Wanna help? Wanna Wii?

Many months have passed since we had our "Souper Supper" and Bake Sale, Yard Sale, and received our Shaohannah's Hope grant. The Lord answered our prayers and provided so much money for us to make this adoption happen. He literally moved mountains in our eyes. The time is now near when we will FINALLY travel to bring home our precious daughters. Unexpected fees, and travel money is needed. We need to raise $6,000 to complete this adoption and bring our daughters HOME!

How can we do this?

Go into debt? Sell a car? We have had to get creative...
Everybody wants a Nintendo Wii-- right?!! (thanks Weimer family for this great idea!)

And who doesn't want a Nintendo Wii for only $25!!! Yes - that's right-- $25!!


Here are the details:

All, every penny, 100% of the monies donated will go towards finalizing the adoption our our daughters.

$25 per 1 donation. No limit on amount of donations made.

Your donation information will be entered into a giveaway for a brand spankin' new Nintendo Wii gaming system. This fancy item includes a Wii console, stand, remote, remote jacket, nunchuck, sensor bar, and the Wii sports disk with 5 fun games!

To truly understand how Wii revolutionizes gaming, you have to try it for yourself. Quite simply, Wii is for everyone. The ease of use and interactivity of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk allows for a unique social gaming experience for the whole family. You don't just play Wii, you experience it.

Retail value $249! Pretty good deal!

The giveaway will be held at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on December 31, 2008- yes folks, that's right, New Years Eve! If you are local- you could be playing your new Wii with your family and friends at your very own New Years Eve party! Cool! Tune into our blog the evening of the drawing to watch video coverage of the exciting event!

To enter- you can use our ChipIn button in the upper left hand corner of our blog. Your donation will be paid through PayPal via credit/debit or your PayPal account. We will write your info and put it in the drawing. OR you can see Chris or myself in real life - we will have entry forms and will accept checks, cash, even your old coin jar (as long as there is 25 buckaroos in it!)

If you live outside of the Eastern Shore we will ship the Wii to you for free! No worries!

Rest assured- even if your donation doesn't get the Wii, know that your money will go towards a good cause, the BEST cause. Giving two precious little girls a forever family, a forever home, a mommy, daddy, sister and brother that CAN'T WAIT to love on them! Thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts.

We're all SMILES!

WE GOT A COURT DATE!
What was starting to seem like an impossibility finally happened. We got a court date! Here is the email from our agency:

Yours, Lisa's and Susan's court dates are all January 30th! YAY! Finally!!

We have been jumping for joy and singing praises this week! We share a court date with the other families that have kids at Bethel, so it will be extra special if we all pass and get to travel together.

If we do pass court on the first try - we will most likely be traveling the last week in February. It seems so far, but so near! I really can't believe this is all finally happening.

We are praying for peace and for the details to all work out. Finances, timing, work stuff for Chris, etc. are all weighing heavy now. God has been "in the details" since the beginning and we know He hasn't stopped.

So the official countdown begins. In 49 days we will hopefully be able to introduce you to our new daughters!

Thanksgiving praise!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

Yesterday we received this wonderful email:

Your kids cases have been filed in the Addis Courts! It takes about 2 weeks to hear of a date right now.

That was fast! God is a movin' people! What does this mean, you ask?
The girls papers have jumped through one set of hoops and have to jump through one more set (the Addis courts), before they are officially our daughters. As the email states, we should find out that day in about two weeks. If we are successful in the second court date we should travel to Ethiopia about 4 weeks later! We have heard that right now they are assigning new court dates for January. So we are expecting ours to be around then. That means at the earliest we would travel in February! We can't believe it. What wonderful Thanksgiving news!

I am reminded this Thanksgiving season of what the Lord has called us to do. It's not about looking good, or better or holier than another; but about being His servant. Acting in obedience to what He asks and joyfully and faithfully living it out. I am honored and humbled to know that the day is near when I will become M & G's second mommy. We continue to pray that their hearts are being prepared just as we ours are.

HUGE news!

After my solemn post on Sunday, we got a great email on Monday!

The referred Bethel kids papers are done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your guys papers will be filed this week!!!!!

We couldn't believe it. This is what we have been waiting for! This is a huge step in the process and it feels as though a mountain has been moved!

So where are we now, you ask? The girls papers have to pass through two courts, a lower court and then an upper court. Once the papers get approved and pass through the lower court, they move to being filed in the upper court system. We will then wait for that date. There could still be hold ups, and we know that there is still more waiting to do - but the fact that their papers are compiled and ready is such a relief! Things are finally moving along. It seems like a reality again.

Time to start moving forward on our end. Rooms to paint, mattresses to buy, clothing, bedding, shoes, you get the idea! We are looking forward to more good news to come. Please continue to pray!

We also received new pictures, what beautiful, precious girls. We can't wait to hug them!

bittersweet

original acrylic painting by aworldinvented
inspired by their Ethiopian adoption

Our friends from church leave on the 22nd to go pick up their sweet baby girl in Ethiopia. We are SO very excited for them and can't wait to meet beautiful Frehiwot. They have been on an adoption journey far much longer than we have. Their adventure has led them in pursuing an adoption through China, getting pregnant and putting things on hold, and finally switching countries and adopting through Ethiopia. It has been a long time coming for them. Four years to be exact! Our wait seems like nothing compared to that.

Today our friend stood up in church to thank all those who have supported them through this time. She spoke of the power of prayer and petitioned our church to not cease in praying for our girls. Our pastor, who has also become a dear friend, prayed for our friends, prayed for us and prayed for our girls. A powerful and humbling moment indeed.

Today was a fresh reminder of the fact that our adoption of M and G is a true reality. Others around us are praying and hoping alongside us. The wait is so long, and so hard and some days it all feels like a dream. The hoping and longing is sometimes physically painful, so we just stuff it in the back of our minds. This makes it a bit more bearable.

Some new friends with our agency just got back today from Ethiopia. They too have a daughter at Bethel and spent many days there, meeting all the children. We are waiting for new pictures, notes and messages. Looking foward to that!

So if you have been wondering where I've been, I'm still here. Quietly waiting. Bowing on my knees to the One that will make it all come together in the end. With Him all things are possible.

first born

this is my gracie. she is a spit fire, yet quiet. outspoken, yet reserved. feminine but tough. she's my mini-me. I pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to her and that she would grow into a beautiful godly woman; serving others first and passionate in her love for Him.

some might argue with our decision to adopt children older than her. they might say that it will make her feel "slighted" or she'll lose her birth right as the first born. my gracie will always be my first baby girl. she will always hold that special place in our family as the big sister. when our ethiopian beauties join our family, gracie will come alongside them and be a big sister to them too, although they will have a few years on her. there will be many, many things that she will help them learn and do. they will need her so! she longs for her sisters to come. to share her bedroom, her american girl dolls, her crayons, her swing set and her life. she has shed tears at times "missing" her sisters. some might argue, but they don't know my gracie.

Happy Birthday 6 Year Old!

My boy...

Today during church we shared in the Lord's Supper. A usual communion Sunday takes place after all the kids are dismissed to Sunday school. Today was a little different. So that everyone, including Sunday school teachers and helpers could partake, communion was served before Sunday school. My little ones were very curious about this passing out of "treats". As the "wine" was being passed, Jack's eyes as big as saucers watched as I took it out of the tray and held it quietly. He looked at me, and then the tiny little cup, leaned in slowly and whispered "Can I have a sip?”

As we were waiting for the ushers to serve everyone, my sweet boy puts his soft little arm around my neck and says "I lud you Mommy". My heart melted.

I never knew what a joy it would be to have a son. The bond between mother and son is different than mother and daughter. I can’t explain it, and don’t know if I will ever be able to put my finger on it. What I do know is that it is an honor and privilege to raise him into a godly man. The Lord has entrusted me to care for my children and grow them in the way they should go. Who am I to carry out this task?! I am a failure much of the time. But in those God given moments when we get a taste of the sweet fruit, I am in awe that I have been so blessed. (I'll be braggin on Gracie later!)