Bummer

Well today we heard that the Ethiopian courts are going to be closed until October 12th for training. Also, since they are in training our case was not able to be submitted to court. Once they open our case will be submitted and we will wait to hear what our court date will be, most likely a few months out I hear. Keep our little boy in your prayers! Pray that he is will taken care of while waiting for mommy and daddy to get him. Pray that he keeps on developing and growing on schedule but that he doesnt grow up too much before I get him :) Pray for his mommy and daddy's sanity during this wait!

Haunted House Season

In our family haunted houses are a tradition! Brian and I started dating in the month of October (2002), therefore haunted hosues are a lot of our first memories we shared on our first dates. My mom and step dad also first met each other at a haunted house (we were in a big group with each other, friends of friends). We love to be scared! This past Friday we went to one of our favorites, Waverly Hills Sanitarium. Lots of fun! Another favorite is Feild of Screams which I am sure is coming next Friday! Happy Fall everyone!!!

Pumas, Mercedes, Waiting, and Grant

Today I found some little Pumas for our baby boy! They are so cute!

Wendesday I got a call from our social worker with our homestudy saying that the USCIS wanted a letter from our vet saying Mercedes is up to date on her shots and friendly. This made me laugh...if only they had seen Merecedes in her outfits! If you look closeley behind Brian there is a framed picture of Mercedes diploma from graduate school! Anyways, I had Brian run to the vet and get the letter so we could fax it to them. I assume that all is well now that that is taken care of.

The wait is getting harder and harder. It is killing me to see him growing up without us. I am still praying to have him by Christmas but the chances keep looking slimmer and slimmer. We will see. God can do great things. Either way I have decided our Christmas tree will not come down until that little boy is here to see it! I am stubborn that way :) I dont care if that tree is up until May!!!! lol.

Good news is we got approved for a matching grant for the adoption. We can raise $1,600 and the grant will match it. All the money people donate is tax deductable this way.

Keep our family and all the other families waiting in your prayers. We need our children home.

Baby Bennett and USCIS

Today I got a call from our social worker with our homestudy agency.... (I had put in an email to the USCIS to check on our I71H and see how it was coming along), apparently the USCIS is now requiring a letter from our vet stating that Mercedes is up to date on her shots and that she is friendly (which of course she is!!! :). So I immediately had Brian got to the vet and get a letter from them and we faxed this letter. So it is good news that they are finally working on our case and hopefully that means we will get our I 71H in the mail Saturday or Monday if all goes well.


We also got new pictures in our email today from our agency's director's husband who was recently in Ethiopia. They were so good! The first pictures (we have video) of his new personality that he has! He is all smiles! Plus, as an added bonus he was wearing a onsie we had sent him in his care package! We love him.

Please keep our family in your prayers. 1. Pray for our case to be submitted to court as soon as courts open and get a court date not too far away. 2. Pray for us to pass the first time and all the documents be done correctly the first time.

1 Samuel 1:27

Bennett Update!

We got video of our baby boy today!!! He is smiling and giggling!!! He can roll over and supports his head really good. He can lay on his belly and kick his feet! He is so cute! We love him :)

5

Today our baby boy turns 5 months old!!! Happy 5 months Bennett! Mommy and Daddy love you!!!

Happy New Year (Enkutatash)

HAPPY NEW YEAR (IN ETHIOPIA)!!!!!

Enkutatash is the first day of the New Year in Ethiopia. It occurs on Meskerem 1 on the Ethiopian calendar, which is September 11 (or, during a leap year, September 12) according to the Gregorian calendar.

Ethiopia still retains the Julian calendar, in which the year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of 5 days and 6 days in leap year. The Ethiopian calendar is 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and 7 years behind between September 11 and January 8.

Enkutatash means the "gift of jewels". When the famous Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her bolts by replenishing her treasury with inku or jewels. The spring festival has been celebrated since this early times and as the rains come to their abrupt end, dancing and singing can be heard at every village in the green countryside.

In 2007 on the Gregorian calendar, it became 2000 on the Ethiopian calendar.So...Happy New Year!! I think this gives us a good reason to celebrate today!

WELCOME TO 2002 ETHIOPIA!!!

Happy New Year Baby Bennett and all of his friends!!!

Bennett Update

We just heared that as of yesterday, 9/6/09, Bennett weighed in at 5.7kg which is about 12.5 lbs !!! Our boy is almost 5 months old now!!! We recieved viedo of him last Monday and he looks to be growing a developing great. He is holding his head up pretty good on his own. He also does a half grin type of smile! We love him and can't wait to hold him!

We are still waiting for our documents to be submitted to court in Ethiopia and hope to get a court date once the courts open back up. Please pray we get a court date as soon as possible and then pass court the first time so we can hopefully have our baby home by Christmas.