The only thing she loves more than her babies - is playing DRESS UP with her babies! Baby Zoe has a fun dress up skirt on too....and don't miss the bag with her pony in it...Auntie Julie will be so proud!
Lilypie Waiting to Adopt tickers
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Even MORE!!!
The only thing she loves more than her babies - is playing DRESS UP with her babies! Baby Zoe has a fun dress up skirt on too....and don't miss the bag with her pony in it...Auntie Julie will be so proud!
Alright already!!!
So I've been lambasted for NOT posting pictures....in fact one of my readers (aka dear sister) has said that when there's no pictures - all she reads is - blah blah blah blah....and then made fun of my "heritage" - WHICH is her's TOO - so there!!!!
SO - here you go!!!!
Ellie has just about perfected the 2 year old "smile"!
And the birthday boy!!!! FIVE! OY!!!!
Taking mommy for a spin in the trolley car!
Ellie's first experience with Ethiopian food! She actually liked it - not that this picture shows that!!! But it's the only one I got!
Monday, January 24, 2011
So close....
and yet so far away!!!!
We went in to the bank last Thursday to have all of our documents notarized for the dossier. Things like...
1. A letter to the Ministry of Women & Children's Affairs in Ethiopia requesting permission to adopt.
2. 4 pages of pictures of our family, our home, the future children's rooms, etc.
3. A letter promising to submit post placement reports and 3, 6 and 12 months & then every year until they turn 18.
4. A letter from our accountant stating our income for the past 2 years.
5. A letter from our bank stating that we're in good standing and what our balance is.
6. Our past 3 years of tax returns.
7. Matt's birth certificate.
8. Jill's birth certificate.
9. Our marriage certificate.
10. Matt's medical clearance form stating that he's healthy (and only mildly insane for wanting 7 children!!!)
11. Jill's medical clearance form stating that she's healthy (and TOTALLY insane for the above reason!)
12. Matt's letter from the Washington state patrol stating he has no criminal history.
13. Jill's letter from WSP stating the same thing.
14. 3 letters of recommendation from the 3 most amazing friend EVER - Julie, Sandy & Janice!!!
15. Passport photos of both of us
16. A letter stating our health insurance will cover our adopted children.
17. A letter giving power of attorney to our agency's rep in Addis.
18. A Dossier cover letter that lists all of the above items.
WHEW!!! No wonder I'm tired!!! The bottom fell out of my stomach today when I realized we needed ORIGINAL birth & marriage certificates. I was told we could use the ones from our last Dossier (they can't be more than 2 years old - and they'd be 2 years old in Feb 2011)....but the originals went in our last Dossier to ET & we never got them back!!!! So while I was contemplating the almost 6 hour one way drive to Olympia to get them I discovered for a "nominal" fee (nominal in the adoption world!!!) of $122.50 I could get all 3 of them over nighted to me in 3 days!!!! Double WHEW!
We're SO CLOSE to being able to submit our Dossier!!! Our home study is in the final stages. In fact our agency has already reviewed it & we're just waiting for our social worker to make the few changes, get it notarized & zipped off to us!
As soon as I know it's been notarized I can over night the two most important pieces of our Dossier - the cover letter & the power of attorney - to Olympia to have it authenticated.....not super sure what this all means - the jist seems to be that they authenticate that the person who notarized those 2 documents really IS a notary in the state of Washington. Last time it took about 10 days to get them back & then it's off to Washington DC!!!
We'll be sending the Dossier to a courier service in DC that will hand walk it to the State Department & then to the Ethiopian Embassy. Once they've both approved it it's off to Florida where our agency will send it off to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!!!!! Then we're DTE - Dossier to Ethiopia.
At that point we get "in line" to wait for a court date. Right now it seems about a 3 month wait to get a court date. BIG time prayer requests are needed here!!!! Ethiopia has ONE judge who hears ALL of the adoption cases....last year 2000 adoptions took place in ET....so that's a LOT for one person to handle. PRAY they'll feel a sense of urgency to bring on MORE judges!!!!
We're told we should know about 2 months before our court date when it is. Then we'll start PACKING!!! This go around we get to travel for our court date too! We'll get to spend 3 days loving on the kids & appear before a judge to say YES we want them & we promise to love them as our own!!!! Oh I can't wait!!! I hope I'm not the first one to cry saying those words :)
Then I anticipate the hardest part of this WHOLE journey will be the waiting to BRING THEM HOME!!! Right now they're telling us to anticipate an EIGHT WEEK wait before we can go back!!! Once you've passed court your case goes to the American Embassy in Ethiopia and they do their OWN investigation. Another BIG TIME prayer request here too!!! Apparently there's a new Consular General that's taken over & he's not a fan of adoption. In fact, he was the Consular General in Cambodia when the American Embassy STOPPED allowing American's to adopt from Cambodia.
SO BIG TIME PRAY PEOPLE!!! I keep having this mental image of Moses telling Pharaoh to "LET MY PEOPLE GO!" God is SO MUCH BIGGER than this man...so much bigger than only 1 judge...so much bigger....and in THAT I find peace - and lots of it! God promises peace that passes understanding when we present our requests to Him so that's what I've been doing....almost non-stop! I'm constantly reminded that the ruler of this world has set out to DESTROY these children's lives....he can't be happy when someone steps up to stand in the gap for them. Our battle isn't against flesh & blood - but against the rulers of this world...PLEASE join me in praying that he doesn't win!
We went in to the bank last Thursday to have all of our documents notarized for the dossier. Things like...
1. A letter to the Ministry of Women & Children's Affairs in Ethiopia requesting permission to adopt.
2. 4 pages of pictures of our family, our home, the future children's rooms, etc.
3. A letter promising to submit post placement reports and 3, 6 and 12 months & then every year until they turn 18.
4. A letter from our accountant stating our income for the past 2 years.
5. A letter from our bank stating that we're in good standing and what our balance is.
6. Our past 3 years of tax returns.
7. Matt's birth certificate.
8. Jill's birth certificate.
9. Our marriage certificate.
10. Matt's medical clearance form stating that he's healthy (and only mildly insane for wanting 7 children!!!)
11. Jill's medical clearance form stating that she's healthy (and TOTALLY insane for the above reason!)
12. Matt's letter from the Washington state patrol stating he has no criminal history.
13. Jill's letter from WSP stating the same thing.
14. 3 letters of recommendation from the 3 most amazing friend EVER - Julie, Sandy & Janice!!!
15. Passport photos of both of us
16. A letter stating our health insurance will cover our adopted children.
17. A letter giving power of attorney to our agency's rep in Addis.
18. A Dossier cover letter that lists all of the above items.
WHEW!!! No wonder I'm tired!!! The bottom fell out of my stomach today when I realized we needed ORIGINAL birth & marriage certificates. I was told we could use the ones from our last Dossier (they can't be more than 2 years old - and they'd be 2 years old in Feb 2011)....but the originals went in our last Dossier to ET & we never got them back!!!! So while I was contemplating the almost 6 hour one way drive to Olympia to get them I discovered for a "nominal" fee (nominal in the adoption world!!!) of $122.50 I could get all 3 of them over nighted to me in 3 days!!!! Double WHEW!
We're SO CLOSE to being able to submit our Dossier!!! Our home study is in the final stages. In fact our agency has already reviewed it & we're just waiting for our social worker to make the few changes, get it notarized & zipped off to us!
As soon as I know it's been notarized I can over night the two most important pieces of our Dossier - the cover letter & the power of attorney - to Olympia to have it authenticated.....not super sure what this all means - the jist seems to be that they authenticate that the person who notarized those 2 documents really IS a notary in the state of Washington. Last time it took about 10 days to get them back & then it's off to Washington DC!!!
We'll be sending the Dossier to a courier service in DC that will hand walk it to the State Department & then to the Ethiopian Embassy. Once they've both approved it it's off to Florida where our agency will send it off to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!!!!! Then we're DTE - Dossier to Ethiopia.
At that point we get "in line" to wait for a court date. Right now it seems about a 3 month wait to get a court date. BIG time prayer requests are needed here!!!! Ethiopia has ONE judge who hears ALL of the adoption cases....last year 2000 adoptions took place in ET....so that's a LOT for one person to handle. PRAY they'll feel a sense of urgency to bring on MORE judges!!!!
We're told we should know about 2 months before our court date when it is. Then we'll start PACKING!!! This go around we get to travel for our court date too! We'll get to spend 3 days loving on the kids & appear before a judge to say YES we want them & we promise to love them as our own!!!! Oh I can't wait!!! I hope I'm not the first one to cry saying those words :)
Then I anticipate the hardest part of this WHOLE journey will be the waiting to BRING THEM HOME!!! Right now they're telling us to anticipate an EIGHT WEEK wait before we can go back!!! Once you've passed court your case goes to the American Embassy in Ethiopia and they do their OWN investigation. Another BIG TIME prayer request here too!!! Apparently there's a new Consular General that's taken over & he's not a fan of adoption. In fact, he was the Consular General in Cambodia when the American Embassy STOPPED allowing American's to adopt from Cambodia.
SO BIG TIME PRAY PEOPLE!!! I keep having this mental image of Moses telling Pharaoh to "LET MY PEOPLE GO!" God is SO MUCH BIGGER than this man...so much bigger than only 1 judge...so much bigger....and in THAT I find peace - and lots of it! God promises peace that passes understanding when we present our requests to Him so that's what I've been doing....almost non-stop! I'm constantly reminded that the ruler of this world has set out to DESTROY these children's lives....he can't be happy when someone steps up to stand in the gap for them. Our battle isn't against flesh & blood - but against the rulers of this world...PLEASE join me in praying that he doesn't win!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A YEAR!?!?!!?
I can't even believe it. A year ago this week we left to bring Ellie home. Matt & I look at her and marvel. She is SOOOO our daughter. In every way except matching DNA! She's ADDICTED to shoes and dollies and her daddy. She is the first person the boys run to hug when they walk in the door from school. She's the cheery voice calling from her crib every morning - mommy...daddy...mommy...daddy...daddy...DADDY (he usually cracks & moves first!). We can't imagine our lives without her.....
I can't help but think "what if."
I know we're not supposed to focus on the "what if's" in life. But I disagree ADAMANTLY when that comes to adoption. Because I don't see it from MY point of view...I see it from Ellie's. Oh my life would have been sorely lacking without her in it - but I would've survived. I would've had a wonderful husband and 4 fabulous boys to tell me every day how special I am to them....how important...how loved.
But not Ellie.
What would her life have been like if she didn't have someone telling her everyday how beautiful and precious she is? How loved and valued? I can't even imagine the situation her birth family was in to know that her life in an orphanage would be better than with a family that loves her....it's possible they'd heard about children being adopted into families that could care for them. But with 5 million orphans and only 2000 a year being adopted....it's unlikely she'd get that opportunity.
The Shaw family (they were in our travel group) shared on their blog - shawfamilyexpansion.blogspot.com - what their 5 year old's bedtime prayer was last night:
I love Winnie's prayers. Sometimes, they consist of "thank you for the light, thank you for the ceiling fan, thank you for the door knob." Tonight, it was sincere, "Dear God, Thank you for my food. thank you that my mom and dad came to get me."
I still cry great big fat alligator tears of joy with each adoption story I read. Another life has been redeemed! Ripped from the one who sets out to destroy. I know God doesn't call everyone to adopt, but He does call us to care for widows and orphans in their distress!
Please please please won't you prayerfully consider what God is calling YOU to do for His dearly loved widows & orphans?
I can't help but think "what if."
I know we're not supposed to focus on the "what if's" in life. But I disagree ADAMANTLY when that comes to adoption. Because I don't see it from MY point of view...I see it from Ellie's. Oh my life would have been sorely lacking without her in it - but I would've survived. I would've had a wonderful husband and 4 fabulous boys to tell me every day how special I am to them....how important...how loved.
But not Ellie.
What would her life have been like if she didn't have someone telling her everyday how beautiful and precious she is? How loved and valued? I can't even imagine the situation her birth family was in to know that her life in an orphanage would be better than with a family that loves her....it's possible they'd heard about children being adopted into families that could care for them. But with 5 million orphans and only 2000 a year being adopted....it's unlikely she'd get that opportunity.
The Shaw family (they were in our travel group) shared on their blog - shawfamilyexpansion.blogspot.com - what their 5 year old's bedtime prayer was last night:
I love Winnie's prayers. Sometimes, they consist of "thank you for the light, thank you for the ceiling fan, thank you for the door knob." Tonight, it was sincere, "Dear God, Thank you for my food. thank you that my mom and dad came to get me."
I still cry great big fat alligator tears of joy with each adoption story I read. Another life has been redeemed! Ripped from the one who sets out to destroy. I know God doesn't call everyone to adopt, but He does call us to care for widows and orphans in their distress!
Please please please won't you prayerfully consider what God is calling YOU to do for His dearly loved widows & orphans?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
