Ready, Set, Go!

It's our last day of Summer vacation and it has been a busy one! Sophia has been doing wonderfully, even with the trips we have taken. More about our Summer adventures to come on another post. Right now I want to talk about some big changes for our family this Fall. Ethan, Emma, & Faith are headed off to private school. I have to say, it's bittersweet for this Momma. God provided a way to send them and made it clear to us that our season of homeschooling was ending (at least for now). We are so excited for all the new experiences they will have at school. Ethan is starting high school (I absolutely DO NOT feel old enough to have a kid in high school), Faith is starting middle school, and Emma is off to 7th grade. I am truly going to miss our adventures as a homeschool family. However, God does not disappoint so I know whatever He has in store for them and us will be fun as well. In the mean time, if you need to find me I'll probably be in the car shuttling kids to school, dance, sports, & rocking out to whatever is on the radio with the littles.

Life's Messy......Or So It Seems

It hasn't been all butterflies and lollipops since we've been home with Sophia. At times it has been downright overwhelming. It's been messy. I've been pooped on, slimmed, spit at, even peed on. My first trip to WINCO yesterday would have been a complete disaster if not for my ergo carrier and my amazing son. (Note to others, when buying a cart cover, make sure it has a buckle for your baby or baby will try to launch herself out of the cart.) It's been tough. We are still getting to know each other. Bonding doesn't happen in an instant, it takes work, patience, grace, and time. Someday I'll know what she wants when she cries without having to guess. Someday she'll accept the comfort of my arms every time she gets hurt or feels sad. For now, we try and try again.

It's sad when I think of all she's lost. A birth family, a birth culture, the benefit of being with people who look like you. I wish I could have given birth to her, but if I had, it wouldn't have been her. Only God knows why her life has started out this way, but in His plan for her, she was ALWAYS meant to be ours. I wish we "looked" on the outside like we feel on the inside, like a family that belongs together. I'm finding that a lot of people assume, when Toby is not with us, that I have had relationships with a few different 'guys' to get the kids I have. Please forgive me if I don't correct them. I'm just glad they think I'm their mom.

In the mean time, life is messy. But then, at the end of the day, I get to cuddle my beautiful daughter, get to know her a little better, tell her how much God loves her, and how much He loves me that he picked me to be her mom.

There are no words....

I've been hesitating about posting since we've been home. We did have an amazing trip to pick up our daughter, it's just been hard to find the words for all the emotions I've been feeling. You see, we were able to hug, talk to, and take pictures with Sophia's birth mother. In a moment of time, a woman we had never met became our family. It was the part of the trip I know I was the most nervous about. I could tell right off that she was nervous too. I don't want to go into details about what we asked her or post her photo. We believe that those things should be shared by our daughter when she wants to share them and is old enough to decide to. I can tell you that her favorite color is red, that she has Sophia's eyes, that she is beautiful, that she LOVES her daughter deeply, and that she is more courageous than anyone I have ever met. I hope that meeting us gave her peace about where her daughter was going and who would raise her. I hope she knows how much we love her and that we will continually pray for her. I hope she knows that we will tell Sophia about her and the selfless love she has for her daughter.

At the end of our meeting, she gave us bundled grass. This, in Ethiopian culture, symbolizes handing over a great responsibility to another. What an understatement...what a gift...

Family of Seven in the House!

Just wanted to make a quick post and let everyone know we are home with our sweet girl! She is transitioning beautifully (and so are we). So very thankful for all the prayers! We had an amazing trip and will post more about it later. For now, here are some photos of our sweetie!

Sophia is Coming Home!!!

Today we found out for sure that we are scheduled to appear at the US Embassy in Ethiopia on June 6th with our daughter. This means we are leaving in 5 days--5 DAYS!!!!! Are we running around like a bunch of crazies getting the house ready for a baby and our bags packed? YES! Are we feeling overcome with joy that God is bringing our girl home so soon? YES!

When we started this journey last February we had no idea about the journey God would take us on. There have been times when our hearts have been so heavy yet God has never left us. Now, we sit at an end and a beginning. An end to the roller-coaster ride that is adoption, an end to the frantic checking of email and jumping when the phone rings and a beginning of our life with Sophia home.

My heart is full from the blessings this journey has brought into our lives:

-2 beautiful Ethiopian daughters, one we will bring home and one that is home with Christ

-1 adorable nephew and a closeness with his parents that we will always treasure

-Sisters who have provided love, support, and laughter, and left me wondering how I ever survived without them--you know who you are S, C, L ;)

-Love for Ethiopia and the beautiful people who call it home

-2 trips to Ethiopia in 2 months--cannot wait to go back "home" next week

-A new understanding of God's grace that we would not have without needing it so badly

The list could go on and on but I do have A LOT to do before we leave in 5 DAYS!!!! Did I mention we leave in 5 Days!

On June 10th, we will get off a plane, go through immigration where our daughter becomes a US citizen, and walk through a terminal where our children will meet their sister. Thank you Lord for getting us here and for carrying us when we couldn't even crawl.

I Want to Love Like That.....

When we went to Ethiopia we knew we would see poverty and need on a level we don't begin to experience in America. We knew we would have the opportunity give to those in need. We knew God was going to touch our hearts and change us through our time there. What I didn't expect was to fall in love so quickly and so deeply with the country and it's people.




The first day we were in country we were blessed to do some touring in the North. We hiked a gorge that was breathtaking. Not just for it's beauty but also for the altitude. It was after that hike that we visited the Debro Labanos Monastery. It is known as the holiest Orthodox Christian church in Ethiopia. All the way from Addis we saw people walking on the road, many headed to this church. You see, it was Palm Sunday. Orthodox Christians were gathering there for a service that was going to begin at 9 pm and finish at 9 am. The priest who was our guide shared with us that the church would be filled with people standing with nothing but a staff to hold them up. All just to celebrate Palm Sunday. It was humbling. Do I treasure God enough to walk that far and stand that long? Do I love Him like that?



It was easy to find people in need at the Monastery. Many were sleeping under tarps around the church. We met one little girl and her mother who were living there. Such beauty, such hope, such joy.



When we returned to Addis, we did some shopping. Once again, it was easy to find people in need. Nursing mothers begging for anything we could give, boys selling gum and carved wooden toothbrushes. We so wanted to help them all but we just couldn't. It broke our hearts to have to walk away. Could we ever make a difference? Yet again we were faced with great need yet joy and hope still reigned in many of their hearts.

Fast forward to our last day in Ethiopia. This was the day we met the Compassion child we have been sponsoring for six years. I have to say that writing that monthly check has never been a struggle for us. We have gotten letters from him thanking us but to hear from him, face to face, how much it has meant to him and his family was priceless. I have never seen a 15 year old smile so much! It was then that we realized that we were making a difference to one boy in Ethiopia.

Click here to visit Compassion's website: http://www.compassion.com/

So here I sit, back home in one of the richest countries in the world, wondering how else God can use a simple housewife to make a difference to even one person. I want to love enough to give it all to Christ. To truly love "the least of these" enough to give whatever He asks. What that is I'm not sure, but I'm praying that when He shows me, I listen.

Court Trip Blessings

It has been a week since we saw our daughter. A week since I kissed her cheek and rocked her to sleep. A week since we said the hardest "good-bye" I can ever remember. She was more amazing than we could have imagined and the glimpses we got into her sweet, playful personality we will hang onto and treasure, especially while we wait to bring her home.



God answered so many of our prayers on our trip. Not the least of these happened when we went to court. Thankfully, WE PASSED!!!! This means that all the paperwork needed was in place and we are, according to Ethiopia, the proud parents of Sophia. Now we wait for her visa and the day we will be able to bring our sweet girl home. What a joyous day that will be!!!




God has blessed us tremendously. He chose to give us sweet memories of Sophia and He allowed us to meet the Nanny who took care of our Savannah. Let me back up a little, when we first found out our court date we found out that we were the only Holt family with that court date. At first we were a bit disappointed but then, we saw the possibility God was presenting us with to ask questions about Savannah without the awkwardness a group would have. It was a gift. While holding and loving on the daughter God has chosen to bring home to us, we were able to meet the woman who loved the daughter we will have to wait to hold until heaven. We saw her little bed. I was blessed to pour out love, hugs, and even kisses on the woman who was with my daughter when I couldn't be. There are no words to describe how full my heart is and how thankful I am that God chose to bless us this way.

Our trip to Ethiopia was only a week long, but our hearts are forever changed by what we saw there. So much need, so much joy, and so much love all together in one place.