02/16/13 - 3 years ago today ...

... was the day we got these two little boys!

Upside down glasses boy! - February 2010

I caught one! - February 2010

We had meet them the day before at our agency's Transition House and then went back the next day to take them with us.  So all today we talked about what had been happening 3 years ago - we were shopping before we came to get you, we were driving in the van, Daddy had had his first experience with a poopy diaper (without Mommy there and without knowing what wet wipes were - ha!), John had locked the bedroom door and turned the volume REALLY loud (at the same time as the poopy diaper so also without Mommy there - double ha!), and now Mommy had gotten back and could tell by the look on Daddy's face it had been a rough time.

Meeting for the first time! February 15, 2010 

Watching the video tonight I cannot believe it has been three years and I cannot believe the boys were so small!  What an amazing week in Ethiopia it was!  We are so grateful to America World, our international agency, and so blessed to have spent the week with 7 other families.  Our God's Plan A for us is sooooo good!!!!

Ethiopian Christmas 2013

But it made us want to get on a plane and go get Danny, too.  All in His perfect timing.

Danny Update

Everything is moving right along in the legal process for bringing Danny home!  His passport was ready the end of January and we have the Adoption Decree (in French).  We are waiting for three other legal documents, in French, and then all four legal documents to be translated.  Then we will be able to move to the next step – more paperwork to the government!  Then a few steps with the US Embassy in country - and then he'll be home!!!!

We might experience a slight hiccup which could increase our wait time in bringing him home though.  We heard from our international agency last week that the US Embassy in country has been flooded with adoptions and paperwork lately.  They are not increasing their staff size and so estimated time for embassy investigations has increased from 2-6 weeks to 3-6 months.  However, they are able to begin the investigations 6 weeks earlier.  So it’s not yet known how much, if at all, it will slow the process down.  We know that Danny will not come home one day late!! (Even though we wish he was home yesterday!)

We so appreciate everyone’s excitement and cannot tell you how blessed we are by that.  We would ask that you continue to pray for Danny – specifically that he remain healthy and that he be happy each day.  We also ask for continued prayer for an accurate and speedy legal and paperwork process.  And we ask for prayer for peace in God’s timetable and joy in the preparations of getting ready to add to our family.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Ryan was playing King of the Cats today and needed a place to sit, hence the stacked pillows.  The second picture is when he took his crown off to eat lunch - cute but made me feel kind of sad!

Conversations with a 6 Year Old

I was - amazingly - able to keep a straight face during these recent conversations with Ryan:

Conversation after the TV was turned off:
Ryan: I LOVE television!
Mommy (thinking this is a teachable moment): Oh, there should be more things you love besides television. (thinking he'll say something like his family, God, playing outside, etc.)
Ryan: (without missing a beat): I do! I love dessert ... I love chocolate and chocolate fudge and brownies ...

Conversation during this morning's kids' devotional:
Mommy (reading from the book, the point of this entry being God loves forever): God loves when you're at school, when your at home, when you're sad and when you're sick, when you're kind, when you're mad, when you're young and when you're old, and even when you disobey.
Ryan: And then what happens?  You die?

Braiding John's Hair

John has been growing his hair out since about last summer and I must thank my friend Kristy for all the hair knowledge she has passed on to me in our process.

First we did twists thanks to a wonderful product called NuDred - although we used Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk instead of the nudred cream.  It worked just fine for us.  We'd spend between 5-10 minutes each morning.

Twists done with the NuDred

Then we were ready to try braids and with good advice again from Kristy, I set aside an entire Saturday.  The key for us was to use TONS of conditioner, again a Shea Moisture product, and wet down a section of hair and load it up with conditioner so much so the hair looked white (it all soaks in).  Then I started at the end of his hair (not the root) and combed the tangles out with a rat tail comb.  I also used detangler which I'd spray on and leave for a few minutes before starting to work.

Adding conditioner

First hour of progress

Are we having fun yet?

second hour of process

about 3 1/2 hours into the process

Six and a half hours or so later

The finished product!

 So we watched Saturday morning cartoons and a movie, took a break to eat lunch and play outside, watched another movie, went to Gramma and Bompa's house to play with the cousins for a bit, home for another movie, dinner, and then the special features to the movie while I finished the last row.  All in all it probably took about 6 1/2 hours.  But the second time I braided them it only took 3 1/2 hours - less tangles and I kind of knew what I was doing this time.  They stay looking nice thanks to sleep caps the boys wear at night.  I re-braid John's hair after 6 weeks but every 4 weeks would probably be ideal.  And as we jumped for joy when I finished braiding it the first time, I told the Lord I'd be able to handle a little African American girl's hair now!  HA!

Hope this post was helpful!!

My Precious Moment

Precious mostly because the boys were not fighting with each other.  Precious also because I got to snap this picture before they saw me watching them!  But precious mostly because God chose these boys to be here at this time with us - BLESSING!

John reading a book to Ryan during tub time!

God's Provision

I have been writing this post (along with many others!) in my mind for months.  It is all about God and His great provision and how much bigger in the details He keeps getting to me.

I have said - and truly believed - from the beginning that the God who called us to another adoption is faithful and will provide for all our financial needs.  But the fundraisers I thought would be successful didn't go as well as I'd thought or raise as much money as when we did it with the first adoption.  Please don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for other's generosity toward us!  But God was at work in ways that I couldn't even imagine.  At first it was little ways - a $20 check from Just Love coffee would arrive or a rebate filled out months before and forgotten about would arrive or a bit of extra cash from a sewing project.  Then we heard  a speaker talk about adopting debt free.  She said the average American family spent approximately $250 a month eating out (we are not average!).  There wasn't that line for us to cut in our budget but the Lord laid on my heart that we could cut out "un-necessaries" for a time - we could wait and ask for that new CD or movie for Christmas instead of buying it now.  We really didn't need Christmas candy this year with all the other sweet treats we have.  It was amazing how little things like that could add up to several hundred dollars to add to the adoption savings.

God continued to be at work - we won a $500 adoption grant at a conference.  Mike's work adoption benefits doubled from $4,000 to $8,000. WOW!

And the God really blew us away.  We were approached on Sunday at church by someone who said he was just the "Secret Santa" delivering an envelope to us.  In that envelope was one thousand dollars cash and a note wishing our family well as it expands.  We have no idea who the money is from nor will I think we ever know.

But God wasn't done yet!  We recently learned that we would have to spend a large sum of tax return money, which we were planning to put aside for the adoption, for other purposes.    I have been applying for adoption scholarships and last week we received word from Show Hope that we have been awarded a $5,500 scholarship. Tax return money - my plan.  Show Hope scholarship, larger then what we would have set aside - God's plan.

I am truly humbled by all this.  I continue to be surprised and then think I shouldn't be.  My God is so much bigger than I can even imagine, so doesn't it seem only right that He would continue to act in ways that are so much bigger than my plans and my imagination!

I would encourage anyone going through the adoption process or thinking about it - God is so much bigger than financial restrictions!  Call out to Him!!  We are a family who on paper could in no way afford another adoption (we couldn't afford the first one he!).  But we serve a God who is bigger than how things look on paper.  And He who calls us will provide.  And His plans and His timing is always the best.

11/13/12 - The African Stork Returns!

A wonderful call came today from our international agency - "We have an 18 month old little boy?"

Yes! Yes! Yes!  This is the child the Lord has always known about and how privileged we are to be his forever family!!

For many legal and safety reasons, we cannot share most of the details.  Right now the legal process will begin in his country and in approximately 7 months, Daniel Aaron P**** will be home - we cannot wait!

PRAISE: God for every good and perfect gift comes from Him.

PRAY: For Danny, for his health, happiness, and safety.  And please pray for the legal process and mounds of paperwork - that all would go swiftly and smoothly.  We know this little boy will arrive home right on time, not one day early nor one day late.

Happy Fall!

The boys LOVE jumping in the leaves and have seriously have raked about 90% of the ones in our yard!

What a handsome lad!

And little brother's pretty cute too!

Loving fall

Next it's on to carving pumpkins.  John is like me and doesn't mind getting the gunk out while Ryan is more like Mike - tell when when it's time to do the face!

"I'm done now!"

"Yeahhhh!"

Carving faces with Daddy

and Mommy

And of course, the best part of fall - trick or treating (otherwise known as the time when leftover Easter and parade candy gets thrown out!)

Police Officer Ryan and John as "The Flash"

"The Magic of Adoption" Adoption Fundraiser

Join illusionist Brent Allan and friends for a night of fun for all ages!

Friday, November 16th

7:00pm

Lakeland Church

440 North Hunt Club Road

Gurnee, Illinois

Suggested donations: $4.00 individuals, $10.00 family

Please join us if you can!  And we'd love help spreading the word.  It will be a really fun night and all proceeds (which will be everything as Brent and his friends have graciously offered not to charge us - big praise!) will go toward our adoption!!