Hey Freinds, I just made a total elf of myself. Check me out by clicking the link below.

Daddy

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=ab

(lg)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=8c83bdbd50adee774d395bc00b7dad41fbad000becbd9398adad14733a0339

BB as an Elf

Hey Freinds, I just made a total elf of myself. Check me out by clicking the link below.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=efa6deacb2d87f1e737e6a76d67ea0af

Hey Freinds, I just made a total elf of myself. Check me out by clicking the link below.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=77395e8246e7c1b872e883292c36e668

• List thoughts!

It has been fun listing the daily things I am grateful for or that touch me in a day. It makes you relize how many good things happen. I has made me smile when I reread some of them. What a wonderful way to remember the good things that happen without taking alot of time to do it. I will continue to "List". Maybe not everyday but as those moments come I will write them down.

Cheers to happy moments!

It's in the Genes

The other day I was getting BB ready for school. As we were putting his shoes on I heard him say "It doesn't work". I asked him what doesn't work? He said "my toes, I can't cross them over on the other toe". What? (with a smile) I couldn't help but to start laughing. This is something I have tessed my sweetheart about. BB didn't know that his daddy has the same habit. I just thought to my self how funny that is, they both do the same thing. It must be in the Genes!

Sweet expressions

Today I saw one of the sweetest face expressions. I have hung up the girls picture next to our family pictures in the hall. What a surprise it was for lg; he turned the corner and started calling out "mommy mommy thaz pictuchers". His eyes were shining with joy and happiness. His lips smiling from ear to ear as he called out their names. By now he is laughing with that same joy saying "come mommy come".

I wonder what he will think when they actually come home for the first time.

JOY! JOY! JOY!

2 Girls

We got our referral. We are so excited. I was sleeping when the door bell rang and "I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter" Hee Hee. And it was our referral package.

Here are some details we can give:

• OS - will be 4yrs on 1/25/06
• OS - Has a sweet little nose
• OS - Konjo (beautiful) eyes that are dark
• OS - Little girl attitude
• OS - Cheeks to kiss and love
• OS - And hair to braid
• ls - is 3.5 months
• ls - weights 9lbs
• ls - is 22 and 3/4 in long
• ls - soft light wavy hair
• ls - big ayn (eyes)
• ls - pretty lips & lovable cheeks

We just love them!

I would love to post pictures & was about to when we found out that we need to keep that information private until the adoption is final. Showing the pictures could jeopardize the US adoption program in Ethiopia. So of coarse I am sure you understand.

So what does this mean. We will now send back the referral and wait for a court date and we hope all will go well. I have heard others refer to this day and the most important day. This is when our adoption will be finalized i.e. the girls will no longer be classified as orphans. In our hearts they already belong to our family and we want to see them here quickly. So that is our next prayer that things will move forward and all will go well in court.

Is Winter here?

Yep! We received are first good snow fall last night while sleeping. We have had some small amounts but this one was about 3inches. Not a lot but enough to cause a white blanket on everything. I love it . It is so pretty and at night you don't need street lights because the moonlight bounces of the snow and lights everything up. Just beautiful.

We have a new update on our package. It was sent to Washington instead of Louisiana. They were going to re-route it today for tomorrow delivery and then she was hoping to get all the paper work done on it & send it back out tomorrow overnight to us. Oh I hope, it will be so much fun to get the package and learn new things about the girls. And I can't wait to post their pictures so all of you can see these little girls. Please keep us in your prayers, what am I saying I am sure we are there already. Thank you!!!!

• Daddy is wonderful.
• I heard news about our adoption
• Zim made me laugh (leeping in the air)
• Having to organize
• A hubby who loves me
• I got to go into a store alone

Fall clean up!

Is that face trouble or what?

Mondays Thoughts

-BB & lg love to play and look at the Christmas stuff.

-I got time this evening to be with my family.

-We made hot cocoa.

-We put together our Christmas count down calendar.

-Sang a song together.

-BB wanted to read about Jesus for his story time after scriptures.

-BB has such a sweet heart.

-I love giving lg kisses in his his cheeks.

Tuesday Thoughts

-Hubby help me move the rooms around.

-Hubby gave me a sweet hug and kiss.

-BB help me today by watching lg for me.

-Talked with a couple of friends for a while today.

-My mom got a new car today, I am so happy for her.

Our referral should be coming soon.

I talked with our agency today and she said she has the tracking number for the package and it should have come today but didn't. Hopefully tomorrow. Once she receives it she needs 24 hrs to prepare it and then she will send it to us. I am so excited. From the sounds of it all should be well. If the package has been sent then it should be okay - right? But as I talked with Blaine today I know it is not real until we have it. It is just so hard.

Our regular home life has kept us busy. BB is so happy to be back at school and lg is missing him when he is gone. The long holiday weekend with daddy was wonderful and lg is sad he is back to work. I am back to trying to get the things around here back in order from my trip to CA and the Christmas stuff out. The boys have loved it. We decided to save the money on the tree and put up our artificial trees again this year. It looks beautiful. I even left all the ornaments where the boys and DH put them. I had a stash of extras so I could fill in the holes and it worked out great. I like keeping what they do so that they feel apart of it. Last year I waited for them to go to bed and then I fixed it. I still felt bad, so this year it worked out perfect and it really does look awesome.

I have missed posting pictures so I will get to that soon. It sure makes it fun, and pretty. Daddy & I have some photos we have taken that are just beautiful and I want so much to share them. Wait I bet I can talk him into down loading them. Hold on!!!!!!!

Is that just beautiful or what? It is a picture of San Francisco where daddy works. This one is his and the Dahlia is mine.

Where did the vitamins go!

We found the stash. BB has been stuffing his vitamins under the couch cushion. And when we asked him where else he has stuffed them he doesn't "remember". So i guess I will be on a mission. And I thought he liked them, what a sneek.

I have to admit that we got a good laugh out of it when he wasn't with us. I love our boys they keeps us laughing. Life is good.

Hope for Tomorrow

Tomorrow should be the day we get our referral according to the last words we heard. "Monday at the latest"Oh how I want to get excited, but we have heard dates before so I am holding back my excitement. I will post as soon as we hear anything.

Sunday's List

-Daddy talk with me while I ironed

-Dressed lg for church

-Daddy made me cookies

-Talked with Kristi tonight

-Taught a lesson at church today

-Felt like smiling today

-Wore my favorite shirt today

A few more

-My cup of tea (mint medley)

-A smile from someone in the parking lot

-A husband who loves me

-Cement guys cleaning up their mess

-A christmas tree that looks beautiful

-A fireplace

- Our fun drives

Just another stretch mark!

Last monday night we recieved a letter from the INS office. Oh how I love working with them. When we originally droped off our papers I asked if they need any extras documents. No was the reply even after asking are you sure. Well, it turns out that there was more documents to turn in and they are now asking for them. So when I e-mailed the INS office back to ask if they wanted originals or copies this was the reply:

You can submit copies of your Birth and marriage certificate (we reserve the right to request the orginals). Please make sure you submit a complete copy, often we receive only part of the documents so we have to reject it. Also make sure you can read the copies.

You must make an info pass appointment to drop off forms. Please be advised we will not review your file until it is complete, at that time the 90 day period will start. We have numerous I-600A pending so be advised that it may take a few months from when we have a complete file.

What! Start over we just waited almost 3 months for you to tell us that you need more and we are starting over on time. Not to mention we asked you in the begining about these documents. AHHHHHH! So frustrating!!
Well on Friday we got our INFO pass and took in the papers. Oh I hope that everything goes well the rest of the way with them. Please keep us in your prayers. We really need these approval.

I spoke with our agency on Wednesday and was told that we should hear about our referrals at the latest on Monday. I am so hopeful and just can't stop praying in my heart for that to happen. We are ready to take these pictures and names that we have had for some time and run with them. I know that we have tried our best but we are attached and hoping all will go well.

Besides I would love to post pictures of them. They are the cutest little girls but of coarse I am bias, because I am mommy.

Day Two

-Took our INS papers in

-Daddy had the day off

-Daddy waited up for me to park the car around back (I am a chicken at night)

-Had a moment of helping w/volunteers @ work

-Got my work all done

Day Three

-Its Saturday

-Started to decorate for Chirstmas

-lg laid by me this morning

-BB & lg wrestled with us today

-Almost @1oz per day

-I love my home

-I love all the colorful lights

-I am filled w/hope for our girls

Some wonderful things!

-Daddy & BB played board games with me.

-lg snuggled on my lap durning a movie.

-BB told me he wants to spend more time together.

-I got to say my prayers on my knees with no interuptions.

-I love my family.

-My dad got to play with my boys while visiting him.

-My dad went shopping with me.

-My mom got to sleep next to us.

-I got to have a night drive with me mom.

-I got to see my sisters first boy in her tummy. (She has 4 girls)

-My nieces gave my the best good bye hugs.

-lg woke up with a smile.

-lg told brother I love you.

-BB huged me first thing this morning.

-

I saw a list like this on another blog I follow. I love the way it journals her life and so I hope to do the same thing. It is simple and for me most of the time simple things say more to my heart.

I am truely grateful. Even for those passing moments in my life when things like these happen. It is what makes up our day. I feel that if I can find more focus on the individual thingsin life, than life seems to throw quite a few good ones. It is when I forget about the little everyday moments and look only at the day as a whole that I feel like I or the day didn't measure up.

I would like to challenge anyone who reads this blog to write down for one week (7 days) the "little things" that happen each day. And if you don't mind come back and post your feelings here on this post. I too will take the challenge.

This just might be one of the secrets to joy & gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gotta Watch!!!!!

This is a drive around Addis Ababa in 4min. 30sec.

I have heard that this is normal driving, and many say it is an adrenaline rush.

Should I or Should I Not!!!!

I have been having a hard time deciding on exactly what to share and what to leave as a draft. Today I have decided that I want to share.

I know that their are many who have different experiences with their adoption; but as for each of us it is our own experience. It is what we are going through, and that will be different for each person.

I personal have been experiencing a increase of desire to know who they are. Will everything come through for the children we have seen pictures of? It is hard to see pictures of faces, smiles, eyes, hands, hair, & even some attitude and not begin to fall in love with them. I have been doing my best to keep in mind that we don't have a referral and it is not final until it is final. But the fact is there is a part of me that has a hole in it, and those feelings tend to leak. I have done my best to siphon it back up but the ground is tender and ready.

So for the last week I have been feeling like I want to go now and pick up my children. I want to hold them and love them. I want to move forward. I want them to be with their mommy. And their mommy wants more than ever to be with them.

Learning new words

Mother - ennat

Daddy - abbabba

Sister - ehet; et

Brother - wandemm

Grandfather - ayat ; yabbat abbat (paternal) yannat abbat (maternal)

Grandmother - ayat

Aunt - akest

Uncle - aggwat

Cousin - yaggw at leg

beautiful - qongo

bicycle - bisiklet