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!