Our Home Has Been Studied

We had our second of three home study visits tonight; this one at our home. Here’s a quick snapshot that illustrates our experience with our social worker who conducts the study:
On the way to our first home study meeting a week ago I asked Nate: “Do you think it would be a good idea to [...]

Read Full Post »

Are we crazy?

For many weeks now I have developed a few phrases for when people ask me probing questions about our adoption. I’ve said things like:
-”We’ve spent a lot of time researching adoption and think it’s a fit for us.”
-”We’re just ready to be parents.”
-”We can’t ignore the need in Ethiopia.”
I’m finding I do this a lot [...]

Read Full Post »

Sleepless nights, prayer …and a quick update

Update: We had our first home-study visit today. I was extra careful washing behind my ears this morning and expected a security check much like I had on my way back from Israel where I spent 3 hours watching a series of hands open and re-open everything I owned down to my make-up compact.
I was [...]

Read Full Post »

And One More Video

Um, welcome to our Saturday Night Flicks (yes, I now it’s Sunday, but here’s what we spend many Saturday nights with). Videos like this one…

Sure, it’s just photos and a song…but we really like it

Read Full Post »

A Prayer For Our Girls…

As we get ready to go to sleep tonight, my heart has been with our future daughters. I’m praying this prayer for them tonight…
Kind Father, as they sleep, would You grant them peace.
When they rise, would You grant them joy.

Even now, before we yet know their names, would You prepare their hearts to receive the [...]

Read Full Post »

HomeStudy Paperwork Complete

Since we’ve made this blog live, I’ve heard a handful of you (even some of my closest friends) say … “I feel like I’m reading your diary.” Of course this has made me second-guess whether we should continue with this (while I’m sure Nate is secretly celebrating, as he always thinks I’m too tight-lipped).
At [...]

Read Full Post »

More from my diary :) …

I can’t ignore this still, small voice of God in my head that continues to say to me “This is about Me and you.” As my mind rolls over and over all the details of this adoption and all the nuances of our situation, I continue to come back to this place of bewilderment …how [...]

Read Full Post »

Sights, Sounds, Smells of Ethiopia

One of many not-so-random connections surrounding this adoption is the 2-year stint two of our dear friends, Liz & Chris, are spending in Ethiopia as a part of the Peace Corps. We’re hoping they’ll be Amharic-savvy by the time we arrive as we’d love their assistance in communicating with our girls early on.
We are soaking [...]

Read Full Post »

My Internal Struggle With Self-Righteousness

Processing my friends’ and family’s response to the news that we’re adopting has been an interesting side-journey to this process [Side Note: Are there any other words for "process" or "journey"? I'm growing weary of using the same terminology!]…this…event.
I’ll admit that before the last couple months, I would fight the urge to roll my eyes [...]

Read Full Post »

Adoption Videos

A few weeks back, when we were getting ready to move ahead with this process, we hopped onto YouTube and found a bunch of videos of others’ experiences with their adoption process.
Here’s one of many that inspired us. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve realized since we’ve gone “live” with this blog (which, by the way is still feeling like one huge over-share to me, equivalent at times to inviting my neighbors over to have a look in my underwear drawer) there are a few key details we’ve left out. Many of you are asking similar questions, so [...]

Read Full Post »

The “Consolation” Becomes The Prize

I’m a little “caught up” as I write this.
Sara and I were just singing together (we often just sorta sing songs that come from our heart as I play my guitar), and this profound sense of God’s fresh kindness swept over both of us as we sat there together in our living room.
It’s no secret [...]

Read Full Post »

A little taste of why we’re so excited…(and an update)

Ok, so there’s this funny little community of people out there that are all adopting from Ethiopia, and it seems that everybody has a blog (you thought we came up with this idea on our own?).
Well, I get the impression that everybody is in love with everybody else’s children…and for good reason.
Look, I’m a [...]

Read Full Post »

Becoming a daughter

My mind naturally wanders to how dramatically these girls’ lives will change when in our home. A friend who’s sister recently adopted from Ethiopia commented on the adult appetites in these children her sister has brought home — they don’t yet know what it means to feel full. (And, let’s be honest, I’m not sure [...]

Read Full Post »