Quick Update

We are pretty excited to have heard from our social worker and scheduled our home study visits. The first one is next Tuesday and the second one is the Tuesday after. It's so exciting to be one step closer to meeting our newest blessing! The home study is the last thing we need to complete our dossier, then our paperwork will be off to Ethiopia. Hopefully by this time next month we will be waiting for our referral.

Little Steps

It has been almost two weeks since my last post. I am trying to update the blog at least once a week but, alas, it is harder than you may think to take an ordinary life and make it interesting for others to peek in on. Not to say that anything I write on here is all that interesting. I do have some great things to write about when you consider that most of my posts are about my family.

We did make a little progress on the adoption over the weekend. We were able to attend two classes required for our home study. Every little step gets us that much closer! Also, our background checks came back and we were billed for our home study. This is something we had been waiting for. Now we are waiting to be assigned a social worker and for our home visits to commence. We met both of the social workers for our agency at the training and both were very down to earth and sweet ladies.

Here are some other highlights from the past week:

1. Faith got her braces on and much to our dismay she is still adorable. We were hoping that her cuteness factor would go down a bit considering all the interest she already generates from boys. At least Toby has the scary dad look down pat!

2. Toby came home safely from South Korea. He was only there a week but we really miss him when he is gone.

3. Eliza informed us that she is planning on helping the new baby with water, juice, and bath toys. This was the first time she has responded to our talk about the baby. So sweet!

4. We found ourselves doing a lot of laughing during school. It's amazing how sometimes the quietest of our children can be the silliest. I'll let you guess which one of our blessings that is =).

5. Ethan found himself the recipient of a very intense kiss from Eliza. I think it made his day and mine too. It happened after they had been apart for a few hours while the kids were taking SAT tests. When we started home schooling part of the reason was so that Eliza would have special time to bond with her siblings. It's great to see that prayer answered in the form of shameless affection!

Have a great week and remember, "This is the kind of love we are talking about--not that we once upon a time loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God." 1 John 4:10 (taken from The Message)

Celebrations

Today marks two years with our sweet girl, Eliza. I can't help but think about our first night together. We had the hotel crib up against my side of the bed and had snuggled her up for the night. I don't remember how many times this happened but I do remember sweet moments when she and I would wake up and gaze at each other through the crib bars. A few times I reached out my hand and held hers. She was so quiet and curious. Two years later and I am in awe of how perfectly God has formed our family. She is such a little Zimmerman!

Taken on Gotcha Day, April 7, 2008


Eliza Today--Such a silly girl

This post would not be complete without pictures from Easter. We had a great weekend. On Saturday we braved the cold and wind and met my parents at a tulip farm nearby. It was beautiful. Sunday we remembered Christ's resurrection at church and then hung out at home. The weather was iffy so we had an indoor egg hunt.

Two Trips

We just got the official word today from our agency that as of May 9, two trips to Ethiopia will be required for adoption. We are trying to stay positive. This does mean we get to meet our little one sooner--we just have to rely on God's grace to get on the plane without them after the first trip. We also will be able to bring them home on a visa that will make them a US citizen as soon as we get them home. I admit, we are concerned about the additional travel expenses. It will be exciting to see how God will provide.

Psalm 146

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord while I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made the heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them;

who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed;

who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

the Lord raises up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous;

the Lord protects the strangers;

He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked.

The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!"