WOW

My mind is just churning with idea of going on a Medical Mission Trip to Ethiopia. Helping those in need in the country I love so much! All this while we are in the process of our second adoption! So if anyone still reads my blog, I am just asking you to pray, pray that He will lead me in the right direction. Until next time!!!

Back to School!

Well today was day 3 of the first day of school for this year. Zach and Sabrina entered 6th grade and Peyton started Kindergarten! Peyton is so excited.....loves school and cannot wait until she can read to her Daddy and me. With the kids going back to school it also means I went back to driving the school bus! Though the first week of school is a bit stressful...getting to know the kids....having the kids sit down in their seats....and all the other fun stuff that goes along with the job....I wouldn't trade it for one single second. Spending the summer at home with my kids was amazing! Still praying for another adoption some time down the line....but for now I am completely in love with the 3 children I have.

not OK

I couldn't have said it any better than Heather.

Friendship

Friendship is a wonderful thing isn't it? I mean seriously, without friends where would be sometimes. I know that I will never have to imagine a life without my dear friend Kristin. She has a heart bigger than anyone that I have ever met and I am humbled when I am with her. Her generosity is amazing. Please take a moment to stop over to her blog Irishopian and get to know a little bit about her and her amazing family. While you're there, please consider entering her raffle to not only have a chance of winning some authentic items, but also to assist them in bringing home their 2 sweet boys from Ethiopia. This will be her 7th and 8th child. Now do you understand when I say she has a big heart?

Thanks for reading, supporting and donating to my dear friend.

Jenni

Busy praying!

That is what I have been doing lately. So many people, friends, family members all needing prayers. Whether they are prayers of encouragement, direction, healing etc......every free moment I have I am saying a prayer for someone. At the same time, I sometimes almost forget to pray for myself and our issues. Most importantly, our desire to adopt again. We have not a clue how we can even imagine affording a second adoption at this point, but I feel so strongly that THIS is what I am being called to do. My heart aches for all children without parents, without a home, that just simply want to be loved. My heart is being drawn to Ethiopia because I have seen, first-hand, the faces of the children both in and out of the orphanage. If God wants us to adopt, surely he'll help us find a way to. I just need to remember to pray.....for us!

Decisions, Prayer and Decisions

Well, if anyone still reads my blog that I never tend to, I am going to change my ways! I am so thankful for so many wonderful things and want to share them with the world! We are also contemplating a second adoption and I am really praying on this one. We just moved into a new larger home (2 weeks ago) and it has been a year since bringing Peyton Birtukan home, I've changed jobs and we've changed churches. I know in our hearts we have the room, now I need to pray for a way to finance this adoption. I no longer work for the awesome company that has adoption assistance, but I do work for an awesome company that allows me home with my kiddos which is where I most want to be. I just came home from a trip to my dear sweet friend's home where I find myself so inspired to follow my heart and lead the Christian life I want to lead and help the people of beloved Ethiopia. My dream is to be in Ethiopia with her one day....together in a country we love so much. So for now, I will continue to pray, update my blog and post pictures!!!

Oh Happy Easter

Readoption Day

Readoption Day in PA!!!

Long Time No Blog

Well I am so sorry it has been so long since I have blogged. Life with Birtukan whom we now call Peyton Birtukan has been wonderful! So many changes have happenned since she came home! I quit my wonderful full-time job to be home for all of my children more and other than when Peyton is in preschool, she gets to spend her days with me! I now drive a school bus for Zach and Sabrina's school district. Peyton rides with me and I am off of work the same days as my kids! I don't have much time to post since we are also selling our house and buying a larger house.......I had thet most awesome conversation with a good friend today about Ethiopia and I do hope that a trip to Ethiopia will be in my future!!!!!!!

Bye Bye Cavities!!!!!!!!!!!!

Busy Busy Busy

As you can imagine, our house has been so crazy busy since we returned from Ethiopia three weeks ago today! I still can't believe how quick those 3 weeks have gone. Well we have been going along great. Birtukan has had 2 of her cavities filled already and you would have thought she'd been going to the dentist forever. No problems or complaints, she just sat in the chair and did with the nice ladies asked her to do. She came down with a nasty virus of some sort with a high fever of 103 and vomiting and diarrhea to go with it. I ended up taking her to the doctor since she can't "tell" me what is wrong or what hurts and she ended up with an ear infection on top of it all. But the good news is all her blood work and stool samples have come back perfectly fine!!! woo hoo! I am going to attach some pictures from the past 3 weeks and will try not to make it so long in between posts!!!

She is HOME!!!!!!!

We Passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We passed court and little Birtukan is ours! We have been so busy lately I haven't updated my blog. We leave May 28th and return June 6th!!!!!!!!! I am still floating on cloud 9.

Still waiting........................

Well we are still awaiting travel news. It has been almost 4 weeks since any court passings have been announced in our agency. In the meantime, we had to submit a home study addendum to USCIS. I received a call from a gal in Pittsburgh that received my information addressed to her with our last name spelled wrong, stating that they needed additional information. Luckily this woman was so nice and is awaiting travel news to pick up a boy from China and she sent the letter via email to my home study agency. My SW at our h.s. agency says everything is going to work out just fine and she is working to straighten things out with USCIS. In the meantime, I am on pins and needles.

On the edge of my seat

Well that sums it up! 9 travel emails went out this week. Not mine, but we are definately getting close! So, today we went shopping for travel supplies and I shopped by the what to pack list I got from my bloglist that other travelers have prepared! I was very grateful for it because as I walked in to the store, my mind went a bit blank!!!!!

Now we are back home to take care of my poor little man, Zach. He has not eaten since Thursday lunch which did not stay down! He did have a piece of toast today but he still has a fever that comes right before the Tylenol wears off!

Sabrina is almost completely recovered from the tonsillectomy and does not want to get this "bug" that he has so we've been out of the house pretty much as much as we can! Off to my friend Julie's tonight for a BBQ!!! Should be fun. Pictures next time!

They're gone. . . . .

The tonsils that is! Sabrina had her tonsils removed yesterday. My oh my what a quick procedure it is now. Even though she goes home the same day, it is still considered major surgery, which is part of the reason I am up right now. She is eating a popcicle and having a glass of ice cold tea. The more fluids you drink the faster you heal. This is going to be a long 10-14 days. At least the hard part is over and now we can focus on her healing. On another note, there were no travel groups announced for my agency this week. I was so bummed as I am sure the other waiting parents were. The way I figure it there are about 28 families in front of us to travel so the sooner they get dates . . . . .you got it - the sooner I get one!!!!!! Off to take care of Sabrina - good night!

Hanging on.....

Well I am still hanging on during the "wait to travel". I did receive 2 new pictures of "B" from our agency, along with measurements. During her first month at the Ab home, she gained 4 pounds!!! Each day I look at her pictures and tell her soon I will be there to bring you home. My agency had 15 referrals last week so hopefully we'll hear some good news for folks waiting to travel in front of us. I'm still holding on to the hope that I can be in Ethiopia in May and hold my new daughter in my arms for the first time.

Crossing My Fingers

I am crossing my fingers today for some new pictures and/or updates of any kind with regard to our little princess waiting for us so many miles away. Our case manager returns to the office tomorrow after a week in Ethio. So if you don't mine, cross your fingers with me for some wonderful good news!!!!!!!!!

Tonsils are Coming Out

Well, Sabrina is having her tonsils out on March 20th so, this will be something to pass our wait to travel, though NOT what I would have planned. My poor little girl has been so sick with strep throat over the past 3 years and after two back-to-back bouts of strep in December and January, I met with an E.N.T. on Tuesday and he recommended that she was definately a "candidate". The good thing is, two weeks after surgery she will be considered completely healed and so she will have no problem traveling to Ethiopia! Speaking of which, we got new pictures of our Princess waiting for us and I can't WAIT to show all of you one day hopefully very soon. I just can't wait to travel but while I'm home with Sabrina while she is recovering, we are going to start packing and organizing our donations to take with us so that will definately be fun!

Surviving the Wait to Travel

Well, this is definately the 'hardest part' so far for me during the adoption process. Waiting for the paperwork....not too bad. Waiting for the referral (probably because it was only 3 months) was definately not bad. But now, having this beautiful little face to look at every day, wondering what she's doing, worrying about everything she does in a day, and just praying to travel is definately something that could take a toll on someone. We got some surprise pictures in our email the other day and she has a gorgeous smile on her face! Which is so great to see. Last night we did some shopping for clothes for our little Ethiopian princess which was so fun! A couple of weeks ago we met about 30 other parents that have or are adopting from Ethiopia. We had such a wonderful time connecting with other local families to talk one on one about their experiences. The owner of the restaurant himself was an amazing man! We can't wait for the next get-together!!