Home Visit Updated

We had our home visit yesterday with our social worker to update everything. That was FUN!!!

Mark and I asked her tons of questions to when we might get a referral. We are at our fourth month of waiting so it looks good for us. BCSI sent out an email stating that if you are wanting a child between the age of 0-2 it could take up to 6-12 months after your dossier is in Ethiopia. Then if you want a child 2 and up it could take up to 4-8 months after your dossier is in Ethiopia. Our age range is 12-3.5 years old. She said it could happen at any time because we are at our fourth month of waiting. I really hope so. We told her we are SO ready for a picture!!! That would be closure for us knowing that he will soon be our son. I know it will be hard once we see his precious face and have to wait to travel. I think this is the hardest is not knowing when we will get his picture!!!! If I have a picture and get updates I can live with that until we bring him home. It will be a different type of waiting. It will be like a happy wait, because we know he is ours!!!

She loved his bedroom and she said we had everything done. So I hope she can put in a word on our behalf to let the Ethiopian team know that we can and are ready to travel at anytime. I don't know what more we can do?? All we can do now it give it to God and pray everyday that we will soon see our little prince!
Philippians 4:6- " Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God."
I am saying this verse everyday to not let me get too worked up over when we are getting Connor, but to pray and give it up to God and be blessed with what we do have. Everything we have is a blessing from God. He is so good!! I know when we get our referral it will be a blessing and it will be GOOD!!!

Please keep praying for us and our family as we wait for our picture of our little guy.
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How Much Longer???

Mark and I have been busy updating all our documents for our home study. Everything has to be updated to send off to the government for our new USCIS appointment. I am so ready for this to be over with.

How much longer???? That is the question of the hour. I wish I knew the answer. I would love to say here is a picture of our little boy whom we are adopting from Ethiopia when people ask. I think it would be a little easier for me to know that we have a referral. We would know his name, age, medical history, and would see his precious face. I would love to know these things. It would make the waiting so much easier. See I have the personality that needs to know when things happen, and I like to be in control over most situations. When it comes to adoptions you can not be in control over anything except getting your paperwork done. I did all that in one week!! So then I have to wait on my social worker to get the home study done. Now we have our Dossier over in Ethiopia waiting for them to match us to a child that is in the orphanage. Still no control!!! Drives me crazy!!!! Mark and I have some money saved for travel, the room done, clothes in his closet and dresser, and some toys. We can not do anything else until we know his age. What else is there to do??? Been reading tons of books. I am SO ready for a picture of our little boy who is already part of our lives!!!

I am hoping and praying that we will have a referral soon!! I have to trust in God with this one and let Him lead us to our little boy. He knows who are son will be. He knows when it will be the right time for him to join our family. He knows when we will be truly ready. God is preparing us while He is preparing Connor. I just have to trust in Him and keep doing what He wants us to do- that is to NOT give up!!!!!!

I have many people in our lives that support us adopting from Ethiopia. Almost everyone that we work with at UPS is supportive. However, I have one person who does not agree with this adoption and that is my dad. The one person that you would want to back you up is family. Well, he has made it clear that he is against it and that will not change. Mark and I have decided that whoever talks negatively about our adoption then they will not be welcomed around our family. I am not going to put up with it when it deals with my kids. Connor is not here yet, but he is part of our family. We all talk about him ( what he might be like, look like, age) We pray for him everyday and for his birth family too. So Connor is part of our family and has a huge place in our hearts!!!!

Tomorrow is Father's Day.. I am so blessed to have the most amazing husband. He is such a great dad to Summer and will be also to Connor!!! I thank God everyday that I married him and for putting him in my life. I am so thankful that he wants to adopt Connor as much as I do!! He can not wait to have a little boy running around the house.

I already have my Princess now just waiting on my little Prince!!


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The Updating Starts....

Mark and I are having to start updating all of our documents for our home study. So we need to get the home study updated, medical exams for all of us, police clearances, evidence of our assets and mortgage. should be FUN!!! This will the third time to do all of this. So I am getting pretty good at it. The first time was for our Dossier to go to Taiwan. The second time us to change countries. Then to send our Dossier to Ethiopia. Now, this time is because our USCIS is going to expire in August. Man, I can not believe it is already that time to ask for an extension. Maybe this will be the last time for us to update things.

Today I took Summer to her physician to get her medical exam done for this home study. she was NOT a happy camper!! She was so scared that she was going to get some shots. She did not get any shots, but they did prick her finger to do a blood test. Not good at all. The nurse gave her sucker while she was about to do it and Summer freaked out!!! Then she let the nurse have her finger all is history. She looks at the nurse while still crying says that is It????? Crazy girl!!!! Here is a pic of her right after the finger prick indecent. Still a little mad at me!! Oh well, she had to get it done..





So one down two more to go. Mark and I have ours Tuesday at 8:30. Then we are going to do the police clearances. Then we should be done until our social worker comes out to the house to do a home study update. I will be so glad once we get a referral!!!! I hope it will not be too much longer... Sigh....

I am doing many things to keep me busy while waiting. The waiting to me is the HARDEST part!!! The not knowing?? When will we be matched to a child?? Where are we at in the orphanage??? How much longer?? I am the type of person that I like to know what is going on. I will do things myself to make sure they get done. While going through an adoption you have to rely on your agency and social worker and even more lean on God. I have done all that I can on my end. I have to leave it up to them and that is so hard to do!!!! So I am staying busy with Summer swimming a lot, working in the yard, and working some more on Connor's room. I am also reading some good books. One book that I am reading is called Forgotten God by Francis Chan. It is talking about how people today forget about the Holy Spirit. Should be a good read....

Summer starts VBS at Hope next week. She is so excited about going this year. I really hope she learns a lot and enjoys herself at the same time. It will help her to not think about the adoption stuff while we are updating things. Sometimes she says are we
STILL getting Connor?? I guess because we have been on this journey for almost two years and still no little brother. It will happen!! I hope soon so we can be a family of FOUR!!!!

Please if you are the praying type put us in your prayers that we will get a referral soon. Please pray for Connor and for his birth family. Please pray that this adoption will motivate others to adopt and that this adoption will be all for God's Glory!!!

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Summer's Srk Graduation

Summer graduated from kindergarten at FACS yesterday. Mark and I both took off work to go to her 9:30 ceremony. Summer had her Mimi, Poppy, Nana, Pockey Dey, Aunt Angie and Kate there to support her. Summer was so happy to see all of them there. The program was really good. They did many songs and then they got their little diplomas. So cute!!

Summer looked so pretty. She was so worried about the outfit that she was wearing under the white robe. She didn't want anything to show through it. So we had to go shopping the day before the ceremony to find something that she liked. Crazy. However, we found something that worked perfectly. I curled her hair up in the back. She looked so pretty with her hair curled up, her purple glasses on and in her white robe with the cute hat. When I first saw her in the line waiting to go into the Chapel I started to cry a little....

Here are a few pictures of Summer's Srk. graduation day












After the graduation was over with Mark and I took Summer out to lunch at the American Cafe. We had so much fun together. I hope we always will even when she get older!!!




I can not believe that she has grown up so fast. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. Man time flys. I am so happy to have her as my daughter. I am so blessed that she calls me mommy. I will always cherish the sweet moments that we have together. Like after tucking her into bed she will call for me about three times to come back to her room for another good night kiss or a tickle. Sometimes I am tired and I just want her to go to sleep, but I do love it when she wants just one more hug from me and another kiss. Or just sitting on the couch cuddling watching a movie.
I love being with her and most of all I love being her mommy!!!!

Had such a great day with my little graduate!!! Summer you did it!! First grade here I come!!!'

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Mother's Day Weekend

I have had such a busy week I just haven't had time to blog about Mother's Day weekend yet. So here goes. Summer woke me up early to wish me a happy Mother's Day and say, " I am the BEST mommy in the whole world." So sweet!! Summer made me a Mother's Day card by herself. It was so sweet. I just wanted to cry when I saw that she even drew Connor in the picture. She says, " Connor is not here yet, but he will be and he will love having you as his mommy! " So I started to cry again.... Here is a picture of the card.






It was so sweet of her to think of Connor too. I have been thinking of him on this day. I am wondering if he is with his mommy today on this Mother's Day or if he was just put into a place that seems so strange to him. I know wherever he is God is watching over him and taking care of him until he becomes part of our family. I was hoping I would have received a referral by now, but I am willing to wait!!! What a blessing he will be to us.

Mark and Summer bought me a cake that says I Luv Mommy and they drew Connor on it too. Summer was already on the cake. It was really good too.




Then my parents came out to eat lunch with us. It was a good lunch. Here are a few pictures of us while opening presents.

Kathza, Mimi, and Summer







Mark got me a couple of T-shirts from 147 Million Orphans. This is an organization that helps with the orphan crisis in the world. They are founded by two adoptive moms who want to help the orphans in the world. So cool. Check them out: 147millionorphans.com




Summer being funny!!









After opening up gifts Summer started to act up. Got into trouble. They all left and she was crying on the couch and I went outside to cry. The day started out great, then got worse, but the day ended up with us hugging and saying we were sorry. So it was still a good day. Just craziness in the middle!!!

I really don't know where we are at the orphanages. I don't know if we have been looked at yet by the Ethiopian team. I don't know how much longer it is going to be. I don't know when we will get a referral and a picture of our little boy. I do know that we are willing to wait as long as it takes for him to become part of our family. So here we are waiting while spring is gone, Summer is about to graduate from kindergarten in a couple of weeks, and summer time is about to begin..... Another season will be here and gone soon. I am praying by the next season we will have a picture of our little boy.....


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A day with Summer

Today Summer had a field day at FACS. I had to work last night, but I got there around 10:00 this morning and she was so excited to see me!! She came running up to me and gave me a big hug!!! I am happy that I was able to make it.




Then we went to chick-fil-a for lunch. We had a great early Mother's Day lunch and time together!! I just love my little girl!!
This is going to be another Mother's Day without a referral of our little boy. So I am happy and have some sadness going on during this Mother's Day, but God has a plan. One of God's promises is in Lamentations 3:25-
" Waiting for God's timing brings great rewards." So this is what I am leaning on at this moment. I can still be sad, happy and frustrated about our journey as long as I wait for God to act. I just pray it will happen soon. I can't wait to become a mommy again this time to a little boy named Connor.


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Waiting......

Well, no news to tell as of right now. Just waiting..... I hope and pray we will have a referral soon. I keep seeing people get referrals and that is a good thing. At least I know they are coming in. I just want a picture, a name and to see how old he is. I can handle not traveling right a way. At least that is what I think. So we are doing projects around the house to keep busy. At least the house will have everything done before Connor gets here.

A friend of mine made me a couple things out of metal for our house. One is an African Shadowbox for our wall to symbolize our adoption journey to get Connor. Here is a picture.








He also made me a cool metal cross. I wanted him to make it look distressed so he hammered it all over to get that look. Here is a picture.



Thanks Michael for your creations!!!! You are a great friend to Mark and I...

I am going to try to start a support group at Hope for families who are in the adoption process, have adopted, or just wanting to know more about adoption. So we will see. I want to help other families who want to adopt, but don't think they have the money or the support to do it. I have a desire to help the orphans out in the world. I don't know everything about orphans, but I do know that as Christians we must look after them.

James 1:27-" Religion that is pure and undefined before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus helping orphans in the world. So please pray that I will find a way to start something that will help the orphans in the world.

So we are waiting on Connor to join our family... Please Lord, help make our hearts prepared for him and for whatever lies ahead. Help prepare him for our family, that he will join our family that truly loves him. We love him so much already and have not seen a picture of him. I hope and pray that we will get a picture of our little boy that lives so far away-- very soon!!!!

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