We have known since November that we were adding another member to our family, but it is only now, two weeks away from our potential travel dates, that my wife decides to "nest."
We have cleaned out every closet, the carpet in every room was professionally cleaned, Easton got new shelves in his closet, every toy box has been emptied and purged. Next up, she wants to clean out the Kitchen cabinets! Why? Because that is what women do when a baby is on the way. Babies care about clean closets and cabinets, you know!
To top it all off, she has scheduled a yard sale for June 14th, two days before our travel date. Instead of packing, we will be pricing. Hopefully we will make enough dollar at the yard sale to cover our expenses while in Ethiopia, and then maybe all our work will seem justified to me.
If you have been following our journey and have told yourself that you would like to do something to help the children of ethiopia, here is a simple way to help. Below is a list of immediate needs of the orphanages and foster care facilities. We will be taking a suitcase or two full of these items. You can bring them to us at church, or call us and we can figure out how to get it here. We are required to take $200 worth of these items, but we would love to take more. Thank you in advance for donating!
a. Children’s clothing (new or slightly used); Boys and Girls; sizes 0-8 years. Clothing needs include day clothes, pajamas, underwear, and shoes.
b. Huggies Baby Shaped Diapers Club Case – Size 1 or 2; $34.99 each (no tax or shipping on www.1800diapers.com. Use Referral Code: THCE5959 and get $2.00 off the order. (2 recommended) Even though diapers are readily available in Addis, it is more expensive to purchase them there and they tend to leak.
c. Huggies Natural Care Wipes (Unscented); 576 count; $19.99 (no tax or shipping on www.1800diapers.com) (2 recommended)
d. Nestle Good Start Supreme DHA/ARA; powder; 25.7 oz. can; $27.99 per can (no tax or shipping on www.1800diapers.com) (at least 3 cans recommended)
e. A + D Original Ointment, Diaper Rash and All-Purpose Skincare Formula; 1 lb.; $9.49 on www.drugstore.com. (1 lb. recommended)
f. Purell Hand Sanitizer NXT Refill, 1000ml Item # 2156-08EA $10.95 ea. (1 recommended) http://www.cwimedical.com/purell-hand-sanitizer.html
Our court date is next Tuesday, June 3rd. It will actually be Monday evening in our time zone, so please pray that there are no hold ups. We are ready to go get him!
May 30, 2008
May 22, 2008
Big News!!!!
We heard today that we have a court date!!!! We are so excited. It is June 3rd. I can not believe it is so soon. I think there are a few other families with court on the same day so I am praying that it is a successful day!
May 19, 2008
Four Years Old
Easton and Catherine are officially four years old as of last Thursday. We had a week full of birthday surprises.
Before I go on with the details of the big day, we got an update on baby Addis today. “He is a man after my own heart! He loves his feet rubbed! When I would rub his feet he would hold them up in the air to make it easier for me! He would lay back and enjoy the moment! It was so cute! He is eating well and has an incredibly strong grip! I have a criticism though. He smiles way too much. So every time I go past him, I have to stop working and pick him up!” We are so glad that he gets so much love while he waits for us to go get him!
Last Sunday afternoon, we went with Lovey and Poppa to Branson. I bought Poppa a grande caramel macchiatto and he took care of everything else. I think it was a fair trade. The guy at the Starbucks drive-thru thought I was the nicest person ever, wanting to pay for the guy behind me in the line and all.
This is Sophia going through the hotel lobby. She insisted on dragging the suitcase ALL THE WAY to the room.
This is the train from the parking lot. Poppa has the rest of the pictures from the day, so we will post those at a later date.
On Friday, Aunt Marci, Cousin Mark, and Baby Seth came to visit. Mark put the princess dress on Sophie and asked her to dance with him. He is so smooth, just like his daddy. Right Josh?
Catherine LOVED baby Seth, which was encouraging as we are about to add another baby to our crew. She took care of him all weekend.
Check out Mark's sunburn after a day in the sun. He won't let you pick him up without saying "owie!"
The kids got new bikes for their birthdays which were a big hit. The helmets and knee pads came in handy on the first trip down the side walk.
The Poppas helped with the bike riding.
Happy Birthday Easton and Catherine!
And, for good measure, here is a funny picture of Sophia that will make your day.
Before I go on with the details of the big day, we got an update on baby Addis today. “He is a man after my own heart! He loves his feet rubbed! When I would rub his feet he would hold them up in the air to make it easier for me! He would lay back and enjoy the moment! It was so cute! He is eating well and has an incredibly strong grip! I have a criticism though. He smiles way too much. So every time I go past him, I have to stop working and pick him up!” We are so glad that he gets so much love while he waits for us to go get him!
Last Sunday afternoon, we went with Lovey and Poppa to Branson. I bought Poppa a grande caramel macchiatto and he took care of everything else. I think it was a fair trade. The guy at the Starbucks drive-thru thought I was the nicest person ever, wanting to pay for the guy behind me in the line and all.
This is Sophia going through the hotel lobby. She insisted on dragging the suitcase ALL THE WAY to the room.
This is the train from the parking lot. Poppa has the rest of the pictures from the day, so we will post those at a later date.
On Friday, Aunt Marci, Cousin Mark, and Baby Seth came to visit. Mark put the princess dress on Sophie and asked her to dance with him. He is so smooth, just like his daddy. Right Josh?
Catherine LOVED baby Seth, which was encouraging as we are about to add another baby to our crew. She took care of him all weekend.
Check out Mark's sunburn after a day in the sun. He won't let you pick him up without saying "owie!"
The kids got new bikes for their birthdays which were a big hit. The helmets and knee pads came in handy on the first trip down the side walk.
The Poppas helped with the bike riding.
Happy Birthday Easton and Catherine!
And, for good measure, here is a funny picture of Sophia that will make your day.
May 6, 2008
Piles of Reflection
We have been overwhelmed by the response of friends, family, and blog-friends over our referral. It is a very special time in our lives and we are grateful for everyone's love and support. I am convinced that our kids are the most loved in the whole world, and I can't wait for baby Addis to get to join in.
In the mix of the blessings and congratulations have come innocent comments like, "We could never do that," or "You guys are so special to do something like that," and my all time favorite, "Four kids, are you crazy!"
While we might be crazy, and we certainly feel special, it isn't because of anything we have done. Looking into our little boys eyes, we feel special and privileged to call him our son.
We have bad days, petty arguments, and various other shortcomings just like everyone else. We just looked at our lives and decided that we had room in our family for one more. We looked at our family and found love and support to go forward with adoption. We looked at our circle of friends and found generosity and encouragement beyond what we could have ever imagined. We looked to God for direction and He said, "I wrote instructions for that a long time ago."
I found a quote this evening that sums up things up quite nicely.
I'm only one. But still, I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. 1 Samuel 1:27
In the mix of the blessings and congratulations have come innocent comments like, "We could never do that," or "You guys are so special to do something like that," and my all time favorite, "Four kids, are you crazy!"
While we might be crazy, and we certainly feel special, it isn't because of anything we have done. Looking into our little boys eyes, we feel special and privileged to call him our son.
We have bad days, petty arguments, and various other shortcomings just like everyone else. We just looked at our lives and decided that we had room in our family for one more. We looked at our family and found love and support to go forward with adoption. We looked at our circle of friends and found generosity and encouragement beyond what we could have ever imagined. We looked to God for direction and He said, "I wrote instructions for that a long time ago."
I found a quote this evening that sums up things up quite nicely.
I'm only one. But still, I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. 1 Samuel 1:27
May 5, 2008
The Details...
I told her so. Erin left town yesterday to go to Hot Springs to see her parents and grandmother for a few days. Before she left, I told her that we would get the referral this week and we wouldn't be together for it.
At 4 pm today, Jessica from Gladney called and told me that she had our referral, but that she hadn't been able to get a hold of Erin. My heart was about to pound out of my chest as I tried over and over again to get her to answer. I called her cell, her parents house, her parents cell phones, her grandmother, her brothers (they don't even live there, so I am still not sure why I called them.) 15 minutes later, Erin called me back. That was THE LONGEST 15 minutes ever. I later told Erin that it was almost like getting to tell her we were pregnant, something a man never gets the opportunity to do.
I went to my office, and all of the people that work in the worship ministry office came in to be a part of the moment with me. Erin went to her parent's computer with the kids.
He is absolutely adorable. He is pretty pudgy, with big eyes and a cute smile. His name means "The work of God the Father." He is 5 months old, 30 inches long, and 15.5 pounds.
He couldn't be any more perfect.
At 4 pm today, Jessica from Gladney called and told me that she had our referral, but that she hadn't been able to get a hold of Erin. My heart was about to pound out of my chest as I tried over and over again to get her to answer. I called her cell, her parents house, her parents cell phones, her grandmother, her brothers (they don't even live there, so I am still not sure why I called them.) 15 minutes later, Erin called me back. That was THE LONGEST 15 minutes ever. I later told Erin that it was almost like getting to tell her we were pregnant, something a man never gets the opportunity to do.
I went to my office, and all of the people that work in the worship ministry office came in to be a part of the moment with me. Erin went to her parent's computer with the kids.
He is absolutely adorable. He is pretty pudgy, with big eyes and a cute smile. His name means "The work of God the Father." He is 5 months old, 30 inches long, and 15.5 pounds.
He couldn't be any more perfect.
Introducing...
Introducing Kennedy #6!
He is 5 months old.
I will post details later on... Crazy times!
He is 5 months old.
I will post details later on... Crazy times!
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