Welcome December!

December has definitely hit the mid west!  I have a love/hate relationship with the snow.  It is beautiful & sparkly when the sunlight hits it.  Snow makes everything look clean and new.   My favorite part of snow is the surprise snow days where our oldest is suppose to be in school but gets to stay home due to weather.  We play outside in the fluffy, cold, white stuff all day!  However, my car is freezing in the mornings, and it is not fun scraping snow and ice from windows.  Buckling a two year old into her car seat with a big puffy coat on it not fun.  The worse part of winter is driving when the roads are covered in inches of the stuff!  Like I said, it's a love/hate relationship! 

I have been pretty quiet on the blog lately simply because there is nothing going on with our adoption.  In a couple months we will begin the process of updating our home study and apply for another biometrics appointment with USCIS (these documents expire).  Other than that, as I have reported for months, we are waiting.  Waiting and praying.....and playing in the snow with our lovely ladies!  Enjoy the snow pictures of our latest snow adventures!  

Our girls love throwing snowballs at our Dakota girl, who jumps in the air to catch them!  I think Dakota has as much fun trying to catch them as the girls who throw them for her! Midwest winter fun!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing your family a Happy Thanksgiving!  Take time out to give thanks to God for everything that you are thankful for.  Here are a few of the things our family is thankful for, from our thankful tree....

Glasses

 Our gorgeous seven year old recently started wearing glasses.  This news that she needed them to help her see at school was devastating to her self-esteem.  Throughout her entire life she has wrestled with looking different because God blessed her at birth with a bright red hemangioma on her forehead.  No hiding it there!  Children at daycare use to point at it when she was two and say, "ouchy" at the very noticeable spot.  In Kindergarten she was teased on the bus because her "head looked different"  even though the redness had almost completely left, and the swelling of the capillaries had shrunk by 90%.  Even at five, she was learning that the world is not always a friendly place outside of home.  

So, needing glasses is a big deal to her.  To her it meant another reason that she is unlike her classmates in the second grade (doesn't everyone just want to fit in and be friends with everyone at this age).  She was scared that it could make her vulnerable for more teasing.  Our beautiful girl has learned about negative and hurtful people that are in this world, at such a young age.  

The truth is that we don't know why God blessed her with her hemangioma or glasses.  We do know that it does not change her beauty, and it does not change the sweet girl that is on the inside.  We are positive that she is going through this for a reason, and our beautiful and smart girl will use it for good someday.  

Keep rocking the glasses sweet girl, you are gorgeous just the way God made you!!

How do you protect your heart?

We are finally number one on our agencies waiting for a referral list! What an amazing feeling when we heard the director of our agency tell us this! She told us since the end of August that there is a little girl in an orphanage in Ethiopia that is meant to be ours!  We were just waiting on medicals and paperwork to be cleared so she can legally give us all the information and pictures of this beautiful girl!  We were so relieved to hear that our future daughter  was in an orphanage where she was getting food in her belly and has clothes on her back.  Finally, we are in the last part of waiting before we can see her precious face!

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After three months of patiently waiting to see her precious face, we called the director again to see what is going on.  We have heard that UNICEF was in the region that she if from, and is almost stopping the process while they are there.  We lost our referral.  The one that was meant to be ours (or so we thought).  Our hearts hit the flour, our emotions were/are raw and ugly, but real.  Real pain for this baby who we had absolutely no information and haven't seen, except the peace in our hearts that she was alive & safe.  UNICEF took her from the "safe" environment of the orphanage to find her a "foster home" in Ethiopia.  Yes, apparently they have a right to do this.  So now what?!? We wait some more, while mourning the loss of the baby that we have grown to love but never have seen.  Luckily, we have not told the girls, we were waiting for pictures since they would have wanted to see her beautiful face.  

We were warned that we need to protect our three daughters and ourselves, by telling the girls nothing and basically only telling a few select people once we get a referral because of this situation.  The UNICEF organization is able to take the children out of the orphanage, even after they have been referred to a family that would love and care for them forever.  We have been warned to not get attached to the little face in the pictures because this is happening more frequently.  This is the reality of adopting from Ethiopia.  We have to decide if we can protect our hearts, because if we can't handle it the only option is to back out now.  How do you not get attached?  How do you keep it a secret from family & friends when the moment you've waited for for over a year has finally arrived?  How do you not make this personal?  We do not have an answer for this, but I guess we will find out since we are not giving up.  We are praying for the referral we lost, and that our future referral is not taken from us.  Yes, ladies and gentleman we live in a messed up world. 

The Art of Waiting

It feels lately as if adoption is a game of waiting.  You pick an agency, and wait for approval.  You complete your home study, and wait until it is approved by your agency.  Complete your dossier, and wait for a referral.  Once you receive your referral, you wait for a court date.  I understand the necessity of all of the paperwork (you need to fulfill both country's requirements), but it also feels like the governments are making the journey almost impossible to get through.  Why is this?  Are they trying to rule those out who are not willing to go the extra mile, or want to make sure that the parents have patience?  I'm really not sure, but they could simplify the process a little to get more children to their forever families. 

We recently paint our dining room with some lovely, peaceful green paint.  We have a wall with nothing on it, except family pictures.  We have a frame for each child, and a frame for a family picture.  As I was hanging up the pictures on the freshly painted wall, we decided to put an extra nail hole in the wall for our next lovely little lady.  Our five year old decided to draw a picture of what she thinks her baby sister will look like.  So, instead of hanging an empty frame on the wall in the fourth spot, the frame is now graced with her picture, and what a great job she did!!  

As the weather is getting chillier, and more warm soups are being consumed, we are passing the time by  praying for our next little one, spending time with our ladies, and having fun with craft projects with them!  We are so blessed to have three lovely girls who are so sweet and creative!  They are each unique, and we are so in love with them! We are truly blessed, and the next will be one one lucky girl who is already loved by her parents and sisters! 

Autumn Fun

September is gone and we didn't receive a referral.  We are a  little disappointed, but were keeping ourselves busy with fun fall crafts and activities!  Autumn has officially hit Ohio with the cooler temperatures, beautiful changing leaves, and yummy baked goods!  This is the season that I love here in Ohio!  We love going to our local pumpkin patch trying to find our perfect pumpkin, walking through crunchy leaves, baking yummy treats together, and snuggling with our gorgeous ladies under cozy blankets! 

During this season of Autumn, we are praising God for what we have- a happy marriage, three beautiful and very sweet ladies (who are healthy & intelligent), income that keeps a roof over our head and allows us to purchase healthy meals, great family, and wonderful supportive friends!  Although we are a little sad and disappointed with what didn't receive (a referral), we are faithful that God will grant us permission to someday see our beautiful girl's face.  

Thank You for Supporting Us!

We wanted to say thank you to our friends and family who are continuing to support us through our Just Love Coffee Site.  We appreciate all of the support we have received over the past 14 months!  We truely appreciate the love we have seen through your prayers, monetary support, words of encouragement, etc.  On a side note, we have raised and saved about 80% of the required referral fee (which is due once we accept our referral)! 

It is amazing that all three of our girls have already fallen in love with this precious little girl, who they have not yet seen.  We love hearing them talk about her, which is daily, and the wonder that comes with with their excitement!  Even our two year old says, "my baby sister sleep in my crib.  my baby sister play with blue monkey."  We are so ready for this to be over so she cam be home and in our arms!  

Here's the Just Love Coffee website if your interested:
https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/mullenhour/

Patiently Waiting

I know it has only been three weeks since we officially became #3 on our agency's referral list, but the closer we get the harder it is to wait!  Were so close, but it could still be months of waiting (remember how long it took us to move from the #8th spot) before we even see a picture of her beautiful face.  

We were hoping our referral would come yesterday, as it was our 10th Wedding Anniversary, but yesterday came and past.  Now were just praying that the referral is soon, as this waiting is hard on all of us, especially our girls.  So, as of now we have no new information but we remain hopeful we will see a picture of her soon!

A Happy Update!

Simply said by three gorgeous ladies.....

That's right, were #3 on our agencies referral list, and we are ecstatic about this! 

Prayers are working!

School is officially in full swing at our house, which means early mornings, bus riding, and homework.  It was rough getting into the homework routine.  The girls have always been morning people, so waking up is not an issue.  The only change is we can't relax in our jammies for awhile before eating breakfast.  Now have to get up and get ready right away.  So far, second grade and preschool are going great!

First day of 2nd grade & first day of preschool!

Thank you everyone for praying for our family!  We just heard from our caseworker, and the referral list is moving once again!  God is so good, and each day of waiting we are getting closer to her!  


 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.~Hebrews 11:1

Last Minute Family Adventure!

School starts in less than one week, and we wanted to do something special to celebrate our beautiful girls growing up.  In a last minute decision we decided to take an over night trip to a relatively close city with our ladies!  We took walks by the water, swam in a hotel pool, rode a carousel, had fun at the zoo, and created memories at a very cool Children's Museum.  What a great adventure for our family of 5!

Right now, there is no new adoption news.  Our referral is staying steady at #8.  We continue praying for our little bundle of joy, wherever she is.  One day she will come home, but right now we are confident that God is keeping her safe and keeping her fed.  

Big Sister helping her Little Sister!

They were amazed by the seals!

A tiger pacing just on the other side of the glass, makes a mama nervous!

YIKES!  There were dinosaurs at the kids museum!

Goodbye Summer, Here Comes School

Summer is coming to an end to quickly for me.  School begins in about 2 weeks.  Lately we are busy preparing to return to school.  Talking about the new grade, checking out the new teacher's picture, shopping for supplies, etc.  This year, we now have a preschooler and a second grader (ouch)!  It is so exciting watching our ladies grow bigger, but I also struggle with letting them go.  It makes me wonder as they are getting more outside influence if we have instilled proper values in them.  Have we used our time together wisely?  As we are purchasing school  supplies for two ladies, I am praying that they make good choices.  Praying that their friends are positive influences on them.  Praying that our two little sweet girls won't get crushed by someone who is mean and inappropriate.  Letting go is hard, as I want to protect their innocence for as long as possible.  

In the mean time, we are making the most out of the time we have left by just being together, going to our favorite parks, libraries, and with great friends!  We just don't have enough evening time during the school year to do these things during the week because of homework and life.

Sweet little feet with pink toes.

We limit our children's screen time in our house, our girls get sucked into the shows and literally do not move until the tv is turned off.  However, lately before bed we have been letting them watch great video's to help them relax and learn about the bible.  I would highly recommend purchasing the series, Buck Denver asks...What's in the Bible?  There great 30 minute episodes that teaches children what is in each book from the bible.  I have to admit, I am learning right along with our girls! 

Summer Park Fun

A majority of our summer mornings have been spent at the various parks where we live.  I just love taking our three ladies to the park.  There's always giggles, exploring bugs, making new friends, and of course big sister helping little sister (my favorite).  The fun times at the park is where memories are made! I am very blessed with an employer who allows me to put my family first, and only work 16 hours each week.  What a great balance for the girls who get to play with other children at the babysitter two days each week, and also have mama home with them the majority of the time!  

Here's a little secret....I LOVE taking pictures, especially since I have three gorgeous subjects who tolerate it!  Here are a few of our park pictures from the summer.  I have many, many more but in order to protect their identities I won't post pictures of their beautiful faces. 

So, get out and enjoy summer before it ends and school begins...

A Morning Walk

Great Talks

Exploring Bugs

Scooter & Tricycle Fun!

 

Big Sis Helping Little Sis

Standing Still

As the Ethiopian court is getting ready to close for the rainy season, our referral number is standing still.  It really is not a good place to be, as we are beginning to question if this adoption will really happen.  There have been so may countries in the past to close (Guatemala, Taiwan, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Rwanda, Vietnam, Russia, etc) that it makes us wonder if this is Ethiopia's future.  There are so many wonderful boys and girls that deserve to have loving families, but instead are living in orphanages, begging on the streets for food, digging through trash dumps to bring small rotting morsels home to help their families, etc.  Praying that closure is not Ethiopia's future....Praying we will not have to break our girls hearts in telling them that they will not be blessed with a little sister (who they love already)....Praying that all of the families who are in this process with us will be able to bring their little bundle of joys home....

As of now, we choose to not give up hope as we know that God loves these children and only He knows what the future holds.  We did not give up when our origional country closed to international adoption, and we did not give up when our original agency closed so we are NOT giving up now.  In the mean time, we will become prayer warriors for Ethiopia and it's people.

Bed Time Prayers

As I was tucking in our almost-five-year-old ladybug into bed, it started out as her typical bedtime routine.  It begins with one short story, second is devotional time from her preschool book, and next is her prayer (before laying her head on her pillow & is reminded how much God loves her and how special she is).  She has always had such awesome & lengthy prayers.  Typically she asks for protection for each family member & friend by name, along with thanking God for making all the animals in the world (and listing her favorites).  Tonight it was simple but moving...."Thank you Lord for my Mommy, Daddy, and my Sisters who I like very much.  Amen."  

It is amazing how the Lord works.  Our middle babe is very sweet, sensitive, but also crazy and loves to have fun!  He knew before she was born that our sweet, sensitive girl would need a big sister to watch out for her (which He provided).  Our oldest is loving, caring, & protective.  She is the best big sister a girl could have!  Goodness, we couldn't have asked for anything better in our beautiful babes. 

Sweet Dreams Daughter #1

Sweet Dreams Daughter #2 & her beloved Gerald the Giraffe

Waiting, Waiting, & More Waiting.....

As we are waiting, we continue to live our lives and have fun with our three beautiful ladies!  Blogs are always better with pictures, so here are some of our recent mini vacation!  The cabin was awesome, and the private lake was beautiful!  The girls loved to fish, kayak, ride on the paddle boat, and watch the wildlife.  All of this fun without leaving the state of Ohio.  Thanks for checking our blog! 

Taking a family walk to check things out!

Kayak Fun!

3 girls fishing , 2 girls caught fish (the youngest didn't have a hook)!

Beautiful Flowers Everywhere!

One Year Later

One year ago today we mailed off our initial adoption application to Christian World Adoption in North Carolina!  What a year it has been, full of twists and turns!  We've  completed our home study, finished our dossier, found a new adoption agency, completed dossier paperwork again (which is now in Ethiopia), and are now number 8 on our agency's referral list! It truly is amazing how God works in our lives, and in the people around us!  We know that our family was meant for adoption, as God has been preparing our hearts for the past ten years.  There have been bumps in the road (Satan is against adoption, and will do anything to stop it), but with every bump God has provided!  

We wanted to say thank you to all of our family & friends for being encouraging & understanding over the past 12 months, especially now while are waiting.  Please continue to pray for the beautiful people of Ethiopia, that they have food in their bellies and a safe place to rest their heads at night.  Come on beautiful baby girl, we are waiting to bring you home! 

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.~ John 14:18 (NIV)

Welcome Summer!

Life has been a flurry of activities now that all three girls are home all day, and I am enjoying every minute of it!  I am balancing working part time, spending quality time with our girls, continuing with summer homework (yes we are those parents who have their children do school work during summer break, even our preschooler is not exempt from this), and somewhere in the middle of all of this the housework....phew!  I truly believe that when the girls are grown they will not remember that their mama kept a clean house, they will remember how much quality time their parents spent with them.  I struggle with this, as I love our girls, but I also love having a very clean house. Our girls come first, so I have resorted to getting up before the girls to get a few things done & have quiet time with God.

Since today is the first day of summer, we spent the entire morning at the park!  Our girls are naturally early risers (up at 6:30am seven days a week), so we were ready for our day and at the park having fun before 8am!  I have to admit that I would love for them to sleep in, but it was kind of cool being at the huge park practically by ourselves watching the birds, going for a long hike, and playing on the numerous playground equipment!  What a blessed day it has been!  

To give you an update about our adoption, nothing has changed.  We are still #7 on the referral list, and trying to come up with fund raising ideas for the next phase (referral fee & traveling expenses).  If anyone has suggestions, please let us know! 

Psalm 37:Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)

Our Ethiopian Princesses!

We have notice that there are not many African Princesses on store shelves these days.  We were in pursuit of dolls, books, or toys which have African children.  In our family, both Ethiopia & princesses are equally important (we have three girls and the oldest is 7).  So, we can up with our own version of Ethiopian Princesses...

This is how we are passing the time during the excruciating process of waiting.  We are reading many kid books, having great age-appropriate discussions, and dreaming of the day when she is home (only God knows who she is, where she is, and when she will be able to come home).   Praying this day comes soon!

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.~ Isaiah 40:31

Black Soap

As we are waiting for our girl, I have been conducting research on Ethiopian skin.  My goal was to find out which cleansers and oils would be the best for her skin during our Ohio winters, but one that the entire family could use as well.  I know, it's a tall order with the white-as-white Caucasian skin, and beautiful coffee with a little cream skin.  Each time I would try to Google "Natural Skin Care", or "Ethiopian Skin Care" something called Black Soap would come up.  Since it came up every single time, I thought maybe this stuff was worth investigating. 

I learned a ton about Black Soap.  It is called this not because of the color, but because when African slaves were brought to our country it was the soap that "the blacks" would use.  The ingredients are all natural (if you buy it from a reputable  business and not a local drug store), nourishing, helps with acne & eczema, and good for all skin types....score!  

After a couple months of investigating, I found this great site that makes unrefined, natural soaps, oils, and butters.  The awesome part is that it is made in a community in Ghana, Africa.  This is the part I love....not only are the products natural, but it is also giving a small community in Africa with jobs!    What an amazing company that I am proud to tell people about!  The company also sells products not made in Africa, but as for now I would like our little Ethiopian cleansing with natural ingredients from her country.  Check it out the web site here:

http://www.coastalscents.com/bath-and-body/made-in-africa.html

I will admit, I was nervous to try the unrefined Shea Butter, Grapeseed oil, & Black Soap on myself.  Our 7 year old actually said, "keep that yucky stuff away from me" (we were used to the creamy, fruity smelling stuff, which is NOT natural).   Well, after a few weeks of it in our home, our entire family loves the products, and the oil is actually the most popular product!  Our skin has never been so healthy and soft!  Something I would highly recommend.  

Next I'll be investigating hair, which shampoo/conditioners to use.  If anyone has a great product that they love, please let me know. 

New Number!

We just found out yesterday from our awesome caseworker that we are officially lower on their referral list.  

We are now number..........

Waiting, waiting, waiting to be a big sister again

In every single adoption, there is always a significant loss for the child.  For the little one that we have yet to find (but already love), her's will be from loosing her biological parents and also loosing her culture.  In order for her to become our daughter, her biological parents need to make this selfless choice because of poverty (not able to feed or clothe her) or because of disease.  We have been praying for these lovely biological parents, and the selfless choice they will have to make to provide our beauty a better life.  This little girl is loved by people in both Ethiopia, and in the United States, and we are getting so excited to meet her!  

Yeah for Summer Break!!

Yesterday was our oldest daughter's last day of first grade!  I am both excited that she is growing up and becoming an awesome big kid, but at the same time it makes me sad.  There is only so  much parents can do to protect their young one's innocence of the world, and we fully believe that our job is to protect our children's innocents as all to quickly they will learn about the troubles of the world and the rudeness/bullying of others.  Childhood is short, and once the innocence is lost, it is gone forever.  If the innocence is gone too early, children can fall into adult situations without the mature knowledge to help themselves out of it.  I am not saying that parents need to protect children against everything, after all we do live in a world full of sin.   We have had many discussions about people in the world who try to take or harm young ones & what to do in emergencies.  The only thing we can do is try to protect them, and pray.    Pray with all of your heart for your children.  

There are some great books out there that are a must read for those of you who have little girls who are growing up.....

**Six ways to keep the little in your girl, by Dannah Gresh
**The One Year Mother daughter Devo, by Dannah Gresh
**5 conversations you MUST have with your daughter by Vicki Courtney
     (all of the books by Dannah Gresh are awesome and worth reading)
**88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates by Rob & Joanna Teigen

Our oldest is just seven, and there are several other books that I am planning on reading this summer.   Check them out, there worth your time.  If you have read a great book along this topic, please share.  Thanks everyone for following along!

Winning the 1st Grade Hermie Lottery!

Our oldest was one of three winners of the first grade hermit crab lottery!  Not only does she get to keep all 5 (that's right, not just one), but all the required necessities to go with them!  Oh, what a happy day to add new members to our family!  She is so excited, while our other two are a little nervous of these strange animals!  It's going to be a fun summer...

What crazy creatures God created, and our little ladies are loving them!

Going down!

So, I couldn't wait any longer.  Our caseworker told us that at anytime we are curious to email her, and she will let us know our place on the waiting for a referral list.  I've been trying very hard to only bothering her once a month, but the wait was getting to me.  It's just short of a month, but I just had to know. We are now number...

Our pretty girl who LOVES sunglasses

Not to bad! Finally down to single digits!  It was only one spot, but it's one spot closer to our goal of bringing our sweet girl home!!

We were discussing all the changes the other day, and came to the conclusion that we are probably farther along right now, than if CWA hadn't closed their doors and forced us to find a new agency (God is good)!  We are loving our agency! They love the children of Africa, are completely honest, and quick at getting things done!!!  CCI, You ROCK!!!

Happy Mother's Day Everyone

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.  The day in the USA when we celebrate ALL mothers. A day full of sleeping in , homemade cards from young children, and yummy gooey chocolatey deserts!  Today, as I sit back and watch our three gorgeous ladies play and giggle together I am happy with what the Lord has blessed me with, but something also feels missing. It has been one month since we have hit number ten on our agencies referral list, and now we sit and wait, as there has not been any changes.

Adoption is hard, you have no control over how the birth mama care for herself.  Is  she getting regular medical check ups, and takes her daily vitamins?  This is usually not the case in Ethiopia.  It is hard wondering if she's getting enough healthy foods for the growing baby,  and wondering if she has access to safe & clean drinking water.  This is where faith & praying come in.  I pray and pray for our birth Mama & our future baby.  

May all the mother's in the world feel loved.  Reach out to all of the mother figures in your life and show them how special & loved they are.  We don't show this as often as we should. 

Mother's Day Poem with our girls hand prints!

                                   Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Fasika (Easter)

This Sunday (05/05/13) is Fasika (the day Christian Ethiopian's celebrate Easter)!   It's awesome to think that individuals all over the world love God and celebrate His death & resurrection!  Praying that our birth Mama is a Christian, and is celebrating this holiday.

Our two year old

Some Great Talks

We have had several great discussions with our two oldest ladies (now ages 4 & 7) over the past year about adoption, orphans, & God.  I am in awe at how big their hearts are, and their love for God. 

As we were talking today, I asked the two of them to each write one word about how they feel about adoption.  Here is what there responses were...... how happy this makes me!  Sometimes I think our girls have a better understanding about adoption & orphans than some adults in the world!  Happy spring everyone!!  Praying that all of the orphans in the world find homes with such awesome siblings!  You girls ROCK!! 
 

Our 4 year old!

Our 7 year old! 

Stuck

Stuck is a documentary that advocates for orphans.

A MUST watch documentary that will open your eyes to international adoption & the orphans around the world.  It is currently on tour through out the United States.  If you missed it in your area, you can buy it for $12.99.  Get your closest friends together, grab a box of tissues, and download the documentary.  You will have great discussions after.  I'll guarantee that it will change the way you feel about international adoption.

Please check out the free trailer and/or download the documentary here: http://buy.stuckdocumentary.com/


Nothing new is going on with our adoption, just waiting on our number to lower.  Please continue to pray for the millions of orphans world wide.  I wish that our family could do more than adopting just one.  We have been praying how our little family can help the nation's orphans.  If we are going to help the world's orphans,we have to do it through our action.  Please pray about opening your own home to another child through adoption, or please help a family who is currently in the process.  Every child deserves a loving, forever family, and it takes multiple people to bring one home.