Court Date

We are thankful for a court date set on March 30th. I was a bit disappointed that the judge couldn't set it sooner--seeing as our papers have passed through his court 4 times now! So, Ana and I are Singapore bound. Tomorrow will be filled with packing and shopping (and trying to psych myself up for another flight with Ana)! This flight is a couple hours shorter--every little bit helps!

Adoption Update

We found out today that we DO NOT yet have a court date. The Ethiopian Courts only reopen cases on Wednesdays. So, our case worker will go tomorrow and will make every effort to let us know the result tomorrow! Patience is key ;)
On a good note I got Ana's and my flight reservations linked with no hassle! The Delta rep. was awesome!

No News

I'm sorry to say we heard nothing from our case worker today! We'll try again tomorrow--let you know as soon as we hear anything!

Court Date/ Hay Mow Swing

We got our letter and a court date, but the case worker was not able to e-mail what it was before he went out of town. Therefore, we'll be in suspense all weekend. BUT, we're very happy!! Please continue to pray for the seven families that are still waiting for their case histories. It's soooo hard to wait!

Thanks!!

Ana has had fun and stayed a little warmer with this swing in the hay mow. Because it's so low she can swing "all by herself!"

Please Pray!

We would appreciate your prayers as the Ministry of Women's Affairs prepares a letter for us. We need this to get our court date! Our Ethiopian power of attorney is to meet with the judge on Thursday. Pray that he has this letter in hand AND that the court date is SOON!

Thanks!

My TWO Babies!

Long before Analia was ever a thought in our minds there was Lucy. We got her from shelter after I begged and begged. She was such a cute little puppy, although quite mischievous. Now at almost 10 years old she is so patient with Ana (even though she has a tendency to play with Lucy's tail!) It was a sad day when we left her with Matt's parents, but she's had the run of the farm and a happy life!

Hoar Frost

hoarfrost n
(Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a deposit of needle-like ice crystals formed on the ground by direct condensation at temperatures below freezing point. Also called white frost.

OK. So I haven't experienced winter in 10 years, BUT am thoroughly enjoying everything God is sending my way (so much for global warming!!). Today we woke up to a deep hoarfrost covering everything! It was so thick that it may look similar to the ice, but it's much more delicate and quickly melted away in the sun. I have realized how much I've missed having seasons. It really allows you to revel in God's handiwork much more often!

Snow Day

The cousins have had a couple of snow days. So, they came over, rode the snowmobile,

made snow angels,

got into some DEEP drifts,

got covered in snow,

went for long walks,

and dug in the snow. FUN and we are glad to get more time with family!

Good News!!

It's been sooo long since we've had good news that I'm tearing up just writing this! China got his paperwork. We were dreading making the decision to go get just Behailu--so this is a VERY big blessing!!
They did however misplace our dossier, but have said that if they can't find it by the end of the week they'll accept the copy that is already in Ethiopia. So, by the end of the week we should have a court date as well. This leaves us enough time to change tickets if necessary.

Thank you for praying!!

Adoption Update

The Provincial Government has still not decided what to do with those kids that are already place nor are they setting a timeline to do so. If they don't decide in our favor, China would have to go back into an Ethiopian Orphanage (right now he's in a foster home) until all his paperwork is correct. There is no time frame on that either!
We are considering going to get Behailu. The only downside of that is that we would have to do a new dossier for China which involves a lot of effort and money AND we couldn't go back to get China for a YEAR. Ethiopian law states that you have to wait a year between adoptions.

Please pray as we make a difficult decision this week--that God would help us know what HIS plan is (right now we haven't a clue!!)

Snowmobile

Well, we got about six inches of snow, but it was soooo windy that it blew a lot of it into drifts. Thankfully there was enough to run the KitKat (it's a small snowmobile made for kids). Ana had a lot of fun riding on it, but if you look really close you'll see her glove in front of her face. She doesn't like the cold wind in her face!

We're supposed to get more snow on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday!! Yeah!!

What We've Been Doing

Ana building a snowman with grandma (or really standing there watching). They came in to get a carrot for the nose and she wanted to eat it (clueless!) We've got about 5 inches and counting!

It was really windy today, so I bundled her up so much she had trouble moving!

She's been playing with the 28 (on loan) My Little Ponies!

She had a great time telling the cousins what to do in their playroom!

Since coming to Indiana we've been staying indoors with brief times outside. Ana has enjoyed petting the horses noses and sitting on the back of one of them. She loves the dogs, but is just the right height for dog kisses! Ana is having fun and tomorrow she gets to try out the snowmobile!

New Site

This is a great new site that will have lots of videos, tutorials, and reviews. Check it out!