Hammering Away

Well, the birth certificate is in, and the certificate of adoption was signed by the orphanage director. (I had thought the birth certificate needed to be signed, but I was mistaken.) So, I thought we were good to go. Wrong. There is still one more thing that needs to be added to our paperwork in order for it to be submitted to court: a picture of the birth parent.

It really feels like we are in this crazy carnival game, similar to the one where we have to hit the groundhogs with the really big hammer. Every time we "hit" one, two more pop up! We are getting weary of hearing, "One more thing. . ." We are just ready to get to the end.

Please pray with us:
1. That the orphanage would be able to get this picture quickly.
2. That we would still be able to get a court date before they close in August.
3. That we would be able to know the balance between waiting in anticipation and trusting God's timing.

Busy First Week of Summer!

Our first week of summer was packed full of activities!
First, we worked on baking for our friends' Adoption Fundraiser Garage/Bake Sale! The next four days, we spent most of our time over there helping to organize and run the sale. They had a LOT of stuff! I can't wait to hear how much they made to start their adoption fund!It was so fun! We are so excited to help bring home two other kiddos from Ethiopia!

In the meantime, Jackson had tennis camp each morning.Today (Saturday), we had make-up games.
Jackson played at 11:30, and it was already HOT!

He hit the ball into the outfield, and he played catcher for a couple of innings. Very fun!

Here is Raegan enduring the heat!

Then, it was Sydney's turn to play at 1:30. Yes, it was even hotter! But, she also hit the ball into the outfield, and they won the game. In our first year of kid-pitch, it is nice to be getting to the point where we see improvements!

On the adoption front, it has been one month since we saw Isaiah's sweet face. I still love looking at him! We also heard several pieces of encouraging news. We received our little guy's birth certificate; however, the orphanage director has to sign it before CWA can submit our papers for a court date. Luckily, she is due to be back in the office on Monday after being gone last week; therefore, we should have our papers submitted next week!

We also found out that courts are supposed to close some time in August vs. July like we originally thought, so that was a huge relief. We are still right on the edge as far as getting a court date before they close during the rainy season, so please continue to pray for us to get through the court process in the next couple of months. We have right at two months. We just really want to be able to kiss these little lips sooner vs. later!

Priceless!

Ooooo--it came! Today, I received my free copy of Tom Davis's new book, Priceless. I am already busy reading, but I was able to put it down just long enough to post this! Oh, you are all going to love this book. It is intense so far, but it presents a message that so many of us need to hear. Child trafficking is just all around. This week, I heard about this very thing that happens in my own city--right here in the midwest! How can this be? Anyway, more on this later. For now, I am going to whiz through this book! Book review to come shortly! (Notice the Simply Love T, the box of my new Toms shoes in the background. I was sad because my new Junk Posse earrings are covered by my hair! I love being a walking advertisement for items with a cause!)

Recitals and Field Days

Field Day was last week. Jackson ran the 50 yard dash.
He was huffing and puffing!

He won first place! It must have been the fire on his shirt.

Sydney ran the 200 yard dash. It was a long jaunt!
She won 2nd place!

Sydney also had her spring recital last week. She has done a great job this year!
It is fun to hear her improvements.

A Week of Firsts for Raegan

This week was a full week for Raegan. First, she decided that she wanted to learn to tie her shoes. After showing her one time, she did it! Since then, she has worn her pink cons nonstop. (See below. . .)This accomplishment must have given her confidence because she then decided she wanted to learn to ride her bike--without the training wheels! So, here, Daddy is taking off the wheels.
One, two, three!

I Won!

Priceless Book Giveaway! from Tom Davis on Vimeo.

I am "Julie"! #54! Oh, I am just giddy right now. Tom Davis wrote a new book, Priceless, that is due out in June. He held a contest where he gave out two free copies. These are not just any copies. They are the first two! (Well, he has the first.) Anyway, I know what I will be doing next week! (Reading!)

Thank you, Tom Davis! If you haven't become acquainted with Children's HopeChest, I strongly urge you to check them out. They do great things for the fatherless. (Sponsorship, help churches partner with orphanages, etc.)

2nd Medicals!

On Tuesday, we received Isaiah's 2nd medicals! This is very important because it was a missing piece of his paperwork. Now that we have it, our agency will submit our case to the Ethiopian courts and wait for a court date! Our case worker did warn us that we may have to wait a bit because of several factors.

1. Before receiving a court date, we also must have a birth certificate issued by the orphanage.
2. Ethiopian elections are next week which may slow everything down.

So, please continue to pray that we will get a court date before courts close in early July.