we met choi boy!!!

after much anticipation we have finally met choi boy!!  we brought dinner and enjoyed every second with the growing choi family!!  it seems as if choi boy has been here forever!

who was more excited?

 getting ready for dinner

evan practicing his high chair skills... guess choi boy trusted him!

grace is right... he LOVES to eat!

curious

ohhhh....

\

  

this was a sweet night!!  

 peter shared how choi boy has brought a lot of healing... those words are very encouraging in the midst of so much uncertainty. 

my heart is so full seeing this sweet boy

he is the answer to sooo many prayers!

nothing new

"nothing new"

that's the phrase i seem to be saying a lot recently.

there are many reasons things have slowed down. 
there has been license issues with some of the orphanages, conflicts going on in Ethiopia, and most devastating...some families have had to give up referrals they received...  
families grew to love the faces and imagine their lives with these children they met on paper the day of their referral call.  loosing their referral means these families can't adopt the child(ren) they believed to be their son or daughter. 

i thought and prayed for her family often.  i have never been pregnant or miscarried a baby, but i think this loss would be just as heartbreaking. 

i "met" (through our yahoo group) a family who shared about the heart breaking decision they had to make.   erika said i could post her blog here so family and friends might understand a little of why her family is back on the list ahead of us.  

 http://ethiopiancleland.blogspot.com/

erika's sweet and thoughtful heart in the midst of this really difficult time totally blessed me and helped my perspective in our waiting.  erika i pray that your family receives a new referral soon.  i pray for confidence to know that HIS timing is perfect and grace to get through it!

this process if full of priceless moments and challenging times... but i have no doubt it is all worth it!  

enjoying the ups and downs of waiting... but ready to know our little hun-nee 






p.s. while evan was catching up with a buddy in phily this weekend i  snuggled in bed and finished reading mary beth chapman's book choosing to see.  loved it all!  it was like sitting and talking to her in a coffee shop!  i love her honesty and her heart for Jesus.  i cried through most of it... and was glad evan was away for that  :)

 

dinner #2

i wrote in an earlier post about our small group making dinner for a local homeless shelter.  we decided to put the lunches together once a month.  it is neat and fun and practical way to serve people in our community.  here are a few pictures from the evening.

filling the bags with granola bars, clementine, water, juice, mustard, and napkin

????

regina letting the boys know she is quality control and she is a little concerned with the quality.

i knew you could make a sandwich!! :)  (love you HUNNN-NNEEEEE)

ready for the sandwiches!!

faster boys!!

 good job people!!

back to school, back to school to prove to dad that i'm not a fool....

anyone know what that's from?  :)  here ya go!

i had mixed emotions starting today...  work has been work this year, for many reasons... but here a few little things that helped start my day off my first day in 2011 right!!

new post it cut outs!!

new pens!!

 both from my stocking this year!!  

thanks laurie!  xoxo

peppermint mocha creamer!! love, love, love this stuff!!  i got the last one at the north point giant.  i am debating whether i should go and raid other grocery stores!!

and...

finishing the day with dinner at the 'rents.  :) 

good start to 2011!!!

awwa ethiopia family dinner

there is something so sweet about meeting with people who are going through the process of adopting or have already adopted... the unspoken understanding is priceless!

at this gathering with our awaa friends we met the taylors.  they have adopted four precious children from ethiopia. 

we spent the evening eating (which included some new ethiopian dishes which were really yummy!), sharing experiences from trips to ethiopia, anticipating timelines for referrals, court dates, and embassy dates (hopefully soon) & imagining what our group will look like a year from now!!



this is erbeka, the taylor's youngest child.  evan LOVES babies and was COMPLETELY smitten with this sweet little girl.  he came in carrying her and said "i think we need one of these in addition to what we are already getting."




can't wait for this to be us with our little hun-nee... she was fun to be around!!





erbeka playing peek-a-boo with her mommmy





i think she liked evan too!



such a wonderful evening!!

white day after christmas

this morning we woke up to a winter wonderland!

checking out all the snow

first measurement was 9 inches

 here is the house on friday night

and sunday evening...

 we made it out to the store in morning to grab some food and then spent the day napping, watching movies & football, playing games and hanging out... 

 evan's friend chris even trudged through the snow to visit :)

it snowed all day long!  going to bed still snowing!