One Week Home

Well we have been home for one week with our darlings and boy has it been busy!

Loving my full car!!!
We have been to the doctor, the lab and collecting all sorts of specimans.  They were such troopers!

We were told on one of our progress reports that Faith wants to be a doctor and Abel wants to be a pilot.  I wasn't sure how accurate that was, but it turns out that it is accurate at least for now.  Faith came home and played Dr. Feven repeating each step of the lab draw procedure on each of her siblings.  And Abel, desiring to be a pilot, got to sit in the cockpit with the pilot on his first plane ride and received his wings:

We are having fun experiencing all kinds of firsts.  First squirt gun fight:

Yes, Feven decided that wet clothes were not to her liking so she just took them off.  So funny!
Much more to share, but I have littles to get to bed.  We are doing well.  We have highs and some lows, but all in all they are doing amazingly well!!!  We thank God for these kids and are honored to be their parents!!

This Happy Mother's Day....We're HOME!!!

SO much to post and too tired to do it all, so I'll start with a little piece and work backward then forward to fill you in on this past week.
Our surprise homecoming welcome at the Indy airport (we don't even live in Indy) by sweet friends..totally unexpected and so thoughtful!!!

2 anxious siblings eagerly  awaiting the arrival of their new brother and sister..even in the rain:

First time in our car on the trip home from the airport:

 What 30 hours of International travel will do to you:

A tad hard to wake up when we arrived, and more than groggy, but managed to smile some for first family of 7 pics:

Sweet welcome from more friends and family...Thank you Davis's, mom and Aunt Sue!!!

Wonderful first dinner home.  Made with love by Mom D who stayed here to watch our D's who didn't travel with us:

And pic from today of mommy's men:

Thanking God today for our moms..

And for Abel and Feven Faiths birth mom who my heart is very tender for today.

Thank you Jesus for blessing me abundantly.  I am one grateful mama!!!
Happy Mother's Day!!!

We're Ready!!!! Africa Bound!!

Sweet Treats for our babes staying home.  It helps count the days until we return in a fun way!

(Bags are Ethiopian Flag colors, separated by orange, then American flag colors)
With donations, an extra traveler and bringing home 2 new Donaldsons, our back is full!!

New Life:  I love this next picture of new life.  A robin made a nest in my Easter wreath and today we found this:

We are so excited for the gift of new lives joining us.  Welcome Abel and Feven!!!  We hope you love your new nest.  ~Mama and Daddy

Abel and Feven Faith We Will Be There in 4 Days!!!

    
Recent pics taken last week from a traveling family.  We sent them a care package and they know we are on our way!!!  When they saw our picture they said,"Mama, Daddy, Mama, Daddy", and kissed the paper!!  Melt my heart!!!  Yes sweet darlings, Mama and Daddy will be there soon to scoop you up and enfold you into our family.  We can't wait!!

We Get to Go...Finally

Found out yesterday that Embassy has our visa 37 and they confirmed an Embassy appointment for Wednesday, May 4th.  We leave next Sunday!!!!  Abel and Feven, we are almost there!!

He Paid the Price

Thank you Jesus for the price you paid.  God help me to live daily in light of your mercy and grace.

Thanks Emily for posting this.

Adoption Update:  Our Visa 37 was sent yesterday.  Great News!

Check out this Fundraiser/Raffle

A local family who has 3 bio kids & 3 adopted children from China is in process to bring home another Special Needs girl from China.  They are having a fun raffle for an I-Pad 2 to help them with their dossier costs.  Check out their story here: www.mattmandi.blogspot.com


Our homefront news:  Looks like we will be leaving next weekend, not this weekend to unite and bring home Abel and Feven Faith.  So I will be praising God for my redemption here in FW, not Rome or Addis, then busily getting ready to leave and hopefully come home Mother's Day with our precious additions.
 Check out this update from a family who is there now and yesterday delivered a care package for us:  Rachel wrote:

"Packages have been delivered, cards translated, video and pictures taken, and your photos LOVED ON! They are just thrilled! Internet is slow and poor but will talk and send them when we return."

So excited to get our arms around them!! 

Another neat post from a family who recently traveled to meet their girl for the first time.  I love how she shares the why for adoption for many people.  : www.sandersonadoption.blogspot.com/

We Have Our Updated I-171!!!!

We were delighted to find in our mailbox today our updated I-171 immigration form!  We can now  make an embassy date and get tickets to FINALLY bring our treasures home.  WOOHOO!!!

Other fun news:  Doria participated in her first track meet this week.  Good job D!!

Delighting in Embassy Clearance

This morning we were surprised and delighted to find an e-mail from the US Embassy notifying of us our clearance to travel for our visa appointment.  This means we can go get Abel and Feven Faith and finally bring them home.  Our last hold up is waiting for our immigration update, and we pray to have that soon.  This segment of our journey has been the toughest by far, and we are so glad to have resolution.  Thank you for your prayers and please don't stop.

Other delights:
Dave and Drake completed the "Becoming a Man Series" at church and it was a wonderful experience for both of them.  They concluded with a night of paintball:

We just returned from a week in FL for spring break.  Great family time and so fun connecting with old friends!!  We love you all!  Thank you God for these blessings.

Just a little sea fog the whole day on our last day, but we still had fun.

Another Week....of No Good News

No good news that is regarding adoption.  Plenty of good blessings in my "other" life, but man when you are in this process, it takes on a life of its own.  And when you have been is this process for as long as I have you start to feel crazy having these two lives.  Who knew adopting "Waiting" Children could result in such an extra long wait????  Really?  Like aren't they waiting and ready???  Apparently not!!!  Well, they're ready, that's for sure, but their paperwork is not.  So they wait, we wait, and wait.  It's been 8 weeks since we passed court.  All 9 other travel couples are home and some have been home for over a month.  Who's counting though right??  Frustrated is an understatement.
State basketball tournament for the boys this weekend.  Maybe all this waiting is to spare our new darlings from endless basketball weekends???  Dori sure finds a way to avoid them.
 Praying my redeemer is holding A and F tight, protecting them, filling them with hope and wiping away any despair.

My Baby is 11

Our youngest by birth is 11 today.  Thank you God for this gift you gave us!!  We love him so much!!!

He and his big brother had another busy weekend of basketball.  Both of their respective teams made it to the championship round and played at the same time and both teams won.  Made for some oh so decorative bookends:

Happy Birthday Devin!!!!  You are loved to infinity and beyond.

Dear Abel and Feven Faith

It will be 7 weeks this Saturday from the time we first met you in person and hugged and kissed you and you melted our hearts.  What you don't know though is that you have been in our hearts for almost a year since we first saw your picture.
To say that this mama and dad and brothers and sister are anxious for your arrival would be an understatement.  We thought for sure you would be here with us in our home already.  I'm so sorry you have to wait.  There are so many details in the whole process and we seem to have gotten more than our share.  Know that we have not forgotten you, that we think about you all the time, and pray that we can come get you quickly.  We question, and pester to the point of annoyance on your behalf and we won't stop until we have you.  You are precious, our darlings, and we can't wait to love you in person!!
~Mama and Dad

A Day of Fasting and Prayer for Adoptions and Orphans in Ethiopia

Wednesday, March 9th, my mind, heart and prayers will be focused on the situation in Ethiopia regarding adoptions.  I will also be praying for our case  and Abel and Feven specifically:  That God's will be done, that answers would come swiftly, and that the peace of Christ would fill my soul.  I will also be praying for all families and children involved.
More info here: teamalexander.
and here: aplacecalledsimplicity
For His Children,
~Angie
LOVE Third Day!!!!

Let's Dress These Boys for a Wedding!

Ok, had to give a plug, just in case you have some wonderful hand me downs or want to go shopping, for these precious street boys.
Read here for the details:aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2011/02/wanna-kind-of-go-to-africa-with-us.html
They need them soon.  Can't wait to see the pictures!!

One Hurdle at a Time

First of all, if you are reading this today, then you will see to the left that the verse of the day, not picked by me, is the same verse I was holding on to in my last post.  Kinda funny.  Maybe God's saying, "Yeah do just that!"
So, the hurdle we cleared Friday was finding out that Abel does not have TB..Yeah!! BUT still a couple more hurdles to clear and SO hoping that Monday clears the toughest one!
Pray with us please.
Thank you DEAR friends for your love, support and prayers!!!  I treasure you!!