3 Weeks to court!

countdown begins again. Well after spending 3 hours Friday morning trying to get into contact with our local congressman and senator I got a call from our adoption co ordinator on our way out of town that the Secretary of State apostilled our Power of Attorney form INSTEAD of certifing it. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooo, yesterday on Memorial Day I found a notary to help us at a local grocery store, we did the form AGAIN and this morning I loaded up my nephews and went back down to the Secretary of State, they were really nice about it and re did it for free. Wow.Thanks alot. If they only knew what they did. Sometimes I stop and think about this journey and the people that have helped us (or not) by the simple stamp or signature they do everyday and do they realize the ripple effect it can have sometimes?It makes me stop and think how important even our every little day mineal(?) tasks are and how even a comment or expression can really effect someone's day or event in there life. It makes me appreicate God even more and all that he is doing for us that we don't even see, all the work that goes into everything we do or have.Anyway, our 2nd POA form is on its way to our adoption agency in VA and we are praying for a miracle that maybe, just maybe we will get an earlier court date. If not, well pray we have peace and patience as we wait.

POA and USCIS Updates!

Okay, I did not have a good night last night, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, I think I need to re read some of my earlier posts about attitude. I am angry, sad, worried!On a good note our adoption co ordinator did receive our new Power of Attorney form this morning, so it should be on its way on Monday to Ethiopia, HAND DELIVERED with a staff member that is going there. I am praying for a miracle that our court date will get moved up!and for all my other friends that are needing the same thing to happen. At least we have a court date, some did not even get to schedule court.See, I am trying to be positive. Okay, on another not so good note our USCIS Extension approval has been cabled 2 times to Addis Ababa and for some reason they still claim NOT to have it. I really don't know if I can sit on the phone and deal with this all day, I really don't even FEEL like being nice.UGH!!!Our adoption travel co ordinator said if they don't get it done we may have to get some authorities involved like our congressman.I really feel like curling up and sleeping until June 16th!My energy level is zapped!BUT then I realized I have a beautiful little girl in Ethiopia waiting for me and another beautiful little girl here that is watching how I react and I pray she will someday think of her mother as a women who trusted in the Lord at the hardest times and that I conducted myself with grace and dignity.
God Bless my family and Friends.Thank you for reading all my posts and praying for me.
Have a GREAT Memorial day weekend!
Dawn

Ava helping get her new baby sister's room ready!

Our Ethiopian Princess's Room is Ready!

I had to have this picture!It was just too cute!

Easter Egg hunt

Movie Stars collecting Eggs

Okay,some fun pictures!

What's happening to my teeth!!!

A New Day!

I woke up this morning feeling a lot better, I am going to rejoice in this day and remember how much God loves me and our children. He loves us!! Please don't think I am this sappy happy person all the time. I was and am heartbroken we didn't pass court but I am moving forward, we have a new court date. In the big picture of our lives these couple more weeks won't be so bad. I want to thank all our family and friends that have called and emailed and prayed for us and are still doing so. Thank you so much.We love you. and PLEASE keep praying for us we need it.

Psalm 100
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The Importance of Atittude!

I need reminding of this!

THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDEby Charles R. Swindoll
Philippians 2:3-5
This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me, or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. The attitude I choose keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.
Yet we must admit that we spend more of our time concentrating and fretting over the things that can’t be changed than we do giving attention to the one that we can change, our choice of attitude. Stop and think about some of the things that suck up our attention and energy, all of them inescapable: the weather, the wind, people’s action and criticisms, who won or lost the game, delays at airports or waiting rooms, x-ray results, gas and food costs.
Quit wasting energy fighting the inescapable and turn your energy to keeping the right attitude. Those things we can’t do anything about shouldn’t even come up in our minds; the alternative is ulcers, cancer, sourness, depression.
Let’s choose each day and every day to keep an attitude of faith and joy and belief and compassion.
Take charge of your own mind!

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, Day by Day with Charles Swindoll (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2000). Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Not today, NEW Court Date June 16th

We did not pass court today due to an old power of attorney form they are requiring to be updated. Mike and I will have to have it notarized and then also at the Sec of State level. I am going to do it tomorrow and hopefully have it to our adoption agency by Friday. We received a new court date of June 16th.I am really bummed and have already had my pity party. I do not like to wallow in self pity. So I am fine.A later travel date works better for Mike. He said lets go early, rent a car, pick up the family member that may need to be present and represent ourselves in court.lol I could seriously see him do that. When Ava saw me crying she started and said, "We didn't pass today did we" and I told her not today but we have a new court date. and she said "MEAN JUDGE" can I play on the computer now? Kids can be really resilant. I wish my heart was as much. "God makes everything happen at the right time. He planted eternity in the human heart, but even so,people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end" Ecclesiastes 3:11

Court TONIGHT!!!

Well Prayer Warriors, Tonight is the night!When we go to sleep(right!)tonight Ethiopian Courts will be open and our case will be heard to determine if G*** will officially become ours. I pretty much have butterflies in my tummy all the time. I can pretend and write all I want that I am content and at peace but this is really hard. Harder than I can ever explain. I do have moments of peace and I realized yesterday that was an exact time that someone was actually praying for us.Thank you!!!Today, I am trying to keep busy, watching kids & book work hoping that I can get all of this done before we leave.If we pass court and can travel as planned it works so well with doing the books.among other things.I put together or should say figured out the car seat again. I forgot how complicated that can be. I had to put my nephew in it and he was really good about it.(he is only 19mos)He is about the same size and weight as G*** so it was a good way to figure out the constraints.The weather is great today and tomorrow it is supposed to be 90!So I am going to get the little pool set up to keep my nephews busy!!I am praying to be celebrating with a LARGE cup of coffee with all my fellow YG Friends on all our successful court hearings tomorrow. It has been 20 days since I had any coffee!lol. I need my caffeine.

USCIS

ONE!!Week from today and we will find out if G*** is officially ours!I am soo excited!at times I feel like I am going to be sick to my stomache.This has been such a bittersweet week for our fellow families adopting with us from Ethiopia. 5 out of 11 families passed court. While we are praising God and rejoicing with those families we are just heartbroken over the families that have rescheduled court dates or no court dates at all.We got notice today that our USCIS approval that was sent to Addis Ababa on April 1st, 2009 has not been received. I had to contact the NVC and request they re email it. If this does not get done, we may not be able travel on time.PLEASE put this on your prayer lists that everything gets into them on time.

God Bless
Dawn

MOWA Letters of recommendation

We are about a week from court and up until yesterday I was getting excited to have this court date and be on our way to our daughter. Then we got notification that MOWA will not be writing recommendation letters for children in certain circumstances. While, this has not affected our family. My heart is soo heavy for my friends that are now stuck in the court system with out a way to know when it will end. I am really nervous about court now. The judges are being even more meticulous with paperwork,as it is wonderful that the Ethiopian Government is taking all precautions to ensure that children are not trafficked, it is just heartbreaking to be almost at the end of this journey only to see the wait time increase. This is once again, God requiring us to lean on HIM at all times and in all things. I recently read on another blog that we have to remember our children are God's not ours. WE get the previlage and blessing of our children from God. Our adoptions are God's plan for our lives, he will not allow these children away from us any longer than He has already planned. How mighty He is.Please join me in prayer for these families that MOWA and the Ethiopian government will quickly get through their investigations and for the families to find peace and patience in Christ.

Ways to Donate!

Dear Family & Friends,
As you saw in my last post there is dire need for formula right now. I have added a link to the right, please click on it and see how you can help. I am sure I won't possible be able to bring all the formula and supplies that our generous family and friends are sending us, the other way is to go through the Children's Hope Chest. Please visit their website and Tom Davis's blog to see how YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! There are testimonies from families that have and are adopting through the same agency we are. Duni is our America World in country coordinator and she addresses the issues of the children in the May 4th blog. PLEASE take time to read it and pray about it.

Blessings
Dawn

Fasting & Travel Plans

Well folks, we are sixteen days until court.YIPEE!!My tentative travel group has decided we are going to fast and pray, pray, pray until our May 20-21 court dates!We have all given up something from chocolate to sweets to coffee. YES, I am giving up my beloved coffee. I have made it 3 days already!!And boy do I need it, with 3 little boys Mondays-Wednesdays I really need the energy. We have also been trying to figure out our travel arrangements. We have gone from all of us going to just Mike and I to all three of us and now maybe just me. Our adoption agency has given us too much time to think about it. Quicker court dates and we wouldn't be able to come up with all these different ideas.LOL So stay tuned... and KEEP PRAYING!!