Wow!

Two days in a row of wonderful news to share with you all.  First, we just found out that we have been accepted as recipients of a grant from Show Hope!!! We are completely surprised and thrilled.  Honestly we had kind of given up hope that we would ever hear back from the organization, since we had not heard anything from them these past 3 months.  But God's timing is perfect and as we move closer to receiving a referral the money to pay our In-Country fees is now in place.  Praise the Lord! At the beginning of this journey we were trying not to be overwhelmed with the cost, but thanks to those of you who have donated, saving every month and now the grant, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  We humbly thank you all.

Now for the second update...Another referral was accepted today and we were able to move up the list again!  This was not a a big move for us, but it is a move none the less and is still exciting.  We are currently...
Baby Girl - #34
Baby Boy- #17
Toddler Girl - #6
Sibling Group - #11

So close....

Hello everyone,

 I am sure that you can guess by the title of this post that there was more movement on the list today!  I am especially excited that one of these referrals was to a friend, who was one of Addie's sweet nurses when she was in the NICU.  Congratulations, Shannon!
Our new numbers are...

Baby Girl - #35
Baby Boy- #18
Toddler Girl - #6
Sibling Group - #11

Ethiopia 105...

Well, as I have no wonderful news to report and I have been procrastinating about updating our blog, I figure it is time to do another Ethiopia Classroom update.  And since I am sitting here in pants, socks, sweatshirt, with a  blanket and a wiggly baby trying to stay warm I thought,  "I wonder what the weather in Ethiopia is like?!"  So my little lesson for now is about the climate in Ethiopia.  And since so many of you are also trying to stay warm and many of you because of snow, try not to be jealous!

Ethiopia 105

"Ethiopia enjoys an extremely varied climatic conditions from cool to very cold in the highlands where most of the population inhabits, to one of the hottest places on earth at the Dallol Depression. Most of Ethiopia was supposed to enjoy a tropical climate for its proximity to the equator, but due to the fact that most of the country’s land mass stands over 1,500 m (4,920 ft), that is not the case. The climate is broadly divided into three zones.

- Dega (Cool Zone)-Areas above 2,600 m (8,530 ft) where temperatures range from near freezing to 61 degrees F. This is where most alpine and afro-alpine vegetation occurs.

- Woyina Dega (Temperate Zone)-Areas between 1,500 m (4,920 ft) and 2,600 m (8,530ft) where temperatures range from 61 degrees F to 86 degrees F. This is where most of the population lives.

- Qola (Hot Zone)-Areas below 1,500 m (4,920 ft) with both tropical and arid conditions where temperatures range from 80 degrees F to 122 degrees F. Bereha is a general term that refers to the extreme form of Qola.

Normally, the rainy season lasts from mid-June to mid-September (longer in the southern highlands) preceded by intermittent showers from February or March; remainder of year is generally dry." 

www.ethioworld.com 

Happy New Year!!

We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Our family enjoyed a wonderful holiday season which is ending / beginning on a high note.  Today another referral was announced, which means we get to update our wait list status.  Here's to a great New Year and hopefully a new blessing to add to our family!
Baby Girl - #36
Baby Boy- #18
Toddler Girl - #7
Sibling Group - #11

Two days in a row!!

I can hardly contain my excitement and more appropriately, my hopes that this is the end of the drought in referrals!  Yesterday and today referrals have been accepted moving us up the list in all categories, but toddler girl.  I would be even more ecstatic to see that list move up some, but we will take what we get and continue to trust in God's timing!  Our updated list now looks like this:
Baby Girl - #38
Baby Boy- #19
Toddler Girl - #8
Sibling Group - #12

Thank you!

We just wanted to take a moment and say a HUGE thank you to everyone who took the time to come by Chickfila tonight!  We don't yet know how much we were able to raise, but to tell you the truth that is really secondary because we were blessed more immensely by seeing everyone there to support our adoption.  I can't wait to relay to our new son/daughter one day how they were so loved and thought of before we even knew who they were, that you all took the time to come and help them home.  One of the questions that we were asked during our home study was "Do you have a support system or people to go to if you need help?"  And I can confidently say, "YES," while seeing each and everyone of your faces that stopped by or drove through tonight.  Thank you so much.  And of course, Thank you Chickfila for allowing us to be blessed in this way.
 

I feel like Chicken tonight!

Just a reminder for those of you in the San Antonio area... Tonight is our Spirtit Night at the Chickfila at Alamo Ranch off of Culebra.  Please join us for dinner between 5-8pm and give your receipt to the cashier for the Adoption of Sons Fundraiser.  Then 20% of the sales will be donated directly to our Adoption Fund! 

See you all this evening, I will personally be enjoying a yummy peppermint milkshake!

Good and Bad....

So some good news and bad news.  Well, we will start with the "bad news," which is really not bad news, it's just that there has still been no movement on the waiting list.  What a drought!  But the good news is that I was speaking with some one at our agency and she checked on our list placement and we found out that we are #8 on the toddler girl list, not #9 like we thought! Even though we had to adjust our number on the baby boy list back one we are excited for the little bit of movement upwards in one category.  So our updated / corrected list is as follows...
Baby Girl - #41
Baby Boy- #20
Toddler Girl - #8
Sibling Group - #13

(And don't forget all you San Antonio people, our Chickfila Spirit Night is a week from today!!!  Mark your calendars to come and eat some chicken with us!) 

We love Chick-fil-a!

I am sure that you are probably wondering what in the world Chick-fil-a has to do with our adoption.  Well, December 6th from 5-8pm we will be having a Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a to raise money for our Adoption Fund!  This is such a blessing since so many Corporations mandate that you have to have certain "status" as non-profit in order to hold fund raising benefits. 
So if you live in the San Antonio area, mark you calendars for December 6th and come to the Chick-fil-a off of Culebra!  After you order just give your receipt to the cashier and tell her/him it is for "Adoption of Sons,"  and 20% of your pre tax sales will be donated directly to our fund, Viola!  Easy as pie, you will get a great dinner and help a grateful family  - US!  And not to worry, we will send out a reminder as the date draws nearer.  :-)

Next time...

Well, our salute to next time worked!  Yesterday another family accepted a referral and we were able to move on a couple of lists.  This move bumped us into the teens on the Baby Boy list and one spot up on the Sibling Group list.  Yay! 

Baby Girl - #41
Baby Boy- #19
Toddler Girl - #9
Sibling Group - #13

Here's to next time...

Once again I opened my email and saw that someone was congratulating another family for accepting a referral today.  So with excited fingers I typed my way over to to IAN's blog to see the movement on the waiting list, hoping that we had moved in a couple of categories!  And as I began to read the update I was completely... let down.  Of course this is a  selfish reaction and I truly am excited for the family that accepted a referral, but the biggest disappointment was that most of the movement was for below our #'s. Exactly.  For instance, we are #9 on Toddler Girl and everyone "Below #9 on Toddler Girl list moves up 1 spot." You probably understand my disappointment.  It was the worst to actually see our number listed but not get to move up!  Well, I guess this is the down side of being higher up on the list and one the we kind of anticipated.  So we will content ourselves to know that in God's timing we will move up and receive our referral and we will take joy in any movement on the list until then!  So our current standing is unchanged, here's to next time...
Baby Girl - #41
Baby Boy- #20
Toddler Girl - #9
Sibling Group - #14 

Ethiopia 104...

Well, we are pleased to announce that last week we did get to move up the list a little bit!  We bumped up on both infant lists, so our current numbers are...
Baby Girl - #41
Baby Boy- #20
Toddler Girl - #9
Sibling Group - #14

Ethiopia 104
Now for a little challenge for those interested.  The "lesson" in Ethiopian culture this time, is one that will take place in the kitchen.  In Ethiopia they do not eat with utensils, but instead use Injera (always with the right hand) to scoop up their entrees and side dishes.  Which mainly consist of various vegetable or meat side dishes and entrees, often prepared as a wat or thick stew.  So I thought I would post one such recipe for Injera and see if anyone tries it!  Good luck and happy eating.

Injera

1 tablespoon active dry yeast 5 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 teaspoon honey 3 cups finely ground millet flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

	Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the water. Allow to proof and add the remainder of the water and the millet flour. Stir until smooth and then cover. Allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
	Stir the batter well and mix in the baking soda.
	Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan in a spiral pattern to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Tilt the pan to quickly even out the batter. Cover the pan and allow to cook for about 1 minute. The bread should not brown but rather rise slightly and very easy to remove. It is cooked only on one side. This top should be slightly moist. Remove to a platter and cool. Stack the cooked breads on a plate.

*Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Single Digits!

The title of this blog says it all!  We moved again today and this time it has bumped up into single digits - YEAH.
Baby Girl - #42
Baby Boy- #21
Toddler Girl - #9
Sibling Group - #14
I know I have received the question several times about " Do you have to be #1 before we will get a referral?"  Well, just to clarify for you all... The family that accepted this referral today was #4 on the toddler girl list and the family yesterday was #5 on the sibling list.  In fact, I think only a few of families have actually been in the #1 spot, on their appropriate list, when they accepted a referral.  So maybe, just maybe we will see the sweet little face of our new child around Christmas!

Something to blog about!

Once again I was mulling over what to blog about this week.  Since there has been such little movement for us on the list lately, and that is my favorite thing to post, it was leaving me without much to be really excited about.  But, when Brandon got online tonight and checked IAN's blog, lo and behold we had moved up on the list! Two little girls, age 2 and 4yrs, have found their forever home today.  And as a result we are a couple spots closer to finding our forever son or daughter!  Our current status is....
Baby Girl - #43
Baby Boy- #21
Toddler Girl - #10
Sibling Group - #14 

Fingerprints and Training...

Well, I can no longer get away with murder... I have been fingerprinted!  As part of our "clearance" to bring orphans into the States we have to have our biometrics taken for the USCIS.  As soon as Brandon has his taken, we will receive verification 4-6wks later that we are one step closer to being able to bring home our new son or daughter when we receive a referral. 
In addition to immigration paperwork, we have also found out that we have more training to complete over the next couple of months.  The state of Texas requires that each parent complete 10 hours of training in adoption issues before you may finalize and adoption.  We completed this training several months ago and thought that we were finished, but found out this week that our agency has just added additional training to their requirements.  So it is back to the books!  Hopefully, it won't take too long to complete, since it can be hard to come up with time that is undivided with two kiddos running around.

A little something...

Well, first of all it's been about a week since we have heard of any other families accepting referrals.  Last week someone did accept, what I am sure is an adorable toddler boy!  So we moved up a couple of spots on the infant lists.  Honestly, the waiting list for infants is so much longer that we are not too hopeful of being referred an infant.  Which is completely fine, because Addie has told us repeatedly that she is getting a "new sister who will share her bed!" :-)
It has been 5 months since we first sent in our application to I.A.N. for adoption and only 3 months since we went on the waiting list for a child.  So if we were comparing this to the wait time of a pregnancy, we would not even know the gender of the baby yet.  Thinking this way helps me with what seems like forever of a wait!  In reality we have moved very quickly up the list and were spoiled with all the movement from the beginning.  With all that said we now sit at....
Baby Girl - #44
Baby Boy- #22
Toddler Girl - #10
Sibling Group - #15 

T-shirts!!

I am so pleased to announce that we have finally received our Simply Love T-shirt's! The shirt's have been counted and sorted and will be on their way to you no later than Monday.  We know it is not nearly as exciting as movement on the wait list, but still exciting because you will all be sporting our cause on your backs.  Hopefully the shirts will give you great opportunity's to tell others about the orphans in Ethiopia and remind you to pray for our orphan as we seek to bring them home. 
Don't forget, there are a few extra shirts still available in Design B if any of you latecomers are interested! And thank you again to everyone who donated via a T-shirt, we know you will wear them as proudly as we will.  :-)

Finally something!

I had resigned myself to having nothing fun to post, but then was pleasantly surprised yesterday that there was finally some movement on the waiting list.  A little 4mo old girl has found a home, which is wonderful news and even though it does not really change things on our wait, I was excited to have something to post.  But as I sat down to right this an email arrived letting us know that an infant boy has also found a home!  So after two weeks of nothing, we get two days of something.  Here's to hoping for three days of something!
Or new numbers are...
Baby Girl - #45
Baby Boy- #23
Toddler Girl - #10
Sibling Group - #15

Ethiopian Basics 103...

Ugghhh... it has been slow moving the past couple of weeks! As I mentioned before, we were very spoiled with all the movement on the lists and have now come to expect it. Well, in an attempt to distract myself, I am posting another short "lesson" on Ethiopia and its culture. Enjoy!

Ethiopian Basics 103

Tomorrow is the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)!

Ethiopia still retains the Julian calendar, in which the year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of 5 days and 6 days in leap year. The Ethiopian calendar is 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and 7 years behind between September 11 and January 8.

Enkutatash means the "gift of jewels". When the famous Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her bolts by replenishing her treasury with inku or jewels. The spring festival has been celebrated since this early times and as the rains come to their abrupt end, dancing and singing can be heard at every village in the green countryside.

But Enkutatash is not exclusively a religious holiday. Today's Enkutatash is also the season for exchanging formal new year greetings and cards among the urban sophisticated - in lieu or the traditional bouquet of flowers.
(information taken from www.tourismethiopia.org)

Better late than never...

So due to Addie's Birthday, Brandon's work schedule and Addie now battling a stomach bug, I am a little late in posting this news, but we did move up in a couple of categories last week. I am hopeful that we will see more movement this week, but we are always hopeful for that!

Baby Girl - #46
Baby Boy- #24
Toddler Girl - #11
Sibling Group - #15