This is the front of our adoption shirts that we had made!!!!
On the back it has the bible verse Jeremiah 29:11
Ethiopian Get Together
August 14, 2010
Brandon and I attended our first Ethiopian get together in Plano,TX today. We got to meet other families who are adopting from Ethiopia and other who already have adopted. So yes that means we got to meet children from Ethiopia, I was so excited about that!!! All we have ever seen were videos and pictures on the internet so being able to meet the children in person was amazing :) We hope to continue getting together with theses families that live in our area!!
Psalm 115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Brandon and I attended our first Ethiopian get together in Plano,TX today. We got to meet other families who are adopting from Ethiopia and other who already have adopted. So yes that means we got to meet children from Ethiopia, I was so excited about that!!! All we have ever seen were videos and pictures on the internet so being able to meet the children in person was amazing :) We hope to continue getting together with theses families that live in our area!!
Psalm 115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Home Study Packet Mailed Off
August 4, 2010
I mailed off our home study packet today...what a GREAT feeling!!! Our next step is to schedule our home study with our social worker; she said it would probably be around the first part of September before we can schedule due to her work load. I am very nervous about the home study because I want to say the right things and have our house look perfect, which I know is not what the social working is looking for. I have been told by many other families that have already been through this part, to just be ourselves and that our house does not have to be spotless!! So I will try to remember that and not be too much of a nervous wreck when that time comes :)
Roman 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.
I mailed off our home study packet today...what a GREAT feeling!!! Our next step is to schedule our home study with our social worker; she said it would probably be around the first part of September before we can schedule due to her work load. I am very nervous about the home study because I want to say the right things and have our house look perfect, which I know is not what the social working is looking for. I have been told by many other families that have already been through this part, to just be ourselves and that our house does not have to be spotless!! So I will try to remember that and not be too much of a nervous wreck when that time comes :)
Roman 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.
Ethiopian Blogs
July 27, 20010
I just recently joined a few blogs on Yahoo for people who are adoption from Ethiopia. It feels good to talk to and see that other people are going through the same thing as you!! One is AWAA_Ethiopia and the other is ETHIOPIA BABIES. The ETHIOPIABABIES group is made up of people from the Dallas/Ft.Worth area who are either in the process of adopting from Ethiopia or already has adopted. I was very surprised to find out that there was that many families around us who are adopting from Ethiopia; hopefully we can build relationships with theses families!! In our spare time Brandon and I have been watching videos on YouTube of peoples journey to Ethiopia to bring home their child; I can not watch a single one without crying!!! On a different note I feel like Brandon and I are making good progress with our home study paperwork, so hopefully we will be able to mail it off soon :)
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
I just recently joined a few blogs on Yahoo for people who are adoption from Ethiopia. It feels good to talk to and see that other people are going through the same thing as you!! One is AWAA_Ethiopia and the other is ETHIOPIA BABIES. The ETHIOPIABABIES group is made up of people from the Dallas/Ft.Worth area who are either in the process of adopting from Ethiopia or already has adopted. I was very surprised to find out that there was that many families around us who are adopting from Ethiopia; hopefully we can build relationships with theses families!! In our spare time Brandon and I have been watching videos on YouTube of peoples journey to Ethiopia to bring home their child; I can not watch a single one without crying!!! On a different note I feel like Brandon and I are making good progress with our home study paperwork, so hopefully we will be able to mail it off soon :)
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Checking Things Off Of Our To Do List
July 20, 2010
We have accomplished several things in the passed few days, it is such a great feeling to check things off our our adoption to do list!!!! I have completed my Hague online training, now I just have to keep on my husband to get his done :) We had a fire inspector come out to the house and fill out the fire safety form from AWAA; our house passed with flying colors!! Both Brandon and I had our physicals today and everything went well with that, and man amd I glad to have that part behind me; going to the doctor has never been my idea of fun :)
We have accomplished several things in the passed few days, it is such a great feeling to check things off our our adoption to do list!!!! I have completed my Hague online training, now I just have to keep on my husband to get his done :) We had a fire inspector come out to the house and fill out the fire safety form from AWAA; our house passed with flying colors!! Both Brandon and I had our physicals today and everything went well with that, and man amd I glad to have that part behind me; going to the doctor has never been my idea of fun :)
More Paperwork
July 7, 2010
We got our WELCOME packet e-mail today from AWAA. This packet has A LOT of paperwork that we had to print out and read through. And when I say a lot I mean it; I had to go buy more printer ink and paper about half way through printing all of it!!! The paperwork is all the information we need about what to do next. The next step for us is to complete the home study paperwork which is filling out and signing numerius forms, making copies of drivers license, social security card, and marrige license, getting a physical and having the doctor fill out a form, having a fire and environmental inspection of our home, provide financial information, proof of life and health insurance, pet vaccinations, draw sketch of our house, take photos of the outside of our house, read 5 books each, answer about 10 pages of questions about yourself, and have 3 people fillout reference letters. Just reading the list of things we have to do stresses me out, and that is just the stuff we have to do for the home study!!!! After the home study paperwork is done then we schedule our actual home study then start working on our Dossier (the paperwork that is sent the Ethiopia). AWAA told me that it is overwhelming but just do one thing at a time and it won't make it so bad :) So we are going to try that and see how it works.
John 14: 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
We got our WELCOME packet e-mail today from AWAA. This packet has A LOT of paperwork that we had to print out and read through. And when I say a lot I mean it; I had to go buy more printer ink and paper about half way through printing all of it!!! The paperwork is all the information we need about what to do next. The next step for us is to complete the home study paperwork which is filling out and signing numerius forms, making copies of drivers license, social security card, and marrige license, getting a physical and having the doctor fill out a form, having a fire and environmental inspection of our home, provide financial information, proof of life and health insurance, pet vaccinations, draw sketch of our house, take photos of the outside of our house, read 5 books each, answer about 10 pages of questions about yourself, and have 3 people fillout reference letters. Just reading the list of things we have to do stresses me out, and that is just the stuff we have to do for the home study!!!! After the home study paperwork is done then we schedule our actual home study then start working on our Dossier (the paperwork that is sent the Ethiopia). AWAA told me that it is overwhelming but just do one thing at a time and it won't make it so bad :) So we are going to try that and see how it works.
John 14: 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Travel Change
June 30, 2010
Brandon and I just found out that the traveling to Ethiopia has changed. We where informed a few months ago that we would only have to travel once to Ethiopia and that would be to pick our child up. Well now they have changed that; we now have to travel twice. The first visit will be for the court date and the second will be to actually bring the child home. Each visit will be about a week long. We will meet our child on the first visit then have to leave and come back home without him or her until we travel the second time. That is the thing I am having the hardest time with; how am I going to hold my child, feed my child, play with my child and then leave the country? We will just have to place our trust in God that he will watch over our child while we are not there.
Psalm 115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Brandon and I just found out that the traveling to Ethiopia has changed. We where informed a few months ago that we would only have to travel once to Ethiopia and that would be to pick our child up. Well now they have changed that; we now have to travel twice. The first visit will be for the court date and the second will be to actually bring the child home. Each visit will be about a week long. We will meet our child on the first visit then have to leave and come back home without him or her until we travel the second time. That is the thing I am having the hardest time with; how am I going to hold my child, feed my child, play with my child and then leave the country? We will just have to place our trust in God that he will watch over our child while we are not there.
Psalm 115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Paperwork
June 29, 2010
We printed out some paperwork that was sent to us by America World Adoption Agency (AWAA), read through it and signed what was needed. We put those in the mail today; in order to start the next step AWAA required us to mail back the signed papers. We were also told by AWAA that we need to take an 8 credit hour Hague training course. We are able to do that online so I have signed Brandon and I up so we can start as soon as possible, we have 8 weeks to complete it.
Psalm 118: 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
We printed out some paperwork that was sent to us by America World Adoption Agency (AWAA), read through it and signed what was needed. We put those in the mail today; in order to start the next step AWAA required us to mail back the signed papers. We were also told by AWAA that we need to take an 8 credit hour Hague training course. We are able to do that online so I have signed Brandon and I up so we can start as soon as possible, we have 8 weeks to complete it.
Psalm 118: 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Acceptance
June 28, 2010
We received a phone call and an e-mail from America World saying that we have been accepted in to the Ethiopia adoption program!!! When I heard the words "you have been accepted" you would have thought I just won the lottery, because I was so happy!!! And at that moment I was thinking to myself..."what am I going to do when we get the phone call saying they have a baby of us?" If I was that happy when all we did was get accepted into the program then just imagine how I am going to act when we receive our referral for our baby :) With all the excitement aside, we had to make our specifications known to the agency about what age and sex we were wishing to adopt. Brandon and I have decided to ask for a healthy, male or female, 0-6 months old. Once we made our specifications known they informed us that the referral wait time would probably be 4-6 months once our Dossier (which is a lot of paper work that has to be sent to the Ethiopian government) was received. After all of our conversations it is really starting to hit me..WE ARE REALLY DOING THIS!!!!
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
We received a phone call and an e-mail from America World saying that we have been accepted in to the Ethiopia adoption program!!! When I heard the words "you have been accepted" you would have thought I just won the lottery, because I was so happy!!! And at that moment I was thinking to myself..."what am I going to do when we get the phone call saying they have a baby of us?" If I was that happy when all we did was get accepted into the program then just imagine how I am going to act when we receive our referral for our baby :) With all the excitement aside, we had to make our specifications known to the agency about what age and sex we were wishing to adopt. Brandon and I have decided to ask for a healthy, male or female, 0-6 months old. Once we made our specifications known they informed us that the referral wait time would probably be 4-6 months once our Dossier (which is a lot of paper work that has to be sent to the Ethiopian government) was received. After all of our conversations it is really starting to hit me..WE ARE REALLY DOING THIS!!!!
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Application Sent
June 18, 2010
Today we sent off our adoption application. We are applying with America World Adoption Agency. We are very excited, nervous, scared, and overwhelmed all at the same time!!! We have told a few of our friends about our plans to adopt from Ethiopia and everyone has been very supportive but shocked :) Of course we have had friends and family concerned about the safety of traveling, the child's health, and the possible racial issues that we will face. Brandon and I have had many talks about all of the pro's and con's of this adoption, and we have decided that we will put it all in God's hands.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.
Today we sent off our adoption application. We are applying with America World Adoption Agency. We are very excited, nervous, scared, and overwhelmed all at the same time!!! We have told a few of our friends about our plans to adopt from Ethiopia and everyone has been very supportive but shocked :) Of course we have had friends and family concerned about the safety of traveling, the child's health, and the possible racial issues that we will face. Brandon and I have had many talks about all of the pro's and con's of this adoption, and we have decided that we will put it all in God's hands.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.
Offical Start
June 2010
We have made up our mind...we are adopting from Ethiopia!!! We have had many long and at times emotional conversations about what to do. But the most powerful convincing thing was our prayer. We have been praying for guidance on when to adopt and where to adopt from. God is leading us to Ethiopia because our child IS THERE!!! We started our family building journey about 3 years ago. We quickly found out that it was going to be harder than we originally thought. After many painful and emotionally draining doctors appointments Brandon and I decided that adoption is what we wanted to do. We did a lot of research on the different countries that had adoption programs, including the USA. We quickly found out that there was a lot more to the whole adoption process than we originally thought!!! Brandon and I both felt we needed to adopt from somewhere that had a great need; through that we found Ethiopia, Africa. Not many children are adopted from there for many reasons such as disease, race, and fear of the unknown. So we did a lot of praying about that and finally decided that Ethiopia is where our heart is!!!
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
We have made up our mind...we are adopting from Ethiopia!!! We have had many long and at times emotional conversations about what to do. But the most powerful convincing thing was our prayer. We have been praying for guidance on when to adopt and where to adopt from. God is leading us to Ethiopia because our child IS THERE!!! We started our family building journey about 3 years ago. We quickly found out that it was going to be harder than we originally thought. After many painful and emotionally draining doctors appointments Brandon and I decided that adoption is what we wanted to do. We did a lot of research on the different countries that had adoption programs, including the USA. We quickly found out that there was a lot more to the whole adoption process than we originally thought!!! Brandon and I both felt we needed to adopt from somewhere that had a great need; through that we found Ethiopia, Africa. Not many children are adopted from there for many reasons such as disease, race, and fear of the unknown. So we did a lot of praying about that and finally decided that Ethiopia is where our heart is!!!
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
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