A video from Adoption Sunday at church........

A few more of our cuties.......

Got home from teaching History this afternoon and a few more pictures had trickled into my inbox of the kids. I have to say our agency is SO SO good about updating us with pictures all the time. I just LOVE it! Makes it feel like they're not SO far away..... =)

Getting to know you...........

So FUN to see pictures of our two new ones TOGETHER!!! Hana and Edilu were both moved to this transition home in January, but before that were in separate orphanages 4 hours apart and had never seen each other. Even in this current transition home, Edilu is pretty much kept in the "baby area" where all the cribs and baby toys are lined up, so they don't really see each other very often. We were thrilled to get photos of them

spending a little time together. I wonder what Hana thinks about being told this is her new baby brother? =) She seems to like him in the photos!!!! Of course, she might think differently when she's stuck next to him on the plane for hours and hours and he's crying in her ear! Only time will tell..........actually only 15 more days til TAKE OFF!!!!

We are still crazy busy.........organizing, sorting, finding missing crib hardware, digging in the attic for baby stuff, etc., etc, etc.... We have been so blessed by so many who have helped us! We're SO SO thankful for our friends and family! I AM feeling a bit better, although still hanging onto the sinus stuff and praying it's gone very SOON! Should help now that we are ALMOST done painting! Just our upstairs bathroom and our bedroom baseboard trim to go.......

Below are some pictures I just received this morning of Hana and Edilu with the little photo albums we sent them over a week ago! We filled the albums with pictures of our faces and home so they could get a little aquainted with us before we pick them up in a couple of weeks. Looks like Eddy likes Hana's album better than his own! Maybe once he figures out that he can chew on the handle, he'll like it more! =)

Thanks for your continued prayers!!!!!!!!!

Time to start packing!!!!!

Everything is a go!!! Tickets got booked today and we are leaving town on Feb. 17th VERY early in the morning for Ethiopia!! Woohoo! Now the REAL countdown begins! Exactly 3 weeks away and my head is still spinning!!!! Actually, it's quite literally "spinning" right now as it's completely plugged up and I'm SICK! =( Please pray that I'll be better soon b/c it is definitely slowing me down, and I don't have time for that! Thank goodness we are almost done painting...........3 weeks around paint fumes has done a number on my sinuses. I'm SO excited though, and I know 21 days will fly by!

REALLY thankful that last night I got to hang out with a wonderful group of moms who've all either adopted from ET or are in the process. They're all so sweet and it's so great to glean their "wisdom". One thing I learned is NOT to use the airline we were planning on using! (Which also HAPPENS to be the one that crashed into the Mediterranean this week!!!) (So glad I didn't book yesterday!) I guess even "small" people feel very cramped like sardines for the looooooong flight ( 17 hours straight) each way, going and coming between Ethiopia and Washington D.C. So, when I told my 6'5" not-tiny husband that, he wasn't so glad to hear! It's one thing to have your knees tucked up into your chin for a couple of hours, but for a whole day....... NOT GOOD! I'm going to need this man to be feeding/changing baby or entertaining a toddler much of the time!! =) We are so glad though that our 12 year old son will be going too, and I know he'll be a wondeful help to us. He's gotten his practice in from helping me babysit kids these past couple of years and I know it'll be a blessing for us to have his extra set of hands. We're so thankful that money was given to us for him to go along. We hadn't originally planned on him going, but I know it will be an amazing experience that he'll never forget!

I guess if there is a down side to our new travel itinerary it's that we have to stop in Sudan. Yeah.....a little scary, BUT we don't have to get off, only sit there while other people get on/off. I'll be praying the whole time!!!! My friend Michelle says we need to take pepper spray with us on our trip....... anybody got some extra on hand??? =)

ALMOST there!!!!!!

Seems like there is always ONE MORE THING you have to wait on!! Well, Edilu's Embassy physical is finished and was fine. Because Hana is older she had to have the TB skin test done (different way of testing for babies), and the results will be back on Monday! So 3 more days of waiting until we can actually purchase tickets and have them IN hand! She would've been tested for TB before, but must be tested again before leaving the country. If it would HAPPEN to be positive, I think she'd have to stay longer and have some treatments first before allowing her into the US. We're praying NOT! Will keep you posted................. =)

One step closer to TRAVEL!!!!

We were thrilled to receive back a corrected birth certificate for Edilu today! His official birthdate is February 18, as that is what the very first physician ever to examine him after he was found wrote on his paperwork. It was just a good guess at the time, but we think it seems pretty accurate. Hana's birthday is Febrary 16, so it will be fun to celebrate them together. We will be bringing home a JUST turned 1 and 4 yr. old!!!! We'll have to take some candles with us and stick them in something yummy to have a little party for them before we bring them home! I'm pretty sure that will be something completely new to them!

We also heard today that the kids were taken for their Embassy physicals TODAY (it is evening there now), but apparently they didn't return from their appointments before the office closed for the day. Since they are 9 hours ahead of us, hopefully we'll wake up to good news in the morning! As long as everything was fine for that (please, Lord!) then we can can book our tickets TOMORROW!!! We are planning to leave around the 17th of February and will be there for 1 week.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some GREAT news on the physicals!

Waiting..........and working!

Lots of STUFF to sort through before painting can begin. It's AMAZING how many "treasures" little boys can stuff/collect under their beds and in their drawers..........rubbermaids FULL! (definitely some pack rats here!)

The boys weren't so thrilled that the red paint on the bunk beds ended up looking sort of "hot pink"! Red Gloss Spray paint to the rescue..........but that was a mistake INDOORS! MESSSSY!!!! (LOVE the color, though!)




We received birth certificates back a couple of days ago, but Edilu's birth year was wrong. (I'm trying not to grumble.....) Our case worker is hoping it can be fixed quickly, but we are waiting for word. In the mean time I got a call from our Homestudy social worker saying that the State of Illinois needs another paper showing Hana's official relinquishment! (Grrrr..........STILL trying not to grumble!) There are always these little suprises and set backs; We KNEW there would be so we just have to chill out and wait. Hopefully we'll be able to confirm travel dates and airfare SOON! Atleast it's not like we don't have TONS to do in the meantime! We're still keeping plenty busy making preparations in every way for bringing them home. It's crazy how much goes into it, and every day I think of something else to add to the list! Our parents have been a HUGE blessing in helping us get things done, and SO many people have offered help in one way or another! WE. ARE. BLESSED.!!! Hopefully more news to come...................SOON!