I have been checking my bank statement online 3 or 4 times a day, everyday, for the last few weeks. Not because of money but because that was the only way to tell when my birth certificate was being processed! I sent the request in on October 7th - the day we decided to adopt the kids... Hip! Hip! Hooray! The check cleared my account 2 days ago - so now my birth certificate should be arriving shortly. The birth certificate was the big hang-up for getting our dossier sent. So now, we just have to wait for that, collect a few more papers, have EVERYTHING notarized and we will be one step closer to bringing the kids home!
Most exciting news... we got 2 videos of the kids yesterday. Each of the videos are more than a year old but they were wonderful. On one, Marta is speaking English and she has the sweetest voice - oh!!! In another the boys are so sweet. Adisu is adorable and so good with the litte one and Esrael has one of the cutest smiles I have ever seen. Their mom is on the video too - when she doesn't think anyone is watching, you can see her sobbing in the background. It is so obvious that she loves her kids dearly. Our world cannot make sense of the sacrifice she is making... my "mom view" is unable to wrap my head and heart around what she is doing. I don't know how to understand it, but I know my job is to tell the kids how much she loved them and that I love them too. In one scene she is talking with the kids and they are so excited about the camera and she is trying to be excited but you can see that there is a part of her that wants to die. It was so hard to watch, and yet I am so thankful to know that these children know what it is to be loved dearly. Michelle, who has met the mom on several occasions, shared that she was so thankful to know that there was someone to care for the kids - that she can die peacefully knowing that they would be cared for and loved. At one point, their mom fell on the ground praising Jesus because she had been told that there was a family for the children. In the kids initial medical reports the mom said:
To CWA and the family thank you and God bless you for giving this opportunity.
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"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Jeremiah 29:11
This is our adoption journey... What started as a whispered prayer more than 2 years ago has become a reality. I am now the happy mother to 6 fabulous children. We returned home from Ethiopia in April with 3 children to add to the 3 that we had at home...
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Jeremiah 29:11
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Tri-City Herald Picture
Joseph is Hangin' Out...
Ethiopia Facts
Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world, and the only African country that has no history of colonization. Upon their independence, many African countries adopted the colors of the Ethiopian flag - green, yellow and red - that became known as the Pan-African colors.
The official flag of Ethiopia consists of three equal and horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands.The significance of the colors on the Ethiopian flag are interpreted to have a connection to the Holy Trinity, as well as the three main provinces of Ethiopia. The red stripe stands for power, faith and blood. The yellow strip symbolizes peace, natural wealth and love. The green stripe represents the land and hope.The yellow pentagram on the blue disk, also known as the National Coat of Arms, is a symbol of the current government; it is intended to reflect the desire of the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia, as well as of its religious communities, to live together in unity and equality. The star represents unity of the people and the races that make up Ethiopia. The five rays on the outside of the star represent prosperity, and the blue disk represents peace.
The official flag of Ethiopia consists of three equal and horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands.The significance of the colors on the Ethiopian flag are interpreted to have a connection to the Holy Trinity, as well as the three main provinces of Ethiopia. The red stripe stands for power, faith and blood. The yellow strip symbolizes peace, natural wealth and love. The green stripe represents the land and hope.The yellow pentagram on the blue disk, also known as the National Coat of Arms, is a symbol of the current government; it is intended to reflect the desire of the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia, as well as of its religious communities, to live together in unity and equality. The star represents unity of the people and the races that make up Ethiopia. The five rays on the outside of the star represent prosperity, and the blue disk represents peace.
The Time In Ethiopia Is....
Favorite Links
- GraceGiving Intl.
- Simple and Deliberate
- Owlhaven
- From Ashes to Africa
- The Road Less Travelled
- Blessed
- Four and Two
- Jesus Babies - Uganda Adoption
- Tom Davis' Blog
- Our Ethiopian Journey
- End of My Rainbow
- Willing Hearts
- Our Big Crazy Family
- Blended, Beautiful and Blessed
- Learning Patience
- Injera Guacamole Hot Dog - I love that name!
- From Here To...
- Blessings From Ethiopia
- Adoption Adventure
- African Widows and Orphans Project
- Ibsen
- Kingdom Kids
- A Bushel and A Peck
- Shaohanna's Hope
- Ethiopian Blogs
- Voice of the Orphan
- Fried Style
- No More Counting The Cost
- Life with the Friesens
- Chosen
Followers
Adoption Time Line
- April 5 - HOME
- April 1st - Embassy Date
- March 19 - Received our Embassy Date
- March 6 - Court Date Was a Success
- February 20 - Notified of Court Date which will be March 6th
- January 23 - Dossier sent to Ethiopia
- January 16 - Dossier approved and on its way to Ethiopia for translation
- January 11 - Dossier sent to DC for authentication
- January 8 - Dossier approved by CWA
- December 24 - Brooke's birth certificate arrives! Hooray!
- December 18 - I600A approved, we can now bring orphans into the United States
- December 15 - going crazy waiting for Brooke's birth certificate
- December 11 - I600A Fingerprint Appointment.
- December 7 - Dinner and Auction :)
- December 6 - Ben's Passport Arrives
- December 3 - TB tests... again
- November 16 - Brooke's passport arrives
- November 12 - Home Study completely finished and in our hands!
- November 6 - TB and HIV tests done, they are required for the dossier
- November 5 - Homestudy almost finished, we are just waiting for 1 more clearance to come in
- November 1 - I600A form sent to Yakima
- October 30 - Passport applications denied because we forgot a copy of our drivers licenses. Ooops! They were resent the next day!
- October 26 - Spent an hour on the phone with our Case Worker Sue, her estimate for having the kids home... February or March :)
- October 22 - Received Dossier Instructions and started right away
- October 21 - 5 hour home visit by social worker, she was a lot of fun!
- October 19 - Spoke to CWA, application has been accepted and is being processed.
- October 18 - Application sent to Christian World Adoption. Kids are moved to transition home to prepare for adoption.
- October 15 - Sent Home Study Paperwork and Fingerprints.
- October 12 - Applied for Passports and finished Home Study Paperwork! WooHoo!
- October 11 - Ben's 35th birthday and Homestudy Paperwork is done!
- October 8 - Start Homestudy, get Passport Pictures, ceritified copies of birth ceritifcates and marriage licenses.
- October 6 - Apply for Brooke's Birth Certificate
- September 24 - Found out about THE KIDS, the prayers are flowing!
About Us
- We're Diving In!
- Washington, United States
- We have been married for almost 12 years and are the proud parents to 3 amazing kids and counting the days to bring 3 more home from Ethiopia. When we are not filling out adoption paperwork we like to play with our kids, take the dogs for walks, camp, play, and watch sports! Update... We have been married for almost 12 years and Ben is truly the most wonderful man I have ever known. We have 6 fabulous kids who love their parents and love Jesus. We now enjoy riding bikes, playing soccer, swimming, and car rides when no one throws up!
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