I'm a mommy again!!!!

I'm a mommy again!!! I couldn't wait to go home and get an email, or get a phone call, so at 2:34pm I called Jan. I love that woman, she is the nicest, sweetest, and loves giving these calls!!! She confirmed that yes, I was a mommy again!!!! I am so in love!!!! Look at those eye lashes, she looks just like Me!!!!!!!!

Lifest 2008

Lifest 2008

Hanging out in our
friends RV !!!

Newsboys!!! Nothing like them!!!

Lifest 2008

Lifest 2008

It was the best year, and it was the worst year!!

This was the year that the music meant the most to me. The first night was the Newsboys!! Need I say more?? I have the lead singer's face on a pillow case!! What's better than partying with your children??? Throwing Captain Crunch because they don't serve breakfast in Hell.... Every night was a beautiful sunset followed my a 3 in the morning storm that bent the metal poles of my screen tent-kitchen, but didn't disrupt the pile of tupperware sitting out on the table. That is an act of God!! Telling me that my tenting days our done!! And thanks to my very best friend in all the world, we will be sharing sites next year with campers!!! He has such a sence of humor and I know that he must just get a kick out of watching me deal with his humor!!! It is such a great week to spend with your children worshiping God the whole time!! Lauren stayed with her friends the first night. They had just one more spot for her to stay. The first night it rained hard!! And their tent got flooded. Including her new air mattress and tatered sleeping bag. While trying to dry out the tent with a space heater, HER air mattress fell ontop of the space heater and melted!!! God is just so funny!!! I'm glad we all saw his humor this weekend!!

Stephen Curtis Chapman was the most emotional day. I woke up feeling sorrow for his family, for their daughter's birth mother. This was his first appearence since the dealth of his daughter Maria. May 21st. 1 and a half months after the dealth of your daughter you are back to work. Not sitting in an office hiding for the next year, but on stage telling the story over and over. He it truely a man of God and did it to show people how if you have the faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ how he can carry you when you can't do it on your own. All day I couldn't stop talking about him and how he must be feeling. I found myself in tears in the middle of the day behind my sunglasses. I just don't know how I would deal with it??? The same way God has lead me through every trial I have had. The consert began slowly. He came out and talked about how he didn't know how this was going to be, how he would get through it. He cried, sang a song, talked more about how every song he wrote years ago meant so much more. At times he would just stop and cry. Everyone cried!! I knew we were all going to wake up looking like we had hang overs!!! He even sang the Cinderella song. Which I beleive he wrote for his daughter Maria. Come to find out later that he said he would never sing that song again. It wasn't on his play list. But he did, and what hope it gave to people who were going through similar situations.

I can't say enough how much I love Lifest!! It will always be my favorite weekend of the year.

Update Update

We got a few updates!! Sahara was 5.85kg= 12.87# on May23 she is now 6.15 kg=13.53# as of July 1st!!! She was 67 cm=26.13 inches and is now 68cm=26.77 inches!!! What a growing girl!!

We also recieved a report that she removes marbles from a bottle and puts marbles in a cup. She tries to use a spoon and stacks cubes. She appears to understand a few new words a week, and understands feelings. She clings to her care taker, and trows tantrums when upset. WOW!!! She IS a normal 13 month old!! We are so happy and so blessed!!!

Please continue to pray for her birth mother and the greif she is going through. Getting these updates on Sahara only reminds me of what her birth mother is wondering. Please pray for our court date of July 18th. If all goes well that day she will legally be our daughter and I will be able to post a photo of her.

Mehaber (picnic)

Ethiopian Summer Picnic

June 28th

I can't praise CHSFS enough!!! I absolutely love my agency!!! We traveled Friday to the twin cities, shopped at the mall of America, stayed at Northwestern College. The picnic took place on the campus of Northwestern College. What a great campus!!

It started at 11am with the Markato(market). Lots of great things to buy. Lifebooks, hair beads, coffee, clothing........... They had a petting zoo with African animals. they had blow up games and Tristan played soccer.

We watched hair braiding, and we listened to a panel on Racism. We went on fundraising walk, Walk for Water. Which is to raise enough money to build a well in Hossana.

I met Jan the Ethiopian program director, and Alexa the woman who placed Sahara with our family. I will forever be greatful!!! It was wonderful to see so many white parents with Ethiopian children. But it was sad also. I spent most of the day behind sunglasses, with eyes brimming with tears. I miss my baby girl!!! Seeing all the families with there children made it harder for me to deal with her thousands of miles away. I just want her home!!!!

Court Date!!!

We have a court date!!! July 18th is the date that we go to court. I don't actually go to court. A Power of Attorney for Sahara and I goes to court there in Ethiopia. Sometimes we don't make it through court on the first try. Sometimes there is a power outage, they need more paper work, sometimes a family member needs to be found. But sometimes it does go through on the first try, and when it does, she is legally my daughter.