Has It Been A Month Already?

I can't believe it has been a month since my last post. I really did intend to update much more often but I have found myself wonderfully busy with some of my favorite people. For those of you who are checking in to see how things have progressed with the adoption, we have now moved up to #8 on the wait list for a referral! We really could get the call any time now. It's a good thing we are busy or I might just go crazy waiting:-).

Today the kids and I had the privilege of greeting some friends who returned home from Ethiopia with their kiddos. What a sweet memory and so fun to be on the greeting end of a homecoming. I always feel nostalgic when I go to the international arrival gate at the airport. Not long ago we were blessed to come through that gate with Eliza. It's almost like visiting the room you gave birth in. I am eagerly awaiting the day we get to come through that gate with "Baby Africa". Who knew airports could be so special?

We have had a few adventures in the last month. We were able to meet up with Uncle Dale at the air show and see his airplane, we made our annual beach trip, and we were able to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. Huge praise--Eliza, who has had some sensory issues since coming home from China, played in the sand and water at the beach! No tears and she didn't even complain about being dirty!





We started school and it has been great. We are settling into a schedule and even joined a co-op. Eliza started preschool and dance this past week and amazed me with her ability to adjust to her new activities. She has really loved both so far. It is hard to believe she is ready for all of this. These adjustments are much harder on me than her.




Blessings! Hopefully our next post will be about a referral. Just a warning, we are not allowed to post photos or even our child's given name on the Internet. We will be able to give some basics like the age and gender of our baby.

Summer is Winding Down

Ready, set, go!


It's amazing how quickly Summer has passed us by. We managed to make some great memories. I am actually really thankful for how quick it passed because we are that much closer to getting our baby home. We still have not received our referral but as of today we are #16 on the wait list. It could be any time or it could be another few months. Either way we are closer than we were yesterday!

We are gearing up to start school next Monday (the 16th). Toby and I decided it would be best to start early so that when we travel to Ethiopia the kids can just hang out with their grandparents and not worry about school until their jet-lagged teacher gets home. :-)

We were blessed this past month to be able to celebrate Faith's birthday, go to two Holt picnics, spend time at the county fair with family, and enjoy some great fellowship with friends. Here are some pictures from the great times we had. Blessings to you all!!!


At the Zoo with new and dear friends.

At the Goonie House with some of our bestest friends ever!!!


Our nephews Blake & Jaden at the fair.


Toby's parents with all of their grandchildren. (so far)


Eliza & Shani at the Holt picnic.


Eliza and my Mom--two beautiful girls!


Faith blowing out the candles on her 10th birthday cake.

Books with Boo

It's time for another book recommendation from "Boo". There is one book that is brought to me the most often, that she knows so well she can practically read it herself, and whose main character is full of fun and mischief much like Eliza. This great book is called "Olivia" by Ian Falconer. This book is all about an amazing pig who can master anything she puts her mind to. It is definitely one of our favorites. Take a look for yourself!

July Happenings

July is already half over and we have had some busy and fun times. First of all we enjoyed the annual 4th of July parade with dear friends and the yearly trip to Grandma & Grandpa B.'s for BBQ and fireworks. We are eagerly anticipating sharing these traditions with our next baby when God chooses to bring them home.
Eliza really enjoyed the parade!
Emma told Eliza that if she smiled, waved, and looked cute people would give her.....
Candy!
My mom has this gargoyle and a bear statue in her yard. I have a picture of Ethan kissing the bear when he was around Eliza's age. When I tried to get a shot of Eliza kissing the bear she decided to kiss the gargoyle instead.

Last week we went in for our fingerprinting at INS. This is part of the process that will eventually grant us permission to bring a baby home. Hopefully that paperwork will come in the next few weeks.

The kids and I also made a day of a trip to Seaside. Eliza eventually played in the sand with her sisters which was a huge answer to prayer. She has never been too fond of the stuff. Then again, neither is her brother!
Ethan is on the blanket trying to avoid the sand and Eliza is on Ethan doing the same thing. These two are so much alike sometimes it's scary!

Eliza running through the sand with Emma

Other than that we have managed to do a little hiking, bargain shopping at various yard sales, and planning for next school year. The Summer is flying by quickly and we are enjoying making memories together. I will try to post more soon. For now, enjoy the pictures!

Faith got her birthday present early so that she could enjoy it through the Summer. This is her first "new" bike that was not handed down to her.
Eliza stopped to examine the flowers on our hike.

Dossier in Ethiopia!!

Today we found out our dossier has now made it to Ethiopia!! We are one step closer to our "Baby Africa"! So exciting!!! This gets me all the more motivated to set up our garage sale fundraiser--believe me, I need the motivation! We have been very blessed with donations and are eager to see what the Lord is going to do. We are also, after months of cold and rain, looking forward to great weather for our sale. When I told the kids that the US advanced to round two of the World Cup, not to much of a reply. When I told them our dossier was in Ethiopia we heard a "whoop!" from them. You can see where our priorities are =)

Books with Boo

It's time for another installment of "Books with Boo". This last few weeks we have been preparing for our big garage sale and Faith donated a book that was once her favorite, "Elizabeti's Doll" by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen. I rescued the book and it has quickly become one of Eliza's favorites. In the book Elizabeti, who lives in Africa, watches her mom take care of her baby brother and decides she needs a baby too. There are no dolls around for her to play with so she makes a rock her baby. It is a sweet story about taking care of "baby" like mom and it does a great job of showing what it's like to live in Elizabeti's village. The illustrations by Christy Hale are beautiful and add a lot to the story. I can't help but dream about reading it to our "baby Africa" and Eliza someday soon. Here is a link so that you can check it out too!

Treasured Memories

In this past week, I have found myself in the midst of some pretty amazing moments. The kind of moments you want to hold on to and never forget. A little over two years ago we signed papers in China that made Eliza's adoption final. When we got home we had the option to "readopt" her in the U.S.A. which would give her an American birth certificate. It is not something required in our state but we did decide to fill out the necessary paperwork and have a ceremony at the county court house. The ceremony was this past Thursday. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal emotionally since her adoption was already final but I was wrong. Having the judge decree, in perfect English, that she is forever ours touched our hearts and left us slightly emotional. It was also a really fun experience. The judge explained a lot about court proceedings to the kids and let them sit at her bench.



Since our parents were able to all be here for the court proceeding and Eliza's birthday was only a few days away, we had a little early birthday celebration for her that afternoon. It was really fun to see her get excited about her presents and tear into them! I think my favorite moment of the afternoon was watching her play with Grandma Becker, Grandpa Zimmerman, and her new Buzz Lightyear car in the kitchen. There was so much joy and laughter!



Yes, that's my little girl dressed like Buzz Lightyear. She is not at all interested in dressing up like a princess but she loves Toy Story and Buzz is one of her favorites.

We have a lot to do around here since the weather is finally getting nice. Our yard is in dire need of attention and our cars had not been washed in who knows how long. Saturday we washed our cars with help from the kids. Eliza discovered the sprayer and that if you spray it at your brother and sisters they will run screaming. It's the simple things that are truly the most fun!




Today we had a quiet family celebration for Eliza's 3rd birthday. I think she really enjoyed it. She was able to open up more presents, have birthday brownies, spend some time in the sun, and go to Red Robin for dinner.

Before
After


Nothing like a little sunbathing on your birthday.
Getting sung to at Red Robin.

This week has been full of wonderful memories and precious reminders that God has blessed us beyond measure. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down form the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17