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)