So I haven't been recording meals lately. We spent the weekend at Warm Beach Camp with many other families who've adopted or are adopting through AAI and all our meals were included. KitKat was able to eat most of every meal except one. One of the meals was Fetticini Alfredo (wheat AND milk) with breadsticks (wheat). Most of the family just ate whatever was served this weekend but I chose to eat with KitKat so she wasn't alone. We just had rice cakes with peanut butter, string cheese, bananas, etc. for lunch that day.
The weekend at Warm Beach was a lot of fun. We were able to spend some time with one of the families we traveled to Ethiopia with, meet many friends we've made over the last year and make new friends. The volunteer coordinator who works at Layla was here for the occasion as well as a couple volunteers who were at Layla during Mac's stay. Mac also got to see his computer/math teacher, Biruk. He's living in the area for a couple years and will be giving Amharic lessons. We're really hoping to connect with him and take advantage of that!
Only two things could have made the weekend better. First, that Cat would have been well right away so that she and dh could travel with us (they ended up joining us at lunchtime on Saturday). Secondly, that the other family we traveled to Ethiopia with could have been there. They live on the other side of the country which makes it difficult but boy would we love to see them too!
One of the highlights of the weekend was the Saturday evening talent and fashion show. Several of the kids (and adults) put on different cultural outfits and modeled them for everyone and some got up to share a talent (singing, skits, soccer juggling, etc.) As soon as it started, KitKat was dyin' to get on that stage and do something. We hadn't signed her up so I told her she'd have to prepare something for next time. As the evening progressed, they asked the audience if there was anyone else who wanted to come up and share a talent. She eagerly tried to recruit some siblings or friends to go on stage with her but no one would volunteer. So, she decided to go by herself.
Up on stage, KitKat Ericka eagerly grabbed the mic and said, "My name's (KitKat). I'm going to sing a song that I learned at VBS." Then she proceeded to sing:
"Deep, deep, oh, deep down down. Deep down in my soul.
Deep, deep, oh deep down down. Deep down in my soul.
Oh (KitKat) do you love your Jesus deep down in your soul?
Oh yes I love my Jesus, deep down in my soul. Whoo!"
Technically, you're supposed to ask someone else the question and have them answer but since she couldn't get anyone to go on stage with her, she just asked herself the question and then answered herself. She proceeded to sing this through 3 times and I was starting to get worried that she wouldn't ever stop and would just keep cycling through. Thankfully, she did stop after 3 rounds. Then, she smiled real sweetly and asked the audience, "Would anyone like to join me?" There was silence for a few seconds then we all just applauded at which point she returned the mic and proceeded to bow and blow kisses to the audience. Dh and I are still trying to figure out where in the family tree she gets this trait from.
Showing posts with label Adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adoption. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Gotcha Day!
Today is Mac's "Gotcha Day!" One year ago today, he stepped into our home for the first time. We had been traveling for an extensive amount of time and it was about 12:30 am so we just gave him a quick tour and went to bed.
In some ways I can hardly believe it's been a year. In other ways it seems like he's always been here. Those "remember when..." stories are starting to include him more. He's beginning to have a past with us. It's pretty cool!
On another note, we've almost completed 1 week of wheat-free, milk-free meals. Today's menu is listed below.
Monday Menu
Breakfast:
oatmeal with applesauce & cinnamon
Morning snack:
chips & salsa
Lunch:
rice cake w/ peanut butter & banana
apple slices
carrots
string cheese
Afternoon snack:
otterpop
Dinner:
rice pasta spaghetti with red sauce and sausage
rice bread with butter & garlic
green beans
pears
Evening snack:
wheat-free brownies with coconut milk ice cream (yummy!)
In some ways I can hardly believe it's been a year. In other ways it seems like he's always been here. Those "remember when..." stories are starting to include him more. He's beginning to have a past with us. It's pretty cool!
On another note, we've almost completed 1 week of wheat-free, milk-free meals. Today's menu is listed below.
Monday Menu
Breakfast:
oatmeal with applesauce & cinnamon
Morning snack:
chips & salsa
Lunch:
rice cake w/ peanut butter & banana
apple slices
carrots
string cheese
Afternoon snack:
otterpop
Dinner:
rice pasta spaghetti with red sauce and sausage
rice bread with butter & garlic
green beans
pears
Evening snack:
wheat-free brownies with coconut milk ice cream (yummy!)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Re-adoption
I know I haven't posted in a long time. Hopefully I'll find more time as our school year winds down. THIS was worth making time. Monday, April 13th, we went to our County courthouse and re-adopted Mac. Why is this necessary you might ask? He was already our child, finalized on June 5, 2008. That finalization was in the Ethiopian courts. He is in our country as a permanent resident and we want him to have a certificate of citizenship (to be recognized as a US citizen). This was another step toward making that happen. We also legally changed his name.
The kids were excited and a little bit nervous as they've never been in a courtroom before. Actually, I don't believe I've ever been in a courtroom before. Thankfully this was for a happy reason. The judge was thrilled to pose for a picture and said this would be the most pleasant case she heard all day. The children didn't actually need to be there but we felt it was good for them to participate and a good learning experience too.
This coming weekend, we'll be dedicating Mac in front of our church. The oldest 3 kids (including Mac) will also be performing in our kids choir musical on Friday and Sunday. Add on to that the Skandia Danse performance on Saturday and we have a very full weekend coming up. Once we've all recovered from the craziness, I'll try to post some pictures.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Answered Prayer
A couple weeks ago, the kids and I were reading through Window on the World which is one of our home school books and the book mentioned the Jesus Film. Mac lit up with a huge smile as he informed me that he has seen that movie! After a bit of conversation I was able to find out that he saw the movie at Layla in both Amharic and in English. He liked the movie very much and he says that he asked Jesus to be his Savior. Wow!!! So I asked him when he did that and he couldn't tell me for sure. I asked him if it was when he was still 7 or after he turned 8. He said he was 8. That would mean that he accepted Christ sometime between May 28th when he turned 8 and July 21st when we arrived to pick him up. During this time period we were ferverantly praying that his heart would be ready to accept us as his family and that most importantly, he would be open to Christ. We prayed that the Lord would put people in his life that would share the love of Jesus with him. Praise God!!! Our prayers were answered exceedingly, abundantly, above all...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
One month ago today...
We picked up MAC in Ethiopia.
He fits into our family so well that I can hardly believe it's only been a month. In other ways, I can't believe it's been that long.
I'm sure there will be a lot of adjustments in our future. There is an actual "honeymoon" phase for adoption. It varies for each child but it's common for it to last about two months for a child MAC's age.
Right now, things are great. We've had very little discipline issues. The kids seem to be bonding (& fighting) as if they've been siblings from the beginning. It's SO fun to watch the boys wrestling and hanging out together.
I HAVE been seeing a few daggers from MAC's eyes toward his little sisters at times. Some of it is just plain being annoyed by a little sister but I suspect SOME of it may be related to his cultural expectation for them to just move out of his way and give him what he wants when he wants it. It seems much easier for him to make things right with Splat than with the girls. Then again, Splat is also a boy who is older which automatically gives him a leg up on the respect factor.
I see Cat getting frustrated VERY easily with MAC these days which is out of character for her. I suspect that some of the cultural expectations have been going on for awhile but that he's kept it to times when Mom or Dad aren't within earshot. Cat seemed to be the MOST patient when he first came home so I'm wondering if she was just trying to be understanding and has now reached her limit. It's definitely a relationship I will be keeping a close eye on.
This past week MAC passed his swim class, changed his name, spent an entire day at the county fair (I'll have to post pictures of that soon), took a trip to the mall with Grandma, and started doing a little school with me each day.
It's been a busy, rewarding week. We have a picnic to attend this weekend with other adoptive families in the area. One of the families we traveled with will be there and MAC will get to see one of his former room & classmates.
Next week we visit the doctor and the school where the kids take some classes.
Life is never dull around here! ;o)
He fits into our family so well that I can hardly believe it's only been a month. In other ways, I can't believe it's been that long.
I'm sure there will be a lot of adjustments in our future. There is an actual "honeymoon" phase for adoption. It varies for each child but it's common for it to last about two months for a child MAC's age.
Right now, things are great. We've had very little discipline issues. The kids seem to be bonding (& fighting) as if they've been siblings from the beginning. It's SO fun to watch the boys wrestling and hanging out together.
I HAVE been seeing a few daggers from MAC's eyes toward his little sisters at times. Some of it is just plain being annoyed by a little sister but I suspect SOME of it may be related to his cultural expectation for them to just move out of his way and give him what he wants when he wants it. It seems much easier for him to make things right with Splat than with the girls. Then again, Splat is also a boy who is older which automatically gives him a leg up on the respect factor.
I see Cat getting frustrated VERY easily with MAC these days which is out of character for her. I suspect that some of the cultural expectations have been going on for awhile but that he's kept it to times when Mom or Dad aren't within earshot. Cat seemed to be the MOST patient when he first came home so I'm wondering if she was just trying to be understanding and has now reached her limit. It's definitely a relationship I will be keeping a close eye on.
This past week MAC passed his swim class, changed his name, spent an entire day at the county fair (I'll have to post pictures of that soon), took a trip to the mall with Grandma, and started doing a little school with me each day.
It's been a busy, rewarding week. We have a picnic to attend this weekend with other adoptive families in the area. One of the families we traveled with will be there and MAC will get to see one of his former room & classmates.
Next week we visit the doctor and the school where the kids take some classes.
Life is never dull around here! ;o)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sadness
Last night I saw a glimpse of MAC's grief. I knew it was there under the surface. He hides it well as he spends 95% of his time smiling and laughing...
Cat and I went to "town" last night to do our monthly Costco shopping. I usually go during the day with ALL the kids but since we have swimming lessons this week I decided to go right after dinner. I needed one of the kids to come with and help push a cart since I usually fill up 2 and it was Cat's turn to have some one on one time with me so she was elected to come. ;o) She wasn't too sure about it at first but as she chatted my ear off she said, "I thought this was going to be boring but it's actually really fun. I thought we were just going to do BORING shopping and that's it. I didn't know we were going to chat too!" LOL!
Anyway...when we got home, the other 3 kids were already in bed for the night. Cat ran upstairs to put on her pj's and Ryan helped me unload the van. After putting away all the groceries that needed refrigeration I ran upstairs to say goodnight to the rest of the kids who might still be awake. KitKat was sound asleep so I went into the boys room.
Splat was in the restroom so it was just me and MAC. I wasn't sure if he was asleep or not but their bedroom light was still on so I quietly walked to the side of his bed. He immediately pulled the covers off his head and gave me the biggest, sweetest grin. I hugged him and said goodnight but as I looked into his eyes, I noticed that they were very teary. I asked him if he was sad. I asked him if he missed Ethiopia. I asked him if he missed his Ethiopian mom and his Ethiopian dad. He nodded to all of these things and the tears started flowing. I hugged him and told him it was okay to be sad. I told him that we are so happy that he is here with us and that we love him very much but that we are sad too that his Ethiopian mom and dad had to die and weren't able to raise him. I told him that I know it's hard to come to a new country and that anytime he wants to talk about how he's feeling, Dad and I want to listen. He wiped his tears, gave me another hug and smiled. Splat had returned to their room by this time so I hugged them both, turned off their light and left.
But I wonder... how many nights in the 2 weeks since we've been home has MAC silently cried himself to sleep? He is SO brave but I know his heart must be hurting and my heart hurts for him. I wish I could just give him a kiss and make it all go away but it doesn't work that way. I'm sure he will have bouts of sadness for years to come. I pray that he will find comfort in his heavenly father and that we can help him to feel confident in his ability to go to Him in all things. I pray also that he will begin to share with us when he's feeling sad and that he will truly KNOW how much we love and care for him.
Cat and I went to "town" last night to do our monthly Costco shopping. I usually go during the day with ALL the kids but since we have swimming lessons this week I decided to go right after dinner. I needed one of the kids to come with and help push a cart since I usually fill up 2 and it was Cat's turn to have some one on one time with me so she was elected to come. ;o) She wasn't too sure about it at first but as she chatted my ear off she said, "I thought this was going to be boring but it's actually really fun. I thought we were just going to do BORING shopping and that's it. I didn't know we were going to chat too!" LOL!
Anyway...when we got home, the other 3 kids were already in bed for the night. Cat ran upstairs to put on her pj's and Ryan helped me unload the van. After putting away all the groceries that needed refrigeration I ran upstairs to say goodnight to the rest of the kids who might still be awake. KitKat was sound asleep so I went into the boys room.
Splat was in the restroom so it was just me and MAC. I wasn't sure if he was asleep or not but their bedroom light was still on so I quietly walked to the side of his bed. He immediately pulled the covers off his head and gave me the biggest, sweetest grin. I hugged him and said goodnight but as I looked into his eyes, I noticed that they were very teary. I asked him if he was sad. I asked him if he missed Ethiopia. I asked him if he missed his Ethiopian mom and his Ethiopian dad. He nodded to all of these things and the tears started flowing. I hugged him and told him it was okay to be sad. I told him that we are so happy that he is here with us and that we love him very much but that we are sad too that his Ethiopian mom and dad had to die and weren't able to raise him. I told him that I know it's hard to come to a new country and that anytime he wants to talk about how he's feeling, Dad and I want to listen. He wiped his tears, gave me another hug and smiled. Splat had returned to their room by this time so I hugged them both, turned off their light and left.
But I wonder... how many nights in the 2 weeks since we've been home has MAC silently cried himself to sleep? He is SO brave but I know his heart must be hurting and my heart hurts for him. I wish I could just give him a kiss and make it all go away but it doesn't work that way. I'm sure he will have bouts of sadness for years to come. I pray that he will find comfort in his heavenly father and that we can help him to feel confident in his ability to go to Him in all things. I pray also that he will begin to share with us when he's feeling sad and that he will truly KNOW how much we love and care for him.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Home Two Weeks...
I posted this on our agency's yahoo group last night:
We've been home two weeks now and things are going really well.
Tonight, MAC chose to wear pajama bottoms only (copying Splat, I'm sure) and was sitting on my lap watching some tv. He was grabbing the sides of his tummy and squishing it together, being silly. I gently grabbed either side of his belly button and made it move slightly while saying in a deep voice, "Hello!" He LAUGHED SO HARD and for SO LONG I didn't know if he'd ever stop. Of course laughter feeds laughter and with the whole family laughing, it took quite awhile for it to all die down.
Anyway...it's been a really good two weeks. There've been a few minor challenges and I find myself extra tired at the end of the day but over all it has been a very smooth transition so far. He's said "I love you" in Amharic to me a few times and once to each of the kids. He LOVES to swim and ride his scooter. He really wants to ride his bike but struggles some with the balance still. It definitely felt like we had a guest in the house for the first week or so but that feeling is slowly disappearing. He's quite a tease and we've already had a few typical sibling situations that show me he's truly become a part of the family.
Tonight we watched some of the October waiting child video that he was on for the first time since we got home. He LOVED seeing his friends and it was really fun for us to watch again now that we've been there and had a taste of personalities to go with some of the kids.
For families traveling soon I should mention that he was VERY shy when we first met at Layla. He came and hugged us and showed us around a little but would just point at things and didn't say ONE word. There was a little party going on and we went to join it. He grabbed the food and sat with his friends and then went outside to play without even glancing at us. It all felt VERY awkward for us at first. I know that is NOT the case for many families but that's how it was for us. In that moment I never would have imagined that he'd be embracing us and saying "I love you" so quickly. He truly is a very shy child and just needed a little time to get to know us. I just wanted to share our experience for others who might find themselves in a similar situation.
That's it for now. I'm so excited for those of you who are traveling soon and wish I was going back already. Praying that the court closure time passes quickly for those of you waiting.
Still living in a honeymoon phase...
We've been home two weeks now and things are going really well.
Tonight, MAC chose to wear pajama bottoms only (copying Splat, I'm sure) and was sitting on my lap watching some tv. He was grabbing the sides of his tummy and squishing it together, being silly. I gently grabbed either side of his belly button and made it move slightly while saying in a deep voice, "Hello!" He LAUGHED SO HARD and for SO LONG I didn't know if he'd ever stop. Of course laughter feeds laughter and with the whole family laughing, it took quite awhile for it to all die down.
Anyway...it's been a really good two weeks. There've been a few minor challenges and I find myself extra tired at the end of the day but over all it has been a very smooth transition so far. He's said "I love you" in Amharic to me a few times and once to each of the kids. He LOVES to swim and ride his scooter. He really wants to ride his bike but struggles some with the balance still. It definitely felt like we had a guest in the house for the first week or so but that feeling is slowly disappearing. He's quite a tease and we've already had a few typical sibling situations that show me he's truly become a part of the family.
Tonight we watched some of the October waiting child video that he was on for the first time since we got home. He LOVED seeing his friends and it was really fun for us to watch again now that we've been there and had a taste of personalities to go with some of the kids.
For families traveling soon I should mention that he was VERY shy when we first met at Layla. He came and hugged us and showed us around a little but would just point at things and didn't say ONE word. There was a little party going on and we went to join it. He grabbed the food and sat with his friends and then went outside to play without even glancing at us. It all felt VERY awkward for us at first. I know that is NOT the case for many families but that's how it was for us. In that moment I never would have imagined that he'd be embracing us and saying "I love you" so quickly. He truly is a very shy child and just needed a little time to get to know us. I just wanted to share our experience for others who might find themselves in a similar situation.
That's it for now. I'm so excited for those of you who are traveling soon and wish I was going back already. Praying that the court closure time passes quickly for those of you waiting.
Still living in a honeymoon phase...
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
First Weeks Home...
We're well into our 2nd week home with MAC.
On Sunday, the 27th, we hung out at home and let MAC experience the scooter, bike, playset, etc.
We took the kids swimming on Monday.
Ryan went back to work on Tuesday, leaving me to hold down the fort with the kids.
The kids and I went to town on Wednesday to run errands and attend a memorial service. The ferry dock was broken which made for an extra long trip home but the kids were all really great about the extra long wait.
On Thursday, my parents came over to spend the afternoon. They got to witness MAC's introduction to the doorbell. That was pretty cute.
We stayed close to home on Friday and Saturday. Saturday evening, we took the kids to the local movie theatre to see WALL*E. We'd already seen it but we had a couple free passes and thought it would be fun to take MAC to his first movie theatre.
We went to church on Sunday and even though he's really shy, MAC did a great job of meeting so many new people.
This week we're doing swimming lessons so we're gone for a large portion of the day. The kids ALL love to swim and are having a great time. We've had wonderful weather for it too. Yesterday we even brought out the slip 'n slide when we got home and MAC LOVED that. ;o)
We'll be having a picnic with Ryan's extended family this weekend so MAC will get to meet some aunts, uncles and cousins.
MAC is doing REALLY well and Ryan and I are both wondering how long this "honeymoon" phase will last. We're amazed at how well he fits into the family already.
We've been playing a lot of Uno and Yahtzee in the evenings. MAC also likes to be read to and enjoys music. His favorite cd right now is "Boyz in the Sink" Veggie Tales. He'll even sing along if he doesn't think anyone is listening. ;o)
On Sunday, the 27th, we hung out at home and let MAC experience the scooter, bike, playset, etc.
We took the kids swimming on Monday.
Ryan went back to work on Tuesday, leaving me to hold down the fort with the kids.
The kids and I went to town on Wednesday to run errands and attend a memorial service. The ferry dock was broken which made for an extra long trip home but the kids were all really great about the extra long wait.
On Thursday, my parents came over to spend the afternoon. They got to witness MAC's introduction to the doorbell. That was pretty cute.
We stayed close to home on Friday and Saturday. Saturday evening, we took the kids to the local movie theatre to see WALL*E. We'd already seen it but we had a couple free passes and thought it would be fun to take MAC to his first movie theatre.
We went to church on Sunday and even though he's really shy, MAC did a great job of meeting so many new people.
This week we're doing swimming lessons so we're gone for a large portion of the day. The kids ALL love to swim and are having a great time. We've had wonderful weather for it too. Yesterday we even brought out the slip 'n slide when we got home and MAC LOVED that. ;o)
We'll be having a picnic with Ryan's extended family this weekend so MAC will get to meet some aunts, uncles and cousins.
MAC is doing REALLY well and Ryan and I are both wondering how long this "honeymoon" phase will last. We're amazed at how well he fits into the family already.
We've been playing a lot of Uno and Yahtzee in the evenings. MAC also likes to be read to and enjoys music. His favorite cd right now is "Boyz in the Sink" Veggie Tales. He'll even sing along if he doesn't think anyone is listening. ;o)
Monday, July 28, 2008
MAC is Home!
Here the kids are modeling the gifts we brought them with Ryan
Picking up MAC at Layla
On the flight from Dubai to Addis Ababa...we're can hardly wait to hug MAC
With my good friend and her son. We met on the Sonlight forums and ended up traveling together. She and her husband were WONDERFUL to be traveling with!
Here we all are with another family we traveled with. They were also wonderful to spend time with and live within a couple hours of us. Their son was roomates with MAC at Layla and also in his class. We hope to get together throughout the year. This picture was taken just before we went to the Crown Hotel for dinner where we watched a show with Ethiopian dancing.Monday, July 14, 2008
MAC's Letter!!!
We got a letter from MAC today! 
Dear family,
How are you? I am doing very well. I miss you very much. My favorite films are George of the Jungle and Spiderman. I like Hindu music. What films do you like? My favorite foods are chicken and hamburgers and pizza. I want to know everything about you. How are my brother and sisters? My favorite subjects in school are math and english. My favorite sports are basketball and swimming.
I
LOVE
YOU!
Dear family,
How are you? I am doing very well. I miss you very much. My favorite films are George of the Jungle and Spiderman. I like Hindu music. What films do you like? My favorite foods are chicken and hamburgers and pizza. I want to know everything about you. How are my brother and sisters? My favorite subjects in school are math and english. My favorite sports are basketball and swimming.
I
LOVE
YOU!
Love,
MAC
Friday, July 11, 2008
Making Lists, Shopping, Packing...
That's my life right now and yet it's exciting because we leave in ONE WEEK. We're SO excited to go get MAC.
Other misc. news:
Splat has been at camp for the week. We pick him up tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is also his 9th birthday. Happy Birthday Splat!
VBS starts on Monday so the kids are VERY excited about that.
Whooping Cough has become a bit of an epidemic on the Island right now. We've even hit the news! I now know of 3 families who've had confirmed diagnosis. There's been more but we personally know 3. One of them has had the kids playing at their house AND has been playing in our house. As a result we are ALL currently taking medicine to make sure we don't get it and then spread it. We HAVE been immunized but so have some of the kids who've come down with it SO...we do what we can to make sure we stay healthy!
Cat has learned to ride her bike w/o training wheels in the last month. She LOVES that.
KitCat is anxious to start kindergarten and been enjoying several "sleepovers" in Cat's room this week while Splat is away.
Well, I better go get some rest. Tomorrow we have a son to reclaim from camp along with a suitcase full of dirty laundry (I hope), his birthday to celebrate and more packing to do... ;o)
Other misc. news:
Splat has been at camp for the week. We pick him up tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is also his 9th birthday. Happy Birthday Splat!
VBS starts on Monday so the kids are VERY excited about that.
Whooping Cough has become a bit of an epidemic on the Island right now. We've even hit the news! I now know of 3 families who've had confirmed diagnosis. There's been more but we personally know 3. One of them has had the kids playing at their house AND has been playing in our house. As a result we are ALL currently taking medicine to make sure we don't get it and then spread it. We HAVE been immunized but so have some of the kids who've come down with it SO...we do what we can to make sure we stay healthy!
Cat has learned to ride her bike w/o training wheels in the last month. She LOVES that.
KitCat is anxious to start kindergarten and been enjoying several "sleepovers" in Cat's room this week while Splat is away.
Well, I better go get some rest. Tomorrow we have a son to reclaim from camp along with a suitcase full of dirty laundry (I hope), his birthday to celebrate and more packing to do... ;o)
Sunday, June 29, 2008
New Pictures!
We received these new pictures of MAC today. Another family just returned and sent them to us along with some size information. They said that he wears about a size 5 and that he's pretty small. He might even fit into a size 4. The flip flops he was wearing at the time were a size 3/4. So...he's about the size of our 5 year old (maybe smaller) with feet the size of our 9 year old. LOL!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tickets are Purchased!
We bought our tickets! We ended up going with the airline that could confirm flights both ways for us. It was more expensive but we decided to stay at a different hotel which will save us quite a bit. Plus the seats are roomier which is a bonus for such a long flight! We're waiting for confirmation on the hotel. That could take a few days, but hopefully we'll be able to get one of the rooms we prefer.
My friend and her husband ARE flying the same airline and the same flight!
And... I found out ANOTHER friend is traveling for the same embassy date. It's going to be so wonderful to have a whole network of Christians to support each other while we're there. The way God works out details is just amazing!
We're flying out early on July 19th. We plan to stay at a hotel the night before because we have to be at the airport before the ferries start running. We'll arrive in Addis around 11 am on Monday morning. (I KNOW! We have crazy long layovers but the airline puts us up in a 5 star hotel for the longest part so we hope we'll have a chance to rest up). We arrive home the following Saturday (late).
That's it for now! I may not be blogging to much over the next few weeks.... too much to do!!!
My friend and her husband ARE flying the same airline and the same flight!
And... I found out ANOTHER friend is traveling for the same embassy date. It's going to be so wonderful to have a whole network of Christians to support each other while we're there. The way God works out details is just amazing!
We're flying out early on July 19th. We plan to stay at a hotel the night before because we have to be at the airport before the ferries start running. We'll arrive in Addis around 11 am on Monday morning. (I KNOW! We have crazy long layovers but the airline puts us up in a 5 star hotel for the longest part so we hope we'll have a chance to rest up). We arrive home the following Saturday (late).
That's it for now! I may not be blogging to much over the next few weeks.... too much to do!!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The 23rd it is!!!
Our embassy date is officially on July 23rd! We're so excited to bring MAC home!!! We're still not sure which flight we'll be taking. Hopefully we'll know by the end of the week.
On another note, the friend who's adopting one of the boys we've prayed for has the same embassy date! They also had the 30th and were switched to the 23rd! We met through the sonlight forums and she's become a very close friend (even though we've never met in person ;o)). We're very excited to be able to meet in Ethiopia and to go through this experience together. We *might* even end up on some of the same flights.
On another note, the friend who's adopting one of the boys we've prayed for has the same embassy date! They also had the 30th and were switched to the 23rd! We met through the sonlight forums and she's become a very close friend (even though we've never met in person ;o)). We're very excited to be able to meet in Ethiopia and to go through this experience together. We *might* even end up on some of the same flights.
Possible Embassy Date Change
We're still working on booking airline tickets. We have two separate flights on hold for now. The less expensive airline can get us there okay but the return flights are all full so we're on a "wait" list. Oh... the joys of international travel.
And now...today we found out that our paperwork will be ready for a July 23rd embassy date!
Boy are we making our travel agent work! We'll keep you posted as we know more...
And now...today we found out that our paperwork will be ready for a July 23rd embassy date!
Boy are we making our travel agent work! We'll keep you posted as we know more...
Monday, June 23, 2008
We're headed to Africa!!!
July 30th! That's our embassy date. We're still working on getting our airfare and travel arrangements. We'll probably be gone about a week including travel time. I'll post again later when I know more...
Friday, June 6, 2008
We Passed Court!
MAC is legally our son. As soon as our agency has confirmation of our visa paperwork from the embassy we'll be given our travel dates. Meanwhile...here's a few photos of our newest blessing:
Still no news...but the Blessings Continue
Our agency director is in Ethiopia right now and she e-mailed late last night to say that there had been no news due to power but that the power was back on. She also said that many families passed and several had new court dates for next week. Now we anxiously wait to see which category we're in. Hopefully we WILL hear today sometime. If not, it's going to be a LONG weekend.
As far as the continued blessings...we were blessed again by another loved one last night. They have a cd that is going to mature next week and they're giving it to us to help with our travel costs. THANK YOU!
We continue to feel so much love and support throughout this whole process. Thank you again to everyone who is praying for us and for the orphans around the world.
We hope we can introduce you to MAC real soon!
As far as the continued blessings...we were blessed again by another loved one last night. They have a cd that is going to mature next week and they're giving it to us to help with our travel costs. THANK YOU!
We continue to feel so much love and support throughout this whole process. Thank you again to everyone who is praying for us and for the orphans around the world.
We hope we can introduce you to MAC real soon!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
No News but a Day of Blessings...
Today is Cat's 7th birthday. I've been so busy cooking her choices for tonight's dinner, wrapping gifts and taxiing kids around I haven't had a chance to share about her today. I think I'll wait until after her party and then I'll have pictures to post later this weekend.
There's been no news about MAC. We were hoping to hear something this afternoon but it looks like we won't be hearing anything until tomorrow. Still praying for good news...
Yesterday was quite a day of blessings. Dh drove to the post office before work to pick up the mail and one of our loved ones had sent us a beautiful card with a check to help with adoption expenses. It was so unexpected and we know they sacrificed something to send it to us. You know who you are...and we were SO blessed! THANK YOU!
Then, we went to a dinner party to celebrate my niece's high school graduation. (I'll have to blog about her another day...) Anyway, during the course of the evening we were blessed again with an offer to watch our kids while we travel this Summer, whenever we travel. Wow! The Lord just keeps paving the way... They probably don't read my blog but I'll still say THANK YOU!
THEN, when we got home that evening we had another card from another one of our loved ones. This also included a check to help with adoption expenses and was completely unexpected. Again, we know they sacrificed to help us that way. You also know who you are and you blessed us tremendously. THANK YOU!
I've been filled with so much peace on these days of uncertainty, waiting to hear court results. I KNOW this peace is the result of so many people praying for us...THANK YOU!
It has been SO awesome to see how the Lord has and continues to provide for us. THANK YOU Lord for all the wonderful blessings!!!
There's been no news about MAC. We were hoping to hear something this afternoon but it looks like we won't be hearing anything until tomorrow. Still praying for good news...
Yesterday was quite a day of blessings. Dh drove to the post office before work to pick up the mail and one of our loved ones had sent us a beautiful card with a check to help with adoption expenses. It was so unexpected and we know they sacrificed something to send it to us. You know who you are...and we were SO blessed! THANK YOU!
Then, we went to a dinner party to celebrate my niece's high school graduation. (I'll have to blog about her another day...) Anyway, during the course of the evening we were blessed again with an offer to watch our kids while we travel this Summer, whenever we travel. Wow! The Lord just keeps paving the way... They probably don't read my blog but I'll still say THANK YOU!
THEN, when we got home that evening we had another card from another one of our loved ones. This also included a check to help with adoption expenses and was completely unexpected. Again, we know they sacrificed to help us that way. You also know who you are and you blessed us tremendously. THANK YOU!
I've been filled with so much peace on these days of uncertainty, waiting to hear court results. I KNOW this peace is the result of so many people praying for us...THANK YOU!
It has been SO awesome to see how the Lord has and continues to provide for us. THANK YOU Lord for all the wonderful blessings!!!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
June 5th!
June 5th is our new court date. The Ministry of Women's Affairs still needs to complete a letter for us. They haven't been able to get it done due to all the power outages. Please pray that the letter will be completed in time and that everything will come together so we can pass court on the 5th. Cat is VERY excited since June 5th is her birthday. Hopefully we'll have good news that day!
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