As for Me and My Household

Ropes Course

2011-07-03T21:54:00.005-05:00

I bet you don't know many thirty-something married couples who celebrate their anniversary by doing a ropes course together. Well, that's exactly what we did a few weeks ago! And it was stinkin' awesome!

Daniel and I had actually purchased a "Groupon" for this several months ago, and our ninth anniversary was the perfect occasion to redeem it.

I have always LOVED doing things like this, but I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be as strong as I used to be. But I was pretty pleased with how this ole girl did. :)

Daniel was about 50 feet up at this point

I love this picture! We were both standing on wires that gradually became farther and farther apart. We had to lean forward into each other in order to keep from falling.

Walking over the telephone poles. This was WAY highter than it looks in the photo. And they SWAYED! The trick was to just keep moving...

Daniel on the poles. I'm so glad that I married a man who is willing to do this kind of stuff with me.

Daniel on the falling-apart rope bridge high up in the trees. I loved this one!

The second half of our anniversary get away was a trip to go white water rafting on the Ocoee River in East Tennessee. No photos from that one, unfortunately, but that day was just as fun as our ropes course day.

Happy anniversary, Daniel!

Surgery Is Over!

2011-06-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

Mom’s surgery is over, and we are so thankful. The surgeon said that the mass was about the size of a peach. It was bigger than expected, and he had to do a lot of cutting and a lot of repair work. It was more complicated than anticipated, (he said it was “a booger”) but he felt like everything went well.

She will be in ICU for two days probably and then in the hospital until Saturday or Sunday.

They are concerned about the risk of stroke and bleeding for the next few days, but we trust that everything will be fine.

Thank you for your prayers!

Wonder of a Child

2011-06-27T14:42:00.003-05:00

We are just hanging out, waiting for mom's surgery around here. She is doing great. Seriously, I don't think the cardiology floor has ever seen a patient filled with so much joy. She knows that God has been taking care of her, and she has confidence that everything is going to be just fine.

While we are waiting, I thought I would share some happiness.

When we asked Madeline what special thing she would like to do for her third birthday (back in March), she informed us that she wanted to ride a train. So we took her to ride the Music City Star - the local commuter train in Nashville.

This video captures her excitement mixed with nervousness as she watched the train approach. I have watched it probably 100 times and it fills me with joy every time. :)

Unexpected News

2011-06-25T14:18:00.005-05:00

So my mom has a tumor in her heart. I hope she's not mad at me for broadcasting this in so public a way, but I felt the need to share.

Yesterday morning at 9:30 I was driving home from a quick trip to Dollar General to buy a swimming pool float when "Mom" popped up on my caller ID. I heard the tension in her voice - "Where are you right now?....Well I have some news to share...."

She was still at the cardiologist.

"My doctor just did an echocardiogram, and I have a mass growing in my heart."

What?!?

"Dad is on his way, and the doctor is sending me straight to the hospital and scheduling the surgery as soon as possible."

Well, this was pretty much last on the list of things I was expecting to happen on Friday June 24th, 2011.

I guess that's how it goes, though. Nobody is expecting that it will happen TODAY. We all know that eventually something is going to happen to us, our spouses, our parents - disease, accidents, eventually death. Just not today, right?

I try desperately to live life intentionally. To live with the end in mind and with a constant awareness of how temporary this life is. I strive for this to be a theme of my life - to do what matters so that I will not have regrets.

Then the unexpected "tragedy" occurs and I am just as blindsided as everyone else is when it happens to them.

Listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city and spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

-James 4:13-15

I share all this to say: Hug your kids, go on a date with your spouse, call your mama. Your "today" will come. Maybe it's not TODAY. I hope not. But live with the end in mind every single day.

But anyway, the rest of the story: My mom has a atrial myxoma. It nearly fills her left atrium and spills into the left ventricle. 99% of the time, this type of tumor is non-cancerous. The surgery to remove it will be Tuesday, and the prognosis is extremely good.

We have seen God's hand at work in many ways already. It's practically a miracle that the tumor was even discovered. Often this type of tumor is not found until part of it breaks off and causes a stroke. Many other details about her current situation make it apparent that God is taking care of her in this. What a comfort that he knows in advance what is going to happen. Our God is never blindsided by "today"!

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

- Psalm 23:4

He is always with us and we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS in death or in life, in illness or in health through Christ Jesus. He is with us and works all things for our good, according to his purposes. We trust him!

Ballet Recital

2011-06-15T23:25:00.002-05:00

Three-year-old Madeline's dream came true when she received the gift of "real" ballet lessons for her third birthday. Her ballet class at the YMCA has been one of the highlights of each week for the past three months. The teacher, Ms. Sonja, does an amazing job of corralling a dozen three and four year olds who are more interested in wearing leotards and tutus than actually learning any dance skills.

Today was the big day that we had all been anticipating - her first ballet recital!

The tutu only stayed on for a few minutes before being cast aside.

Jumping skills!

Doing the "Shake a Leg" dance

Playing afterwards with some of the other girls from her class. Benjamin thinks he is just one of the girls. :)

One Year

2011-06-13T22:35:00.004-05:00

One year ago today….we had just made it through our first night at home with Benjamin and were utterly exhausted.

We had a confused two-year-old girl, not sure what this little brown boy was doing in her house and why he was taking all her parents’ attention away.

We had a nine-month-old baby boy who couldn’t yet roll over, much less crawl or walk.

Benjamin was extremely insecure and fragile. We couldn’t put him down and definitely couldn’t walk away for even a minute. Bathroom breaks and breaks to eat meals were hard. Tending to Madeline’s needs even harder. Cooking or cleaning were completely out of the question.

We were very nervous about the transition to being an inter-racial family. Our first few trips out into public were very nerve-wracking.

Today…we are 366 days into life as a family of four.

Benjamin is now the best sleeper EVER. He sleeps 11-12 hours straight every night and naps 3-4 hours every day. Yes, that’s right - I get a 4 hour nap out of him at least once a week.

Madeline doesn’t remember life without Little Brother, and she is very used to sharing attention and toys with Benjamin. (Not that she likes it any more than she used to….but that’s for a different blog post.)

Benjamin is twenty-one months old and is now walking (finally started at 19 months!) and feeding himself and communicating better every day.

Benjamin has “arrived” as far as attachment and security goes. He loves other people and is very social, but he also clings appropriately to his mama and daddy. He loves to cuddle and be rocked and is very affectionate. I honestly don’t think he has any insecurities other than just the normal age-appropriate separation anxiety.

We have had exactly ZERO negative experiences in dealing with other people’s reactions to us as an inter-racial family. Everywhere we go, people are drawn to Benjamin’s magnetic personality and flirtatious smile. He gets tons of attention out in public, and it has all been good. We’ve also had lots of opportunities for new relationships because of the new dynamic of our family. I never even think about watching other people out of the corner of my eye anymore to see how they are reacting to us. It doesn’t even cross my mind.

Yes, it has been a hard year. A really hard one. But the Lord has blessed us tremendously. We have come so far!

June 12th, 2010

June 12th, 2011

Time for New Partner Families!

2010-12-18T15:24:00.003-06:00

The last three months have been a blur. But blurry in a good way! More on that in a later post. :) As we close out 2010 we have several exciting announcements. First, the Go. Seek. Love. store will be taking a winter vacation during the month of January. This will allow us to catch our breath and do some much needed maintenance on the website. Second, we are super excited about a new partnership with another orphan care ministry. More details later! Lastly…

We are ready to partner with more adoptive families!

From now until Saturday January 1^st at 12:00PM, we will be accepting applications for our next 5 partner families. Each family will receive all of the profits from Go. Seek. Love. T-shirt sales for one month beginning in February.

The requirements are:

1. Your family must be in the process of adopting a child from Africa

2. Your application to an adoption agency has been approved

3. You have not yet completed the court process

4. Your family has an active blog that has been in existence for at least 3 months and is regularly posted to a minimum of 6 times a month.

To “apply”:

1. Send an email to dubois@goseeklove.com with “Partner Family” in the subject line.

2. In the email include the following:

a. Your names

b. What town and state you live in

c. Brief family bio (number of kids, years married, occupations, etc). Nothing extensive. Just a few sentences will do. The last thing adoptive families need is more paperwork!

d. Brief reason your family is adopting (Again, you don’t have to write a novel. We want to make this as easy as possible)

For a complete FAQ on being a partner family go to http://www.goseeklove.com/partner_faq.html

The job of the partner family is just MARKETING. Blog about it, offer giveaways, send out email blasts to your friends and family, and write about the T-shirts on Facebook and Twitter. Your profits will depend on how well you promote your cause. We do all the printing and the order fulfillment. At the end of the month we send you a check for 100% of the net proceeds along with a list of people who purchased shirts.

We will notify all applicants by January 10^th. Check out the FAQ if you have any questions. If there’s something that’s not covered there, feel free to shoot us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Daniel and Sarah

FREE Shipping and a NEW PRINT!

2010-12-12T06:40:00.005-06:00

We are offering FREE SHIPPING today and tomorrow only (December 12th and 13th) on all Go. Seek. Love. orders. Hurry and get your order in to support the Matheny family! The 13th is the last day that we can guarantee delivery before Christmas. So place your order now!

ALSO... We we have a new product that we only be available for a limited time! Go. Seek. Love. prints to hang on the wall! We actually created these because I wanted one for Benjamin's room, and we ended up loving them so much that we created them in every color of the rainbow so that others could enjoy them too!

(The print does not come framed. Sorry)

They are 5X7, printed on heavy card stock, and available in 7 different colors. We have four in each color, and when they are gone, they are gone. So get your order in NOW if you want one!

Seriously, these are perfect framed in an adopted child's bedroom, and you can pick the color that best matches your decor. All the colors look great, but I must say - pink is a personal favorite. :)

Available colors - pink, orange/peach, (brown is actually not available - it's too dark), light purple, cream, light yellow, light green, and light blue

Sweet Potato Rolls

2010-11-24T09:48:00.003-06:00

One child is napping, the other one is out with Daniel running errands, and I am happy as can be - busy in the kitchen whipping up a double batch of these babies. :)

Sweet Potato Rolls

makes 12 to 18 rolls

1 sweet potato, baked
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white or brown sugar
3-4 cups all-purpose flour (I use half whole wheat and half white flour)
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Bake the sweet potato for approximately 45 minutes at 375. Remove the oven and let cool.

Combine the sweet potato, sugar, and milk and stir to make a paste. Mix in 2 cups of the flour, the salt, the yeast, and the spices until thoroughly combined. Add more flour a quarter cup at a time. Mix in after each addition until you have a dough that is tacky but which you can handle with wet hands.

When you hit the proper consistency, remove from the bowl and knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes. (Or do it all with your KitchenAid mixer like I do.)

Set the dough aside to rise in a covered bowl for 45 minutes to an hour. Divide into a dozen or so pieces, shape, and then again allow to rise until they have roughly doubled in size, another hour or so.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Daisy Aday

2010-11-22T15:39:00.004-06:00

My good friend Gillian is selling precious dresses for little girls to raise money for their family. They have just moved several states away to enter into full-time ministry. They have cute jumpers like this one, and peasant-style dresses too. Check out her blog and watch the "Smilebox" video to see all of the fabrics available. I love Madeline's cow jumper!

Our Ethiopian-American Family

2010-11-17T15:55:00.000-06:00

So this is what dinner-time sometimes looks like at our kitchen table:

Sloppy joes on injera! And it was AWESOME!

We have a wonderful international market in Nashville that sells injera made at a local Ethiopian restaurant. We try to stop by about once a month or so. Doesn't it look lovely in the injera basket that we bought at a little village while we were in Ethiopia?

Here is a photo of the lady who made it!

The funny thing is, everyone in our family loves injera except for Benjamin. We won't give up, though. We'll keep forcing it on him until he learns to like it. :)

Then and Now

2010-11-06T20:28:00.006-05:00

This was first day that we met Benjamin, five months ago. (He was sitting on my lap and looking at me in this photo.)

Benjamin and mama now.

What a difference a few months makes! The first few days together (really the first couple of months) it was sometimes hard to feel sure that we were doing the right thing for Benjamin. He was sad. His eyes look so unsure and afraid in those first photos. We didn't know him and he didn't know us.

When I look at those old pictures now I can read and interpret the looks and expressions that he was making. But at the time I could not. It is so hard to not know your baby, a baby who has already experienced over nine months of life. I read in a book the other day that adoption is a lot like opening a book in the middle and starting to read. It's hard for everyone to figure out what is going on for a while.

But when I look at the photo above, it fills my heart with joy. Yes, he is really my baby now and I am his mama. He knows me and I know him. He is at home, and he is thriving.

Pumpkin Yumminess

2010-11-04T22:55:00.000-05:00

I have a husband who loves anything made with pumpkin. And I am a person who loves to bake! So over the years I have tried many different pumpkin-themed recipes for everything from pies to brownie-like bars with cream cheese icing, breads, and even soups. Here are our two favorite pumpkin goodies that I always make this time of year.

Pumpkin Muffins (reasonably healthy)

1 can pumpkin

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

2 egg whites

1 Tbs. oil

1 & 2/3 cup flour (I use one cup whole wheat and 2/3 cup white)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 cup raisins

In a mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, egg whites, and oil. Add sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves and beat again. Add flour and beat just until mixed. Stir in raisins.

We like mini-muffins around here, but if you prefer the full-sized variety or a loaf bread that works fine too.

For mini-muffins, bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Pumpkin Yo Yo's (Nothing healthy about this one but the pumpkin. But Daniel is giddy when he sees that I am about to make these sandwich cookies. They are a once a year treat. :)

Pumpkin Cookies

2 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 & 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Cream Cheese Filling

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups powdered sugar

Beat eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in pumpkin. Add spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat again. Add flour and beat again until smooth.

Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto ungreased cookie sheets and use the back of the spoon to flatten each one slightly. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

To make the frosting/filling: Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar a half cup at a time until frosting is thick, but spreadable.

After cookies have cooled, turn half over, spread a generous amount of the cream cheese filling on each one, and top with a second cookie.

My Boy

2010-11-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

Meet the Mathenys

2010-11-01T15:23:00.006-05:00

Philip, Sara, Emily, and Titus Matheny

www.mathenymom.blogspot.com

Although I haven’t seen them in person for about eight years now, this family has a very special place in my heart. The seed for adoption was first planted in my heart by Philip and Sara.

We went to the same college as Philip and Sara, and although we were never the best of friends, we had many common friends and always knew each other. I had a great deal of respect for them back then just because of what I knew about them from others.

Then Sara and I were paired together to do a project in a Bible class (we went to a small Christian college). We were told to research and present a ministry that we were passionate about and would like to be involved in in the future. Sara suggested that we do our presentation on foster care. She and Philip had spent the previous summer living and working with a family who cared for many foster children, and they were interested in doing the same someday down the road when they were married. It wasn’t something that I had ever really considered before, but I wanted to be agreeable so I said OK.

As I researched foster care , studied what the scriptures said about caring for the fatherless, and interviewed a few people who had served as foster parents the idea of caring for children who needed parents stuck with me. Over time I became convinced that Daniel and I would probably become foster parents someday when our children were older. Gradually that dream changed and God led us in the direction of adoption.

Anyway, this blog post isn’t supposed to be about me. My point is, that I am so very excited and honored to be partnering with the Matheny family this month. They are a precious, godly family, and they are adopting from the West African country of Burkina Faso.

For the months of November and December 100% of the proceeds for all Go.Seek.Love. shirts and note cards will benefit the Matheneys’ adoption.

Here’s what they have to say about their family:

We are Philip and Sara Matheny. God planted the seed of adoption in our lives through a foster-adopt family during the summer of 2001. When we married the following year, we knew that adoption would be a part of our family. A couple of times we tried to pursue it and each time He said, “Wait.” After we were blessed with the births of Emily and Titus, we began to believe adoption as something we do “someday” in the distant future.

In 2009, we began to realize that God was planning to bring our next child into our home through adoption. We chose to pursue adoption from Burkina Faso because our extended family is already in love with the country. Though we have not yet been there ourselves, twelve members of the Matheny family have lived in or traveled to Burkina. Our family and friends join us in excitement for bringing Little Matheny home! Emily started a change jar last year and collects all the money she finds (and even gifts she is given) to help bring her little brother home. Titus prays daily that his little brother will come home soon.

Throughout the adoption process, God has been guiding us to “Listen. Trust. Obey.” He taught us to live simply and has provided abundantly. He has given us a passion for Himself and for families and we are thankful for the opportunities He gives us to love others as He has loved us. You can follow our journey as we bring our son home from Burkina Faso at

www.mathenymom.blogspot.com

And by the way, their awesome photos were taken by Sara Darling, another mom in the process of adopting from Ethiopia!

www.goseeklove.com

Benjamin Update

2010-10-26T20:26:00.008-05:00

I guess it's about time that I write an update on family life. It's been too long. That's the problem. When I get behind on something, or when I feel overwhelmed, I tend to shut do
wn. Starting feels too hard when there is so much to write. How do I summarize the complexity and busyness of the last couple of months without just making some generic statement about how "life is great"? I suppose I should just take it one chunk at a time. For starters, here is an update on the most recent addition to our family:

Benjamin is now fourteen months old, and I thank God that he has now been with us for one-third of his short life. When I look at the photos from his first days with us I realize how much he has changed and grown during that time. What a big boy he is getting to be! The clingy and insecure wailing baby of the first couple of months is gone. We now have a son who crawls at lightning speed around the house, forcing me to chase him down because he has become so independent. He is at the INTO EVERYTHING stage: emptying drawers, pulling things over on top of himself, tossing everything he encounters in his mouth without discernment. We call him the Roomba - you know, the vacuum that bounces around the room sucking up everything in its path. That's our boy.

He started crawling around his first birthday (August) and can now pull up just about anywhere. He's also just starting to "cruise" a little bit. I don't expect to see his true first steps for a couple more months, and that is just fine with me! He is already into everything as it is! Madeline didn't walk until almost seventeen months, and so he fits right in at our house.

His personality has seriously mellowed out. We don't hear nearly as much screaming, and his temper is not as extreme. He has actually become quite a tender little guy and gets his feelings hurt pretty easily these days. When we tell him no, he often looks hurt and begins to cry instead of getting mad and throwing himself on the floor like he used to.

He is absolutely in love with his daddy. Now don't get me wrong, he loves his mama. But he REALLY loves his daddy. In the morning if I am the one to get him out of bed, he looks at me and says, "Whuh dada?" When he gets up from his afternoon nap, he asks the same question. And when Dada finally walks in the back door at supper time, he is so out-of-his-mind excited he can hardly stand it.

The language part of his brain woke up one day a couple of weeks ago, and he suddenly started learning new words every day. He constantly points at things and asks, "What's that?" Actually it sounds more like, "uh sat?" So cute. He understands way more than he can say, and so we are starting to feel like we can really communicate with him. I LOVE it.

B is so friendly it cracks me up. He flags down people at the grocery store to wave and say hi. And he acts just as secure as any other kid his age now. We leave him in the church nursery and with a babysitter sometimes, and after the initial protest at the indignity of being left behind, he is just fine.

He is seriously the best sleeper ever. To say that I am thankful for that is an understatement. He sleeps from 8 pm till 7 am and never (never!) wakes up during the night. Then he takes a one hour nap in the morning and a THREE (or sometimes more!) hour nap in the afternoon. He definitely makes life easy on his mama in this way.

We have been struggling with some digestive issues. For the past couple of months he has had chronic diarrhea, and we just can't quite seem to figure out what the problem is. (I have lots of

graphic, entertaining yet stomach-turning stories that I could share about this, but you probably would never read my blog again if I did.) He has tested negative for various parasites or other problems that could cause it, and we have ruled out lactose intolerance. If anybody out there has any insight because of personal experiences with an Ethiopian child, I would love to hear from you! But the boy certainly has an appetite. He easily eats twice as much as Madeline does. At some point, we just have to stop feeding him. He doesn't ever really stop on his own. And he eats everything!

We are so thankful to God for the prayers that we have seen answered over the past several months. Benjamin has come so far, and we have grown in faith and maturity as we struggled through those early days. Every day we are more in love with our boy. And he truly is now - he is ours.

Meet Ferris

2010-10-26T20:15:00.006-05:00

Me: Madeline, what do you think we should name our pumpkin?

Madeline: (pausing to think carefully about this important decision) Ummm, Ferris.

Me: (racking my brain to think of anyone that we know or anyone that Madeline might have heard of with that name) Wow, that's a great name! Do you know anybody named Ferris?

Madeline: Yes

Me: Oh really? Who is named Ferris?

Madeline: The pumpkin.

Psalm 27

2010-10-17T16:32:00.000-05:00

The Lord is my light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid?

The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

When the evil one comes to devour me, when my enemy and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid.

Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.

The one thing I ask of the Lord - the one thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his temple.

For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

He will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

Then I will hold my head high above the enemy who surrounds me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.

Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me!

My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "Lord I am coming."

Do not turn your back on me.

Do not reject your servant in anger.

You have always been my helper.

Don't leave me now; don't abandon me, O God of my salvation!

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.

Teach me how to live, O Lord.

Lead me along the right path, for my enemy is waiting for me.

Do not let me fall into his hands, for he accuses me of things I've never done;

with every breath he threatens me with violence.

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

Wait patiently for the Lord.

Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Cute Kids

2010-10-15T14:50:00.007-05:00

Perhaps I'm a little partial, but you've got to admit that these guys are pretty cute. :)

(the surprised look)

(the offended look)

(the just plain sweet look)

We tried very hard to get a good shot of Benjamin in his traditional Ethiopian clothes. This was the best we could do.

Most of them looked like this

...unless he had a cracker in his mouth

And a good picture of both kids together? Not a chance. Oh well.

Madeline in her traditional Ethiopian dress

Life is good. :)

Meet the Cox Family

2010-10-13T16:25:00.004-05:00

Well, I have fallen off the blogging wagon lately. I guess that is obvious. Life is FULL. Full of fun, full of work, full of joy, full of kids hanging onto my legs at all times. My heart is full and my days are full. More about that later, but for now:

I am honored to introduce you to the Cox family! They are the Go. Seek. Love. partner family for the month of October, and I have been horribly remiss to not introduce them until the month is half over.

Jason, Summer, Elijah (6), and Judah (2) Cox

For the month of October 100% of the proceeds of all Go. Seek. Love. sales will go to this sweet Texas family. Summer is offering a different cool giveaway each week this month. Check out her blog for the details. I know that we all love giveaways! coxragamuffins.blogspot.com

Here is more info about their family:

We are Jason and Summer Cox. We have been married for 8 years and live in Fort Worth, TX. We met in the Aggies for Christ on a mission trip while in college and were married 2 years later. We have two sweet boys: Elijah, age 6 and Judah, age 2. Jason is employed for Chase Bank and Summer is a stay at home mom & part-time teacher at our church's preschool. God is at the center of our marriage & family. We strive to live our lives in obedience to Him and the calling He has put on each of our lives. We talked about adoption several years before our second son was born and felt like it was something God was calling us to do at some point. We had heard of the poverty and hopelessness in Africa and felt a burden & tug on our hearts to do something to help. We also felt a biblical responsibility to care for the orphan and spread the word about adoption so others can help too. Thispast summer we felt God telling us it was time to start the process, so we did. We are very excited about it and know very clearly that we are on the path God has chosen for us. We have been on the wait list since July 1, 2010 and can't wait to bring our baby girl home from Ethiopia!

So head over to www.goseeklove.com and buy a t-shirt to support their adoption. Our new design has been selling like crazy. You know you want one!

First Night In a Big Kid Bed

2010-09-26T20:46:00.002-05:00

T-shirts Are Shipping!

2010-09-24T23:20:00.006-05:00

T-shirts are shipping out tomorrow morning! To those who have been waiting a long time to receive your order, we apologize. The new ladies burn out shirt has been back ordered. Evidently it is a popular shirt, but we hope that this will not be a problem in the future.

We have been screen printing all evening, and the shirts look great! It is so exciting to mail these out to people because I know that

everyone is going to be pleased with them. :)

I realize that the small script on the new Go. Seek. Love. shirt design is hard to read in the photograph that I posted, so I wanted to share here what all the words are because they are so meaningful.

LOVE

God

each other

those who hurt you

the fatherless

the outcast

the unloveable

those who are different

the weak

without condition

because God love you

SEEK

the Kingdom of God

and you will find

peace

justice

righteousness

mercy

diversity

the lost

the good of others

without stopping

with all your heart

to all the world

without looking back

where it's not safe

boldly

with intent

now

By the way, if you are an adoptive family interested in having T-shirts printed for a fundraiserthe prices listed on www.bluebirdscreenprinting.com are NOT the prices that you will have to pay. Adoptive families will pay significantly less than the amounts on the website. Please email us to let us give you a quote. We are not trying to make money. We just want to bless others!

We Are In The Screen Printing Business!

2010-09-18T21:23:00.003-05:00

About a month ago I alluded to a surprise that we would be sharing soon….Something that we have been praying about and scheming toward for months…..Something that is going to allow us to bless more adoptive families using the skills and knowledge that God has given us.

Well, here it is!

Surprise! We are now the owners of a six-color, professional-grade screen printing press, as well as all of the other equipment that goes with it. We are officially professional screen printers!

You see, Daniel did screen printing for several years in high school. He loves the process, and he has always wanted to do more of it. We have spent the last month working with the press and getting our ducks in a row to open our new little business. Now we are ready to go.

So here is our goal: We want to print shirts (or tote bags or whatever) for adoptive families and/or ministries who want to hold T-shirt fundraisers. We will offer the best deal that we possibly can, making little or no profit ourselves, so that they can SAVE and make more money on the sale of the shirts!

We plan to continue to sell Go. Seek. Love. shirts just as we have been, giving 100% of the profits to an adoptive family and assigning each family one month to sell the shirts on their blog, etc. We have been able to give almost $4,500 in profits to other adoptive families since we started doing this. That is in addition to the $2,000 we earned for our own adoption selling the shirts. We really enjoy doing it – Daniel and I have had lots of great conversations while printing T-shirts, by hand, late at night. However, now we are able to print them using our screen printing press, and a batch of shirts can be processed in one evening instead of it taking an entire weekend to get them ready to ship.

It has been extremely rewarding to bless other adoptive families, asking nothing from them in return, the same way that we were blessed by so many when we were raising funds for our adoption. It makes us want to do more, and that is why we are so excited about this screen printing press. We hope to be able to help tens, possibly a hundred, adoptive families and non-profits to raise money with this gift that we have been given.

We had dreamed of being able to do this for a long time, but screen printing equipment is expensive! Plus we had nowhere to put it in our house – no garage or basement or bonus room. The equipment is big! It didn’t seem like something that was going to happen anytime soon. Then along came the Great Flood of 2010. The water never touched our house (read my post about how God’s hand was on us), but our large-ish shed in our backyard was flooded. Since then we have been forced to empty the space, find new homes for the things that used to be stored there, and replace the rotting floor. And that is how we found the space to open up our new screen printing studio!

Daniel watched Craig’s List for months to find the right deal. We prayed that if this is what God wanted us to do, then he would show us how to do it cheaply. Finally he found a bargain in Asheville, NC, and off we went on a fun weekend trip to pick up our new equipment.

So now we are ready to go! All we are waiting on is your orders. If you have been considering holding a T-shirt fundraiser, please contact us. We want to help you! We can’t wait! We will give you a quote, help you pick out your T-shirts, and help you figure out how many you need to order. (We’ve been selling shirts long enough to have an idea of what sells, what sizes you need, etc.)

Please email us at dubois@goseeklove.com

And by the way, to help us to pay for the equipment we are also wanting to do some commercial work as well. We would love to pick up some small to medium size printing jobs. If your church group, sports team, or office needs T-shirts, please, please give us a shout. Do us a favor and pass the word along to your youth group leaders and little league coaches. We have a website set up for the commercial side of the business with detailed info about pricing. Check it out! www.bluebirdscreenprinting.com

Welcome Home Elijah!

2010-09-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

About a year ago we met the Stavnes family through our adoption fellowship group. Amy has become my good friend since then, and it brought us such joy to see them bring their son, Elijah, home from Ethiopia. We got to be at the airport on the day that they arrived back from their trip and watch as their growing family of six was united for the first time. Such fun!

Amy has created a touching video of their journey to Elijah. Take a few moments and watch what God has done in their family over the last year and a half.

Our Journey to Elijah Mihretu - Ethiopia Adoption from Amy @ Filled With Praise on Vimeo.

Sheep Print

2010-09-08T22:15:00.000-05:00

In June of last year I posted this:

Black Baby, White Mama

Last week while we were at the Shaker Village, we saw this:

It made me cry.

Sometimes I have doubts about adopting transracially. I wonder if we are doing the right thing. Some say that it is not "natural" for a white family to raise a black child. They argue that there are just too many differences between the races. Having never been there, it is hard not to wonder if they are right.

Then God comforted me with the gift of this image. Even in nature, he reminded me, he gives black babies to white mamas. They are both sheep. They are exactly the same on the inside. It just so happens that the wool of one is a different color than the wool of the other. There is nothing weird or unnatural about it. They are a family, just the way that God intended.

Lord, make us a family with the child that you have called us to love. Help us to see no difference but the color of our "wool."

I had been planning for a while to frame the photograph above to put on the wall in B's bedroom. Instead my creative hubby offered to do something better for me. He made me this beautiful image:

He used hand carved stamps and made it using the "block printing" technique. This image still makes me cry.

Underneath, I put one of my favorite verses these days, one that I cling to often:

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

- Isaiah 40:11

Meet the Hunts AND a Cool New Shirt!

2010-09-06T22:27:00.007-05:00

I am very excited to introduce you to the Hunt family! For the month of September, all proceeds from the sale of Go. Seek. Love. shirts and note cards go to this dear family, adopting from Ethiopia. Check out their blog at hunts4adoption.blogspot.com.

Here is their story:

We are Brian and Angela Hunt. We have a 4 year old daughter named Isabel and we are so excited and ready to get on the waitlist to adopt a sweet little girl from Ethiopia. We live in Advance, North Carolina (15 minutes from Winston-Salem). Brian works for a building supply company and is in seminary at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary pursuing his Master of Divinity.

Angela teaches ESL to elementary school students. We knew that God was leading us to adopt in 2008 but many different circumstances stood in the way, so we waited. By Christmas of 2009, the call to adopt started to stir in our hearts again and this time we couldn't stop thinking about Africa, specifically Ethiopia. God has provided for every step in our adoption process so far and we know that He is faithful to continue to provide. We are so excited to move closer and closer to the day when we will hold our new daughter in our arms and bring her home to join our family.

AND I am EXTREMELY excited to introduce our BRAND NEW T-SHIRT DESIGN!!! These awesome shirts are the creation of my talented husband, and they are available at www.goseeklove.com.

Here is the men's design:

These are printed on super-soft, dark gray Canvas brand T-shirts.

And here is the ladies. I LOVE THIS SHIRT!!!

It is printed on a steel blue "burn out" style shirt. It is so soft and comfy, long in length, and fits really well. They do run small (about 1 and a half sizes small, actually).

The Here is a close up of the design so that you can read all of the words. (You can double click on it to see it larger.) This shirt is jam-packed with meaning. Oh, and the cross in the background is a traditional Ethiopian-style cross.

Head over to the website and buy one today. 100% of the profits benefit the Hunt family's adoption!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

2010-08-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

We had a lion-themed birthday party for Benjamin on Saturday

Madeline was very excited to help me make these lion cupcakes. :)

I used a runner on the table that I bought at the ALERT hospital in Ethiopia, and a wood carved lion from the market.

I made a rare full-price retail purchase when I bought this lion shirt for the birthday boy to wear at his party. He had a diaper explosion not long after the party started, and he had to have a wardrobe change. I was determined to get a picture of him in it, though, before we changed his clothes. He was NOT cooperating. :)

Pizza and fruit was on the menu. We kept it simple. :)

Mama and the birthday boy

Getting some tickles from Peepaw

Cousin Annie

The fire truck riding toy was a huge hit

Time to blow out the candles!

And time to eat cake! Here is the first bite...

Ooh! I think I like this stuff!

Oh yeah, I am seriously digging the cake thing.

Woah! Did I seriously just eat the whole thing?!

And big sister enjoyed the fruits of her labor too.

Unexpected Grief

2010-08-28T09:45:00.003-05:00

Today is Benjamin's first birthday. The cupcakes are made, the house is clean, and in a couple of hours we are expecting some family members to help us celebrate! What joy to finally have him home and to get to share this special milestone with him. I began dreaming about this birthday party long before we even had him home with us.

But as I have prepared for the party over the last couple of days, I have had an unexpected emotional reaction.

Birthdays are a fun time to celebrate a person. With parties and cakes we seek to say we love you and we are glad that you were born. But for mommies birthdays have a deeper, fuller meaning. They are a day of special remembrance. We recall watching a miracle as God brought a new life forth from our bodies. We recall watching in wonder and falling in love. Today I am feeling grief, unexpected grief, because I have no such memories of Benjamin.

I wish I remember what happened a year ago today. I wish that when I met Benjamin's birth mom it had occurred to me to ask her about her labor. What was the birth like? Who helped her? How long was she in labor? What was the weather like that day?

I am his mommy; there is no doubt about that. But today I feel a hole. Over time I'm sure that this hole will be filled with many, many memories, replacing the sadness that I feel right now. After all, our relationship only goes back two months.

Happy birthday, Little Brother. We love you very, very much, and we are so glad that you joined our family.

Miss Madeline

2010-08-25T06:32:00.000-05:00

I have offered lots of updates about how our Little Man is doing lately, but I haven't shared much about what's going on with our almost-two-and-a-half-year-old princess. And that she is: A princess. Where in the world she gets it, I don't know. I've never been a pink-wearing, dress-up playing kind of girl. But my sweet daughter certainly is.

I have kinda been putting off doing this. As she gets older, more complex, more of a real person, it is harder to put together a neat little summary describing what she is like. With a baby you can easily summarize their eating and sleeping habits, include a list of the words they can say and the latest physical milestones, and add in a few sentences about their developing personality. But Madeline is a real person now. There is a lot more to her than how many hours she sleeps at night. And the words she can say? I don't think blogger will allow me to post an entry long enough to include them all.

My girl is gentle and kind. She is detail oriented and orderly (she often lines up her toys in neat little rows when she plays and sorts things by color and size). She is also a complete mess, leaving a trail of toys, shoes, and hair accessories everywhere she goes. (I often tell Daniel that I feel like someone has hit the "shuffle" button on my house every night, moving all of the contents to opposite ends.) She sings all the time. She talks a lot, but not all the time. I think that she will be an introvert like her mama. She enjoys people, but she also loves to go in her room, shut the door, and read books for thirty minutes at a time. She reads all the time, and she completely memorizes books that I read to her scary quick. (I keep a stash of books in the car, and she "reads" them aloud one at a time, throwing them on the floor when she is done with each one.) She loves Pingu and the Wonder Pets. She does not like to be dirty. (If she dribbles a little bit while she is eating, she won't take another bite until she has cleaned the table or her clothes up.) She has known all of her letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. since before she was two.

Climbing, jumping, and throwing are not her strongest skills. She is more of a fine motor skill kind of girl. She can draw smiley faces. She even tries to draw letters and gets super-excited when she gets anywhere close.

My Mattie Lou is half big girl and half baby. She still sleeps in a crib, she still likes to have a bottle of milk before bed, and she loves for me to rock her and sing the same three songs every night. (No variations allowed...) But she also shares her thoughts, tell me where it hurts, and describes what happened during her Sunday school class. She wants to ride around the house on my back in the backpack (because that is what brother is doing), but quickly gets bored and wants to "help" me cook and unload the dishwasher instead. (She is great at organizing the silverware drawer!) She no longer says "foffee"; she says coffee. She doesn't say "Afrifa"; she says Africa. She has quit saying "Aunt Emmy"; and instead calls her Emily. I miss all her cute little baby talk so much. She does, however, still call her dress up shoes her "pancy" shoes (fancy shoes), and I am doing my best to keep her from learning the correct way to say it!

My Sweet Girl loves to have her "poe nails" painted, and she can go through a whole sheet of stickers in no time flat, sticking them to everything in sight. (However, I strictly enforce a "no stickers on the floor" policy.) She still adores her "fuzz pillow" that her aunt Emily made for her, and every morning I clean up a small mountain of polyester fiber fill that she has pulled out of her pillow and thrown on the floor during the night. She sleeps with about six blankets in her bed. She goes crazy over anything soft.

We are NOT potty trained. We made a whole-hearted effort last week, and it just didn't work out. It exhausted and stressed us all, and we just need to take a break from it all. We will try again in a few months.

I am so impressed with how kind and patient she is to her brother. "Mr. Grabby Hands," as we like to call him, just loves to seize handfuls of her hair and sometimes even try to pull her nose right off of her face. She just pushes his hand away and says, "No brother." No hitting or fussing! She loves to help me by giving him his pacifier or a toy. And one of her greatest delights is to make him laugh. I have a couple of videos on my phone of her making him laugh, and she loves to watch them over and over. She quickly picks up on any pet names that I call him, and gives us a laugh when we hear her call him "Little Man," "Dude," or "Big Boy." Things are getting a bit harder now that is he mobile and can get into her toys, though. I have heard the word "Mine!" quite a few times in the last few days.

Madeline has more than a slight obsession with the books about "Gigi: God's Little Pricess" (from Lifeway). She reads Gigi every day, dresses up in a pink leotard, ballet shoes, and a pink feather boa every day, and acts out the story about Gigi taking ballet lessons - over and over and over.

Our biggest struggles these days are whining and refusing to eat what I want her to eat at mealtime. (Not because she doesn't like it; just because I want her to eat it.) She IS two, after all.

Thankfully, she has given up her nap strike that she was on for about three or four months and now sleeps for about two-and-a-half hours every single day. Yea! She really needs that nap. And, well, honestly mama does too.

One of the best moments of my day comes at bed time when we are saying our prayers together. She likes to get down on our knees to pray, and then I ask her what she wants to say, "Thank you, God" for. We go through her list and I add a few too. Then I put her in bed, close the door, and listen to her sing until she falls asleep. Sometimes it takes her an hour or more to fall asleep, but she just sings her heart out until she finally dozes off.

Oh how I love my sweet girl.

We Are Crawling!

2010-08-17T15:43:00.003-05:00

Look what happened at our house yesterday!

Look out world, here he comes!

In addition, we are doing "Potty Training Boot Camp" at our house this week. Yesterday we enjoyed five successes and only one wet diaper! And today has brought several more successful trips to the potty. Woo hoo!

It has already been a big week at the Dubois house!

Holocaust Denial

2010-08-16T15:15:00.000-05:00

You need to read this post on my friend Tracy's blog. Their family adopted a sibling group of four from Ethiopia in February. They are beautiful, every one of them, on the inside and on the outside. Her children have experienced horrors, and the Lord is healing, gradually over time. Oh the stories of his faithfulness and love they have to share. Please take a moment to read her words.

Two Month Update on Benjamin

2010-08-13T15:42:00.006-05:00

For those of you who are interested, I thought I would share a bit about how our little man is doing. (I call him that - "Little Man" - a lot, and Madeline has caught on. She handed him a toy the other day and said, "Here you go, Little Man. :) )

First and foremost: He is completely healthy! We are so thankful! Our pediatrician tested him for just about everything he could be tested for, and all the results have come back negative. Praise God! We had braced ourselves, expecting that we might face some concerning health problems when we got home. As much as possible, we had been saving the money in our FSA this year "just in case." The only little hiccup is that his TB skin test was positive. This is ONLY because he received the TB vaccine while he was at the Transition Home in Ethiopia, and this causes him to have the antibody in his bloodstream. His chest x-ray is completely clear. He does NOT have tuberculosis. However, the health department doesn't care. Anyone (at least in our state) who has a positive skin test has to take medication for 9 months. So we are about a month and a half into that. If that's the worst thing that we have to face, then we will take it. Our pediatrician is re-vaccinating him for all of the standard things. He did receive some immunizations while in Ethiopia, but he recommends just starting over.

The little (big) guy is growing by leaps and bounds. In the first month that we were home he grew half an inch and gained 2 1/2 pounds! I know that is much more than that by now. He is over 25 pounds already and around the 90th percentile for his weight and moving up to around the 60th for his height. Our pediatrician gave us a pat on the back, telling us that the quick increase in height is directly linked to how much love and security he is receiving.

He got FOUR teeth all in the same week a few weeks ago. Poor little guy. It was a rough week for all of us. So he now has two on the bottom (with a third about to poke through) and four on the top. His big teeth up top make him look like a big kid!

When we picked him up from the Transition Home, he was about 9 1/2 months old and not at all mobile. He could sit up, and that was it. He wasn't at all interested in trying to go anywhere. He didn't even roll over yet. He still slept like a tiny infant, flat on his back with his arms and legs extended, never moving an inch. He was nowhere near crawling. He had no strength at all in his arms and legs. In fact, when we stood him up on our laps, holding his hands, he would start crying after a couple of minutes. He wasn't used to that, and his little legs hurt! Well, he has progressed tremendously since coming home. He started rolling over within a couple of weeks after we got back, and he was soon able to log roll to get where he wanted to go. He isn't technically crawling yet, but every day for the last week I have thought that it was going to be the big day. He is right on the verge, up on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth. He manages to scoot from one place to another, and he is very motivated now. He gets so frustrated when he can't reach whatever it is that he wants.

He is saying quite a few words already. I had expected that he would take a little bit longer to begin to catch on to our language since the sounds are so different from Amharic, but that hasn't been the case at all. He started learning new words right away. He can say (or at least tries to say) Dada, Mama, bye bye, baba (bottle), kitty, all done, and bread (his favorite food). I have tried teaching him a few signs. He understands what they mean, but he doesn't attempt to do them at all. But if he chooses to learn the words instead, that is even better. He waves when you say "bye bye" and claps when you say "yea!" He seems just like a healthy, normal almost one-year-old.

Benjamin is a GREAT sleeper. WHAT A BLESSING. I do not take this for granted at all. Since getting over jet lag (it took about two weeks for him to fully adjust), he has slept through the night every single night. Madeline wasn't even doing that yet at this age! We have gradually worked on adjusting his schedule to fit better with the rhythm of our family life. Although it took a while, his schedule works out great for everyone now. At first he was an early riser - 5:45 or so most mornings - and he preferred to go to bed at 7 pm or so. Normal for babies, I know, but really hard on mama... Now he goes to bed at 8 pm, and he gets up at 7 am or so. He naps twice a day for 1 1/2 hours or so each time, and his afternoon nap is at the same time as Madeline's. That is HUGE for me.

Our Benjamin is a passionate little guy. That is something we are having to get used to around here... We are a mild mannered family, and we are used to having things at least somewhat calm and quiet most of the time. Well, B isn't into "calm and quiet." The boy is a screamer. He screams when he is happy, when he is sad, when he is mad. He loves to hear himself, and he loves noise! And boy oh boy, does he have a temper. He arches that little back and throws himself backward when things don't go his way. It's amusing now, but I know that it won't be later. :) I do love to see the vibrancy of his personality. His passion is going to make all of our lives richer as he grows and develops.

He has come such a long way in the security department. We literally couldn't put him down without him falling apart at first. He would act like his little heart was breaking every time. This is normal, but it was really, really stressful. I know that many have been praying for him and for us, and I can't thank you enough. Our prayers are being answered before our eyes. The turning point was about three weeks ago: We arrived home after going to the grocery store, and I had to put him on the floor with some toys while I made three trips back to the car to bring in groceries. Normally at that point he would have been screaming his head off, both sad and mad that I would dare to put him down like that. But I made THREE TRIPS and he never cried a bit. Instead I cried, thanking God that this day had come! Since then he has continued to become more and more secure. He still prefers to stay close, but he definitely doesn't seem to think that we are leaving him forever every time we put him down for a minute.

I carry him around in a backpack with a frame on it (the kind that you use for hiking) quite a bit. Weighing in at over 25 pounds, he is way to heavy for the Baby Bjorn or a sling now. He is very content to just hang out with me, which is fun. Ethiopian women carry their babies on their backs, and I like to think that it is in his genes to be carried that way. I'm not cool enough to pull it off the way they do, tying him on with a shawl, but the backpack works for me pretty well. I can cook, run the vacuum, play with Madeline in the yard, and do lots of other things while he is there, and we are both happy. I have, however, had to start seeing my chiropractor again.... Oh well. This is a season, right?

Life is good. I have two beautiful, happy, and healthy children. I have a husband who loves me and is supportive. I have a lovely home, and I love where we live. We have so much more than we need. The Lord has blessed us. May we live to bless others.

A Happy Report

2010-08-11T22:03:00.001-05:00

Well I am filled with joy to share that things are going really well now. I have gradually found new rhythms and routines for our days that are working for us. Madeline is doing SO WELL with Benjamin – so helpful and kind and patient (well, most of the time…). Benjamin is doing awesome! I mean, incredible. He has done a 180 and is so much more secure and content than he was a few weeks ago. And me? Well, I am no longer on the brink of crying all the time and instead I am having a lot of fun! Really!

My threshold for dealing with the craziness has increased so that it doesn’t get to me nearly as much. I am a one-thing-at-a-time type of person and I get overwhelmed too easily. I wish so badly that I could multi-task well. Aren’t all women supposed to be good at that? Well, I’m not. The multi-tasking part of my brain is underdeveloped, and trying to juggle a lot of things at once is extremely stressful for me. But I’m getting used to it and getting better at it. I no longer cry every time I am trying to get the car packed and the kids loaded just to go to the grocery store. :)

Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and encouragement over the past few weeks. You guys are wonderful – I have gotten emails, phone calls, offers to help, and even a card in the mail with a gift certificate for chocolate! So many have encouraged me by sharing scripture and relating your own experiences and struggles. Oh, it has helped so much! Thank you one and all. I had felt reluctant to share my difficulties in such a public way, but I am so glad that I did.

By the way, we went on a road trip to Asheville, NC, last weekend to run an important errand (and had a very fun family weekend in the process). It’s related to a fun and exciting announcement coming up about a way that we are going to be able to help even more adoptive families. We have been praying and dreaming about this for a long time now. I can't wait to share, but I'll just leave you with that teaser for now...

And finally...What kind of blog post would this be without cute pictures of the kids?

Meet the Robbins

2010-08-02T06:20:00.004-05:00

I am very excited to introduce you to the Robbins family! They are our Go. Seek. Love. partner family for the month of August. Aren't they the cutest family you've ever seen? Talk about photogenic!

Kirk and Becca Robbins with Grace, Ben, and Rhett

Here is their bio:

We are Kirk and Becca Robbins. We live in Rogers, Arkansas where Kirk works for Dr. Pepper and is in school getting his MBA and Becca is the CEO of the Robbins’ Nest! We have three busy kids: Grace (5), Ben (2) and Rhett (1). Both of our sons have a severe bleeding disorder called Hemophilia. We’ve faced some tough challenges the past few years and will no doubt have more to come. Through this, we’ve grown stronger as a family and in our faith.
We have both always had the desire to adopt and are so excited to be on this journey! We know this is God’s calling for us and feel that our family is just not yet complete. We can’t wait to add another child into our lives and home! Currently, we are on the waitlist for a precious baby girl from Ethiopia.

Head over to www.goseeklove.com and buy a T-shirt or notecards. 100% of the profits will go toward the Robbins' adoption. Check out their blog at www.robbinsfour.blogspot.com.

Poppy Dip!

2010-07-28T22:08:00.000-05:00

My friend Sallee has been raising money for their THIRD Ethiopian adoption by making adorable dresses and skirts for little girls out of the cutest fabrics you have ever seen. She calls her little fundraiser company "It's Poppy Dip!" after a cute saying of her son's. I have loved the dresses since I first saw them, and I've wanted one for Madeline forever. A couple of months ago I WON THE GIVEAWAY on Sallee's blog by guessing how many dresses she has made over the last months. It's a lot! Here is Madeline in her cutie patootie Poppy Dip dress:

Check out Sallee's website and her blog and see for yourself all of the cute fabrics she has available. She just posted all of the new Christmas fabrics she will have for this year. I want about six!

Hope

2010-07-26T21:50:00.002-05:00

Do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

- Isaiah 41:10

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

- Isaiah 40:11

Don't lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

- II Corinthians 4:16-18

The Truth

2010-07-24T14:48:00.004-05:00

Let me preface this by telling you that this isn’t going to be a happy-go-lucky blog post, full of rainbows and roses. I don’t have a super-spiritual revelation to share with you or a word of encouragement to brighten your day. I’m just gonna be real with ya. Mama is just barely holding it together some days lately.

I haven’t written much on this blog recently because, honestly, I haven’t been sure what to say. I don’t want to be a discouragement to anyone. I am fearful that someone out there is considering adoption and will read a post that shows the harder side of the adjustment period and will decide that it just too difficult. That’s why I’ve been quiet. I have felt the need to just burrow down into my little hole and keep everything to myself until things get easier, and then I’ll come back out into the sunshine and tell you some great stories about how well everyone is doing. But that’s not who I am. You see, I am a “real” person. I cannot stand being fake, even if that means that I come across as negative sometimes. So I will tell you the truth.

The transition to having two kids has been really, really hard. I am embarrassed to admit it. I know so many great mama’s (mostly through our adoption community) out there who have 4, 5, or even 6 or more kids. They love it, they seem to do a beautiful job managing their households, and their attitude is “the more the merrier.” I know that I should not be comparing myself with others. My job is to be the person that God created ME to be, to ask what his will is for MY life. But try as I may, I can’t stay away from the feeling that I am a real weenie – I can hardly manage life with two children and a small house when these other beautiful mothers have two or three times as many and a much larger house to keep up.

I’ve been getting by on a steady diet of sugar and caffeine, and I’ve gotten very little exercise since we have gotten back. I know that is definitely making me feel crummy physically and making everything else harder, but I just can’t seem to get back on track. Most nights I get six-ish hours of sleep, and I am gradually getting tireder and tireder.

Everything is such a struggle these days. Madeline (almost two-and-a-half now) has been particularly whiny and contrary lately. She is more defiant and disobedient that I am used to. Dealing with her and addressing everything that needs to be addressed takes so much constant energy.

Benjamin is very needy. He is a happy child when he is being held, but does not like to be put down at all. Even for a moment. This makes things like loading up the car to go somewhere, putting clothes in the dryer, or even just going to the bathroom extremely difficult. He is a passionate little guy, and he makes his displeasure known by screaming. This is very understandable behavior. He was abandoned by his birth mother, and he was then ripped away from his caretakers of six months at the transition home. Naturally, he is afraid of that happening again. He NEEDS me to stay close to him, to reassure him over and over that I am never going to leave him. That I may walk away, but I am always going to come back. (This is getting better gradually. This week I have noticed a big improvement – Praise God!)

Both of my children need me so much. I feel like I need to give 100% of my energy and emotion to each of them. Plus I want to have at least a little left over to give to Daniel when he gets home. Then there’s the housework, the cooking, the errands. Oh, and I guess I should leave a little bit of time and energy to take care of myself – you know get some exercise, get a little more sleep, have some quiet time.

The math just isn’t adding up. If I give 100% to each of my kids, it is already requiring 200% of my normal energy. And that leaves nothing for everything else on the list. So that’s where I am right now. And that’s why you haven’t heard much from me. :) I know that things will get easier. I am COUNTING on that. There are just a lot of wrinkles to be ironed out of this new season of life. A lot to figure out still in order to make life work for all of us.

Just say a prayer for me if you will – for strength, for patience, for energy. And that I will continue to cling to my Savior - the Only One who can give me the grace and the peace that I need to face each day and be all that I need to be for my family.

P.S. By the way, for the most part, these struggles are not adoption related. I'm just a tired mama of two very young children. Who I love very much. :)

Our Life in Pictures

2010-07-19T15:39:00.015-05:00

I have no idea how you mama's out there who have four or five kids are able to keep up with a blog. I hardly have time to go to the bathroom these days, much less write long and thoughtful blog posts. By the time they go to bed, I am beat. I am a tired mama these days. But I sure do have two cute kids! :) Here is a peek at some of the cuteness that our little house has been filled with lately.

Cuddling in mama and daddy's bed before bedtime. Yes, our pillow cases don't match the sheets. Yes, there is a wet spot from a bottle that leaked. Focus on the cute kids please.

Bath time. Oh how our boy loves the bath tub. Splashes and laughs and splashes and laughs. He even lets you pour water over his head and thinks that it is funny.

Dress up. We do this A LOT. She wears the tiara and the high heels (her "pancy" shoes) at least half of the time.

And, of course, Elmo needs to dress up too.

Madeline loves raw corn on the cob. I let her try it once because she was being so impatient when I told her that I needed to cook it first. I thought one bite would convince her that she would rather wait. Nope. She ate the whole thing.

"Don't touch me, brother!"

More dressing up. She has learned how to do the "cheese" face.

And more dressing up. Notice the wings she is eating while eating supper.

Madeline goes through spells where she wears these rose-tinted sunglasses all the time. Even while watching Pingu on Netflix. Oh yes, and holding her friend Mr. Potato head at the same time.

Quite a handsome guy, don't you think? :)

The little guy LOVES to make noise. The more noise the better in his opinion.

Ready for the 4th of July parade in our little town.

Spraying Daddy with a squirt bottle to help him keep cool. Don't you love the feather hat that she got at the parade? :)

Cool dude. He LOVES to swing, and the higher the better. Quite the opposite of my cautious little girl who likes to just barely move on the swing. I lightly push her, and she tells me, "Too high mama! Too high!"

Gotta love the icing goatee. July 2nd is the birthday of one of M's friends, so we had some cupcake fun with them on the 4th.

Yea for birthdays and yea for cupcakes!

Yes, and yea for sparklers too! Madeline thought this was great fun. I LOVE that she is getting old enough now to do fun things with.

Flowers that Daniel sent me on a particularly hard day. Yes, I will admit that the transition to having two young children has been overwhelming on some days. Daniel has been so helpful and supportive.

Playing in the water on a very hot day at my parents' house. My sis and her daughter came to visit for a week earlier this month.

What a cutie!

Benjamin and his cousin Abigail are only three days apart.

Isn't she beautiful?

A little over two years ago, there were no babies in our extended family. Now there are four with a fifth on the way! These are fun years. Abigail jumped off the stairs only moments after this was taken.

Rachel and Abigail - two beauties.

A couple of my college friends had a shower for us a couple of weeks ago. It was such a special day. Isn't this the best cake ever?

Mary, me, and Chrissy. Friends since college. I love these girls.

And I love this one too! Kristen was my roommate for four years. She has three sweet girls with a fourth on the way!

My friend Gloria from Sierra Leone

Playing by the creek at the park

Lots of diapers! The best present ever!

And this is what Benjamin thought of the shower... A great opportunity to take a nap. :) He is such a great sleeper. He goes to sleep easily and even sleeps in the stroller occasionally. He has slept through the night ever since he got over his jet lag, and slowly but surely he is sleeping a little later in the morning too. Yea!

Daniel's co-workers had a shower for us too! Lots of diapers and money for formula. :) It was so special and appreciated. They were so good to us.

Cool beach cupcakes

Lovin' the blue icing. And notice the "silly bands" on Madeline's wrist. She got her first silly bands as a gift at the shower. She loves the things. So funny on a two year old.

Everyone signed a "Go. Seek. Love." shirt for us. I love it! I can't decide whether to frame it or make it into a pillow.

The guest of honor.

(The photos of this shower came from Daniel's co-worker Joan.)

Packing List

2010-07-15T16:40:00.002-05:00

I promised a few of you out there that I would share my big fat packing spreadsheet after we returned from Ethiopia. I finally found a few minutes to revise it and add a few notes, and here it is:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AuTB5ZDcQKsedElyRmlOOWNMVmV0NV9RT3QwSk50UGc&hl=en

I added a list of things to buy while in Ethiopia, a "to do" list for the weeks before you leave, and a few miscellaneous items of advice to the spreadsheet as well. I hope that this helps someone out there!

More info (and pictures!) about our family coming soon. I promise!

Meet the Cassadas

2010-07-06T15:10:00.003-05:00

For the month of July all proceeds from the sale of Go. Seek. Love. T-shirts and note cards will go to the Cassada family - adopting two children from Rwanda!

Family blog: http://cassadas.blogspot.com/

Family bio: We got married young - in college. We've grown up together...had 4 amazing kids...they are 8, 6, 4 and almost 2. Pat loves his job (in the corporate world) and I love mine (at home). We love to be together as a family...picking strawberries at the farm, going for walks, working in the yard, playing games. God has blessed up abundantly.

The short answer to why were adopting is because we can! The longer answer: God laid it on our hearts (Courtney's first...Pat's a little while later) a couple years ago. We LOVE being parents and there are so many children out there that need a home and a family. We have both. And we look forward to opening our hearts and home to 2 more precious children from Rwanda!

Head over to www.goseeklove.com and buy a T-shirt to support the Cassadas' adoption now!

By the way, we just wrapped up the fundraiser for the Kirk family, and we were very excited to be able to send them a check for almost $1,000! Woo hoo! Amy did an incredible job promoting it!

Travel Journal Part Nine: Coffee Factory and The Long Journey Home

2010-07-05T14:42:00.000-05:00

Friday, June 11 - Saturday, June 12

On Friday we got to visit a coffee factory. What a fun experience for a coffee-loving family! Coffee is Ethiopia's largest export, generating 60% of its total export earnings. So learning more about coffee was an important cultural experience as well as just being fun for us.

Emily and Yemi

We first visited the coffee shop and had our daily dose of caramel macchiatos. Yummy! Then we got to visit the warehouses with unbelievable stacks of burlap bags stuffed with coffee beans. All along the way our guide taught us about how the beans are processed, sorted for quality control, roasted, and shipped. Some of the beans are shipped "green," and some are roasted first at the factory. The beans for Starbucks Ethiopian blend come from this factory! (I believe he said that they are roasted elsewhere, though.)

My favorite part was seeing the large room where rows and rows of women sit on benches all day, combing through the coffee beans that continually pass by them on a conveyor belt. Quality control. At first I felt sorry for them. It seemed like it wouldn't be a very fun job. Then I realized that they seemed happy. Most of them were talking to each other as they worked.

This coffee roasting machine looked like something out of a movie

After this we spent the afternoon packing up and preparing to leave. We had to be at the airport at 4 pm for our 7 pm flight to Dubai. We had brought 4 large bags (3 duffel bags and a suitcase) with us. Three of them were filled with donations, so we thought we would have plenty of room for our souvenirs. They just barely fit, though! We bought 30 pounds of coffee to bring back with us, both for ourselves and to give to others. That is a lot of coffee!

Our bedroom at the Yesabi Guest House

Benjamin's bed

The sitting room and kitchen area that we shared with another family

By Friday, I was so ready to go home. Ever since we picked up Benjamin, I had been ready to just hop on a plane and get back. I'm thankful that we went early for that reason. It was hard to enjoy being there, soak up the culture, go sightseeing, etc., when all I wanted to do was get my baby home and have our family together.

But it was more than that. I had seen so many difficult things over the last week. There was so much that my heart needed to process, and I had just had all that I could take. I had seen so much suffering that I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. My heart was about to cave in from the pain. The unspeakable poverty, the street kids with so little hope for their future, the orphanages, the disease... I felt overwhelmed and hopeless.

However now, three weeks after returning home, I am reminded that my feelings of hopelessness are not from God. He is a God of hope, of life, of healing. I cling to the hope that he he has a plan for Ethiopia. He sees their suffering and has compassion. However, you and I are his hands and feet. He works through us. For God's purposes to be accomplished, WE must be obedient carry out his plans. We must use the gifts that he has given us - of money, of talent, of freedom and opportunity - to help others who have none of those things.

How do you want to use us God? We have seen and heard and our hearts have broken. What shall we do now? That is what we are asking constantly. We don't have complete answers yet, but we are trying to be faithful to just keep taking one step at a time. We are trusting that he will continue to show us the next step to take.

The journey home was long. Very, very long. But we made it, and that's all that really matters. Benjamin did amazingly well for a nine-month-old baby. He slept in our arms a lot, even as we walked around airports. We had a bassinet on our long flight (Yea Emirates!), and it was a life saver. He slept for about 4 hours straight in it. But then he was awake. Very awake. He was just being a normal, noisy, happy baby, but the sleeping people all around us didn't appreciate the squeals too much. It was stressful, but we survived. We stood up in the kitchen area quite a bit, and the flight attendants were so nice to us. They played with Benjamin and gave him toys.

Sleeping on a bench in the airport

Arriving home at the Nashville airport was a day that I will never, ever forget. Ahead of time I was a little afraid that I would regret inviting people to come since I knew we would be so tired, but that's not how I felt at all. The closer to Nashville we got, the more excited I got. I couldn't wait to get there! I couldn't WAIT to see Madeline again (oh, I missed my sweet girl SO much!), to introduce her to Benjamin, to introduce him to so many family and friends who were all there waiting for us and excited to finally see him in person. We had quite a welcoming party, and it meant so much to me. We felt so loved and supported.

And the day just continued to be wonderful! When we got home, we discovered that my Aunt Sarah had been there and had decorated our mailbox with a sign and balloons, cleaned our house, did laundry, left flowers in several rooms, and filled our refrigerator and pantry with fresh food. What a wonderful gift! Then later, some dear friends came over to meet Benjamin and bring us dinner. It was the first of many yummy meals delivered to us over the next couple of weeks.

9-year-old Mattie made this cake to welcome Benjamin home

I want to say thank you, once again, to every single person who has come alongside us during this long journey. So many of you donated money, others helped with fundraisers, and others supported us with their prayers and encouragement. We thank God for every one of you. The adoption process is finally over (thank goodness!!!), but the ADOPTION has only just begun.

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-02T20:19:00.001-05:00

For the rest of the photos go here.

Mr. Pouty Face

2010-06-30T15:10:00.001-05:00

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Travel Journal Part Eight: Visiting Orphanages

2010-06-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

Thursday, June 10th

Our second night with Benjamin was great. He slept from 8 pm till 6 am without waking up. Then he took a bottle and slept another hour. What a dream baby! Considering the fact that he was used to being awakened twice during the night for a bottle, I was really impressed that he began sleeping through the night so quickly. Sadly, it was the also first time that Daniel and I slept all the way through the night since arriving in Ethiopia. Every night before this we both woke up around 2 am. We were often hungry since it was dinner time at home. Often we would eat a snack, and then sometimes we could go back to sleep and sometimes not. It's too bad that it was almost time to go home before our bodies finally adjusted to Africa time.

We were amazed and thankful to realize today that B already seems to know who his mommy and daddy are. Several times today Ethiopian women asked to hold him, and I let them. (I know, I know, you're totally not supposed to do that with a newly adopted child... It was just so uncomfortable and awkward to say no. This is very normal in their culture, and they are VERY forward about it.) Every time he looked at me with a worried look. He wasn't playful and didn't smile at them UNTIL he is back in my arms and secure again. I praise God for how quickly the attachment process seems to be going for us.

Benjamin and Hope playing together

Hope is quite the little mover. She is a month younger than B and is crawling and pulling up already. She is right on the verge of walking!

An Ethiopian man that we did not know approached us in a restaurant after lunch today and said: "Thank you. We appreciate what you are doing. We are thankful to those of you who are taking our children and giving them a better life." It warmed my heart. I have felt very nervous among the Ethiopian since we have picked up B. We have heard many times that the Ethiopians don't look favorably upon American adopting their children. They don't like them to be "exported." I was appreciative for his affirmation that helped us be more at ease.

As soon as we arrived at the orphanage we were served coffee and bread. We appreciated the hospitality very much, but it felt so uncomfortable to accept food from them when we would have preferred to give it all to the children.

Coals that the coffee is heated over

This was a really good day with Benjamin, but a really hard day otherwise. We went to visit two orphanages: Kids Care and Gelgela. They are nothing like the AWAA Transition Home. We figured out after these visits that our children had been living at the Hilton of all orphanages in Ethiopia. The care givers and the directors of these orphanages are wonderful, loving people. But there are just so many children, and they have so little to give them. They kids were dirty, they seemed to have almost nothing to play with, they were all so thin...

Children's underwear drying in the windows

Shoes

Our first visit was Kids Care. A little boy who looked to be about six grabbed my attention soon after we arrived, and I spent the rest of the time there with him. My mommy heart went out to him when I saw him was standing by himself silently crying, dirty from head to toe. I found out from other children that his name is Tariku, but that's about all that I know about him. He broke my heart. How often does he cry and no one stops to hug him and ask him what is wrong? How long had it been since someone cuddled him in their lap and rubbed his little back? Every little boy needs a mama. Tariku deserves one every bit as my children do. Why is Benjamin one of the "lucky" ones when so many millions more who are just as precious will never know the love of a mommy and daddy and the security of a family? What a broken, lonely world we live in. My heart hurts for all of the Tariku's out there.

It's easy to see the orphans of the world as statistics when you are sitting in your living room. It is impossible when you have one in your lap.

The AWAA Interns had the brilliant idea to bring bottles of nail polish to give the girls at Kid's Care. They LOVED it.

I painted lots of fingernails

And had MY nail painted three times! One coat on top of another...

Two of the AWAA employees goofing off :)

The second orphanage that we visited was Gelgela. Benjamin spent a week there before coming to the America World Transition Home. It was a sad place. The toddler room (1-3 years) was the worst. There were two kids in each tiny crib just laying there. We got the feeling that they spend a lot of time in those cribs. They were without playfulness, without the noise that you should hear when you are around young children. They did not clamor for our attention. They just lay in their beds, awake and looking at us. Everything smelled like urine, and it was so dirty. We didn't see any toys. All the kids just stared at us while we were there. We passed out candy and granola bars, and even then the children just sat quietly. We left feeling very sad.

I'm not sure who this woman and child were, but there were sitting together off in a corner alone. I think they are both beautiful.

We brought several duffel bags full of donations with us to Ethiopia. We left the diapers and wipes at the Transition Home, but we saved the formula, clothes, and shoes for the orphanages. I was so glad to have something to leave for the children there. I wished that I had ten times as much to donate. I kept thinking of all the clothes and shoes that are sitting in boxes at home that I could have brought with me for these kids. They need them way more than we do.

The Guest House has a porch on the roof where you can get a great view of the city. The colorful storefronts along the main street are typical of what you see in Addis Ababa.

Blue taxis like these are everywhere in the city.

I love the scaffolding surrounding buildings under construction made out of eucalyptus limbs.

Travel Journal Part Seven: Embassy Day and Trip to the Slums

2010-06-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

Thursday, June 9th

A much better day. It was as if God hit the reset button for all of us as we slept during the night. It was wonderful to have a fresh start. Benjamin slept from 6 pm until 6 am, only waking once for a bottle at 2 am. He woke up his happy and charming self, full of giggles and flirtatious smiles.

We began to see how much Benjamin can eat this day. The child can put away massive amounts of food! He ate a whole avocado for breakfast. (We bought TEN avocados for A DOLLAR at a sidewalk produce stand. Avocados are so plentiful in Ethiopia that they can hardly give them away!) We quickly discovered that he was not interested in baby food. The pureed, jarred baby food that we are used to in America is not something that really exists in Ethiopia. We asked the Transition Home staff what type of baby food he had been eating, and they didn't really understand what we were asking. For the babies they simply mash up the food that they feed to the older children. We still tried to feed him some of the baby food that I had brought with us, but he was much more interested in the food on our plates. So we went straight to table food. Already I laugh at how differently I am handling all of the baby stuff the second time around. I did everything "by the book" with Madeline. Homemade baby food from organic produce... One new food every third day so that we could watch for allergic reactions... No sugar or salt until after she was a year old... All the rules are going out the window with baby number two! I am much more relaxed, and I love it. It is so nice to not live in constant fear that I am going to "ruin" my child if I don't follow all of the rules.

Our big event for the day was an appointment at the U.S. Embassy. We had to appear before a representative, present some paperwork, and answer a few questions. Finally our adoption became final, final, FINAL. Oh happy day! The man that we spoke with made it clear that there is no un-doing Ethiopian adoptions. I wanted to say - There had better not be!

Our first time to give B a bath

As we walked away from the Embassy, I tearfully whispered in Benjamin's ear, "You are an American now, sweet boy. Never ever take it for granted. We have more freedom, more opportunities, more choices, and more wealth than any other country in the world. It is a gift and a responsibility. Use it wisely, my son."

Flat tire before we left the Guest House. The amazing Ethiopian guys had it changed in 5 minutes flat.

We had some time back at the Guest House to let Benjamin nap and for us all to spend some relaxed time together. Then in the afternoon, we met our driver Dawit for a difficult and eye-opening excursion. I'm so thankful that God put us together with Dawit. Earlier in the week we had a conversation with him over macchiato's at Kaldi's about what life is really like in Ethiopia. Dawit is an Evangelical Christian, and he has been involved with orphan ministry in several different capacities. We were very interested to hear his insights. He offered to take us to his church and to show us how many people "really live" in Ethiopia. We were very excited to take him up on this.

Us with Dawit at the Guest House

We didn't realize it, but he had made an appointment for us to meet the pastor of his church. He drove us to the slums of the city where the church is located. To say that we went to the slums is saying a lot. The poverty all over Addis is overwhelming. But this was where the poorest of the poor people live. This church was planted there several years ago to reach out to the people who live there. They were going to have a fellowship meeting later that evening, and already people were starting to gather. We stuck out big time. All eyes were on us as we walked through the church. But we were used to that by this point. All eyes were on us the entire time we were in Ethiopia.

The pastor started out by telling us how happy he was that we had come and that he had been praying that God would send us. Then he began to tell us about the work of the church and the huge task they have to reach out to the people all around them who have nothing. Literally nothing. In America we really can't understand what it means to have nothing. We have no context for that. We've never known anyone who really has nothing. Many of the homeless in our cities have more than these people.

Earlier this year the church began a program to raise money from their members to send orphans that live in the surrounding neighborhood to school. There is no such thing as free education in Ethiopia. School is very cheap by our standards, but it is not free. Most of these orphans are living with extended family members, but in Ethiopia the culture dictates that a child who is not your own is treated as a servant. Even if it is your niece or nephew who has lost his parents, still he will never be treated as a full-fledged member of the family. There is no hope for these kids to be able to go to school unless someone outside the family pays their way.

So this pastor has rallied his congregation of people who have almost nothing so that these children can go to school. The individual Christians of this church are paying each month for the education of twenty-five children. One month of school costs 50 Birr - $3.50. Yep that's right, the cost of a latte at Starbucks. Actually I think a latte costs more than that. The cost of (less than) a latte is all that stands between orphaned children having a chance to get an education rather than ending up on the street someday with no way to make a living for themselves.

However for the people of this church who give each month, 50 Birr is a very big deal. To put it in perspective, our driver confided that his monthly salary is 1300 Birr - roughly $100. He sponsors FOUR CHILDREN. He gives 200 of his 1300 Birr, 15% of his income, to those who are poorer than he is.

II Corinthians chapter 8 comes to mind when Paul told a wealthier church about the generosity displayed in a poor church in order to both reprimand them and encourage them:

"Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more in their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift to the poor believers in Jerusalem. They even gave more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord..... Since you excel in so many ways...I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches."

It would be no problem for almost anyone reading this to gather enough money to sponsor the education of 25 children singlehandedly each month. $87.50. That's all it would take to educate all of them.

Now the church is trying to raise money to pay so that each of the 25 kids will have at least one meal per day. One meal. They are going to feed the children while they are at school because if they give the food or the money to the household where they live, there is a good chance that the child that it is intended for will never receive it. It takes about $1/day to do this, so it will take a lot more than the cost of sending a child to school.

We had $200 with us that several friends and family had given us to use as we saw fit while we were in Ethiopia. I had prayed that God would make it clear what he wanted us to do with the money. It couldn't have been any clearer. It seemed like a huge gift to this pastor, but it was so small for us. I want to do more. I can't wait to do more.

We exchanged information with the pastor so that we can keep in touch, and then Daniel went out with a couple of men to visit the households of some of the people who benefit from this program. I was sad to miss it, but I felt it was best to stay behind with Benjamin. Here is what he saw:

The street outside the church

A family receiving support from the church. Ten people live in a home roughly 10 ft. x 10 ft.

This lady was cooking over an wood fire in her tiny hut while Daniel was there.

I'm not sure exactly what the future of our relationship with Emmanuel United Church of Ethiopia Merkato will look like, but I know that it will not end because we have come back to the United States.

Update On How We Are Doing

2010-06-23T21:05:00.001-05:00

Great! For the first few days things seemed to get a little harder every day. But after last Friday every day has gotten little better than the day before. We are having a blast as a family of four!

Jet lag was a major difficulty during the first week at home. Babies don't get over jet lag quite as quickly as adults do. The first night after we got home, Benjamin was wide awake and ready to go at 2:30 am! We were not quite so ready to go... Each night after that he began to sleep a little later than the night before. He is now sleeping until 5:45 or 6. I'd love an hour more sleep in the morning, but really I can't complain. :)

Gradually, we have been working on a daytime nap schedule too, and he is now taking two one-and-a-half to two hour naps at fairly consistent times. AND his afternoon nap coincides with Madeline's naptime. Woo hoo!

Napping on Mommy and Daddy's bed

During the first week that we were home, Benjamin was pretty fussy. He didn't want to ever be put down, even for a minute, and he cried a lot even when we held him all the time. It was pretty exhausting. On Friday we had our first appointment with our pediatrician, and his advice was to feed him constantly! That was not what I was expecting to hear! He explained that to Benjamin food means security and love. Because of his past he needs to feel certain that he is going to be able to eat all that he wants to eat, then he will relax and be able to bond with us more. Our pediatrician is a Christian, has an adopted daughter from China, and sees many adopted children, so I take his advice to heart. He was absolutely right! We started offering food or a bottle at his first whimper, and it has made a huge difference. We now have a happy baby on our hands again! And we are able to leave him on the floor with toys to play with for short periods, and he is just fine.

Learning how to hold two in my lap at once :)

Benjamin is fitting into our family so well. Now that we are past the bumps of the first week, he is great about going with the flow. We've been on several outings - to the zoo, shopping, to visit family, to the doctor - and he has done wonderfully everywhere we go. He loves his big sister, and he is already very attached to his mama and daddy. He clings to us whenever strangers are near, and he doesn't like for anybody else to hold him. That makes me so happy. The initial attachment period has gone faster and a lot easier than I ever expected.

Madeline is gradually getting used to sharing attention with Little Brother. It's hard when you are two years old and don't fully understand what is going on. She has been an only child and only grandchild (except for one out-of-town cousin), and the world has pretty much revolved around her up until this point. Considering that, I think she is doing great. We've had a few moments (like when she smacked Daniel in the face because he had transferred his attention from her to Little Brother), and she has been clingier than usual. But I have tried very hard to give her lots of extra love and hugs and reassurances of how treasured she is, and I think that she adjusting quite nicely. I give her opportunities to help take care of B as often as possible and then make a big deal out of what a good big sister she is.

At the zoo on a hot Tennessee day

It is so fun to finally see the two of them together. I've had a modified version of the first line of Nicole C. Mullen's song about inter-racial families running through my head ever since we got home: "Brother looks like coffee, sister looks like cream...." :) (The song is Black, White, Tan, by the way.)

Daniel had been saving up his vacation for some time, and so he was able to stay home with us for several extra days after we returned home. What a blessing to get to be together for an extra week and a half to bond and to get used to handling life as a family of four! Today was his first day back to work. I was a little nervous to be on my own, but everything has gone great.

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and continued support during this adjustment period. We have also been blessed by so many wonderful meals brought by friends and family since we have been home too. Thank you! The pizza man would have been to our house every night if it wasn't for you. :)

First time on a swing!

Travel Journal Part Six: Gotcha Day

2010-06-22T14:44:00.005-05:00

I've been putting off writing about Gotcha Day. It is so difficult to accurately convey all the complex emotions that we experienced on this monumental day. Truly, it was one of the hardest days of my life. Grief is a part of adoption that you don't hear much about. The Hallmark-movie-type Gotcha Day videos just don't tell the whole story.

I don't want to come across as negative. Adoption is a beautiful, wonderful thing. Please don't let this discourage you from doing it! Every day since Gotcha Day has gotten better and better. Really. Adoption is all about healing and redemption. I am learning that day by day.

Let me back up a bit... We spent the morning shopping (bought LOTS of souvenirs!) and went to lunch at Lucy's with the group before heading back to the Transition Home to pick up our children for good.

While we were at lunch, "T" (one of the AWAA employees) got a phone call letting us know that Benjamin's birth mom was in town and was going to be at the Transition Home when we got there in an hour or so. Oh. My. Goodness. I'm just assuming that God knows that I handle stressful situations better when I don't have much time to get nervous or to overthink what I am going to say or do. I'm trusting that he was taking care of me by allowing us to have so little notice before we first met Benjamin AND when we met his birth mom.

Instantly when we found out what was about to happen, I started crying. I cried off and on for most of the hour before we met her, anticipating the moment where I would come face to face with the woman who I know so little about but whose heart will forever be tied to mine. I have prayed for her so much. I know only a few details about her story, but I know that in order for her to leave her tiny son at an orphanage she must have been in an extremely difficult situation. She must have exhausted all other options. She must be desperate. She must be heart broken. And all of this breaks my heart.

When I walked into the room, shaking, I saw a beautiful young lady with long braided hair. She was composed. Nervous but peaceful. She kissed my cheeks, back and forth three times in the traditional way. Then I hugged her tight for a long time, trying to communicate to her what I could not with words. I told her that she is beautiful.

We communicated through an interpreter. It was awkward and difficult. There are such extreme differences between our cultures. I was very afraid that I was being impolite or offensive by asking the direct questions that we asked. And we did not get real answers to many of them. But regardless of that, it was a deeply moving experience. Despite her strength and composure, I felt such grief as I watched her walk away.

There is so much pain and suffering in this fallen world that we live in. This beautiful young mama was walking away from her baby boy forever. Why was she born into a family where she had no opportunity, no education, no money? Why is she now in a position where she cannot keep the baby she obviously cares for when I am in the position that I am in? It is so unfair and it hurts.

I have no desire to take her baby away from her. I do not want to rip Benjamin out of his culture, his heritage, and his beautiful homeland. At this moment it felt as though we were doing the totally wrong thing. But through prayer, I am reminded that I am not the one responsible for Birth Mom's situation. I am not responsible that B was left at an orphanage when he was tiny. I AM responsible to walk the path that we have been called to walk - to take a child home with us, to teach him about Jesus, and to give him opportunities that he never would have had so that some day he can help his people. Meanwhile I am to pray for and love all of the people of Ethiopia.

Adoption is about redemption, not perfection. It's about showing us how God can make something beautiful out of something broken. I sense that God has much to teach me about this. He has a plan and he works ALL things for good for those that love him. Even, and perhaps especially, the broken things.

We had only a few moments to ourselves after Birth Mom left (immediately I started crying my eyes out), and then Mulle (one of the AWAA employees) brought in the first of the the five children that we had promised to photograph for other adoptive families who are waiting to pass court. I tried my best to pull myself together. I had so been looking forward to doing this! Getting extra photographs was such a blessing to us during the long wait. I wanted to invest in each of these precious lives who were waiting for their parents. They needed my love. And I wanted to remember each of these moments so that I could send treasured tidbits of information back to the mommies waiting at home. I invested lots of energy, lots of emotion, lots of love.

The last baby had just left the room and I was hurriedly jotting down a few notes about her when I heard a wail. I looked up just in time to see a chocolate-colored nanny throw Benjamin into Daniel's arms, bury her face in her hands, and run away weeping. Oh the grief that these dear ladies have to endure! They have loved and nurtured my baby for six months, day in and day out, only to have to give him away, never to see him again. And they do this over and over and over. I can't imagine a job that could be much harder.

By this time I was crying uncontrollably. But B was with us and watching, and I knew that he needed to see joy and love in my eyes, not grief. I tried to pull myself together, but nanny after nanny came by to see B and to tell him goodbye. Many staff members who were not his actual caretakers who came by to say goodbye as well. When one of the nannies that Benjamin particularly liked left the room, he started to cry. I cried right alongside him. I don't know when, if ever, I have shed so many tears in one day.

Daniel held Benjamin as we rode away in the car. He whimpered a few times, but did pretty well. It wasn't until we arrived at the guest house that he fell apart. For six months he had not left the Transition Home. It was his whole world. He had been cared for by the same loving arms. Then suddenly he was ripped from his home and his "mommies" when two people who look funny, smell funny, and sound funny took him to a strange new place. His little world had been turned upside down. He was afraid and grieving. I was grieving with him.

He wailed for 45 minutes or so before passing out on Daniel's chest. He slept on us for several hours before we finally moved him to his bed. It was 6 in the evening when he fell asleep, and he did not awake until the next morning. He never had his supper or his nighttime bottle. He just passed out. I've heard that babies and young children sometimes deal with traumatic experiences by going to sleep. I kept praying over him as he slept on my chest that God would heal his little heart as he rested.

A birth mother walking away from her child forever, grieving nannies who have invested their lives in a child that they love, a sad and confused baby taken away from everything that he has known.... It was a hard day for all of us to say the least. But God is with us. He is making something beautiful out of something that was broken. I trust him in that, and I confidently anticipate watching him work.

Travel Journal Part Five: Official "Meetcha" Day and Traditional Dinner

2010-06-20T17:05:00.001-05:00

Monday, June 7th

We started out the day with our "paperwork party." We met Duni, the director of the in-Ethiopia branch of America World, at the Hilton in Addis. (The Hilton is like little America in Ethiopia. It is huge and totally caters to Americans.) Duni walked us through all of the paperwork that we had to fill out for our Embassy appointment while we enjoyed a tasty lunch. We learned a lot from Duni about cool stuff that AWAA is doing in Ethiopia, including a program to educate Ethiopians about adoption and encourage more in-country adoptions AND a new micro-loan program to help destitute single moms who are considering abandoning their children because of poverty. I was so excited to learn about these things. Duni is so helpful and friendly. We really enjoyed getting to talk to her.

Paperwork at the Hilton

Amazing macchiato at the Hilton

Our travel group - John and Emily Weatherford, Taylor and Joanna Williams, and us

After that we went back to the transition home to spend three more hours with Benjamin!

Dear Benjamin,

We got to spend another precious three hours with you today. We are so in love with you. Already it felt like a sweet reunion to hold you in our arms again. Oh baby, I can't wait to bring you home forever. They had to wake you from a nap again. Poor little guy. You were so sleepy. We played for a little while - you thought it was so funny when I kissed your hand over and over - and then you fell asleep on daddy for an hour and a half. He said that it was a dream come true to get to snuggle you that way. I think you are already a daddy's boy. You smile and laugh for him almost every time he looks at you. After you woke up, he had a huge wet spot where you had drooled all over him. :) The nannies and the staff obviously have a special love for you. They all come over to play with you whenever they see you. Hanna is your special nanny that was there today. When I thanked her for taking care of you, she started crying. She is so sad that you are leaving. I hugged her and both of us cried. This is such a happy time and a sad time all together. I love you, sweet boy.

Love,

Mama

There were two additional families in our travel group: The Williams from Ohio, picking up an 8-month-old baby girl, and the Weatherfords from Arizona, picking up a 2 1/2-year-old girl. It's amazing how fast you bond with other people when you share such life-changing experiences with them. It was such fun to watch each family as they met their child for the first time and as they got to know each other over the next few days. We took turns taking photos and video for each other as our children were brought out to us one at a time. Every one was so nervous and filled with emotion. I was glad that we had already met Benjamin for the first time and this was a reunion, not a nerve-wracking first meeting.

The Weatherfords and Yemi

Yemi quickly went to sleep after meeting her new parents. :) It was the middle of her nap time.

The Taylors and Hope. It was her nap time too, and so she wasn't too happy the first day. But soon she was full of joy and so sweet.

It was so hard to leave him both times that we visited Benjamin at the Transition Home. However, in retrospect I am very thankful that it is done that way. It is much better for the children to have a chance to get to know their parents in their OWN environment where they feel safe. We are so very different to them. It's not just the color of our skin. We sound so dramatically different, we smell different, we behave quite differently with them (the Ethiopian women are in the babies' faces all the time and very noisy - opposite of how Daniel and I behave with our babies). I was thankful to have two visitation meetings with Benjamin before we ripped him out of the place where he was at home and the people who have cared for him for the last six months.

For any of you out there who have children in the AWAA Transition Home, please let me reassure you that they are very well cared for. Not just cared for, but LOVED. The nannies that we were around love the children like they are their own. They sing, play, and hold the babies all the time. I don't think that they are ever in their cribs unless they are asleep. Each child gets lots of attention. I think that each nanny is only caring for three children at a time. They are very well fed. A little too well fed actually! The nannies wake the babies twice per night until the time that they turn a year old to feed them bottles. They want to make sure that they are getting enough. There is a doctor on staff that takes care of the needs of all of the children, and the place is kept very clean. No shoes are allowed in the baby room. When we showed up unannounced our first day in Ethiopia, Benjamin was in clean clothes and his fingernails had been clipped recently. He was clean and happy. I was so relieved to see that. I wish I had known that over the last six months. I worried so much. (The other orphanages in Ethiopia are VERY different, however. More on that later...)

Benjamin's nanny, Hanna

Check out the major drool spot on Daniel's chest :)

Benjamin's bed

That evening we went to dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. Daniel and I truly enjoy Ethiopian food, and we were really looking forward to this. (It is an acquired taste. If you are an adoptive family, don't give up! We kept eating it until we finally began to like it. There are plenty of dishes that you can select that aren't too spicy. You just have to learn what to order.)

We were seated on small stools around a mesob - a small basket-woven table that is just the right size for a tray of injera. A waiter first brought a basin and a pitcher of warm water and poured the water over our hands, one at a time, as we washed them. Then the yummy food was served. Injera is the centerpiece of Ethiopian cuisine. It is a type of bread, made out of a grain called teff, and cooked like a huge pancake. It is served on a tray with dollops of the different dishes being served on top of it. To eat, you tear off a piece of injera and use it to pick up the food. Once you get a little practice, it's not too messy and a lot of fun. The food was excellent.

The AWAA Interns who are working at the Transition Home for the next six weeks joined us for dinner

After dinner we were treated to a traditional coffee ceremony. This is a VERY important part of Ethiopian culture. First a little pot of burning incense is brought out. Then a distinctively-shaped coffee pot is brought to the table with tiny coffee cups, only slightly larger than Madeline's play tea cups. Each person's coffee is served with a flair. Then, of all things, popcorn is brought to the table. Traditionally, the coffee beans are roasted over a fire right before making the coffee. We didn't get to see that part, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had actually roasted them in the kitchen.

Throughout the evening, traditional Ethiopian music was being played and dancers entertained us with a variety of traditional dances. It sounds of the music are extremely different from what we are used to. It was so interesting. The dancers changed costumes between each dance. The music seemed to get louder and louder and the dance got more and more rambunctious as the evening went on. Their moves were so impressive. There is no way that my joints can do some of the things that they can do! At one point, the dancers came out into the crowd and danced with someone from every table. Taylor didn't seem to mind a bit jumping up and dancing with the professionals. :) It was all so fun to watch!

Travel Journal Part Four: Church and a Trip to the Countryside

2010-06-18T15:15:00.004-05:00

Sunday, June 6th

We started the day by going to Beza International Church in Addis. It was great to worship among people from many nations. However, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for more of a true Ethiopian cultural experience, and this was not that. It was designed to cater to people like us. Everything was in English only, and on this particular day there was a guest speaker from Chicago preaching. He had a good lesson, but I was not there to hear a white guy from America speak!

We grabbed a quick lunch and coffee at Kaldi's - Ethiopia's Starbucks. Really it is. From what we heard, a lady from the U.S. started the business and based it on Starbucks. Now the franchises are everywhere. I would choose Kaldi's over Starbucks any day. For one thing, the macchiatos are only 90 cents! (And they are oh so yummy!) They have a lunch menu with sandwiches, etc., amazing desserts, and my favorite - a long list of freshly made juices. I had some strawberry juice, Daniel had avocado juice (so good!), and our friend Joanna had mango juice. A big glass was only about 75 cents!

Our travel buddies - Joanna and Taylor

After lunch we spent about six hours outside of Addis Ababa, driving through the countryside. I'm so thankful for the experience. We saw "storybook" Africa. It was so different from being in the city. We passed one small community after another of round mud huts surrounded by tidy fences made with thin eucalyptus limbs. There were endless fields covered with cows, sheep, and mules roaming free. There were no fences to contain the animals, but there was always a shepherd close by. There was teff and eucalyptus growing everywhere.

We passed many villages that looked like small-scale versions of Addis with rows of multi-colored wood paneled store fronts selling bananas, mangoes, and bottled water. The women walking along the road were all wearing long, dark skirts and scarves gracefully draped around their heads and shoulders. The men were holding hands and talking, sometimes loafing in the villages and sometimes shepherding in the fields. The children we passed always tried to wave us down, smiling and shouting, "Hello! Hello!" Before long we were waving back at all of them. There were small groups waiting by the roadside at each village for the next blue and white taxi-van to come by, the primary mode of transportation for most of them.

Gotta love the dead animals on top of a public bus

I drank every bit of it in, thankful for the opportunity to see this land that is so close to my heart, but until now I hardly even knew. Once again I felt grateful for our driver Dawit, our ticket into this unknown world.

My favorite moment of the day was when we spontaneously stopped at one of the small mud hut communities along the road. The villagers had had placed several beautifully made injera baskets and mesobs (the big baskets that traditionally serve as tables in Ethiopia) beside the road, indicating that they were for sale. They wanted only 120 Birr for each handmade basket - about $8.50. We gushed about how beautiful they were, inquired (through Dawit) about how they were made, and ended up in the middle of the village getting a personal demonstration. While Daniel photographed the artisan, I watched the men standing in a semi-circle behind him as they grinned from ear to ear with obvious pride and wonder over what what taking place. We felt the same way - joy and wonder about this fun cultural experience. After passing out a gallon sized ziploc bag of granola bars to the children (and almost getting knocked down!), hearty "amesegenallo's" (thank you in Amharic), and big waves, we headed on our way, our trunk filled with injera baskets and our hearts filled with joy.

Our destination was an Orthodox church and monastery 100 km north of Addis Ababa. This was quite an interesting cultural experience as well. We were first shown a list of rules regarding who could enter the building and asked if we were "clean." The list was straight out of the Old Testament ceremonial law and was very personal. There was an awkward moment as we looked at each other and had to announce publicly if there was anything "defiling" each of us. The inside of the church was beautiful, filled with paintings and gorgeous stained glass. We had an official "tour guide" to walk us through. After we finished in the church, our guide passed us off to another man to take us to the cave, which was a 15 minute hike away. This was an unforgettable experience. He was wearing a purple jumpsuit, carrying a large rifle, and he practically ran up the rocky hillside, despite being at least 60 years old. He put us to shame as we huffed and puffed behind him. He obviously got a kick out of seeing how slow and out of shape we were compared to him. At the cave, we were told the legend of the venerated saint in the Orthodox church who supposedly prayed for 29 years straight while standing on one leg. Eventually his leg fell off, and he just kept praying. Now the cave is a "holy" site, and the water dripping inside the cave is collected in plastic barrels to be used as "holy water" in the church. It was interesting to say the least. I have to say, I felt pretty disturbed by what I learned about the Orthodox church. It seems to be a mix of Christianity, Old Testament Judaism, Catholicism, and mysticism. They pray to Mary and the saints, bow down before the ark of the covenant, deify Solomon and the Queen of Sheba... Jesus is in the mix, but it certainly doesn't seem like he is THE way, the truth, and the life.

Shrine around the entrance to the cave

On the way back we stopped along the winding road that leads to the monastery and got a glimpse of the Blue Nile Gorge - the Ethiopian Grand Canyon. I told Daniel that I felt like we were looking at a painting. It was so beautiful! Part of the gorge was sheer cliff and part was steep hillside, terraced for farming. The bottom was so green and there were villages clustered around the river. And as a bonus we got a close up look at a group of Ethiopian baboons, the Gelada monkeys. Every documentary we have watched and every book that we have read about Ethiopia mentions these baboons. They are found only in Ethiopia, and they well-known by anyone interested in the country. We were so excited to see some!

This was such a great day. We chose to come to Ethiopia a few days early so that we could see and experience as much as possible, and I am so thankful that we did. Our trip into the countryside allowed us to get a glimpse of how the majority of the population of Ethiopia actually lives. It is a whole different world than life in the city. I'm so glad that we were able to see firsthand a bit of the beauty of the country. I highly recommend doing this if you travel to Ethiopia to adopt. Once our scheduled activities began there wasn't much time for just taking in the culture. Our two extra days were priceless.

Travel Journal Part Three: ALERT Hospital and Sightseeing

2010-06-17T21:03:00.011-05:00

Saturday, June 5th

We started out the day by enjoying our first breakfast at the Yesabi Guest House. Every morning the chef prepared a spread of yummy treats for us to enjoy. My personal favorites were the fresh-squeezed pineapple juice and the crepes with honey on top. His omelettes were pretty incredible too. Since we have been home I have really missed starting out each day with such a fabulous breakfast.

After that our driver for the day, Alazar, picked us up. Tourists in Ethiopia do NOT drive for themselves. The streets are absolute chaos. It takes someone who is well-accustomed to the rules of the road to navigate through the craziness. Once during the day we passed through a huge intersection the size of a city block with no stop lights and no lines painted on the road. It was simply a free for all. Somehow it all works out, though, The drivers seem to be amazingly patient with each other. There is lots of honking, but no road rage. We were very thankful for our driver.

Our first stop was the ALERT Leprosy Hospital. A friend had recommended that we visit the hospital and shop at the handicrafts store. I am so glad that we did. I was amazed at the beautiful work that the ladies produce. I was so touched by witnessing the lives that they lead.

Until a couple of years ago, I didn't even realize that leprosy still existed in our world today. If someone had asked me, I probably would have said that it was an ancient disease that existed during Bible times, but honestly I hadn't given it much thought. But these sweet people who we met had missing fingers and toes, rotted off by the "unclean" disease TODAY, in our age of modern medicine. There is treatment they can receive so that the disease will not get any worse once they begin the medication. However, any damage that has been done to their tissue will never improve.

To provide for themselves and pay for their medicine, they sit in groups and crochet and embroider and weave beautiful creations, working day in and day out, and sell them for only a small percentage of what they are worth. One lady that we spoke with told us that the bed coverlet that she was crocheting would take her about six months to finish. It sold for about $30 in the gift shop.

Immediately Daniel and I began to scheme how we could help these women. The beautiful, intricate work that they do is worth so much more! If only they had access to a better market where their talents would be more highly valued, they could earn several times as much as they do. But they have no knowledge of the internet, marketing, business connections. They probably don't even know that these things exist.

I fell in love with a sweet little boy about Madeline's age, hovering around his mama. He reminded me of my child and my heart went out to him because his life couldn't be any more different than hers. The children of the patients live at the hospital with them. There were many young children who just sit beside their mothers all day while they crochet and embroider. I played catch with this little boy for a few minutes, and then I reached in my backpack to pull out my stash of granola bars. Instantly there was a crowd of children around me.

Thank you, thank you everyone who donated granola bars for us to take on our trip. I passed them out non-stop while we were there - at the hospital, to street children, to beggars. I kept thinking that surely we must be about to run out, but we never did. It seemed like I gave away hundreds of them! But somehow when I reached in my bag there were always more. They were like widow of Zarephath's oil and flour that never ran out. There was always just enough.

While we were at the ALERT hospital we bought a couple of large tablecloths, a beautiful scarf, a pillow cover, a small tapestry to hang on the wall, a traditional outfit for Benjamin, and ten or so really cool toy animals made out of rope - all for about $70. Amazing! I highly recommend a visit to this place if you travel to Ethiopia. However, make sure that you have a good driver. Ours provided so much more than just transportation. He explained everything to us, he translated for us, he asked questions for us. He was our ticket into places that we never could have gone alone! (The driver that we ended up using for most of the week was Dawit, and I highly recommend him. I would love to send you his phone number if you would like to use him when you travel to Ethiopia! Just leave me a message.)

After ALERT we went to the merkato, the Wal-mart of Addis Ababa. We had planned to get out and wander through the market, but since it was Saturday the crowds were so crazy that even after 45 minutes of looking our driver still couldn't find a place to park his car. We did get a good look at the market as we drove around. There was stall after stall selling everything from food to animals to toilets and washbasins. It was huge. We ended up giving up and going to lunch instead.

After lunch our driver picked us up and took us to the Ethnological Museum at Addis Ababa University. It was great! We opted to go to this one instead of the more frequently visited museum whose claim to fame is the bones of Lucy - the supposed earliest human ancestor - 10 trillion years old, or something like that. The Ethnological Museum was highly recommended in my Ethiopia guidebook, and I was really glad that we went. We learned a lot about Ethiopian history and culture. It was very interesting and well organized. We had an English-speaking guide to lead us through the museum... However, no matter how hard I concentrated, I only understood about every third word that he said. It was all quite comical. I just smiled and nodded the whole time. :)

After that we went to the Piazza area to visit a few silver shops. They have beautiful jewelry there, and it is very reasonably priced. I bought a pretty cross that I have worn almost every day since then.

Our last stop of the day was the airport to pick up our missing suitcase. Thank goodness that it made it! I was very much in need of my shampoo. I had thought about buying some, but I'm not sure that they even sell "white people" shampoo in the markets in Ethiopia! A long, hot shower was a great way to end our jam-packed day.

Travel Journal Part Two: First Day in Ethiopia

2010-06-15T23:00:00.001-05:00

Friday, June 4th

When I walked off of the plane and into the airport, the first thing I noticed was the smell of berbere. If you have ever eaten Ethiopian food, you know how distinct the fragrance of the spice mixture is that flavors almost every dish. While we were in Ethiopia, we smelled it constantly. The smell of berbere wafts from the door of every restaurant and home and it oozes from the pores of every person that you pass. After a while I got so used to it that I couldn't smell it anymore.

Ethiopia is nothing like the sanitized world that we are accustomed to, smelling like 409, bleach, and air freshener. Walking down the sidewalk, the smell of smoke mixes with the ever-present berbere smell. On each block in downtown Addis Ababa there are two or there women fanning small wood fires and roasting ears of corn over them, each to be sold for only two Birr. Then there are the animals. Donkeys, goats, sheep, and cows are everywhere you look and add to the fragrance of the city. Sometimes they are being herded by a shepherd, and sometimes they seem to be wandering alone, just grazing in the median of a divided highway.

The smell of exhaust is so strong that you can taste it. Smog hovers over the city. It's easy to see why after spending just five minutes on the street. Black smoke billows out the back of buses and cars that jam the streets. Most are 1980's models, and they certainly don't have any emissions requirements.

Music blares out of shops and out of cars, overlapping and mingling to create constant auditory overload. The sidewalks are crowded and full of noise - horns honking, laughter, loud talking. Many who walk down the street are hand in hand, even men. Displays of affection are common and comfortable. Shop after shop after shop sell the same American style strapless dresses and short skirts, but not a single person on the street is dressed this way. Ankle length skirts, long wrap-around dresses, and jeans are all that you witness.

The streets are a beautiful mess. No street signs, no stop lights - it's every man for himself on the roads of Addis. But somehow it all works out. Only the major roads are paved. Every road leading off of the main highway is all mud and holes and rocks. With no seat belts and no shock absorption in the vehicles, every block is an adventure. Hold on and enjoy the ride. Driving through town is definitely not this exciting back in Nashville!

Each and every building on the side streets is surrounded by tall cinder block walls and metal gates, many with guards outside. It's like each one is its own compound. It feels mysterious since there is no way to see what each compound holds. The guidebooks say that there is virtually no violent crime in Addis, but it is hard to believe when each ten foot fence is topped with broken glass or barbed wire. The property owners are certainly concerned with keeping something out. There is no such thing as zoning as we know it in America, so schools, office buildings, homes, and factories may line the same street, hidden behind the same unwelcoming walls.

Flowers that cost quite a lot back home at Home Depot seem to grow almost as weeds here. Geraniums grow as hedges, a single plant standing four feet high and eight feet wide. Lantana becomes a tree and spills over the top of the ten foot walls. Poinsettias, cannas, and fushias are everywhere. I particularly like the flower that looks like a bright purple morning glory, only it is still blooming at 2 in the afternoon. Ethiopia may be a poor country in many ways, but it is certainly rich in flowers.

There was so much to take in as we arrived in Addis Ababa. We were picked up at the airport by David and Robel, two of the Ethiopian AWAA employees that we had heard so much about. We got our visas, changed our U.S. dollars into an obscene sounding amount of Ethiopian Birr, and picked up our bags. Well, all but one of our bags, that is. The three bags holding donations made it onto our plane, but the suitcase with our personal belongings was still in Dubai. Bummer. I was really ready to wash my hair.

We loaded up in the baby blue van that would soon become familiar and headed to the Yesabi Guest House, our home for the next week. More about that later...

Our plan had been to do some sightseeing in Addis that afternoon. However, after we had a few minutes to get settled David (our driver) came up to the room and informed us that he could take us to the Transition Home to meet our son right away if we wanted to. If we wanted to??? Are you kidding??? We had no idea that this was even a possibility. We thought that it was the strict protocol of our agency that we wouldn't be able to meet him until the scheduled time on Monday afternoon. So with only about 15 minutes warning, we were off to the Transition Home to MEET BENJAMIN!!!

My head was spinning! In retrospect I am really thankful that I didn't have any time to get nervous. I probably would have lost sleep the night before if I had known that it was going to be the Big Day.

Benjamin's nanny Hanna brought him out onto the porch where we were waiting. They had told us that we would have to wait a little while because he was napping, and I so I wasn't expecting to see him for a bit. We had only waited a few minutes when I looked up and locked eyes with a beautiful chocolate colored boy on the other end of the porch and I realized - that was him! It was really him!

It was a surreal moment holding him in my arms for the first time. I just couldn't believe that it was really happening. He was such a pleasant little guy from the very beginning, even though they woke him in the middle of his nap. That's pretty amazing! For some time I had been preparing my heart that he would probably cry when we held him for the first time. I knew that everything about us would be so strange and unfamiliar to him. But no! Our first meeting went so much better than I ever dreamed! He was full of smiles and laughs. It was obvious from the very beginning that our boy was full of personality. He is quite a little flirt!

I was on cloud nine to finally get to touch him and feel how smooth his skin is and run my fingers through his soft curls. After six months of studying his picture I got to see in person how beautiful his eyes are - so dark brown that you can't even see the pupils. They are definitely full of mischief. He seems like he is going to grow up to be a big guy - he has big hands and feet and ears. He seems like he is built like an athlete. How wonderful to finally hear the sound of his babbling - dadadadada. He took to his daddy immediately. It was clear that he is going to be dada's boy.

To be honest, the whole experience was a bit awkward because we had quite an audience. Since no other families were there meeting their children that day, all eyes were on us. There were several well-meaning staff members hovering around trying to help and make us and Benjamin feel comfortable. I would have preferred to have more privacy for this personal moment. I was so afraid that I would do the wrong thing - that I would do or say something culturally offensive or that I would upset Benjamin and feel embarrassed. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we left.

However, I will never forget the magical moment that I first saw my boy face to face. So many months of waiting and so much praying, and finally here was the answer to those prayers right in front of me.

Dear B,

Oh sweet boy, I met you for the first time today, and I am in love with you already. When your nanny brought you out onto the porch, I nearly ran to you. I couldn't believe it was really you - the boy that I have been praying for and longing for for so long now. I cried as I held you in my arms for the first time. You are just right. You are so handsome. I love your eyes, your hair, your skin. You smiled and laughed for us lots, and you even said "Dada." I think you know already, you sense in your little heart, that your daddy has come to get you. It was such a precious time as we played and cuddled and laughed. I told you about your house, your yard, your big sister, and all the people waiting for you at home, loving you already. I'll treasure today's memories forever. I will spend the rest of my life loving you.

Love,

Mama

Travel Journal Part One: The Trip to Ethiopia

2010-06-14T14:52:00.008-05:00

Wednesday, June 2nd - Thursday, June 3rd

Left home at 8:30 AM
Drove to my parents' house
My mom took us to the airport and dropped us off, and then took Madeline to Daniel's mom where she stayed for the first half of our trip
Flew from Nashville to Cincinnati, Cincinnati to JFK, JFK to Dubai, spent 12 hours in Dubai, flew from Dubai to Addis Ababa!

I was oh so excited to finally leave home. Finally, everything was done. All of the rushing around in preparation for our trip, all of the work and busyness of our adoption during the last year and a half was DONE. WE WERE OFF!

I was so sad to leave Madeline, but I knew that she was in good hands. She loves her "Ga-Ma" and her "Bop", and I knew that she would be too busy with all of their fun plans to even think of us while we were gone.

In the Nashville airport (This is Daniel's "I don't want to have my picture taken" face.)

I love the perspective that travel brings. I enjoy the rapid jump from one place to another when flying - being picked up in one part of the world and quickly transported and plopped down in another far away place. I love the reminder that this huge world is going on all the time. Meanwhile I tend to believe that the whole world is MY world, forgetful of the 99.9% that is going on everywhere else. It's as if it doesn't exist just because I'm not there.

Being up in the air, I'm thankful for the reminder of how very small I am. I am amazed to think that God knows every thought and hears every prayer of every single tiny dot down below, barely even visible to me. He is so big. I am so little.

As I walked around the JFK airport, it began to set in that this was literally the last time that our family would ever be able to just blend into the crowd. From here on out we would be a family that would attract stares. I don't know yet what that will feel like and how I will deal with it. I admit, it's pretty scary. I'll get used to it, I suppose. I will grow to care less as I love our little guy more and more. Who cares what anybody thinks - he's my son! But really, that's how it should be, right? We should stick out. As Christ followers, we're not supposed to just blend in with the rest of the world. I succumb too easily to the temptation to just blend in and not draw attention to myself. I'm thankful for this, that I am being forced to look a little more "different" because of my faith and the life that I am called to live. Sweet baby boy, you are worth it. And dear Jesus, you are too.

It is great fun to hang out around the international flight section of a major airport. Surrounding our gate, flights were departing for Mumbai, Bogota, Singapore, Germany... Where else can you go and observe so many cultures, so many colors in such a condensed area? I make a game of watching people and guessing what country they are from.

The flight to Dubai felt eternal. At about 3 am, I was ready to jump out of the plane. And that was only 4 hours into the 12+ hour flight! I was in between Daniel and a guy from India who didn't have quite the respect for the "personal bubble" that we Americans are used to. He had no problem taking up the whole arm rest and didn't mind a bit if I touched my arm to his to subtly send the message that he was invading my personal space. I, however, could never relax if I was physically touching someone I didn't know, and so I ended up with my arms crossed and all my muscles tensed. It was hardly a position to sleep in. I did end up sleeping for about 2 hours, from 4 am - 6 am.

However, the airline, Emirates, was incredible. When our travel agent gave us our flight options, it only cost about $100 more to fly Emirates instead of Ethiopian Air. It was $100 well spent. We each had personal TV's with literally 100's of movies and TV shows to choose from on demand. They gave us eye masks, socks, pillows, and blankets. The food was good and plentiful. And the exotic flight attendants were fun to talk to. We made friends with attendants from Dubai, Sweden, Philippines - all who were interested in our adoption. (On the way home they were so helpful with Benjamin too.) The whole experience felt so exotic. We were very blessed on the long flight to be at the front of a section, which meant extra leg room and no one sitting in front of us, leaning their seat back.

Extra leg room!

The Dubai airport. It was immense and luxurious. Everything was shiny, and there were palm trees everywhere.

We were so thankful to have the 12 hour layover in Dubai. We rode a shuttle to a nearby hotel and got a good eight hours of sleep. It felt so wonderful to lay down after all of those hours cramped in the airplane. We went right to sleep and woke up ready to go. It was great to arrive in Ethiopia somewhat refreshed instead of exhausted and out of it.

Our hotel room in Dubai

On our final flight from Dubai to Addis Ababa, we were given a delightful, unexpected gift. We were upgraded from economy class to business class! I have no idea why! We arrived to the gate a little later than we should have, and the agent checking us in told us that we were in trouble. I thought he was serious and asked what was wrong? What did we do? He just smiled and said - don't worry. You will be fine. I'm taking care of you... When we walked away, we noticed that our tickets said we were in Zone B. Did that mean business class? Surely not.... Yes, it did!

Wow! What an experience! The cushy chairs were wide enough to sit cross-legged, and they reclined enough that you could almost lay flat. They had a built in massage-chair feature, and there was a privacy screen that could be raised in between each of the seats. We were given extra food and drinks, feather pillows, toothbrushes, noise canceling headphones, and many other little luxuries to enjoy during the four hour flight.

Sitting in business class on the way to Ethiopia

Reading in comfort. Notice the adjustable LED reading lights.

Check out the fancy hats that the Emirates flight attendants wear.

I kept asking myself - why me? Why were we given this gift when we are so overloaded with blessings already? Why not the other passengers, any of them, who have so much less than we do? I have no answer, but I know that we did nothing to put ourselves in a place to be given special treatment. The only explanation I have is that God's hand is on us. What can we do but just smile and say, "Thank you, Father." As I reclined in my comfy seat, I pictured myself climbing into his lap like a little girl, giving him a hug, and saying thank you. What a reassurance to feel his favor upon us as we were about to begin an extremely challenging week.

As the little clip-art airplane on the overhead screen approached Addis Ababa, my heart filled with joy. I felt giddy as I contemplated all that was about to happen. I tried to read a bit during the flight, but I just couldn't concentrate. My life was much more interesting than fiction! I had no need to be distracted from real life. We were almost in Africa, closer than ever to our boy and about to embark on an adventure.

We Are Home

2010-06-13T14:29:00.006-05:00

Oh what a trip we have had. I have so much that I need to process - mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. There's no way that I can quickly sum up our trip with a few descriptive words. It is going to take me months to sort through all that I have seen and experienced.

I wrote in my journal every day while we were gone, and I plan to blog about our trip one day at a time over the next couple of weeks. I have so much to share.

For now, we are just so happy to be home and to be a family of four. I was so glad to see my girl yesterday when we arrived at the airport. Oh how I missed my Madeline while we were gone. Benjamin is doing great. He is such a happy, easy going baby. I don't think I have ever seen a kid who smiles so much! And he's a great sleeper!

When we got home yesterday, we commented - Wow, I can't believe the adoption is really finally over! Actually though the adoption has just begun. It's no longer "the adoption", though. It is a child. We are home, and we are finally all together. Praise God.

We're Off!

2010-06-02T07:23:00.003-05:00

For the last couple of weeks I have explained to Madeline every day: It's almost time for Mommy and Daddy to go get Little Brother! We're going to ride on an airplane.... and go all the way to Africa to get him... and she gets to stay with her Ga-ma and her Bop while we are gone... and then after Mommy and Daddy get Little Brother we are going to come back to her... and we'll all be together again... and she will be a big sister!... AND while we are gone she gets to open a present from Mommy and Daddy EVERY DAY!... (dollar store trinkets)

So yesterday I asked her if she remembered where Mommy and Daddy where about to go.... "Africa!"

That's right! Do you know why we are going there?... "So Mad-yin get a present EVERY DAY!"

Oh well, at least part of it has sunk in.

We're headed out the door in a few minutes! I don't think I have been this tired since exam week in college. Only 5-6 hours of sleep every night for the past two weeks is catching up with me. Maybe I will actually be able to sleep some on the plane!

God bless! WE'RE GOING TO GET OUR BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Itinerary

2010-06-01T15:59:00.002-05:00

For those who are interested, here is a peek at what our trip is going to be like. Traveling to Ethiopia is certainly not for the faint of heart. We will leave Nashville at noon on Wednesday and arrive in Ethiopia at 3:30 AM (Nashville time) on Friday. It will take almost 40 hours to get there!

We fly from Nashville to Cincinnati (1 1/2 hours) then have a 40 minute layover.
Then we fly from Cincinnati to JFK (2 1/2 hours) and have a 5 1/2 hour layover.
After that is the "doozie" - a 12 hour and 45 minute flight from JFK to Dubai, UAE.
Thankfully, we will have about 12 hours in Dubai, and we will get to go to a hotel for a few hours to rest.
Then we will have a 4 hour flight from Dubai to Addis.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is 8 hours ahead of our local time (CST). It will be 11:30 AM on Friday (Ethiopia time) when we arrive.

We will be picked up by a driver that works for our agency (AWAA), and he will take us to the Yesabi Guest House where we will be staying the entire time that we are there.

So far we know of two other families that will be there at the same time that we are. They will not arrive until Sunday night, though. We have chosen to leave a couple of days early so that we can drink in as much culture as we can while we are there. We will probably just crash on Friday, but we will have Saturday and Sunday to do whatever we choose. It is quite inexpensive to hire a personal driver for the day, and that is what we plan to do. I am so excited about this time!

Monday - The morning will be spent doing paperwork. Then in the afternoon, we will get to meet Benjamin for the first time! Oh happy day! We will spend about 3 hours getting acquainted at the transition home. We will have to leave him there that day, though. :( We will also get to deliver care packages to other kids at the transition home (we are taking FIVE with us!) and take photos for other adoptive families. It brought such joy when other families did this for us, and what fun it is to now be the family bringing the deliveries! Monday evening we will go to a traditional Ethiopian dinner, complete with music and dancing!

Tuesday - We will spend the morning shopping at the mercato, eat lunch at the guest house, and then it will be GOTCHA DAY. Benjamin will come with us to stay forever.

Wednesday - We will spend the morning at the U.S. Embassy processing B's visa, etc. Then the afternoon will be spent shopping at the Piazza.

Thursday - We will visit several orphanages, including the one that Benjamin was at before he came to the America World transition home, and we will take gifts to the children there.

Friday - We will tour a coffee factory, have some time for prayer and photos with our travel group, and then depart from Ethiopia at 7:30 in the evening.

I am more nervous about our flights back than any other part of the trip. Thankfully, it will take only (only?) 27 hours to get back.

We fly from Addis to Dubai (4 hours) then have a 1 hour 15 minute layover.
Then we fly from Dubai to JFK for almost 15 hours! Yep, it's even longer coming back. This could prove to be the longest 15 hours of our lives if Benjamin decides that he is not fond of flying. But I am praying that he sleeps through it and it will be just fine.
We have almost 5 hours to go through customs at JFK before flying to Nashville (3 hours).

Just as a reminder, our flight comes in at 2:28 PM on Saturday June 12th. (Delta 6023)

We would very much appreciate your prayers while we are traveling. Specifically:

For God's blessing to be on our first few days with Benjamin as we get to know him and bond with each other.
For Madeline as we are away from her for ten days.
For God to open our eyes to see what he sees and to love as he loves as we visit Ethiopia. We want to never be the same after this trip.
For a blessed meeting with Benjamin's birth mom. (We just found out today that we are definitely going to be able to do this. I am so filled with emotion about this time.)
For safety as we travel and luggage that arrives on time.
For protection from sickness.

Thank you and God bless!

Travel Plans

2010-05-31T22:40:00.005-05:00

In 36 hours we leave for Ethiopia. A year and a half of working, waiting, praying, and now it comes down to this. We are finally actually leaving. We are really, really going to Africa to go get our baby boy. I wish I had something profound to share right now. But the reality is that I have been so BUSY for the last two weeks since finding out our departure date that I have hardly had time to think. I have been a flurry of activity, making to do lists a mile long and working from 6 am till midnight everyday to check everything off. Last week I was unable to sleep every night. My mind just wouldn't stop. One night at almost 1 am I lay half-asleep and realized that I didn't have the right kind of cleaner to disinfect the changing table after Little Brother's diaper changes. I had to get up and add it to my shopping list.

All day today I have been packing. Literally ALL day. You should see my packing spreadsheet. I have spent hours reading the advice of other adoptive families and compiling this massive Excel workbook. (I AM an accountant, you know. :) But now that the actual packing is behind me and everything on my spreadsheet is crossed off (well, almost), I feel such peace. I will definitely sleep well tonight.

Just for fun, here is a small sampling of my to do list from the past week:

Withdraw cash to be exchanged into Ethiopian Birr when we arrive. (This required multiple trips to various bank branches because all cash has to be crisp and dated 2005 or later.)
Research how to call home from Ethiopia and buy calling cards.
Pick up donations from many wonderful, generous people who are sending gifts for orphanages in Ethiopia.
Call our bank and credit card so that they don't shut down our accounts while we are in Ethiopia.
Fill multiple prescriptions for us and Little Brother to take with us.
Shop at Wal-mart, Walgreens, The Party Store, The Dollar Store, Costco, Target, Michael's, etc., etc.
Make copies of all of our important documents both to take with us and to leave with our family at home.
Get a couple of shots that I still needed before leaving (and meanwhile finding out that my doctor has moved to a different practice that doesn't take my insurance and I didn't even know it!)
Make lists of what to buy and who to buy souvenirs for.
Pick up luggage, converters, and other travel items that we are borrowing from friends.
Wrap up all of my accounting work since I will be out of commission for a while.

I cannot wait to get on that airplane. I welcome the fact that it will take 40 hours from the time that we leave Nashville until we reach Addis Ababa. I will need at least that long to decompress. And I LOVE to travel. I love being in airports and watching people. I love the thrill of going new places. I love the fact that when you are flying there really isn't anything that you can do but talk, read, and write. My favorite things to do. Daniel and I have a lot of catching up to do. It's been a crazy year and a half to say the least. I am thrilled to be spending this time alone with him.

I can't believe that I am really traveling to the land of Africa, a place that has affected the lives of many in profound ways. I know a little bit of what I should expect, but truly I know that I don't have a clue. But I know that I will be affected. I pray that I will never be the same, that this will be a turning point in our lives.

When we began the adoption process, it was such a huge "leap of faith" for us. At the time the adoption itself was a daunting destination. But I now believe strongly that the adoption was just the beginning, a first stepping stone down a new path that our lives will be taking. I do not know what that will look like. I just feel the Lord telling me that he has much to teach us just ahead.

So here we go! We would welcome anyone who would like to greet us at the airport when arrive back in Nashville. Here are the details:

We will arrive on Saturday June 12th at 2:28 PM. We will be on Delta flight 6023. I strongly recommend checking that the flight is on time before coming to the airport. It is quite common for flights to be delayed when adoptive families arrive back home.

See you in a couple of weeks!

NOTE: In case there are creepy people out there who are reading this, THERE WILL BE SOMEONE STAYING AT OUR HOUSE WHILE WE ARE GONE. Besides, we don't have anything valuable left at our house. We sold it all to pay for the adoption. :)

Kirk's Giveaway of the Week

2010-05-23T22:20:00.004-05:00

Check out the Kirk family's blog to find out how you can win this dress (custom made in size 6 months - 5T).

Amy is doing a different cool giveaway from her blog every week to help spread the word about www.goseeklove.com. Check it out! Oh yeah, and buy a Go. Seek. Love. T-shirt too. 100% of the proceeds go toward the Kirk family's adoption!

VIDEO!!!!

2010-05-20T06:47:00.003-05:00

Look what another adoptive friend just sent to me!!!

And...

We're Going to Ethiopia!

2010-05-18T20:39:00.004-05:00

We got the long-awaited, joyful phone call today. We are cleared to travel to Ethiopa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We actually have the option to leave this weekend, but we are unable to for several personal reasons. But we have plane tickets on hold for Wednesday June 2nd. That's just two weeks from tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell that I am excited? :)

Oh, there is so much to do. And it is so fun!

Hang on, baby boy. We're coming to get you!

Donations for Ethiopia

2010-05-18T07:41:00.005-05:00

For a couple of weeks there I was consumed with nothing else besides the flood: helping my aunt, helping neighbors, cleaning up our own yard, baking cookies for those waiting in line at the FEMA headquarters here in town (that was my favorite thing to do!).

Now life is getting a little more back to "normal" (whatever that is), and I am once again scurrying around trying to get ready for our trip to Ethiopia. We are still hoping that we will travel in early to mid-June. That is soon! I've made list upon list, and I've done a lot of shopping and planning.

We would like to fill ALL the extra space in our luggage with donations to give to the transition home (the orphanage run by our adoption agency where Benjamin has been since December), to other orphanages, and to street children. We would welcome donations of any of the following things, and we will make sure that they get into the right hands while we are there.

Here is a list of what we would like to take:

Food to hand out to street kids (granola bars, pre-packaged packs of trail mix, protein bars, etc.)
Over-the-counter medicines for kids:
- Cough medicine
- Vitamins - liquid and chewable
- Tylenol - children's and infants'
- Benadryl
Latex gloves
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Toddler shoes and socks
Diapers

For those of you who are local and would like to send some things with us, just email me at family @ duboisadoption . com and we can work out a time for me to pick your donation up. Thank you!

Meet the Kirks

2010-05-16T15:13:00.005-05:00

I am excited to introduce the next Go. Seek. Love. family!

Stephen (dad), Amy (mom), Joshua, Emma, Sophie, Abby, Caleb, and Chloe Kirk

The Kirks' blog: www.growingby2feet.blogspot.com.

For the next six weeks, 100% of the proceeds of all Go. Seek. Love. T-shirt sales will go toward the Kirk family's adoption of a baby boy from Ethiopia!

Yes that's right, I said six weeks. We had initially planned to partner with families for three months at a time. However, when we got almost twenty applications from awesome, godly families, we were faced with a very difficult situation. We read blog after blog and fell in love with family after family. With all my heart I wanted to help every single one of them! With our current infrastructure, though, it's just not possible. Instead we prayerfully decided to partner with one family per month through the end of the year. The Kirks are the first, and from now until the end of June all T-shirt profits will go to them. Yea!

So head on over to www.goseeklove.com and buy a T-shirt.

Also, Help us spread the word by adding a Go. Seek. Love. badge to your blog. Just copy and paste the following text:

<a href="http://www.goseeklove.com"><img src="http://www.goseeklove.com/images/goseeklovebadge.jpg"/></a>

Let me also share their bio with you that is now on our website:

Thanks for stopping by! We are the Kirk family (Stephen, Amy, and our 6 precious kids), waiting to bring our newest addition home from Ethiopia. As a family, we are striving each day to grow STRONGER in our devotion to God, CLOSER in our commitment to one another, and FURTHER in our passion for the world. By God’s unfathomable grace, we have been adopted in Christ—redeemed, rescued, and restored as His children, and now God is calling us to do the same for one precious little life a world away. What a privilege!

Several months ago, it became clear that God was asking us to “Go! Seek! Love,” a child through adoption. As we have responded in obedience, we have been encouraged by the example God himself set for us. He comes to us in our sin, seeks us out even as we push Him away, and loves us unconditionally and without merit. The path of obedience is not easy, but it is always good. May you experience the profound love of the very first adoptive Father in new ways today!

About the Kirk Family

Nearly 15 years ago, a boy married a girl, and since then, things have never been the same. Visit the Kirk house today and you can expect to be greeted by: 16 eyes, 160 fingers and toes, and 8 hearts beating in anticipation over the arrival of a 9th from Ethiopia. While the Kirk family loves the beach and the Colorado mountains, at any given moment you might find them hovering over their studies in the family dining room with homeschooling mom, Amy, at the teacher’s desk. They are also joyfully involved in their church, pastored by Stephen (dad). As you can imagine, life with 6 (soon to be 7) kids is never dull and always full of many blessings!

JOIN us…

As we seek to bring justice to the fatherless.

New Pictures of B

2010-05-13T23:15:00.002-05:00

Once a month we get an update on how Benjamin is doing, complete with a couple new photos. It is one of my favorite days of the month! Yesterday was Update Day. Look at how our little guy has grown!

He's got two teeth on the bottom now!

And curly hair! He's got curly hair! A lot of Ethiopian kids have beautiful loose curls, and I just love them. I was so hoping that our little guy would have hair like that. And he does!

His chin and neck look exactly like Madeline's. That makes me happy. He looks so solid and healthy. He is up to 21 pounds now at 8 months! He's in the 73rd percentile. Woo hoo! He has gone up every month. He's eating several different foods now, and he can sit without support. They say that he laughs a lot too. :)

Oh I absolutely cannot wait to have this precious little guy in our arms. It won't be long now!