Settling Right In!

I can't believe she's only been home for 5 days. She is such a joy to be around!!! We spend all day smiling at her :) ahhhhhhh

That said - the jet lag is still killing me! I took a sleeping pill last night & it just made me sleepy all day too :( I've heard it's 1 day per hour of time change...I don't think I can do this for 6 more days!!! WHAAAAAA! All the mountains we climbed with this adoption & the one that does me in is the jet lag....at least my baby is home! yeah!






I LOVE MY BABY GIRL!!!!

Jill's Ethiopia Top Ten

We're back!!! It was truly the most amazing experience of my ENTIRE life!! and being that I'm almost 40 that encompasses a LOT!!!

So here they are - My Ethiopia Top Ten!

1. Meeting our daughter - duh!!! She is FABULOUS!!! I am already so in love with her I can hardly stand it! We got home Saturday night & Sunday morning she's crawling around with her brothers like this is what she's always done! She's perfect :)

2. The connection with our travel group. I was excited to meet everyone & had "stalked" their blogs trying to get to know them - but I was completely unprepared for how quickly we'd connect! Imagine - you have Christ & Adoption in common - you're 90% there!!! I miss you guys & can't wait to see your babies grow up!!!

3. Visiting Kingdom Vision Intl. This orphanage was not on our list to visit. But we did anyway! I am so glad! We were able to meet the founder/director & really talk about his work, their needs, how we can help. We are super excited to get our whole church on board in some way - God is still working out the details - we'll keep you posted!

4. The AWAA in-country staff. They are PHENOMENAL!!! I knew they'd be taking care of us - but had no idea how WELL we'd be taken care of!!! What an amazing blessing they were to us.

5. Visiting Arsi Negele where our daughter was found. It was a LONG 3 hours each way - with many near death misses - and I am so glad I went! I'd do it again in a heart beat! The people were so wonderful - I understand why her family would choose this village to bring her too.

6. Delivering care packages for 2 other families. I felt so special getting to love on them for their parents! What an incredible connection we formed - I can't wait to hear the rest of their stories either!!!

7. Sharing the joy of Metcha Day with 9 other families - it truly multiplied it 9 times for me! Initially I was a bit frustrated I was saddled to a "Ross" - as they call you alphabetically - but in the end my excitement was heightened with each new Metcha!!! Thanks for sharing this SUPER special day with us!

8. The guest house! It was beautiful. Although I complained a bit about the hike up 5 flights of stairs - I am now grateful for my lungs/buns of steel :) Make sure you have the Chef's egg omelet - the best I've EVER had! and the pancakes - yum! I miss his breakfasts!

9. A quiet nights sleep. I never knew what a light sleeper I was & now I am incredibly grateful for my rural country, no dog barking life!! VERY grateful!

10. Realizing that every single minute of the wait & every single penny spent was SO WORTH IT! I pray that God will find us worthy to do it again :)

We're home!!!

We made it home last night!! It was so good to be back! We flew through Seattle & Julie bought Ellie an American Flag - it was so sweet! Our flag has been a symbol of hope to so many for so long.....and it is for my daughter too!! YEAH!


I promise to write more later - but since a picture is worth a 1000 words - here's a few million :) hey - I'm a Honcoop!!!

We got quite the reception at the airport!! Thanks for such a warm welcome everyone!!! It made us feel so special :)


I was dreading the car ride home - Ellie's never been in a car seat before! But God is good!!! She was up for 7 hours of the 10 hour flight from Frankfurt to Seattle and the 3 hours to get through immigration & customs (now THAT wasn't fun) - and fell asleep the instant we took off from Seattle - and slept through her welcome party & the ride home - (so she made up for it!!) YEAH!!

It was quite the party in my room at 7am! The boys brought in all her giraffe's - it was quite a zoo!!! She was a bit scared of them. I don't think they have stuffed animals at the orphanage - they're hard to keep clean...hopefully we'll get her over that!
Gabe picked out her outfit this morning - his favorite color is green! And this is proof that her WHOLE closet isn't pink ;)

Ellie enjoyed watching a little morning cartoons with the boys!

Gabe was such a helper with her! He was super excited to feed her a bottle.
And let her show him how to crawl through the kitchen!!!
It like she's always been here!!! We had so much fun playing & goofing around with her!!! She is so animated - all her facial expressions are hilarious! I'll have to get a picture of her "angry eyes" she looks just like Mrs. Potato Head!!! Gabe is excited to stay home from school tomorrow & play with her - we figured since he didn't get to go on the trip he could at least stay home & entertain her for us!!! She is quite enamored with him as well :)

I couldn't have imagined our first day home being any better!!! She is absolutely wonderful! Yikes - if I thought I was in love before - I about melted when she said "mama" to me!!! I'm not completely sure she meant to say it b/c I just heard it that once - but wowza!!! She has completely stolen my heart :)

Orphanage Day - Jan 21, 2009

We got to visit the orphanage where Ellie stayed for 5 months this morning.

It was clean, well organized...and very sad. We had brought tons of candy & little toys to give out. The director had them all sit down in their school room so it could be an orderly handing out of things :) Soon there were 50 kids running around with cars & balls, candy & styrofoam airplanes. I was sitting in the shade holding Ellie while she slept. I started taking pictures of some of the children & waved them over to come see. They LOVED that! Julie found a paper & pen and had them write their name for her. Lots of them spoke some english - some even quite well.

When Ellie woke up she was swarmed by her old nannies!!! They were all hugging & kissing her. They wanted to hold her but she would wail! again - YEAH!!! One of my biggest prayers through this whole process was that our daughter would be loved by her nannies! and BOY was she ever!!!

They did a traditional coffee ceremony for us. Matt said it was good - I didn't want to dump hot coffee on the baby. They serve popcorn with their coffee - it's the only time they eat popcorn.

We were there for almost 2 hours. It was great to see how loved Ellie was. And so sad to see all the need. There were alot of older children - 4+. They typically don't get adopted....everyone wants babies. But these kids were amazing!!! They soooo want to be loved. They remember what it's like to have a mothers love....and of course they want that again! 3 familes in our group adopted older kids. They didn't want to mess with diapers & strollers & high chairs again. There kids were all a bit older & they didn't want a huge gap....so never think you're too old!!! 2 of the couples with us are in their 50's!!!! and if you ABSOLUTELY can't imagine yourself adopting - then help someone who can!!! I can't tell you how many times I've heard - I would adopt but it's too expensive!!! Maybe God's calling me to match those who can with those who can't. So if you'd adopt if the money was there - let me know. And if that's not you - why not give $100 a month to someone who can!?!?!?! That's one meal out & a movie for our family. Why not eat in & rent a movie & help bring one of these babies home!!!!!!!!

It was so hard to leave. I pray a mircle happens for each one of them!!! I wanted them to know that God has not forgotten them!!! He loves them! He has a plan for them!!! Why Ellie??? Why not Benna? Fasima? Tigist? That has been the hardest part of this journey for me....how can my 1 make a difference? So sorry if I shout out the need from the mountain tops - but my eyes have been opened & I can't shut them......

I know I sound like a pbs commercial....sorry

Gotcha Day & Embassy Day

Sorry - it won't let me move the pics around. So I'll tell you what they are & then you can read on!!!



This is Wednesday night (Embassy Day) after her first bath.
She LOVED her bath!

Looking all pretty for Embassy Day!

Gettin' some lovin' from her nanny!

Gotcha Day - January 19, 2009

This was the best day EVER!!! All the nervous energy was gone - it was pure excitment!

We went shopping in the morning. They have such beautiful things. My favorite was a 3 ft tall wooden giraffe!

All morning I was catching myself tearing up. It was all I could do to not break out in a full cry. I finally realized it was because of the utter gratefulness I felt - that God would pick US for this task! I am so honored!

We then went to the GORGEOUS Hilton Hotel for the longest lunch known to man - 3 hours! I was so excited to get Ellie - and the food wasn't even that great - but the atmosphere was fabulous!

We got to the transition home & I got to scoop her right up! She didn't get upset at all. Very shortly after we arrived they brought out the kids we were bringing care packages for - both sets of them at once! It kept up quite busy trying to love on all of them - take great pics for their families -and hold Ellie at the same time. It's a good thing there was 5 of us!

Hall's - your girls are GORGEOUS! In fact, the next morning Matt says to me - now don't get made (always a great way to start a conversation with your wife) - but in 4 years - after do a big addition on the house, I want to come back & adopt 2 & 4 year old sisters! Needless to say your girls made quite an impression!!! Tihun has the most gorgeous eyes & both of them knew just what to do with the brush for their ponies! They're going to fit right into Wyoming!

Vagnoni's - We LOVED your boys! Eyob is all smiles & full of energy. He knew exactly what to do with his coloring book & was very careful to color in the lines! Ephrem took his time warming up - but seemed to really enjoy the stickers & some bubbles! I got great pictures of him smiling - yeah!!!

All the time & attention spent on the other children was EXACTLY what Ellie needed! God is so good! I think she just needed to be around us without 5 sets of eyes staring at her the whole time! Who knew?!?!?

It was especially fun getting to love on the kids knowing all of them had passed court & their parents were coming for them SOON!! YEAH!

After the care packages we got to see Ellie's bed. I thought she might want to get down & play a minute - NOPE! She cried the instant her booty hit the ground. I quickly scooped her up & she stopped - I think she might know who I am!!!

We went back outside & I laid her down in a couch on the front porch to change her. Immediately her nanny opened the window & said PLEASE let me change her. It was incredibly sweet to see how much she loved on Ellie! There were tears in her eyes as she kissed Ellie good-bye.

We took a group shot on the front steps & were off to the 2nd transition home where the older kids 2 + stay.

What fun! Matt emptied his entire backpack of toys & treats in minutes! The kids were so excited. One litte girl ran up to me & needed her car opened. It came with this little launcher thing. She immediately started talking on it like it was her cell phone - I was dying! All the children were amazing. There were so many 3 - 5 year olds running around. They were so happy with their one little car or piece of candy - smiles from ear to ear. It was quite an experience.

Then one of my favorite moments of the whole trip happened!!!!

When Matt & I were first dating we were talking about what love meant to each of us. I told him I thought it meant that you loved the other person more than yourself. So we were riding home on the bus with Ellie in my arms & he gives me this big hug and says - Thanks again for teaching me what true love is. Then we both just held each other and cried! Again - I can't believe that God called us to do this!!! My marriage has been strengthened and my walk with God has grown a THOUSAND fold!

Ellie fell asleep on the ride home about 6pm. She then slept until 4 am!!! It was terrible! I wanted to play with her! I honestly think she'd have gone back to sleep if I hadn't been so anxious to change her diaper & give her a bottle - it had been at least 13 hours!

My first REAL mommy moment happened after I fed her!

I snuggled her for awhile & then laid her back in her crib. At this point it was both Ben & resting our chins on her crib rail & staring at her. 5 minutes went by & she was still laying there staring back at us. I decided to snuggle her some more (yeah!), but the shirt I had on had little sequins on it ( you know me!) and it was poking her. I wanted to change my shirt before I picked her up. Well the instant I was out of her sight she let out a WAIL! I LOVED it! She calmed right down as soon as I picked her up & she quickly fell asleep after a litte more snuggling.

She then slept until 7:30 when we had to wake her up to get ready to go to the embassy. At the transition home they were waking them up 2x in the middle of the night to feed them - there's so many kids they can't give them individual care - and there are some babies who definately need it - but not my little rolly polly! She was getting a bottle 7 times a day - no wonder she was exhausted!

Embassy Day - Jan 20, 2009

I'll start with the end - WE PASSED!!! My heart was RACING - but 4 minutes later we were good to go!!!

And if THAT wasn't good enough - we found out last night that Germany just got rid of the law that requires Ethiopian passport holders to have a transit visa!!!! it went into effect Jan 18th!!! God just about out did himself! We were just hoping they wouldn't check...if they did we'd have to stay until Monday night so we could get a German transit visa....YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!

It was a fabulous day! Ellie has warmed up to Matt really well. She still prefers me - but she no longer screams when he looks at her! That's a really good thing b/c she's at least 20 lbs - so unless I have her in the snuggly I really can't carry her that long. My biceps are just aching!!!

We got to the US embassy about 9 am - we didn't leave until after 12! I was so relieved that Julie was up for taking Jack & Ben shopping & swimming at the Hilton. It was super boring. We got to meet some familes from other agencies adopting as well. Apparently Wednesday is adoption visa day! All the families in our travel group (10) passed - whew!!!

We then went to lunch at the Lucy Restaurant. It's next to the Museum where "lucy" is - supposedly the link to prehistoric man. It was super yummy. We both got the house special - soup, Chicke in Oven (that's what it was called) with rice, and potatoes, and dessert! Our total was 190 birr - about 16 dollars us!!! The food is incredibly cheap here...and as long as you're not wanting American type food it's very good. Matt had a hamburger yesterday that wasn't so great....and I had some pretty bad fajitas. but you know me - anytime is Mexican time! even in Ethiopia!

On the way back to the guest house we saw a donkey in the middle of the grassy area of a round about. There are no street lights in Addis -a city of 3 million people and no street lights- just round abouts!!! yikes! anyway - this donkey was right in the middle. No owner, no leash, just nibbling away! at least the cars have to slow down a bit when they're in the round about!!!

We were exhausted when we got back....all that adrenalin from the embassy! Ellie slept like a champ - as always! I haven't slept much since we got here. Never more than 4 hours at a time. I'm not sure why. I think it's mostly that all these thoughts are running through my head! Things to remember! I don't want to forget ANYTHING! The people here are so wonderful. All the guest house staff want to hug & kiss the kids. The AWAA staff has been incredible! They work for minimum wage - most of them do it b/c they love helping the kids. Ben is T's number one fan! He's in charge of getting us every where & helping us with everything. He's a really great guy.

We've been incredibly well taken care of! The guest house is gorgeous. In fact, I have to constantly remind myself not to drink the water here - especially when I'm brushing my teeth :)
We got to put Ellie in the "tub" for the first time! she loved it!!!

The boys crashed at 7:45 - they've been working hard too :)

Ellie took a late 2 hour nap so she wasn't ready for bed until 9pm - but then she slept until 8 am!!! and mom slept too!! I've been taking sleeping aids, dramamine (not on the same night!) but neither have worked. Julie gave me a melatonin last night & I slept for 7 hours! YEAH!!!

The next day was ORPHANAGE DAY!!!

jack's top 10

This is jack from Ethiopia i will tell you the top ten weirdest and funnest things in Ethiopia that i have seen and done.
#10. that alot of the kids in Arsii Negeala (r-c-nege-la) are naked.
#9. That in Ethiopia, dogs run wild and ramped in the streat and no one can get rid of them because there is no money and no guns to do it.
#8. On are first day in the Gueast house, a herd of 30 donkeys walked right in front of me with only two people to herd them.
#7. That Ellie knows how to screw the lid on a water bottle.
#6. In Ethiopia you drive 140 km an hour on a two lane road thats 90 miles an hour.
#5. Oxen and donkeys run freely on the sides of the road with no fences.
#4. On the way back from Arsii Negeala we saw a dead heina on the side of the road that was the size of a yearling hefier.
#3. The Ethiopians bread, injera is a spoungey, gowey, flat gray bread that, if not cooked over a fire of dried oxen poop than it will not tast the way it's supposed to.
#2. On the side of the side walks there are stalls, where there is meat hanging from the ceiling that if you pay, they will cut up the meat and wrap it in paper and give to you.
#1. If you give out monney on the streat, you will get mobbed by all the poor people that see you.

METCHA DAY!!!

How do you begin to even describe this day? All I can say is that seeing her for the first time it was EXACTLY like seeing all the boys for the first time! I can't imagine loving her anymore - yet everyday you DO!!! Holding her the first time was just like holding the boys too! All the anticipation, excitement, nerves. It was exactly the same - only magnified by 10!

There are 10 families in our travel group. Having them here has made it even that much sweeter :) It was INSTANT friendships - when you've traveled the same road for so long it doesn't matter that you just met that day!

Holding Ellie the first time - I was overwhelmed! We've waited SO LONG! It was the most overdue pregnancy EVER - by 7 months!

It was fabulous that she fell asleep with in 15 minutes. the poor baby was so overwhelmed too! I loved that she was comfortable enough with me to fall asleep on my chest. I purposely didnt' wear any jewelry so I would be nice & snuggly - Julie even tested to make sure!

Once she was asleep we could all hold her. I was hesitant to pass her around while she was awake. It was all I could do to keep her from crying - and that even happened on me quite a few times! But once she went "limp noodle" she was OUT!

Matt held her & instantly took off her socks & shoes. It was hot out! She had on a onesie & a long sleeve dress - the very first one we ever bought for her back in November '08 when we started this journey :) I had sent it to her in the 1st care package we sent in mid-November. I was so touched that the nannies had remembered & saved it for her. She was absolutely ADORABLE!!!

Matt counted all her toes & squished her belly & foot fat :) Then Ben jumped in. He was so confident holding her. It was beautiful. Jack held her next & loved all over her too :) Julie took the longest though!!!

Right after Ellie fell asleep Julie gave me the biggest hug & the 2 of us cried our eyes out!!!! It's been so very amazing to share all this with her. Thank you LORD for a sister who wanted to share this journey with me!!!!

Ellie slept for probably an hour. We were at the transisiton home for 4 hours - it felt like 30 minutes!!! When she woke up I was able to feed her a bottle. She knew exactly what to do & gobbled it right down. I had brought banana puffs with us & she loved on those too :)

It was SO HARD to give her back!!!! None of the boys ever spent a minute in the nursery at the hospital. I was always too excited & just wanted to keep staring at them! Ellie's drop off was no different - she even cried when I handed her back. I'm going to think she was sad about leaving me ;) As hard as it was to leave her - God's purpose is divine & AWAA has obviously done this a few times!!! Once the adrenaline rush ended I only wanted to CRASH! I haven't been THAT tired in a very long time - not even 26 hours of traveling made me that tired!

I am so excited to go pick her up today FOREVER!!!! I can't wait to get her back to the hotel & put her in the tub (actually the bottom of our shower), put some yummy hair product in, get her in cozy jammies & just LOVE ON HER! oh oh oh!!!!

We were all joking on the ride to lunch that it was like being in LABOR! And we were in transition! who can eat now??? We're only supposed to eat ice chips - which we can't even eat in Ethiopia!

And if the ride to lunch wan't long & painful enough - the ride to the TH was WORSE!!! Ethiopians were celebrating the baptism of Jesus & the streets were PACKED!!! cars, buses, people, goats! We kept reminding each other to blow - blow!!! It was hysterical!

I'm sorry this is so discombobulated!!! That's where my head is right now. You know with me you always get the "Real Deal'!!! I haven't had more than 2 hours of sleep in a row since we got here. I'll probably be ready to sleep tomorrow - and get to be up with baby - YEAH!!

Thank you so much for all your prayers! We are feeling them! We found out today that Ellie is just getting over pnuemonia. Her chest still sounds raspy to me :( but her CD4 counts are OFF THE CHART!!! That is a VERY good thing!! A typical (non-HIV+) person will have 500-1200 CD4 count with higher being better. Her's was 2500!!! She is on HIV meds - but mostly to boost her immune system because of all the stuff going around.

This day was surreal. We took HUNDREDS of pictures. Honestly, it is so much like labor & delivery it makes me laugh!!! You have to go back & look at the pictures too because in the moment you can't take it all in.

Tomorrow morning we're off to do some shopping and then over to the TH to pick up Ellie FOREVER ( I Love that word), deliver our care packages for the Hall's (who just passed court on the 15th - woo hoo) and the Vagnoni's. I can't WAIT to love on your little ones!!! YEAH!!!

ELLIANNA

more to come later!  We're having a tough time updating blogger!!!

 

Arsi Negele

Sorry the pics are in reverse order - read below for the explanation!!!!

We were "up and at 'em" by 5:30am this morning. Breakfast was a yummy egg & cheese omlet. Then lots of playing soccer with the gate guard & then kids on the street until our driver & guide showed up at 8am...we're on Africa time!!

Arsi Negele is 2 1/2 hours south of Addis Ababa. We drove through lots of little towns - well, I use the term "drove" loosely - I really meant "flew"! Our driver, Abel, makes a NYC taxi driver look like he's out for a Sunday stroll! It was CRAZY!!! No less than 2 times did I honestly think we were going to die....honestly. dead. I was praying like mad & almost asked the driver that if I paid him more would he slow down. What made it so crazy was the donkey drawn carts on the road as well, the cattle wandering along the side the road - no fences, no leads, sometimes with a shepherd....goats everywhere! a few chickens, lots of dogs....and we're going 120 km/h!!! INSANE. I asked Julie if it would be rude to kiss the ground when we pulled into the guest house - she suggested I at least rub some hand sanitizer on it first!!! CRAZY!!!

But God is FAITHFUL! AMEN and AMEN as Pastor Bill would say! I kept reminding myself that if today is my day - it wouldn't matter if I was in this van - or walking next to the road. Apparently it was one donkey's day - he was belly up in the middle of the road.....a donkey...in broad daylight....I didn't see a one of them moving any faster than Grand Daddy....so sad. I wonder what Ethiopians are in such a hurry for???

All that said I would do it in a heart beat to see Arsi Negele!!! It was a smaller village. With roads that make the Knox' driveway look like the autobahn :) I can't even imagine what it would look like during the rainy season. We were quite a novelty. Our guide - Mulugate thought we were probably the first white people they'd ever seen. I felt very out of place. Julie on the other hand jumped right in! We were instantly surrounded by children - from 1 year old to probably 13 years old. She took a picture of them & then showed it to them! They were so excited! So lots of picture taking ensuded - by the end she was walking with 4 kids hanging on each hand - one for each finger! and a few holding her arm. We walked down to the river & saw a few men filling their watering cans.

I really wanted to bring something back from the town Ellie was found in. I doubt she was from their - everyone would've know who she was. But obviously her mother thought it would be a good place for her -and that was enough to make me love it! Mulugate asked one of the women if they had any pots to sell - oh boy! We got quite the pot showing then. Unfortunately they'd just taken all the finished pots that were ready to the market. But we were able to buy a pot that they use to hold charcoal. She wanted 10 birr for it - less than a dollar! Matt gave her 100 - like $8 dollars. He then had the most beautiful little girl carry it back for us.

The boys were so funny!!! They were playing soccer (it was a ball made of socks) with the other boys as we walked. On the way back Ben found a cow horn & pretended he was a rhino. The kids thought that was hilarious!!! Both Jack & Ben had kids holding their hands as well.

When we got back to the van I tried to hand out snacks & candy - it was a bit of a mob scene. I'm not sure how I could've done it differently....but I'm still glad I did it.

On the way back we stopped & bought sugar cane & watermelons! We could've bought fish in a plastic sack, red onions, tomatoes, some kind of berry still on the bush.

In 10 hours we meet Ellianna!!!! I can't even believe it! If we can somehow make her feel 1/2 as loved as we felt by the people of Arsi Negele we'll be doing good :)

Tomorrow morning is our paperwork "party" then it's off to lunch & to the transition home. They bring the kids out alphabetically.....why oh why did I ever let myself get strapped to a ROSS! oy! I'm sure I'll be an absolute puddle by the time it's our turn!!! It's ok -they'll be happy tears!

Please keep Ellie's transition & our safety on the road in your prayers :)

Gabe & Caleb - We miss you SO MUCH!!!! It was so good to hear you're having fun with Miss Caylene! We promise to tell Ellie tomorrow about her 2 other brothers and how excited you are to meet her! Caleb we saw lots of construction equipment today! I even took a picture of a giant excavator for you. Gabe you'd be proud of Ben - he ate spaghetti with sauce today!!!

We love you ALL & can't tell you how much your prayers and support mean to us!!!

I can't WAIT to post tomorrow night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!!!

Jill

e mail

We spent 30 minutes at the airport this morning juggling around the last minute donations & our stuff too! All 10 of the checked bags come it under 50 lbs....well 50.8 lbs!

We're able to get Matt's email - but can't seem to send it! So shoot us an email:

mross@pionnetwb (dot) com

We made it!

We're here!!! All our flights were great. Only one bag didn't make it...the one with all the food! So needless to say when we pulled into the guest house at 10pm there weren't a lot of options. The super nice woman at the front desk offered to make us some spaghetti. Spaghetti never tasted so good!

It's now midnight here & even though it's only 1pm at home - we're all ready for a good night's sleep.

Oh - and they know where our bag is - apparently it wanted to do a little sight seeing in Frankfurt....silly bag!

Hugs to everyone!

We're off to Arsi Megela tomorrow at 6:30am. YEAH!

Jill

Spaghetti Dinner & Prayer Night!

We were soooo blessed to have family & friends join us for some spaghetti & prayer tonight!

Ellie you have NO IDEA how many people are already crazy in love with you!!!

YEAH!!!








Our next post will hopefully be from ETHIOPIA!!!! WOO HOOOO!!!!!

Thank you for all your prayers! We are out of our minds excited! And almost eerily at peace - God's peace passes understanding!!! double YEAH!!

She's just the cutest thing EVER!!!

YEAH!!!! oh Ellie! You just get cuter ever time I see you!!!!

The little heart overalls are ones we sent in the last care package - I'm so touched they remembered....now if I could only remember what size they were.....I'm thinking 24 months!


The HAIR!!!! I can't WAIT!!!!

Only 1 more week - almost EXACTLY till mommy's holding you!!!!!

YEAH! Y EAH! YEAH!