We are #3!!!

Some fun things come in threes...

 

And our favorite thing is this picture of great MERCY and GRACE!

So thankful for Jesus (and for a little movement in our waitlist number:)!

End of summer highlights...

 We had a fun trip to Grandma & Grandpa's later this summer & we got to try out their ice cream shoppe...a just right size table.

 These 2 are so funny...they are always trying a new Blizzard type mix of flavors & then split the treat & then analyze what they are planning to order the next time.

 Loving the ice cream cones.

 Buddies.

 Grandma is brave enough to let these 2 crack eggs for breakfast.

 And thankfully, no glasses needed for the boys again this summer.

 Back-to-school donut treat.

 This summer we were "free pool pass" junkies.  Its funny by the end of the summer it felt like we had been swimming a fair amount...and then I started realizing how many "free passes" we had used at various pools around the area...pretty fun for our 3 fishies.

 The kids did take swim lessons this summer...it is wonderful to have all 3 of them as independent swimmers now...it does make pool time way more relaxing!

 Every year we look so forward to the International Student Picnic...connecting Internationals that very recently arrived in America to Christian friends...the day almost takes your breath away at all the countries represented & all the opportunities for friendships

 BJ loved teaching himself to kayak & got to take Sister out for a ride

 Water-balloon volleyball with friends from around-the-world

And one of the things that I miss with the kids back in school...doing whatever in PJ's till whenever!
The boys are having a terrific year and it does feel good to be back in sync...but summer always hold a special place in our hearts!

Wait list...sorry for the confusion...

In my attempt to give a "good" explanation of what the "wait list" is & where we are on it a few posts back...I think it must have been confusing as I have heard from some "congrats on being #1"...so just to keep everyone up-to-date...we are NOT number #1...we are officially #4 for at this time...the last day of each month we get our officially updated number...and we can't wait!
Thanks for your continued prayers!

Finishing up a birthday...

 On our bucket-list for this summer was...teaching BJ to bake...it came easy and very deliciously!

 When Dad was back we celebrated BJ's birthday (again) at his favorite place...Panera!

What we have been up to...

We were so happy to get to have old friends get to stay with us last weekend...fun for our kids to get to be together & for the adults to have a great time together too...both the girls are "hairbow girls"...picture taken before the moms got the bows in..raw beauty!

Fun with cousins

BJ was our biggest fish in our pool this summer...he could spend forever playing in it...the other 2 usually got too chilly!

Last Farmer's Market before school starts...bummer, on the apple crop this year...still trying to get over that one!

Huge blanket forts in the basement

Brian & I got away for a night & enjoyed every bite at Maggiano's...it was delicious as I remember!  Great fun to be together..."table for 2"!

Voting for a Mormon? Ravi's insightful thoughts...

Gold Miners

A few days after we got back from vacation this summer...we headed into VBS week.  An amazing week...this year's theme...Answers to Genesis "Gold Rush"...very solid Biblical teaching in a fun kid-friendly format! 

There were fun skits

Neat crafts...BJ's is the sunshine

Ellyana was able to join the Toddler class...big stuff!

We were beyond thrilled to get to host Matt & Rebekah for his super mid-week talk & the week ended with the wonderful VBS picnic complete with special music!

We had lots of kiddos join us this year, so that was great exposure to the Word of God.  And one of my personal favorite parts of the week...seeing the church pull together...using a huge variety of gifts to make the week such a blessing...it is a God-thing!

What does the "wait list" mean?

 

Over the last few months I have been posting what number on the Wait List we are (totally intentioned to explain it sooner than this but...)  So in June of 2010, we started filling out paperwork to begin this journey of adoption (a journey God had begun in our hearts well before that).  At the beginning of September 2010, all of the requirements were met, paperwork was complete for our adoption agency...so we were put on the "Wait List".  We were put on the list for an infant girl from Ethiopia.  At that time we were #90.  Over the course of the past 2 years we have inched our way down the list, each month getting a new number...sometimes lower, sometimes unchanged.  We get our updated number the last day of each month...(yes, I have been checking e-mail that day many times lately).
What this number means is that when we are the #1 family on the baby girl list, the next baby girl that is ready to be matched with an adoptive family...we will get the call about her (this is called a Referral Call).  At that time we will have an International Pediatrician review her paperwork and we will fill out a bunch of paperwork to verify that we are ready to move forward with adopting her into our family.
I remember where I was exactly when we got the Referral Call for our other 2 adopted kids.  We believe in a BIG way that God orchestrates the ins & outs, ups & downs in the adoption process to match us with exactly the child God has to be in our family.  So to say that we are excited to find out who she is would be a huge understatement.
So, because you can never predict how things will go in the International Adoption world (but you are constantly trying to figure them out;)...we have been moving about 1 spot per month most recently...so at this time it would look like we would get our referral call at the end of this year.
Then within a few months after that, we will travel to Ethiopia for our 1st trip to meet her & appear before a judge.  And then we will come back home without her (yes, that will be hard).  And then after a few more weeks we will return to Ethiopia to pick her up.  So the part of the process after "referral" till pick up is taking about 3 months (based on current estimates that are constantly changing).
The only thing that always remains the same about international adoption is CHANGE.  So who really knows?  But God does...and He's all that really matters! We continue to wait & pray!!!!  There are so many things to pray about & the hundreds of times that we think about whoever she is each day...we are reminded to pray.  We appreciate your prayers too! 
The wait has been long and with this ending part the wait will feel even more crazy...but oh, so exciting!  God is so faithful!  We trust Him in "the wait"!

1st week of school

Well, the boys are back to school...4th and 1st grade this year...BJ has a male teacher & we have heard great things about him and Zach has BJ's old 1st grade teacher so that makes it nice.  The summer flew by so it felt pretty "normal" to head back into school life (always sad to have summer end though).  We are thankful for all the wonderful people we know through school...God has blest us!

And Ellyana is doing a "fun" year...gymnastics, story hour at the library, fun with friends.  She was thrilled to be starting gymnastics!  Problem is in our valiant efforts to try to explain earlier in the year when she would be getting her new baby sister...we said "after she starts gymnastics"...well, now must be the time in her mind!  Something was wrong with our camera with these photos...(their heads seem especially big with small feet)...kinda sad at first to have strange pics of their "first days" and then the kids got such a kick out of the pictures...well, now I think they are great too ;)!