A Beautiful Chaos!

In July our sweet little referral turned one.  Normally birthday's are happy days which celebrates life and accomplishments.  For our sweet girl this celebration will also include sadness.  It is the day that God brought our sweet girl into the world, but it is also a day filled with loss.  There is a birth mama who remembers the precious details of this special day.  This could also be the day that her Ethiopian mama begins to question if she will be able to raise her.  The could be the day she makes the painful and unselfish decision to not raise this beautiful baby.  So much loss and pain, but also great joy that God brought this sweet girl into our broken world for a purpose.  She is wanted, she is loved by two mama's, two daddies, by two families.      




Her birthday was such a sad day for us.  It meant that baby brown eyes has been living in an orphanage for a year.  It meant that she has gone an entire year without a mama to rock to her, sisters to sing to her, a daddy to feed her, a family to show her love.  An entire year, but she was not alone.  God was there.  He kept her safe.  




At the beginning of August we learned that our two Dossier's were successful (back in March we compiled an entire new Dossier since all of our original paperwork was over two years old)!  We passed MOWA (Ministry of Women and Children's Affair)!!  This is what we have been praying for!  MOWA was the one thing that was standing in our way from obtaining a court date!  Our sweet girl's paperwork passed in February stating she meets eligibility for adoption, and now our paperwork has passed!!  The next step is meeting our sweet little one and attending court!  If court approves us, she will officially be our little girl!  She will officially have a family with three big sisters who cannot wait to show her love!




Passing this milestone, I have finally allowed myself to get excited about bringing her home!  I have allowed myself to prepare and to purchase necessary items that she will need.  The hardest hurdle is behind us, so we feel that it is safe to talk to our children about her and about what it will mean to them when she is home!  There could still be twists in the road, unfortunately things can still happen.  However, I have finally allow myself to prepare & dream.  I am ready for that beautiful face to be ours, and for her to be home!  


 

Because of this new & exciting development, our home has turned into a beautiful chaos!  We are in full swing of our second year of home school (we are beginning our eighth week)! We loved it so  much last year that we decided to do it again!  I love being able to give our girls individual attention as they learn, and I love how their friendship (and patience) with each other has grown!  While we are homeschooling, we are also getting ready to take a week off to enjoy the beach with family, while also getting things ready to meet (and potentially bring home) our sweet brown eyed Ethiopian!   Completing school, planning trips, organizing rooms (for a crib!), buying toddler items...oh my!  It is sweet chaos here, and we are loving every minute of it!   

We love the beach!!

Happiness!!

This winter has been full of surprises and disappointments.   We received an email on Thanksgiving afternoon, as we were preparing a couple of dishes to take with us to our family's Thanksgiving meal.  With it came pictures of this beautiful little girl with big brown eyes, and an adorable little nose.  Of course, we were ecstatic, and said yes (we completed & sent the ppwk out the very next day to say that we intend to adopt this sweetie)!!  Oh, what a challenging Thanksgiving day as we sat through a meal with our entire family and did not mention that we finally received a referral!  Oh, there were glances exchanged between us, but we did not mention it until that evening when the festivities were over and all three girls were tucked soundly into bed.  We felt conflicted.  We were so happy that after 2 1/2 years, we finally have a referral!  We couldn't wait to tell people and show her beautiful face to the closest people in our lives!   However, the first people we wanted to see her lovely face to be our children, and we still wanted to protect them.   The reality is that she is still not ours (which is why we legally cannot post any pictures), and the only thing tying us together are a bundle of papers and a few pictures.  As much as we would LOVE her to be ours, we are still not her parents and we could still be told no.  She could still be swept away from us in an instant, and I cannot imagine what that would do to her three potential big sisters.  The day finally came when we saw her adorable face, however we did not celebrate it with others.  At least, not yet. 



As we were getting through the holidays, our paperwork went through the PAIR Process.  As we were decorating trees, wrapping gifts, and playing in fluffy snow,  the Embassy in Ethiopia was investigating, conducting interviews, and approved her portion of the paperwork!  We are one step closer to finally bringing her home!  However, she is still not our child.  She can still be taken away from us at any point.  We were told to not get attached to a referral, but how do you look at a picture of a child that God made for a purpose and not want to be her momma?  How do you protect your heart because the ET Govt is becoming more strict with paperwork and is turning more and more families away?  The only way I can is by giving it to God.  We have three children who need a mother and not a blubbering mess of a person.  I rely on God to keep her safe, keep her fed, that she is shown love everyday,  and that MOWA accepts our paperwork on the first round.   Our agency recommended that we update our ENTIRE dossier this month, so we have been running around obtaining documents, bugging friends for new reference letters, attending doctor appointments for new medical letters, completing fingerprints, etc.   The bundle is officially authenticated, and is beginning it's travel to ET today!   



In the mean time, as we wait for another MOWA review date, I continue to school our lovely ladies!  As I look back to this time last year,  we were uncertain regarding how our first year of home schooling would go.  Do I had the patience and intelligence to school not one, but two of our children?  Could I remain on task and complete work each day?  Can I teach effectively the subjects that are not my strong suit?  I viewed taking on our children's education as intimidating, and something that I cannot fail at.    Today I see it as one of the best decisions for them (and I am loving it too)!  I cannot believe that I almost have one year under my belt (we will be finishing our 32/36 weeks soon)!  Both ladies are excelling, maturing,  finding their unique individuality, are loving the curriculum, have more family time, and have sped though math so quickly that they are now working through a Singapore Math book that is the next grade level!  There is no question that we will be home schooling next year!  It may not be right for everyone (and it may not be perfect for us the entire way through their schooling), but for now we are seeing positive results!   


Since it has been four months since I have updated the blog (sorry about that, we were digesting the referral, and not quite sure how or when would be a "safe" time to tell others), I am loading this post up with a few pictures from the fall and winter.  Enjoy!


Pictures from our Fall zoo trip:

Our youngest daughter's favorite animal!  She could have stayed here all day!

This guy was pacing in front of our children, looking hungry! The glass was pretty thick, but it still made me a bit nervous (the girls LOVED being that close to the big cat)!

Of course we have to do this, TWICE!! This is our middle ladies' favorite animal!



The wonder of a gigantic, white bear!






Yes, we are THOSE kind of parents who get their children a puppy for Christmas (I know, we must not be busy enough with home schooling and all of these adoption updates)!  We were not looking to add another four legged family member, but he stole our hearts!   Meet Jack (AKA Biscuit, Milky Way, Butterscotch, Buddy-Boy, fluffy boy, etc).  He is a laid back Cocker Spaniel Mix that will happily come to any name!  Adding him has been a great experience in responsibility for our girls.  Puppies take a lot of work, and they have stepped up to the plate with helping!

He LOVES snow!  He loves to bury his face in the cold stuff!  Check out his feet, his scruffy hair makes mini snowballs!! He still has not mastered boundaries of our yard, which is why he is on a chain.  Gotta keep the little guy safe. 

Sleeping with our middle daughter's stuffed animal (it must be love for her so share her beloved Charlotte)







Please keep the sweet little girl in your prayers as we patiently wait to see if MOWA accepts our updates. 



 



Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

It's the time of the year when the weather turns cold and snow is in the forecast.  It's when gatherings become more frequent with family and friends.  It's also the time when we begin to talk about the things that we are thankful for.  We have always talked about this with our children, however this Thanksgiving season we are emphasizing thanking God for these things.  It amazes me as we tuck our ladies into bed and listen to their prayers what they are thankful for!  What compassionate little ladies they are growing up to be!  

Our Thankful turkey!

We recently finish our sixteenth week of home school on Tuesday.  So far this school year, we have learned about the different Native American tribes, the Puritan's beliefs, the injustice's of slavery, the Mayflower, and why the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving.  It is very interesting, and has helped our two school-age children love history!  I am learning right along side them, as I have forgotten so much of the important details since I was in elementary school.  What an amazing time of religious freedom, survival in a new land, and relying on God to get them through the first year. 

Our Mayflower hand prints- watch out for the waves!

As a family we are thankful for so many things that we usually take for granted.  Running water, heat in our house when it is snowing, all of God's amazing animals, our lovely daughters, transportation, electricity, loving grandparents and great-grandparents, freedom to educate our children at home, etc.  We are also thankful that our adoption is in His timing.   God loves adoption, however the devil does not and will try to stop every adoption from happening.  We are in the midst of a war to bring our baby home, which is why I am grateful we have God to rely on because as humans we have a tendency to give in and fail.  

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Orphan Sunday 2014

Today, November 2, 2014 is Orphan Sunday.  

It is a day to raise awareness of all of the orphans here in the United States and around the world.  

One day each year churches around the world will talk about those without a family to call their own.  They will show videos about the cause, in hopes to raise money for them.   They will instruct their congregation what Jesus tells us to about orphans.  Today is a day to advocate on behalf of those with no voice.  It's also a day to remember our adoption as sons and daughters of God (Ephesians 1:5).

Orphans are everywhere, and we are called to act.  Every single one of us are called to help those who go to bed each night alone and without a family.  There are many ways God calls us to act, but he makes it clear that all of us have a part in helping others in need (Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world, James 1:27).

Our family chose to act by adopting an orphan from Ethiopia.  We began this process in 2012, and through all the detours that we endured, we have kept faith that God will show us where she is and will help us bring our little one home.  Adoption is not always an easy process, so please pray for the little ones today.  Please pray that they are safe, that they have nutritious food to eat, and for God to lead them to a permanent family. 

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

It seems completely crazy that summer has come and gone so quickly!  School has begun!   This year we have two schoolagers (a third grader and a kindergartener)!  Wow, how did my babies get to be so big!?!  As you know from my April post, which was a few months ago (sorry about that), we are having some changes this school year.  In June I quit my part-time position so I can home school our two girls!  I cannot believe that it is September already, and we are into our fifth week of school!  I believe that this type of schooling  is not for everyone, but right now it is right for our family and we are LOVING it!!   We love beginning our school day with a devotion as a family.  We love the freedom of completing ALL their work between the hours of 8:00a-1:30p each day (with multiple breaks) and not having homework that cuts into family time!  We love that big sister is helping little sister!  We love the curriculum we choose (It is more advanced than public school and both ladies are excelling)!  It is amazing how much both have matured and grown in the past few weeks!  They have become self-motivated, and more independent for their ages!   We truly should have done this from the beginning!  We even found  cool art classes and hands-on animal science classes that are for homeschoolers (our girls love both art & animals), so they are meeting new kids and making friends who are schooled the same way!  I didn't realize the home school community was so big and supportive of each other!  We are truly blessed that we listened to God and are loving all of the extra family time that comes along with it! 

Our adoption remains at a stand still.  I just realized that we have been in the number one referral spot for a little girl for 11 months now.  I talked to the director or our agency yesterday and was told that the past week there were children whose paperwork was completed, and she referred them to their potential families.  The children were all boys, and unfortunately the way our original agency completed some of our Dossier paperwork we cannot accept a little boy. This helps us to remain hopeful though, because they are beginning to get new referrals after many months of none.  We know there are little girls in the orphanage in Ethiopia who are just waiting for the orphanage staff to get their paperwork completed so they can get home.  Somewhere in Ethiopia there is a beautiful little girl who is destined to have three big sisters (who still pray for her, still wonder about her, and who continue to draw her pictures and make her cards)!   At this time, we are praying and knowing it is in His timing.  

Goodbye carefree summer, hello beautiful fall!!

Ramblings...

So, this blog was originally started as a blog about our Ethiopian adoption.  It was designed as a way for our family & friends who live in distant and far away places to keep connected on our adoption process. I know, your thinking "What"?  Lately it has nothing to do with our adoption.

Since it has been awhile since I've been able to give an adoption update, I thought the Spring season would be a great time to give us a sense of renewed hope.  Well, here it is....nothing is happening.  We are still waiting.  We are still the next in line to receive a referral through our agency.  We pray everyday this will happen.  The Ethiopian Government did state that the number of adoptions to foreigners will decrease, however they did not state that it will be abandoned.

So, here we sit waiting for our little girl.  It is beginning to feel as if there is no end in site.  In two months we will have been in this adoption process for two years.  When we started the process, we knew there were potentials for bumps in the road, and that it could take longer than expected. What we did not realize was that every possible bump would effect our case with a devastating effect.  Although we are currently feeling worn down and almost defeated, we still have hope.  We are not giving up until the Ethiopian Government makes us stop.  Families with our agency have gone through the new PAIR process, passed court, and have brought their little ones home,  which is reassuring. However there is a lack of referrals coming though the orphanages.  Without referrals, the process will eventually stop. 

It is so sad & awful to think about all of the children sitting in a run down orphanage with no way to get out. The majority will age out of the system and will be forced into the drug & prostitution trade.  What else is there for a kid with absolutely no education,  no family, no home, and no food to do?  This is the sad world we live in.  It is a reality for those children sitting in orphanages all over the world.  We often forget that people still live in mud huts with dirt floors, no electricity, no education, child brides, child soldiers, lack of medicine, and starving children.  This life does exist in the world today.  The sad commercials that occasionally pop up on our TV are still true in many cultures today.  We just don't have to acknowledge it in our bountiful area of the world.

So, as Spring is upon us we celebrate Jesus.   Jesus gave his life for everyone!  For you, for me,  for the children trapped in orphanages and prostitution around the world.  God gave us freewill, which can lead to some very disturbing situations.      

As I type this, our lovely three year old is standing next to me signing, "baby Jesus loves me, yes baby Jesus loves me, for bible tells me so"  its her own version of Jesus Loves Me, but every word of it is true!   Rock on sweet girl!  Sing it loud and often for others to hear!!

Please pray for referrals to begin to move again.  Not just for  our family, but for those all over the United States who are in the same situation.  Please pray for the boys and  girls around the world with no families. We believe that everyone deserves a loving family, and it breaks our heart that so many are without.

 

The Homeschooling Debate

Public school, private christian school, online school, homeschooling...its enough to make you dizzy!

Yes, we are currently having this debate in our home.  Which program is right for our children?  They have their own individual needs, so should they be placed in separate schools?   We have recently came to the conclusion that the traditional public school is no longer the place for our oldest (at least not for now).   But what is right for her, and for our middle daughter since she will be in Kindergarten in the 2014-2015 school year?  Is homeschooling right for our oldest child?  What about our middle child?  If so, which program (all the books, companies, co-op organizations, etc)?  My head is spinning with all of the information on the web pertaining to this subject.  We feel as through we have gathered all the necessary information.  We've attended on-line seminars, talked to parents who are in the trenches of homeschooling their children, attended meetings at private christian schools, looked into online schools, talked to a homeschooling counselor, and have even talked to adults who were home schooled since Kindergarten and now are productive members of our society.  I must say there is a huge debate as to the positives and negatives on taking children out of brick-&-mortar schools and into their own homes for a nurturing education.   From what I am reading,  families are entirely for or against keeping their children home and out of the trenches.  

As you can see, we are not taking this issue lightly.  We are fortunate enough to be able to live comfortably on one income (although there will be sacrifices).  We have always approached parenting as being selfless, while also not giving them everything.  We do this by putting our children's needs ahead of our careers.  We don't strive to have the biggest house, the fanciest vacations, or the newest vehicle on the market.  We strive to be there for them, & to protect their childhood by allowing them to be kids for as long as possible (which is difficult in today's hyper all-about-me society).  People allow their children to grow up too quickly, when their children may not be able to maturely handle situations.  Once the child has made this transition, they can never go back to being that care free kid again.  However, we also understand that we still need to be able to keep food on the table, a roof over our heads, and the lights on (which is why I currently am employed part time).  Parenting is hard!!  As we investigate, we have prayed.  Prayed for our little girl and for what is best for her. 

Anyway, I am not on here to give you my opinions on the subject (there's enough opinions from other parents online).  I am here to say I understand.  It's scarey and frustrating when it comes to your child and their education.  I understand that you only want what is best for your child and their situation, but seriously what is the best option for them???  If your child is struggling academically, socially, being bullied, etc, you are NOT alone.  Keep praying, you will find the answer!  We live in a society where parents have the power to decide, and there are many options available!  We have contacts in our area, and I am willing to share them with you. 

I do feel that we have come to the conclusion as to how our oldest child will be educated for her 3rd grade, but at this time were not set as to how our middle, an almost kindergartener, will receive her education.  Our school system has made changes to their Kindergarten Program, which we are not for, so now were praying and trying to figure out where she will receive her education.  

Our Easter projects hanging on our back door!

Ramblings

Hello Everyone!  It has been over a month since I've posted anything, and its because nothing with our adoption has changed.  We are still the next in line to receive a referral.  We are remaining hopeful that this happens soon, but we are also realistic about our adoption situation.  It is in God's hands, and although at times our heart struggles with this (that we have absolutely NO control) right now our hearts are relieved that this is not something that we can mess up, we are human after all.  We have a loving GOD who is perfect (even if we do not understand).  We trust that God will do what is right for our family, in His timing (not ours). 

We attended our Biometrics appointment in February, and we have all the required home study documents for our social worker's visit next week.  In the mean time, we are living life!  Life doesn't stop as we wait (especially not with our three beautiful little ladies).  We are busy spending precious time with our girls, while waiting for the snow to melt and for spring to arrive.  The months of February & March were busy with two birthdays, crafts, hanging out with out ladies, and having a whole lot of fun!

We have always cherished our children as individuals.   We feel that now, while they are still young, is the time to grow our relationship with our children & teach them about God.  One way we do this by "hang out time"!  We rotate spending individual time with each of our children.  It is simple, but also special for both the parent and child.  We simply take one to two  hours each weekend and spend it with one of our girls doing special things with them (while the other parent stays home with the other two).  We take a walk in the park, a trip to the local pet store (we remind them each time before we go in that the animals will be staying there), eat a dessert, enjoy a simple meal together, etc.  It doesn't need to cost a lot of money to spend quality time with them.  It helps each child know how special and loved they are, and it keeps the line of communication open!  It's crazy how much our older two will tell us during this time, ask us questions about God, talk about things on their minds, etc.  Sometimes we simply enjoying each others company.   Something magical usually happens during this time, our oldest (who is turning 8) will initiate holding our hand as we are walking to/from where we are going!  We highly suggest that if you have more than one child to try it!  You will see changes in behavior, how they get along with siblings, and they will talk more about issues in their lives that happen at school!  It has been a blessing to our lives.  It's rare that we miss a weekend where at least one child doesn't get hang out time.  

Some of our recent Spring crafts our ladies created:

 

Bouquet of home made flowers

Butterflies that are beautiful when the sun shines through!

Valentines window hearts! 

Goodbye hand made snowflakes...here comes colorful butterflies & flowers!  Happy Spring everyone!

Home Study II

As we wait for our USCIS apt (which is a couple of weeks), we just found out that we need to update our home study in order to get a new I-171H (that will be expiring in June).  For some reason, getting all of the documents ready to update our home study is just as stressful the second time around.   I am excited to see our social worker again (she's so sweet), but not excited to go through the hassle of obtaining all the documents and paying a pretty hefty fee.  Can't believe it has been a year and a half since we completed our first one. 

Right now, were excited that Ethiopia is remaining open to international adoption, but this waiting is beginning to affect all of us (even our little ladies).  They talk about what she could be doing at any given moment.  One of them asks almost daily where we are at on our referral list.  At least one of them asks ask weekly why we can't just hop on an airplane to bring her home (if only it were that simple).  This process is not a simple one, and is difficult explaining it in kid terms. 

As we are going through the motions this winter of school, we are praying for a little girl who is far away.  A little girl who we have never seen, and who we don't even know if she is here on the earth. Please continue to pray with us as we wait (sometime not very patiently) for our referral.  Lately international adoption has been looked upon negatively.  There are so many boys and girls in the world who are desperately needing parents, but less people are adopting.  It is sad that less adults are stepping up to protect the children of the world

6 inches of fresh snow + bright sun=squinty eyes

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Not Stopping

We received confirmation that Ethiopia will NOT be stopping intercountry adoptions at this time!  What amazing news for our family!  This means that once we receive a referral, we will be able to move along and get the paperwork completed for the PAIR (Pre-Adoption Immigration Review) process.  It is just another step in the process which went into effect September, 2013.  So, as we are still waiting on a referral, we have a glimmer of hope that one day we will bring our fourth child home from Ethiopia.  

Please pray that the process begins to speed up now that the Ethiopian Government has made the choice to keep their international adoption program open.  Please continue to pray for UNICEF (that they stop interfering with paperwork so more children can get referred which will bring them closer to going home to their forever families), and pray for all of the babies and children who are stuck in the orphanage.  I cannot imagine what they are going through.  Please pray that the kids are safe, fed, and that one day (hopefully soon) they will go home to a loving and forever family. 

The weather FINALLY warmed up a bit, so we were able to get outside to play in the fun fluffy white stuff!!

Brrr

January in Ohio is notorious for cold, ice, wind, and snow.  This year, we have had an abundance of all four.  Normally we love winter, but this year the weather has kept us indoors.  When the temperature drops in the negative degrees and the wind is blowing hard,  it is too cold to play in the fluffy, white, drifts of snow.   The girls look  longingly outside wanting to make footprints in the untouched snow, make forts out of the enormous drifts that are in our back yard, and make friendly snow people.  This will need to wait.  There is a point when even with all the warm snow gear we have, it is just not safe for a 2, 5, & 7 year old to be outside for an extended time of play.  

As of right now, Ethiopia is still opened to international adoptions.  Cases are still going through court, just very slowly.  New referrals are still nonexistent at this time, but praying for a miracle.  Right now we are stuck.  Stuck sitting without a referral, unable to move onto the next phase of adoption with no end in site.  For a while this has caused an array of emotions (this waiting has really gotten to me lately).  But were clinging tightly to God.  If we were meant to adopt He is the only one who is going to be able to make this happen. 

USCIS...again

Today is the day that I will be visiting FedEx to ship out all the required paperwork to update our biometrics.  Yes, it is time to visit the little USCIS office in Columbus again that will make sure our background is clear to bring a child into the United States.  The first time we made this trip we were excited about the possibilities of adding to our family, this time we are uncertain if adding to our family will happen but were not giving up.  

We are praying that Ethiopia will remain open to international adoption, and that the Children In Families First passes soon (this will take UNICEF out of the equation when it comes to adoption).  Don't get me wrong, UNICEF does some great things to help children.  However, when they discourage international adoptions and encourage orphanages to not complete paperwork that will allow the child to be placed for adoption, there is something wrong.  Children need forever families, not a life sentence to living in an orphanage.   Have you contacted your senator to raise awareness yet?

http://childreninfamiliesfirst.org/

All We Wanted for Christmas...

What we truly wanted for Christmas is something that cannot be bought.  Something that cannot be made out of paper or yarn.  What we truly wanted was a referral.  It would have been a Christmas miracle, one that did not happen as the Ethiopian Government has stopped all new referrals from going through. 

We knew when we started this process that there are never any guarantees that going through all of this work and paying out all of that money would result in a successful adoption.  In the back of our minds we thought, yeah that's not going to happen to us.  We know quite a few people who have gone through this process flawlessly, and it makes me wonder why our adoption is different from theirs.  Is there a lesson in this that God is trying to teach us?  There is a good chance that we will never receive our referral, that we will never be able to bring baby #4 home from Ethiopia.  What we need at this time is miracle that only God can provide.   The Ethiopian government has proposed to stop international adoption from their country.  Read an article about it here:

http://childrendeservefamilies.com/human-rights-violation-alert-ethiopia-proposes-ending-international-adoption/

So as we went through the magical Christmas season with our three beautiful ladies we had  sadness in our hearts.  Were not giving up.  We will NEVER give up, but we are missing the little one that we may never get to meet. What we need is a miracle from God to bring her home.  Please pray the the Prime Minister does not pass the closure of Ethiopian adoptions.  Please pray that he thinks of the children first, and that he realizes there are so many people who are willing to become their family.  Pray that we will be able to bring our girl home, someday. 

There is a proposed bill that could potentially stream line international adoption.  It may help those individuals who are adopting from other countries.  Please read about it here:

 http://childreninfamiliesfirst.org/legislation-chiff/

And you can tell your congressmen about it here:

 http://childreninfamiliesfirst.org/support-chiff-get-involved/

Our sweet, Dakota girl.  Patiently waiting.

Happy New Years everyone

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/