Blessings and bloggy friends...

We are so blessed.  In more ways than we can count.... 

I have started following many adoption blogs since we started on this journey.  Most of the adoption blogs I follow are families adoping from Ethiopia, and many of them are using Holt International as their agency (as we are).  Several blessings have come from my "blog-stalking" (as Drew calls it)!  I entered a drawing on this blog and we won!  This family is doing a coffee fundraiser through JUST LOVE COFFEE and selling coffee online.  $5 of each bag of coffee sold would go towards their adoption, but they have made the decision to split their proceeds with another family who is adopting.   What a neat thing for them to do and what a blessing to us...  If you are interested in ordering coffee or other merchandise and helping to fund both our adoption and this family's adoption, click here and order!  Each day I'm amazed at the ways God is showing us this is His plan for our family.  Who knew that a "random" family who is also adopting would be such a blessing to us.  Even cooler, we discovered that we are using the same adoption agency, are very close in the process, and only live several hours from each other.  It's crazy to think that we could be traveling to Ethiopia at the same time and our children could be friends someday :)  I love how technology can be used for such a greater good!

I also LOVE this blog and so enjoy seeing her new creations.  Laura sews all kinds of amazing goodies and sells them in order to fund their Ethiopian adoptions (they have already adopted one little guy and are in the process of adopting another).  She did a giveaway several weeks ago on her blog (see here) in celebration of one-month on the waiting list for their little one and I WON!!  We love our ornament and I plan to hang it on our fireplace after the Christmas decorations are down as a constant reminder of our little one...  To order your own ornament, visit this etsy shop! 

Thank you to everyone who continues to support us through prayer.  You are such a blessing to us and we are so very thankful for your love and continued support!

All I Really Want For Christmas

This afternoon I've been doing a lot of praying and thinking while Evan naps.  I've been looking at the 4th stocking hanging on our fireplace without a name on it and wondering when that stocking will have a name and face to go with it.  I've been wondering how long we will wait to see our baby's face and whether or not she will be spending our next Christmas with us.  I've been thinking about names and dreaming about how wonderful it will be to see Evan love on his baby sister.  I've been dreaming about little pink clothes and how I plan to decorate her room.  And if I'm being honest, I've been having a little pity party for myself wondering why the list isn't moving as quickly as I'd like.  And then I came across this video and have been bawling like a baby.  There are soo many children who need families (over 5 million in just Ethiopia).

But the truth of the matter is, God is in control and He already has OUR CHILD chosen for OUR FAMILY.  She may or may not be born right now. He knows what the timing will be and He will give us the strength and patience to get us through this long and emotional process.  But sometimes it's just so hard.  Today is one of those days.  But even in these tough days, I pray that I will always be reminded that adoption is NOT ABOUT US.  It's about how we can serve HIM and in doing so, give these orphaned children a FAMILY (a perfect representation of how we are orphaned in sin and then adopted by Christ).  I definitely have a different perspective this Christmas.  I pray we can all take a step back in these next few days and really reflect on why we celebrate Christmas and give thanks for the gift of baby Jesus on that special day in Bethlehem so many years ago.  Merry Christmas!

Our Dossier is in Ethiopia!!

We received an email from our adoption agency yesterday that our dossier has arrived in Ethiopia!  To those of you wondering what this means, not a whole lot...  But it does mean we're one more step closer to our little one.  We will still be waiting awhile for our referral...  But it's still exciting news!!

What We've Been Up To...

We've been.... 

decorating the house for Christmas... 

making a paper chain to count down to our referral (we moved at least 3 spots this week!)...

visiting Santa (somewhat reluctantly, but he wanted to make sure Santa knows what to bring!)..



and finally sitting on his lap for a quick happy picture...




and playing at the Indianapolis Childrens museum...

We've been busy, but we're having oh so much fun!!