Traveling Families

There are 3 families currently in Ethiopia meeting their children for the very first time!

Savage Family
Sparr Family
Tennant Family

Happy Birthday Jesus

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

We love you!

Follow the Journeys

Traveling Families Dec. 20 - 27

Tennant Family

Caldwell Family
Sloniger Family
Stager Family
Burk Family

Hurray - The Referral Line Is MOVING

Well, it's been kinda depressing for waiting families because there hasn't been any word of referrals for awhile. It is normal for the little boy line to move even when the little girl line sits stagnant for weeks but we have had NO NEWS PERIOD...very, very depressing.

Yesterday, three families (that we know of) received referrals for little boys! Two infants and one toddler were referred to their forever families....praise God! Congratulations to the Whitakers, Whipples, and Richardsons!

Just in case you are just tuning in and learning adoption lingo, a referral is when a child is matched to a waiting family. The family receives a phone call from the agency who tells them that they have been matched with a child. The family is told of the child's medical testing results, current health, and if known, the child's family history. The referral is also accompanied by a photo and if you are really lucky, two or three photos!

The current anticipated wait times for an infant boy is 5-7 months and the wait time for a an infant girl and toddlers (both boy and girl) is 7-9 months. The wait time for sibling groups varies significantly, so that is harder to determine. Yesterday, an e-mail was sent to the top families waiting for infant girls that stated that right now, there are just not as many girls available for referral so the wait time is more like 10 months.

Please pray that the children will be quickly united with families and not left in orphanages for extended periods of time. Once the transition home (basically an orphanage managed by our agency) receives a call that a child is available at the orphanage, America World's staff picks-up the child and a battery of medical testing is begun. After all the tests results are available and the legal documentation is completed, the child is then available to be referred to a waiting family. Sometimes a child can be at the transition home for a month or more before he or she is referred to a family because of the medical testing and legalities.

Where are we at? We are waiting in the infant girl line. Our paperwork was submitted to Ethiopia on July 25, 2008, so we are expecting a referral between the end of February and the end of April. We are praying diligently that our wait will not be any longer because we are so ready for our child!

Great Cardiology Results

Last Wednesday, my heart was tested to determine whether or not it is still functioning within normal limits. Awesome news - no sign of the return of cardiomyopathy!

I am having another test on Monday that will verify the results that I received moments ago. As much stress as I have been under this last year, I was concerned that maybe it was beginning to weaken. I am so excited with the results and am praying that the MUGA scan will concur with the results!

For those of you who don't know about my heart, after I gave birth to Ashton in 2004, I was diagnosed with post pardum cardiomyopathy (this is a type of heart disease). Apparently, my heart was weakened during the delivery. There is no known reason for this occurrence, other than it just happens sometimes. Anyway, I took the diagnosis as proof that God did indeed want our family to grow via adoption!

The latest Santa....My Father

Now, tell me that a huge grin didn't spread across your face as you viewed this picture?!

My Dad was shopping at Walgreens and ran across this Santa suit. Isn't he adorable! Ashton is going to flip when he sees his PaPa!! I just couldn't help posting this little "happy" for you today. Now, if only Santa would bring me my Ethiopian princess!

"A Night in the Toy Store"

A definite must see for friends and family members of ALL ages!

Northside Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee is pleased to present the Christmas musical "A Night In The Toy Store!"

Performance Schedule

Friday, December 12 at 7:00 PM

Saturday, December 13 at 7:00 PM

Sunday, December 14 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM

Come enjoy the Christmas story told in a unique way, with 70 toys coming to life on stage! The cast is joined by the Northside Orchestra in this Christmas celebration for all ages. The event is free and open to everyone, with nursery provided for birth through 3 years.

Last year, we took Ashton (he was only 3) to two performances because he enjoyed the play so much. It tells of the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord and presents a very clear and easy to understand description of how to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Don't miss this show!

For more information on "A Night In The Toy Store", call (615) 896-6440 or click on "Northside Baptist Church" under the picture.

One Month Today

We miss you, Momma!

The Big Question - How's the adoption going

We seem to be getting asked a lot of questions about the adoption lately...I suppose that's because there's been a lack of news to report or blog about. Right now, we are just waiting. Our paperwork has been in Ethiopia since July, so we are paper pregnant. Our pregnancy is more than likely going to be the typical 9 month pregnancy, so we aren't "due" until around the end of March. Now, don't get me wrong, we would love an early delivery, however we are being realistic. Also, it is possible that we will wait even longer than that but we hope not!

If we receive a referral in late March and there are no problems in court, then we could feasibly travel by May or early June - this would be awesome! Right now, there seems to be problems with the proper paperwork being ready for the court hearing and some families are having to go to court multiple times. On Dec. 5, America World's current Ethiopian coordinator is actually moving to Ethiopia to help on that end of the adoption world, so we are hoping that her presence in-country will make the process flow more smoothly. We'll let you know all about the court process when that time comes, but for right now, let's just all pray for the referrals so that our family can move-up on the rather lengthy list of waiting families!

Getting Ready for Christmas

Thank you for all the e-mails, phone calls, and cards encouraging us through Thanksgiving. We had a nice steak dinner at my parents' house and then went to the cemetery together. When we arrived at the cemetery, we each randomly selected a scripture to read that was typed-out on a slip of paper. The scriptures were perfect for us and very uplifting for our broken hearts. Daddy led us in family prayer and then we went our separate ways for the evening. My heart felt so much lighter when we drove away. I miss Mom every second of every day but God is helping me get through this time. He has helped me to realize that Mom wouldn't want any of us to cry and be sad, she would want us to enjoy life to the fullest.

We've gotten 2 of the Christmas trees up at Mom's house, so we're making progress in getting ready for Christmas. Now, we are trying to locate gifts that we know Mom had already purchased. She was great at stashing gifts...so great in fact that it wasn't uncommon for her to locate a gift AFTER Christmas because she would forget where she hid it. On Thanksgiving, we never did locate the giant wooden acorn that contained praises for the year. Mom would write on a slip of paper what she was thankful for throughout the year and place it inside the acorn container to be shared with the family at Thanksgiving. Most of us never thought to write down our praises but she did....when we find the acorn it will be interesting to read her praises.

On Friday morning, we went to Georgia to visit Nanny (Mom's mother). While we were there, Nanny let me read a note from a close friend. The note stated that although Mother is not in our present, she shared in our past and will share again in our future...I found that statement so comforting. We put-up Nanny's Christmas tree and just enjoyed one another's company. We had a really good time together.

When we got back home on Saturday afternoon, we put-up our Christmas tree. Last year, Nanny, Mom and I had went shopping after Christmas for some new ornaments, so it was fun getting to use the new items. Also, it helped me to feel a little bit closer to Mom because I could recall the stores and the fun we had last year.

One thing that we ask of friends and family - don't be afraid to talk about Mom around us and don't become antsy when we mention her. Even though Mom has passed, she is still very much a part of our memories, hearts, and family. For us, talking about her isn't sad, in all actuality it is very therapeutic. We like talking about Mom. She was a hoot to be around!

Now, let's get ready for Christmas!