The wait continues...

I've had several inquiries lately about our adoption status. It is so encouraging to know that others are excited and anxiously waiting for our little girl. We are about 3 months into the 7-9 month waiting period. Our referral should arrive some time between April and June. We have to wait until everything passes in the Ethiopian court until we can go get her. Best case scenario, we'll go to Ethiopia to bring her home some time next summer. Some families experience quite a few set backs in the court process. We'll be praying for a quick and smooth court date for sure!

I've been sneaking a peek at several other blogs of families that have adopted from Ethiopia. Let me just tell you, "Those children are precious!". I am trying to prepare myself for her arrival without becoming too antsy. Easier said than done. So far, we have a new bed for her (a very girly white cast iron daybed), a drawer full of new hair accessories (Raynisha promises to tutor me on the techniques of caring for African hair), a couple of frilly clothing items, and two big brothers chomping at the bit to meet her!

I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us as we embark on this exciting journey of becoming a bi-racial family custom designed by the Creator himself!

Some Great Charities

I saw this list on a fellow America World family's blog. There are some great links. Check them out and make a purchase to make a difference in someone else's life.

For awesome Christmas gifts that keep on giving check out:
World Vision Online Donations:Animals
Give a family a goat, chicken, cow or ox to provide income for their family.
TOMS Shoes
Every pair of super cute shoes you buy gives a needy person a pair of shoes.
The Compassion Store
All gifts support the work of Compassion International
Saint's Coffee
My most favorite coffee! Buy a pound of coffee- feed an orphan for a month. Ethiopian is the best!
Tiny Rockstar
Buy a shirt- feed an orphan for a month.
Christian Freedom International
Great gifts made by persecuted Christians around the world.
Hearts in Hispaniola
Our friends Jeff and Vicki...if you plan to buy ANYTHING from
Amazon.com, click on the link through their blog and a
percentage of what you buy goes to their ministry in the
Dominican Republic and Haiti!
Integrity Worldwide International Christian Missions
Friend's ministry in Africa...they have a Christmas gift page.
Amazima Ministries International
Break the cycle of poverty by providing an education for a Ugandan child.

'Tis the Season!

I love Christmas...

the decorations,
baking,
the music,
giving and receiving...

I love that we can dedicate an entire month to celebrating the birth of Christ.

My husband teases me when I leave my nativity scenes up until February. I like to make the wisemen travel from across the room to the manger (still not completely correct but atleast they aren't at the stable the night Jesus was born).

This year, I am trying to make most of the gifts we are giving. I think I'm almost finished. I'd post pictures but that would ruin the surprise for those receiving my handmade gifts. I thought it would wear me out or atleast stress me out but, thankfully, I got a head start and chose projects that aren't too labor intensive. I think I am just about finished!

Cancun is nice but home is too!

Brian and I are home from a fabulous 10th Wedding Anniversary trip to Cancun. When we began planning the trip, we didn't know how fast the adoption process would go so we decided to celebrate a couple of months early. I can't believe we've already been married that long. Time flies when you're having fun!

Our morining started off with waking up and watching from our balcony as the sun rose. We found ourselves opereating on "old people time". We woke up with the sun at 6:00 and went to bed early (about the same time all the partiers were headed out to the clubs).

This was our "base of operation". We were often the only people on the beach infront of our resort. We would lay out until we got hot, then take a swim or catch some waves with our boogie boards. Then we would lay out until we got hot again or take a walk along the beach and take in some of the amazing people watching opportunities!

Our hotel room had a kitchenette so we prepared all of our breakfasts and lunches in the room and went out for dinner most nights. This was a little outdoor resaurant that overlooked the lagoon side of Cancun. We were able to watch the sunset and enjoy the beautiful tropical breezes.

This is the view from our balcony.

These are our little cuties wearing their Los Luchadores masks that we brought home for them. I have a feeling that Levi is going to spend a good part of the next month or so wearing his. The boy loves to dress up!

We missed our boys (and our soft mattress). It is good to be home again.

Cutest Cowboy Ever

This weekend Brian and I took the boys to Boo Ha Ha on Brookside. Our neighbor and her son went along with us. Cole was a cowboy and Levi was an "understated" clown (he just wore the suit without a wig or any make-up). I thought it was interesting how well their costumes fit their personalities. Cole tries to do the right thing, is honest and kind. He loves his family. Levi on the other hand is the entertainer and loves to make people laugh. However, he also has a very serious side (hence no make-up or wig).

God issues...

Here is a cute story born out of a car ride home from school.

Cole was talking to me about heaven and how cool it is going to be. He said he hopes that we all (Brian, me, Cole and Levi) go to heaven. I told him that I know that I am going to heaven because I decided a long time ago that I wanted Jesus to be my Savior. I told him that I pray all that time that he and his brother will make the same decision. Meanwhile, Levi is sitting in the back seat expressing dislike for all things "heaven" ie. clouds, angels, etc. Then he says that when he goes to heaven he is going to punch God in the face (not my proudest parenting moment)! As we pull into the neighborhood, I see my mom standing in her front yard (we live in the same neighborhood as my parents) so we pull into her driveway to say "Hi" to Nana. It was a beautiful day so we had the windows down and immediately Nana sees that Levi isn't very happy. When she asked about his angry face, Cole pipes in with his opinion of the situation. "Levi's having God Issues," Cole says. Where he came up with that terminology, I will never know but it certainly got some laughs from my mom and me! Well put, Cole.

Fall Break Fun

Yesterday Cole had the day off from school so Brian took a vacation day. We had lots of fun. We went to the Tulsa Maize with our neighbors and their kids. I'd never been there but it was lots of fun. They had a cow train, a corn box (I think the adult boys had the most fun burying the kids in the dried corn), and a hay ride.



Later, we borrowed some friends Chiminea and Tent and we had a camp-out in our backyard. We roasted Hot Dogs and Marshmallows for S'Mores. YUMMY!



The boys were so anxious to sleep in the tent that we all climbed in before 8:00. Brian and I woke up after a long night of rest only to find that it was 2:30 a.m. We both started laughing at the fact that we were going to have to try to sleep for another 5 hours in the freezing cold. Thankfully, our bodies stayed pretty warm but our faces sure were cold. Levi and I made it until 6:30 when he woke up crying. Then Brian and Cole joined us inside at 8:00.