Tears of Joy

This week has been so full of emotion for us. We have been crying tears of joy. We're so happy to meet our little ones, and so sad that they're halfway across the world. We're still waiting to hear back on a court-date and this is keeping us in much prayer.

This process could take AWHILE. So, to fill up some of this waiting time, I've started making quart-sized baggies for children in Ethiopia. I have a "Friend of a friend" that has travelled over 3 times, and I've gleaned lots of info from her. She said to have bags of goodies ready to give out, as well as food and other items. In each quart sized baggie, I'm placing a laminated bible-verse bookmark, jumprope, pencil, small notepad, bouncy ball, little plastic frog, a new beanie baby (that my mom scored at a garage sale of a collector), small candy cane (thanks to the Walmart after Christmas 75% off sale) and lastly I need to add one more food item. I'm not sure if it will be fruit leather, a fruit roll-up, granola bar or crackers. It will depend on the price and feedback I get. My "friend of a friend" said that they handed out granola bars and it was so sad because the children would eat off a couple of bites and then save the rest for their other family members. This causes me to consider a package of crackers, to be more easily shared. So far we have 75 bags, and my goal is to make 100. I ran out of beanie babies, but a few months ago I bought 2 dozen teddy bears at the Dollar Tree for $1 a piece.

Also, we're gathering other items to take along. We're attempting to meet our sponsored child (through Mission of Mercy) and my mom's sponsered child (through Compassion Intl.). We're making a back-pack for of items for them and each of their siblings. These include dresses, flip-flops, notebook, pencils, stickers, chapstick, pajamas, a homemade baby doll (see previous posts), and a few items for their mother- hand lotion, washcloths, and bible. We're still working on this part. I contacted an Ethiopian ministry that's here in the US and they told me it would be very inexpensive to purchase bibles in Amharic and Tingrinya (our children's native language - this would be for their birth mother) over in Addis at the British Bible Society.
Several of you have asked how you can help, or what you can send with us. We are currently collecting items for the younger orphanage and the Kolfe older boys orphanage. We would like to take the following:
Socks for all ages of boys- 4 and up
2-3 soccer balls and pumps
good pencil sharpener (to mount)
Hackey sacks- usually found at party stores
small plastic washable toys for the baby orphanage
baby onesies- newborn thru 12 months

Lastly, we must purchase $200 worth of humanitarian aid for the Gladney care center which will include specific diapers, wipes, formula and diaper ointment. If anyone would like to contribute financially toward this cause, it would be greatly appreciated.

Well, if you've been reading our blog and wondering what our future holds, I want to recommend this blog. http://ourfamilytapestry.blogspot.com/ They have recently posted a slideshow of their trip to ET to pick up a pair of 3 1/2 year olds. They are first cousins and one month apart in age. I must warn you that I cried like a baby when I viewed this slideshow. Please take a few minutes and watch. They give such honor to the Lord, and it is a blessing to watch.

REFERRAL!!!!!

I've been waiting soooo long to say these words: WE GOT OUR REFERRAL!!!!! We are praising the Lord for two healthy babies~ a 2 1/2 yr old boy and a 5 1/2 month old girl. They are just precious and the more I pour over the pictures, the more I fall in love with them.

I got the call yesterday while in the shower. I didn't realize that I had messages waiting for me until we were in the car heading over to a friend's house. I saw Jessica's # and freaked out. I did a huge u-turn, ran into the house frantically looking for Jessica's # and shaking with excitement. When I reached her, I acted calm but my whole body was shaking. She said, "Kelly, I have some good news for you." I started crying right away. The only sad part is that Sean is out of town and couldn't be with me in person to meet our babies. He was on the phone with us, but couldn't see the pictures until we all hung up. We are just so blessed that many prayers have been answered. They are healthy and I must say- chunky! They've been cared for by their mother and the Gladney team, with only a short stint in an orphanage. Praise the Lord! I'm just so thankful to see a little window into what God has been orchestrating behind the scenes. This is His master plan, and we've finally had a little glimpse of what our future holds.

Thank you for all of your prayers, and please continue to lift up our little ones.

6 MONTHS

This week marks 6 months on the waitlist. Woohoo! I can't believe we've made it this far. While it's been hard at times to be patient, we've had such a great year with our big kids. We've enjoyed lots of hiking, camping, riding bikes, and beach time. These activities will be a little more challenging when our little ones arrive.

We're heading into the holidays and on the one hand it will take our minds off of waiting for a few weeks as we'll be in TX with family. On the other hand, Sean really believes we'll get our referral sometime in the next few weeks. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I have been buying a few things here and there. 2 soft cuddly blankets to send to our little ones after our referral, and 2 child proof photo albums with pictures of our family so that they can see who we are before we come and get them. Also, we've begun purchasing some travel necessities like travel pillows, a money pouch, and backpack toddler carrier, in case it's needed.

I think we've finally decided on names, which is huge for us. We've gone round and round about boy names and the verdict is in..... Oh, you thought I was going to share it? Well I think I'll hold onto it a little longer before making a "formal" announcement. Sean chose the name and it's definitely been growing on me. The Hebrew meaning is God's Messenger. How wonderful is that? Wouldn't it be amazing if he grows up to take the message of the gospel to Ethiopia? Or proclaim it here in the states? Well, I can dream, and pray!

I've been working on the Christmas cards this weekend, and I decided to keep it simple this year. No big glossy photo of the kids. I'm hoping to have family pictures done in the spring with all 4 children : ), so I included a little wallet sized photo just so everyone can see how much Grace and Thatcher have grown, but that's it. Plus, I really wanted to send a card this year. I think those are becoming too scarce lately.

I must admit I have a new obsession lately with the Pioneer Woman's website. Her recipes are amazing and the pictures - wow! Check it out at http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ . You'll love it! And definitely make the Jalepeno Thingies for an appetizer sometime. They will knock your socks off and keep your friends coming back for more.

Well, here are a few pictures of the kids over the last couple of weeks. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and keep Jesus the main thing this holiday season.

Hiking

We spent some time hiking the last couple of weekends and it has been beautiful with the leaves changing. Our kids are getting so big and love the hikes. We did a 3 mile-er this past weekend and just about the time we thought the kids would need to be dragged- we saw that the end was in sight. It is so great to behold the beauty of God's creation. If you click on "view all images", you can view the images as a regular slide show.

Ava's quilt- homemade by Grammy

Here is a picture of the adorable and intricate quilt my mom made for Ava. She spent hours upon hours working on this and it will be a keepsake for sure. See how it matches the bedding? I'm going to order a crib sheet that is the same pink leopard print- which will be oh so cute!

Thanks Mom~ for sacrificing your time, energy and love for all your grandchildren. You hold a very special place in our hearts, and you will in Ava's heart too. Love you!

5 MONTHS and counting...

This week marks 5 months on the waitlist. The time has really flown by and we have taken advantage of every moment to prepare, pray, and clean? Yes, my nesting instinct has kicked in and I'm deep-cleaning every thing in sight. I'm talking every door in the house got washed from top to bottom with the amazing "Magic Eraser", my spice cabinet has never looked better, I borrowed a "Little Green" vacuum from a friend to get all those darn spots up out of the carpet, and I could just go on and on. The kid's closets have been reorganized. You'd think it was spring around here.

The baby room for Ava is all set. My Mom just finished a quilt for her and it is amazing. I'll take a picture and post it soon, because it has to be the most beautiful baby quilt ever. It matches the bedding, and looks cozy too. Maybe it will be her "drag-along".

Depending on the age of our little boy (name TBA), we might set up a crib in Thatcher's room. Otherwise, we'll separate the bunkbeds. I think they'll both appreciate having someone in the same room at bedtime.

We've been praying for our little ones, and trusting they are in God's care. When I see pictures from other families that have visited the orphanages in Ethiopia, I just cry. I can't wait to hold our little babies in our arms. But I must say that we would rather wait on this end, than have to wait a long time after receiving a refferal. There are a lot of families caught up in court cases right now, and hopefully they can bring their babies home soon, and then we'll hear something.

Grace and I continue to make dolls and the last ones have turned out so cute. We've finally figured out how to do cute hair. Grace really wanted these last ones to have "do's". Here they are.

We have decided to hand out baby dolls to our sponsored children and their siblings first. We will also hand some out along the way as we sit fit (when there aren't LOTS of kids around us, b/c we don't have enough for that). After this, we'll give the rest to the Sovereign Grace church there in Addis for them to hand out when they're reaching out to the poor and needy. They can share the gospel alongside, so we think it's a great opportunity. We wouldn't have enough to hand out in the orphanages, so we felt like this would be the best back-up plan.

As far as older siblings are concerned (0-42 months), I think we're at the top of the waitlist. This doesn't mean things will move any faster for us, but it does feel good to be moving up the list. We've resigned ourselves to the fact that we probably won't hear anything over the holidays. That way, if we do, Hooray! We'll be soooo surprised! Let the countdown continue...

Sweet Dakota

Well, yesterday was a sad day for us. After a few weeks of listening to Dakota breathe heavily due to her cancer, we noticed that she was not eating anymore, and her energy level had really dropped. It was time. We said our good-bye's~ which was heart-wrenching. She was such a good girl these past 9 years. So sweet and friendly with the kids, and such a fun companion for Sean and I to take on walks or to the beach. We'll miss her!