July Update

We just received our July update. Our sweet pea is now 15 months old and making such great developmental progress. Looks like she has gained 1/2 pound from last month, but her length has increased by 2 inches. Since her length hadn't really changed at all up till this month, maybe it was in smaller increments but didn't really show till this month's measurements. :) The report says she can climb stairs and prefers to hold on to someone's hand and walk rather than crawl. I have to say that I wish that hand holding hers was mine right now. This part of the wait is brutal. I pray that we get our court declaration before the courts close for the rainy season. I need to see this smile in person. Please join us in praying that we will pass court soon. Let us pass so that we can be a step closer to bringing her home to us forever.

YM

In case you were on the fence and considering child sponsorship through YM, I thought I'd give you a little nudge :) While we were visiting with the kids, the rain came in and with it hail (yes, hail) for about 15 minutes. We quickly got the food that was being served safely inside under a roof, then huddled together to get out of the rain. I instructed Bob to get the umbrella out of our bag, and he was promptly joined by 3 young ladies wanted to get out of the rain. I flattened my body against the wall of the building and stood under the edge of the roof. Even after the rain ceased, one girl wanted to stick with her new American friend.

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
Matthew 25:40

(click on the picture below to access YM's website for more info.)

Yezelalem Minch

During our trip, we were able to visit Yezelalem Minch Children and Community Development. On our visit, we were able to help with their Saturday feeding program. With 7 locations in Ethiopia, YM helps orphaned and vulberable children and families in need in a variety of ways. Through child, family and program sponsorship, YM is able to aid families and children faced with poverty and loss. Sponsorship helps provide basic needs, medical care and education to these children. With your help, another child/family can be reached! We know from our visit that there are over 400 children still in need of a sponsor. Trust me, these kids are amazing! Once you've seen their faces, you will never forget them. If you would like to be a sponsor, follow the link below. If you choose to do so, we would be happy to meet your child and take him/her a gift on our next trip to Ethiopia. For only $30 a month, you can be the one, and change the life of a child!

http://www.yezelalemminch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118&Itemid=169

Home

We arrived home safely on Sunday at about 5:30 PM. It was so nice to see the kids, and Piper especially was SO excited! She about plowed me over! (By the way, thanks mom for finishing off the potty training! Yay, Piper!) We were welcomed with some beautiful signs created by my kids :) The flight home suprisingly wasn't too bad, although a little emotional. I've thought a lot about our trip, and I'm not sure at this point that I know what to post or what I want to post. I will say the trip was amazing, and our time with our little girl will hopefully stay etched in my mind until we can get back to her and bring her home. She is quite simply, perfect in every way!

Last Hurrah

Yesterday we attended court and got one more unexpected visit with our sweet baby :) The day before was tough, so this was a nice surprise! Although we haven't passed court yet, at least it is one more step accomplished in the journey toward our daughter! We even got to visit a feeding program today and help with the feeding. The kids danced for us, played a game and just loved having people there. This trip has been amazing, heart wrenching, unforgettable, and I can't wait to come back. We head to the airport in about 3 hours!

"We're leavin' on a jet plane...."

No, we aren't going backwards....we're just talking hours now! It's almost unbelievable, but we are starting the first leg of our journey to meet our sweet, baby girl in just 17 hours! Our bags are packed (finally due to Bob's pace :)), and we are ready to go. Some may say we are crazy for taking 92 pounds of donations, as well as 2 checked pieces of luggage and our 2 carry-ons. Hey, I've never been one to pack too light because I try to be prepared for anything, and there is no way I'm leaving any donations behind! It may be a pain at the airport, but I will be completing a mission for my students just by getting it all there!

Tomorrow, we'll kiss our 3 munchkins goodbye, and entrust them in Nanny's hands (my mom). We've never left them for more than 2 nights, and I'm not sure we've ever even left Piper! We'll miss them as soon as we leave, but are so grateful that they will be in good hands while we're gone.

Update!

Today we received our June update that included 13 pictures of a smiling, drooling, baby girl! The pictures caught her laughing, throwing a ball, standing on her own, and just plain looking happy! (She was wearing the puppy shoes pictured above in some of the pictures :)) I feel so grateful for the care she is receiving and the amount of communication we receive each month. It is so comforting see her face and hear more about what her day is like. In 5 days we'll be there to see for ourselves!

Today was an important day for our family in more ways than one, but I'll close by quoting Piper's words for the day. While looking at pictures of her new sister, she pointed at them and said, "I want her." Wow, she couldn't have said it better.