December 12, 2008

Our caseworker called and gave us our new numbers...we are number 10 on the overall girl list and number 2 on the list for our age request. So...when will we get the call???? It would make a good Christmas gift!

October 12, 2008

As expected by AGCI, the month of September was a little slower for referrals. We did, although, move up one spot and are now number three on the waiting list for a little girl age 12-24 months. Who knows what the next month or two will bring? We have been told that the Ethiopian government is being a little more cautious with their kiddos. The time frame from referral to travel may move from 2-4 months to 3-5 months. They want to make sure that things are not going thru so quickly that the proper process and procedures are not being done. That's ok with us. We know that God has a specific little one for us and it will all happen in His time.

September 13, 2008

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!"

September 5, 2008

Jeff got a phone call last night, after I had gone to work, from AGCI. He called me and told me that we are now number 4 on the waiting list for a referral! In one month we moved from number 9 to number 4! I didn't believe him when he first told me. AGCI said that this month will be slower for referrals - probably due to the courts being closed and their contact in Ethiopia being in the states for a while. Still, it seems as if our referral will be here before Christmas! I have an email out to our caseworker to see what she thinks. Jeff was too shocked to ask any questions. What are you doing God???

August 30, 2008

Month number 1 on the waiting list is now down!! 5-7 months to go... yee haw.

August 22, 2008

We have now officially applied for two grants. One with Gift of Adoption and one with Shaohannah's Hope. It sure would be helpful to get at least one. Every penny counts and with 3 of us flying across the world and 4 of us flying back, we need all the help we can get. Pray hard, daily and with great expectations!!!!

August 9, 2008

We received our Favorable Determination Letter today! It came very fast after being told it could take 3-4 months. I don't think this impacts where we are on the waiting list though. I have a feeling that this process is going to go faster than we originally anticipated... and I really have no problem waiting until next summer. What is God got up His sleeve this time?

August 3, 2008

As of July 30, we are officially on the waiting list for a referral. Because most people request an infant, we were bumped way up on the list. There are 40 families waiting for a referral. We are number 9!! AGCI is telling us to still expect to wait the average 6-8 months for our referral but it could be sooner. I just don't want to go before tax time. I know the Lord will provide no matter when it is though.

July 25, 2008

AGCI should be receiving our dossier today. We had been finished with it for months but were waiting for our home study to be completed. We should be on the waiting list for a referral very soon! We are anticipating traveling next summer - but we all know how God loves to surprise us!

June 30,2008

We received our fingerprint appointment today! The appt. is actually only a week away. I had sent in our application without our homestudy hoping that they would give us our appt. if we sent in our homestudy later. It worked! The letter we got said that the turn around time for our FDL is about 3 months. But once we get our homestudy in and approved we will be waiting 6-8 months for a referral (our FDL is not needed to be put on the list). We are thinking that we will travel sometime next summer. Maybe in time to sell both our houses and build a new one?

May 31, 2008

Where do I begin...we had our 1st visit for our home study today with Deb. She met with myself, Kendall and Reese. She will meet with Jeff alone next week and then us together at the same visit. Then she will write up the home study, get it notarized and the paperwork is finished!! I gave her all of our home study papers today with the exception of Jeff's medical. She will get that next week. All our paperwork is done for the dossier too. I just need to send in the I600A form so that we can get our fingerprint date and FDL (favorable determination letter). That is usually sent in with the home study but AGCI suggested submitting it without and sending a letter saying that it will follow within a few weeks. The worst they can do is say we have to wait until the home study is complete!
Onward and upward... Even though our paperwork was set back a couple weeks with the passing of Jeff's mom, it still feels like it was easy and quick. I wish Wanda would have been able to meet our little fro baby.

(I am told that a lot of the kids are in an orphanage and when our paperwork is approved in Ethiopia, Hannah's Hope staff work with the orphanages to find a child that is a good match for us. The child than comes to stay at Hannah's Hope until we come to get her!)

When Love Takes You In - Steven Curtis Chapman

This song is to our new daughter...we love you.

may 12, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=demRHgul2Zk

May 8, 2008

Our contracts have been accepted and we are officially in the Ethiopia program! We received our dossier packet in the mail yesterday and got a phone call from the director of the program. The same social worker that is doing our final post placement for Reese will be with us for our new little critter. Later this week we should be getting a phone call from Julie, with AGCI, who will be our caseworker and holding our hands through the whole thing. She will go over the dossier with us so that we understand it fully.
The girls are already talking about their new sister. Reese tells us her baby sista is in Africa. Kendall reminds me that I will need another birthstone on my heart necklace - that already has Kendall and Reese's birthstone on it. Which one will belong to our little fro baby? I can't help but wonder if she is already at Hannah's Hope, or is she with her biological family. Is she hungry, clothed properly, safe? All we can do is pray that God watch over her and bring her home soon.

April 29, 2008

let's see...We had received our orientation packet and home study packet in the mail on Saturday. We sat down and reviewed it and I am amazed at how much is different with a different country. Maybe I conveniently forgot all the financial parts that are involved up front? I thought that I did the home study for China before a lot of the things that we are doing now? Oh well...different experiences for a different child. We did our orientation call on Monday in which we went over with AGCI the steps involved as we go along. We will send in the orientation paperwork tomorrow, all signed and notarized, along with a hefty check for our agency fee and orphanage fee. GULP! But so far, the finances are falling into place. Next step, fingerprints, criminal check and home study paperwork. I am told that the dossier is much easier than China - yippee! Until next time....

April 23,2008

Well, we have started the adoption process again!!! We are on our way, as a married couple this time, to another daughter. Ethiopia has been tugging at our heart strings even before Reese came home. Our application has been approved and our contracts should arrive any day. Kendall is excited with the prospect of another sister, as is the rest of the family. We pray that the process goes smoothly and the finances fall into place. We truly feel like this is where God is leading us. Last week I was watching a show about an Ethiopian adoption and the phone rang. It was All God's Children reminding me that my final post placement was due soon and they wanted to know if I was still interested in adopting from Ethiopia! Ok God, I gotcha!
So here we go........