A DONE DEAL

Night of Glory!!

2010-11-22T19:47:00.002-06:00

How much better can it get than sitting in front of a wall of windows watching a beautiful lightning show with the house lights off with 5 kids! The lightning was lighting up the valley and hills and trees behind our house. The air was filled with awe and then "ooohh", "oh my gosh!" , "wow, did you see that!" Stories of old were recounted from my illustrius childhood...sitting at home during the day being afraid of a storm when I was little, the explanation of God moving His furniture for thunder, or the angels were bowling! Then when I could sense the time had come to let a good thing end before the natives got too restless.... everyone said what they were thankful for.... I got the answers God, money, friends, and even school!! But the best one was hearing Dawit say food....then adding in family! All the while I got to sit with my arm around Muluken, with Jessica on my lap. We were (are) a family. A quiet, thankful, awestruck family....No tv, no screaming and yelling, just together.

So, guess what I am thankful for.........

Steph

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T22:29:00.001-06:00

Today I got to leave work to go see the 3rd graders in their Veteran's Day program. It was very good...Loran did a great job with a lot of lines. Then Muluken had the very ending line.."Please join us for a reception with cookies and punch." At home, he ended with actually punching someone, but refrained on stage. His face was all smiles and he spoke so clearly!! It was awesome!! Small things in life really do make the biggest difference.

We have Moved!!!

2010-11-10T23:57:00.002-06:00

We are finally in our new house! Much more room, but still sooo unorganized. I must admit that I do feel a certain sense of closure and relief. It has been four years of non-stop change and I am ready to settle in to our life and focus again. I feel as if I have been scattered. Not a good thing. God has been drawing my focus back in to the world of adoption thought again. I have started to get back in touch with friends that have adopted and the world of the orphan. No, I do not feel called to adopt again, but God is still working on me about what is next for our lives in continuing to impact other children in need. Have no idea what that means right now.....

AWESOME STUFF!!!

2010-07-15T19:38:00.002-05:00

Ok...we have had fun things going on here in the last couple of days!! Muluken had a doctor's appt. We previously had been told that treatment was eminent for his condition...I was not looking forward to that at all. BUT all of his bloodwork was good enough and his ultrasound was perfect...so no treatment. He still has to be monitored, but does not have another appt for a year!! That is a big praise!!!

Then yesterday we got to witness three of our friends families re-adopt their beautiful Ethiopian American children here in Rolla!!! We sort of referred them to our lawyer and they all got to have their court date on the same day!!! One travelled all the way from Ozark, about 2 hours away!! It was great to see them again and by God's grace I got out of work earlier than ever and got to be there for it!!! YEAH GOD!!! I am so excited for them and took pictures, but will not steal their thunder!!

Our annual trip to Six Flags occurred this week too!! Fun times were had by all!!

Our friends the Reddings from Texas sent us word that they were flying in our America World liason, "T", to stay in Texas with them for three weeks!! What I would give to take a trip to Texas for a week while he is there!! The boys love Mr. T and he is such a neat young man making a world of difference for kids in Ethiopia and families in America. The coolest thing about him is his love for Christ! I think there is a picture of him from our posts from last summer...can't remember!

So...cool happenings....hope you all are having cool happenings in your neck of the woods too!!!

ONE YEAR!!!

2010-07-05T19:07:00.004-05:00

It is hard to believe that it has been one year since we were in Ethiopia!! Our family is a family of 8 and we are crazy busy most of the time....sometimes because we do alot, sometimes because we have 6 kids and they are always acting busy!!! Lots of noise, lots of laughter, lots of LAUNDRY!!! This year has been a blur for all of us. It seems as though we have tried to fit as many stressful situations into our lives in one year as possible. I graduated from nursing school last May. Then we went to Ethiopia in July and brought Dawit and Muluken home! After a few months of transition and school started, I started working!! That was our biggest adjustment!! I had been home for 11 years for the most part. Big decision, big, big, big difference in our families budget of time etc! After that, we made the decision to get bids to build a new home, which is now about 1/2 way done!! Then Jim felt the need to get his doctoral work finished and subsequently put in some long hours and graduated with his Educational Doctorate in May. I had another knee surgery(#4) and switched to a position that is not good for the summer months but great for when school starts....I have NEVER really worked in the summer!! Very hard adjustment. At the end of June, we lost our family dog, Millie...she was 14 and we got her at 8 weeks...sad times! We have wound up this year with a vacation to both grandparents and it is back to the grind tomorrow.

SOOOOO why this discourse??? The most important part of this last year is seeing our lives change so much in the area of our family and personal lives...The boys have continued to adjust sooo well. We love all our children deeply. We have had chances to talk with each of them at some point about how proud we are of them all for accepting the boys' as part of our family and taking off!! Our lives are so much richer because we went to a place and experienced first hand the reality of poverty and happiness that most Americans have not and never will think about. We have been entrusted with two amazing creations that have already been through so much pain in their short lives and now we are just beginning our lives with them and their journey! Thank all of you that have been so patient with us and prayed for all of us! Here are a few pics of our travels from this past week! "Praise God for his indescribable gift....."

Big Spring of Firsts!!!

2010-04-22T14:07:00.004-05:00

First Easter Egg coloring!!!!

Best Day!!! First Easter together!!!!!!

First fish!!!!!!!!!

First fish!!!!!!

First Easter Egg Hunt! More like a race!

March 28, 2010 Dawit's Birthday!!!!

March 11, 2010. Muluken's Birthday

I am still soooo not good at knowing how to put the blog together, but at least there are pictures and a short story!!!

As you can tell by the pics, we have had a busy spring of fun, fun, fun!! Both boys celebrated birthdays in March complete with cake and skating parties. The rink loved us in March!! Then on the weekend of Easter, we had egg coloring, egg hunting, fishing and our first Easter at church. It has been so much for our whole family to celebrate all of these things together.
It is crazy to think that we have had the boys for 9 months and counting. I am still perfecting the hair cuts and maneuvering the accents at times!!

All the kids have really gotten in to playing cards and games lately. GO FISH is the game of choice right now. Last night, Muluken, Dawit, and Dad were playing. It was comical. Each time Muluken would pick up a card he would lick his lips and act as if it was the card he had been waiting for. Then Dad would ask for that very card!!! He would turn his face inside out and act like he was boohooing and say with his thick Ethiopian accent, "That is what I was about to ask you for?" (BOO HOO BOO HOO) What an actor!! Dawit would grin from ear to ear and laugh as would all of us in the room. Then there would be a dang it! (with emphasis on the g) All the kids have been playing and Hannah got a lesson in Rummy! These are the really fun times!

The boys did play Upward basketball and now they are in soccer. Josh played winter basketball and then trained for a 4 mile run! Hannah played some Upward and volleyball. Loran played Upward. Now the kids are ending with swimming lessons and looking forward to baseball and softball this summer. All the boys got on the same team!!! Yea for mom and dad!!! Jessica has been in gymnastics. It is unbelievable how much better Dawit and Muluken have become in swimming lessons. Dawit was like a rock the first week, now he can actually swim!!!! Muluken could swim ok to begin with and now is just better!!

I love my kids! They are fun to watch and see them grow and their personalities expand. It is fun to explain even elemetary things to them. What has been most fun is Bible stories. We have gone through some of them and it's fun to see what they understand and what they question. Keep us in prayer as we deal with some medical issues in the coming months with Luke. He is doing great, but bloodwork keeps coming back crazy which may force us to do some intervention. It makes me even more thankful that he is here with the family that God chose for him in a country that could make the ultimate difference in the outcome of his life!! Isn't God Awesome!!!

Love all!!!

Steph

Another fun day of life!!

2010-02-19T19:59:00.002-06:00

A big day yesterday...We went to St. Louis to a new doctor for Luke and really liked him....We went to a store to look at bathroom fixtures for our upcoming build... and Jessica lost her first tooth in the doctors office!!! Fun with the family!!! Gotta love it!

Just a quick update...Luke has gained 15 pounds since coming home!! The boy can eat!

MOMS!!!

2010-02-15T19:50:00.002-06:00

My mom has been after me to post!!! The urgency and desire of posting has waned. The reasons are many.... During the adoption process the anticipation and newness of what goes on is a driving force. There is a desire to connect with people in your same boat and to let people know what is going on. Right now I have a job, 5 kids in basketball and volleyball, and that anticipation has turned into the reality of everyday life. My answer to her was..."I didn't blog about my biological kids...." I guess in a way, I feel like our life is normal. We live each day with 6 kids. The newness and differences have worn way down and we are just a family that lives through each day...with lots of fighting over games, the Wii, and just about anything that can be argued over....and with lots of laughing!!!

Believe me, the reality of life with adopted and racially different kids is ever present, but I honestly don't feel a great deal of pressure from any of that. We have been blessed by a great transition. Now I am also not dense or trying to smooth over the fact that we are an adoptive family of kids who have lost their parents and their culture. Just today, I was out with Dawit and I so wanted to just come right out and ask how he feels about his mom in Ethiopia. I am sure we will deal with the issue of his situation on down the line, but it made me want to sit down and find out how he feels. I don't think he would even be able to express exactly how he feels right now. He is in a home where he is loved and has a family and is having fun. When he gets older, I am sure there will be much more to talk about. Aside from those things...it is as if we have always been together!!! Once in a while, I wish that I could tell them about a memory that I had of them when they were babies, but they know they weren't here when they were babies. It is fun for them to see the kids videos when they were babies! They laugh and ask questions about everything.

They are both gearing up for birthday parties coming in March. They are both so excited to invite their friends from school and about getting to pick what they want to do and what kind of cake they want etc!!! They are still both doing great in school and Luke is learning to read. Lately their personalities are really shining through! SOOOO, I will continue to post sometimes, because I know that it is helpful for me to reflect and for others to get to see...it won't be every day or every week, but once in a while!! Gotta say....LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!

Steph

A DONE DEAL

2010-01-03T19:38:00.002-06:00

I hope to post some Christmas pics tomorrow....underlying word is hope.....

I come back to this saying from time to time....With God...it is a Done Deal....our salvation, His love for us, His plan for us, etc. One and a half years ago, I would never have dreamed that I would be where I am now. One trip to camp...the ability of God to get through to me. Divine. That is the only way that I can describe it. Luke ran through the house yesterday and did something...nothing big or awesome...just went through the kitchen. The only thing I could think was...he is my son. There will never again be a moment when Dawit and Muluken are not a part of our family. I would go to the grave for these two boys just like the kids I have known for the last 11 1/2 years!! Their personalities are so unique and amazing. They make me laugh and become mad and want to go crazy. Sounds like a family huh?
I have soooo fallen off the Yahoo Group wagon and I sometimes wonder how others are doing in their journey, but there is just not enough time in the day to sit and follow everyone. I have made the conscious decision that it is more important for me to focus on what is going on with our family of 8, but it is almost impossible to keep up with everyone anyway! I would love to sit and read everyone's blogs and revel in the power of God in their lives....so any time I do get to do it is precious, but I am trying not to make myself feel guilty for not knowing what everyone else is doing....Does that make sense? Anyway... for those who do get to read let me tell you of our lives at this point...
We are living the crazy life of gazillions of loads of laundry each week, keeping up with lots of food prep, the kids school and activities, my job and Jim's job, Jim's doctoral work, and church. Typical I know, but having 6 kids is a circus in and of itself. Not to mention the noise level in our house and in our cars. Did you know that besides a 12 passenger van, there is only one van, and the Suburban that will actually seat 8 people? Luckily, we have an old Montana that seats 8. When old faithful goes out to pasture, we don't have a lot of vehicle choices!! I dream of a divider between the front and back like a limo!! Ha! How about a hotel room for the night? We knew that even with 6 people in the family, a lot of places make you get two rooms. Now we have to get two rooms unless we can find a hotel that has suites and is lenient on us! I know, boo hoo for us right? I actually love our life and God has blessed us beyond measure!!
We are currently in the process of pre-building a new home. We looked at houses, but it is hard to find a house that fits 3 boys, 3 girls, and us! I hate to even type that after we have seen Ethiopia first hand...It is hard to find the balance of what it is God would want for us and what we want. Our home now is ok. It is a little tight, with no storage, but maybe that means that we have too much stuff??? Gotta say, it would be nice for the boys and the girls not to have to share one bathroom though!! There is a lot of yelling, "Hey, knock first!!"
I feel as though I am rambling, but I guess there is one underlying point to all of this. We are no longer a family that adopted kids from Ethiopia...we are just a family with 6 kids that are very close in age!! Do we still have kids from Ethiopia that we have to make adjustments for?? YES! But, the main thing is that we are undeniably a family!!!! We are one....now if we can just find someone to invent clothes that don't get dirty and take up no space...life would be grand!

It's officially official!

2009-11-17T16:31:00.002-06:00

Despite a bout of stomach illness the night before, I wasn't about to reschedule the proceedings for the state of Missouri to recognize our Ethiopian adoption on Monday. I am just now getting to post the pics and story because I felt awful!!! It was fairly simple and we had Dawit's name changed to Dawit Curtis and his birthdate changed to March 28 (according to what his mom told us.) So now we are officially a family of 8 according to the US! Now we just have to finish homestudies and do their citizenship paperwork to be oh so much closer to the end of paperwork!!

On another note, we did have bloodwork redone on the boys. There was good news and the same news. Dawit's work came back clear. Muluken's was confirmed to be what we thought. Again, this is not anything that we can't deal with, but it will be lifetime for him and doctor's visits with a specialist a couple of times a year at least. Just continue to pray for our family as we continue to live life with a blended family!! We love them all soooo much!! I hope to post some more, but I am fairly busy with my new job and just life with 6 kids! Sorry for the lack of posting.....

Steph

First post adoption meeting

2009-10-22T16:16:00.003-05:00

Today we had our first homestudy meeting post adoption. It seems that everything is going so well. We are all melding into our life together. The kids play like best friends and fight like brothers and sisters!!! She was quite impressed by how they got along! We really have been blessed by our transition. We have had to adjust to the amazing amount of laundry and food that we eat, but other than that it has been an overall good adjustment. I still look forward to more of the stories that the boys have to tell us. I know that as they speak more English that they will be able to answer questions that we may have about their lives. It is so hard to think of them being in Ethiopia and the lives that they once had. They are truly our boys and part of our lives now. BUT I know they carry around memories and characteristics from their families and their homeland.

We had parent-teacher conferences this week. The boys are doing great. Their grades are modified, because they receive a lot of help right now, but we have already seen so much improvement in their ability to understand and read. Dawit even reads books and takes accelerated reader tests on them. He reads at about a 1st grade level, but that is soooo awesome to me! Their math grades were not modified and they both have B's!!! Overall, they are really coming along after only 8 weeks of school! Of course, our other kids are blowing it out of the water too! I am so happy that they do well. God has blessed us.

On a sad note....I ran out of my Ethiopian coffee last week!!! BOO HOO!! Let me tell you...I loved it and now I have to try to find some that tastes as good. I do know of some from Rwanda calles Thousand Hills. I may have to go back to that!!!

Finally a post!

2009-10-02T11:07:00.003-05:00

Well it's been a little while, but I am back! The boys are doing great and Dawit has read books and tested in A. R. even! He is doing great in school. Things are going better for Muluken too. He continues to recognize more words and is doing better in Math as well. As far as the home front goes, we have all learned a little more about dealing with each other. I react to any given situation better and the boys are not throwing as many fits or having as many outbursts. We are all understanding things just a little better. One day at a time...sweet Jesus! So much has happened in the last few weeks....

Our church had a shower for the boys. They loved on us a little more and gave us clothes, toys, gift cards and all kinds of stuff! They were great! I have been working for the last two weeks. This is my first weekday off! soooooo I am cleaning house and catching up on emails, facebook and of course, the blog! I will really like my job once I feel like I know what I am supposed to do! My first paycheck gets sent out today...YIPPEE!! I really want my actual schedule to start so that I am not working every week day....

I posted some pictures of our Ethiopia reunion in Branson! We are with the Reddings at Silver Dollar City. Fun times were had by all. We would love to live closer to them because the boys love each other and we love the Reddings!!

Each day of this process is a new adventure. Not knowing when the boys are overstimulated and kinda melt down and when they are ready to keep playing is a challenge in and of itself, but like I said...it is getting better all the time. One thing is for certain....I love this family and our lives here on earth. I am totally completely blessed by them, my friends, and our church! I look forward to each day to see what God has in store for all of us......BUT I cannot wait to see Him face to face... what a day that will be!!!!

A new realization...

2009-09-22T23:00:00.003-05:00

I am deep tonight...I'm actually trying to go to sleep, but my coughing fit is preventing it right now...so I'm on the internet. I have started my job this week. It is only training right now, so kinda boring! But...I just went on facebook and got to a website about a little girl in Ethiopia that died of malnutrition. I've been there. I've seen the people in Addis Ababa. I have brought two of them home with me!!! But I was touched differently tonight as I watched the video about her. Before they even said they were in Ethiopia, I could tell they were. The people have a distinct look and they always smile. Here, people should be smiling and don't! Again, I'm off track....

As I watched, I realized that she was born in the same year as Dawit. She was his age. She died of malnutrition. How does this happen? My own life has engulfed and overshadowed the life that my two sons have lived. It's still hard at this point to know the extent of the situations that they were in, but I saw pictures of Muluken from over a year ago, and I see him now. There is a big difference! It even breaks my heart more to have them here and know that they could have died. There are more that are dying each day. I thank God for the ability and chance to expand our family, but I still get caught up in my daily activities and forget simple things like..."they have never done that" or "they have never seen that". I forget that there are over 140,000 million orphans still out there all over the world. So...I need to pray for guidance and that people will be moved to action to remedy the fact that so many need just one balanced meal a day. I don't know...I'm rambling...but I do know that it is hard for me to think of my kids, any of them, in that situation. I pray that I never have to see that and I pray that others can see their kids live a long a healthy life all over the world.

Happenings

2009-09-12T16:04:00.003-05:00

Well...I have been reminded several times that I have not blogged. Life has snuck in with all it's reality and I just have not taken care of the blog or even much at my own home lately. Starting Sept. 1 I started working non-stop on our rental house and then we went to Branson for the AWAA reunion and then 4 days straight of working on the house again. My dad has been here helping me and it helps to have help!! Now it has fixed floors, new floors and a myriad of other fix ups have been done and are in progress.. Yes I am an avid do-it-yourselfer!!! My home and family have suffered a little because of it, but I go to work next week (21st) and I need to get it all done asap. That aside...that is why I have not answered emails, or blogged for quite a while!

We all are doing well. The boys have started to adjust to school very well. Dawit can read lots of words and his math skills are great! Muluken loves school although it is easy to see that he has not had much schooling if any before the Transition Home. They become more naturally fitting members of our family every day! They are our children and are really starting to respond to us in ways that our bio kids would. It is so fun to just hug them and say that we love them and they know it! Luke still pulls away more than Dawit, but not nearly as much as he used to.

They had a great time at the reunion last weekend. I have pictures that I have not downloaded yet. It was great meeting all the people I have only read of up until that point. The Reddings were our buddies in Branson! Wow!! Great family and so much fun for us to get to know them. The boys are good buds with thier son Levi (Mamush). They had a great time hanging out with him all weekend! Hannah was in 7 th heaven because she got to meet Mahlet Rovang, and met a new friend, Fetlawork, and got to see Selamawit Gillman! If I heard Selamawit is soooo cute once...I heard it a million times! We hung out, played at the park, went to Shepherd of the Hills, went to Silver Dollar City, and then went to White Water all in 3 days! We had a lot of fun and were tired when we got home! It was great to connect and hear how others are doing in their post-adoption journey!! I will try to get some pics up soon! First I'm filling out 3 month post visit paperwork!! Yeah...it never ends!

Next Weekend!

2009-08-28T13:05:00.002-05:00

Over Labor Day weekend, we get to visit with families from all over the US that have adopted from Ethiopia through our organization. I am so excited to meet some of the families that have inspired us throughout our journey. The boys get to meet up with several of their friends from the Transition Home! They can hardly wait!! They especially can't wait to see their friend Besufakad (Mamush...now Levi) Redding. We are excited to meet them too!

Things here have been good. Each day is new and I am really ready for some more English conversation from the boys, but I know it will come in time. I just look around a lot and realize how incredibly blessed we are...6 beautiful children, a home, jobs, a great church, each other, and great friends....all this brought together by relationship with Jesus Christ!! I don't see how people face life without that peace that He brings. It's real. He's powerful. Somehow...people would rather depend on themselves (including me sometimes). Quoting from a popular song right now, "There's no such thing as perfect people. There's no such thing as a perfect life...." but there is rest in our perfect GOD!

Reality

2009-08-22T12:39:00.002-05:00

Well, a little more of reality set in for Dawit and us last night. Sometimes, I have to get on to the boys for messing with something or just plain being ornery! But, sometimes, they don't understand (or I don't) and they pout or they cry. Last night, something like that happened...I told them both that everything was ok and it was no big deal. They just stayed quiet...it was about 8:30. Muluken pouted for a minute and then sat with me in a chair watching TV...Dawit was in the other room with Josh. In a few minutes, Dawit came in and just layed in the floor face down. I asked him what was wrong, but he would not respond at all. After a few minutes, I asked him to sit on my lap...which he did. I held him and asked him what was wrong. I asked him if he was sad...He nodded. I went through everyone, "Did mom make you sad?" etc. He said no to all. I finally asked the dreaded question..."Do you miss Ethiopia?" He nodded. "Do you miss your mom?" He nodded and started crying....

Where can my heart go? It completely broke for him. I know that he was tired from a full week of school, but there was really no impetus for this...just his deep feelings. I held him. I told him I loved him. I told him that I always would love him and I would never stop. He cried for just a few minutes, went back to the other room, and laid in the chair and fell asleep within 10 minutes. Everything has been going so well, but I have always known that the newness will wear off and that as reality sets in...their reality will really set in. Muluken's situation is different. No parents. No family that is able to take him in. Dawit's mom felt it was in his best interest to let him go. What a hard thing for all involved. We know that it can bring up all kinds of feelings in a kids to know that someone "let them go." We will definitely be asking for grace in the both our kids lives as they grow and deal with all the feelings associated with adoption.

This morning, same old smiley Dawit is playing and enjoying the most gorgeous day almost ever created! God is good......all the time.

OK OK Already!!

2009-08-19T20:29:00.003-05:00

Well at least a couple of people have gotten on to me about not posting for the last few days!! OK...here goes. It seems like life is getting into a routine. We have had 5 days of school and all is going pretty well. The boys are learning. They both enjoy school each day. Muluken enjoyed it a little too much today. He had to "pull a buck" for playing loudly in the bathroom! When he got in trouble then he would not look at the teacher for the rest of the day. He also did not do his work, so he had homework tonight! I can see it all happening...It will get better. It is already so much better here. He does not pull away so much when he gets in trouble or hurt. It will just take a while longer at school!

Dawit is able to read sentences out of his library book and some books we have at home. Besides the occasional very loud crying fit for attention, he is doing great! The rest of the kids are great too. They still fight over who sits by the boys at supper, so we have had to institute an order to who gets to pick where everyone sits each night! I am hoping that it does not keep up forever, but it's still pretty sweet.

I am dealing with questions about some medical testing we had done earlier. There is a lot of conflicting information that we are receiving from our agency and the docs here. We are planning on repeating the testing that was done, due to the fact that what we know to be fact, does not match with what a particular doctor is trying to tell us is his opinion. There is no huge issue especially for the present, but it will answer a lot of questions if another lab does their bloodwork and there is a different result. I have to wait until after Sept. 21 when my very awesome insurance kicks in to do it though! Pray that the results will confirm what we think!

Anyway...we are geared up for more of the new normal!!!

First Day of School!!

2009-08-13T09:03:00.004-05:00

Couldn't resist this photo! Someone said they liked any meat that you could eat from a bone...example #1!!!

In our town....school starts today!!!! Everyone was ready! Well, Hannah and Josh were not overly excited...we'll see how the boys are when they get home! No bikes all day may mean no fun!! I don't think so though. They will have a great time I'm sure!

Yesterday I had to take Dawit back to the dentist to have a cavity filled. The first half started ok then the bottom fell out! I think he just got overwhelmed and then he started crying and kept crying until they were done and then for a few minutes! About 30 minutes later, he was fine and has been ever since. The problem is that he has two more! They are not as bad and we are waiting a month or two before we do them. Then he will be able to understand that it won't be as bad as before and that the pain/discomfort goes away quickly. He does like the flouride mouthwash!!

It sure is quiet around here! I think Jessica is going through withdrawal with such little activity so far. I have promised her lunch out and then our neighbors get home early today and I'm sure the playing will begin! God is good!

Thoughts and recent activities...

2009-08-08T16:03:00.005-05:00

Well at least it finally feels like summer around here. Today it's currently 94 and just walking outside makes you sweat! We have had a blessed summer and our lives are blessed continually by an awesome God! I love to meet people who have a heart for adoption. It's nice to know that there are people that God is leading to adopt both here and abroad. We definitely do not think that one is better than the other. We know God leads people to do what they are specifically called to do. What I don't understand is how some people can be so negative about all kinds of adoption. We have had it easy, but I know of people who get all kinds of discouraging comments and whose families have just about disowned them. Hmmm...maybe they are not Christians...I wish that were the reason...but alot of Christians can also be sooo discouraging. I pray that those people stop and really look at the fact that Christ adopted us all. It is an unwarranted expression of His love. We were not born Godians...we were adopted and became heirs of the inheritance that only Christ was entitled to. WOW!!!! I know that God does not call everyone to bring more children into their homes...but He does desire "pure religion"-that orphans and widows be taken care of in their distress. There are tons of organizations to work with and groundwork that can be done. I encourage you all to consider what it is that God has specifically called you to do within the framework of practicing "pure religion."

I have posted pics of Six Flags on Facebook, but I will post a few pics here. They boys are still doing great. I have heard the words hot, mommy, water....more than I can count since we've been home, but I love it! We continue to just step on to the next day and see what God has in store...So excited for our traveling friends that are going THIS WEEK!!!!! And we are so excited for our waiting friends here in Rolla...We should have a really big group of Ethiopian kids here within the next year!! How awesome is that!?

Oh...I also forgot...I took a job this week! I start in late September and that is soooo perfect for us right now! God is good!

Such Fun!

2009-08-03T20:48:00.002-05:00

Well... our boys might think America is just one big happy play place by now. I thought that when we got home we would lie low and just relax. We should try to acclimate the boys to America, Missouri, Rolla, our home, church etc! At the same time, we live in between all our parents and family and need to keep things normal for our bio kids right? We pretty much have just done as always. The boys have adapted very well. We have been swimming, to Six Flags, to a carnival, and learned to ride bikes with no training wheels in the last 3 weeks. We have done down time too. Just sit and relax and be an at home family with each other, but I know life is about to change for all of us when school starts. Amazingly, it starts next Thursday! I am soooo glad that Jim is their principal and that we have absolutely great teachers! I really have no fears about sending them or their adjustment. I know that we will be doing a lot of homework help!!!

I have tried not to say too much about our adjustment.. but I must say it has been really great overall. There are always things that come up, but we are all getting to know each other and they are typical kids in lots of ways. They want to ride somebody else's bike, or have one more piece of candy, just like all other kids! They love to go wherever we go and they have not been overly affectionate to anyone or overly scared of any situation. I would say we have it pretty good. Our own kids have done well too! I try to watch out for all of them to see if we need to talk about something, but I have been so proud of they way they treat their brothers!

At church Sunday, Dawit pointed at the cross at the front with a puzzled face. I told him that it was the cross...Jesus died on the cross...he just said cross and that was it. That made me wish even more for the ability to explain things to them. I so want them to really trust Christ with their lives. I know that they know of Jesus and love church, but I don't really know what they know about Christ. To me this is the most important thing to be able to explain to them!

I am sooo excited for my Yahoo Group friends to get on their way to Ethiopia! I can not wait for them to pick up their beautiful kids! I will be keeping up on facebook and blogs Amy and Kim!!! God speed and blessing to you all!!

Is it Thursday again????

2009-07-24T16:21:00.002-05:00

Ok..well we only spent 2.5 hours in Walmart today....looking for the $10 gift card that I just had bought for Dawit took about 30-45 minutes!!!! I guess it fell out of his holder and landed on the floor...an employee picked it up and put it on the bike racks...too bad it was not one of the 5 employees I had previously asked!!! It's hard to ask where he thought he lost it...that he had no money without it...etc! What a life...I wouldn't trade it for the world!

What a ride!

2009-07-24T09:43:00.002-05:00

Literally!!! I don't have pictures, because I was not there when it happened...but before I got to the church parking lot, where our kids were riding their bikes, Muluken, Dawit,and Jessica...all started riding without training wheels!!! GLORY BE!!! As mad as I got over putting them on last week...now they don't need them anymore...I figured that would be the case anyway, but it was such a fun night! That was on Wed. night. Yesterday, Muluken wanted me to put his back on. I think it is because the yard is not very easy to ride in. I think on Wed. Dawit had 2 bandaids on his knees until we went to the parking lot. He and Muluken are not good at stopping, so they crashed into each other! He earned 2 more bandaids on the same knee and cried for 10 minutes! Then he got back on and rode! Fun times.......

Then....Thursday happened...well, 20 minutes on Thursday happened.....

Muluken got ahold of the video camera and filmed about 3-4 minutes of nothing. Doesn't sound so bad, right? Well, I had the video camera cued up and ready to take to our music minister at church. He wanted to use our footage of Loran's baptism and our friend Ethan's baptism. YES..I said it was cued up....so YES..Muluken taped nothing over Loran's and Ethan's one and only baptism video! Needless to say...I am still almost crying over it. What do you do in that instance. He got to play with the video camera in Ethiopia. He did not know. But, he did not ask and just took it and taped. What do I DO????? Of course I did not handle it well. I raised my voice at him trying to explain how upset I was....then I showed him pictures on the computer of Loran's baptism and said this Muluken broke. Then I started bawling and then Muluken started bawling!! Sounds like inspired parenting Huh? I'm thinking of writing a book! In the end, we were getting ready to leave and go swimming. I was not in a good mood to say the least. But, I hugged him and told him that I love him ( in Amharic and English) and that I always would, and then we went swimming. What else could I do? I'm sure he understood the concept that he did something wrong, but I'm also sure that he does not know the extent of what happened and I can not explain it to him...Someday...and today...is just another gift from God!

The new normal...

2009-07-20T15:13:00.008-05:00

This is what everyone affectionately calls the way of life after you get home from Ethiopia! I'm not sure we have ever been normal! We have had a lot of fun since coming home. Yesterday we visited some friends from church who have a hobby farm. It was great fun! Everyone loved getting a chance to try to milk the cow and then pet and ride the mini donkeys. Dawit would have stayed to milk all the milk out of the cow. He was good at it! In the picture above...Muluken (Luke)...was happy..then the donkey decided to take off on a trot and surprise everyone. He fell off flat on his front...I think his pride was hurt more than anything. He had to be coaxed around after that!

In instances like that...I sooo wish English was spoken and understood! It is hard to get through to them that they are loved and that people are laughing because it all looked comical...no one was laughing at him. Hard, but it all worked out. The boys are trying their best to test in different ways as well. They like to know what they can get away with and then look really charming and smiley. It hasn't worked! Once again...it would be nice to have the language, but it's kinda like have toddlers again! They know.... they just want to act like they don't!

For the most part, the new normal is great! They are great boys and are family gets along like a family! It's hard to go to the store for all the "MOMMY look, MOMMY look, MOMMY yes?, MOMMY, MOMMY>>>>>>" and so on, but it will get better! We laugh alot!!

I'm so excited for all my friends with upcoming court dates and tentative travel dates to go get their new family members and for them to start their new normal! Love you all!!!

Steph

Swimming!!

2009-07-18T12:48:00.003-05:00

We go swimming every Friday night at our town's city water park with the volleyball or basketball teams that are in town for the tournaments that Jim works for! Yesterday it got up to about 78 or so and was not warm. Last night, I think it was in the upper 60's when we got there....No matter to all the fish in our family!

This was the first time going swimming with the boys and I did not know what to expect! Well, we stopped to talk to some friends right outside the park and Josh took everyone in. The next thing we know...Josh is at the top of the big slides with Muluken (who pretty much only shows fear for big dogs). I did not think he would go down, but before we could even get inside he had gone down the open slide and was standing in the water laughing and having a great time! He has obviously been swimming before! He was going under and kicking his feet...but I'm not so sure I would trust him at all around water over his head! I think I'm in for it!

Dawit, on the other hand, was very cautious and would not even go down the kiddie slide! That's ok with me for now...He will get used to it and he had fun! They were all done in about 45 minutes and were freezing to death!! Fun times!

I think we finally got all the training wheel issues taken care of and are able to get everyone a bike to ride at the same time! Such big deals.......

We are going to church tomorrow and I'm excited to let everyone meet the boys...It might just be a little overwhelming, because we have a great church and a lot of people are very supportive of us and can't wait to meet them. We have already met alot from meals being brought to seeing people in the grocery store!

Great verse for today...Psalm 65:4 "Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house of your holy temple."

Update!

2009-07-16T16:44:00.005-05:00

OK...I guess I got enough sympathy from everyone yesterday,,,Ha! Really, it was a good day and Dawit woke up to me and I gave him a kiss and he smiled and the rest is history! We went to Loran's ballgame and everything was fine the rest of the day!

Now today...I have appreciated reading everyone's comments from yesterday...I soooo love that people that are farther along in the journey really know what is going on and that they can say things like, " in a few weeks...."! I know that everything has it's own place and time and that there is a learning curve here.

That curve is on the part of the boys and all of us! I went to buy some training wheels for one more of our bikes and the guy said they might not fit if the bolt holding the back tire was not long enough...of course I had to try anyway and I stripped out the bolt and then tried to configure it without the part that keeps the wheels straight....of course it did not work and I was sooooo frustrated. I yelled and hit the ratchet on the ground and tried not to say things I would regret! I wasn't entirely successful! Anyway, the ratchet hitting tirade brought a littany of laughs from the two newest Pritchett's which I was thankful for!!! After apologizing to all the kids I settled down and said..."Dad's gonna have to do it!!!" It's interesting how strong we can think we are and then in a blink of an eye see our utter weakness.

As I type this... the boys are having a one-handed boxing match and using pillows....it's quite comical! I LOVE the giggles....Josh is in heaven!

Our first meltdown!

2009-07-15T13:46:00.005-05:00

Sorry...the sheep have the right of way!!

Nicer storefronts outside the guest house.

This is how our laundry got done!!!!

The meltdown......

I've been waiting for it...I feel so sorry for Dawit. He got in trouble for pushing Muluken and Josh...not hard...but it caused Muluken a scrape. I just wanted him to say he's sorry...which he understands how to do...but he would not do it. I just had him sit on the couch...we were all around, but he started crying...and crying....and crying...I held him for a while, then left him. I held him again...then left. I took him upstairs and held him, and then I asked him if he wanted to lay down. He went right to sleep in his bed.

They have been through so much. They are not on their own time or turf anymore, not to mention losing parents and contact with parents. Muluken is doing good for right now. He has a harder time understanding than Dawit when it comes to language, but he is doing ok. As parents, we are dealing with some other issues with their adoption right now so please pray for us all. We are doing great. There is no remorse or anything like that...we just need wisdom in a particular area right now. I will divulge more information if it warrants and is ok, later.

I have put a picture on of the street close to the Guest House with some stores on it. It is a nicer area of stores that sell mainly western clothing and such. It gives you an idea of what the whole city looks like...and yes it is a nicer area. There are a few other even nicer areas we saw... but many places didn't even have doors. Our trip is a trip that has changed us forever in only good ways! We are very thankful for where we live and what we have, but very appreciative of the culture that our kids left behind. People are affectionate and happy...not so in a lot of places here. Too bad! Our other pictures are still on our flash drive which I don't have right now...so I will write and post more pics later!

Steph

We are home!!

2009-07-12T13:11:00.002-05:00

Well, we made it! We left for the airport at 4:30 pm Friday Ethipian time and made it home last night (Sat.) at 8:30 our time...all in all around 36 hours of travel! We had to hustle to make it to all of our connections except the last one at DC. When we got to ST Louis...our luggage was on a flight from Raleigh, NC. We only had to wait another hour or so and it all came through! Talk about some tired Pritchett's! We were all in bed by 9:30 or 10 and although I woke up once...Jim and I got up around 8. The boys were already up and just playing in their room. Laundry is being done and everything is going pretty smooth. They don't like the lunch meat on their sandwiches at noon...we'll will have to experiment! I don't have the pictures of our trip loaded on this computer yet, but when I do...I will post them here and probably on Facebook! We are glad to be home, but I was very sad to leave Ethiopia. The boys have left all they have every known. On the way out, a cousin of Muluken's was working at the airport and recognized him. Very awkward. She said that she missed him. I did not know what to say except that we were going to take very good care of him and that we loved him.

The boys are playing and waiting anxiously for the kids to get here...as am I!!!! Please pray for all of the families that we took pictures for. They are all going through some tough times with court closures coming up, and very long wait times since they got their referrals. Actually one baby is sick that we took pictures of and we just got word that one family's child passed away this week from a sudden illness. They know she is with Christ, but this is their child. Although they had not held her, they had bonded on their end and it is sooo hard for them. Please lift them up to heaven for God's mercy and comfort.

This whole trip has been amazing. There is so much that I want to write in my observations, but I will save that until it is quieter and I have had some time to collect my thoughts. Thank you all for all your prayers! Pray for Ethiopia.....

Steph

The Past Few Days

2009-07-09T22:27:00.001-05:00

Tuesday
It’s been another awesome day! Shopping for gifts and mementos at the market was an adventure. Everyone sold the same stuff, but at all different prices and bargaining is the norm. We weren’t exactly great at bargaining, but we bought a lot for less than $100. Then we had lunch and headed to the transition home.
We met Dawit’s mother today. There were times that it was hard for us to understand the situation, but we were able to get some great information about his family. She does love him, cannot take care of him, and is so happy he is happy and going to a good family. She gave us a bunch of pictures of his brother and sister and her. She wants to keep up with him by writing through AWAA. We told her that was great and we would write her back! She had some necklaces for him and a shirt for him to keep. Quite a deal!
We then took pictures of children for 5 families that we brought care packages for. That was so much fun!!! I am sending emails to you all! We took video for everyone! I love it! Can’t wait for everyone to get their kiddos!
We are back at the Transition home with the boys. They are beautiful! We just put them to bed after playing a rousing game of Trouble! I did not win! They ate almost every bit of their big plate of food for supper. They also have been playing with the stuffed dogs that the kids picked out for them. I really can’t hardly wait for them to get home with us to meet the kids! They will fit in so well. Their eyes are full of wonder just being here. Muluken wants to watch TV all the time! There are no kids shows on here, so too bad for right now! Tomorrow we go to the Consulate for their visas. It promises to be a long day! I think we plan on having an informal worship service right before supper tomorrow night! We have a great group!
By the way… Dawit is pronounced Dah as in dog- weet. Hold the Dah out longer than the weet! Muluken is pronounced with a short u sound in the first syllable-Mu…followed by the sound in book-lu, then the ken is emphasized. Mu-loo-KEN. Just thought I would give everyone a heads up! We don’t even do it right! So…with that…I will send and post and get ready for bed myself!
Steph

Wednesday
We went to the Consulate today and our paperwork was approved. We will get their Visas on Friday. We are going to the orphanages that each boy was in tomorrow. That should prove to be very interesting. The air quality here stinks….literally! There is nothing but exhaust fumes every time we go out! It has really started to bother me today. My sinuses are gross.
My lovely husband surprised me with the bracelet that has our four kids (at home) names on it today…He added Dawit and Muluken’s names before we left the US!!!! Yes he’s a keeper! The bracelet is quite large by now, but it makes it look even better!
The boys are great! We bought them some toys that take batteries and you would think that we bought them the most precious gift ever! They smile and laugh a lot. They also try to test us…especially Muluken! He will take 5 pictures and then when I tell him it’s Dawit’s turn for 5 he always says 1 more and then takes it anyway! KIDS!! It is so great to see that kids are kids everywhere. Dawit is very smart. He showed me his schoolwork. He has been doing 3 number addition and subtraction and has done some multiplication as well. He writes very well in English. Muluken can write, but does not recognize things as well and we can tell his schooling has not been as much. “T’ told us today that the date that Dawit’s mother wrote down he thinks is actually in Feb or Mar for his birthday, making him 7 already. It makes sense. We will be doing some serious looking at birthdates and development before school starts.
I have no idea if we will have internet connection to post today’s and yesterday’s blog…but I hope you can get them before weeks end…I am worn out tonight! I am typing these and saving them so that Jim can copy and paste, or I might if we get internet soon!
We miss everyone!
Steph

Thursday
Well, I had this post almost done and then the power went out! No surprise, but always at the wrong time! Today we went to both orphanages that the boys were in before the Transition Home. Dawit was in Kid’s Care and Muluken was in Gelgela. They got to see their nannies and the directors . They were both very loved by the people there! I can see why I thought Muluken’s first picture looked pitiful. I felt sorry for but hopeful for the kids that were there! It is a sight to behold. It is not just summer camp. Everything is community property and that is not always such a good thing, especially if you don’t want to spread germs to everyone else. The best thing of the day was that we got more information on Muluken….where he came from, how long he was in the orphanage, and that he does remember his father a little bit. Muluken went right in and started hugging and kissing the men and women at Gelgela. Of course, he was there from May 2008 until March 2009!!! It was his 2nd family….
We also found out Dawit’s birthday is March 28….Now I know we have said several things, but this is the true date that his mother gave us. So he is already 7. Now that means we have to decide between first and second grade. We will be able to determine school for both of them in the next few weeks. He is already doing math in advance of 2nd grade, so that is good. I think that reading and writing will just take a little more time.
The men are getting to go out for a men’s night tonight…funny how that happened after we got the kids!!! Just like home! Ha! Tomorrow we are planning on going to finish up our shopping, packing up and leaving for the airport by 4 or 4:30. Our flight leaves at 7:30 and gets back in NY at 7:30 am on Saturday morning. We will have travelled about 20 hours by the time we get there! We should be back in Rolla sometime in the evening…we will be happy to be home…with a pile of laundry!! Can’t wait to be there!!!
Steph

Here are some pics...hopefully!!

2009-07-06T16:03:00.002-05:00

What a meetcha day!!!

2009-07-06T15:14:00.005-05:00

Words can only pale in comparison to the actuality of this day! The best way I know to explain what has transpired is just to begin at the beginning....

We got up and ate breakfast downstairs at the Guest House. Then we met at 10am and did our consulate paperwork. Everything is well directed with this...but for anyone coming next...make extra copies of everything just in case you mess up! After that, we went to a restaurant at the Addis museum that houses the "LUCY" remains. We were all high strung because we knew we were about to meet our children. We have a group of 9 families and it necessitated some real planning (Sara Jackson!) to get our photo and video assignments in line. Everyone wanted to make sure that we captured the moments!

We then drove to the Transition Home. We piled out of the vans, literally, and it was evident that there was going to be a lot of crying going on! This group is awesome and meeting our kids together was amazing. We went in alphabetical order, which meant we were last! Oh well! The first to go were the Bushres and they were getting a 4 month old boy and they are first time parents! I got to video for them and I was bawling!!!! He was beautiful! We continued on, each time...it was so amazing and tearful! We actually saw Muluken and Dawit peek out the side door before it all started!

Then it came to us! The moment at last! Dawit and Muluken came walking out hand in hand. Of course, I was crying and Jim was teary eyed!! As they approached us their heads were down, but they were smiling! They were very shy at first...they did not speak much and I was not sure how long it would take them to warm up. They were the oldest children today as well. I took them to our bag and gave them the Hot Wheels that we brought for them. They immediately opened them and we went to the steps to play with them. They are just like every other kid...they started rolling them toward each other to crash them!!! From there things just got better! We played cars..then we tossed the football and played keep away from dad. We did a little soccer as well. They then got ahold of both the camera and video camera....oh my!!! They took so many pictures and so much video...it was hilarious!!

We spoke to them through T, Dawit(our driver), and Robel. We asked them what they like to eat. Macaroni for Muluken, and eggs for Dawit!! Ice cream ranked right up there too!! They showed us where they slept and where they went to school. They like school and their favorite subject is English! It was so very evident that these boys are our sons. Guess what...they even had their moments of not sharing and getting upset with each other.

We had to leave them there today, but we told them that we would be back to take them with us tomorrow. We hugged and kissed them a bunch, but it wasn't until we were leaving that Muluken gave me a kiss!! That did me good!!!

We left there and the ladies went to a coffee shop and then got massages/pedicures/manicures of choice. Let me tell you, it was as nice or nicer than anyplace in the US and the massage and pedicure that I got cost me about $23 and was the best I have ever had! We ran late and then went to an authentic Ethiopian restaurant. It was great. I haven't come to love the food...it is ok and I do not dislike it...I just don't love it! The best part was the band and the dancers! They were great and got some audience involvement!!!

Tomorrow we get up for shopping. I hope to get some great things for our family and friends! After that, we found out that we are going to meet Dawit's mother before we get them. Pray that we will be a blessing to her. We did not know about it until today and we need to be clear on asking questions that matter. Please pray for this! We then get to take pics for the people that sent us care packages and photo releases! Let me tell you...I am now more excited about this than ever!!!! When the rest of the kids came out today...I noticed very many that I recognized from blogs of people who have passed court! I couldn't remember who they all belonged to. I hope to take good notes for people tomorrow. I have not been on YG, so I don't know what has happened with court news etc.. I hope great things! Beautiful children await you all.

For everyone in any stage of your adoption...please know that when you get here, you will know that God has had His hand in your life and the life of your children. His timing is perfect! You will be in the travel group you are supposed to be in, and you will have such peace and joy! I am so excited for you all!! AND by the way, if you are traveling in July or August...bring warm clothes. Jeans and t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, jackets, etc. It is officially winter here and it probably got into the 70's here today, but it also has rained every day and is chilly.

I want my kiddos and family at home to know that we are so excited for you to be able to meet your new brothers, grandkids, and nephews! I also want you to know that we love you all very much and can't wait to be back. We are truly enjoying our journey, however! Kisses to you Hannah, Josh , Loran and Jessie! I miss you! We will show the boys your video tomorrow when we get them to the guest house!

Again, there is no way to explain the emotion of this day...I couldn't really even begin. Just know that it is goooooooooooood!!!!

Love,
Steph

Ok, now the blogger is on!!!

2009-07-05T11:15:00.003-05:00

We are officially here! We got here, they lost one of our bags somewhere, not a big, big deal, but it did hold all of my scrub donations along with formula and medicine etc. Hopefully I will get it back tomorrow. We were "helped" by the people at the airport, but had no money to tip...we kept telling them no, but they followed us all the way out to the van. Our driver's name is Dawit! They call him David alot. He threw about 15 bags up on top of the van and off we went!

Going through the streets was hard. There were people just everywhere and there were people buying goats and getting ready to slaughter them out in the open. It's second nature. I looked over and saw boys the ages of our kids. One in particular had something wrong with his leg. He was climbing on top of a large pile of dirt and rubble looking for things to pick up. He was having a hard time moving well. I can't stress the fact that there were people EVERYWHERE! Seeing the conditions all around and not just on a 2-d postcard was amazing.

There were many beautiful things today as well. People smiled, held hands, and had their arms around each other... they are a very affectionate people. We took a tour with another couple to a church...I think it was the first orthodox church in Ethiopia...it was a little hard to understand everything. It was at the top of a mountain and a former emperor had built his home and seat of government just below the height of the church, to symbolize the proper authority (what a novel idea)! There was a little museum with it and a guided tour by a local citizen. It was really interesting to find out more about the city and country that we are in. He told us Addis Ababa means new flower.

I would post some pictures, but alas, our cable is in the bag that is hopefully on route to the airport. I am starting to realize that there is more in there than I thought!

Kiddos! I miss you so much! I wish you were here to see what it is like and how God has overly blessed us in this life so far. I also wish you could see the beauty of the spirit of the people here even with so little. Just like everywhere, there are people that have more money than others, but overall....it is very poor. Most of all I wish to put my arms around you all and kiss you to pieces!! I love you all so much! I can't wait to see you again!

Tomorrow we get up to do paperwork and lunch and then we get to go meet our kids! I can't wait for that moment....and all that follow! We end out the day with a traditional Ethiopian meal which I look forward to very much! I'm sure Jim will wish for Burger King, but while in Addis........outta luck!

Hope to get luggage back and post pics tomorrow! What an adventure that we are on! FCC Haiti team members...praying for you!

Love,
Steph

We're In Ethiopia

2009-07-05T07:05:00.002-05:00

We're finally in Addis Ababa. Getting ready to go on a trip to the mountains. Will write more later. (Steph will, that is.) J-

Happy 4th of July!!! From Dubai!

2009-07-04T13:00:00.005-05:00

It is our last night and we are finished with Dubai! It was interesting and I'm glad we came, but I am so glad to be going to Ethiopia tomorrow. I will not be able to post as easily or as much, but I am glad to be on the most important part of our trip. We got to the beach for 10minutes...guess that's all we needed! We were able to watch the fountain show tonight. I got it on video. It was really neat! We also took in the Aquarium at the mall. I still can't get over how HUGE the mall is. We bought nothing. We weren't planning on it. Prices are higher here too! I am including a couple more pics of our travels so far!! We miss the fireworks! Shoot some off for us!!

We're not in Missouri anymore!

2009-07-04T02:04:00.002-05:00

It's pretty evident by the first picture that we are not in a US hotel. I don't think I've ever seen a directional marker in a hotel pointing me to Mecca. I know I haven't seen one pointing to the cross! Dubai is a very international city. Our guide was from the Phillipines and goes home for one month every year to see his family. They have been here to see him twice in the last 14 years. Crazy! Most workers here are international. They bus in workers from their "accomodations" outside the city. They are mainly construction workers. Our guide agency houses their guides. The emirates are separate states run by ruling families of kings, princes, and cabinet members. The king of Abu Dhabi is the President of the Emirates, and the king of Dubai is the Vice President and Prime Minister. Their are no elections for these positions. What is interesting, is that there is little crime here. I think they know what will happen to them if they do commit a crime! HMMMM...consequences work!

Everything is very upscale. The streets are paved with bricks where we are in all the roads are immaculate. Every highway is lighted from start to finish. Can you imagine I-70 completely lit from KC to STL?...and with no construction, potholes, or any deformity? That is what the roads look like here.

We are going back to the Mall today. We are kinda tired! Jim is actually napping, which is really no different than if we were at home!! Ha! It is very hot and we just go across the street and enter a place called the Palace to go through a souk (stores) to get to the Mall. The largest fountain in the world is at the entrance. I am going to take pictures of that tonight. We leave here at 0540 in the morning to go to the airport where we will board a plane to Ethiopia where it will be nothing like Dubai or America, but that is where our family is!!!

Speaking of family...I got a picture from uncle Pat that shows my precious boy at home with broken front teeth! He broke them last summer and had them repaired. Just last week we had one repaired that had chipped off. Now they are both off again! I thought he was kidding and had sent us an old pic from last year, but everyone assured me that he was not kidding! GREAT! Back to the dentist we go....but what are you gonna do? 6 kids.......enough said!

Steph

Camels and sand!!

2009-07-03T15:22:00.003-05:00

Well, here we are...after 4 wheeling up and down and sideways...and me taking dramamine in the middle of it...(not good with motion sickness)...we made it to our set up camp and had some Arabian food complete with a belly dancer. The food was great. The belly dancer was ...interesting! They like to take pictures of you with your arms out like your having lots of fun!!

We are going back to the Dubai mall tomorrow. Only took in the first floor today. It is huge and the whole city is very western. We may go to the beach tomorrow and then to the mall and aquarium. It is too late to be wide awake, so I'm taking a pill and going to bed!

Steph

Dubai

2009-07-03T01:05:00.002-05:00

Well after getting up at 4am CST on Wed July 1, having one flight cancelled and leaving later, getting stuck in Raleigh NC for 4 hours and then losing the ability to see anything in NY, instead staying in the airport for 6 hours, then a 13 hour flight....we made it into Dubai at about 8pm Dubai time on July 2 (11am CST July 2). Not a bad trip, just a loooonngg day and a half. Emirates airlines are amazing. I tried to sleep, but could only get in about 2 hours. I watched a movie and about 6 hours of TV programs while everyone else slept! The food was good. I was a middle seat so I did not get up much!

OK Missourians...I have been outside today...MO has nothing on this humidity!! I guess I just did not realize that it would be humid here....sooo I get a taste of home with temps reaching about 105 degrees instead of 95! Woo Hoo!!

Dubai is interesting. We are staying in the Al Manzil hotel in the Qamardeen district. It is super nice! The water is not very warm in the hot mode and the cold water is warm. That is my only very minor complaint! Breakfast is a buffet consisting of some American foods with a lot of fruit, juices, and eastern cousine. I am not a world traveler, but I love trying new things. I don't know what to eat with some of the choices however. I had spinach with pine nuts...good. There was smoked salmon, and other more exotic meat choices and then babaganoush, humus, and several things that I had no idea of what it was. I thought the most interesting choice for bkfst was baked beans though!!

We are getting a taste of being in the minority, but people here are used to all kinds of international visitors. The Gulf Today, has many articles about the US. We heard of the new invasion of Afganistan by reading it. We are slated to do our safari later today. We are staying right next to the Dubai mall which we may go check out today. We have taken only a few pictures so far due to the fact that we have been in a plane or airport for the majority of the time so far!

We are excited to be here, but we still look so much more forward to getting to Ethiopia! We continue to talk of the boys and what it will be like for them to smell new smells, eat interesting food, and be in the minority. We want their transition to be as smooth as possible knowing that it will be hard!

Hannah, Josh, Loran, and Jessica- We miss you all...We love you soooo much! It would be so fun if you were here, but it would be so hard too. I know you would all be sooo worn out! Can't wait to get back home to see you with our new family members!

So much more I could write....but I don't want my posts to be cumbersome!!

Love,

Steph

Getting ready to leave!

2009-06-30T11:54:00.002-05:00

Wow...this has been a crazy last few days! Trying to get packed, pay bills, organize kids, and spiritually and mentally prepare for our upcoming trip. I might be a little stressed. It is soooo hard to leave our kids here. I wish we could take them, although, I want to really focus on Dawit and Muluken while we are there and coming home. I have videoed the kids saying their name and I love you and We love you in Amharic! I also did our house and their rooms so they can watch it after we pick them up for good!

I made contact with some poeple that came home 6 weeks ago with their sons. One is best friends with Dawit...Here is what he wrote me...(warning..it brought a lot of tears!)...

I will tell you that the most emotional time for me during the whole trip was when we were about to leave the transitional home to take the boys for good. Mamush had already climbed into the van, ready to go, when Dawit peeked around the corner. I had Robel ask Mamush if he wanted to go say goodbye to Dawit. He leaped out of the van and ran over to Dawit. He hugged him tight and then kissed him on the cheek. He did not shed a tear, but as he walked back to the van and Dawit walked back to his room, they both continued to steal glances back at each other. It broke my heart, not knowing what was going through their little heads, but knowing that the likelihood of them seeing each other again was very slim. I can't even write about it now without tearing up.

I am so glad that we now have connected with them! I'm taking a picture of them all with me so that they can see that we know them!

Please pray for us...Our trip, our kids (wherever they are) and just that God will be glorified wherever we go! Our journey is really just beginning...

Another fun day!

2009-06-27T14:38:00.004-05:00

We got up early today to pick blueberries! It is a family tradition that started probably about 6 years ago or so. There is a local blueberry farm here that does not spray the berries, so you can eat as you go!! Yum! I can not wait until next year when we have 8 of us picking!!! We didn't get as many as last year, but Jim had to leave early and it was about 90 degrees at 8:30 in the middle of picking!! The kids had a hard time focusing! We still got 8 bags full which will probably equal about 55 or so 2 cup ziplocs to freeze! Our kids love them all year round, and blueberry pancakes never disappoint! We'll see how the boys like them!

It is crazy that we are leaving this week! I am so excited to see the boys and have them with us in just over 1 week from now! We had to go buy some long pj pants and jackets, because it gets into the 50's at night and there is no heat in the guest house where we will be staying. I'll have to find some long-sleeved shirts to let them sleep in. I had to pack warm pjs too. I hate being cold!!

I am very excited about our itinerary and everything that we will be able to experience on this trip! I am really happy to be taking 5 care packages and photos for people whose kids are in the Transition Home now! We have 2 big suitcases full of donations as well. I still feel like it's a drop in the bucket, but you know the story of the starfish......if I can make a difference in the life of just one, it will be worth it!

There are so many things to think about and do...but I am loving these last few days that we are home. We are so blessed by our family(ies) and friends! So many have come forward with prayers, well-wishes, and plans for after trip meals! Tonight we get to go swim and eat with our small group as a send off!! I will be swimming!!! It is way too hot just to look at the water! We are truly blessed!!!

By the way...we did not sell our house...the lady thought it was too big for just her!! Wow!! ( It is definitely not large!!) Oh well...God's timing is perfect!

Blessed Day!!

2009-06-25T22:41:00.002-05:00

Every day is a blessed day! Today was no exception! We got an unexpected grant check in the mail from an organization in Missouri called Kinsman Redeemer! It will pay for the boy's plane tickets home!! I also got a call from our realtor that there is someone interested in our rent house...we could not accept her offer, but counter-offered and we will see what happens!

We are preparing to leave very soon! We have maxed out our baggage with clothes and donations and are getting ready!! We have tried to plan for travel, our kids' travel, our new kids' travel, gifts for people there, donations, and a mini-vacation before we make it to Ethiopia....should be a breeze!!!

We are blessed daily by our awesome family and our friends!! Thank you Jesus!!

Our new family!!!

2009-06-21T21:58:00.003-05:00

We got the birth certificates for the boys this week. We were not sure how old Dawit really was, so to get this information helped a lot! He is 6! According to his birth certificate, his birthday is Oct. 2! Two Oct. birthdays for us now...our two youngest!!

Muluken is 8 and his birthday is March 11, one day before Jims! We are so excited to be leaving soon to go get them!! Please continue to pray for us as we embark on our trip and the beginning of a new family life!!!

Steph

Our boys!

2009-06-15T23:31:00.002-05:00

Thank you to the Footes for this video clip of our sweeties! The sound is not great, but at least you can hear Dawit's voice!! We so appreciate this!! Thank you Bill and Cindy!!

CRAZY LOVE

2009-06-13T12:58:00.002-05:00

You have got to read this book!! That's the best way to sum it up! Crazy Love is the name and it will change the way you look at how we live and serve. I have read it slowly and digested as I have read...but I want to read through it again and highlight, underline, etc. where I feel like God is challenging me in my own life. It is a great look at how Christ loves us, but then a challenging look at how we really love Christ back! It is filled with scripture and insight... read it!!

I have been working on things to pack for the trip....I think I have made too many mini trips to Walmart already!! But, I am about to make another one!! Gotta get more travel gear, thanks to terrorists!! I haven't travelled for over 10 years, so this is almost like never having travelled before!! It will all be worth it to hold our sons!!

Hannah got back from church camp yesterday! She is tired, but had a great time! She is an absolute gem!! I love that girl! It was great when I got there...she ran straight to me and hugged me and said, "I missed you mommy!" That does a momma's heart good!! I missed her so much! It will be so hard to leave them all to go get Dawit and Muluken...but then we will all be together!

God you are great...and greatly to be praised!!!!

EMOTION!!

2009-06-10T13:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday when I got the call about passing court, my mind went immediately to making plans, posting pics, letting family and friends know we passed, and just organization! I really did not cry or get very overly emotional about anything because I had work to do!!

That all changed last night and today! I received an email from a travelling family that is picking up their children right now. They saw that we passed the same day that they were delivering pictures from us to our boys and taking pictures of them for us! Here is what she sent me:

Pritchett family –Congratulations on passing court!!!! What fabulous news! and now you will have photos AND video of your boys from the day you finally passed your last court date!!!! Your boys are so precious. They were so excited to see the pictures of their room. I read the letter to them and the nanny showed them the rest of the pictures. They are reserved and quiet, but you can see the excitement in their eyes – the hope! We got them on video telling you "thank you mom and dad" in English and in Amharic. Priceless!

That's when I lost it! Tears came flowing! Then today, back to work making travel plans and when I received the boys' itinerary and ticket info I broke down again! I'm a nut!!! I will admit it!! I am overwhelmed by the thought that just one year from when we go get them, God spoke to my heart about international adoption. He has led us ever since.

We get to go meet with people in the Branson area who are adopting and have adopted through our agency tomorrow! That will be so much fun! I'm sure that no break downs will happen there....yeah right! My heart is full....The scripture I studied this morning was Ephesians chapter 3...
Verses 14-21
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts thorough faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than ALL we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work withing us, TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH AND IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS, FOREVER AND EVER!!! AMEN!"

And again I say, AMEN!

Loran's baptism!!

2009-06-10T12:24:00.002-05:00

I tried to post this on Monday, but for some reason everything was bugging out and I couldn't!! Our sweet 7 year old was baptized Sunday at the river!! It was another great day in a nice string of great days! Hannah, Josh, and Loran have made the decision to follow Christ in their lives! Nothing is better to a mother than that!! Now it's just teaching them and raising them...no small task! Here are some pics of our beauty!!

WE PASSED!!!

2009-06-09T09:38:00.006-05:00

Introducing our sons!! 5-26-09

Our program coordinator called this morning and told us that our case was heard in court today for Muluken!! We now are officially the family of these two amazing boys!!! We can't wait to bring them home!!! Click the title to see our video of them!!

A productive day!

2009-06-05T22:05:00.002-05:00

It has been a good day...First, we got a nice gift from people at our church to help with our adoption/travel expenses! God is good! He uses His people to bless!

Second, we found out from a lady here that knows an Ethiopian student at our university that Dawit's name is pronounced doh-WEET. That is at least nice to know...Our Missouri accent definitely has short vowel sounds... duh-wit!

Lastly, we received an update on our boys with new pictures! I sooo can't wait to share them!!! I thought it was funny... M*** is described as obedient to his nannies and teachers, and bosses the kids!!! WOW...sounds familiar around here!! It also says that he loves Dawit!! Dawit has had chicken pox, but is over them now...Makes me wonder about M***!

I know that I truly wanted to be travelling today, but as a look around my life and the lives of my family, I am glad that we have the extra time to prepare for our lives to change! Believe me, I would love to have the boys here with us right now!! I just mean that it's good to have a breather from my school and testing, the kids being out of school, and Jim starting his extra summer job. God knows what is best for us...sometimes I just want to control it! I pray that it is His will for us to pass court the 18th and be ready to travel shortly thereafter!! I am looking forward to meeting with some other friends in the Branson area next week who have adopted through our agency. Some are still waiting. Some are home with their kids! I can't wait!

It's official for Dawit!!

2009-05-28T14:43:00.003-05:00

There's no way I could wait to post at least one picture of our new official son!!! Introducing Dawit Curtis Pritchett!!! I have used his referral picture and I have several more, but I want to wait to post a montage when we pass court for M****. Right now, we don't have a new court date...so we may have to wait until June 18th.

Steph

The GOOD and the bad.....

2009-05-26T11:13:00.002-05:00

Well, the adoption saga continues...the GOOD is that one of our boys passed court today!!! Yea!! But the bad, is that the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Ethiopia only wrote a recommendation letter for that one and not the other. Since they are from different families, they looked at it as two court dates even though we only got one! Just when I thought I had it all figured out!!!! We have been issued a new court date of June 18 for the second boy. Today, we don't even know which one passed. We will know that tomorrow. HOWEVER, AWAA is going back to court tomorrow to appeal our new date and get it moved up to as soon as possible. If they are successful, there is a very slim chance that we could still travel in early June. Our court date would have to be this week for that to even be a possibility! Please just pray for peace for us as a family and that God does lead us in His perfect timing. We do not want to wait until early July to travel, but sometimes what we want and the best for us does not match up. It doesn't mean that I'm not going to be asking though!!!!!!!!!!

Steph

It's almost here!

2009-05-22T10:52:00.002-05:00

Our court date is Monday night our time! Please pray! We know that God's timing is perfect, and we want what He has....but I would not be truthful if I did not say that I really want us to pass the first time!!!!! So that's what I am asking for! I have our video up and ready to load, so as soon as we hear that we pass, it will be here.

Thank you all for your support and prayers! We will not post anything until we hear.....

Love,
Steph

It's just today!

2009-05-20T14:21:00.002-05:00

Wow! Another day of waiting....closer to court...closer to the boys! It has been a great day for us and a sad day for many others waiting. We are celebrating Hannah's birthday today with her friends...a little early! I can't believe that she is almost 11! She is beautiful and loves God. Many times she has told me that she is interested in being a missionary...whatever God wants is what I want.

We also were so blessed with donations of money to help with our expenses of adoption! The teachers at amazing Mark Twain Elementary gave us almost $800! Jim and I are so blessed with his job and where we live! Thank you all so much!!

On the other hand, many people are not passing court right now in Ethiopia. There is a certain investigation going on for a specific situation there and now some change in paperwork documentation that halted all but one court case today. My heart hurts for these families! They, as us, long for their children to be here safe and sound! Please pray for them as they are scheduled new dates and they need comfort right now! Please pray for us as we anticipate court on Monday night in Ethiopia! All of our paperwork seems to be in order, but only God really knows if our success is imminent!

It's just today...but God gave us today!

Steph

Rooms are complete!

2009-05-12T19:53:00.006-05:00

I just got the last bed in place and we are so ready to bring some boys home!!! We are a little squeezed in here and there, but actually, I think the boys' room has the most space, even with 3 people living in there!! I guess we're blessed or something! Here are before and after pics....

This is now the Loran and Jessica's room

It used to be Hannah's

This is now Hannah's room....

This used to be Loran and Jessie's room

Now it is the boys' dorm!

I couldn't get this one to move where I wanted it to. This used to be Josh's room. Hannah's new room is pictured above after the girls room...

I had a hard time positioning things, but you get the point!!!

Pray for the court process in Ethiopia. Several of my Yahoo Group friends are being hit hard with a situation considering how abandonment cases are being handled... It is very disheartening, but we know God is big!

Countdown to court...13 nights!!!!!

Steph

Yes...I'm nesting!

2009-05-07T12:17:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I went to Osage Beach to the outlet mall and Target (of course)! We live in a place where we are deprived of the finer things in life!!Ha! I was able to buy 25 items of clothing for our new boys and our kiddos here for...get this......$96!!!!! Can you believe it! Children's Place had $.99 cent racks and I got 4 pairs of boys sweats at Target for $10!! I did not even really go for that particular reason....but how can you not buy clothes for $.99??!! Some will be worn this winter, but WOW! I really am giving God the glory! Can you tell I'm easily excitable in the smaller things in life!?

We are now 19 days away from our court date. It will actually occur the night of the 25th here, so please pray!! We will find out the 26th! I got all the kids rooms done with the exception of one more bed. I will be getting that next Monday then done!!!
It's hard to believe that in the span of 1.3-2.3 months we will be a family of 8! I love it and cannot wait! Keep praying for good health for the boys and us as we get ready to travel.

I get pinned tomorrow night! Officially done with school and just waiting to pass my boards! God has been so faithful to us!

I just got done reading the book, THE SHACK. It was great! Easy reading and it totally gave me a beautiful picture of how God wants to relate to us and how we should relate with others and Him. It was very interesting to read as much of it was just not a traditional rendering of God, but it was biblically sound and gave me an even greater awareness of just how intricately God is involved in our lives, the power of forgiveness on me and through me, and the overwhelming love God has for everyone!

Ok! I have rambled....God Rocks!!!!

Urgent need for formula at Transition House!

2009-05-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2009/05/urgent-need-forumla-needed-for-malnourished-babies-in-ethiopia.html

Above is the link to a site that is collecting money for special formula for malnurished children at our TH. It is astounding to think that kids live (very shortly) like this....

UPDATES!!!

2009-05-01T18:14:00.002-05:00

We received the April update (hopefully the only one we will have to receive!) from AWAA today! It had the boys current information about ht, wt, etc. and then some fun information about them! We got clothing and shoe sizes...clothes size 6 and 7..I would say 8 in shirts too. I'm not sure if that means pant sizes as well. Shoe sizes are toddler 13 and boys 2 1/2. They like pasta! M*** likes rice and D**** likes eggs! Fits in great with us!! They like to play "football" (soccer). Their teacher says that D is smart and that M is learning to write! I am so excited to get this information! They are healthy right now and doing well!

I cannot wait to hold them and have them here with us! Keep praying for successful court on May 26!!!

Prayer....

2009-04-30T12:23:00.002-05:00

I have been humbled by God's desire to do what he wishes in the past couple of days! There are several people who recently got referrals and are now getting court dates 2 weeks before ours...It seems unfair, but there are people that have already been waiting for 2 months and still have to wait until mid-May or later. See what I mean...God is in control, and I'm not, so who am I to question this....

On that front as well, I have not publicly posted that it may be possible for us to travel as early as June 5-12. If we pass and all is well with our paperwork, we can scramble to leave then... If not, we will have to wait until July. I realized even more this last couple of days that it is totally in God's hands and He will take us to our boys when He is good and ready!

Lastly, it has been ok'd with the elders of our church to send out fund-raising requests. We have travelled through this process at lightning speed ( which is awesome!) but it has not left us the time we thought we would have to raise the funds we need. So we have taken out some loans to pay for the adoption, but are trying not to have to loan money to travel. Right now, it looks like we will need $7000-$8000 to buy tickets, pay for visas, and in-country travel. I will be sending out emails, possibly letters, and posting on facebook as well. If you feel that God is leading you, you can contribute to our travel costs by donating to First Christian Greentree and putting Pritchett adoption in the memo line. You can also donate directly to us if you do not care if your gift is tax-deductible.

Thank you for loving us and if nothing else, please pray for the health and well-being of the kids in the TH and for us to pass court! There has been an outbreak of chicken pox and some worse infections at the TH as of late. Pray for the kids and people of Ethiopia.

Church address: First Christian Greentree
800 Greentree Rd
Rolla, MO 65401

Love,
Steph

Working and waiting

2009-04-29T17:43:00.002-05:00

For the past two days I have been working on moving furniture, painting rooms, etc. for our two new precious sons! I think I am in the nesting phase!!! Hey, I've been there four times, I know what it feels like!
How fun it is to just get ready for our big change. I think the entire time I'm working about how our lives will change. There will be challenges for sure. Our very loud house will eventually get only louder. Our cramped quarters may seem more cramped until God sees fit to allow us to move. We may not be able to understand each other very well for a while. We will all probably have a few meltdowns....I want to be ready for any, all , and even more challenges that I can't even think about right now....but I am so excited to see how everything has worked so far! It can only be a God thing! I know He is in control and I am ready to bring them home!!!
I will post pictures of the switched around rooms as soon as I am finished with them!

A Post from the Times Online

2009-04-23T10:10:00.002-05:00

I found this today while searching for some pictures...

The Ethiopian peasant farmer and his wife shuffled painfully into the orphanage. They were in the last stages of Aids and had only weeks to live. However, they were happy. They had heard the Franciscan nuns had found a home for their three children and had come to say farewell.
“I am so happy, they are going to stay together,” the father, Solomon, whispered as he embraced a middle-aged Mormon couple from Salt Lake City, Utah. “Now, I can die peacefully. They will go to school in America and have a future. It is good they leave here.” As they embraced their two daughters, aged 8 and 6, for the last time the tears ran freely. Their four-year-old son did not appreciate the significance of the moment and ran off to play with friends.

Sister Luthgarder, a seasoned veteran of such heart-rending adoptions, explained: “It is sad, but it is so rare they are kept together and so I am happy.” Only a week previously a brother and sister were separated: one going to Norway, the other to Canada. “The new parents said they would take them to see each other every year, but inevitably they will grow apart,” she said.
Only a fraction of Ethiopia’s burgeoning population of orphaned children, now put at five million, find their way to Kidane Meheret Children’s Home. Even fewer leave and they are certainly the lucky ones.

A few miles away, dozens of children sleep in drains at night and beg by day at the sprawling central bus station. They face constant dangers.
“Some are forced into prostitution, some are sold by relatives after their parents die, they are kept as maids and often abused,” said Dagmawi Alemayeau who runs an organisation, Forum on Street Children, which tries to fight trafficking. Most of an estimated 50,000 children on the streets of the capital, Addis Ababa, at some stage pass through the bus station where he has his office.

“Traffickers go to the rural areas ... there are places where you can even buy a baby for as little as $1,” he told The Times. He always keeps an eye open at the international airport where so-called “uncles” can often be spotted boarded planes to Gulf states with teenage girls.
Across the rest of Africa, a combination of soaring populations, growing poverty and the HIV-Aids epidemic has led to a huge increase in orphans.
A UNICEF report estimates that in sub-Saharan Africa alone there will be more than 20 million by 2010.
Cash-strapped governments on the world’s poorest continent are overwhelmed. They can afford only a handful of government run agencies. Despite an increase in foreign adoptions, some well-publicised like those of Madonna and Angelina Jolie, who has adopted from Ethiopia and Cambodia, only a tiny fraction of these children find new homes overseas.
Organisations like UNICEF and the UK’s Save the Children Fund are opposed to foreign adoptions, advocating instead that the children be placed in extended families or locally adopted so they grow up within his or her own cultural identity.
They encourage would be parents to send money instead to help look after the children in the country of origin. But they are often accused of a head in the sand approach to the abuse the child may face and ignore the fact that by so doing they often condemn the child to a life of grinding poverty and no education.

“Adoption is sad, very sad but the whole issue is sad, a life of neglect, and abandonment, grinding poverty and abuse is sad, adoption is often the lesser evil especially as the people who come here are good and very carefully checked,” added Sister Luthgarder who finds at least one new born baby a week on her doorstep.

I am convinced that we are to do what we can for even just one....(or two!) Thank God for the opportunity to reach out to the fatherless.

Tentative Travel Dates!!!

2009-04-15T15:21:00.003-05:00

Well...we got our tentative travel dates from AWAA yesterday! It was a wierd day for me...I thought that the dates would be what they were...June 20-27....knowing that, I knew that we would probably have to wait until the beginning of July to actually travel. It actually tore me apart just to think that the boys will have to wait 2 more weeks! On our side of the world, Jim really has to work those last two weekends of June so that we can afford to bring them here!!!! I also want a husband that is not worried about scheduling refs, team schedules, and overseeing camps from Ethiopia where the internet is not that helpful!! So we made the decision to leave at the beginning of July and stay a day or two in Dubai. That will be really interesting and fun! Then we will go on to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and our gotcha day will be July 7!!

Please pray for our court date. If we do not pass the first time, it may not affect our TTD's at all. If it gets put off it might affect them and that would not be good! Pray that needed people will be at court and that there is no little problem with any of our paperwork. Pray for our boys! I can't wait for everyone to see their faces! Prayerfully, May 26 will be the day!!

We did get a new picture of them together! They were said to have LOVED our care packages and they were all smiles. We have another one traveling to them next week! I can't wait for more pics!

Off the subject....

2009-04-09T12:47:00.002-05:00

I really set up this blog to keep people caught up with our progress. I have also found that it is a great way for me to keep dates straight and get some history started for our new boys to see the process of how they came to be a part of our family. Today, I am just reflective.....

I am the type of person who honestly wants to do what's right. I really truly love people. Now, that's not to say I always do what's right or love people perfectly, but I try. I have passion about a few things 1)Jesus- I cannot go through a day without being thankful to Him for what he has done for me. I do not deserve His forgiveness, grace, mercy, and incomprehensible blessing, but I am sooooo thankful for all of it!
2)My family- I am so blessed by a husband who loves me, even when I am a jerk...by kids that are absolutely indescribable that I would die for... and our extended families that love us through everything 3)My friends and church- I have been so blessed by a church that wants to reach out to our town and show people Jesus. I have made friends through our small group, our praise band, and in my schooling that I will cherish forever.

Why am I writing this? I honestly don't know. I just felt led to do it. I am a little overwhelmed by emotion today. (Not just a woman thing!!) I know God is working in our lives. That is amazing to me. It is so wonderful to know that I am not in charge. God is! I can truly rest in His goodness. That is what I want everyone to know. I really feel sad when I see people all around trying to catch something...they don't know what it is....they just NEED it. As Christians, we know what that something is. Our longing to have peace inside can only by filled by the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ. We will not always have happiness. Things will go wrong. We live in a fallen world. BUT...We know who made the world... We more than know Him, He lives in us!! He walks with us! HE IS OUR PEACE!!!!

Like I said earlier....I am also a reflective person. It can be a good and a bad thing sometimes. I just am overwhelmed with looking back on my life and seeing God's ever present hand working in every aspect of my life, even when I did not acknowledge it. My heart is full of gratitude today. I am not longing to die anytime soon....but my longing is to see Jesus face to face!! I hope that I can show Jesus and see Him here on this earth until I go to see Him! This is my favorite verse.....

Job19: 25-27
"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes---I and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"

What a long post!! I pray that I can be like Job. When things are at there worst, I can look to his example and hold to the truth that I WILL SEE HIM!

Steph

A court date!!!

2009-04-06T22:32:00.003-05:00

Wow! I wasn't expecting this, but today I received an email from our agency with our court date! We are scheduled for court in Ethiopia on May 26!! That means that if we pass, we will travel in June, probably the 2nd or 4th week. The timing is not great for Jim's summer job, but if that is when it falls, that is fine with us! Now... appx. 30% of families do not pass the first time. That would mean that we would be put off until at least a couple of weeks or more later. We will continue to pray for God's perfect timing! It's hard to believe we are this close.

God is good.....Thank you Jesus!

Dossier in Ethiopia!

2009-04-01T10:44:00.002-05:00

Our dossier arrived in Ethiopia Friday March 27! So this week I am hoping that they are all over the translation of it!!! That is what has to be done before we are assigned a court date. Then we will probably need family members to show up on the date of court. Since we have boys from different families, this might be a catch, but we will cross that bridge then! Just happy for one more thing!

Joy comes in the morning!

Steph

Clarification

2009-03-26T11:17:00.002-05:00

I needed a little clarification about our court date, so I emailed yesterday and received the reply I thought.... We will be notified of our court date probably sometime in April. Our actual date will probably be in June, but I guess it could be earlier. It's all ok. I wanted to travel more quickly, but that must not be God's plan. With school, moving kids rooms, etc. it is probably a good thing!! Just continue to pray that God's perfect timing for our family will occur. That's all I want. It seems that for some reason...He knows what He is doing!!

I also was able to have a few questions anwered via a conference call yesterday. I found out that once we receive our court date, about 3 weeks later we will receive our tentative travel dates. Once we pass court, we will wait a few days to receive our concrete travel dates and they will be very close to when we pass, so it will be crazy. We should be ready to go, but we will be getting tickets etc.

The kids do get some schooling at the transition house and some in English depending on the level of schooling they have had previously. They attend church every Sunday and have Bible classes throughout the week. Our boys do already know that they are getting adopted together and will be receiving our care packages on Monday! I can't wait to see pictures of them together and opening the packs! WE should get an update from AWAA at the end of April in which we will be able to ask more pointed questions, like what size clothing are they in, what seems to be their general outlook and demeanor, etc.

I cannot wait to share pics and information with everyone, but it will have to wait until a successful court date. Please pray for our boys and our family as we anticipate and plan for these final steps to bring them home!

We are officially DTE!

2009-03-20T21:03:00.003-05:00

Our dossier is off to Ethiopia as of this afternoon. We have a tracking number and everything!! The plan is now just to wait. Our dossier has to be translated into Amharic and then we will get a court date. I always want to guesstimate our travel time....if things went very smoothly, we could get a court date in late April. If that was the case, we could be traveling in late May. I am telling myself that that would be the earliest time we could travel. I don't think we would go any more quickly than that. That's ok though. I was able to send care packages to the boys. They will get them the first week of April. The Richardson's are traveling next Wed. and agreed to take the packages for us and take pictures of the kids. I am so grateful for this. I sent them pictures of our family, our house, and a map of where they will live along with a few other fun things. I can't wait to see pics of them opening them!

We just ask for continued prayer. Now we just need to sell a rent house and raise some funds to travel there to get them. God has blessed us.....

Joy in knowing, and sorrow as well

2009-03-16T12:41:00.003-05:00

Sometimes situations can bring a gammet of emotion. Adoption is one of those things! We were excited to get our referral information last week and then tentative as well. One of the boys had a family situation that we had some questions about before we could confidently send in our acceptance. I had to wait to find out more information today. I just spoke with AWAA and found out more about the situation and that is where the real emotion is involved. While the answers to our questions were about what I had imagined (bringing assurance that he would be ours), they also brought a sense of grief for this beautiful child and his mother. I now, even more, know that we were called to this and can't wait to wrap my arms around him and his new brother!

It should be about 2-4 weeks to hear of our CD. I will definitely let everyone know when it is!

Praise be to God for his indescribable gifts!

Our dossier is off!

2009-03-14T13:24:00.002-05:00

Each small step is so fun! I sent of our original Dossier, and two copies to America World today. They will review them and send them to Ethiopia sometime in the next couple of weeks. That will allow us to wait some more!!! We will wait on a court date. I have seen many people not pass court for various reasons and have to get another court date. So, I want to pray that when we get the date we pass the first time! That will allow us to travel in 3-4 weeks following that.

There is so much going through my mind....travel plans, what to pack, and just plain ole what do we do in foreign airports???!!!! I know that we get a big travel packet and that it will all fall into place when we go, but right now it's hard not to think about some of it. I am trying to focus on getting stuff together for a yard sale to declutter and raise a few funds!! One step at a time....

I start school again this week. That will again keep my mind off of things, but I also need to work on Jessica's one year baby book....she's 4 1/2 now. With each child it has taken me longer and longer to put it together!! I want to get some pics together for the boys too, so I need to do hers and then focus on that!

What a journey.....again....God is so good!

Wow... up and down...and still in grace...

2009-03-13T19:00:00.002-05:00

OK. So first for good news. Our I-171H came today. I am ready to send everything in tomorrow morning. This is a huge step! Now we must accept our referrals, send in payment, and everything will go to Ethiopia.
I also got news that both boys are now at the Transition House as of yesterday! That means that they know each other!! That is awesome! They will also find out that they are being adopted together, so they will be brothers in Ethiopia before they are brothers here if we pass court.
Our next big step is Court! I anticipate a court date sometime in May. If so, our tentative travel dates will likely be in June. I will definitely know more when everything gets sent.

Now for some more news. We must make a decision about an issue with one of the boys' referral information. There is no medical issue or anything like that, but we must pray and decide how to proceed in his and our best interests. He is fine and we are fine. There is just some processing on our end that needs to be done and we can't do it until AWAA workers get back into the office on Monday. We need to answer a couple of questions before we can send in our referral packet.

We still know that God knew this info ahead of time and He is working...

Our I-171H is on it's way!!!

2009-03-12T21:47:00.002-05:00

I found out this afternoon that our last piece of paperwork is on it's way to us!! That is amazing timing as well! We will only have to copy it and send our dossier and a large wad of cash to our adoption agency and then it will be on it's way to Ethiopia! I am still blown away by God's faithfulness and the perfection of His timing in our lives. His timing would still be perfect if we were not able to get them until November too! I'm just glad His choice is now!!

Our new son, M*** turned 8 yesterday! That is the day that they sent the I-171 in the mail! Fun! I spoke with our case worker today and she said that they boys are not in the transition home yet. They are in an orphanage, but she does not know if they are in the same one or different ones. When we get our dossier and accept their referral, they will be taken to the Transition Home (TH) where they will have great care! They will also be doing some English work with school. I would love for them to leave the orphanage as soon as possible. I know that the nannies at the TH are great and love the kids very much. Please pray for a smooth transition for them and us as we continue to embark on this journey! As we have gotten some information... our son D**** is older than M**** but a few inches shorter and lighter! It's just like what we see in elementary school everyday!!!

March madness is one of my favorite times of the year. I love basketball when it comes to this. Anyone can win and anyone can lose! But for now GO MIZZOU!!!! For some reason our house is a little madder this march!!!!!! Yea God!!

UNOFFICIAL NEWS!!!!!!

2009-03-10T11:07:00.002-05:00

WE GOT A CALL TODAY!!!!! Our case worker called and let us know that we are unofficially getting referrals for two boys on the waiting child list!!! I cannot and won't give out any information right now because legally we have to still get our paperwork in and pass court in Ethiopia before we can share photos etc!!!!

We have been praying that God would have His perfect timing in this matter. We have tried not to put any real time frames on it at all and just let Him do His perfect work. It was a totally unexpected phone call and we will get an official referral packet later on this week! Amazing!!! Our family knows their names and we jokingly have called them by the Americanized version of those names this past week! We have prayed that if there are families out there that they are supposed to be with that they would get them, and if it was to be us, then we would have them. Until today, there was no ownership in my heart at all, because I wanted God to do His work. Now, I am astounded and amazed that He has thrown it all together so fast!!! Now there will be a lot of work to do and we have no guarantee to pass court the first time etc. A million things could go wrong....but God is in control... I have such a peace and joy....and now I do feel like these are our boys!!!! Rejoice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Not a lot of new news but....

2009-03-05T18:40:00.002-06:00

Well...I just finished taking my final for this 8 weeks of class! It's hard to believe there are only 8 more! May 8 is the magic pinning ceremony!! I am glad that God has given me this opportunity. Nursing is a field that I know I am going to love...

Now for adoption news...We are still waiting for our I-171 to come back from USCIS. I check the box every day, just in case it's there. I'm trying to be patient because I know God's timing is always the best. I did talk to the person overseeing our adoption this week. I have been trying to decide when is the best time for me to pursue getting a job. With everything up in the air it is hard to know what to do. I don't want to start a new job, then travel and have new children, and have to go right back to work. Well, she pointed a few things out, which made me really want to get our I 171 back quickly!!! I can't share much, but if we can get it here and get our paperwork certified, copied, and sent, there would be the possibility of a very quick referral!!! Please just pray for God's perfect timing in all things!!!

Link to site and update

2009-02-13T12:43:00.002-06:00

Well we are scheduled for fingerprinting next Friday in St. Louis. That is at least another small step. I'm just glad I have a full schedule to keep me busy with all the waiting.

Someone on our Yahoo Group posted a link to this website today. I loved reading it. It gives me a picture of what our family could be like in the upcoming months in a real way! It will not be all easy and perfect, but it will be worth it!!

http://family-from-afar.blogspot. com/

I will keep posting as things keep happening!

YEA!!! PAPERWORK IS SENT!

2009-01-27T18:37:00.001-06:00

Every little step is one step closer! Last week we received the copies of our home study. Today we got to send them off to the US Citizens and Immigration Services! (USCIS) It could take several weeks to get the I-171 form back that we need, or if God wishes, it could be just a couple. I guess we will see. That is the only remaining form we need to have to send our dossier to our agency and Ethiopia. It's pretty awesome thinking that we could be getting a referral in as little as 8-12 weeks! Now, once again, it might be alot longer....I am just being optimistic!

School is in full swing for me and I am glad! My clinicals are going well and I get to take a test on my birthday tomorrow!! Well, that is if we have class. It's pretty slick and nasty and the snow is coming down heavily right now! It won't hurt my feelings to have another day to study!

This scripture has always been important to me. It's the fact that God is in complete control of everything! Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." I pray that I can always keep this in mind...even when things don't move at my pace!!

An Amazing Video

2009-01-21T10:10:00.001-06:00

I received a link to a video from a fellow AWAA family. It is about an organization working in Uganda. I am posting a link to their site because it is so hard for us here in America to really believe that people still live like this. Thank God that these kids now have hope. Thank God for Christians around the world that are helping in whatever way possible, in their own countries, or in a foreign land, to help those that Jesus desired to be close to Him! We see hurting children here in America and around the world...what will we do?

www.ourstoryforhisglory.blogspot.com

Love,
Steph

Just waiting on paperwork

2009-01-09T09:10:00.002-06:00

We are now done with all the dossier paperwork that we had to do. Our social worker said that she should be done with our homestudy early next week and then she has to email it to our case worker at AWAA. If it is approved, she will send us all the official copies. Then we put one in our dossier, and send one in to the US government to review and approve! We have to be FBI fingerprinted for that process as well. It will probably be more than 6 weeks to get the paperwork back from the government. When we do....we will be copying and sending everything in to AWAA then Ethiopia. I hate to even think of what our time frame could be, but my best guess at this point is that we probably will be sending everything in to AWAA in April. It all depends on the USCIS. After that....who knows....it seems the wait time for court dates and travel have lengthened a little lately so it might be 3-4 months longer before we could go get him/them! I want to think in the longest terms possible, so we won't be disappointed if it's not early summer! Anyway, God is in control! He can do whatever He wants!

Now we just need to raise and save money to pay for it all. We are probably looking at a grand total of between $25-30,000 with travel expenses(depends also on one or two children). God is good and we know He is calling us, so we have confidence in that.

New site

2009-01-07T13:25:00.000-06:00

I have placed the address for Visiting Orphans in the side bar. I will put it here too, just so you can go and look at the site and find out how you can minister in Ethiopia too! It's www.visitingorphans.org. Check it out!

Referrals!

2009-01-06T21:21:00.002-06:00

In the past 2 days there have been 6 referrals to AWAA families! These came after 2 mornings of fasting and praying by many of the waiting families! It shows God's power and goodness! I am so excited for these children who will now have families to care for them forever!

Our waiting child application was received by AWAA today and we will just wait to hear if there are any children ready and waiting to have us as a family! I have listed a two blogs that I follow so that you can get a feel for our adoption organization and a family that is going through the process and getting ready to travel. I will be adding more as I become more tech savvy! This scripture caught my attention for some reason today... "Yet to all that received Him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12-13 I AM SO GLAD GOD ADOPTED ME!

Where we are....

2008-12-18T12:12:00.004-06:00

We are still in the ending paperwork phase! We have had to go back and do some extra work to get some new agency regulations met since we will not be done by Jan. 1. That's ok, I guess! Can't do anything about it except do it! We are at the mercy of AWAA, US regs, and Ethiopia! Our homestudy should be all be complete by the end of Dec. and we will either hand deliver it to the USCIS office in KC or we will send it in with the paperwork that they require. Once we get the form ok-ing us back from them, we will have to get a cover sheet notorized and more!! Then it all gets sent in to AWAA and then to Ethiopia. At that point, we will be waiting for a referral. After the referral, we have to pass court in Ethiopia, and then we travel!!! It seems like we are so close to getting the first phase over, but we cannot quite get it done.... this is the first real waiting! When it gets sent in our next waiting phase begins. Since we are getting an older child or children, it should not be a super long wait in comparison to wait times for infants...which is now in the 8-12 month time frame, just to get a referral. It is still much faster than places like China which is around 3 years!

Christmas is almost upon us...I love it! I am not hobbling around so much now and am able to shop without pain! Besides that, I love getting to spend time with our families! My brother will be in from Denver! That is always so fun! I look forward to next Christmas with our entire "new" family with anticipation, but I cherish this one, because this is the one God has given us now! Just remember that wherever you are in your life right now...Jesus is there with you...each day is a gift to use for His glory. I am not always the best example of Him, but that's how I want to live each day. I pray that I can!

Homestudy number 2

2008-12-10T09:51:00.002-06:00

We had our second meeting Monday. We went to her, which was great, because I also got to do some Christmas shopping in St. Louis. The knee is kinda holding me up in that category! I have to brag on my kids in this post. We got a World Vision magazine last month that had info about buying things for orphans. The range was from sports balls, to chickens, to farm animals, to education, to wells. The kids decided they wanted to put their own money into doing something for them. Josh and Loran bought them two soccer balls and Hannah bought them chickens! I am a proud mama!

The need is so overwhelming everywhere. I know Christmas is a time for shopping and for most people I know a lot of giving as well. I am blessed to be a part of a church and community that gives a lot!!! If you have been wanting to give in some way, but were not quite sure what to do, I encourage you to go to www.worldvisiongifts.org and pick something that can change the lives of families all over the world!

Homestudy!

2008-12-05T17:14:00.002-06:00

Today we had our first homestudy meeting. It was great! Our social worker is great and it was fun getting to know her and gleaning from her experience! It is beginning to seem more real now! Up until this point it has been paperwork galore, but now to talk with someone in person is a step closer!

I also told my parents today! Maybe they were a little surprised..... but they are great parents and awesome grandparents. All our kids love them so much and I am sure that our kid(s) in Ethiopia will too!

God is good. And I am overwhelmed by Him!

Paperchasing!!!!

2008-12-02T18:48:00.002-06:00

Well today was a wierd one. I am home alone after a minor knee surgery yesterday and have been studying and reading posts on YG. Some families passed court and others did not, and now have to wait longer to get thier new kiddos. I am just sitting back and trying to take it all in as we will be in that process shortly! I did receive news that our paperwork will be changing as of Jan. 1 and it is causing a slight headache to backtrack and do some extra just to be ready! Then we got word that they don't have some paperwork we sent in in Oct.! I am sure it will all be fine, even if we have to do it over. Keep praying for us and all the others at AWAA that are trying to get through!

We break the news!

2008-11-27T21:51:00.002-06:00

We had not told any of our parents until today! Jim's brother and sister-in-law knew because they are our guardians, but we had not told anyone else in the family! The reaction was great! Jim's mom and dad were really not that surprised. I kinda think they know that we like kids! Then we told the rest of Jim's family right before lunch! It was great! Everyone was very supportive! We can't wait to add to this awesome family! We love every one of them and they will be great aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. to our new son(s).

True Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T10:27:00.000-06:00

It's Thanksgiving time! I love this time of year. I just got an email from a friend with historical facts on Thanksgiving in America. It was really interesting. I knew it wasn't really a celebration of the first feast with the native Americans, but what I did not know was this..."The Continental Congress chose November 28, 1782 as the date after the Revolutionary War. Congress recommended that all thirteen states give thanks on this day for the creation of the new nation and for God's hand in it. Further, they stated that all pray, give cheerful obedience to His laws and practice true religion. True religion in Biblical terms is care of widows, orphans and to keep oneself pure from evil practices."

The proclamation read in part:
"We do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies."

Isn't that awesome! The first Thanksgiving was truly to be a celebration of God! Then a promise to live our lives to Him. As we embark on changing our lives forever in adoption, we are reminded daily that God adopted us!
The observance of Thanksgiving has been changed a couple of times by different Congresses and Presidents, but let us not ever forget the foundation for this day in the most amazing country where we still have the freedom to openly tell people about the incredible free gift of adoption that Christ has given us!

Just us!

2008-11-23T16:52:00.000-06:00

About Us

2008-11-23T13:44:00.000-06:00

I know I just posted but I wanted to explain the name of our blog and a little about us.

A Done Deal is what we named our praise band at our church. We came up with it for two reasons 1. The acronym is ADD- which we all are!! (kidding) 2. What Christ did for us is a done deal!! Isn't that exciting? He has given us forgiveness as a free gift and it doesn't stop there. His gift never stops giving! What He did for us on the cross seals the deal...we just have to accept it! How simple and amazing is that?
So I thought it was appropriate to name our blog that...He knew where He was leading us before we did...so it's a done deal!!

Now about us... We both grew up in Missouri-opposite ends-and love it here. Where else can you have all four seasons in the span of one or two days!! We have been married for 13 1/2 years and have 4 kids. Jim is an elementary school principal. I am currently in school to become an RN after being home for the last 10 1/2 years with our kiddos. (I used to be a teacher and coach!) We attend First Christian Church, a non-denominational church, in Rolla, MO. We are planning to build a house after the adoption sometime...that will be a God thing!

I am coming up on finals and a minor knee surgery. We are starting our homestudy meetings after Thanksgiving. Life is busy, full, crazy, and fun and I am definitely looking forward to having a few weeks off for Christmas break! I will try to post when things get rolling in the process!

Starting out

2008-11-23T12:57:00.000-06:00

Well I am making the leap into the blogging world! At first I wasn't sure that I wanted to take on one more thing right now, but I will try to add a few things at a time so I don't get overwhelmed.

This is us! We are the Pritchett family. Jim and Steph and our 4 children, Hannah 10, Josh 9, Loran 7, and Jessica 4. We have started on a crazy and amazing journey that started in July of 2008 at summer camp of all places! It seems like camp has always been significant to me. I became a Christian at camp when I was 7. I went to camp for years, saw many friends come to Christ there, and worked there as a counselor. Then when Jim asked me to marry him 14 years ago on Thanksgiving, he took me to my camp chapel and asked me to give him my heart where I gave my heart to Christ! (yes! It is like a fairy tale to me still!)

Well, 14 years and 4 kids later we fast forward to a different camp with my 10 year old daughter. I had a blast with all the 5-6 grade kids! One thing happened that will now change all of our lives forever. The missionary was from Kenya. He and his family have been here for a couple of years and feel God calling them back to Kenya to minister to their own people. He talked of the love he has for his native Kenyans and showed pictures of orphans just lined up front to back of all genders in order to sleep at night. I knew as a watched that it was time for more than money or sorrow.

When I got home, I told my husband that I felt it was time for us to adopt. We had talked about it since we were married...never really in detail....never about international. He immediately said, "OK!" I researched Kenya and found that it is closed to American adoption! My heart sank, but I knew God was calling us. Soon after, I started researching and found the dire conditions of the people of Ethiopia. We knew this was God's direction for us. We prayed for over a month about what we should do and then sent in our initial paperwork.

So......... we are waiting for a boy 4-9 years old or two sibling boys in the same age range. Our children daily pray for their new brothers and have been spurred on to use some of their hard earned and birthday money to give to World Vision for Christmas. We are in the process of finishing our paperwork and getting our homestudy done.

We are so excited to start this new part of our life as a family...we do not doubt His call on us...we are human and know that this is not going to be easy...we do think of money for adoption, space for 6 kids, and the ever expanding grocery bill! BUT, we hope to stay where He wants us, because, "all things work together for good to those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose!"