The Journey

Yesterday, we listened to our adoption agency's monthly conference call. I will say that these conference calls can be very discouraging. There hasn't been one referral the whole month of November, and there was only one in October. With our government and the Ethiopian government both having shut downs, things have definitely been moving slowly. Not to mention that there is now another step that we have to go through with our government. We are praying for a flood of referrals to come soon! We were happy to hear that several families have cleared embassy and have brought their children home during this drought of referrals. I assure you the referrals have nothing to due with lack of children. There are plenty of children who need homes; they just are paper ready to be placed with a family. This process is confusing, frustrating, and challenging, but we know in the end it will be so worth it. One thing I am sure about is that I do feel we picked a great adoption agency th...

Last night, my family watched the new Superman movie. Although most people probably wouldn't really focus on the adoption aspect of the movie, it obviously gripped me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the special effects (especially on my parents' 3-D TV). In the movie, the story starts in Krypton where Kal-El's parents have to make the tough decision to send their baby to a world far far away. As you watch the movie, you see how this was a difficult decision for his mother. She had after all just carried him in her womb and gave birth to him. She clearly loved her son, but knew he would not make it in their world, so she chose to send him somewhere else. I think sometimes as an adoptive mother, it can be easy for me to feel the pain and longing for this child who has a special place in my heart, but to forget that adoption comes from a much more painful place than just my waiting. I never want to forget about the woman who is probably enduring so much more pain th...

              With November being National Adoption Month, I wanted to                   provide our friends and family with simply ways to educate                themselves about adoption and orphans. My goal is to write at least                one opportunity a week. Some weeks I may get a little ambitious                  and write more than one!                This week is easy. All you have to do is watch a movie. Months                  ago, I told you all about a...

Wow! First of all, I am sorry I have been such a blog slacker. Life has been rather chaotic lately. As you know, the month of November is a time of year where people express their thankfulness maybe a little more often than other times of the year. People do the daily thankful post on Facebook, they may sit around the dinner table and talk about what they are thankful for, and a wide variety of other ways to show their gratitude.  At first glance and looking at where we are in the adoption process there can seem very little to be thankful for, but as I look deeper into what we have learned throughout this year, we have so much to be thankful for. 1. We cannot be more thankful for the friends and family who have stood with us as we stepped into this crazy journey. You have prayed for us, encouraged us, and financially supported us. We could not be where we are without all of you! On days that have been tough, some of you have come with just the right words. When we have had fu...

This past Sunday, our church had a guest speaker who gave an analogy that really hit home for me. When you go to a drive-thru and order something special that is not on the basic menu, they ask you to pull over and wait. As you are waiting, others may be driving through and getting their orders. At times it may not seem fair that other people are receiving their order, but you have to remember that you are asking for a special. Sometimes, special blessings require a little longer wait.

Last week, I told you that we were supposed to hear from our adoption agency about current wait times. WARNING: I have been delaying this post because it is heartbreaking. The current wait time for a family to receive a referral (match with child) is 30-36 months. As far as the unofficial list, we have not really moved. I hate writing discouraging news like this, but Jeffrey and I feel like it is important to keep all our friends and family in the loop. We know that many of you pray for us and think about us often, and we want you to know what is realistically happening. So, it sounds like we have a long journey ahead of us! December 28th will be one year that our papers have been in Ethiopia although we have been in the adoption process since last May. December puts us at 12 months for what our adoption agency is referring to when it comes to wait times. This puts us at possibly two more years after December (CUE THE CRYING/SOBBING). I am like many of you still struggling with the...

WE ARE SUPER EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE OUR NEXT ADOPTION FUNDRAISER!    Christmas is just around the corner, and you need a family photo for your Christmas card! Some of you may want to give photos as gifts! Others may just need an updated family photo for your living room! Whatever your reason for photos, this is the fundraiser for you! You won't find a better price for great photos, and you are helping us become one step closer to our forever family. Jeffrey and I are booking 1 hour photo shoots beginning as early as September. We will be shooting through the month of November. All shoots will take place outside unless you have an available inside location that you prefer. Spots are limited due to our availability, so please book with us as soon as possible. All the photos on this post are from some recent shoots we have done. Thank you to the wonderful families who helped us get this fundraiser started and who have allowed us to share some of the...