We're "in" PARIS!!!

Just checked on the Dossier - it's in PARIS FRANCE!!! So exciting!!!!

the long slow journey continues....

So of course I'm stalking the FedEx website.....sometimes technology isn't your friend!! It's taken 4 days for our package to go from Herndon, VA to Newark, NJ - did it WALK!?!?!?! oh patience....it's not something I'm very good at.

On a GREAT note our friends from California were up for the week. We had such a great time! Gina helped me design a quilt for Ellie - I've got to do SOMETHING to burn up all this extra energy! It's going to be gorgeous!!! I'll post pics soon as it comes along :)

We have DTE!!!

OHHHHH!!! I can't BELIEVE IT!!!! Well, I can - but sometimes you just think this day is NEVER going to arrive - our DTE is 6/26/09!!! DTE is Dossier To Ethiopia and it's the date that we officially got "in line"!!!

We overnight-ed the Dossier to our agency in Virginia on Monday at 8:45am....the post office opened at 8:30 - I was 15 minutes late! It got reviewed by the agency & then taken to the US state department & the Ethiopian Embassy. As of this afternoon it's on it's way to ETHIOPIA!!!! YEAH!!!!

"Baby" Dedication!!!

We were so excited to get to "dedicate" little Ellianna at church today!!! Our church family has been such a support for us! We wanted them to get to share in the excitement of this day too!!! As you can see - it was VERY moving! Even Pastor Bill choked up a little. He applauded us for saying "yes" when God asked us to adopt....we feel like God is indulging us with our desire to add a girl to our family! Four healthy, beautiful boys & we have the audacity to ask for 1 more!!
Then our church family & real family - Dad, Julie, Pete, Colby, Macy, and Bethany were able to attend as well - gathered around & Pastor Bill prayed. He prayed that each hand that touched our precious pile of papers would be overwhelmed with the need to process them QUICKLY!! He prayed that as God is preparing our hearts that He would also prepare Ellianna's. That she would know & understand even now how much God loves her & how much we love her!!! He prayed specifically that she would hear God speak her name today......of course I boo hoo-ed like a baby through all of it....mommy just loves you so much already little girl!!!!

We then headed back to the house for a big BBQ!!! Matt fired up the grill...and then pulled it under the eves to protect him & Pete from the rain :(

But the party still went on inside!!! Of course the girls (and Caleb) hovered around the food....in case any ran out & we needed to resupply!!! Mary Jean, Julie, Myndi & Angela helped me "hold down the fort" in the kitchen!!!

Meanwhile Julie, Dad, Justin, and Jessie yucked it up in the family room!!!

Thanks so much for sharing in this journey with us!!! We couldn't do it alone!!!

WE GOT IT!!!

YEAH!!!! Our approval from Immigration came today!!!! We're DONE with paperwork!!!!!

Very funny story behind this....don't laugh at me - it's been a very emotional process - it's hard to have sooo many things out of your control (at least it is for me!!!).

Anyway - we had decided that once all our paperwork was finished we'd bring it with us to pray over it as a church family. Well I mentioned this to our pastor & he said let's PLAN it & invite all your friends & family to come as well! Of course we loved that idea & suggested the last Sunday of June - June 28th. I guessed we'd have all our paperwork back by then - and if not we could pray over what we did have. Well our church is sending a mission team to an orphanage in Guatemala and our pastor was going to be out of town on the 28th so we decided to do it a week earlier on June 21st - Father's Day! So as the time line started playing out & I started talking to other Washington families that had gotten their paperwork back from Immigration & how long that took, etc. I started realizing that it was HIGHLY probable that we'd have our paperwork done & ready to go a week or more before June 21st......so the dilema was - do we hang onto everything and pray over it on the 21st? or do we send it in when it's done & just pray over an empty box on the 21st? Well I'm sure you can guess which option I was pushing for - yet feeling a bit guilty that I wasn't trusting God on the perfect timeline......so needless to say - I'm crying like a baby at God's perfect provision - He knew I couldn't be trusted for more than 1 day with a box of completed papers!!! Talk about a God of details!!! He continually overwhelms me!!!

So tomorrow I'll post pictures from church!!!! and the awesome Celebration BBQ to follow!!!

Lots of stuff!

Food for a CAUSE has been launched....or rather planted! Jack planted every single seed in this garden! He's DETERMINED to earn enough $$ to buy his plane ticket to Ethiopia - so buy your produce from Jack!!

My sweetie got me the BEST anniversary gift - I don't know *where* he got the great idea from - but isn't it cute??? I've been wanting a special something to wear all the time to remind me of Ellie. So he got me a 24" chain so I can tuck it down in my shirt with a starfish (see starfish story a few blogs earlier) and her name. I LOVE it!


We got to hit the river for the first time this year!!! It was a bit chilly - but lots of fun. Here's Caleb with his friend Hayden - in the "hot tub".


ahhhhh....to be THIS relaxed......

or THIS relaxed! He quite often falls asleep on the lawn mower or tractor....it's really the only time he sits still long enough :)

Happy Anniversary!!!

In honor of our 16th anniversary tomorrow I thought I'd post a picture from the "good ole' days"!!! Here we are 10 years ago :) ahhhhhh.....

YEAH!

Matt was able to get his fingerprints redone today!!! Thank you LORD!!! He hit the road at 7am this morning & they let him right in - whew!!!

I know you all love pictures - so here's a few new ones of the ross "clan"....I don't use that term lightly anymore :)
This is May - she's 2 days old in this picture!

And April - she's about 1 month old here! No laughing at their names....we have a LOT of things to name around here!!!

WHAAAAA!!!!

I about fell out of the car when I realized the envelope I was holding was from USCIS (we're waiting on 1 last piece of paper from them - our I-171!!!)......I burnt rubber turning into the driveway screaming to Matt - we got a letter from IMMIGRATION!!!!! I don' think the car was completely in park when I jumped out of the door & ripped the envelope open.....whaaaaaa!!!! Apparently Matt's fingerprints didn't go thru :( and they gave him a return appointment for June 23!?!?!?!?!!? I ABSOLUTELY realize God is COMPLETELY in control of the timing of everything...but really....3 more weeks?!?!?!?! That said, Matt is planning to drive up to the USCIS office in Spokane (where we got our prints done) tomorrow and beg them to redo them then. They seemed very easy going about it last time, which is probably why his prints didn't go thru - he said the guy was talking to him the whole time!!!!

my Simplified list of things to do.....

From one of my FAV authors - Rick Warren:

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better...God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Well said Rick!!!