Favorable Determination Letter

After anxiously waiting, we finally got our I-171H, it is the final piece of paperwork from the Department of Homeland Security stating that we have been approved to adopt! Officially, it is our "Notice of favorable determination" concerning the application for advance processing of Orphan petition! This is one of the last pieces of paperwork we needed to get before our referral!

This explains what we will soon be going through!

This is the same family as below, but they just accepted their referral-this explains what the process will be like for us-can't wait to get there!

http://contagiouscristie.blogspot.com/

Awesome Adoption Testimony!

This is the link to another All God's Children family that are just about to have their court date to get their baby boy-she wonderfully explaines why they are adopting and why adoption is so important. It is a wonderful testimony and worth the read!! Copy and paste or click on link http://contagiouscristie.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-adoption.html#comment-form

Abby's Christmas Gifts

Thought I would share the cute things that Abby got for Christmas. Love the outfits that Sarah my great friend got me-will look TOO cute with her dark skin. My 4 year old Niece, Norah got the Eeyore out of her toy box and told my sister, "I want to give this to Abby". So precious! Then my mom made this awesome large fleece blanket for her, one side says things like "sweet baby, miracle baby" and the other side is pastel giraffes. I love this blanket! These are the first few things that I have for her-guess I have some work to do! :)
Still waiting for some news on more referrals coming in-no news yet. I was just sure that the list would zoom now that the orphanage is moved and settled, and about 50 kids have been brought home-but we will see-I am still hopeful. We do know that it takes time even after they get babies/kids to process all the paperwork, have medical visits done and everything else that allows them to be ready for a referral-so we hang on to the fact that God knows exactly where our baby is and we just have to wait in HIS timing.
We got done with our tree recycle fundraiser and made $75 now Adam will cut them up-glad him not me.
Please continue to pray for the birth mom-I am thinking of her more and more these days as I know she is surely pregnant and contemplating her life changing decision. It is so conflicting-to hurt for her and be a "mom-in-waiting" on this end. We are so thankful to the Great Creator for giving our baby girl life and allowing her birth mom to carry her and have the heart to let her go.

Cassidy's Africa Book

Cassidy made this book for Abigail-SO sweet! She drew the pictures herself-NO tracing on the ones I am showing-which I was amazed at since I can't even draw a stick figure-not sure where this talent comes from. She says she wants to show it to Abby when she is about 3 so that she can learn what animals are in Africa.

SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISER-CAN YOU HELP?

Ok-guys we are having yet another fundraiser, I know, I know-roll your eyes! :)
We are going to be doing a silent auction/dessert night adoption fundraiser at the end of so SAVE the date! April-22nd from 6-8 at Emmanuel Bible Church
We are asking that anyone who has a special talent/craft, special gift in making something or owns their own business, vacation home or anything-if you would PLEASE consider donating anything that you can for the silent auction items. Please let us know as soon as you can as we are trying to get an idea of what we will have-contacts are below
We will also need desserts-pies, cakes, cobblers, cupcakes, cookies, etc. when the time comes and may be asking some of you if you would make one or two.
:) Ok-more eye rolling can go on here! :)
Thank you again and again-your support with bringing baby Abby home has meant the world to us-we love ya all!
awitha@verizon.net

You can Return the Baby Bottles for the Coin Drive

Hi guys-just a reminder that whenever you are done with the baby bottles and the coins, we would love them back. We are gonna wait until most of them are in to tally them up! THANK YOU!

KIDS BAPTISM

Two of our kids got baptized yesterday at church-Cassidy and Jake-we are so proud of them!

ETHIOPIAN DINNER

Zach Dancing to the music!




We had a good time at our Ethiopian Resturant celebrating the Ethiopian Christmas.

The food was ok-we want to try a different place next time, but it was interesting. They use NO utensils and only their hands to eat. Injera is the bread that they make and it is spongy with holes-looks like a bubbling pancake when you are cooking them. The smell of the resturant was so different and the kids asked what that smell was-we told them they use different things than we are used to and that it is just how it is. It was a good memory and I am glad we did it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

WE GOT OUR UPDATED NUMBER FOR THE MONTH- WE ARE 23 - WITH THE HOPES OF MOVING A LOT MORE THIS MONTH!
TOMORROW, JANUARY 7TH IS ETHIOPIA'S CHRISTMAS, SO WE ARE CELEBRATING BY GOING OUT TO EAT AT AN ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT, WHICH THEY HAVE IN PORTLAND-SHOULD BE FUN. WE HOPE TO MAKE IT A TRADITION EVERY YEAR NOW.
CONTINUE TO PRAY THAT OUR NUMBERS MOVE, ALTHOUGH WE KNOW THAT EACH DAY WE WAIT NOT ONLY BRINGS US CLOSER TO THE BABY THAT GOD HAS CHOSEN FOR OUR FAMILY, BUT THAT THIS WAITING IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO GET THE EXACT BABY THAT HE HAS PICKED OUT FOR US-SO WE WAIT WITH AS MUCH PATIENCE AS WE CAN AND TRY AND KEEP THAT IN MIND.
SO, FROM ETHIOPIA-MERRY CHRISTMAS AGAIN!
I LEAVE YOU WITH A LATE CHRISTMAS GIFT-THIS IS THE VIDEO THAT WE WATCHED RIGHT AFTER WE HAD DECIDED TO ADOPT, IT REALLY SOLIDIFIED OUR DECISION -ENJOY!

Pray for some movement on the waitlist this week!

Well, as the new year has started, all of us on our adoption waitlist for a referral are awaiting anxiously for some movement to start happening! All God's Children-Hannah's Hope Ethipia just moved into a different and newer orphanage and from the travel groups that just got back with their kids-the orphanage and kidos all got settled this last week. They were not taking in new kids during December in anticipation of the move, BUT NOW, with having more room at the orphanage PLUS having had around 40 children picked up in NOv/Dec, there should be PLEANTY of room for kids to come and thus US to get a REFERRAL! Here are a couple pictures of the newer orphanage--MUCH improved!
This whole time, we have been thinking that it would be at least April until we got our "Referral"-a referral is when they send you picutres of your baby and all the information that they have and you either accept or decline it within 10 days, if you accept is, then the process is started to go to court-where the baby would become legally yours...this happens a month or so after the referral and all takes place in Ethipia-with us still here.
We were #27 in December and as soon as we get our updated number we will let you know-I don't think that there will be too big of jump by the end of this week-but everyone is expecting the referrals to fly in February-so PRAY hard!
This last picture is of a magnet that we made for our family and some friends and it is an idea I got from a fellow blogger/adoptive mom-LOVED it-so I did it too! :)
Hope your year is starting out great-we anticipate it will be a great 2010 for us!