn't prepared for at all. I didn't expect the actual orphanage to hold such emotion for me. I didn't immediately see their grandmother since the room was so dimly lit and there were so many people standing around staring at us as we walked in (to which I still have no idea who all the people were)!

(Our driver, Solomon, with Yalfal. They both LOVED Solomon! He was wonderful with them!)

(The orphanage director in Yirgalem, Yalfal, and Solomon.)

Then, I saw this tiny little elderly lady covered in a dingy white wrap who was reaching out for Kinetibeb, so I immediately put Yalfal down to go to her grandmother. They were both a little reluctant to go to her as we had be prepared for, so I bent down and gently led Yalfal to their grandmother and Kinetibeb shyly followed. Their grandmother reached for them both and smothered them with love, hugs and kisses. She finally took a seat and situated the kids beside her with her arms tightly wrapped around them. You could see the bittersweet emotions she was experiencing as were we all. I really did not have any expectations of what she would physically look like, but was taken by her beauty and her gentle countenance. You could truly feel the deep love she has for Yalfal and Kinetibeb.

(This is the only picture I have decided to share since you cannot see their grandmother's face.)

Of course, the aroma of coffee was filling up the room as they were preparing a coffee ceremony for us at the back of the room. There was a translator available who was able to moderate our questions and comments between one another and we have the entire visit on video for Yalfal and Kinetibeb to watch at a later time. We were thankful we were able to give their grandmother a Bible in her native language, Amharic, as well as a photo album with all of the pictures we had received of Yalfal and Kinetibeb and pictures of our home, family members, the kids' rooms in our home, etc. We were able to see the beds where they both slept before they were taken to Gladney's Foster Care Center in Addis Ababa.

(Yalfal's bed at the orphanage)(Kinetibeb's bed at the orphanage)

Of course, there are so many more amazing details of our meeting but we have decided to keep those private for Yalfal and Kinetibeb. We think it is important for them to be the first people to hear these sweet personal stories of us meeting their birth family and their history when they begin asking questions in the near future.

It was truly a blessed time filled with precious details of their life before reliquishment, lots of love and affection and exchanging sweet blessings and prayers for one another. Even though we experienced many bittersweet moments, we know this opportunity was such a gift to us and our precious children!

Travel to Yirgalem - Part 2

2008-09-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

(continued from Travel to Yirgalem - Part 1) Well, I left off with us driving the long 6 hour drive to Yirgalem to meet the kids' birth family and they had finally fallen asleep in the van. Shortly thereafter, we stopped for lunch in Awassa which is about 45 minutes away from Yirgalem. The minute we drove up to the outdoor restaurant (which was situated on Lake Awassa), we were surrounded by all kinds of monkeys! Solomon had some wheat kernals we were all snacking on during the drive, so we offered some to the monkeys and they grabbed what they could right out of our hands! We walked down the drive toward the lake and there were these HUGE black and white monkeys that had these long gorgeous featherly-like tails! They were just as anxious to take part in our feeding frenzy!

We were all so giddy with excitement and amazed at how "African" our surroundings actually were while Yalfal and Kinetibeb seemed comfortably at home amongst the monkeys. (This is one of my favorite pictures! Kinetibeb was so brave until the "daddy" monkey jumped at him as the "mommy and baby"monkey look on from the background! Look at his face of terror! )(Safe in the arms of Daddy and it was all smiles and giggles for Kinetibeb!)

We met up with the social worker, Fasika, who would be translating for us when meeting the kids' birth family and finally were able to sit down to lunch outside on the porch of the restaurant overlooking Lake Awassa! It was breathtakingly beautiful! All of a sudden, monkeys descended upon us wanting more food! I got a little anxious and began to lean away from the monkeys while Yalfal turned around, scrunched up her little face and yelled, "CHIT! CHIT!" as she "shooed" them away with her hands! It was amazing! This continued to happen throughout the meal until the wait staff brought us a huge stick to swing at the monkeys when they got too close! We would swing our stick and they would leap into the trees literally swinging from the tree vines! After our late lunch, we let the kids run around for a little bit and then we packed up to head on to Yirgalem. The scenery from Addis Ababa to Awassa was very green, hilly, lots of African trees, somewhat paved roads filled with packed donkeys with a beautiful view of mountains in the background. However, the 45 minute-drive from Awassa to Yirgalem was totally different. The vegetation changed into tall, lush overgrown trees and bushes that definitely had a "rainforest" feel to it while riding on VERY bumpy red-dirt roads. Once entering Yirgalem, the dirt roads were filled with naked babies playing in the mud, barefoot children running alongside our van, mud huts with thatched roofs, donkeys packed with supplies, women carrying babies in slings on their backs and water pots on their heads, and men carrying tree limbs or bundles of banana leaves strapped to their backs or atop their heads. I have never witnessed such intense poverty so up close and that has affected me in such a personal way.A father & his children carrying a huge load of bananas dangling from a stick with his eldest son.Meeting the Birth Family to follow in next post...

Travel to Yirgalem-Part 1

2008-09-13T22:37:00.001-05:00

This morning, we ate breakfast early in the morning at our hotel and then waited outside for our driver, Solomon, to pick us up. He drove us to the Gladney foster care center to pick up the kids and when we arrived, all of the children were outside getting their hair washed and combed (and the girls were getting braids)! We heard the cutest little squeal and when we looked over, Yalfal was sitting on the porch stairs waving at us while getting her hair done by one of the caregivers. There were children everywhere on the front lawn, freshly bathed and clean ready for the day! It was great to see the older girls helping with the younger children and we even saw several 5 & 6 year olds braiding the younger little girls' hair. We have never seen little fingers move so quickly with the outcome being a head of beautiful braided hair!

Once they were all ready to go, we all hopped into our van and off we went to travel 6 hours south of Addis Ababa to Yirgalem where the children were born and lived with their family until May 2008. We were so excited to be able to travel with the children and spend lots of time with them, the drive was actually really fun! They were so entertaining and we were able to get to know them much better during our travel. We had stopped at the store to buy some crackers for them to snack on since they wouldn't eat the fruit snacks we brought with us and the Teddy Grahams we brought from home were running low...they LOVE Teddy Grahams! They kept saying, "Bis-coot! Bis-coot!" (which means "cracker" or "biscuit") and it was so precious to see them eating and so happy!The crackers (or "Crickers") were a hit!After we played for a long while and had some snacks, they both fell sound asleep in our arms and we were finally able to stare at them and study every little detail of their little sweet faces. They both have the longest eyelashes EVER!! She has the most beautiful heart-shaped lips and he has the greatest plump pucker! They are just stunningly beautiful and we are so incredibly proud of them (if you couldn't already tell)!

Travel to Yirgalem - Part 2 to follow...

Visit to the Orphanages

2008-09-11T22:38:00.004-05:00

Today was Ethiopia's New Year of 2001 (they are on the coptic calendar and 7 years behind us) and the streets were only half as crowded today as they have been since all the goats/sheep had been bought and slaughtered for the new year! Yesterday, we saw everyone on the streets purchasing their goat or sheep, binding its legs and throwing it on the roofs of their vehicles similar to how we strap down our Christmas trees to our cars! We witnessed one woman bind up the legs of her goat and then throw the goat upside down over one shoulder like a purse! It was pretty shocking to see that the goat was still alive and occasionally thrashing about over her shoulder but she didn't seem to mind that she was carrying her dinner home on her shoulder. Although these things seem strange to us, for them, it is their way of life. Once we arrived at Gladney's foster care center to pick up Yalfal and Kinetibeb for the day, the other children in the house came running and we are getting more attached and familiar to many of their friends! Inside the house resembled a bubble factory filled with giggles and squeals from all the bubbles the children were making and Brad warned us to stop at the entry and he would get Yalfal and Kinetibeb so we wouldn't slip on the bubble-slick floor! We were so pleased that they both acted thrilled to see us and welcomed us with big smiles and hugs! Yalfal was so excited to go wth us, she ran straight towards the gate to leave!

Today was a day to visit many of the orphanages in and around Addis Ababa and it was a very sobering experience. For those of you traveling soon, prepare your hearts and minds for this day. I am not sure any of us were prepared to see the conditions in which these precious orphaned children live in and call "home". It will probably be the only "home" they will know before they "age-out" and will be forced into the streets unless they are adopted, which for many of them, will never happen because of their age. It saddens me that these children are not known about by most people and that there is not an awareness about these "left behind" children from most people.
First, we visited the Kolfe Boys orphanage and as everyone, who has previously traveled, has said, we had such an amazing time with these young boys! These boys/young men are mature beyond their years as their youth has been cut short by their life experiences. When we drove up, it was raining but we were greeted immediately by a host of boys who were eager to meet us and offer their affections to us. They were perfect gentleman as they proudly guided us through their "home" which included all the different "bunk buildings" where they sleep separated by age groups, their kitchen where we met their "house mom" who cooks for them, and finally their "common room" where they eat, study, watch movies, play ball, and many other things in this huge cemented room. Once we entered the "common room", they began to do gym stunts, playing basketball (as many of us joined in as well!), playing with and chasing Yalfal and Kinetibeb and mostly, just wanting to talk and spend time with us. They wanted to know about America and you just couldn't meet these boys without just falling in love with them all! It was definitely the highlight of the day and as we left, we exchanged emails with many of the boys and delivered the care packages we were given from other families to which the boys were elated! We were touched most deeply by these boys who are so positive amidst their living conditions and who are so focused on their studies to which they understand the importance of their education. It was truly a blessing that we were able to spend time with them and get to know them if even for a short while. Our lives have been changed by meeting these amazing Kolfe boys!
We were also taken to an older girls orphanage and thankfully, their housing was much more adequate than we had seen at Kolfe. They girls were typical girls, very playful, friendly and excited to prepare their coffee ceremony for us! Their rooms were very clean and had posters of American movie stars and pop singers on their walls! It was amusing to see Britney Spears plastered on the walls of an Ethiopia orphanage! It made me want to collect posters of more wholesome people and send them to the girls! I have a feeling that they may not be so into Britney Spears but using her posters mainly just to decorate their walls with something!

We then arrived at the third orphanage which was the "home" for younger boys and girls. Driving into the gate was incredibly overwhelming as children came running in every direction. The grounds looked similar to a campground with crude housing for the children. For us, this was definitely the most upsetting to experience. Upon arriving, all of the children gathered around all of us and Ryan began handing our Beanie Babies and lollipops to all the children. It was craziness and excitement all at once. Yalfal and Kinetibeb had stuck close to us while visiting the other orphanages, but they began to strongly push away from us while watching the "gifts" being passed out. We were holding their hands not allowing them to stand in line to receive the "gifts" because we knew, now, the "gifts" were for the other orphans. In our hearts and minds, they were no longer orphans, they were our children who we had been providing for knowing that they didn't need to just "survive" anymore. However, seeing them forcefully break from us and run towards the "gifts" being handed out, demonstrated to us that nothing really had changed in their minds. It was sobering to witness this reality, and so the remainder of our time their was eye-opening, sad and stressful to say the least.
The drive home was very quiet as we were all pensive and processing our experience. We had been "stretched" in a way that took us by surprise and left us uncomfortable, discouraged, saddened, and heartbroken for these precious children. Many tears have been shed with a desparate desire to meet the needs of these children, but feeling overwhelmed and incredibly inadequate in knowing how to help. The Lord is sovereign and He knows their needs better than we do. I pray that we all will be open and obedient to how the Lord might use us to further His kingdom and bring glory to His name!

Hilton in Addis Ababa

2008-09-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

We are staying at the Hilton in Addis Ababa and are amazed at how nice the grounds are at the Hilton but it is situated right in the middle of hundreds of clay houses with tins roofs. Every direction we look off of our balcony is filled with these "dwellings" so close together they look like a sea of debris in front of a backdrop of gorgeous, lush vegetation and mountains! There is such a stark difference between the two. Here are some pictures from our hotel balcony:

The Hilton hotel's hot spring fed pool

Embassy Appointment

2008-09-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

Today, we were able to pick up Yalfal & Kinetibeb at the Foster Care Center early in the morning and when they saw us walk in, they immediately ran to us! They are getting more and more comfortable with us...another answered prayer!

After we played with their friends for a little bit and took more pictures, we left with the kids to head to the Embassy to secure their passports and visas. The drive to the Embassy was great with them (even though it was a very bumpy ride since it is very rainy here and the roads are muddy with potholes). They kept waving out the window and saying in the sweetest little voices, "CIAO! CIAO!" (meaning "good-bye"...and showing the Italian influence here since Ethiopia was once occupied by Italy).

Once we got to the Embassy, they became really reserved and shy, but probably more because they were tired since they both fell asleep. All the other families were called and taking only a few minutes, but after we were called and sworn in, answered a few questions, they told us their were problems with our paperwork and denied the kids passports and visas.

Belay told us that he knew the guy handling our case very well and said he was frustrated that he was giving us a hard time with our paperwork. Brad was very frustrated with the "run-around" the guy was giving us but said he had to refrain from really telling the guy what he thought of him because part of the paperwork we had submitted were Brad's employment letters and the guy had already asked Brad if "Pastor" was his primary job.

We will have to get more paperwork from the states and then resubmit on Friday since tomorrow is their New Year and everything will be closed down. (Ethiopians are on a coptic calendar and they are 7 years behind us, so tomorrow will mark the year 2001!) Pray we get this taken care of promptly so we do not have to stay any longer than we have planned for. After the Embassy, we drove to meet the rest of the Gladney staff and the other families at a restaurant called Top View. It had a gorgeous view of the city and great distinctive food. We were able to bring the kids with us since it was far enough away from the city. Under the new rules of the government, families traveling to Ethiopia to adopt are no longer allowed to bring their children out in public for various reasons. So they are not allowed to stay with us, so it is a treat everytime we are allowed to bring them with us! Yalfal and Kinetibeb were amazingly well-behaved and had their very first taste of chicken fingers and french fries (which they loved!!) and ketchup (which they both did not care for at all!!) After our lunch, everyone sat around to talk and Brad and Brittany took the kids around the front of the restaurant to play and run in the grassy areas! They had so much fun! After several hours there, we had to take them back to their foster home and they fell asleep on the way home. It was such a joy to be able to cradle them like babies and watch them as they comfortably slept in our arms! Such a blessing that we are so glad we got to experience so soon after being with them!Upon arriving at the foster home, Kinetibeb was very unsettled to go back. He clinched on to Brad's neck and wrapped his legs around his waist. It is so difficult to drop them back off and then waving good-bye to leave them. Tears always follow from us.As we walked into the foster care, all the children's laundry had been washed and hung to dry. Shoes were all lined up for the next day's wear and three new guests were at the home.....chickens!! They had been brought to the foster care center to slaughter for a feast tomorrow for New Year's!! I don't think the children knew they were chasing and playing with tomorrow's lunch!! When we entered the home, they had prepared a coffee ceremony for us and it gave us more time with the kids! We left with tears in our eyes, and headed to the baby house for another coffee ceremony with the other Gladney families and staff. It is a very intricate and long ceremony where the ladies roast the raw green coffee beans, crush them by hand and a staff, then pour the grinds into a beautiful Ethiopian coffee pot with boiling water over fire and burn Frankincense while the coffee brews. Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia and Frankincense can only be found in Ethiopia so they have much to be proud of!!

We concluded our time there by visiting all the babies and taking pictures of all the Ethiopian baby beauties! It was truly a wonderful day!! Tomorrow, we will visit three of the orphanages that Gladney places children from and we will be able to take Yalfal and Kinetibeb along with us! We are very excited for the opportunity to spend more time with them!!! Thank you all for your prayers and sweet comments! They are truly encouraging to us while we are far from home and experiencing so many emotions! The Lord is faithful!!!

Foster Home Visit

2008-09-09T16:57:00.002-05:00

Here are more pictures from Ethiopia...these were taken today when we were able to go to the kids' foster care home for the first time where they have been staying ....it was great to see them in their environment with all their friends and caregivers! They are really warming up and the minute they saw us, they ran to us! What a wonderful moment!! They are so precious!!! We love them more everyday! Thank you all for praying for us!

All of the children here in Gladney foster care center are beyond precious and just crave attention of love! They are all so sweet and will run right up to you and hug and kiss you. Many of the girls kept touching our face and wanted us touching them at all times. We had a wonderful day being able to spend many hours here and love on these precious children! Please pray for these children as they all really need homes and loving parents to raise them! Words cannot express the emotions we have experienced today...it was bittersweet.

We left there to meet the other Gladney families and In-Country staff at a restaurant called the Beer Garden Inn. It was wonderful to meet everyone but as I sat there thinking about Yalfal and Kinetibeb and how we had to leave them each day, my nerves kicked in and we had to leave because I wasn't feeling well at all! We were able to go back to the hotel and rest, and I began to feel better. Even though I feel I had prepared myself emotionally very well for this experience, the incredible emotions involved in this process are far more than one can imagine. We cannot imagine how both of the children are making sense of all this change in their lives. Children are resilient and we know we all are being bathed in prayer, so we are encouraged by that!

Please continue to pray as we finalize their visas tomorrow and then travel 6 hours south on Saturday to visit their grandmother in Yirgalem....We will be able to take them and it will probably be a difficult time for us all but definitely worth it in the long run! Many blessings!
Yalfal's caregiver, Yalfal, Brad, Kinetibeb, Kinetibeb's caregiver, and Kimberly

We've Arrived

2008-09-08T16:46:00.001-05:00

We flew out of Houston at 6:45pm on Saturday evening to Dubai on Emirates. It was such an amazing airline and the people were so accomodating! We had to board and deboard the plane from the tarmac and then take a shuttle to the actual airport in Dubai. When we got off the plane in Dubai, it was a sweltering heat that felt like our faces were in front of a car's exhaust pipe! Once in Dubai, we had a layover, inwhich Emirates automatically pays for a hotel, so we stayed overnight. We were so exhausted, we immediately ate a little something, showered and fell into bed! We were fortunate to have that layover so we were not so tired on Sunday. Early Sunday morning, we flew for 4 hours and arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!!

The view from the airplane flying over Ethiopia and one of their many lakes!

After getting through customs, and purchasing our visas, we were picked up by Ryan and Travis of Gladney. We walked down to meet our driver who drove us to the Hilton to check in and get our baggage in our rooms. We were able to freshen up for a little bit and then they drove us straight to the Gladney Foster Care Center. They brought Yalfal & Kinetibeb to the baby house so we could meet them without all the other children around.

When we arrived it was raining and we hurried inside and through the hallway, we saw Yalfal and Kinetibeb sitting quietly on the couch waiting for us. When we walked into the room, Yalfal smiled and ran to me with her arms raised to me. I scooped her up and she immediately put her hands on my face and kissed me smack dab on the lips!! She is so afffectionate and sweet! She also began to "discover" Brad and myself and the moment she laid eyes on the pink Ethiopian cross I was wearing, it HAD to be hers. She quickly removed it from my neck and around her neck it went! She kept putting it around her forehead and looking over at us smiling so big! It was so special to be able to give it to her! Kinetibeb sat quietly on the couch just watching us as Brad came over and picked him up. He was sporting a cute little girly sweater with flowers and did so with such security! Obviously, the orphanage does not dress the children in gender specific clothing, so we have many pictures of Kinetibeb in girly outfits! For the first hour, he was really quiet and stoic, just watching us so we tried to keep everything very low key for him. Yalfal began playing with us immediately and when Brad pretended to chase her, she burst out laughing with the cutest little giggle! Kinetibeb finally showed us his first little smile and quiet giggle. It was a turning point for us with him! He is just precious and so sweet. He loves to stand by and watch and take everything in. He is just beyond precious! As he warmed to us, his true personality emerged...a little mischievious one! Kinetibeb trying to "sneak" a drink from our water bottle! So funny!

We gave them some little animal figurines to play with and he absolutely LOVED his animals and would not put them down! They caregivers then served us tea and bread, and both of the kids drank the tea while it was still boiling hot and it never bothered them at all! They are used to drinking hot tea in the orphanage so they will fit right in with us at home as Brad and I both love hot tea!

We are even more smitten with them now and are so grateful for this amazing blessing in our lives!!!

There is so much more to tell but I know everyone really just wants to see pictures!! So here they are...enjoy!!! Finally some wonderful kisses for Mommy and Daddy!

Thank You!! Thank YOU!!

2008-09-05T23:45:00.004-05:00

There are so many people who have journeyed along with us in pursuing our children from Ethiopia as well as supported us generously in so many ways, so when everyone heard about the opportunity to provide items for us to bring over to Ethiopia with us, once again, the blessings were heaped upon us! As an adoptive family, we are required to bring with us $200 worth of humanitarian aid for the many orphanages in Ethiopia and since I used to sell died and appliqued onesies, we had packed 200 of them for our part of the humanitarian aid. However, our church (GRBC) began collecting items and several friends collected items as well and we were able to take 3 large 18 gallon Rubbermaid bins plus one large duffel bag full of items for the orphanages!!! We were overwhelmed with everyone's willingness to serve and now the orphanages will be filled with these items:

394 diapers
20 pairs of shoes
3 children's bowls
15 baby bottles
4 brown baby dolls
3 tubes of Desitin
1668 baby wipes
6 Brainquest sets
1 Papasan musical baby swing
3 umbrellas (for taking the sick children to the doctor during rainy season)
39 little girls' panties
25 little boys' underwear
3 bins of baby & children's clothing (before we put them into spacebags!)
1 can of formula
153 pairs of socks
200 onesies
16 paperback books (for the Kolfe older boys orphanage)
9 handmade bookmarks (my friend, Sheri's, children made them to go with the books!)
1 WeeSong music set
72 small tubes of toothpaste
86 child-size toothbrushes

All of these items are so needed in the orphanages and we are so honored to be able to deliver these wonderful gifts that we know will be greatly appreciated by the In-country staff, the caregivers as well as the precious children who will most importantly benefit from all of your generosity!!

Thank you does not begin to express our appreciation for all of you who made this possible!!

P.S. Our pediatric dentist, Dr. Jai Pothulari, generously donated 72 of the toothbrushes and 72 tubes of toothpaste without any hesitation when he found out about the need for dental care in the orphanages, so please don't hesitate to ask your child's dentist, pediatrician or any other offices or companies who could help provide necessary items! You may never know who would be willing to help if you don't ask!!

Sweet Update!

2008-08-18T10:10:00.003-05:00

Families are always traveling to Ethiopia at different times and since the Kennedys were traveling to pick up their precious little Addis, they offered to take care packages to Yalfal and Kinetibeb! For their care packages, I packed two large ziploc bags that were each filled with a coloring book and crayons, a disposable camera for the nannies to take pictures of each of them, a plush photo album with pictures of our family inside, stickers, little sparkly lip glosses and a doll for her and a cuddly little teddy bear and some toy cars for him!

When they visited the care center, they delivered the packages to Yalfal and Kinetibeb and this is what they said:

"Your children are ADORABLE!!! When we got there it was lunch time and they were all on the floor with their injera and chick peas. Apparently that is about all they eat! Not my favorite!!! The caregivers pulled them up onto the couch and we handed them the packages. They immediately started kissing them and hugging them. The caregivers told them they could open them so they did and they both went for the photo albums first so I sat on the couch with them and took turns with them on my lap going through them saying mama and daddy and talking to them about the pictures. They kissed the picture of you guys with your other kids without any prompting. It was so sweet. The caregivers were not translating except to say mama and poppa to them I guess telling them that the gifts were from you guys. The chap stick was also a hit. She loved it and her doll. He also loved the cars. He drove them all over the couch. We snuggled them for a long time. They are very loving and sweet. He seems a little more shy than she does but he was the fist one to run back up to us as we were leaving and pulled me down for a kiss and to kiss Addis. She quickly followed. Their personalities were truly so soft and sweet. They were not at all afraid of us though. They took right to us so I know they will do the same when you get to them. Some kids seemed scared of us and they did not at all. They both chased us out the door waving and smiling. I would not worry at all about them reacting to you. They will come right to you and love on you. I can't wait to hear about your trip. If you have any questions I would love to talk to you. I truly appreciate your prayers. It meant a lot to know we had so many people praying for us. I am praying for your kids and for your trip as well. Talk to you soon."

Here are several of my favorite pictures they sent us:

Both discovering their cameras

Yalfal looking at her dolly and Kinetibeb looking at his photo album

I absolutely LOVE their expressions in this picture! It is my favorite of the bunch!

They are looking at our family picture!

I cannot wait to receive more pictures from other traveling families!

NEW TRAVEL DATES

2008-08-14T14:34:00.002-05:00

"A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

There has been a change in our original travel plans.

We were so excited about our original travel dates being in that we were notified they day after our case passed through the Ethiopian court that we were to travel 2 weeks later! We had been waiting for so long to see our precious children and now we would get to do that in 2 WEEKS!!! However, after several days of trying to secure flights, our travel agent kept coming up short since all the flights on all the airlines were booked. We had one exception that allowed us to fly there on coach but we would have to fly back in business class. I was thrilled until we found out the cost of the flights would be well over $12,000!! This obviously was not including the remaining balance to our agency or lodging, etc. We were told that we could defer travel a week later to reduce our costs and availability on flights.

So, Brad called our case worker and long story short, our Embassy appointment got moved back 2 weeks later. The Embassy can only see 10 cases, per agency, per week and they were filled up for those two weeks. We were a little saddened by this, but we know the Lord is sovereign and is never "surprised" by these things!

We are now traveling SEPTEMBER 6 - SEPTEMBER 16!!

(Here are two of their referral photos for those of you who are like me and think that a post without pictures is just cruel!) Even though we will have to wait two additional weeks to see our children, delaying our travel has some benefits. It has reduced our flight costs by almost half for which we are so grateful! Also, Brad will not have to miss the first week of school as he serves as the new interim Headmaster of NCA and we will both be able to take Isabella and Elijah to their first day and week of school as well! Of course, it also allows us a little more time to prepare, pack, etc. And we know that Yalfal and Kinetibeb are thriving and being well taken care of and loved at the Gladney Foster Care Center in Addis Ababa! We are especially thankful for that!

As we don't want to post our exact flight schedule, we will be sending out an email to friends and family for those of you who would like to meet us at the airport upon returning home!

Also, we continue to gather Humanitarian Aid to bring with us to Ethiopia! For those of you who would like to contribute, here is a recent list of the orphanages' needs that are their priority right now:

1. Diapers (size 1,2 & 3)–need more of size 2

2. Wipes

3. Underwear and socks for older children (age 3-10 years)

4. Rain jackets for older children (age 6-10 yrs)

5. A few umbrellas for caregivers taking children to doctors, immigration appointments, etc.

6. Bouncy seats

7. Baby swings

8. 1 or 2 strollers (single or double stroller, not larger ones like ones at churches as to not draw attention)

9. Infant/toddler toothpaste and toothbrushes

10.Bottles (Gerber plastic, small and large size, solid colored bottles that come in a pack of several colors)

11.Infant Clothing (size 0-3 months)

Leave a comment or email me if you would like to contribute any of these items to the children in these orphanages! They are so thankful for anything they receive!

We are truly grateful to all of you who have asked how you can help and we have been blessed by your support!

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Happy Birthday, Elijah!

2008-08-12T22:36:00.001-05:00

Today was Elijah's 5th birthday and we are so proud of our BIG boy! He has been counting down the days until his birthday and was excited ALL day today, of course!

On the kids' birthdays, I always let them choose their favorite foods to eat during the day. Typically, for breakfast, they choose a new "sugary" cereal that they are not allowed to have except for on their birthdays. But today, Elijah said he wanted....Fiber One! He assured me that it was his favorite cereal, so when he asked for a second bowl, I obliged! I really wasn't thinking about the word "fiber" and its amazing results until he proudly said, "Daddy lets us have this cereal and he says it will help us go to the potty ALL day!" (as if he needs help in that department!) So, the cereal definitely lived up to it's name, as Elijah was thrilled that "Daddy was right!"

The rest of the day was filled with continued preparations for our trip to Ethiopia, along with "pirate" activities all day long ending with a little "pirate" dinner! Again, I asked Elijah what he wanted for dinner and he quickly stated, "Ummm, I think I'll have shrimp with noodles, some broccoli and "warm" (meaning "cooked") carrots!" What 5 year old asks for that for dinner?! So, that is what we fixed for him, served on a pirate's treasure map tablecloth, lemonade in a pirate's cup, with pirate's hats for all to wear during dinner! He LOVEs pirates right now, so he was really surprise and loved his "pirate's feast!"

After dinner, Aunt Brittany had made him some banana cupcakes (his favorite!) that were delicious, we all sang "Happy Birthday" and he ended the night sleeping in his new pirate pajamas and new CARS slippers!

(Every year on his birthday, I take his picture saluting at the camera while wearing Brad's West Point ring and hat in his pajamas to see how he has grown through the years.)

Although there are many more, here are 5 things I love about Elijah:
1) He is so affectionate and loving towards his family (a great snuggler)!
2) He prays diligently for his brother, Kinetibeb and his sister, Yalfal that they will come home soon!
3) He is so focused, determined and curious about things and how they work
4) He is incredibly ticklish and yells, "UNCLE WHO-WHO!" when he wants you to stop tickling him
5) He has such a clever sense of humor with the greatest giggle ever!

He is going to make such a wonderful BIG brother to Kinetibeb and Yalfal! He cannot wait to see them! Happy Birthday Elijah!! We love you!

TRAVEL DATES!!

2008-08-07T12:36:00.004-05:00

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:2-3

So, we passed through court on August 5th, but since so many other families were passing through too, our caseworker told us she would have to call us the next day to give us our Embassy date. Basically, Atticus Knox and Scarlett Paige are officially ours from the Ethiopian government's perspective and they can be brought out of Ethiopia, but could not (at this time) be brought into the United States until we go to our Embassy appointment.

Yesterday, Brad called around 2:45pm to tell me that our caseworker had called with our Embassy date and we will be traveling:

AUGUST 22-AUGUST 30!!!!!!!

"As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country."
Proverbs 25:25

We leave in TWO WEEKS!!!! We are incredibly joyful at such a quick travel date, but for many of you who know me, I am now in quite the panic mode!! We are trying to work out all the little details while our heads are still spinning; however, we will have both of the children in our arms in TWO WEEKS!!!! I have been waiting to hold and love these babies for so long even when the Lord had yet to reveal them to us, it is beyond surreal for us right now!

We have so much gratitude to our Lord who has guided us through this incredible journey and who will continue to guide our every step! We give the Lord all the glory!

Many of you have asked how you can pray specifically for us so, I have listed several things that need prayer. Please pray for:

1) Kinetibeb and Yalfal...that their little hearts are being prepared for this new and radical transition into a new world, culture, home, family and that they would bond with us, quickly feel safe and secure with us as their Mommy and Daddy.

2) Quick and efficient travel preparations, travel mercies and health for all during travel

3) Isabella and Elijah's very first day and week of school while we are away

4) Our Embassy date on August 27, 2008 that everything will be completed and run smoothly

5) Our financial obligations towards the adoption to be paid in full

6) Brad and I that we may be able to demonstrate our love to Kinetibeb and Yalfal in a way that is accepted and feels safe to them. Please also pray that we would remain dependent on Him while we travel and as we navigate this new and unknown transition/ chapter in our lives

7) The children's grandmother and her health that we might be able to meet her (and possibly other family members)to express our love and assurance of the children's safety. Please pray that we might be able to deliver a few items to the family including an Amharic Bible and that it will be accepted

8)The transition of two new precious children into our family, their acceptance among family and friends, and that the Lord would receive ALL the glory!

Thank you all for bathing us in prayer as we especially need it at this time!

"The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you." Psalm 116:5&7

Our Cup Runneth Over!!!

2008-08-05T14:15:00.004-05:00

"As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country." Proverbs 25:25

With extreme joy and overwhelming gratitude, Brad and I would love to announce the newest members of our family, our handsome little Kinetibeb whose name will be ATTICUS KNOX BAGGETT:...and our precious little Yalfal whose name will be SCARLETT PAIGE BAGGETT!We received the call at 12:00pm (on the dot) from our caseworker who called Brad's cellphone to deliver the great news!!!! They are officially and legally ours and our hearts are full! We will receive our Embassy date and travel dates tomorrow! We were told we should be traveling sometime later this month or early September!! Thank you for all your prayers and for loving us through this long journey!! We will be posting more pictures soon of our new children!!! We are now a family of 6 and couldn't be more overjoyed!!! The Lord is faithful and we are so humbled by His provision and blessings!

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.” Isaiah 43:5

Prayers for our Court Date

2008-08-04T15:02:00.004-05:00

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35 - 36

As many of you know, our court date is set for tomorrow, August 5th, and if our court date is successful, we will legally be the parents of Y and K!!! Please pray with us for the outcome of our court date as well as many other families who will also be going through court tomorrow!

We have recently received an email from our agency stating that the Ethiopian courts will actually be closing one day earlier (August 7th) than originally expected, so the courts will stop hearing cases on the 6th of August. This means that if our court date is not successful, we will have to wait throughout the rainy season (August 8th-September 29th) for the courts to reopen in early October to re-hear our case. We, of course, would be very sad if that happened and we would have to wait even longer to bring Y and K home, but we are trusting in the Lord's perfect timing as He has planned from the beginning!

We will be posting tomorrow on the outcome of court, and if we are successful, there will be LOADS of pictures I will post for your viewing pleasure!!

We received an update on Y and K this morning and here is what it said:

“Y and K are beautiful, playful and energetic! They both like their friends and each other and are generally out going. Today "K" was sluggish after lunch and "Y" was energetic but as many differences as they have; they have as many similarities! They have many ‘gender specific’ characteristics and are precious together or apart! I confirmed that "Y" is ticklish but found "K" on the potty, so I left him alone. With all their other similarities, I will assume he is ticklish too!"

We are so excited because since our referral, K has gained one pound and Y has gained 4 pounds!!! We also received some of the most precious pictures where they both look much happier, healthier and definitely have "life" back in their little eyes! We just love them so much and cannot wait to be their Mommy and Daddy!!!

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 12

Vaccination Fun!

2008-07-24T23:50:00.008-05:00

Today, Brad and I went to get our shots to travel to Ethiopia. Yes, most people get their shots while in the process of adopting (during the dossier process or right thereafter). Except us. We have been in this adoption process for 2 1/2 years and we still haven't been vaccinated! But really for good reason.....I have researched all the shots we could possibly receive and have asked endless numbers of people, endless numbers of questions, endless numbers of times about our vaccinations. It has always kind of scared me about getting EIGHT vaccinations and having all those "ills" swimming around in our bodies! The CDC only requires people traveling to Ethiopia to receive the Hep A series and we have been told if we only stay in Addis Ababa (where the elevation is higher with no incidence of mosquitos, etc.) we won't have to get the other vaccinations. However, now that we have our referral and know that we might be able to travel south to meet our children's birth family, we might be suseptible to other diseases to which we need to be vaccinated.

Here is the long list of vaccines: Hep A & B series (meaning 2 or 3 shots spaced out between several months), Polio, Tetanus, Meningitis, Tetanus, Typhoid, Yellow Fever and Malaria (which are actually in pill form).

Brad has always been of the mindset, "Just load us up with everything just in case", but I have always been a little more leary. I had printed off the Adult Vaccination Chart of when and what vaccinations adults should have and brought it with me (the nurses just looked at me like I was a complete LOON!) But honestly, who can remember when you were last vaccinated for Tetanus or Polio??

So, we were in the doctor's office and I kept saying, "But didn't we have to be vaccinated for (fill in the blank) when we went to college??", as Brad was getting more annoyed at me saying, "Look, both of your arms will just be sore for a few days....no big deal! It is worth getting ALL the shots!" And while I really do agree, I just wanted the doctor to tell us it is being OVER-precautious to get all these shots.....but he didn't.

So, we left his office with 2 shots (one in each arm) of Hep A and Hep B. He said we need to come back to receive the rest at a later time before we travel. That seemed really nice to me since I think he was trying to give us a compromise (or maybe just wanted us to pay another copay which never really occured to me until now)!

So guess whose arms are NOT sore one bit and guess whose arms and neck started getting stiff an hour after the shots?

Yes, I am typing this post in a semi-paralyzed state. Wonder what the morning holds for me?

Breakfast in Bed!

2008-07-21T23:37:00.000-05:00

Look what I woke up to this morning...........breakfast in bed!!!

For the past few weeks, both of the kids have been getting up in the middle of the night and crawling into our bed for various reasons. The reasons range anywhere from "I'm scared!" to "I think the bathroom nightlight is going to catch the whole house on fire!" to "I thought you might be cold, and I could make you all 'warmy' (as Elijah calls it)". I told them that they are keeping us up at night and it makes us really tired the next day. So, they both got up early this morning and made me a wonderful breakfast of pretzels, a granola bar and a nectarine with a glass of water! As you can see, they brought it to me on Isabella's Strawberry Shortcake tray accompanied with a "Good Morning!" note....so cute!

Best. Kids. EVER!

COURT DATE!!!!

2008-07-17T19:00:00.002-05:00

“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”
Job 9:10

Brad called Natalie this afternoon to ask a few questions and she tells him that she has good news! She proceeded to tell him that we have been issued a court date on....

AUGUST 5th!!!

We cannot believe we received a court date so soon, but we are rejoicing that things seem to be moving along!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we are hopeful for a successful court date! If our court date is successful, Y and K will be legally our children and we could be traveling to Ethiopia by the end of August to bring them home!!!!

"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17

Two Precious Blessings!!!

2008-07-12T21:21:00.006-05:00

After two years of praying and waiting for the Lord to reveal our children to us, we received a phone call from our social worker yesterday at 12:53 PM giving us the news of our referral of our precious little ones. It was one of the most (if not the most) surreal and emotional day I have EVER experienced! Let me fast forward and give the important details first:

Our referral was for a boy and girl, both 3 1/2 years old, not twins but first cousins, one month apart! I don't think I am allowed to post their names yet (and I know I am not allowed to post their pictures) until they are legally our children, but please trust me when I say that they are incredibly beautiful and just perfectly precious! We are over-the-moon, our hearts melting, in LOVE!! I cannot even express our urgent desire to travel quickly to love on them and bring them home!!!

Okay, so backing up.....I had basically resigned to the fact that with everything going on with the courts, we would not receive our referral until the fall, court in the winter and travel in February '09!!! I did not want to expect any sooner and get disappointed!

Brad was home today, and in the kitchen, while I had just sat down to check my email. My mailbox had reached 1,000 messages and no more could be delivered so I was a little annoyed at having to clear everything off and wondering if I had missed an important email. I saw a bazillion emails from our adoption yahoo group with the title, "GREAT NEWS!", and I started to get anxious trying to figure out what the GREAT NEWS was! I quickly started reading and then I saw an email from our caseworker, and quickly opened it. I scanned the email that says that there has been some movement in the cases and so our agency will be issuing referrals.....TODAY!!! (except I thought it said next week for some reason!!) So, I ran screaming into the kitchen to tell Brad the news (my heart racing) and yelled at him to come into the study so I can read the email to him. As I am reading the email, I realize it says, "TODAY" and I immediately try to prepare myself that I won't be called today (again, so I won't get disappointed). We talked about it for a minute and then he went back into the kitchen.

I felt so sad and anxious, I decided to pray about it except I didn't even know what to pray for! I thought, "Do I pray (or more like BEG!!) that the Lord would deliver our referral today?" or "Do I pray for patience?" (since I was just positive our referral would be months away!). So, as I was praying for both, the phone rang at 12:53 PM! Thinking it was my sister calling from her new job (and the Caller ID said "Out of Area" instead of "Unknown" like many people have said our agency's number pops up as), I picked it up with ease. I heard Natalie (our caseworker) speak and even though my heart fluttered a little, I convinced myself she was calling about needing a paper signed that we had not yet emailed her. As soon as she said she was calling with our referral, I lost all time and space!! Literally, time stood still! I immediately went into the "Ugly cry" asking her if she was serious!? She assured me she was and I ran into the kitchen screaming to Brad that Natalie was on the phone and we have our referral! Poor thing....his face went ghostly white and the kids started cheering! We both ran into the study and grabbed the other phone. I had to let Brad take over the whole computer thing since I seriously could not funtion. It was the most bizarre feeling ever! She emailed us the pictures and documents on the children but my computer said it would take 48 MINUTES to download everything!! We promptly moved to Brad's email and when he pulled up the pictures of the kids, I truly believe our hearts skipped a beat! We both cried and kissed and hugged and cried some more! We then quickly opened the other documents and she went over every detail with us (which was wonderful!!) About 3/4 of the way through, I totally blanked out. I was in complete overload and I was needing to digest everything that was just given to us. And, really, I just wanted to stare at their pictures! We were on the phone with her for about an hour and afterwards, Brad and I got to stare at their faces and spend some precious sweet time together basking in the blessings from the Lord!

We then began to call everyone and I did not get off the phone until 12:30 AM!! I had sent out an email with a few of their pictures around 9:45 PM since I realized I wouldn't have enough time to call everyone! I always wondered why families wait several hours and sometimes even days to post about their referral....and now I know why. It is the most amazing experience that I know of but also an incredibly emotional one that drains you quickly. I cannot even begin to imagine what we will experience when we actually travel to Ethiopia and meet them, hold them, love on them, etc. but I cannot wait!!!

I am sure I will be posting updates soon! We are praising the Lord for His continuous guidance and blessings during this process!! Please pray for us during this time as we continue prepare ourselves and our hearts for these precious children whom we already love as our own! Please also remember the children, as their story is one of sadness and, I am sure, feeling incredibly lonely, scared and grievous. Please pray that we might receive a quick and successful court date so we can travel to Ethiopia soon and bring them home!!!

"He will bring things about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords" 1 Timothy 6:15

"Submit to God"

2008-06-25T13:49:00.002-05:00

"Submit to God" - Job 22:21 (from Morning and Evening)

If we honestly want to "submit to God and be at peace with Him," we must know Him as He has revealed Himself, not only in the unity of His essence and substinence, but also in the plurality of His persons. God said, "Let us make man in our image" - don't be content until you know something of the "us" from whom his being was derived. Make an effort to know the Father; bury your head in His bosom in deep repentance, and confess that you are not worthy to be called His child; receive the kiss of His love; let the ring which is the token of His eternal faithfulness be on your finger; sit at His table and let your heart delight in His grace. Then press forward and seek to know much of the Son of God who is the brightness of His Father's glory, and yet in unspeakable condescension of grace became human for our sakes; know Him in the singular complexity of His nature: erternal God, and yet suffering finite man; follow Him as He walks the waters with the tread of deity, and as He sits upon the well in the weariness of humanity. Don't be satisfied unless you know much of Jesus Christ as your Friend, your Brother, your Husband, your all. Do not forget the Holy Spirit; endeavor to obtain a clear view of His nature and character, His attritubutes, and His works. Behold that Spirit of the Lord, who first of all moved upon chaos, and brought forth order; who now visits the chaos of your soul, and creates the order of holiness. Behold Him as the Lord and giver of spiritual life, the Illuminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the Sanctifier. Behold Him as, like holy unction, He descends upon the head of Jesus, and then afterwards rests upon you who are like the skirts of His garments. Such and intelligent, scriptural, and experimental belief in the Trinity in Unity is yours if you truly know God; and such knowledge brings peace indeed.

Diverse World Composition

2008-06-13T15:25:00.004-05:00

If the entire world were a village of 100 people, what would it look like?

Do you know?

Here are a few facts about those 100 people courtesy of Dr Donella Meadows

57 Asian, 21 European, 14 from the Western Hemisphere, 8 African

52 Female, 48 Male

70 Non-white, 30 White

70 Non-Christian, 30 Christian

89 Straight, 11 Gay

6 people hold 59% of the world's worth (all from the US)

80 live in substandard housing

70 are unable to read

50 suffer from malnutrition

1 has a college education

1 has a computer

32 Weeks

2008-06-06T20:37:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in over a month and I am so far behind in posting my entries. Since everything has come to a halt, I haven't really felt like posting them. Several of you have been asking if I have quit blogging, so I have decided to catch up in my post, especially since the whole reason I have this blog is to chronicle our adoption journey for our children and to keep family and friends updated on our adoption. So, I continue.....

Here at 32 weeks and we continue to wait. Somedays I feel like I have all the patience in the world and other days are filled with anxiety. Since my sister, Brittany, has been living with us, she has helped me tackle many of my "projects" during this waiting period. And since she is a movie buff, we have watched "many-a-movie". However, we have a rule (okay, really it is my silly rule) that we must always be working on completing a "project" while watching a movie (most of the time, we follow our rule...sometimes, we don't!) So, in an attempt to honor our favorite movies, we took WAY too much time and created this number 32 with our favorite DVDs!

Can you spot some of our favorite movies? (and notice I said "some" since we couldn't fit all of our favorites!!)

1st Purchase

2008-06-05T22:33:00.002-05:00

I haven't bought anything for the kids during this entire process and it has been killing me! When we were in the China program, I began to buy all sorts of things in anticipation of bringing home our little girl. During that time, we actually knew a little more specifically "who" we were buying for....a little girl 0-12 months. Since we switched countries, I have been hesitant to buy anything since "who" we are buying for is a little more vague....siblings, either gender, under three years. I have run the gamut on the different combinations of gender and age I can think of and there are so many possibilities, so I have held off on the "buying" side of things....until now! I have been "eyeing" these adorable Amharic bean bags from Amharic Kids that have the colors and numbers on them with the English and Amharic language (as well as the Amharic spelling), so I took the plunge and bought them.

I also bought an Amharic language book so we can know some basic words if we should need to know them. I figured that they were very universal as far as age and gender and would be a really neat thing to have anyway. This is probably all I will buy (for now) until we receive our referral. However, I have made a spreadsheet (I LOVE spreadsheets!) of all the items I want to buy for the kids as well as all the many sites I have come across during this long wait!

And, no, Brad does not know about the spreadsheet (although he probably assumes I have one)!

Hangin' on!

2008-06-04T23:21:00.000-05:00

This picture cracks me up but sure gives a great picture of how we are feeling right about now!!! Isabella was playing outside and yelled for me to look outside our master bathroom window. When I looked, I couldn't stop laughing as she had ever so gingerly "hung" her baby's hands (that are formed into a baby's grip) from our zipline! It has given me such joy looking at this picture and the one below!This picture was taken after she took her other baby and hung her arms over the zipline since her hands were in tight fists! By the way, her babies are girl and boy twins, Joy and Loy! (I guess she is getting ready for her brother and sister!)

31 Weeks

2008-05-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

Do you ever find yourself collecting buttons around the house that no one ever knows where they came from? In our home, I probably pick up a button every day with no one to claim it, so it goes in my button box. I have come to love buttons since they are all unique and are so colorful (especially when you have kids and their clothes tend to have the cutest little buttons!) So in anticipation of two new children in our home, (bringing two times the "floating buttons"!), we made a number "31" with all of our fun little buttons!

30 weeks and......

2008-05-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

.....still waiting. As the kids were snacking on the left over dried fruit(papaya, pineapple and cranberries) from our granola, we decided to make a number "30" with it! Another Gladney family, the Fournet Family, just received their referral on Wednesday for 11 month old boy and girl twins, so we shouldn't be waiting much longer!! At least, I hope not too much longer!!

Yummy Granola!

2008-05-19T20:18:00.000-05:00

I had happened upon a recipe for homemade granola that looked really good, so last week, Brittany, the kids and myself decided to give it a try. Here is the recipe below:

Yummy Granola
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil

Mix together and spread over a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes turning every 10 minutes or so.

Elijah pours in the rolled oats.....

Isabella pours in the shelled pumpkin seeds......
...then the almonds and coconut!

Of course, I didn't really follow the recipe completely as I decided to add some other ingredients that I thought would be a great addition! Since the kids love dried fruit, we added some dehydrated banana chips, diced dried pineapple chunks, dried cranberries, and diced dried papaya (about 1/4 cup of each)!
Isn't it so pretty?!

29 weeks

2008-05-16T23:55:00.005-05:00

These are the rose petals from the flowers the kids gave me from Mother's Day last week. They were dying so we put them to good use and the kids loved pulling the petals off the stems!

So far, 29 weeks have come and gone and we continue to wait for our referral. Every day brings a new emotion in this process whether we are waiting anxiously or patiently. The idea of a new brother and sister is somewhat fading from Isabella and Elijah's thoughts. They pray for them at every meal, during our morning prayers and at bedtime religiously, but it is almost like they are aimlessly repeating a stock prayer when it comes to their "babies in Ethiopia". Then, a couple of days ago, Isabella told me she wanted 7 children but she didn't want to adopt because it takes too long. It allowed us to talk to both of them about waiting on the Lord and how precious His plan and timing is for our lives! But, it made me sad that I had neglected to realize that even though they are so young, they are being affected by this wait as much as we are.

Some days, at random times, I can hear Isabella quietly talking to the Lord asking Him to bring home her brother and sister from Africa. The Lord is not only working on us but He is shaping our children as well by teaching them to petition Him and to "pray without ceasing". During this time of waiting on the Lord it is sometimes easy to get lost in what we want or desire instead of spending this time in constant fellowship with our Lord. He is faithful and true and He will unite are children with us at His perfect ordained time! In the meantime, I will rest in the encouragement of this passage:

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." Lamentations 3:22-26

Launch Ethiopia

2008-05-14T16:54:00.001-05:00

I received this email about the Launch Ethiopia project from the Red Letters Campaign:

Subject: Launch Ethiopia Project

Tom Davis and Children's Hopechest are doing a conference call THIS THURSDAY, May 15.

If you are interested in what RLC is doing and the Launch Ethiopia Project we would LOVE for you to call in and have a chance to hear for yourself what is going on. The RLC representatives will be on the call and we want to hear from you.

We will be discussing the need, strategy, next steps, and the vision trip.

Time: Thursday, May 15, 9AM MDT (make sure you translate the time difference)
Conference Dial-in Number: (712) 432-1620
Participant Access Code: 1083603#

If you are going to participate please RSVP to daniel@hopechest.org

Feel free to post this on your blog if you would like to help spread the word for RLC. Thanks and I hope you can be a part of this exciting journey with us.

Red Letters Campaign

2008-05-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

Please watch this video to learn about the Red Letters Campaign!!

I am so excited about the Red Letters Campaign!! It is a wonderful grassroots campaign that began with Tom Davis' book Red Letters: Living A Faith That Bleeds and is partnering with Children's Hope Chest! This will hopefully gain immediate and widespread attention! I am looking forward to working alongside many others who share our passion for orphans!

Tom Davis

2008-05-12T22:08:00.002-05:00

I am not sure how many of you have heard of Tom Davis, but I had never heard of him until Brad and I started this journey of adoption. Two years ago, when we were pursuing an adoption in China through AWAA, I happened upon a book called Fields of the Fatherless that was written by Tom Davis. Here is an excerpt:

In this world you are an orphan—
eagerly anticipating your adoption as God’s child.
In this world you are a widow—
longing for reunion with your Bridegroom.
In this world you are a stranger—
a pilgrim waiting to become a citizen of heaven.
And in this world, God has called you to care for the orphan, the stranger, and the widow.

Fields of the Fatherless is a journey that brings you back to what Christianity is all about:
Giving yourself to others
Being Christ to a hurting world
And living for the one that comes next.
It was an amazing book that spoke so deeply and profoundly about orphans and my passion grew even more for adoption! One day, as I shared about this book to one of AWAA's staff, she shared with me that Tom Davis was actually her brother-in-law!! She was able to share more details about his passion and many of the trips he had taken already along with some future trips he would make all to help the people and children in suffering from extreme poverty, etc.

She told me about his vision with Children's Hope Chest and gave me the link to his blog so I could follow all his efforts! (If you go to his blog, make sure you watch the videos on the right side panel of his blog! You will be changed!) I have been following his blog for some time now and I continue to be humbled by his selfless servant's heart he has for those less fortunate than him. He has such a love for people and a determination to help them and bring awareness to others!
He has written another book called Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds that was published back in September 2007. I was really excited when I watch the video promo for the book and the many excerpts I have read from this book proves to be deeply convicting and honest. I bought it for my sister when she came to live with us several months ago and I am looking forward to reading the entire book instead of just the excerpts!

I urge you to pick up a copy today and get involved with the work he is doing for the "least of these". Also, check out his blog....you will be glad you did!

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Matthew 25:45

Now What?

2008-05-10T18:05:00.001-05:00

Week 28

2008-05-09T23:12:00.001-05:00

This week I decided to look up the number 28 just for "grins and giggles" and see what I found and I found the following on Wikepedia:

It is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14.
Twenty-eight is the second perfect number. As a perfect number, it is related to the Mersenne prime 7, since 22(23 - 1) = 28. The next perfect number is 496, the previous being 6.
Since the greatest prime factor of 282 + 1 = 785 is 157, which is more than 28 twice, 28 is a Størmer number.
Twenty-eight is a harmonic divisor number, a happy number, a triangular number, a hexagonal number,and a centered nonagonal number. Twenty-eight is the sum of the first five prime numbers, and the sum of the totient function for the first nine integers.
It appears in the Padovan sequence, preceded by the terms 12, 16, 21 (it is the sum of the first two of these).
It is also a Keith number, because it recurs in a Fibonacci-like sequence started from its base 10 digits: 2, 8, 10, 18, 28...
Twenty-eight is the third positive integer with a prime factorization of the form 22q where q is an odd prime.
Twenty-eight is the ninth and last number in early Indian magic square of order 3.
There are twenty-eight convex uniform honeycombs.

Absolutely none of this makes sense to me, but what struck me was that the "28" is the second "perfect" number (only after "6" which is the first perfect number).....Since we have already passed week "6", week 28 just seems the "perfect" time for our referral! However, if week 28 passes by, surely we won't have to wait for the next "perfect number" week seeing as it is number 496!!!

Rash of Referrals!!!

2008-05-09T21:03:00.002-05:00

After what has been a seemingly dry season of activity in the referral department, a string of referrals brings hope and excitement to everyone!! Chris and Shasta, Christine, Zach and Erin, and Chad and Susan all received referrals this week and we are thrilled for each one of them!!!

There have been several court dates revealed (finally!!!) and several families who have just returned home with their precious cargo!! The Treat family brought home precious Samuel, Angie and Anil brought home adorable little Noah Arone, and the Roberts family brought home their gorgeous little girl, Maleah! With each little child that is brought home, our hope is renewed and our trust in the Lord's timing grows even stronger! We are so thankful that so many of these precious children are being brought home with a bright future ahead of them!

"Who has blessed us.....

2008-05-09T10:23:00.001-05:00

....with every spirtual blessing." Ephesians 1:3

All the goodness of the past, the present and the future, Christ gives to His people. In the mysterious ages of the past the Lord Jesus was His Father's first elect, and in His election He gave us an interest, for we were chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world. He had from all eternity the perogatives of Sonship, as His Father's only-begotten and well-loved Son, and He has, in the riches of His grace, by adoption and regeneration, elevated us to sonship also, so that to us He has given "power to become the people of God." The eternal covenant, based upon surety and confirmed by oath, is ours, for our strong consolation and security. In the everlasting settlements of predestining wisdom and omnipotent decree, the eye of the Lord Jesus was ever fixed on us; and we may rest assured that in the whole roll of destiny there is not a line which militates agaisnt the interest of His redeemed. The great betrothal if the Prince of Glory is ours, for it is to us that He is betrothed, as the sacred nuptials shall before long declare to an assembled universe. The marvelous incarnation of the God of heaven, with all the amazing condescension and humiliation which attended it, is ours. The bloody sweat, the scourge, the cross, are ours forever. Whatever blissful consequences flow from perfect obedience, finished atonement, resurrection, ascension, or intercession, all are ours by His own gift. Upon His breastplate He is now bearing our names; and in His authoritative pleadings at the throne He remembers our persons and pleads our cause. His dominion over principalities and powers, and His absolute majesty in heaven, He employs for the benefit of them who trust in Him. His high estate is as much at our service as was His condition of absement. He who gave Himself for us in the depths of woe and death, does not withdraw the grant now that He is enthroned in the highest heavens.

In all my sadness and trying to somehow calm my anxious heart during this wait for our children, this morning's devotional was just as timely as it was encouraging. The very first line ("All the goodness of the past, present, and the future, Christ gives to His people.") put my heart at ease knowing that the Lord will provide as He has always done. How can I forget all the precious blessings He has given to me? And yet, so many times, I do forget who He is and what He has done for me; complaining rather than being thankful. I am slowly learning what contentment is in the Lord. I am constantly reminded of His sovereignty in all things, that He has already orchestrated things I can and can't see and that He is the true Comforter!

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Laminin?

2008-05-05T23:47:00.002-05:00

Do you know what it is? I had never heard of it until I saw this video of Louie Giglio on Emily's blog and just had to share it here as well! Louie Giglio used to lead a worship and Bible study time at the Hippodrome in Waco called CHOICE when I was at Baylor. He went on to share his passion for God's Word in Atlanta and brought together thousands of young people in a 4-day conference called Passion! He is still as charismatic and passionate as he always was years ago! Please watch this video as it is pretty amazing!

27 weeks

2008-05-02T23:30:00.000-05:00

No news to share. We continue to wait as week 27 concludes. The kids made this number "27" with Play-Doh. We are all sad.

143 million orphans

2008-04-29T16:35:00.001-05:00

Here is a post from another adoptive family blog that I frequent and I think this has been circulating for a while now, but I thought it was very interesting!

There are 143 million orphans in the world, according to UNICEF.
There are 2 billion people who consider themselves Christians in the world, according to government censuses.
All of these Christians are adopted, according to the Bible:
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:14-17

However, less than half of the 143 million orphans are adoptable because of insufficient paperwork (birth and death records, for example), religious laws forbidding adoption to Christian families (Muslim orphans), poor relations between the US and the orphan's government, or lack of a transparent adoption system in place to guarantee ethical adoption (Cambodia). Therefore, if only 7% of Christians chose to adopt ONE child, all 143 million of the world's orphans would have a permanent safe home! And since this is unrealistic because of the above listed reasons, if only THREE-yes- 3% of the world's Christians adopted ONE child, all adoptable orphans would have a permanent safe home and a forever family. WHAT?! That's all it would take?!

Disclaimer: I firmly believe that not everyone is called to adopt-Christian or not. But I also firmly believe that, at the very least, 3% of 2 billion Christians have been given this calling, especially since scripture defines the mark of pure Christianity as caring for orphans (see below)! It's simply a matter of obeying the call and returning the enormous gift of adoption that God has given us to a child who needs a home.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27.

Ethiopian Easter

2008-04-27T16:25:00.006-05:00

Ethiopian Easter, or Fassika, takes place in Ethiopian Orthodox churches throughout the country and celebrates the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead after being crucified. It usually falls after Easter in the western calendar. It is a much more important festival than Christmas, and involves 55 days of severe fasting without meat or dairy. (They do get weekends “off,” so it’s really 40 days, like Catholic Lent.)

Palm Sunday or Hosaina happens the Sunday before Fassika. This day marks the beginning of Holy Week and celebrates the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Ethiopians wear headbands of palm leaves on this day to remind them of the palm leaves that were laid in Jesus' path.

This is a climactic celebration. Fasting becomes more intense over the 55-day period and the truly devoted do not eat between Thursday prayers and Easter morning. Easter Friday is a day of preparation and church-going. On Easter Eve, the main religious mass takes place. People come to church with candles and all Ethiopians wear traditional white clothes, called yabesha libs. It can be a sombre and sacred event. Or, in places, anticipation builds until — with a noisy rush of sound and momentum — candles are lit from person to person, out the windows of the church and all the way out of town.

After the Saturday night service (which winds up early Easter morning), people can return home where they will break their fast with the slaughtering of a chicken or sheep (or both). During all their holidays, Ethiopians eat a huge special sourdough bread called Dabo. They bake enough to offer a slice to everybody who visits the house. On Easter morning, the bread should be cut, after saying a prayer, by a priest or by the main man of the house.

26 weeks and I-fest!

2008-04-25T23:45:00.003-05:00

Today is the passing of one more week and we find ourselves still waiting at 26 weeks. Normally, Fridays always seem a little disappointing since it marks the end of another week without our referral. However, this Friday we were especially looking forward to because we were inviting to join the Gladney staff at the Blue Nile restaurant in downtown Houston! We received an email a couple of weeks ago asking if we would like to meet them and some other families in the Ethiopia program and we were thrilled to have this opportunity tonight! The Gladney staff was in town to attend I-Fest or the International Festival. Every year, I-Fest spotlights a different country and this year, the theme was called "Out of Africa"! The festivities spanned over 2 weekends, I believe, with the festival concluding this weekend. We arrived at the restaurant a little late (no surprise to most people who know us!), we had never been to the Blue Nile before, and we had never seen nor met any of the people there! When we walked in, we were trying to get oriented to where we needed to sit, who was who, etc., when a bright, smiley Natalie walked up and introduced herself! She was so sweet and they all "scooched" down to make room for Brad, Brittany, the kids and myself! The kids were painfully shy at first but very soon warmed up after a while chatting up about their new dog, their new "brother and sister", and many other things!

I was able to not only meet Natalie, but Mary, Tonia, Anne, and Jessica were all there! It was nice to be able to put faces with names finally! I had great time with them all but had the wonderful opportunity to share sweet conversation with Natalie and Mary. We were able to share our hearts with each other and it made me feel even more grateful for all the priceless work they are doing on our behalf! These women truly have a heart for bringing home our children and they are so invested in their work, you can see the pure joy on their faces when they speak of adoption and how they feel honored to be a part of it all!

L to R: Mary, Tonia, Natalie, Anne, & JessicaThe dinner was a traditional Ethiopian meal that we all shared family style. The kids were a little bewildered where their plates and forks were, but when we told them that they use their hands to eat with, Elijah began to "dig in"! He was grabbing the injera, tearing off HUGE pieces and helping himself to everything on the plate! He loved every bit of it which was encouraging since he will be going with us to Ethiopia! Isabella, on the other hand, may have a difficult time eating the food in Ethiopia! She was making faces I have never seen her make before! She cried when she took her first bite of injera and refused to eat anything else. Brad promised her a cheeseburger when we left the restaurant, so that kept her quiet for a while. I was expecting to only tolerate the food, but was surprised that it was actually pretty good!

After the meal, the waitresses began to roast the coffee beans and the smell was absolutely amazing!!! They then ground up the beans and made the coffee in a traditional coffee ceremony at the end of the table! They served the coffee in little tiny espresso cups along with popcorn! I am not sure why they had popcorn but I have heard of that being served in Ethiopia as well and I am sure it has some signficance. The coffee was very strong but absolutely delicious!

There were 3 couples (including us) who are in the process and 2 couples who had already brought home their beautiful babies from Ethiopia! That was truly a joy to be able to see these precious children and for us, it served as confirmation that we, too, would one day be able to wrap our arms around our children! Since we have been waiting so long, doubt sometimes sets in, so it was nice to have the reality check of these children!! We got to know some of the couples and we were so encouraged that there were indeed other families in the Houston area who we will be able to keep in touch with and hopefully our children will have as an extended "family" of sorts as they grow up!

The whole experience was wonderful for our family and it just made our hearts more anxious to travel to the beautiful country rich in culture that is home to our precious children!

25 weeks

2008-04-18T22:02:00.003-05:00

In honor of our sweet little pup, Bandit, we made our "25" out of 25 (and 2 broken pieces) doggie treats!So, here we are at 25 weeks and we are still waiting. This has been an incredibly busy and a little stressful week for us so this week has flown by with many distractions to keep our minds a little occupied away from the wait. To top this week off, Isabella finally was able to get her little spacer in and it fit perfectly! She was a great little patient but is a little sore. She is definitely loving the attention she is getting and enjoying all the popsicles, pudding, jello, etc. she can manage!

On the homefront, the dry-out team did an awesome job drying up all the water and finally took away those pesky dryers! They are going to come out next week to see exactly how much damage there is; however, I think we came out pretty lucky! Even though the carpet was soaked, most everything was off the floor (including both of our closets!!) so there was minimal damage to any of our furniture. It could have been much worse, so we are thankful!

Bandit comes home!

2008-04-16T22:59:00.002-05:00

Today is the day the kids have been anxiously waiting on....the day Bandit comes home! His foster mom called this morning and we didn't end up getting her message until later today. When I called her and told her about our "little mishap" from yesterday, she offered to keep Bandit for a couple of days longer, but I told her to go ahead and drop him off today. Before she came, we all went to Petco to get him a crate and some other things he needed. Both of the kids got to pick out a special toy for him to play with and sleep with. She came to drop him off around 5 pm and the kids were shy at first with Bandit but quickly warmed up when he licked them! We took this picture of his foster mom with the kids.

His foster mom gave us all kinds of neat toys, food, and instructions for Bandit. The kids are in love with their new dog and it is precious to see them love on him and play with him. They keep asking us when we are going to give him back so I don't think they understand that he is ours now. Bandit is so docile and cute! I think he is the perfect dog for our family!

Elijah kissing Bandit's head...so cute!

Little cast, little water

2008-04-15T22:16:00.005-05:00

Isabella is still unable to completely extend or bend her right arm, so we made an appointment with a Pediatric Orthopedist this morning. We took the original x-rays with us and we were seen almost immediately! He took one look at the x-rays and confirmed that her right elbow was broken and that she would need a cast! He said that the elbow joint actually heals quite quickly (around 3 weeks) and since it has been broken for at least 2 weeks already, he put her in a temporary cast for 2 weeks. Basically, they casted her arm and then cut away the top portion and added straps to it so it is removable for baths, etc. She was so excited about it until he got out the "saw" to cut away the top and she began to panic! She was terrified even though I assured her the "saw" wouldn't cut her. She was a brave girl only screaming "OUCH!" once and then she realized it actually tickled instead of hurt! After we finished there, we met Granna for lunch. When we got home, I walked into my bathroom to find the entire tile floor swimming in water! (Apparently, Elijah stuffed A LOT of toilet paper and wipees down the toilet this morning before we left for the doctor and the toilet clogged. I am guessing by the amount of water, the toilet had been running from around 8:30 am until 2 pm today!) When I saw water flowing freely from our master bath toilet, I quickly shut the water off! I yelled for Brittany to bring me some towels and she ran in the bathroom and we discovered that not only was the bathroom floor wet, but the carpet in the dressing area, both of our closets and part of our master bedroom! So, I put a request on ServiceMagic for a water damage specialist and within minutes, someone called me and told me they were on their way! I LOVE ServiceMagic! We have used them several times and they have excellent service! All you have to do is get on their website, answer a few questions letting them know what type of service you need (emergency service or just regular home service) and they line up several professionals in your area to contact you literally within minutes of placing a request! The dry-out company came to assess everything and found that the water had leaked under our bedroom wall and into the living room as well!!! They quickly removed everything out of the way, vacuumed up all the water, pulled up the carpet and the carpet pad, removed all the bathroom trim around the cabinets and floor and removed all base boards in our bath and bedroom. Then they had to drill holes at the bottom of our bath cabinets and cut away some of the sheet rock and placed 10 huge utility fans in the area to dry out everything. They told us the fans will be running for three days!! So, we are going to spend the night at my parent's house tonight so we can get some sleep and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!Oh, and the water damage has been estimated at around $10,000! Hopefully, insurance should cover it. We should know......we have been here before. Two years ago, when Elijah was 2 years old, he stopped up the guest bathroom sink with toilet paper and several pairs of his underwear (????) and left the faucet running. It flooded that bathroom, hallway, and part of Isabella's room. I am trying to see this as a little mishap by a little boy with a curious little spirit who has not a little clue what his little curious spirit has cost us! And while that is true, putting the word "little" before other words doesn't the make the sting of $10,000 any less! At least I tried!

Bandit!

2008-04-14T21:42:00.001-05:00

We have been discussing whether or not we should get a dog for the kids for the past year or so, but felt like we should wait until the adoption is completed to take on that responsibility. Well, seeing as we started the adoption process two years ago and we have now been waiting for a longer time than we had originally thought, we decided that we would go look into the Pet Adoptions with Twyla's Friends. My friend, Amy, told me about it and they had gotten their dog from there. So Saturday, we ventured out to see the dogs. I had already looked online at several local Pet Adoption sites and thought I might be set on one particular dog I had seen.

Brittany and I drove up to check out the dogs and it seemed like they were all HUGE dogs like rottweilers, greyhounds, german shepherds, etc. We petted a few of them casually and then Brittany spotted a precious little black and white freckled puppy hiding behind the tree. She pointed him out to me and I fell in love with him! He was a beautiful, playful little puppy but very docile (which is what I was most looking for). When I walked up to him, he immediately fell down and rolled over, never puppy biting, just licking continuously. I asked his owner about him and she said he was a 4 month old Australian Cattle Mix (the mix part being border collie) and he was crate trained! Music to my ears! She had also trained him to tap a bell on her door to go outside! I was sold! I quickly called Brad because other people began eyeing "my" dog! He got the kids in the car and met us up there to see how the kids responded to the dog. The kids got to walk him (and his brother, Smokey) to see which one they wanted and we all fell in love with little Bandit! We decided to adopt him on the spot, paid a donation fee, but were sad that we couldn't take him home just yet because he needed to be neutered. His appointment to be neutered was today and she will be bringing our new little puppy to our house on Wednesday! We are all thrilled and excited to have our first pet (since we have had Isabella and Elijah) in our family!

24 weeks

2008-04-11T23:01:00.005-05:00

This week kind of flew by with all the goings on around here:

Took Isabella to the doctor for sickness (she now has strep throat) and her arm (need to go to an orthopedist to view x-rays)
Took Isabella to the orthopedist who says she is definitely sore (keep arm in sling) but no broken bones
Ashley, my sister-in-law, turns 34 and we will celebrate with a crawfish boil on Saturday!
Isabella and Elijah had a playdate today with their favorite little friend, Olivia (and her little baby sister, Lainey Belle!)
My friend, Jill, had her first little baby, Samuel Colt Hatley!

Hopefully, next week will fly by too....only this week would be a great week for a referral call!

We have been discussing on whether or not to get the kids a dog, so we just might swing by the Pet Adoption tomorrow and just see what we find!

Church on the move!

2008-04-06T22:22:00.000-05:00

About three and a half years ago, several like-minded families came together to birth a brand-new church in our area called Grace Reformed Baptist Church and they called Brad to be the Pastor/Teacher! We began very small with just a few families and our very first Sunday meeting was in the home of one of our Elders! After a couple of weeks, the Lord provided a small office space for us to use and as we grew, He continued to provide for our needs. We then moved to the gym of a private Christian school called Northeast Christian Academy (NCA) where Brad was also teaching Bible classes during the week. It was obviously a very large space that gave us plenty of room to grow and we were so thankful, once again, for His provision! The very first Sunday we met there was a little surreal for Brad and I since NCA's building used to be the very church that Brad and I attended while growing up! We still have very fond memories of that church (especially since we were dating each other during the time we attended there!). A little over a year later, through mutual friendships, Bethesda Romanian Baptist Church offered their church building to us as a more permanent place to worship on Sundays and during the week. The Romanian population is not growing today as it once was, so they have been so gracious to "share" their building with us including the sanctuary, several classrooms and other meeting areas! Once again, the Lord has truly provided for our church family in ways that we could not possibly think or imagine!

Old sign

New sign

Brad on the scaffolding with Dirk and Russ ( I believe this might have been a "posed" picture of Brad since I know Brad is not so fond of heights and I never actually saw him on the scaffolding.)
We have been busy getting things ready for us to move in and worship together! We had a church-wide work day all day yesterday where the men worked on the outside doing yard work, treating for ants (and any other pests!), hanging signs, powerwashing the pavement, picking up trash, etc. Bethany had done an amazing job sketching a precious little pasture with a fence and little lambs beside a stream for our Psalm 23 Lambs mural for the nursery. This past week, she and I met to get the lambs in place and paint the scene on all the walls, but we needed some help finishing the mural, so many of the ladies did a great job yesterday making the finishing touches that were so perfect!
Some women planted flowers while others worked indoors by organizing our kitchen supply area, cleaning the children's bathroom and painting it, and cleaning, organizing and setting up our children's classrooms! We are so grateful to be sharing such a perfect space with our Romanian friends and extremely blessed to receive the Lord's provision! Soli Deo Gloria!

23 weeks

2008-04-04T14:18:00.000-05:00

Today marks 23 weeks on the waiting list. Nothing new, still waiting.....and fingerpaiting.

Doctor, Doctor

2008-04-03T22:01:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday morning while the kids were eating breakfast, Isabella jumped off the kitchen stool, slipped on her sock-feet and fell on the hardwood floor, and hurt her elbow. She was hurting but willing to continue to get ready for church until I asked her to raise her arm to get dressed. Poor little thing was in terrible pain and she began to sob. We called Brad to tell him we wouldn't be at church and we iced and elevated it. It didn't swell, nor were there any bruises on the elbow and although she continued to protect it and seemed to be in some pain with it, she could definitely still move it some too. So, after a couple of days of this TLC for her elbow (and using her "hurt elbow" as an excuse for not cleaning her room and other chores around the house), I was sure she was "milking" this injury. I told her that her elbow seemed fine and that she really needed to stop being dramatic and "pretending" her elbow still hurt. She maintained that her elbow really hurt, so we had a pretty intense discussion about being honest and "not pretending you are hurt to get attention", etc. I knew it couldn't be broken because she could move it and bend it, just not completely. She cried and told me that she was being honest and was very insistant that her arm really did hurt! So today, she was standing with her back facing Brad and he called me over to look at her elbow. I was shocked that her right elbow was HUGE and had new bruising on top!!! Tears began filling up in my eyes and I began apologizing profusely to her about how wrong I had been with her! I just kept saying, "Mommy is sooooo sorry I didn't believe you about your hurt arm!" She then crawled in my lap, put her hands on my face and with the sweetest and most honest and sincere voice said,

"Ohhhhhhh Mommy, don't cry! I am not mad at you. I forgive you for being mean to me about my arm. Sometimes Mommies are not nice to their kids when they think they aren't telling the truth, so I forgive you. So, now you just need to ask Jesus to forgive you for being mean to me. It's okay, Mommy! I love you sooooo much!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry some more!! It was so precious, honest and hysterical all at the same time!!! So, I quickly got some more ice packs and "babied" her the rest of the day after awarding myself with the "Mother of the Year" award!!

Later that afternoon, Elijah began to get cranky and feverish. I gave him Tylenol fever reducer and his fever continued to creep to almost 103 degrees, so since it was after hours, Brad told me to take them to a minor emergency clinic that stayed open until 8 pm. Brittany also had a high fever and bad stomach pains, so I dragged her out of bed and hauled her, Elijah and Isabella to the clinic. After waiting passed 8 pm, they finally called for us (thankfully, Brad had met us there after Wednesday evening church!). They x-rayed Isabella's arm, swabbed Elijah's throat and poked and prodded Brittany's veins for bloodwork and after two and a half hours later, we left with a prescription for Elijah's strep throat, 5 prescriptions for Brittany's virus, and Isabella's arm in a sling (with a possible fracture on the growth plate!) They will have their Radiologists read the X-ray and let us know what they find. Everyone came home thoroughly exhausted and feeling "germy"!

I just have a feeling we will all have strep throat before this is all finished!

Saved by Grace

2008-03-30T23:16:00.004-05:00

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
With a grateful and joyful heart, Brad and I now are able to call Isabella Grace not only our precious daughter, but a sister in Christ!! She is 3 months shy of her 6th birthday and is very young but is truly able to beautifully articulate a solid understanding of the saving grace of Jesus! From a very early age, she has always been extremely sensitive to the things of the Lord as well as asking very probing questions. She began sitting with us in church when she was four years old and became very intrigued when the Lord's Supper was passed. She asked many questions and continued to tell us she wanted to "become a Christian too" but we wanted to continue our conversations with her to make sure she truly understood the gospel (as only a child is able) and not just wanting to "eat the cracker and drink the juice" (or as Elijah told us a couple a weeks ago while the Lord's Supper was being passed, "Mommy, I need that because I am so hungry and thirsty!") We continued to talk to her and explain our need for Christ's salvation but she never asked or seemed ready to talk to Jesus about it.

So, tonight she began asking questions about baptism and as we talked about the gift of salvation, she was adamant that she talk to Jesus "right now!" She began to walk out of our bedroom towards her room and when I asked her where she was going, she said, "I am going to my room to ask Jesus into my heart, and tell Him I am sorry for all my sins and that I want to obey Him all the time because I love Him very much!" I was shocked she had such determination but quickly Brad and I asked her if we could come too and she gladly said yes! We knelt at her bedside and listened to the most precious prayer of a child who beautifully demonstrated to us what it means to have a "childlike faith"! Then, with grateful and humble hearts, we prayed over her and cried tears of pure joy that the Lord has chosen her as one of His children!

"But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth."
2 Thessalonians 2:13

We pray she will have an obedient heart that loves, desires and follows her Lord and Savior for His glory alone! Soli Deo Gloria!!

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." III John 1:4

Garage/Bake Sale!

2008-03-29T22:50:00.004-05:00

Our subdivision is only allowed 2 garage sales during the year; one in the fall and one in the spring. The garage sale we had last fall was huge and we made a huge profit!! However, despite all of our "Spring cleaning" efforts these past several weeks, we didn't have much "junk" to sell. So, we decided to have a Bake Sale as well and see if it was profitable. Since I was sick with a virus this past week, we didn't start baking until yesterday (Friday)! We baked:

4 Buttermilk pies
8 mini loaves and 1 large loaf (for individual slices) of Banana Nut Bread
2 mini loaves and 1 large loaf (for individual slices) of Pumpkin Bread
2 dozen Oatmeal cookies
2 dozen Chocolate Chip cookies
2 dozen Sugar cookies
8 dozen Reese's Peanut Butter cookies
4 dozen Peach Muffins
1 dozen Triple Berry muffins
2 Strawberry Cakes with Cream Cheese Icing
5 pans of Brownies (1 pan for individual servings)
1 pan of Lemon Bars
Dark Chocolate Toffee candy
Milk Chocolate Toffee candy
about 5 dozen Rice Krispy treats

Needless to say, Brittany and I baked all day and night until 4:30 am on Saturday, and then woke up at 6:30 am to set up for the Garage/Bake Sale! We were exhausted and we will definitely get started much earlier next time, plus try to get some of the baked goods donated to save time!! We were so surprised to have most of the ingredients on hand with the exception of needing more eggs and flour!

Brad set up a Lemonade stand with the kids and made signs for the Bake Sale and Lemonade Stand! The kids were so excited about the Lemonade stand and Isabella would yell, "Lemonaaaaaaaaaaaaaade!" everytime someone would walk up! Elijah kept pouring lemonade in several cups on the table and then would drink a few sips out of all of them saying, "Mmmmm! That's yummy lemonade!" Good thing we caught that before he handed them out to people!!

Even though we didn't make as much as last time, we still made a great profit and most of that profit came from the baked goods! So at least that was worth our time and efforts! We had a great time and are thankful for the Lord's provision once again!

22 Weeks

2008-03-28T18:11:00.001-05:00

I must admit that I was dreading today knowing that it would mark 22 weeks of waiting and thus, putting us a week outside of the 3-5 month waiting "window". It was like we were starting all over in our wait but this time, the wait time would totally be unknown. I felt very sad and defeated wondering if this adoption would ever come to fruition. So, last night, with a weary heart and a defeatist attitude, I decided to go to bed. My little "pity party" was in full swing and I definitely did not have a desire to read my evening devotional because I knew that absolutely nothing would make me feel better except receiving our referral call! As I laid in bed, I felt a strong "nudge" to be obedient and spend some time with the Lord and "cast my cares (or even a full-out selfish little pity party) before Him". I opened my devotional Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon for that evening and this is what it said:

"I called him but he did not answer." Song of Songs 5:6

Prayer sometimes lingers, like a petitioner at the gate, until the King comes forth to fill her bosom with the blessings which she seeks. The Lord, when He has given great faith, has been known to test it by lengthy delays. He has allowed His servants’ voices to echo in their ears as from a brazen sky. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, “You have covered Yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can get through.” Thus have true saints continued to wait patiently at length without reply, not because their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased Him who is a Sovereign, and gives according to His own pleasure. If it pleases Him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall He not do as He wills with His own! Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials: God’s past-due bills will be punctually honored; we must not allow Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers – they are not blown away by the wind, they are treasured in the King’s archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven wherein every prayer is recorded. Tested believer, your Lord has a tear bottle in which costly drops of sacred grief are put away, and a book in which your holy groanings are numbered. Before long, your suit shall prevail. Can’t you be content to wait a little while? Won’t your Lord’s time be better than yours? Before long He will comfortably appear, to your soul’s joy, and make you put away the sackcloth and ashes of lengthy waiting, and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition.

I was reminded (and totally humbled) that the Lord gives according to His pleasure not ours. I have always known the Lord's timing is perfect but my heart has been convicted now by being reminded why His timing is perfect.....for His own glory. Even though we desire something now and we think we cannot wait any longer, He knows when He will receive the most glory for the blessings He bestows on our lives! Wow! I am glad I was obedient to that little "nudge" or I would have missed out on such honest, direct and comforting words.

**Funny little note: I have been very sick with a virus for the past several days and unaware really what the date was last night as I was flipping through my devotional book. I made an "educated guess" (I thought!!) on what the date was, so I read the evening of March 29th.....which is great, except last night was March 27th! The great thing is that when I discovered that this afternoon, I flipped back to March 27th to see what it said and although it was a great point, I really do not feel like it would have humbled me, convicted me or comforted me last night. The Lord met me where I was and gave me exactly what I needed in spite of me not knowing something as simple as the date! I love that!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T23:34:00.001-05:00

This Easter was a little different for us. We didn't dye eggs, set out our bunny prints, or make our Resurrection cookies. Since Brad has been overseas this past week and didn't fly home until late last night, the kids wanted to "wait" until Daddy got home to do all these fun things. Even though I told them he would be home too late for some of our traditions, they still didn't want to do them without Daddy. I thought it was really precious that they didn't want Brad to "miss all the fun" with them! We still did a few this morning before church and the kids were satisfied; however, I was feeling kind of bad that we didn't do some of our meaningful traditions especially since we always center these traditions around the death and resurrection of Jesus. Then, as we were getting ready for church, I overheard the kids talking about why and how He died on the cross and why and how He was raised from the dead! I quickly realized that with or without these well-meaning traditions, the story of Christ's death and life is alive and well within the hearts of our little precious children! There are so many lessons I have learned through the eyes of my children and I am so grateful for their child-like faith!

A long-awaited hug from Daddy on Easter morning!
Little Miss Isabella Cottontail!

"This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:46-47

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

21 weeks

2008-03-21T22:16:00.004-05:00

So, we have come to the end of our 3-5 month wait time for a referral and still no referral. We are sad. Brad is out of town which makes me even more sad. The kids (as well as myself) have lost interest in making our numbers each week. This "21" is a poor attempt at creativity but like I said, we are losing steam here! I never thought we would be waiting this many weeks. Today is a somber day but hoping for Easter to renew our joy! I emailed Natalie asking about the wait time for our children and she said the 3-5 month wait time is for those families requesting one child or families requesting older sibling pairs. Since younger sibling pairs are less prevalent, the wait time is unknown. So, we continue to wait (rather unpatiently!!) We know the Lord is sovereign and has perfect timing for our little ones to come home, but we are anxious. So I am reminded:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phillipians 4:7

However, some good news is that there has been a rash of referrals for Gladney this week! Congratulations Anil and Angie, Just Another Day at the Farm and the Winter family!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T23:28:00.006-05:00

This is not a holiday that we traditionally celebrated growing up; however, it is one of those fun holidays that really doesn'a have any meaning for our family except that we get to be silly and wear green! The kids wear their silly green "costumes" and dig in their drawers to find something green to wear so to escape a pinch!

Last year, I thought it would be fun to introduce the Leprechaun myth and told the kids we should put some gold coins (chocolate, of course!) out for our little Leprechaun friend and he would come in while we were sleeping and search for the coins! Great idea, very poor execution!! For many weeks after that, the kids were terrified to sleep in their own rooms and had nightmares of this little Leprechaun! They always made sure the doors were locked before they went to bed so that the Leprechaun couldn't come into our house! Basically, my plan to start a fun little tradition backfired in a major way!! So, now we just dress in silly green costumes and make sure that all of the food we eat on this day is green!

The kids love green milk, eating on green plates, green eggs, etc. We had manicotti tonight (in conjunction with learning all about Italy since Daddy is there!) and we even dyed the manicotti noodles green! Then, we had green cupcakes for dessert!

It's not easy being green!

20 Weeks

2008-03-14T20:29:00.001-05:00

Well, who knew we would make it to 20 weeks?!? But, here we are very confident in the Lord's timing and knowing He is providing for not only all our needs, but the needs of our future children. There is definite comfort in His provision and we are grateful! The kids used state puzzle pieces from their United States puzzle map to make the number "20" this week! As you can see, we are running out of ideas for our numbers....we need that referral!!!

Brad left early this morning to travel to Europe with some of the Juniors and Seniors (and some of their parents!) that he teaches at NCA. They will be traveling to Italy and Greece this week and since he has traveled all over Europe many years ago, he will be teaching the Biblical history of these places. They will return very late on Saturday evening and then he will preach the next morning for Easter! I am sure he will be extremely exhausted after Sunday and ready for some sleep! While he is away this week, I am hoping to get some projects out of the way before he returns as well as some reading for the adoption!

Next week will mark the end of our 5 months waiting time and hopefully, we will have a referral! We shall see!

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

19 Weeks and a little spare change!

2008-03-07T23:07:00.008-06:00

I never really thought we would still be waiting this long and I definitely did not think that the month of March would find us without a referral still. There was a burst of referrals a couple weeks ago and that seemed to boost everyone's spirits but since then, it has been pretty quiet in regards to the referrals. Our agency is maintaining a wait time of 3-5 months, so I am hoping we do not pass through that time table. It only leaves us with two more weeks of waiting within that time frame but it is still so difficult wondering if our wait will get longer.

At least we have been given a little more time than we had originally thought we had to save up for the cost of the adoption (which is a postive thing, I think!) We have been saving up for the adoption in many ways these past two years, but our "Blessings Jar" is by far the kids' favorite!

We began collecting our spare change in our "Blessings Jar" and have filled it up 4 times already! The kids seem to find coins everywhere including checking other people's couches when we visit (which is not embarrassing or anything!!)

While we were counting all the coins from the jar, I asked the kids if they could make a "19" with all the coins. It took quite a while as they kept running to wash the coins because they said that "money stinks"! You can see how shiny most of the coins are! It was a great exercise for the kids as we had a little mathematics lesson on money and coin denominations! Homeschooling at it's best! I was so surprised at how much they seemed to be learning and retaining until (after we had counted them all) I asked Elijah, "How many pennies are there altogether?" and he responded, "A GAZILLION!!!" So, for now, it seems understanding money is far away from mastery!! However, after we rolled all the coins, they totaled $147!! A great little chunk of change!

USCIS letter

2008-03-03T22:14:00.004-06:00

Today, unexpectedly, we received our renewed I-171H with a new fingerprint expiration date. We went to get our fingerprints renewed a little over a week ago so, we were a little surprised how quickly it came. The I-171H approval has two expiration dates: a fingerprint expiration and an expiration of the actual I-171H. Our fingerprints expired 3 months before the I-171H, so I am now in the process of sending a request to update our I-171H approval before it expires in May. I knew that the Houston USCIS office was quick, but I didn't think they would issue a new form until the whole I-171H was renewed. I am now resting easier knowing that we won't have to worry about it expiring! Plus, you are allowed one FREE renewal! Hooray!

Happy Birthday....

2008-03-02T11:49:00.009-06:00

....to me! My birthday was actually last Wednesday (2/27) and I turned 32!! However, we have been so busy this week, we decided to celebrate today instead! So we all went out for a little birthday meal! Actually, we have kind of celebrated all week which is always fine with me! Tickets to the African Children's Choir performance were supposed to be my gift but Brad also surprised me with these beautiful flowers!

Then, the kids gave me these precious little figurines from the Emma Jane's Babies collection and I just love them!

The little girl's caption is "Baby Lexie wore her first 'Sunday Go A Meetin' dress" and the little boy's caption is "Baby Silas loves to take a bath in the Old Porcelain Washtub". I was given my first Emma Jane's Babies figurine from a friend of ours at Christmas and I fell in love with them!

18 Weeks and a Leap Year!

2008-02-29T22:06:00.002-06:00

We find ourselves at 18 weeks still very busy and still......waiting! We are running out of ways to create these numbers so during lunch today, the kids decided to use their apple slices and baby carrots to make the number "18"! They were thrilled at how their apple slices could make the number "8" so well!
They are continuously asking us why it is taking so long for them to see their brother and sister. We keep telling them that waiting for something we long for is so hard but the Lord is always faithful and we must trust in Him to reveal our babies in His timing. They have been "chewing" on that for a while (along with Brad and I, too!) The waiting period has been very long (even though we know "long" is a relative term) but the Lord has carried us through the entire way. It is truly amazing how He continues to prepare our hearts to receive these precious blessings and that has been the most amazing part of this journey, so far!

We are so thrilled for a couple of Gladney families who have recently received their referrals...Congratulations Thorne family, Roberts family and Farmboy and Buttercup!

Happy "Leap" Day!

African Children's Choir Performance

2008-02-24T23:00:00.003-06:00

Tonight, Brittany, Brad, the kids and myself all went downtown to see the African Children's Choir at the Wortham Theater and it was spectacular! I had seen several months ago that they were coming in town, so I told Brad that for my birthday, I wanted to get tickets. We didn't tell the kids we were going until we left the house so we could surprise them! The were so excited since they had seen many videos of the African Children's Choir on the internet. The entire drive down there, they were full of questions. Elijah was a little confused, we think, since he kept telling me that we were going to get "our babies from Africa"!

We arrived a little early (which is monumental for us!) and were able to watch another group of kids performing traditional African dances in the lobby. They were amazing! We finally went to our seats that were only 10 rows from the stage and no one was blocking either of the kids' view! All of the children were from either South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda or the Congo. They ranged in age from 7 years to 11 years and were so precious! To see those children on stage was truly breathtaking for me! Even though none of the children were from Ethiopia, it gave me such pride knowing that my children have such an amazing story and heritage just being from Africa! They danced and sang with such joy and passion that was truly contagious throughout the audience! Isabella and Elijah were totally entranced with the children and their performances. Elijah stood most of the time dancing around and clapping to the beat and Isabella was truly taken by the children as she stood incredibly quiet (which is rare for both her and myself!) noticing every little detail about their performance. They both kept asking what the children were singing about and we were able to read from the program to help them understand.

Every one of us enjoyed it so much and felt like it gave us a little taste of what we will experience when we travel to Ethiopia! There was no video or flash photography allowed during the performance but when they came back out for an encore performance, everyone was snapping pictures, so I, too, couldn't resist taking a few. I even was able to catch ther end of their performance with this video:

We all felt drawn to these kids, but Isabella was pleading with us to adopt some of the kids. She cried at the end of the performance because she said that those children needed mommies and daddies and she didn't want them to be lonely. She is a very compassionate little girl, very astute and in-tune with others and their needs. It made me happy to see her compassion demonstrated so freely and deeply but at the same time, I was a little sad that she was struggling to understand why we couldn't adopt those precious children. In that moment, I was struck at how the Lord has been working in our children's hearts along with our own. Throughout this adoption process, it is clear that He has grown within our children a sensitivity, and a burden, and a love for children who are different from them and whom they have never known. We are so thankful for that precious blessing in our lives!

As we left the theater to go home, Isabella was very sad and was disappointed it was over, and wanted desparately to meet some of the children. However, Elijah was full of energy and dancing freely to the African music playing in the lobby. This picture perfectly demonstrates the demeanor of them both after the performance.

17 Weeks

2008-02-22T22:48:00.002-06:00

Hooray! We are still climbing and have reached 17 weeks! The kids decided to use left over Valentine's Day candy hearts to make our "17" and it was cute! I haven't eaten those candy hearts in so long and they are still as gross as they were when I was a kid. However, Isabella and Elijah ate one whole little box full smiling the whole time. I kept thinking to myself..... "There is no way they really like the taste of those candy hearts!" But in order to eat a whole box-full, there has to be some degree of enjoyment so I figure it is just candy to them. I am just glad they are only available one time a year!

No new adoption news....still waiting....

This seems neverending!

Fingerprint Renewal Appointments

2008-02-21T14:39:00.000-06:00

Since we have had our I-171H approval for so long, our fingerprints and our I-171H will expire soon. So, Brad and I went downtown early this morning to get re-fingerprinted for a new approval. It was raining this morning and when we arrived, there was a long line of a bazillion people all along the side of the building. After we were allowed inside, we had to fill out the same paperwork as before and wait for our number to be called. It was actually pretty uneventful except that it gave Brad and I some time together that we haven't had in a while because of his incerdibly busy schedule! Nothing like going on a date to the USCIS-Houston building! We were only there for under an hour and then headed home. Hopefully, we will receive our new expiration date for our fingerprints soon!

Treasure Hunt

2008-02-16T23:58:00.002-06:00

Okay...so I must brag on Brad once again! He is a wonderful daddy and always does neat things with the kids, but this particular event "took the cake" in both being precious and hysterical at the same time! This morning, the kids woke up to the doorbell ringing incessantly. Their sleepy little bodies meandered towards to the door to see what was going on. At the prompting of Brad, they opened the door to find a letter addressed especially to them! Their excitement grew as Brad read the letter that some "pirates" had left for them:They squealed with excitement as they ran to the back door (pushing each other outside) and found a ziplock baggie with TWO treasure maps inside!! Their faces were absolutely priceless as they opened their maps! Isabella was asking a million questions trying to figure everything out as she is our little detective and Elijah was cracking us up just squealing and jumping up and down enjoying the sheer excitement of it all!Is he not just so precious and proud!?! He is actually holding Isabella's treasure map (that Brad said he held over a candle fire to make it look old and oooops! It acidentally caught fire!)

They quickly put on warm clothes and shoes and out the door we went to find the treasure! Isabella continued to ask questions like, "Who rang our doorbell? How did they get into our backyard? Why do they want us to have their treasure? Don't we need a shovel to dig up the treasure?" At the last question, Brad began laughing hysterically and I was definitely in the dark until he explained......

Early this morning, he drew up the letter and the maps and then took our shovel and the "treasures" down to the lake close to our home that is situated just past a forested area behind our subdivision's community pool. Since it was kind of rainy, he wrapped the "treasures" into their own large plastic bags so they wouldn't ruin when buried. Great idea, right? Yes......until it is very early on a Saturday morning and a large suspicious man with a rusty shovel and two large plastic bags containing unknown items quickly descends down the remote hill to the water's edge and begins burying the plastic bags! What do you think the policeman thought who had pulled up his patrol car and was watching him?

Needless to say, Brad saw the policeman's car, threw the shovel down and left it there and walked back up the hill thinking how he was going to explain himself! He ended up getting back home without much trouble from the police!!

After we arrived back at the buried treasure spot, we all felt like we were sneaky little ex-cons and I kept telling the kids to "hurry up!" I didn't get a chance to take pictures because I was on the "lookout" for more police....I mean "pirates"!! I felt like Harrison Ford in "The Fugitive" as Brad was laughing the entire time (especially when Isabella discovered that the "nice pirates" left us a shovel to dig for the treasure and was appalled that we were "stealing their shovel" as we brought it back to our car!)

It definitely was a fun time, but then again, we always have fun with Clark Griswald!

Date Night....

2008-02-16T11:38:00.000-06:00

...for Brad and Isabella! Sometime during the day, Isabella "found" an invitation to her from Brad. She was so excited that Daddy made her a special card! She began asking what she should wear and where they were going. Brad told her they could go anywhere she wanted to go, so she picked Double Dave's Pizza! She loves to watch them toss the pizza dough and make the pizzas! She got dressed up and begged to wear her "sparkly pink shoes" to which I said, "It is the perfect 'Daddy date' shoe!" Then, she asked Brad to fasten the Ethiopian cross necklace around her neck that he had given her for Christmas. She LOVES to wear the necklace! After she was dressed and ready to go, Brad gave her a little card and on one knee he gave her a little tiny wristlet corsage!! She didn't quite know what it was but when Brad told her, she lifted up her little top and stuck out her hip for Brad to pin it on her waist!! It was so cute even though we don't exactly know why she thought it went on her hip! He put it on her wrist and she said, "Look, Mommy! A flower bracelet!" It was perfect (especially since he had the florist make it special since they had just closed and didn't have any tiny wristlets already made up...but who could say no to a daddy taking his little 5 year old on a date?!) and she was absolutely thrilled! It was raining when they left so she took her little umbrella and they had a great time!!

16 weeks

2008-02-15T22:26:00.000-06:00

Today is our "Sweet 16" (as others have referred to it); however, I am not too sure it will be too sweet. But what was sweet about today is Elijah trying to make a 16 with his train tracks! He was so determined to make it work and I have to admit it was tough trying to get the right angle of the tracks to curve just right. He loves his trains and made sure that number "16" tracks were being used by his trains!

As for now, I guess we "chugga, chugga" on to week 17 hopeful of some news of a referral!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T23:50:00.001-06:00

We have all been sick....AGAIN! So, I am trying to catch up these posts (seems to be the theme of my life lately!)

Well, we started today with heart-shaped pancakes made by Aunt Brittany! They were so cute and the kids were thrilled!

We spent most of the day outside playing and having a picnic for lunch! The kids opened their little "Valentine treats" after dinner.

Elijah squealed when he got some books (he LOVES books!) and Isabella was thrilled to find a pair of Valentine sock monkey pajamas! Of course, they found some candy and a Valentine pez dispenser for both of them!

On the adoption front, we sent off our request for fingerprints this past Tuesday since our old fingerprints expire on Saturday! Our Houston office has always been great at a quick response so we know we will receive an appointment soon! We are in the process of renewing our I-171H since that will expire in May. The USCIS office has allowed one renewal without payment so we are so very thankful for that!! Once again, the Lord continues to provide for our needs!

Tagged

2008-02-10T23:47:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I was "tagged" by my friend, Shelly, a while back but I have been so busy, I haven't been blogging much. So I have finally decided to sit down and answer these "Crazy 8s"....

8 things I am passionate about:

My husband, Brad
My children, Isabella and Elijah (and my children in waiting)
Adoption
Sewing
Children's Ministry
Cooking
Organization
Making a difference

8 things I want to do before I die:

See my children walk with the Lord
See my children marry
Become a grandmother
Write a children's book
Learn to knit and crochet
Travel to Switzerland and Austria
Own a log cabin with a wrap around porch and creaky rocking chairs somewhere in the mountains
Own a children's boutique/tea room that also sells unique dishes, fabrics and beautiful dolls

8 things I say often:

I love you completely and forever
Hurry up! (This should actually be said to me since I am always late!)
Good night, Nurse!
It's freeeeeezing in here! (Brad keeps the house at 67 degrees!)
Did you wash your hands? (I say this every day, many times a day)
Vomit! (Not as a command, just in response to something disgusting)
Do you need to go potty? (Always asking the kids this before we leave the house since my biggest pet peeve is taking the kids to nasty public restrooms!)
Ummmm, helllllooooo? (Example: “Mommy, I can’t find my pirate underwear?” So I walk to his bedroom, open his underwear drawer, smile and point to his pirate underwear and say, “Ummmmmmm, hellllooooooo?”......giggling always follows!)

8 shows I have watched recently:

American Idol
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Barefoot Contessa
Take Home Chef
So You Think You Can Dance?
Lazy Town (my kids LOVE this show on Noggin)
The Biggest Loser
Little People, Big World (LOVE this show!)

8 artist I never tire of listening to:

Barry Manilow (don't judge me....I actually paid to see him at the rodeo and screamed "I love you, Barry!" while he was singing "Weekend in New England"....I was "that" woman in the crowd......Brad literally slid down in his seat and broke into hives!)
Celine Dion
Rascal Flatts
Kenny Rogers
Natalie Grant
David Phelps
Josh Groban
ABBA (Who doesn't love a little Dancin' Queen and Take A Chance On Me?)

8 things that attract me to my friends:

Authenticity
Trustworthy
Sense of humor
Heart for the Lord
Honesty
Love for my children
Don't take things too seriously
Shared interests

8 things I learned in 2007:

My heart can truly ache for children that I have never laid eyes on yet!
The Lord doesn’t promise a “bird’s eye view” of His plan when He calls you to obey and follow Him
Following the Lord’s calling on your life can be lonely and full of joy all at the same time
Waiting is harder than I have ever thought
Homeschooling is not as difficult as I once thought
My husband truly loves me in sickness and in health
The adoption community is a tremendous support group of people, many of whom I have never met in person but share a lasting bond and friendship with through blogging (Who knew?)
What doesn’t kill us, truly makes us stronger!

Oky, so now I think I am supposed to "tag" someone else.....Rebecca, Lincee, Robin

Week 15

2008-02-08T23:02:00.000-06:00

Still waiting with no word.....Isabella's turn this week so she chose Strawberry Shortcake dolls (most of these were mine as a little girl!) and made sure they all had their little pets beside them for the picture! So cute! All the gang was there....Strawberry Shortcake and Custard the cat, Apple Dumplin', Apricot and Hopsalot Bunny, Butter Cookie and Jelly bear, Lemon Meringue, Mint Tulip and Marsh Mallard the duck, Huckleberry Pie and Pupcake the dog, Cafe' Ole' and Burrito the burro, Crepe Suzette and Eclair the poodle, Lem and Ada (the twins) and Sugar Woofer! And don't forget the villains....The Peculiar Purple Pieman from Porcupine Peak with Captain Cackle the berry bird and his female counterpart, Sour Grapes and Dregs the snake! Yes, I LOVED Strawberry Shortcake dolls (obviously a little too much!) and I am glad she now does too! They even still have their unique smells after 25 years!

Hopefully we will hear something soon (Can you see things are getting a little crazy over here?)!

Two Front Teeth

2008-02-01T22:34:00.003-06:00

It seems with all the teeth being pulled from Isabella's little mouth, she would want to hang on to some of her remaining teeth....but now, her two front teeth are missing! Her two front teeth have been loose for some time, but she decided to let Aunt Brittany pull only one of them last night! She was so brave!
So, tonight she decided she let Aunt Brittany give her other front tooth a pull and that one came right out as well! She started with 20 teeth in her mouth, then she lost her first tooth on the bottom. A week later, the dentist pulled 5 more teeth on the bottom to make room for her adult teeth! And now, her top front teeth are missing, so we are really not sure how she is going to eat or drink with all the holes in her little mouth, but she is so proud! Now, she is affectionately called our little "toothless wonder"!

Week 14

2008-02-01T21:49:00.000-06:00

I have been so busy the past two weeks that I haven't had a chance to update.....(so I am dating this post from when it actually occured instead of when I am actually posting it!!) Last Friday, Brad and I and my brother all drove up to Waco (kids in tow) to move my younger sister from her apartment. She graduated from Baylor in this past December and is taking some time off before she has to join the "working world" and now has decided to live with us!!! We are thrilled!! The move went pretty smoothly and rather fast....we drove up friday night, moved most of her things into a U-Haul, woke up early, moved the rest of her things and we were driving back home at 3pm. Isabella and Elijah are now sharing a room and she has Elijah's old room and the kids LOVE it! It was great to clean out Elijah's room since I needed to do it anyway before we brought our kids home from Ethiopia! There were definitely lots of "little treasures" we discovered during the clean out process of his room.....little boys are always so "curious"! Brittany also has a little poodle, Beaux, who the kids adore and they are loving having a little dog in the house!

We have now entered into our 14th week of waiting for a referral and I asked Elijah if he could make a "14" with something. He immediately rant to his bin of cars and started "racing" the cars in line to make his "14"! He was very excited about it that he wanted to make another "14" with his train tracks (I can see that coming in the next few weeks!!).
Tonight, we celebrated our 14th week with Malva Pudding! It is a South African recipe that I have and it is delicious!!! We made it for Christmas Eve dinner this year but somehow during the baking process "someone" turned the oven up to 500 degrees! It was rather crispy and dry, so we thought we would give it another try tonight. Brittany actually made it for us (I am glad we both share a love for cooking!!) and everyone enjoyed it! I forgot to take a picture of it but I have one that was attached to the recipe. It is simliar to bread pudding and so good that I thought others may like the recipe: (you cannot taste the apricot jam in it so I am really not sure why it is there except maybe to moisten it)

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. apricot jam (or preserves, chopped very finely)
5 ounces all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter (a generous tablespoon)
1 tsp. vinegar
1/3 cup milk

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup fresh cream
3-1/2 ounces butter
5 ounces sugar
1/3 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat or whip the sugar and eggs, preferably in a food processor, until thick and lemon colored. Then, add the apricot jelly (or jam) and mix thoroughly. Sieve together the flour, soda and salt. Melt the butter (do not boil!) and add the vinegar. Add this mixture, as well as the milk, to the egg mixture in the processor, alternately with the flour. Beat well.Pour into an oven-proof dish, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. In a pot, melt together the ingredients for the sauce. When the cake is halfway baked, take it out of oven. Make holes in cake and pour all the sauce over the pudding. Return to the oven. Delicious!!

Week 13

2008-01-25T15:30:00.000-06:00

Entering into Week 13 has definitely been much more of a struggle for us. Yes, every week we are getting closer to our precious babies, but every week also brings more anxiousness for them to be revealed to us! Our sweet Isabella made a number "13" out of pipe cleaners (which I think is adorable even though you might have to use a bit of imagination!) and was so proud of it!! She asks every day when we can fly to Africa to get her baby brother and sister. It is truly precious to hear the prayers of Isabella when daily, she pleads for the Lord to bring her "brother and sister home soon!" She has become such a prayer warrior lately. During an especially fearful time in her little life (fear of the dark, bugs, and anything else a little 5 year old fears often), she was sad because she said she was having trouble trusting the Lord at night to keep her safe. After much prayer and encouragement for her, she was so pleased that she was able to trust in the Lord through the night and sleep with no fear! Since then, she "prays without ceasing" for everything and has great faith in our Lord! It is wonderful to see the faith of a child lived out in your children. We have learned a great lesson through her obedience to "trust in the Lord with all your heart" and have received much encouragement from her faith. So, as we enter into our 14th week, we hope to truly rest in the Lord's promises for our lives and to trust Him completely for the perfect time to bring our children to us!

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 12

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah!

2008-01-21T17:17:00.000-06:00

Several months ago, our family went to a pumpkin farm and loved it mainly for it's "kiddie" zipline. So, when buying Christmas gifts for the kids, we knew a zipline would be perfect for them! I lucked out and found one for really cheap and Brad finally decided to go put it up outside. All of you who know Brad and I know what an ordeal this was to get done! Basically, the cable is only 35 feet long so we were limited to where we could put it AND the cable had to fit tightly around two trees (hardware included). The instructions were very clear as to how to assemble the zipline and how to attach the "clasps" to the wire so the wire doesn't slip off the trees.

Well, after Brad assembles it (and pretty quickly might I add), the kids take off "zipping" through the sky as I am the "catcher" on the other end so they don't smack into the tree! After a few runs, the cable is sagging like a wet noodle and the kids are hitting their knees on the ground! So, he unhooks one cable from the tree (keeping the other intact) and tries to raise the cable to make it tighter. I went inside to answer the phone for a quick minute. BIG MISTAKE! After I went back outside, I see that Brad had wrapped the cable around the other tree about FIVE TIMES and was hammering nails through the cable and into the tree! And he was proud of himself!! He even said that the company didn't know what they talking about with the assembly directions and the "clasps" weren't working or SAFE!! Here is a picture of how it is supposed to be secured (with "clasps"): Here is the work of my own Clark Griswald (without "clasps"):
Look at the poor tree "bleeding" sap everywhere!

I just knew that when the kids took off, the cable was going to come flying off the tree, the kids would come flying off the cable down to the ground, breaking some bone in their body and we would be making a trip to the ER. However, the cable is still intact and has never even sounded like it is weak at all, no broken bones (yet!), Daddy is the hero, and Mommy is "no fun" so says the kids.
Here is a video of the kids enjoying the zipline with a surprise at the end! (oh, and don't worry....we taught the kids how to kick the tree so they don't smack into it!):

Yes, even though the directions said the weight limit was under 100 pounds, he wanted to try out his workmanship on the tree to see how sturdy it was!

Success! Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah!

p.s. When we all finally went inside, I saw the "clasps" sitting on the table and there were both "clasps", but only one washer and one nut. When I asked him if he lost the other washer and nut in the grass when trying to reassemble the cable, he just laughed! Hmmmmmm.....

Week 12

2008-01-18T16:52:00.000-06:00

Well, we have finally made it to the 12 week mark! When we were put on the waiting list, Gladney said that the wait time was between 3-5 months. So now, we have entered into the "window" for a referral! Our hope is now that the wait time will not increase while we are waiting!

This week's number "12" is courtesy of Isabella! We were playing "I Never Forget A Face" matching game that is just like Memory. The game is great because it has a pair of children's faces from all over the world so they become familiar with all different countries and their people groups! So, I asked Isabella if she could make a number "12" with the Memory cards. She did a great job, I think!

Please pray we receive our referral soon! We have become "weary waiters" lately!

1-800-DIAPERS

2008-01-17T22:32:00.000-06:00

Our agency, Gladney, sends out updates every month and this great offer has been sent with the updates for the last couple of months:

"Want a way to order diapers, formula, wipes and other baby items for less than what you would pay at Target and Wal-Mart plus help Gladney at the same time?

You can do just that by ordering your supplies through 1-800-diapers.com! Just enter this referral code THCE5959 on your order and you will get $2.00 off your first order and Gladney will get $1.00 on this order and all subsequent orders you place. Just think, no more lugging those cases of diapers and formula home from the store. Place your order on 1-800-diapers.com and your products are shipped directly to your home FREE. You are welcome to share the referral code with friends and family."

I thought it was great to be able to save money on these baby items AND a great way to help out Gladney!

There Is No Me Without You

2008-01-14T23:50:00.000-06:00

This book, There Is No Me Without You, by Melissa Fay Greene was one of the first books I took notice of when we began our adoption from Ethiopia. The book was everywhere and everyone seemed to agree it was a must-read if adopting from Ethiopia! I bought the book (with some others of course!) a while back but I am just getting around to reading it and I must say it is wonderfully captivating so far! I cannot wait to get through the entire book which is rare for me since I would not normally choose to pick up a book and read in my "spare" time (which has seemed non-existant since parenthood began!). I am excited to read many more books I have purchased to help educate me about Ethiopia, the adoption process, transracial adoption, etc. However, I found this article by Melissa Fay Greene posted on many other blogs I follow and it was very interesting and sobering at the same time.

Week 11

2008-01-11T16:58:00.000-06:00

Okay, so it seems the kids decided that the number "11" wasn't too hard for them to accomplish with their bodies! Initially, they both laid down (this time for some reason on their tummies) and propped their heads up with their hands. They were sooo sure they were making a "perfect number '11'", I just took the picture. After they saw the picture, they both said that they didn't look like a number "11"......but they sure do look cute which is all that matters, right? So, maybe we will do better on Week 12....maybe we won't have to make a 12! Trying to be positive!

Picture Africa!

2008-01-08T19:04:00.000-06:00

Isabella has always loved to draw and paint and every day, she draws at least 4 to 5 pictures with a very detailed story! Ever since the beginning of our adoption from Ethiopia, she has drawn pictures of what she thought Africa looked like and pictures of "our babies". This picture is one of many, but definitely one of my favorites not only because of the picture but because of the story:

(My favorite part of this picture are the "knots" on the end of the giraffe's horns(??) or whatever they are, but they do have that! Attention to detail! I love it!)

"This picture is of my brother and sister's birthland in Africa! Every morning, they get up and see giant elephants with big trunks, tall giraffes with big beautiful spots, and growling tigers who tip toe around. The sun is always bright and hot and they live in a house with a lot of ladies who love them and take care of them. There is a lot of sand and dirt on the ground and only one tree. I love my brother and sister in Africa and I want them to come home before I turn six!"

Ganna and Timkat

2008-01-07T23:23:00.000-06:00

Oh... Happy Ethiopian Christmas! Or, in Amharic, "Melkam Yelidet Beaal"

Today is the day that Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia. Ganna, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration falls on January 7th because Ethiopia still follows the ancient Julian calendar. This calendar, which is divided into 12 months with 30 days each, and a 13th month with five or six days at the end of the year, is the reason for Christmas in January. It is also the reason that it the year 2008 is actually 2000 in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church.

The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga. Urban Ethiopians might put on white Western garb. Then everyone goes to the early mass at four o'clock in the morning. In a celebration that takes place several days later, the priests will dress in turbans and red and white robes as they carry beautifully embroidered fringed umbrellas.

Most Ethiopians who live outside the modern capital city, Addis Ababa, live in round mud-plastered houses with cone-shaped roofs of thatched straw. In areas where stone is plentiful, the houses may be rectangular stone houses. The churches in Ethiopia echo the shape of the houses. In many parts of the country there are ancient churches carved out of solid volcanic rock. Modern churches are built in three concentric circles.

In a modern church, the choir assembles in the outer circle. Each person entering the church is given a candle. The congregation walks around the church three times in a solemn procession, holding the flickering candles. Then they gather in the second circle to stand throughout the long mass, with the men and boys separated from the women and girls. The center circle is the holiest space in the church, where the priest serves Holy Communion.

Around the time of Ganna, the men and boys play a game that is also called ganna. It is somewhat like hockey, played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball.

The foods enjoyed during the Christmas season include wat, a thick, spicy stew of meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs as well. The wat is served from a beautifully decorated watertight basket onto a "plate" of injera, which is flat sourdough bread. Pieces of injera are used as an edible spoon to scoop up the wat.

Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ. The children walk to church services in a procession. They wear the crowns and robes of the church youth groups they belong to. The grown-ups wear the shamma. The priests will now wear their red and white robes and carry embroidered fringed umbrellas.

The music of Ethiopian instruments makes the Timkat procession a very festive event. The sistrum is a percussion instrument with tinkling metal disks. A long, T-shaped prayer stick called a makamiya taps out the walking beat and also serves as a support for the priest during the long church service that follows. Church officials called dabtaras study hard to learn the musical chants, melekets, for the ceremony.

Ethiopian men play another sport called yeferas guks. They ride on horseback and throw ceremonial lances at each other.

Ganna and Timkat are not occasions for giving gifts in Ethiopia. If a child receives any gift at all, it is usually a small gift of clothing. Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.

Week 10

2008-01-04T23:43:00.000-06:00

We made it to "double-digits" and the kids have given up completely on making the numbers with their bodies. So, in trying to get creative like we did in Week 8, we used the kids' dinner as inspiration!

Ah, yes! One hot dog bun and two poor sausages snapped in half just because they weren't flexible enough to make a "zero"! I have a feeling that Week 11 will work out great (at least for the kids making the number "11") and all body numbers will be restored if only just for one week!

Tonight, Brad promised the kids they would go camping (outside in the back yard)! So, on Brad's new little grill, he grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and for dessert, they made s'mores! They were in heaven! We will see how long they last outside in the cold weather!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T16:58:00.000-06:00

Here is our Christmas letter that was so late, it turned into our New Year letter that I will hopefully send out soon!

What a year 2007 has been for the Baggett family! As each of you likely know, we are adopting internationally, and are in the final stages of our journey [we pray!], and we hope to have two new little Baggetts by the spring. However, the big change came about 9 months ago when we decided to withdraw our Dossier [official application packet] from China. The reasons for our decision are many; however, one of the most practical reasons was because the Chinese government has significantly increased the wait-time required to adopt a child from their country. Although our official Dossier was received in Beijing last January, [had we remained in the program] our wait-time today would still be at least three years. Further-more, due to the large number of females leaving the country through international adoption, rumors are now spreading that the government will soon end all international adoptions.

Therefore, through a great deal of prayer and counsel, we have chosen to switch countries to Ethiopia. In fact, we have now applied for a sibling pair, possibly twins, that are three years or younger, but requested as young as possible! This has come as a great surprise to many; yet, we are confident that our decision is within God’s revealed will. In our decision to adopt from Ethiopia, two basic truths weighed on our hearts: God loves adoptions and God loves the nations. Our Dossier for Ethiopia was officially completed October 26, 2007, and since the wait-time for a referral is 3-5 months, we are quickly approaching the window for a referral soon! We anxiously await new additions to the Baggett family in the year 2008 and we are filled with gratitude for the Lord’s continuous provision on this journey! We cannot wait to share our little ones with our friends and family alike! You can follow our journey and receive more information about our adoption at: http://ourfamilytapestry.blogspot.com/ . Please continue to pray for us as we enter into this exciting, new chapter of our lives!

Kimberly is homeschooling both Isabella & Elijah. Isabella (5) is in Kindergarten and Elijah (4) is in pre-K. They are very competitive, yet, they daily encourage one another and are brilliant little “sponges”! Elijah demonstrated his progress in letter writing by proudly writing the entire alphabet on Isabella’s walls in red pencil! And Isabella demonstrated her “cut and pasting” skills by gluing her art pieces on her bedroom door! Needless to say, we have now discovered Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser and are currently trying to buy stock in it! Both of them share a love of music, with Elijah “sing-songing” all day long and Isabella starting violin lessons on the tiniest little violin ever! Isabella has especially developed a love and aptitude for art as our home has quickly turned into her own little “art museum”. We concluded our scripture memory for the year with Luke 2 since Isabella was asked recite it in the Christmas program where Brad teaches. We were so proud of her and Elijah for memorizing such a long passage! They are truly the sweetest blessings and bring infectious joy to us both. They love Jesus with such passion and pray diligently for “our brother and sister in Africa!” It is currently our plan to take them with us when we travel to get our children, and they cannot wait!

Kimberly remains busy as she continues to help coordinate & teach within Grace Reformed Baptist Church’s [GRBC] Children Ministry. Much of the past several months, however, has been dedicated to completing more adoption paperwork, as well as sewing & embroidering burp cloths & blankets in order to help cover the necessary adoption expenses. Yet, her main focus continues to be what she does & loves best: teaching & raising our two precious children, Isabella and Elijah. Her heart remains anxious for our newest children to be revealed as she loves them deeply already!

Brad continues to serve as Pastor-Teacher at GRBC. He can honestly say that he absolutely loves his job and is so thankful to serve at a church where the people love the LORD which such deep conviction! He also continues to teach at Northeast Christian Academy, where he is an Instructor for Systematic Theology, Philosophy of Religion, and Government and Politics. Needless to say, he remains incredibly busy and tries to spend as much time as he can with his family!

2007, like 2006, has been a time of change for us as a family but we are so grateful that the Lord is unchanging and remains the only constant in our lives! He continues to humble us with the outpouring of gracious blessings that we do not deserve. We anxiously look forward to what 2008 has in store, hoping we will bring glory to His name and be ever mindful of how we can serve him and further His kingdom. Our prayer is that each of you truly know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, not only this Season, but throughout the coming year.

We love each of you and are thankful for the special place you have in our lives.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Brad, Kimberly, Isabella, and Elijah

WEEK 9

2007-12-28T23:37:00.000-06:00

Okay, so we finally have arrived on the other side of Christmas and we are definitely ready for the "hustle and bustle" to settle down so we can catch our breath! Like I have said before, the waiting hasn't been as bad as I thought it would seeing as we have had many distractions with all the holidays! I am counting this as another blessing that we tend to overlook because it seems small but since we have a lot of "waiting" under our belt, I definitely see these holiday distractions as a blessing!

And like last week, the kids found it hard to make a number "9" so I just used week "6" and flipped it around! Whatever works, right? Maybe next week, the number "10" won't be so challenging for them. We may even have to get Daddy involved since we are entering the double digits!!!

There have been lots of referrals lately all matched with quick court dates so we are hoping the whole process is speeding up! We are still praying for our little sibling pair in hopes the Lord will reveal them to us very soon!! We are content in knowing that the Lord will bring our family together in His perfect timing as we continue to trust in His faithfulness! He is our Strength!

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:3-4

Christmas Time is Here

2007-12-25T23:46:00.000-06:00

Christmas was so much fun this year as the kids are getting older and truly getting excited for all of the Christmas festivities! We had Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning at our home this year. Then, had Christmas lunch with Brad's family and Christmas dinner with my family, so we were able to see everyone this year. All the kids watching Isabella open her Marshmallow shooter!

My precious little nephew, John Isaac, all bundled up in his "little bear" suit while watching the fireworks and the kids sparklers! (I loved his blue bear suit so much that Brittany went to The Children's Place and bought one for our babe in Ethiopia!)

Isabella and Elijah on Christmas morning (see Isabella's shirt that says "glamou(RED)" given to her by Aunt Brittany on Christmas Eve, and she loved it so much, she wore it to bed!)Elijah and Daddy with their walking sticks from Mommy engraved with the words, "Walk with God". They loved it!The kids were so excited to give Daddy his blanket they made especially for him!Brittany got more (RED) products for our kids: This for one of our little ones in Ethiopia (that I really wanted badly!) .....
....and this warm sweater hoodie for Elijah that says "bo(RED)" which is perfect for him because that is his new saying when he doesn't want to do something I ask him. He whines, "Mommy, you are making me too bored!"

And I received some really special gifts relating to Ethiopia including this precious little boy figurine named "Eubie" from our family friend, Peggy. I just love him!

This necklace is so special to me because it is an pink Ethiopian stone carved into an Ethiopian coptic cross that Brad gave me.

And he gave me this Ethiopian girl figurine and her name is "Sadaka" which means "precious gift"! I love her too!

I love that Brad always tries so hard to find really special things to give me on my birthday and holidays and this Christmas was no different. This year he tried to find things that were unique to Ethiopia but since most of his research came from the internet, he found out the pictures given on the internet are difficult to see the true size of anything. He was so excited to give me this necklace because he thought it looked small but a little "sparkly" and would help remind me of our children in Ethiopia. Well, Brittany warned him that she wasn't sure about it but he ordered it anyway thinking it was perfect for me! It came in the mail and Brittany wrapped it without Brad ever seeing the real necklace. When I opened it, I was shocked! Yes, it was definitely "sparkly" and HUGE! We started laughing so hard because it is literally the size of a coaster! But what was even funnier is that at the bottom of the box, it said, "Hip Hop collection"!!!

We have decided to keep it because it is too funny not to and to use it as an ornament on our tree where it can really be "sparkly"! Have I mentioned that I am married to Clark Griswald?

The Gospel of the Kingdom

2007-12-22T23:48:00.000-06:00

With Christmas upon us, I felt this was a great quote to think about:

The Gospel of the Kingdom
“The kingdom of God is the new and final age that began with the coming of Jesus. His kingdom is not part of the present age — an age where the flesh reigns; where people are divided, relationships are broken, and suspicion and competition dominate; where money, sex, and power are abused; where leaders are first and servants last; where behavior is controlled by laws, and identity is defined by race, gender, or social standing; and where gifts and resources are used for the advancement of oneself.

Rather, the kingdom of God is the new age. It is the age of the Spirit (Matt 12:28). It is the age of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). The Kingdom of God is about the renewal, restoration, and reconciliation of all things, and God has made us a part of this great story of salvation.

This kingdom is about the restoration of relationships, justice, and equality; about freedom from every lord except Jesus; about reconciliation, forgiveness, and the defeat of Satan. It is about compassion for the poor and powerless, about helping those who are marginalized and rejected by society, and about our gifts and resources for the advancement of others. It is about new communities and the transformation of society and culture, so that race, gender, and social class no longer define identity, nor are they used to control and divide. For Paul, to preach the gospel is to preach the kingdom, is to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:24-27).

The gospel sums up the whole message of good news that he brought to the nations — particularly to the downtrodden and powerless. And since it is good news, our response to the message of the kingdom is to be one of repentant faith (Mark 1:15).”

- Neil H. Williams, Gospel Transformation, 2nd Ed. (Jenkintown, Pa.: World Harvest Mission, 2006), iii.

Week 8

2007-12-21T22:20:00.000-06:00

It is almost Christmas and we have made it to another week! The kids gave up on making the numbers with their bodies since making a number "8" would have been easier if they were noodles! So they improvised and decided to make an "8" with the first thing they saw....socks! There are always socks lurking around our house, mostly without their mates, so for today we have finally found a purpose for "mateless" socks! I think they did a pretty good job!

Today has been filled with more cooking for the holidays! I love to cook and the holidays make cooking even more fun with all the festive recipes! The kids love to make sugar cookies at Christmas, so they are really looking forward to this weekend! We are going to try a new recipe for Christmas this year that is an actual African recipe. It is called Malva Pudding and it is similar to bread pudding, so we are looking forward to enjoying that and hopefully it will become a tradition in our home!

Kolfe Orphanage

2007-12-19T12:17:00.000-06:00

The radiant faces of the boys and young men at the Kolfe Orphanage, ages 12-18, would never reveal that they are the poorest of the poor and have lost their parents and families. These orphans haven’t been absorbed by friends of relatives and now the only family they know is the one comprised of the 185 other kids at the orphanage. Unfortunately, this kind of thing is all too common throughout Africa. Poverty, AIDS, and malnutrition has left a devastating wake of 4.7 million orphans in Ethiopia alone.

The one affected most by the orphan crisis are the older kids that don’t have a chance to be adopted and are forced to spend the majority of their life in poorly funded and understaffed orphanages like Kolfe.

These young men have been placed in this facility with the hopes of attaining food, medical care, shelter, and an education. Unfortunately, budget constraints have severely limited the capacity to which Kolfe can provide these basic needs. The clinic is void of proper medical equipment, the recreational facilities are limited to one dirt patch used for soccer, and the basic structure of the majority of the buildings are completely dilapidated.

Gladney is trying to help by bettering the conditions in which they live. Others are giving of their resources to raise funds to help these boys. Here is a video of the boys and their situation:

"And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to me." Matt. 25-40

One Lord

2007-12-14T21:40:00.000-06:00

Wow! Another post from Of First Importance, but I must say it has really been teaching and encouraging me lately!

One Lord
“‘One Lord.’ Ephesians 4:5.

The Lord Jesus is the one Head, as He is the one Foundation, of the Church. All believers are chosen in Christ, blessed in Christ, saved in Christ, preserved in Christ, and in Christ will be glorified. The work of Christ is the one resting-place of their souls. They rely for pardon upon the same blood, for acceptance upon the same righteousness, and for sanctification upon the same grace. One in Christ, all other differences and distinctions are merged and forgotten: ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’

What a uniting truth is this! Jesus is the one Head of life, light, and love, to all His saints. He carried the transgression of all, He bore the curse of all, He endured the hell of all, He pardons the sin of all, He supplies the need of all, He soothes the sorrows of all, and He lives and intercedes for all. To Him all alike repair, it is true, with different degrees of knowledge and of faith, and from different points; yet, to Jesus, as to one Savior, one Brother, one Lord, they all alike come.

Oh! what a cementing principle is this! The body of Christ- the purchase of the same blood, loved with the same affection, and in heaven represented by the same Advocate, and soon, oh, how soon, to be ‘gloried together’ with Him. What love, then, ought I to bear towards him whom Jesus has so loved!”

- Octavius Winslow, Morning Thoughts (March 23)

A short bio on Octavius Winslow:
Octavius Winslow, 1808-1878, descended from Edward Winslow, a Pilgrim leader who braved the Atlantic to come to the New World on the Mayflower in 1620. Octavius?s father, Thomas, an army captain stationed in London, died when he was seven years old. Shortly after that, Octavius?s God-fearing mother took her family of ten children to New York. All of the children became Christians, and three sons became evangelical ministers. Octavius later wrote a book about his family?s experiences from his mother?s perspective, titled Life in Jesus. Winslow was ordained as a pastor in 1833 in New York. He later moved to England where he became one of the most valued nonconformist ministers of the nineteenth century, largely due to the earnestness of his preaching and the excellence of his prolific writings. He held pastorates in Leamington Spa, Bath, and Brighton. He was also a popular speaker for special occasions, such as the opening of C. H. Spurgeon?s Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1861. After a short illness, he died on March 5, 1878, and was buried in Abbey Cemetery, Bath. Winslow wrote more than forty books, in which he promoted an experimental knowledge of the precious truths of God. Several of his books have been reprinted recently.

Week 7

2007-12-14T14:06:00.000-06:00

Today marks seven weeks of waiting and if you can see the expression on Elijah's face, you can tell they weren't too thrilled with making the number "7". At least it is one more week down, and who knows how many more to go!

Luke 2

2007-12-13T23:47:00.000-06:00

Brad teaches at a private school here in Kingwood and the music teacher had asked him back in the summer if Isabella could memorize and recite Luke 2 for the school's Christmas program. We asked Isabella if she would like to do this and she agreed. I began teaching it to her a little at a time and she quickly memorized it and was so exited to say it to anyone who would listen to her! As December rolled around, we had taught it to not only her but decided to also teach it to Elijah (who already had memorized most of it just by listening to Isabella say it all the time!). Yesterday afternoon, we went up to the school to rehearse it with the music that was playing in the background as she spoke. She was uncharacteristically shy and nervous, so I began to think she might not go through with it, but after the rehearsal this afternoon, with all the people, lights, animals and other children, she did amazingly well!

So, tonight came and she was so excited to say her verse! She was at the very end of the program, so she had to wait a long time but then it came time for her to go up on the stage with Daddy! She was smiling and you could tell she was very excited! Here is a snippet of her because as I was recording her, my batteries died! Thank goodness, the school recorded it so we will have a copy!

She got a little nervous, and forgot to say some of the verses, but continued on like a pro (so well, that I don't think any knew she had forgotten anything)! Afterwards she was so precious asking me why she didn't say some of the verses and when I told her she did great and the Lord was pleased with her for knowing His word, she smiled and said, "Okay! Now where is my surprise!?" Children are truly resilient! Here she is after the performance with the flowers she received from Mommy and Daddy!

And here she is with the music teacher from the school:

But the best part of this is when she told me tonight after we got home, "Mommy, I am so glad I got to say my verses to all those people because now those people know about Jesus!" The Lord truly looks at our hearts and loves the faith of children!

Childlike Obedience

2007-12-13T14:36:00.000-06:00

This quote from Of First Importance really encouraged me today:

Childlike Obedience
“God has declared in the gospel that whenever we come to him, we are to call upon him freely and openly as our Father, who has adopted us as his children. If we do not have this assurance, the thought of serving God will make us grind our teeth.

If, however, we are persuaded that God looks upon us favourably; if, though we are weak and can do nothing worthy of his approval, he accepts us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will surely be filled with courage.

We will be like a ship’s sail that has been stretched and filled by the breeze! Thus, our hearts will run to obey him, like a ship driven along by its sail, when we know that God delights in us and accepts our works, not wanting us to be compelled into servitude. He is happy for us to be his children, and that we desire to obey him.”
- John Calvin, Sermons on Galatians (preaching on Gal 5:1-3)

You Raise Me Up

2007-12-08T22:37:00.000-06:00

This video is from last season's American Idol on the Idol Gives Back show where Josh Groban sings "You Raise Me Up" with the African Children's Choir singing in the background. These kids are so precious!

I could watch this hundreds of times (and probably have!)

Inspi(RED)

2007-12-08T20:12:00.000-06:00

I went into Hallmark today amidst all the busy Christmas shoppers looking for the new Hallmark (RED) ornament since they have now become part of the (RED) campaign. I looked all over and couldn't find it so I asked for some help. The lady was unpacking inventory they had just received next to the display that the ornaments were hanging. I was disappointed that the ornaments were hidden behind all the boxes as I guess they wouldn't be selling many of them. While I was checking out, the lady looked at the ornament, then said, "This is the first of these I have sold and yet it is so pretty!" She had no idea what is was and when I explained it to her and that we were adopting from Ethiopia, she was so thrilled! She said it made her day and that she hopes we are united with our children soon! Hopefully now that they know a little more about the (RED) products they are selling, they might just put them in a more viewable place!

Immediately when I got home, I unpacked my little treasure and placed it right in front of our Christmas tree! It is beautiful and I love it!

WEEK 6

2007-12-07T23:42:00.000-06:00

Today marks six weeks we have been on the wait list for a referral. There are so many other families who have been waiting longer than us, so even though six weeks seems like a long time, we know we have more waiting ahead of us. There are several Gladney families who went through court yesterday, and some of them did not make it through apparently due to some missing paperwork (not on their part or Gladney's part). I guess I didn't realize that some families don't make it through court for some reason or another. Now, their travel dates have been pushed back and they have to wait through another court date to clear before they can travel. This process is truly about waiting on the Lord and trusting in Him. I really don't know how you can go through this process without knowing Him and trusting His provision for your life. We are all waiting anxiously for them to get cleared through court! Once cleared through the court system, the child(ren) are officially and legally adopted! We are praying for quick court dates!

In other news, all adoptive parents must complete 10 hours of training before traveling to their child's country. Training has always been a part of the process, but because of the Hague Convention, they instituted new rules for the training. So, last night, Gladney offered a free live stream workshop on "The Institutionalized Child" that Brad and I watched. It was a little over 2 hours and very informative. It is one of the required training topics for Ethiopia families and they offer a live-stream video every several months for free! In order to complete the rest of our hours, we will need to purchase them in DVD format or purchase to view online. I am anxious to finish these training hours so I will be a little more educated on adoption in general and so we will feel like we are one step closer to receiving our little blessings from Ethiopia!

Toothless and Tired

2007-12-04T21:15:00.000-06:00

Today, Isabella had FIVE teeth extracted at the dentist's office. She was supposed to have six extracted but we pulled one last week that was loose! She was very nervous but never cried about the procedure. When we arrived at the dentist's office, they gave her some "silly juice" to drink to relax her and then we had to wait 20 minutes for it to take effect on her. She was totally fine until about 5 minutes into it, and she became incredibly smiley, wobbly and relaxed.
Brad had to carry her back to the chair because she was just like dead weight! They put a monitor on her little toes and then, put a mask on her giving her nitrous oxide to relax some more and she quickly faded into her "happy place"! It was time for us to leave, but I quickly got emotional leaving her alone when she seemed totally unresponsive to me. It reminded me of what we went through with Elijah during his surgery mishap and I became unexpectedly very nervous! The lady explained that they do 4-5 extractions every morning which calmed me some, but I couldn't stop the tears even though I kept thinking, "Seriously, Kimberly! They are just pulling her teeth!" It was over fairly quickly, and they carried her out to us good as new, just with 5 less teeth!
It was hard to see what she looked like because her mouth was stuffed with gauze to stop the bleeding, but I still thought she looked precious! We drove home and Daddy made her a comfy place on the couch and then went back to work. A little later, Granna came by and brought her a gigantic balloon that sings a Christmas song, some pretty flowers and some Christmas M&Ms!
Showing Granna "all the holes" in her little mouth:
And even Elijah got some M&Ms!
She is doing well now and sound asleep! Now, let's hope her top teeth will come out on their own!

The Starfish Story

2007-12-01T23:15:00.000-06:00

I do not know where this little story came from but it is one I have heard many times. It trult resonnates with where we are right now....in the midst of "making a difference" in a child's life. Believe it or not, I have had several people ask me if we are trying to save the world or tell us we can't make that big of a difference with just our family. This simple story is so perfect!

A little girl was walking along a beach that was covered with thousands of starfish left dying in the sun by the receding tide. Seeking to help, she picked up a starfish and tossed it back into the ocean.

A man, assumed by her action, said to her, “Little girl, there are to many starfish. You will never make a difference.” Discouraged, she began to walk away. Suddenly, she turned around, picked up another starfish, and tossed it as far as she could back into the sea. Turning to the man, she smiled and said, “I made a difference to that one!”

The man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing the starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined and all the starfish were saved.

WEEK 5

2007-11-30T14:13:00.000-06:00

Pretty uneventful today unless you count the kids trying to make the number "5" with their bodies! Even though it has been the hardest so far for them to make, I think it looks the best! (Even better than their #1)!

Loose tooth!

2007-11-26T23:15:00.000-06:00

Isabella started getting a random tooth growing behind her other bottom teeth so we took her to the dentist to check it out. He told us that she has a little bitty mouth and little bitty baby teeth that are significantly smaller than her incoming adult teeth. Even though her adult teeth are a normal size, they are 1 1/2 to 2 times larger than her little baby teeth which are already very crowded, so we have to go back in early December to get SIX of her teeth pulled on the bottom to make room for her adult teeth. The good news is that a few of her bottom teeth are loose, so we are supposed to "vigilantly" wiggle those teeth to see if the loose ones come out before he needs to pull the rest of her teeth...that brings us to last night......
See the pained look on her face? She was excited to pull one of her loose teeth until we went into the bathroom to pull it! That is where our little "drama queen" made the performance of a lifetime...she is so funny when she is dramatic but when she sees herself in the mirror, her performance deserves an Academy Award for sure! Here is the video before we actually pulled her tooth: (When she speaks of Dr. Jai...it is her dentist)

After I turned the video off, I bribed her with peppermint ice cream. She quickly smirked and asked me if I could try just ONE TIME to pull her tooth. I did and out popped the tooth! Here is her proud moment after her tooth was pulled:

She woke up this morning screaming that the Tooth Fairy came and left her a quarter for her tooth and even left a "pixie dust" trail to her bed!! She then proceded to tell me that she thought the Tooth Fairy left a dollar for each tooth! I told her that she had a special Tooth Fairy who only gave out silver coins, and as her eyes got bigger, she smiled and said, "WOW! I have a COIN Tooth Fairy!"

Indeed, she does!

Ethiopia Program Update

2007-11-26T17:50:00.000-06:00

We received this update today from our Ethiopia program directors:

Due to the backlog in cases left over from the court closure during the rainy season, 4 families will be traveling this month to pick up their child/ren. We hope to see many more families traveling in the upcoming months. Congratulations to all of our families who received referrals and families who received court dates recently! Our Ethiopia Program families are continuing to grow every month, and we are excited to be working with all of you!

We are also excited to announce that we recently hired 2 additional staff members for our in-country team.

Travis and Joanna Norwood and their 2 children will be moving to Ethiopia in mid-November to assist with the in-country team (which already includes Belay Tafesse and Ryan and Abby Brown who adopted little Enoch and now their daughter, Marta!). We are glad to have them on board!

Also in-country, to better monitor and maintain the children's health, a full-time nurse has been added to the infant foster care staff, and a pediatrician will soon begin making regular visits to the foster care center to check on the children.

Could it be that simple?

2007-11-24T12:33:00.000-06:00

Recently, Shaun Groves and his brother-in-law, Brian, (who is in the process of adopting a child, maybe siblings, from Ethiopia) traveled to Ethiopia with Compassion International and attended the graduation of Compassion's Leadership Development Program. While they were there, they were able to capture wonderful images and video footage of their time there as well as spend time with some wonderful Ethiopian people. This excerpt is from Shaun's blog speaking of his time in an orphanage there. His words are convicting and ever so true:

"Adoption, like marriage, I think, is a living breathing metaphor for God’s love of us. I felt that today. I felt God in me wanting to hold these strangers, kiss them and sing to them, take them home and raise them as my own.

Later, as Brian and I processed what we’d experienced together in the orphanage I became convinced of something Brian tried to teach me long ago. We really do make God’s will too complicated. I do. I wring my hands and analyze and worry, discuss and think, think, think. I pray and beg God to speak. “What is your will for my life? What do you want from me?” I ask. And he’s silent. Or is he? As Brian says, maybe God’s will is found wherever my ability and someone else’s need intersect. Does apathy sometimes come from good intentions - from waiting and praying for instructions we don’t really need after all? Is God speaking already and constantly to us through our ability and excess and the world’s pain?

There are over 800,000 orphans in Ethiopia waiting for parents. There are over 100,000 children in Compassion programs waiting for sponsors. That is need.

We are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that raises the dead, gives sight to the blind, repairs all that is broken on this side of Heaven and even teaches us how to parent. We have hands that can hug, hearts that can love, stoves that can cook, refrigerators full of food and more living space per person than the citizens of any other nation in the world. That is ability.

Are there 900,000 American Christians asking God to announce his will to them right now when he’s already speaking through their bible, their spare room and their bank accounts?

Could it be that simple?

Compassion International answers "Why Ethiopia?"

2007-11-24T09:22:00.000-06:00

Again, this video and explanation was taken from Shaun's blog during his trip to Ethiopia. Dr. Wess Stafford is the President of Compassion International:

After the diplomas were handed out at the LDP graduation ceremony a couple days ago, Wess and two other Compassion leaders washed the feet of three of the graduates. It was the final lesson taught: leaders must humbly serve. Wess was to wash the feet of a male student and a female leader was to wash the feet of a female graduate but at the last second Wess knelt instead before the young lady and washed her feet. No one knew why he made this change in the plan until yesterday.

Yesterday we went to church with the LDP graduates and then joined them for lunch and a few hours of “fun time.” At the end of our afternoon together the Ethiopian Compassion staff asked us to make a large circle, as if we were gathered around a camp fire. One by one we sat in the center and told our story. And answered questions from those in the circle.

When it came Wess’ turn he told us his story and then he told us why he washed a woman’s feet at the graduation ceremony, and why Compassion came to Ethiopia.