Ice Skating Fun

For most of this winter and the past two, it has either been not cold long enough to freeze the lake we live by or so cold that the lake is frozen but so would we for any extended period of time!

However, this winter the boys and I did find a day when the flag was green at Jones Island so they could put their skates on and give it a try.  To say they had a blast would be an understatement and they certainly worked harder and longer at it than I would off. Yeah John and Ryan!

getting his feet under him

striking a pose

I can do it!

Are you filming?

Wordless Wednesday

Don't know if I should be frightened by this dress up outfit and subsequent pose or not!

We're Back!

So I thought about not even mentioning that I haven't posted on here for many months.  Then I thought about coming up with some funny excuse but nothing clever came to me.  I thought about saying how much trouble I've had getting access to my blog and not being able to post (but that is only part true as it was really only since this morning).

But instead I'll just give an update on life!

I am still watching two little girls who turn 5 in April and 2 in May.  They come 4 days a week, are GREAT girls, and are full of imagination. They love the boys and the boys love them.  I am blessed not only to be able to be home when my boys get home from school but also to have watched these two sweet girls grow up!

Mike is still at GE Healthcare.  He works (4) 10 hour days and it's nice to have him home that extra day.  He was very sad with this year's football season - as we all were.  This was the first year since the boys were home that we didn't attend Packer Training Camp in Green Bay (it conflicted with our Ethiopian Adoption Group Camping).  That will be the last year we ever miss.  In fact I've already booked our room for this year.  We are just going to go earlier in the week before the Camping Trip!

Tomorrow is the 100th day of school for the boys - wow!  How fast did that go!!  John is in second grade and Ryan is in first.  John has continued in dance this year, his fourth.  They both do an after school program called Sportsmania run by our park district - a fun way to experience and learn about lots of different sports (and burn a ton of energy).  John is also trying out an eight week basketball league, also run by our park district.  They love wrestling with Daddy, playing in the snow (when it's warm enough to go outside), watching TV, reading and listening to books, and playing with friends.

They are getting big but are as cute as ever:

It's become a tradition to visit the Milwaukee Zoo on New Year's Eve

 Halloween 2013:

Ryan was a dalek - his favorite Dr. Who bad guy

John was that famous wizard Harry Potter (don't you love the pose!)

Ryan learned to ride his bike without training wheels this summer.  There is a train station at the end of our block.  Mike took Ryan down there a couple times on the weekend when the parking lots we empty - that way is Ryan wobbled, he had lots of room to weave back and forth and not have to worry about running off a sidewalk.  Apparently though all Mike had to do was tell him to pedal faster - and he got it!

blowing a kiss to his peeps!

01/28/14 - OUR INVESTIGATION ENDS

9 months and 5 days after the US Embassy in Danny's birth country began their investigation (to establish that all was done legally and that he was a true orphan), we received the email we had been waiting for - the investigation had come to a close and we would soon be sent a visa appointment day.

When we began this adoption process, the wait time for investigation was 2-6 weeks.  Then early in 2012 the Embassy said wait time were increasing to 3-6 months: lots more adoptions (yeah!) = lots more paperwork, same amount of staff = longer wait times (bummer!).

We got to be one of those lucky ones that went past the "estimated" wait time - and it was NOT FUN!  It was a struggle to wait, to wonder what was taking so long, to question why is it taking so long, to trust that God was at work in all of it, maybe I needed more time with John and Ryan, maybe Danny needed more time, maybe we'll never know.

So now we are done with this phase - we never have to repeat it in this process.

But now we are on to the next waiting phase - and once again we don't know when it will end.  The agency in country that writes exit letters (which all adopted children need to leave the country) suspended the writing of those letters last September due to a negative news article.  The suspension could last up to a year but no one really knows.  And once they do begin to write exit letters, everyone who is waiting in front of us - including families or are still stuck in country now - will need to get their letter before we do.

So this has been a time of excitement and highs - one more thing completed!  But also a time of frustration - IF there had been no suspension of exit letters, we would probably be traveling about two weeks after Danny gets his visa which will probably be at the end of February.  I was surprised at how hard that fact hit me.  Adoption is hard.  Waiting is hard.  God is good.

All the time.  And nothing can separate me from Him.  And He will never leave me nor forsake me.  And He will not let my foot slip.  And He will direct my paths.   And He will work good in all things for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Would you care for a croissant?

09/03/13 - Ryan turns 7!

Ryan's birthday dinner, his choice of an Ethiopian fish dish with injera, was actually eaten the day after these pictures were taken.  His birthday fell on back to school night so consisted of playing with the two girls I watch, opening presents, eating his choice of dessert (my Mom's chocolate fudge), and playing at Gramma and Bompa's for about an hour while Mom and Dad were at school!  

Note that he shaped the fudge into an "R"

Leading us in signing to him!

Add caption

Ryan LOVES dress up - he had an apron but no chef hat, until now!

Wonder where they get the dramatics from?

Opening his mail carrier costume

Off to deliver the mail!

John getting in on the fun

Where did this little guy go?

08/28/13 - John Turns 8!

"This is the best day!" were John's words as he headed off to bed on his birthday!  It had been a day of biking riding with friends, his dinner of choice (brats and Italians on the grill), my Mom's chocolate fudge for dessert (his request), birthday phone calls, and of course - presents!!

Yum!

Note the perfect swirly placement of ketchup and mustard - John has worked hard to perfect this!

Totally staged picture - ha!

"Happy Birthday to John"

Make a wish (his wish was to have Danny home faster)

dramatic excitement over presents!

a new Harry Potter DS game

scientific wizard experiments

What happened to his little guy?

Wordless Wednesday

John and Henson just chillin' after school!

First Day of Shcool

New clothes have been purchased, new school supplies are labeled, a healthy breakfast of scrambled eggs has been eaten, let a new year of adventures and learning begin!!

A Second grader and a First grader!

John never misses a chance for a photo session - he is o my son!

"Look out first grade, here I come!"

May the Lord bless you boys and keep you and make His face shine upon you both.  May your year be one in which you learn many wonderful new things, have fun with old and new friends, are valued and esteemed, thrive to the best of your abilities, and still in wonder of the world.  Lord help me send them on their way each day with words of encouragement and love.  We are so excited to see Your good plans for the 2013-14 school year!!

August Adoption Update

Well first of all, we are still here and have had a super summer filled with lots of adventures: Great America, Wisconsin State fair, play dates and time with family, bike rides, camping, and sleeping in.  (I could add a sentence here about more info and pictures to follow, but with my track record for blogging, I can't make any guaranties!  However, both boys are now in school full day and we are still waiting for Danny to come  home, so the possibility of more time for me to blog is actually pretty realistic! SO stay tuned!!)

As far as "Have we heard anything new about the adoption?" question we are so frequently and lovingly asked, we are unfortunately still in the US Embassy in country investigation wait.  According to our calculations, we are approaching 4 ½ months of waiting in an approximate 3-9 month wait (yes, the wait time has increased).  We are simply praying that Mike and I are able to travel to bring Danny home by the end of the year.  

BUT there are a couple things that can be done as we wait – yeah!  There is a desire within the adoption community and a few members of Congress for the Embassy to work with the authorities in country and begin their investigation process sooner which would decrease the wait time for families to bring their children home.  There is a Facebook group anyone can join even if you are not an adoptive family. This group is simply to show support – there is strength in numbers and the hope is that many voices standing together can make a difference.  Another thing that can be done is writing letters to your federal senators and representatives asking that they support efforts of all agencies to work together and to increase the staff size at the Embassy in country.  I have a general outline for this one page letter as well as the Facebook address so please email (mikeandamy@tds.net)  if you’d like either!

So I write this blog post on the first day of school.  The house is quiet except for a Matthew West song playing and the occasional meow of a cat letting me know they are still here.  I thought it would be filed with the noise of Danny playing and running and discovering.  I will admit there was a tinge of sadness as I put the boys on the bus and walked back into the house by myself. (It wasn't quiet for too long though as I put a Leslie Sansone DVD in and we walked away the pounds for 45 minutes!)  I will also admit then when we realized a few months ago that Danny would not in fact be home by the time the boys began school that the thought of actually having some "me time" was more than a bit exciting!!  While I work from home caring for a friend's two girls, they do not come before 11:30am and I have one day a week off.  Let's just say my house will be the cleanest, most decluttered it has ever been!!

And then there is the fact that God was not surprised by this extended wait time.  I am comforted to know that nothing slips by Him and that He is so much bigger than paperwork and investigations and waiting time.  He is my Rock and my Strength, and ever present help in time of trouble.  I am comforted to know He watches over Danny and knows the number of hairs on his head.  I have enjoyed a summer with just the two boys and all the freedom that allowed. (As I stood in line with them one day at Great America I thought of how much of a challenge it would have been to do Great America with Danny there too.)  I am looking forward to me time and the thought of a really clean and organized house (Goodwill here we come!) and even some time for projects.  But I am so looking forward to the day our agency calls and says "Book those tickets!!"

NEXT STEPS: A bit more fundraising and adoption scholarship applying is needed as Danny remains in country longer than expected - we are trusting God to provide and simply asking for wisdom as to which way to turn.

PRAISE: That God is God and He is in control!!

PRAYER: Thank you as always for your continued prayer, support, and excitement as we wait to bring Danny home!  It is more appreciated than words can say!!  Please pray for Danny - that he would remain happy and healthy and that the Lord would be preparing his little heart for a huge life change as he comes to be part of our family. Pray also for our investigation process to come to a close, that the Embassy would hire more staff and begin the investigation process earlier, and that the voices of concern would be heard by those in Congress.