Off to Ethiopia!!!

We leave tomorrow to start our trip to Ethiopia to bring Ava Meskerem and Eliza Tabita home. HOME!!!! HOME!!!! I can hardly believe it. I have been a mess the past week or so. It just seems like we have waited so long for this and now it is actually happening. Jennifer (the other half of Inge) and I were talking about dossier paperwork the other day...that seems like ages ago. Now in less than a week our girls will be here, in their home. Isn't that crazy? I can't imagine how strange all of this will be to them. We may even have snow when we get back. What will they think of that??? What will they think of their brothers and sister? What will they think about our dog, Truman? They are going to be in culture shock for some time, I'm sure.

Today I packed for our trip. I would pack a little, clean a little, cry a little. I pretty much spent the entire day doing those 3 things.
I am so ready to have my girls home. But with that comes a whole new batch of responsibilities. I am going to have to dig deep to use every ounce of patience I have with the girls. I have to show them everyday how special they are and how loved they are. But that also means, not neglecting my other 3 kids. It is going to be a balancing act. One huge responsibility is to stand up for my girls. For their culture, heritage and color. Yes, color. My girls will be the minority in our small little town. We still have some very racist people around and I am sure I will get looks and comments. I have to be prepared to stand up for them and be able to teach my girls to stand up for themselves and be proud of who they are. For the most part, everyone is very supportive of our decision to adopt two little girls from Africa. I have had a few questions to "why Ethiopia?" Jennifer and I keep saying we have to get a thick skin to handle all the comments and stares when we cruise through town with our babies. Isn't that sad? Knowing we have to prepare ourselves for something so awful? Hopefully, I will be pleasantly surprised. If you read Jennifer's blog, you will see that she has posted about several situations that have happened to us and one to her. You can find her blog in my blog list. Read it. Her last blog was about a "fad". Yes, many people say that adopting is the latest fad. Wow. How sad. The latest fad might be my Ugg boots or Jeggings. Something we will tire of quickly and move on to the next best thing. Ummm, a child is not a fad. That is something you invest in for the rest of your life. A child is not a $100 pair of boots. They are not something you think about for a moment and go ahead and get, knowing that 6 months down the road you will never wear again. No, a child is not a fad. It makes me sick to think people believe that. Those babies are mine. I love them as much as my children I gave birth to. They are no different. Hannah, Luke and Owen are not fads.....neither are Ava and Eliza. Blood pressure rising...need to move on........

I cannot wait to bring our girls home to our family and friends. Ava and Eliza have no idea how many people already love them.
Now if we can just get Jennifer's daughter home, this process will be complete. She has not received word of her embassy date yet...but she will. God's timing. God's plan.

Not sure if I ever posted the first referral pictures we received of our girls. My heart skipped a beat when I opened those emails. I knew right then they were ours. I've heard other adoptive parents say that....that they knew the child was meant to be theirs the minute they laid eyes on them...I never imagined that would really be true. It was. It is. Just look at them.......




I can't wait to for you all to meet them. They are so sweet and so beautiful.

Please pray for us this week. Pray for safe travels for Darren, Hannah and I. Pray for our boys, Luke and Owen, to be well taken care of while we are gone and that they know how much we love them even though we are half a world away.
Pray for Ava and Eliza. That they are happy to see us and to start their new lives with us.
To all my family and friends....thank you for your support and love through out this process. We are so lucky to have such loving people in our lives. I am so excited that now Ava and Eliza will get to feel your love and support also!!

Off to bed for my last good nights sleep for some time. Next week, barking dogs and birds that sound like monkeys......then onto nighttime feedings and diaper changes. I'm bringing my babies home!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Making plans to bring our girls home!!!!!

Yes, it is actually happening. We got an email on Friday saying we were clear to travel and bring our girls home. There was also an email to call our director, Sue, immediately...uh oh. But it was good, she wanted to see if we would be able to travel THIS weekend. Holy Cow!!! I actually thought about it, but the stress over planning places for the kids to stay, airplane tickets, rooms, and packing in a day and a half overwhelmed me just a tiny bit. So I had to say no, it nearly killed me to think they could be home in a week and I was opting for the later date. But it was the right thing to do. That also means we get to travel with our buddies Meggan, Ryan and Doug. Ryan and Doug were 2 daddy's that were there for court when we were. Neither of their wives were able to travel that trip. This time Ryan's wife, Meggan, is able to come and we will have so much fun. Doug's wife will need to stay home with their little one's, but it will be good to hang out with him again. Ryan and Meggan have a 2 year old son, Rylee, who was also adopted from Ethiopia. We were able to spend some time with their family at the CCI reunion in Chicago this past summer. Rylee is so stinkin' cute. Such a ham. They are from Michigan...we can't hold that against them....just teasing !!!! Actually, we used to live in Michigan and loved it, but that old Illini Michigan football rivalry still stands true. Check out their story at Meggs blog, ryanmeggsjourney.blogspot.com They are adopting the super sweet Baby Ezra that we have pictures of me holding while we were in ET.

So, now that this adoption is actually going to happen I am a ton of mixed emotions. So stressed to get everything ready. I know the girls will care less, but that's just my personality. I am worried.....worried about the transition for the girls. This is literally going to be a whole new world for them. Talk about culture shock. Worried about my bio kids. Hope they understand how this will impact our family. We have talked and talked about it. They are all three thrilled to get the girls home, don't get me wrong. But it will shake things up a bit around here. For one, the boys are not used to having babies around and they are going to have to learn to pick up there lego pieces.....or Eliza will be eating them all day. :) And all three kids are going to have to realize that is it know longer going to be as easy to jump in the car and take off. We have to work around naps and schedules. But soon Hannah will be able to drive and that will help a bunch....although, that brings on a whole new set of emotions and worries.

I just can't wait to get them home. I am actually looking forward to a few things I haven't done in ages......bathing a slippery giggly baby, changing diapers, yes-I said it, and most importantly....loving on them. I love on my kids now, but not the same way you love on a little one.

Ava and I doing a princess puzzle


Ava loving her bath..blurred out all the girly parts :)



Getting Eliza ready for bed...notice the drool mark are my shoulder...yes, I am even looking forward to that!!!!


Lovin' on Liza






We are looking into flights that leave the weekend after Thanksgiving. Our embassy appointment is on December 2nd. That is all going to be here before we know it. I have great plans to get a lot of things done before we travel. I would love to get most of the Christmas lights put up outside. I got about half done yesterday and was planning on doing the rest today...but of course, it's cold and rainy. I would also like to get all the Christmas shopping done so I don't have that to worry about later.

When we get back home, the holiday season will be in full force. I know we will have lots of parties and family get togethers to attend. But we have talked and I think we are going to have to keep our holiday festivities to a minimum this year. The girls will be home for only a week or so before all of the Christmas hoopla hits. They will be overwhelmed and scared. We will have to take this first month or so to bond with our girls. Get them used to us taking care of them and let them learn that we are their forever family now. So unfortunately, that will mean limiting our outings with the girls. We will go to the family parties but depending on how the girls handle it, we will have to see how long we can stay. So please, family and friends, understand that we are not being rude or ungrateful. We just need to protect our girls and forge a bond with them that will let them grow up to have healthy relationships with all of you. Hope you understand. Also...and this will be the hardest part. When we are at social gatherings we have to really stop ourselves from letting friends and family hold and love on the girls. I know, you are all going to want to love on them, and that is fine. We have just read so many books that stress that "we" their parents take care of ALL their basic needs at first. So sorry to say, we are the ones who need to feed them, change diapers...darn, and meet all their needs. They are so used to having a handful of nannies take care of them, that they haven't learned how to rely on any one special person. And that would be us :) So for awhile we are going to be over protective and basically a little selfish with Ava and Eliza. I know you all will understand, even though it will be hard on all of us.

I do want to take just a second to thank and thank again, all those who have helped us out one way or another during this year plus process. The support, emotional and financial, that we have received has been such a blessing to us. We know everyone has financial responsibilities of their own, but somehow, many of you found a way to help us bring our girls home. Thank you.
And the prayers and well wishes we have received have been overwhelming. Again, such a blessing. We already know how much
you all are going to love our girls. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives. And soon, in the lives of our daughters.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


Ephesians 1:16
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.