Family Reunion

We were blessed to have 68 immediate family together for a family reunion this weekend.  This included Grandma and Grandpa, the aunts and uncles, the cousins and all our kids.  We only had 10 missing from the clan!  It was great to see everyone and watch the kids have so much fun with cousins that they rarely see or have never met!  The simplicity of the weekend was wonderful!  Just getting a chance to hang out, eat, play some volleyball and horseshoes - building memories that will last a lifetime!  We had one little hitch on Saturday night when Jarod fell off the playground and broke his arm.  An emergency room visit, some meds and a blue popsicle later he was put back together and we were able to head home for some much needed rest!  Overall the weekend was a success and I cannot wait to add our daughter to the mix!  She has an amazing family that cannot wait to meet her and lots and lots of cousins excited to play with her.  Sometimes we take family for granted and don't realize how important they are to us.  I am excited for our daughter to experience family in a way she has never known!

A DAY FULL OF BLESSING!

Leah and I headed to Boise after we ate a hearty bowl of oatmeal for lunch - yes lunch!  It is summer so perspective on meal times and when to get out of pajamas is a little blurred.  First we headed to our adoption agency where we picked up our finalized home study - WHOOOHOOO!!!  From there we headed straight to Fedex where we paid an arm and a leg to get our application to USCIS first thing Monday morning.  There is more waiting to follow but by completing the home study we are one step closer, check it off the list, and move on!  After Fedex, Leah and I headed over to the mall to pick up Josh's ring that we had to get some work done on.  We had a wonderful hour or so just being girls in the mall.  We smelled lotions at Bath and Body Works, looked at stuffed animals at Build a Bear, got a Watermelon slushy, stopped in at Claire's to look at hair pretties and watch a little girl get her ears pierced.  Leah said she doesn't EVER want to get HER ears pierced - we'll see!  And of course it wouldn't be a trip at the mall if you didn't ride the escalator up and down a gazillion times.  We had a wonderful girls day! 

Leah asked all day when it would be time and was so excited when we finally left the mall and headed to the airport to meet baby Aidrea, who was coming home from Ethiopia!  The flight was delayed so we got to hang out and visit with friends we hadn't seen in a while.  We knew it was time for hugs and tears when we saw a bouqet of pink balloons cascading down the cooridor.  Dusty and Chandra escorted by ALL 4 of their beautiful children couldn't have looked happier!  Aidrea was tucked safely away in Chandra's arms taking it all in.  She just watched everyone and let her brother's love on her!  She did great!  On the day that we sent our home study off and are moving one step closer, it was wonderful to see our friends be able to bring their adoption journey full circle.  It reminds you that the waiting is all worth that moment when you can bring them home to join the family forever!  Love ya Benners - thanks for being a loving example of faithful living!

Here's a pic of Leah and Aidrea getting aquainted!  Can't wait until both of my daughters can hang with Aidrea!

Chandra and Aidrea pose with me at the airport!

Josh with Dusty and Aidrea!

Jesus Loves Me

One Step Closer

We got word today that our Home Study was approved by our International Agency and is in the final stages of getting signed and notarized.  The average Home Study takes 2-4 months to complete. We were blessed with an adoption agent who worked quickly for us and we were able to finish up our home study in a mere 6 weeks from our first visit.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that our USCIS approval will come with the same speed - the average wait is 6-12 weeks.  We have everything else ready and in order so as soon as we get approval from USCIS we can send our Dossier off to Ethiopia.  Then the waiting for our daughter really begins!  God is mighty and amazing and I know that His timing is perfect.  He has the perfect little girl waiting to join our family and He will bring her to the right place at the right time to be available for us.  One step closer...

Our Journey Begins

Little did I know on an average Sunday afternoon in March of 2011 that one comment from my husband could change my world forever.  Josh simply said "What would you think about adopting a little girl?" Once I realized that he was serious I was stunned and shocked.  It took me a week of struggling with God, filled with fear and anxiety before God spoke in a persisent whisper to "Trust Me".  Throughout that second week I went from fear and anxiety to passion and urgency.  God opened our eyes to the blessing that adoption could bring and pulled on my heart strings for a little girl from Ethiopia.  We do not know what she looks like or where she is at this moment but I guarantee you that God does and He had a plan for her to be a part of our family well before we did.  God knew her when she was knit in her mother's womb and just as intricately has begun to weave her into our hearts.  It is amazing how deeply you can love someone you have never met and who honestly you had never thought about prior to a few months ago.