WE ARE ADOPTING AGAIN!

We are blessed and overjoyed to share that we are adopting again!! “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” {James 1:27} This adoption journey, God has called us to a domestic U.S. adoption to a little baby brother or sister in need of a family!! We are home study approved for 1 child (or 2 children) under the age of 2, but most likely 1 infant, and our profiles are in the hands of our facilitator. We are waiting on God's perfect timing to be matched with a birth mom, or could be called about a quick drop-in-the-lap situation. We will either have months, weeks, days, or even hours to prepare to travel anywhere in the U.S. when the baby arrives!

As well, we are blessed to share that we have been approved to work on a concurrent Ethiopian adoption and will be working towards getting on the waiting list to begin the waiting process for Ethiopia again, the other nation we love! The time frames between the domestic and international adoption programs differ, and we expect to be home as a family of 4, while we wait on the Ethiopia waiting list for our third child! With an 18-24 month wait on the waiting list, we are happy to get the waiting underway!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” {Proverb 3:5-6} We would love for you to come beside us and surround us with your love and prayers as God grows our family again through adoption! "...I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west… Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” {Isaiah 43:5-6}

Thank you, friends and prayer warriors! We love you!!

june 22

Friday june 22 This morning started with a early morning bath for the little Mr. I had some Jeff Johnson playing while I cleaned the bathroom mirrors and counters while he splashed (a bit too much... getting water everywhere...) then he cleaned up his watery messes. I got to spend a few minutes twisting his hair backs into coils with some new product. Today worked well, and it went faster because I coiled bigger chunks. His curls-Qs were super-duper cute today, all shiny and stayed all day cute as it was this morning. Yay for some mommy points! We had a playmate with our friend Brittany and her son Luke. Our boys are 2 weeks apart. After a yummy healthy lunch, we headed home. Of course, he conked out on the way (25 min drive), and then slept 2 more hours at home. We relaxed with some movie time this afternoon. Being ON all week, by myself, while the hubs is across the country, earned us some movie time. And how cute is Madagascar anyways! especially Madagascar 3! By the way, Mekele has tad me this week that he wants a Madagascar 3 party when he turns 4. Yes, it is June 21, and his bday is May 20. What can I say...? We are planners! :) and today, after seeing Luke's Cars (the movie) bathroom, Mater may have won out. We will see... I guess we have a good eleven months until the party, so its all good. ha After the movie, we filled up his blue plastic pool, put his slide in it, and let him go to town! I got in with him after I cleaned up the patio a bit, and boy did it feel great! For dinner I made homemade chicken nuggets, baked beans, and orange slices- it was just a leftovers kind of night! The highest compliment I was given today... "Mom, are these chip-fil-a chicken nuggets?! Mmm... tasty!" Meke thought it was the coolest when I brought our food to have a trampoline picnic! He doesn't have to know that it was bc our clothes were wet from the pool... :) haha The highest compliment was actually at Brittany's house when he came up to me whie playing, and looked at me with those adorable big eyes, big smile, and in the sweetest voice said, "Mom... I LOVE YOU.." good grief, I love this boy! After dinner, we skyped with Aaron! just 2 days left! He is ready to be home!

june 21

Thursday june 21- we were invited to come over to our friend Debi's house for a playmate with Miki (2.5) and another little cutie Abenet (3.5) came over too! All the boys conked out soon after.. by 12:20pm, Mekele was OUT! I didn't even get his lunch to him! He took a (glorious) 2 hour and 45 min nap! He got very well-rested for our afternoon of fun with our good friends, the Morgans! We met Kim, Brady, and Blake at the pool at 4pm, and swam and swam and swam. Time got away from us, and it was 6:10pm before we realized it! Kim packed up all the boys, and headed to her house. Meke was uber-excited to get to ride in a BOOSTER seat for BIG BOYS!! His face was hilarious, like he was one cool dude. So I went to get 2 pizzas and a crazy bread for our dinner. Nothing beats a Pool & pizza Party with good friends. After dinner and jumping on their trampoline relaxed to some Max and Ruby (a first for Meke), and Kim and I though it was hilarious that three boys (ages 3-7) could be so enthralled by an old-school type cartoon featuring two bunnies as the main stars. Lovin' me some summer!! and missing the hubs!

june 20

Wednesday june 20- we spent the day "UNPLUGGED". No phone. No internet. Just me and meke together playing and trying out a new home schedule. We like it!! His favorite thing is to say "ok, Free Play!!" We love being out and about, but we also just love being home bodies!! it was a really good day together!

june 19

Tuesday june 19- we went to see our friends denise and ava. we mailed all 50 of our beautiful profiles to Lifetime!!!!! certified and insured, they were set to arrive june 21!! We skyped with Aaron!! that night at 7pm, we took a late night trip to the library b/c our books were due, and I love what a little lover of books meke is. We walked out with 10 new books to read this week!

june 18

Monday june 18- my mom and meke made homemade waffles, we ran errands to life way. So excited about my new devo Jesus Calling, a fathers day devo for aaron, and a new cd of songs that put scripture to music. Then we made a quick stop at hobby lobby next door. Got a new bandanna for a skirt "theory", a little piggy bank meke wanted to paint, tongue depressors to make some photo puzzles for meke. Back to my mom's to pick up Mia, and on our way back to FedEx b/c did i mention that the second batch of reprinting (b/c of the hole punches on the right side) that about 70 papers were one-sided, with just white paper on the one side. After assembling them, I found that I would actually only need 3 more profiles printed, so afar picking these up, I was on my way back home to put the Stragglers together. We relaxed the rest of the day...

WHIRLWIND OF A WEEKEND

Saturday june 16- Aaron woke me up at 5:45am, when in my opinion he should have been at the airport for his 7:45am flight. He said he was fine leaving at 5:45 or 6am. My parents live about 35 minutes from their driveway to the curb at the terminal. Going through the tolls, I ask, "ok, what terminal am I taking you to?" He says, "Hmmm.. I don't know," So he crawls to the backseat, unzips his luggage, and pulls out his travelocity paperwork, which never gives terminal info. "Well, I know I am flying American Airlines".. great, "American flies in and out Terminals A, C, & D." By a process of uninformed elimination, we go to A first, where he then thinks he should be at D. We drop him off, give hugs, and send him off. We begin our drive home, with a scenic tour bc I wasnt in a rush, and we made a stop at starbucks, where I got my drink and mekele wanted the blueberry bread. We get back to my parents' house, where my mom comes out to tell me, "Aaron didn't make his flight... he's waiting for you at the airport to get him." I call Aaron back, and get the whole story: "I got in a short line that became a very long line bc of a woman trying to bring perfumes and lotions in her carry-on. And I finally get to the boarding desk at 7:42am. He retells, "Sorry, but we stop boarding at 7:40am.", says the American Airlines woman, "but we can get you on the 12:25pm flight. So we go get him to go to breakfast. Chick-Fil-A was the only option when Mekele fell back asleep. So he frustrated with himself, lays his seat back, I clean my car like a "mad woman". I realized that when things are chaotic, I like to get control over what I can... my car in this situation. I feel like a should now the airport toll booth attendants by name at this point. Aaron takes meke in to the airport to go. "I need to go poop! I need to go poop!" So after farewells again, I think how nice it would be to take M to go watch planes fly in and fly out. It is then that Aaron calls me, "Oh, he never did poop." So now with no bathrooms in sight, I have Meke's exasperated "I need to go poop!!!!!" We got to see 3 planes fly in, so that was that, and we were off to find yet another bathroom. The rest of the day was relaxing: working on those beloved profiles, hole punching on the LEFT side, binding with ribbon, taking a 3-hour nap with meke, going for our first snow cones of the summer (first ever for Meke), and a brief stop at the villages splash fountains where the water was a tad bit too chilly for meke. Sunday, june 17- HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!! and HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO AARON!!!! My mom, meke, and I took the dog for a walk, then my sweet parents and I washed MY car. Meke was a cute helper washing with sponges and spraying the car and me with the hose. My dad, meke, and I finished playing sidewalk chalk and had a hamburger cookout just as a storm rolled in. My dad made homemade coffee frappachinos for us, while my mom and I started a new series 'Switched at Birth'.