Just Waiting (again)

A lot is changing in the past month, BUT I don't have a lot to report on the adoption front! I know that our agency is working hard in a new area in Ethiopia to establish trust and build a relationship with the people to help the referral process (referral is when a person gets matched with a child). At this point the referrals having been happening in small groups every couple of months. The courts are still closed until October, but people can still get referrals during this time. I think the most difficult part is that Gavin prays for him every night and then asks, "Mom when is my brother coming home? I really miss him!" It is amazing how much we already love him and haven't even seen him or know him yet. We continue to trust that timing is in God's hand, but trust me it is extremely difficult!

One thing I did want to share is a web site for Ethiopian calendars. The calendar has pictures of children and the country along with Ethiopian holidays and writing. The best part is that the donation for the calendar goes directly to help Ethiopian children! The website is: www.shuruba.com/ethiopia.htm Check it out!

Gavin has started school. He attends all day. In the morning he is at a kindergarten extension program called K+ and in the afternoon he is at kindergarten. So far he has met a lot of new friends and loves his teachers. Of course, the best part of school is lunch, recess and the bus ride! I really have to work hard to get any information about what they "learned".

I have also started school which has come as a great release because I am very busy. I know that I will be holding our little baby some time this school year, which seems to be a short amount of time (great advice from a friend of mine, thanks Julie)! Brandon is also starting to slow down his season in the golf business so we have a lot more time together as a family which is nice.

Thanks for all the support and prayers we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Keep praying for that referral!!:)

Summer Update

I cannot believe it is August!!!! It is at this point during the summer that I try to figure out what I have been doing all summer. Personally, I am taking a class that has kept me busy writing papers. Gavin and I have been having a lot of fun too. I am going to try my first hand at posting some pictures below. As for the adoption, we had a very successful garage sale last week. It is so wonderful to continue to see God's hand working! We haven't had any referrals from our agency in a while, I am hoping to hear an update soon. The courts in Ethiopia will be closing on August 7 and re-open in October. We could still get a referral during this time, but could not move forward with court processing. I am praying that we will get a referral during the court closure. Please pray with me that this will happen.

Enjoy the pictures!!:)

Gavin's newly added tree house, thank you Gary!!

Gavin at the Hershey store in Chicago, boy did he get a lot of candy from turning that wheel!
Africa exhibit at Brookefield zoo. Does his baby brother live in one of these?

Learned to ride a two wheel bike, I was so proud and so sad at the same time! He is growing up fast.
Look carefully, can you see the little baby chick? This was the first time chicks were born at our house! I had already bought babies, but had five born from this hen. We will have lots of eggs next summer.
Oops, I don't know how to flip the picture. This is our first Zucchini of the year (should have picked it sooner). The garden has been growing wonderfully!

10 year anniversary!

Brandon and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on June 27. We went out for a nice dinner together and he totally surprised me with an anniversary band! The best part was that he said that given a choice he would marry me and do everything all over again, what a guy! :) We then went with Gavin to Chicago and Brookefield Zoo for the weekend. It was a wonderful time that we enjoyed together as a family. I must admit though, I do get a little antsy about this waiting..... I would really like to add our new little guy sooner rather then later:) The courts in Ethiopia will be closing August 8 for the rainy season, but it seems the families that did get referrals (about 6 of them) made the courts before they close and could travel by the end of August, what great news for all those children.

Summer is here!

Well, summer is officially here and I am officially out of school!! Gavin and I have been busy with the garden already. We are also tending to our chickens, ducks, dogs and cats. Gavin has a new tree house already this summer thanks to a friend on mine at work. He loves it and it should provide for many hours of fun! I will try to post pictures when I get a chance. As for the adoption, we continue to wait... The courts in Ethiopia close the first part of August, families can still get referrals, but cannot get finalization and travel dates until the court re-opens in late September or early October. The summer will keep me busy so I won't have a chance to think about it as much (or at least try not to obsess). We will also spend the summer finishing the baby room, taking junior golf lessons, celebrating a 10 year anniversary, taking a class, and going to my parents cottage. I continue to trust that God has perfect timing!!

Dossier arrived

Wonderful news, it has been confirmed that our dossier has arrived in Ethiopia! We are officially waiting for the referral of our little boy. We have been told that the wait lately has been at least 4 months. We continue to pray that God will again bless this time of waiting in our lives. I guess we should get the baby room ready and get our shots (this will be hard for my dad)! Thank you for all of your prayers during this process.
Brandon, Julie and Gavin :)

Authentication

Well, I didn't make my Wednesday deadline (I hope I never have to us a notary again)! BUT I did get everything sent to the courier service on Friday, May 9. I confirmed that they did get the package and were going to bring it to Washington today!!! They will get the dossier authenticated in Washington at the US embassy and Ethiopian embassy and then send back to our adoption agency. After dropping it off at Fed Ex, I got in the car and said a little prayer for the paperwork and my precious son Gavin commented, "Mom, was that really necessary?" If he understood what that paperwork meant he would know that YES it was necessary!!:)

Golden Ticket!!

IT is here and I cannot believe it! On Friday we got the I-171H, I was talking with Brandon on the phone and opened the mailbox and it was there. The funny thing was that I had a feeling when I got home from school, but thought it was too early to get it so why even check the mailbox?!? I was walking around while one the phone and decided hey why not just get the mail.... What an awesome surprise! We have a few documents to finish for the dossier, but talked with our agency and should be all set by Wednesday.