Happy Birthday Hana!

Yesterday was Hana's birthday. She is now legally 9, although I don't know how accurate that age actually is! In January we were asked by our agency to pick a date of birth for her new birth certificate and we chose May 27 pretty much off the top of our heads. It's possible that when we go to Ethiopia we might be able to find out her real birthday and in that case we will change it from May 27 when she is readopted here in the states.

In any case, we made brownies in Hana's honor last night and it only took one shot to get all the kids looking at the camera at the same time! I wanted to put the picture of the kids here:

but unfortunately I'm blogger challenged and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to do it!

Yesterday I called the National Visa Center just to see if they would say they had record of me yet since they supposedely had sent my stuff out last Wed. I found out that what they sent last week was only an email not the hardcopy of our file which is what the embassy wants. They say they still have not received the hardcopy so it looks like we will be waiting some more. It could be 2 weeks and it could be 2 months! In the mean time I have plenty to do in order to prepare for their homecoming so I am trying to keep busy with that.

Another picture

This is one of my favorite pictures of Leul and Hana. It was taken right when they found out they were going to be adopted by us! I look at it all the time and wonder what must have been going through their minds. I'm sure a mixture of many emotions and thoughts. I love how the date is on there because this was the day we finally passed court, so as the kids were rejoicing over their good news in Ethiopia, we were at home rejoicing over our good news that they were finally legally ours! I am so thankful to my friend Sherri who took this picture. She was at the orphanage at the time picking up her beautiful girls and was able to be in the room when they were told!

I cannot wait to hold these precious children in my arms.

Finally!

We got good news from our Senator's office today! They called to let me know that the National Visa Center sent our papers to Ethiopia on Wednesday! I thought it was kind of funny considering that on Thursday morning the guy who answered the phone at the NVC said they still had no record of me! Anyhow, I was thrilled and now we will just have to hope and pray that the embassy receives and opens our file quickly! It is possible that we might be in Ethiopia the last week of May after all, but I will need to speak with our agency on Monday before knowing for sure. I cannot wait to be with my kiddos!

Beware!

If you stop by my house, you just might run into a superhero!

All Cried Out

Okay, I wish I could say that I'm all cried out but I'm not. The tears keep coming out of nowhere and at odd times and I have a feeling that with Mother's Day being tomorrow there is no end in sight. Why am I crying so much? Anyone who knows me knows that I may have issues with anxiety but not depression. Through this whole adoption process I've been okay with waiting but not anymore. I just want to bring my babies home! I want to see them, and hug on them and tell them how much I love them. I want to see Hana in her shared bedroom with my oldest daughter and Leul wrestling with my youngest son. I want them home! I've never met them but I miss them desperately.
Please pray that God's grace will sustain me as I wait out this last leg of our journey!

Waiting

We heard from our senator's office today and the National Visa Center still doesn't know where our visa approval is. They said it can take up to a month to get to them from USCIS. So we wait. And after searching the Bible for some comfort today, I was reminded that waiting is not all that bad according to Isaiah 40:31
"But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength:
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not grow weary,
They shall walk and not grow faint."

Now if I could also take that as a literal promise to not be affected by the 8,000 ft altitude I will be at in Ethiopia I'd really have it made! (but somehow I don't think that's what it's talking about!)

new pictures

Well the day started off pretty stressful. We found out this morning that our visa approval hasn't been sent to Ethiopia. In fact the National Visa Center who is supposed to send it there says that they don't even have it yet! We won't know for sure until tomorrow, but it looks like we will not be leaving this Thursday after all.
We did however, receive something really cool in the mail today! A disposable camera that we had sent Hana in March. Our agency sent it to us and Sergio just got back from getting the pictures developed! They show a side of Hana we have never seen. She looks so happy and outgoing and actually even smaller than I thought she was! I thought I'd share my favorites with you all!
 

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Up and Running

Well as computer illiterate as I am, with some help from a fellow blogger, I finally have my blog up and running. My hope is that we'll be able to post from Ethiopia to keep everyone updated!
Since it's almost 2 in the morning, I'm going to go to bed and plan on posting something a little more interesting tomorrow (or should I say tonight?)